#the weather looked really nice and sunny but by the afternoon it started to rain and it continues to do so in the 3 days ive been here

[aria0fgold]

I went to my sister's place to both: Get some more exercises which I am getting in the form of walking around outside with her ough orz and get some sun in which case hasn't happened yet cuz the sun apparently doesn't like me at all cuz ever since getting here, it's always been raining.

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

𝐀 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦

Haha...so...I wrote this in one sitting on my phone, which is unlike me. I prefer working on my computer but oh well, I couldn't stop. I'm insatiable and there was not enough Tom in season 2.

Summary: You and Tom take a nice walk through the park...until the rain starts pouring.

Warnings: SMUT (MINORS DNI), public sex, rough oral (m!receiving), kinda mean!dom Tom, implied subspace, teasing, dacryphilia, slapping, daddy kink, degradation, orgasm denial/control, and fluff cause I couldn't help myself🤷🏻‍♀️

word count | 2.2k🤙🏻

It had been a few weeks since Tom came back home. Tears of joy rarely seemed to leave your eyes, as Tom rarely ever let you leave his bed. But today, you decided it was too lovely outside to stay indoors all day, even though it would’ve been enjoyed regardless. The weather was predicted to be sunny with a nice breeze all afternoon, so you couldn’t possibly let yourself waste such a day.

You managed to convince Tom of the idea, after what seemed like hours of complaining and trying to get you to change your mind. But you weren’t having it, no matter how many times Tom said he’d bring you to a breathtaking release if you’d just allow yourselves to stay home.

You both walked to a local park, hand in hand, basking in the warm glow the sun offered, hearing the birds chirp happily, and glancing around at all the other people who must've had the same idea as you. And Tom, albeit reluctantly, started allowing himself to enjoy it and your company. Although, seeing a kid drop their ice cream cone and immediately bursting into fitful wails brought him enough joy that he started to think it was worth it. 

It wasn't until the skies suddenly darkened, the sun almost disappearing into oblivion, that you and Tom started regretting your decisions. 

It was slow at first, just a few droplets hitting the tops of your heads, then a few droplets turned into an absolute downpour. 

You squealed as you, Tom, and everyone else at the park started to get drenched, most scurrying to their vehicles or shutting themselves in their homes that were somewhat nearby. You and Tom didn't have such luck, as you both walked miles to get to this destination. What a great choice on your part. So all you really could do was take cover along the treeline of the woods that aesthetically encircled the park. 

As you watched the rain come down harder, you heard Tom sigh heavily and you rolled your eyes, already knowing you were about to get an earful...but it never came. You looked up at him in slight curiosity, seeing that a content expression was plastered over his visage, not an annoyed wrinkle or frown in sight. 

Tom glanced towards you, seeing your confused expression. "What?" 

You shook your head, jutting your bottom lip out slightly and shrugging your shoulders. "Thought you'd be...less calm than you are right now. More...mad." 

Tom furrowed his brows, going back to watching the rainfall. "Why would I be mad?" 

You chuckled weakly. "Well, you didn't really wanna come out here in the first place." 

He smirked, gently bumping your shoulder with his. "Ah, I was just pulling your leg, luv. I was happy to come out here, with you. I'm still happy to be here with you...never thought I'd get the chance again." 

You'd think your whole body would turn into a puddle right then and there, mixing with the rain and seeping into the damp soil. But alas, all it did was ignite a burning, consuming fire in the pit of your belly, almost disappointed Tom said such a thing and didn't do anything afterwards. 

You looked at your surroundings. Not a soul in sight, nobody but the two of you. The scarce playground equipment shook and swings swung violently with the wind, creaking and groaning from the force. If you were to scream, most likely no one would be able to hear you through the small storm. Why did the thought turn you on even more? And Tom, he looked so peaceful, the ever permanent curve in his lips deepening every time thunder shook the earth. 

Before you could overthink it, you started to lower yourself to the ground, the muddiness of the dirt that started to stick to your knees and ends of your dress doing nothing to quell the desire that kept on building inside you. 

Gaining his attention immediately, Tom looked down at you in dark intrigue, watching as you settled yourself on your knees. "And what do you think you're doing, sweet girl?" You didn't reply as you reached your hands up to palm his cock through his trousers, hearing him let out a barely audible grunt at your ministrations. "You do realize we're in public?" 

"You want me to stop?" You looked up at him with wide doe eyes, putting on an innocent expression even though you and Tom both knew fully well how debaucherous you really could be. 

You gasped as Tom reached down, grabbing you by the roots of your hair at the nape of your neck, pulling you into a bruising kiss. "You're a fuckin' vixen, you know that? A whore is what you've turned into since I've been gone, is that it?" 

"Yes...but I'm your whore." 

And with that response, you crossed the point of no return, which is exactly where you wanted to be. 

Tom smirked, his cock instantly responding to your words and actions. "Yeah, you are, baby." He brought you into another passionate kiss, biting your bottom lip before pulling away, making you whimper. "Let's see how your whore mouth can be put to use, hm?" He growled, leaning back and relaxing against a tree, a smug aura surrounding him as he watched and waited for your next move. 

You smiled as you took his cock out, hard and pulsing warmly beneath the weight of your hand, a gush of slick pooling at your entrance at the breathy moan Tom made as you ran your tongue along him from base to tip, weakly suckling on the head to tease him. And you repeated those motions a few times before he stopped you, grabbing onto your hair with a growl. "Fuckin' tease. You gonna suck my cock like a good little slut, or do I have to force you? 'Cause I can force you, luv, you know I can." You involuntarily let out a whimpery moan, clenching your thighs together at his low, threatening voice. "Ah, I see. That's what you want, huh? You want me to use you like the whore you are? I can fuckin' do that." 

"Tom-" You yelped when he slapped you with his cockhead, making you widen your eyes up at him. 

"Nah, sweetheart, whores don't get to use my real name. So, I'm only gonna ask you once: who am I?" 

Your heart hammered in your ribcage, never having felt so frightened and aroused at the same time. "...Daddy." 

Tom grinned evilly, and in pride. "That's my good girl. Now, beg Daddy to fuck your mouth, go on." 

"Daddy," you let out with another pathetic whimper, "please, fuck my mouth. I need to feel your big cock." 

"Open." He prodded the tip of his cock at your lips, coaxing them to part. "Wider. Yeah, that's it." He groaned loudly as he rammed himself inside your hot, wet mouth, hitting the back of your throat immediately and making you gag around him. "Fuck, so good for me." He pulled back and thrusted back in roughly, over and over again, until tears ran down your cheeks and your drool spilt down your chin copiously. "See what happens when you tease your Daddy, hm? You brought this on yourself." 

You moaned around his cock, the vibrations making him groan loudly, the still pouring rain drowning at any noise. No one would be able to hear you gagging on his dick, or his moans, nor the wet squelching of your cunt as you started to finger yourself to relieve some of the tension building in you. But Tom could hear it. "You better not be touching yourself, girl. Only I get to abuse that pretty pussy of yours." Tom pulled you up from the ground, your lips releasing his dick with a wet pop, your fingers retreating from your quivering form in the process. 

Your eyes were glazed over in a haze, mad with lust and pleasure, unable to focus as Tom brought up your hand by the wrist. He lightly slapped you, bringing your vision back into focus. "Were you touching yourself?" 

He asked so lowly, you were scared, so you mewled out a soft, "No." 

Your response only made him smirk. "Hm. So, if I were to stick your fingers in my mouth, I wouldn't be able to taste you, right?" You didn't even have the chance to respond before he wrapped his lips around your fingers, his tongue swirling around the digits before releasing them with another hum. "A whore and a liar? What am I to do with you?" 

And before you knew it, Tom had you pinned up against the same tree he was leaning on previously, the bark digging into your back uncomfortably. "You know what I do with whores, but what do you think I should do with liars? Surely, I shouldn't reward them for their behavior, right?" 

You stuttered, unable to form words in your lust driven mind. "Tom-" You started to sob out, being interrupted with another slap, much harsher than the last. 

"What did I tell you?" He growled. "Whores aren't allowed to use my real name. Why can't you just do as you're told? You've grown so wild and rebellious since I've been away. I think I need to put you back in your place." 

Tom turned you around, lifting up your dress to reveal your underwear already pushed to the side, giving him access to your needy cunt. "Just a slut." You cried out loudly as he pushed two fingers inside you roughly. "That's all you are." He spat in your ear, curling his fingers to hit your sweet spot, tears springing to your ears as pleasure overtook you all too easily. "So worked up, aren't you? You gonna come so quickly?" 

"Yes!" You sobbed, practically shaking from the cold of the atmosphere and the pleasure Tom was giving you. And he wouldn't fuckin' stop, bringing you right to the precipice before pulling away completely and landing a painful slap to your clit. "Ow!" You whined.

"What? You think I was gonna let you come that easily? No, you have to earn it, girl." 

"Please...please..." You cried softly, completely leaning onto the tree in quiet exhaustion, so desperate for a release that you couldn't possibly notice or care about the wood scratching up your delicate skin. 

"You sound so pretty for me, luv. And using your manners. It's almost enough to make me wanna show you mercy." 

Your body thrummed with hopefulness, your mind going into tunnel vision at the prospect of getting off. "Daddy, please. I'll be a good girl. I won't touch myself, I won't tease you, I promise. I'll behave, Daddy, I swear it." You sobbed, soft hiccups escaping your lips. 

"Hey, hey," Tom cooed, running his hands over your skin gently, gooseflesh rising along where his fingers made their path. "You are a good girl. My good, sweet girl." You preened at his praise, letting out a shuddering sigh as he finally pushed his cock into you. "I believe you've learned your lesson, luv. Now, all you have to do is come for me." He whispered in your ear, a strangled moan brushing past your ears as he sped up his thrusts. "Think you can do that for me?" 

You cried out softly as the tip of his cock kept bullying the rough patch along the front of your walls, your climax already building back up with brutal force. "Yes, Daddy." 

"Tom." He corrected, and you grinned. 

You moaned as Tom reached around to run circles on your clit, pleasure dizzying your senses, making you lightheaded. You were right there. "Please..." You wailed. 

"Say my name when you come, sweet girl. Come for me." 

"Tom!" You chanted his name like a prayer, your velvety walls squeezing around him tightly as your orgasm washed over you in tidal waves, Tom's grip on you the only thing keeping you standing on your own two feet. 

"Fuck, baby!" Tom cursed, rutting against like a wild animal until he came with a loud grunt, almost collapsing against you until he remembered there was only a tree there that couldn't keep the both of you upright in the position you both were in. 

A calming beat until Tom broke the silence first. "I love you." 

And just like that, the skies cleared and the rain stopped. The sun shined brightly once again, the fresh smell of watered earth covering up the stench of sex and sweat. 

"We should, uh, probably be getting home, huh?" Tom smirked, putting his softening cock back inside his pants and helping you fix your dress. To anyone none the wiser, it just looked like you both were drenched with rain water. You were of course, but it mixed with sweat from exertion. "And if anyone asks, you slipped and fell because you're atrociously clumsy."

You faked offense, playfully shoving him off the sidewalk as you walked back home, an easy grin on both your faces. 

You grabbed ahold of Tom's hand, squeezing it gently before leaning to kiss his cheek, the innocent gesture making him blush harder than any sex driven act could. 

"I love you too, Tom Bennett, more than you could ever know.”

sorry it's a bit shorter but i legit don't have time to write long fics all the time anymore. sadge. hope y'all enjoyed regardless. hashtag justice for Tom Bennett.

[taatsums]

Kafka Oguro SSR - The Morning After The Rain: A Rainy Day Schedule For The Two of Us

Part 1

📍HAMA Tours, Office Floor

Kafka: Chief-chan, good work today.

Kaede: Kafka, you’re still here? Good work today! 

Kafka: Thanks for supporting Yachiyo today as always.

Kaede: No need to thank me. I’m sure Yachiyo-kun is still having a hard time adjusting, and I’m also doing my best along with him.

Kafka: You’re so reliable. It’s thanks to you that everyone’s getting a chance to grow. I look forward to seeing what’s next for HAMA Tours.

Kaede: You’re overestimating me…!

Kafka: Alright, enough with the formalities. Do you remember what’s happening tomorrow, Chief-chan?

Kaede: Of course. We’re going to the zoo, right?

Kafka: Yup. I’m so excited about our zoo date that I can barely sit still.

Kaede: I don’t know about calling it a date… But I guess that’s what it is when two people go out together.

Kaede: What are you looking forward to seeing the most at the zoo, Kafka?

Kafka: Hmmm, I’d say the okapi. Apparently you can only see them at HAMA’s zoo.

Kaede: Sounds nice! Let’s go see the okapi first, then!

Kafka: Yeah! By the way, it seems like they’ve got a limited-time flamingo drink available right now.

Kaede: Even the name is cute! I wanna try it when we get there.

Kafka: Just leave it to me, Chief-chan. I’ve come up with the perfect itinerary for tomorrow’s zoo tour.

Kaede: Ahaha, I’ll leave it to you. I’m looking forward to it.

Kaede: Oh. Right, I didn’t check the weather forecast…

Kafka: I have, of course. It’s going to be sunny with a 0% chance of rain.

Kaede: You really have it all planned out…!

Kafka: It’s for our date, after all.

Kafka: Alright, let’s wrap things up and go home. No staying up late, or working overtime allowed today.

📍 HAMA House, Living Room

Kafka: It’s raining…

Kaede: The weather forecast was way off…

Kaede: (I know there’s nothing that can be done, but it really is unfortunate. We haven’t had the chance to go out together in so long…)

Kafka: …

Kaede: (Kafka’s so obviously depressed…!)

Option 1: Encourage him

Kaede: I’m sure the rain will pass by this afternoon!

Kafka: The forecast just now said there’s a 90% of rain…

Kaede: (Oh man, he’s seriously depressed…)

Option 2: Join him in his sadness

Kafka: I really hadn’t accounted for this…

Kafka: No matter how advanced our civilization becomes, we can’t control changes in the weather.

Kaede: (He’s so depressed that he’s gone into enlightenment mode…!)

Kafka: …

Kaede: Kafka, you okay…?

Kafka: Alright! Today’s plan will be changed to a rainy day schedule presented by none other than yours truly!

Kaede: Huh?

Kafka: We can’t do anything about the weather, so let’s just go to the zoo another day. I’ll just come up with even more things you can look forward to.

Kafka: Just leave the details to me.

Kaede: (He’s not depressed at all! If anything, he’s having fun…!?)

Kafka: Okay, we don’t have all day. Let’s go, Chief-chan…!

Kaede: (Go where, exactly…!?)

Part 2

📍 HAMA House, Living Room

Kaede: So, what’s that rainy day schedule thing about?

Kafka: Ta-daaah. I’ve prepared all sorts of indoor activities for us to enjoy~!

Kaede: Cat’s cradle, paper clay, board games, even origami…! These bring back memories! This sure is a rainy day full course!

Kafka: How about we start with a round of Game of Life?

Kaede: Sounds good! It’s been a long time since I last played a paper board game. Wait, is that… the same one from back then?

Kafka: Bullseye! I’ve prepared items from back then ♪

Kaede: You took good care of everything, didn’t you? Thanks!

Kafka: We played a lot together back in that hospital room.

Kaede: We sure did! We’d play Game of Life and talk about our dreams for the future. Who’d have thought we’d be here now?

Kafka: You never know what hand life will deal you.

-

Kafka: And my assets total to 1.5billion, and I’ve got 3 cars.

Kaede: I lost… Nothing’s changed. I still don’t think I can win against you.

Kafka: It’s all a matter of luck ♪ Guess I was just extra lucky today.

Kaede: Okay, next… we’re having a paper clay showdown!

Kafka: Fine by me. What should we make?

Kaede: How about Shumai?

Kafka: Sounds good! We can show it to Renga later and have him decide the winner.

-

Kafka & Kaede: And, done!

Kafka: The fur was a little hard to replicate, but don’t you think his face turned out great?

Kaede: Ahaha, yeah! That’s what Shumai looks like when he wakes up.

Kafka: Uhhh, this isn’t supposed to be when he wakes up. It’s Shumai right before he digs in on a snack.

Kafka: But why does the Shumai you made look like he’s going to melt?

Kaede: The antenna on his head looked like it was about to fall apart, so I made him look like he’s sleeping!

Kafka: Haha, so he’s sleeping! I thought he was melting from the heat.

Kafka: We can’t show either of these to Renga.

Kaede: You’re right… I don’t think he’ll even be able to tell these are Shumai.

-

Kaede: It’s been a while since I last did cat’s cradle, paper clay and origami, but they’re still all fun, even now!

Kaede: (And our paper clay skills haven’t changed since/from back then, either.)

Kafka: Right. Anything is fun with you, Chief-chan– But this makes it feel like we’ve gone back in time.

Kafka: The number of Ward Mayors here will increase, so this place will keep getting more and more lively.

Kafka: We’ve got plenty of rooms, and I’d like to think we’ve got lots of things to do on rainy days, too.

Kafka: Let’s say, for example… The theater room would be nice. How about we watch a movie and eat popcorn together?

Kaede: The theater room sounds good!

Kaede: (Kafka looks like he’s having fun… I’m glad. That makes me happy, too.)

Kafka: Oh, the rain’s letting up.

Kaede: Oh, you’re right. I didn’t even notice.

Kafka: How about we go for a little walk outside? Let’s look for a rainbow.

Kaede: That sounds nice. We did that together back then, too.

Kafka: Alright then, let’s go!

Kaede: (... I hope I can find more fun things to do with Kafka, both in HAMA Tours and in HAMA House!)

[periprose]

Florence - Chapter One

You and Peter Parker are former childhood best friends. As next door neighbours, you and him spent a great deal of time together, either at school, playing video games, or during your yearly summer vacations at Florence, Italy. But after you drifted away from him- you both went to different colleges, and you figured you wouldn't need to bother him anymore with your unrequited crush that you had never spoken of but clearly showed symptoms of- things are very awkward. It's even more so when you receive an invitation to Harry and MJ's destination wedding, located at Florence, of course.

former childhood friends to friends to lovers, mutual pining, loads of flashbacks to Florence vacations and other things, flirting, fluff and angst and eventual smut

no use of y/n, your father is Logan Howlett and you go by your last name

Masterlist | Next Chapter

It’s raining outside. 

Just moments before, as you decided to go check out your mailbox, it was a hot, sunny day. Typical for June 15th- a normal, almost sunny day. Of course, technically you’re in the last days of spring, so a downpour of rain started as you were opening your mailbox.

“Aw, fucking- damn it!” You stuff the mail under your shirt, and begin running across the sidewalk. 

Your hair is drenched in seconds- your shirt, too, is pretty damp- and when you’re finally at your porch, you can see so many puddles of water accumulated at your street. Weather is just crazy in New York.

One second later, you realize that you’ve left your mailbox open, and your keys are still in the keyhole of the box, so now you’re running yet again, down the street, rain making you totally wet and you know for a fact you’re going to have to change out of your clothes. You shut the mailbox door, grab your keys, and run back.

When you finally make it to your door, you’re sweating, soaked, and totally embarrassed.

May Parker- your sweet, older neighbour- is at her own porch, and she waves at you.

“Hey, Lettie. Going for an afternoon walk?” She asks, but really, she’s teasing, and you shrug. You haven’t been on the best of the terms with the Parkers lately.

“Just getting mail.” You pick up the envelopes, and quickly scan through them. 

Bills, dentist appointment reminder, flyers full of coupons… baby clothing catalogue? I’m not pregnant. You think to yourself. But you see that it’s listed to M. Parker- it’s obviously for your neighbour.

“Hey, May.” You stroll over to her porch, and hand her the baby clothing catalogue. “For… you?”

“Well, not for me like that, if that’s what you’re thinking.” May laughs, and flips through it. “Loads of women come to FEAST either pregnant or with babies- and I can’t always count on donations to help them, y’know?” She says it all matter-of-fact like, but you feel bad.

You used to donate at FEAST. You even used to volunteer there, around ten years ago when you were still in high school.

Things are different now, though. 

You sift through the rest of your mail, feeling too uncomfortable to just let May stand here on her own. You wonder why she’s just out- sometimes she’s drinking tea, just chilling- but she’s very clearly waiting for something. 

A very, very ornate envelope is on the front of your pile, and you pick it up gingerly.

What is this? One of those charity scams where the envelope looks really prestigious, so you’re motivated to donate? You wonder, but it dawns on you slowly.

Ivory white paper.

Silky to the touch.

Rococo imprints and detailing.

Oh no… You open it up, knowing exactly what this has to be. A wedding invitation?

You’re at the age where tons of your peers are getting married. Just last year, Gwen finally married Miles in a very nice, close friends only, cozy sort of wedding. And it’s not that you feel lonely, exactly- maybe it’s just that the pressure is finally weighing in a little.

You don’t think you have to get married. You are a feminist, something you can thank your dear old dad, Logan Howlett, for, since he has never been one to pressure you on this. In fact, he has always been the first to say that you don’t need a man and you especially don’t need one of those “punk-ass kids walking around today, like they own the damn planet.”

You know that’s true. Kind of, anyways. But you still feel like you are missing out on something, like the magical, perfect ending to a story that is marriage, that everyone always talks about. Feeling left behind.

Maybe you are lonely in a different way. Maybe it feels like your peers are moving on into different stages of their life, because that is what’s happening. 

Still, no need to panic. You’re just having a momentary lapse in judgement- it’s fine. 

The invitation reads, in gorgeous swoopy gold lettering that has yourself smiling despite yourself:

Mary Jane “MJ” Watson and Harold Theopolis “Harry” Osborn Will be Wedded                                                                                                                      On July 21st, 2023 In Florence, Italy At the Florence Cathedral

Accommodations will be provided.

A two-week long stay will be arranged prior to your visit, with maids and chefs attending to your every need. More details will be sent soon.

Your smile drops. 

You love Harry and MJ. You always knew that Harry would go all out for getting married, like he does for most things, and especially for MJ, a girl that he loves more than he loves custom cufflinks from Tiffany’s. 

It doesn’t hurt that MJ is gorgeous- she’s a stunning, 5’10 model with killer longs legs and a lithe, small waist that puts her on the cover of every magazine easily. Surprisingly natural cherry-red hair that pours off her head in the most silky, straight long curtain. 

But what really matters, as you always remind yourself before you get too caught up in admiring MJ’s looks and comparing yourself to her, is that MJ is a sweetheart. She always has been- always asks you how you’re doing and if you need anything, even if she herself is busy. MJ is the one who managed to soften Harry’s heart after he had a devastating fight with his father back in high school, when he was in his me-against-the-world phase.

You just wonder why they had to pick Florence, of all the places to go. Why not Tokyo, or Berlin, or Dubai? Why the one place where all your childhood memories with Peter Parker seem to reside, and just the thought of him makes your heart vaguely ache?

May sees what you’re looking at, and smiles widely. “Oh, Isn’t this great? Your childhood friends are finally getting hitched!”

You smile softly. “Yeah… and in Florence, too.”

May nods excitedly. “It’ll be just like back then, when you two were little. Peter’s on his way here- he’s just being picked up by Ben from New Jersey.”

You nod, but you’re not really listening. You didn’t even know Peter was in New Jersey- you’ve been avoiding talking to him for at least a year now. The last message he sent to you was “hey, howlett, you okay?” after not receiving a response for a week.

It’s awkward. You’ve ghosted him, and now you’re on his front porch. Before you can leave, Ben’s car is pulling up onto the driveway.

It’s too bad, you think. You’re easily flustered by confrontation- and it doesn’t help when Peter technically never did anything wrong.

You and your stupid feelings.

Ben exits the car, and pulls Peter’s suitcase out of the trunk. Peter himself wanders out, his tall, long body stretching outwards. He’s always been a lot taller than you.

He looks tired. Eyebags are heavy, and he’s got a bit of a slouch going on. There’s a bit of scruffy stubble adorning his jaw, and it’s either because he was too tired to shave it, or he was going for a bit of a look. 

But Peter’s eyes instantly brighten when he sees you, and you feel that same ache again, that despite your poor treatment of him, he still looks at you with kindness.

“Howlett.” He leans forward to fist bump you, just like you always greeted each other, and to your surprise, you fist bump him back.

“Peter.” You give him a small, fond smile, and even if you know you’re faking it- that you’re trying not to grimace- Peter doesn’t let on that he knows that.

/

Logan has been drinking his morning coffee for the last four hours. It’s noon, but that’s how he likes it sometimes. Slow, boring sips as he stares out the window. 

He wonders what’s taking you so damn long. He just wants to see if Charles has sent out the school schedules in the mail yet- so he knows for sure what grade he’s teaching this year.

Elementary school is shitty, he knows. Snot-nosed kids can be their own worst enemies, or they can start fighting each other, and even worse, teachers like him have to be on top of it all the time. 

You always laugh when he tells you. “War never changes, kiddo.”

He’s just hoping it’s at least fifth grade. Ten year olds are smarter than the world gives them credit for.

You were even smarter than that, though. You and Pete- the two smartest kids in the neighbourhood- would always mutually read your library books together, and insist on extra homework, and even go to the mathematics club together. And if you weren’t doing that, you’d both be chasing each other around the playground, completely oblivious to the beginnings of a crush. 

As Logan thinks about Peter and how you both used to be best buds, until something happened and you forever refused to talk about it with him, his eyes narrow as he sees you on the Parker porch. You don’t usually fraternize with neighbours- you’re too busy doing your remote coding job, typically spending hours cooped up in your room until Logan pesters you to get sunlight- so it’s a little suspicious.

Until, of course, he watches as your face reddens and Peter Parker himself walks up to you. Logan has a little smirk on his face- he was never going to push you to deal with Pete, he’s just glad that the universe had it’s own little goals in mind.

It seems kind of crazy just how old you are. To Logan, at least, it feels like just yesterday, rather than twenty something years ago, that you were in kindergarten and he was picking you up excitedly, wanting to remember what school was like from the perspective from a kid.

And then just two years later, the Parkers moved in next door. Peter was in your second grade class, and you two were inseparable. Peter and Howlett- you hate going by your first name, so everyone calls you either Howlett, or some alternative of that like Lettie or Howl- anyways, Logan has always thought it was you and Pete against the world.

That was the year that the Florence summer vacations began.

/

You’re having a flashback as May, Ben and Peter allow you to sit down in their home. May has set down a cup of tea for you- you’re grateful to have something to sip on as you try to avoid conversation.

You’re nine years old again, in a stripy swimsuit, and you’re playing on the sandy beaches of Italy with Peter, who’s eagerly licking a popsicle. Sand grains are sticking to his elbows, hands, and the back of his neck. You’re instructing him on how to help you correctly make the sandcastle, and Peter is eagerly listening, forever your willing best friend, doing whatever you’ll say.

The sunshine is bright- maybe a little too much for your dad- and he picks you up, slathering you in sunscreen as you hiss and shriek at him. 

“Put me down, Dad- this is embarrassing-!”

“Settle down, ya little wolverine- just some sun protection.” Your dad leaves a dab of sunscreen around the corner of your mouth as he sets you back down, and Peter giggles.

“Hey, look, Howlett- you still got some sunscreen on your mouth.” He snorts, and then falls over laughing when you glare at him. 

“You need sun protection too, Parker!” And you charge towards him, letting the last bits of sunscreen that haven’t quite melted into your skin, transfer onto his.

Peter yells as he tries to keep you away, but you’re too fast for him. Your arms clamber around him- but Peter is still a bit taller so he tries to lift you away from him- and the next thing you know you’ve both fallen over the sandcastle, with a very soft thump.

You’re on top of Peter, which is disconcerting on it’s own considering these new warm feelings you keep having for him, but what’s really confusing you is the soft, squishy thing against your mouth.

You open your eyes and see that Peter’s lips are connected to your own, in the most accidental, chaste kiss. It’s an embrace that shocks you, because you know what that is, what that means- and you pull yourself away, and Peter stands up in shock too. Your heads bump together for a second as you stumble in confusion, the warm, fuzzy feelings exploding tenfold. 

Peter immediately says that he’s sorry. And you’re okay with that, because you don’t really know what this all means, and you’re not exactly ready for all that. You’re just glad your dad didn’t see- he probably would’ve freaked.

You come back to yourself in the present. That moment makes you grow numb, because you had always considered that your first kiss, until things changed for the worst. This is why you don’t really talk to Peter anymore- he’s not an ex, he’s just a complicated person for you.

Even MJ knows that. Inside the envelope was a second card, handwritten in her perfect script:

Dearest Howlett-ie, the best girl in the whole world,

I am so excited to see you in Italy! I know, by the way. I tried to talk Harry out of it but apparently he got a really good deal with arranging the wedding in the Florence Cathedral. But if it feels hard for you, I understand. 

I promise it won’t be that bad, because we’re staying at the Villa Cetinale. It’s a really pretty house- and it’s in Siena, so it’s not quite Florence, although it is next to it.

I have a big ask. Will you be my maid of honour? I’ve always dreamt that you’d be by my side for the wedding, because I love you and you’re like my sister. If not that, at least a bridesmaid. I won’t hear a no from you on that!

I hope you’re doing okay (don’t let coding be your entire life, please!) and I’m gonna make sure the situation with Peter isn’t awkward. Don’t even worry about it- I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t have to interact with him.

At this point in the letter, you genuinely wanted to laugh. You’re already sitting next to him at his house, and May is talking all about the wedding, so Peter knows. An interaction is imminent.

It’s also insanely childish of you to expect him not to talk to you, when again, he’s not an ex boyfriend, and even then, you have been amicable with your ex boyfriend. And you shouldn’t, you know you shouldn’t have to expect MJ to cater to you on her wedding day.

Also, although I would miss you, I understand if you want to go back home early after the wedding. You probably have important work to do, like you always do. I hope to hear from you soon!

Love, MJ

It’s the sweetest message ever, and it’s so MJ, and you can’t let her do any of this for you. Because you’re a Howlett, and your dad didn’t raise a damn quitter, and you love MJ. You have been best friends since she was in your and Peter’s sixth grade science class, and that was where all the trouble began for you. 

“Did you hear me, Peter?” May shakes his shoulder, and the movement causes the two of you to lean towards each other on the sofa.

Peter stiffens, and then shakes his head. He doesn’t exactly pull away- and this is why you hate him sometimes. 

Why couldn’t he just be more succinct in his rejection of you? This weird wishy washy, I like being next to you, but I will never see you like that, is exactly why you ended up trying to leave him alone. 

You suppose that it’s because you never openly told him that you liked him, and his rejection is just implied- up in the air, but you have assumed it based on the facts- and that he’s still a friendly person. But friendship, just friendship, from someone you know you still love hurts a lot.

“Harry’s been calling the house. He says you wouldn’t pick up your cellphone. He wants you to be his best man, Peter.” May says, and Peter blinks slowly.

He yawns loudly, stretching his arms, and the gentlest touch from his forearm to yours has you nearly reeling. 

“Really? Me?” Peter sounds mildly confused. “There’s not some billionaire tech heir he’d rather ask?”

“Oh, stop that.” Ben interjects, looking wise as ever as he leans against his own seat. “I admit the boy has changed a lot, maybe for the worse-”

“Lavish partying? No class consciousness?” Peter scoffs. “I’d say.”

“Anyways, he’s still your friend. One of your closest.” Ben drinks his own coffee. “You’d be the one to change him, at least.”

“At his wedding? I don’t know, Uncle Ben.” Peter sighs. “Okay, fine. Only because you’re right that he’s my friend and I want to see him get married.”

“I wonder who the maid of honour is.” May stares at her fingernails, and despite the growing embarrassment inside of you, you answer. 

“MJ asked me to do it.” You mumble, but May claps excitedly.

“Aw, that’s wonderful! You two will look perfect next to each other.” May seems totally oblivious to how you want to sink into the cushions of the couch under you.

Peter nods. “It makes sense. We are neighbours… and best friends.”

Why does it feel like the whole universe is against you today? You have nothing to say to his reply, so you just nod.

/

Telling your dad is so not fun when he spends the whole time laughing.

��So you won’t tell me why you hate Pete- but now you’re gonna be spending hours with him?” Logan slaps his knee, tears coming out of his eyes. “It’s just perfect.”

The word perfect echoes in your mind a few times, and you ignore the urge to claw your dad’s eyes out. It’s not that anyone means any harm- it’s that even you thought you and Peter were perfect, clearly meant to be, and that sadly wasn’t the case. 

It’s just a reminder of how you lead yourself on.

“Never mind, Dad.” You scowl at him as he hoots with laughter about how you should just tell Pete. That you supposedly want him.

You don't- at least, not anymore- and you run upstairs to your room and flop angrily onto the bed. 

Then, you gather your hair into a floppy bun/ponytail/scrunchie and start cleaning. It's stress relief, yes, but it's also because your room has accumulated a lot of trash, and it's pissing you off. 

You put on your headphones, blast some music, and throw things into a garbage bag, including several diet cans of Coke, a wrapper for a Jamaican beef patty, and coffee cups. 

Your phone starts ringing. It's MJ wanting to video call- and you prop your phone up on your desk before answering. 

/

Peter is so, so tired. 

The first thing he wanted to do when he got home was to sleep. He already knew about the wedding- Harry asked him on how to propose to MJ ages ago. 

But of course he could not just rest when he got home- May had to go on and on about how being best man means getting beauty sleep, so he would look good in all the pictures.

But he didn’t expect to have to talk about all this wedding stuff so much today. It’s only going to get worse, he knows- it’s a month and a week away, and in wedding time that might as well be five minutes.

Even worse- he sees that you’re still not in the right mood to talk to him. Peter, as smart as he is, has no idea what he did wrong, and it’s only out of respect to you that he doesn’t just throttle you and ask for the answer. 

He has never considered you not his best friend, and the fact that you might as well be pulling away from him now, possibly forever, makes him feel sick to his stomach. How can he rectify the issue when he doesn’t know what it is?

He’s been lying on his bed, throwing a tennis ball up at his ceiling, and then catching it. The repetitive motion usually allows Peter to turn the cogs and gears in his mind, but… Dr. Octavius had him working days and nights for the last six months, so Peter’s head just isn’t in the right space.

He thinks about the timeline, as he often does.

Peter met you in second grade at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. In Ms. Grey’s class- she was a pretty redhead, and Peter would often wistfully think about marrying her in the way that a second grader has a crush on their teacher- until, of course, he and you witnessed Logan and her in a very passionate embrace at a school dance, sometime in the fourth grade.

Peter shudders. 

Then around… the summer break where you were both nine years old, you headed to Florence, Italy. Just you, Logan, (not your mom as that was a touchy subject for everyone, and to this day, Peter has no idea who your mom even is), Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and Peter. It was really special- vacations were not something Logan or May or Ben could typically afford- but it was a seasonal package offered from Logan’s teaching job, and it included all five potential members of a family. 

Logan and Ben were drinking buddies, and they liked playing poker together, much to the chagrin of May, but she would sometimes join in too. Peter was- is- your best friend, and so it seemed obvious to Logan that the five of you should go. 

And every year, every summer break, from the ages of nine to just eighteen, you would go to Florence together. As you went every year, traditions would be formed, bonds would be stronger, and everyone would feel relaxed as the Italian sunsets warmed your bodies and minds.

Peter has many fond memories from those times. You and him would always sit next to each other on the plane, and watch movies for the whole duration for the flight, even if Logan would tell you guys that you needed to sleep at some point.

Then, because the bus taking you to Florence would drive from the Naples airport to your hotel there- you would always get Neapolitan pizza, and split it together. And there was always basil-mint gelato to be had, too.

Then, there would be swimming on the lovely, warm beaches of Italy, and maybe some sightseeing- there’s a lot of gorgeous, religious art there. You also loved walking down the cobblestone streets of Florence with Peter- chasing random things that caught your eyes, and taking loads of pictures. He wasn’t religious at all, but he enjoyed visiting the churches by your side. You also went out of your way to hike a lot, through Italy’s marvelous architecture and fields. You visited a winery, even though when you went, you were both a little too young to officially drink, but Logan let you guys have a sip anyways.

Peter smiles to himself. One of his favourite memories was the year you both were thirteen- starting out into the world of teenagers- and you had just started your period. It was not a good time for you, and you were clearly very grumpy about it. He gave you a heating pad, and pain medication, and didn’t go swimming until your period was over, so you could go together. You had been so happy when he told you that- and you hugged him so tight, he’s been chasing that feeling ever since.

When you began high school, you brought all your textbooks and things with you on the trip that year- even though Logan, May and Ben called you a bunch of nerds- and studied for your exams together. Peter was glad to have you as a study buddy, because Harry slacked a lot and Peter didn’t want that kind of behaviour influencing him. MJ was pretty good at studying, too, but if Harry asked her to go out, she was the type to just give up.

There was that really sweet time that you and Peter went to the aquarium and watched a group of baby turtles swim together. And you bought a pair of turtle keychains- it’s still dangling off of his work bag. 

There was also that absolutely hilarious time that Peter heard you screaming in your motel room- you both must’ve been 15 at that point- and he leapt in there to see you coming out of the bathroom, still in your first bikini. Peter tried not to be a creep about this- but he was a nerdy 15 year old and it was difficult to avert his eyes from any young, budding, almost developed-woman- and he stared at you, face reddening, before you stammered out about a large spider in the bathroom. It was quite large, and he managed to catch it and get rid of it.

Peter remembers that you grabbed his arm in relief, and then let go, stuttering about how you needed to change your clothes, and he tried not to freak out over that mental image at the time. He snorts about it now- what a silly young kid he used to be.

He wonders why he still feels like one. Isn’t he twenty-six years old? How does he fix things?

You began to pull away, around eleventh and twelfth grade. It became easier for you to say that you were busy with something, and Peter was not the type to really push you back then. You started ignoring his calls- and his pestering about whether or not you wanted to go get pizza, like you usually always did on Saturdays. Did you even still like Neapolitan style pizza?

The last time he really remembered that you had a good time with him was the last trip to Florence- in the summer break at the end of twelfth grade- and after that, Logan no longer received the benefits for the trip, and you two were both on your way to university, anyways.

Peter sighs. He went to Empire State- and you, NYU. And that was where you guys began to drift quite quickly. People get busy, of course, and university took up everyone’s time. He just never thought you would let go of him like that. He misses you, a lot, to the point where he’s had dreams in which you’re just around him again, smiling. 

Peter doesn’t know if he’ll get over this.

He throws the tennis ball again. It lands in his laundry bin, in front of the window, and when he goes up to get it- he can see you across from him, through your room window, wildly gesticulating to someone on your phone. 

Peter bites his lip, and then snickers to himself. It’s always funny to see you get pissed- you get the same enraged look in your eyes that Logan gets, too- and you run your hands through your hair a lot, making you look kind of like a banshee.

He thinks on what you could be talking about. But Peter has never been a lip reader- so he decides to lie back down on his bed and give you some privacy.

/

“I don’t think he likes me. I would’ve known by now if he really, truly did, MJ.” You groan in exasperation, but the redhead on your phone screen is barely listening.

“Babe. Listen to me- that boy just doesn’t know what he wants. He barely knows how to exist- you think he would be able to figure out that he likes you?” She laughs, her long nails tapping at the screen as she types a message to the catering service she was telling you about. 

“But… he just sees me as his best friend.” You sigh, and then shake your head, feeling rustled. “Maybe sometimes that’s all it has to be? Not everything male-and-female needs to become a relationship… I should just be happy being his friend.”

“Okay. As long as you’re actually happy with that, Lettie.” She gives you a knowing look. “I’m sorry, by the way. I didn’t know Harry picked him as his best man- he told me it was going to be some tech dude, but I guess he changed his mind.”

“It’s fine. Not everything needs to accommodate me.” You shake it off. “Where are you right now, anyways? Looks very sci-fi, neon lights, hologrammy?”

“Ah.” MJ switches to the back camera and shows off some fashion show, and based on the French writing on the signs behind you, it’s definitely in Paris somewhere. “You know. Model rehearsal stuff.”

“I really don’t.” You snort, pulling back a strand of your hair. “I live a very non glamorous life, you know.”

“Well, soon you won’t be!” MJ turns the camera back to herself, and someone out of your view is calling “Mary Jane, Mary Jane-”. She motions to them, that she’s on break.

“You’re gonna have the time of your life at the wedding. I promise. We’ll do all those things we’ve been saying we’d do since… five years ago.” MJ laughs as you giggle yourself. Adulthood is a pain. You plan to see your friends and only really manage to do it once a year.

“Okay, fine. I guess I’ll drink like crazy, and dance half-naked at a club.” You roll your eyes, and MJ nods eagerly.

“That’s my girl!” MJ claps her hands. “Okay, listen. This fashion show will be done by this Saturday- I can take a redeye flight and make it there by Sunday morning. Then we can go bridesmaid dress shop- oh!”

MJ gasps loudly, and you start for a moment, before remembering she’s just… like that. 

“Are you still going to be my maid of honour?” She looks at you with those big, green-blue doe eyes, and you really cannot say no to her. You already wanted to be her maid of honour, anyways.

“Yeah. Duh.” You sniff, as if you’re upset she would even ask the question. “It’s gotta be me.”

“I know, right?” MJ beams. “Okay. So we have an appointment at the boutique at 2 PM- I’ll send you the address, okay? I’ll try to meet you at your place first and we can go together! I’ve already gone with the others.”

“Alright.” You agree with her. “Who else are your bridesmaids?”

“Betty, my sister, and Gwen.” MJ thinks it over, and then nods. “Yup. I know what you’re thinking: ‘no models?’”

“Guilty.”

“I did ask my close model friends, but truth be told: models are competitive as hell, and everyone wants to book more shows.” MJ sighs, defeat overcoming her. “I don’t blame them, they’d rather just not have bridesmaid duties taking up their time, I guess.”

“MJ…” You frown.

“No, no, it’s fine.” She puts on the same bright cheery smile, but her eyes still look sad, and you can tell she’s faking it a little. “I only want my closest friends by my side, anyways. I’m still inviting some, uh, influential people- Kitty Pryde, Elektra, Wanda Maximoff, Bucky Barnes, Natalia Romanov- you know, just the typical gang.”

You don’t know, but you just nod. You’re sure these models are all super hot- super gorgeous- and the idea of being a maid of honour in front of them kind of has your stomach turning. You wonder if you could lose some weight before the wedding, or if that’s a toxic thought to have.

MJ herself is stunning- but you’re sure she has a really intense diet and exercise regimen that she follows. Her body has always been toned and perfect- you, on the other hand, are a total homebody who doesn’t try very hard. You’re not sure how great you’ll look next to her.

You’ve always been just a tiny bit jealous. Even though you know it’s not her fault, it’s just the way the situation happens to be. She’s always been pretty- and you know that’s not all the value is to a person- but MJ is also a sweet, kind girl.

The feeling of being inadequate romantically comes to you again. Maybe you’re just not marriage material like MJ so clearly is.

MJ suddenly looks up towards something you can’t see, and nods at someone. “I gotta go. I’ll text you later?”

“Yeah, of course.” You state, and MJ hangs up before you can say bye.

/

Bridesmaid dress shopping goes okay.

MJ hugs you tightly when you see her- and it’s enough that you forget about some of your prior insecurities. She squeezes your face, and you smile up at her, glad that she still feels as loving as ever.

Even Logan gives her a smile and a “congrats” when he sees her. Then, it’s off to the boutique.

MJ has you try on several silk dresses, all in a gorgeous forest green colour, and she’s equally ecstatic for every single one you try. It’s a little embarrassing- is she just cheering you on because she’s your friend?- but the designer she invited agrees that you look awesome in everything.

You’re a little shy, and unsure of how to say thanks. You have never thought you were all that- just the plain girl next door, honestly.

In the end, you pick a sweetheart neckline, the bodice and torso are fitted down to your thighs, then flaring out in a loose mermaid style skirt with lace detailing. It’s very pretty- and MJ picks up the bill, before you can even say a thing about paying for it yourself.

“Thank you, Kurt!” She blows a kiss at him- he’s going to send it to the place you’re staying at in Florence for you.

“I’m really not used to all this… excessive stuff.” You snort as MJ leads you out of the boutique, on your way to some sandwich place for lunch.

“Well, get used to it. Har is literally doing the most-” She raises her hands super high so you get a sense of what she means. “And even if it rests poorly on your conscience, I told him whatever we spend on the wedding, we’ll spend twice as much on donations, charity and philanthropy.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Damn, MJ! That’s a lot of money. You guys must be loaded.”

She shrugs. “I got into investing when I first made my big bucks modelling, and Harry is… well, you know. An Osborn and all that.”

“So is the wedding spending an excuse to donate as much as possible?” You sit down at the outer patio of the cafe, and MJ lifts up her sunglasses on to her head, her long red hair wafting away in the sunshine.

She gives you a knowing look, with her classic wine-colour stained lips coming into a large, wide smile. “You got it.”

[dsandrvk]

Monday, April 8 - Toledo to Madrid

It was a fairly cool night last night and we had an easy walk to the bus stop, where we had a mostly empty bus down to the train station. Our bus ride in on Saturday afternoon had been more than full, including a woman with a walker who got on the bus in the front, immediately turned around her little walker seat and sat down blocking the aisle for anyone additional to board. This was definitely better.

The Toledo train station was built in 1919, and is a wonderful space, although none of the original ticket booths are still used. Most of the seating has been moved outside, and a small security area has been added, as even this train is screened for boarding. The tile work is still beautiful, although the floor has a couple of places in need of repair that are covered with orange cones. Knowing Spain, they may have been there for several years.

The train ride to Madrid is only about 45 minutes, and this time we knew where and how to find the cercanias trains. Our little apartment is only about a seven minute walk from Sol Plaza, and two minutes to the Plaza Mayor, so it is extremely handy to most things. After checking in, we set off to the west towards the Royal Palace. There were plenty of tour crowds , so we had a quick look through the fence (all anybody gets) and headed down below to the Royal Gardens, also known as the Moorish Gardens. Once only open to royalty, they are now open to the public, and quite beautiful. The fountains and lakes didn't have any water yet, but there are several whimsical buildings, including this one clad in bark.

We also went to another park to the north, which was on a hill high above most of the city. From here we could look back at the Palace and several churches. Looking in the other direction was a dark storm front dumping rain in the mountains. It was difficult to tell if it was headed our way, but we decided it made sense to start heading back. At the top of this hill was also an "Egyptian Temple", which was unfortunately closed on Mondays, and it had armed guards around it, which seemed odd.

On the way back, we passed this statue of Cervantes and Don Quixote in still another park - this time the Plaza Espana. Unlike in the smaller cities, the dining options here in Madrid are greater - I don't think I've ever seen a Tim Hortons outside of Canada. And the Japanese restaurant must be authentic, since it had plastic food in the window, just like in Japan. Don't think I've seen ninjas in the window before, though.

By this time, it had started to rain, so we put on our coats, but by the time we reached the Plaza Mayor, it had pretty much stopped. One of the little restaurants there had a very raucous group of people with horns and songs, and we realized it was a group of supporters for Manchester City (football club) who were in town for a match against Real Madrid in the quarter finals of the Premier League Championships. They had banners, a mascot and were just winding up to get really rowdy, although the game isn't until tomorrow night.

Also in the middle of the Plaza Mayor was a clay tennis court set up - I looked it up and it's a promotion for folks to rent for an hour as part of an upcoming tennis event. Nobody was playing, but then again it had been raining. The Bugy sign was just one of those I like to collect of things that don't seem to translate well.

We are next to a nice little supermarket and since we have a kitchen, we got a frozen paella dinner, along with a nice salad and a bottle of wine, and are enjoying not having to deal with the craziness of the footballers. Tomorrow we have a full day in Madrid, and the weather is supposed to be cool, but sunny. Just the way we like it. We are looking forward to packing up our rain gear.

[theobrowningfd]

Merrock Task #17:

First things first: do you like spring? I think so, it’s always nice to go from the cold temperature to the warmer ones. 

What is your favorite thing about spring? That it’s no longer freezing. And working outside isn’t so harsh. 

What is your least favorite thing about spring? Hm, probably the bugs that start to come out of hiding. Or the pollen. I don’t have bad allergies but sometimes it makes my nose and ears itch.

Do you have a vegetable / produce / fruit garden? No way, I have a brown thumb. I think it’s probably best that I stay far away from any gardening! 

How about flower beds, or things planted in the house? We have some plants around the house. Sometimes I like to surprise my wife Lynn with a bouquet of flowers. 

Regardless of what you do or do not plant, are you good at growing plants? have a green thumb? Absolutely not!

What's your favorite flower or plant? I’m not really a plant or flower kind of guy, but I think cacti are kind of cool

What's your favorite scent that you associate with spring? Fresh linen or lavender if I’m being honest

Is there a sound that you associate with spring time? I’d have to say either rain or birds chirping

Do you prefer sunny mornings or rainy afternoons? Sunny mornings when working, but I don’t mind a rainy afternoon if I am home and by the fireplace. Bonus if Lynn and my kids are home

Favorite thing to do on a sunny, warm spring day? Probably to sit outside and enjoy the sun. Maybe have a nice picnic with Lynn and the kids

Favorite thing to do on a rainy, chilly spring day? Stay in bed! 

Do you celebrate Easter? any traditions you follow for it? Not the religious side of the holiday but having the kids paint the eggs and then Lynn and I hiding them around the house and yard.

Regardless of if you do or don't: favorite Easter candy? Solid chocolate anything!

What other springtime holidays do you observe? Does Mother’s Day count?

Favorite place in Merrock to visit in the springtime? Probably the countryside or the hiking trails

The spring bugs are coming out: do you rescue them and let them out of the house, or grab the nearest shoe? I grab the shoe, Lynn grabs a cup to rescue them!

Are you a big spring cleaner? Sometimes, I think it depends on how the year before went. If we bought or acquired a lot of stuff then maybe. Otherwise not too much.

Do you switch over your wardrobe from cold weather to warm weather clothes? Not really, my clothes are all sort of intermixed in the closet. 

How about the house: does your decor change for the spring season? Do you rearrange furniture? Not really. I think it’s maybe happened once or twice since living with Lynn?

What color makes you think 'spring'? Anything pastel

Describe your perfect spring outfit: A pair of jeans and a nice sweater. Maybe a pair of sneakers or loafers. 

Most adorable looking baby animal that you ever did see? I’m kinda biased, but my dogs as puppies were pretty damn cute. Otherwise baby sheep are also cute.

What's a drink that makes you think of spring? Maybe like a peach ice tea

How about a snack? Either strawberries or granola bars

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (552): Wed 20th Sep 2023

As soon as I woke up I dashed to the bathroom to slap on my sun lotion and head to the pool to soak in the glorious 28 degree rays. There weren’t any sun loungers left by the pool but there was another secluded area past the restaurant that had a few laid out which was perfect because now I could sit and relax not having the experience ruined by screaming kids. I lay on the deckchair alternating between reading my book and listening to music all afternoon and it was absolute bliss. This felt like a reward to myself for all the fucking hours I’ve spent brainlessly pushing carts from one end of a cunting warehouse to the other end of a cunting warehouse then riding home in the rain on my piece of suit motorbike and taking shelter under two blankets in my piece of shit house. While poolside I started reading the latest book in my Edgar Award winning novel challenge The Last Child by John Hart. As part of this challenge I’ve already read one of Hart’s other novels Down River which didn’t exactly rock my boat but this one seems good so far. It’s about a boy named Johnny who’s sister went missing a year prior who witnesses a man getting shot in the woods and in his dying breath the man tells Johnny he knows where his sister is. I went into the restaurant and had myself a nice breakfast of eggs, toast and mushrooms. I’m not sure if the deal I booked with the travel agents is all inclusive but there’s no one asking for I’d or room numbers at the buffet area so I’m not going to investigate any further. If it turns out that I wasn’t all inclusive and that I’ve actually been stealing food from this place…I’m sure I’ll get over it…it might take years of therapy but I’m sure I’ll get over it…actually I’ve just this second realized I’m over it now. See this holiday must really be good for stress relief because normally I’d worry for years about stuff like that! Although I was sitting in the sun for about five hours total when I came to my room I didn’t have the slightest hint of a tan but I did have little pink patches scattered all over my milky white body. It looked like someone had tried to cook a turkey with a hairdryer. Ah well, I’m not here for a tan I’m here to not be cold. I love not being cold. It’s my third favourite thing in the world after not being hungry and not listening to Sam Smith. One day down, three and a half more to go (my coach on Sunday doesn’t arrive until 17:30 so I can spent most of the day sunbathing) and I already feel so god Damn relaxed and it’s made the last few months of putting up with the shitty weather feel so worth it. I’m definitely going to start making these sunny poolside holidays a regular thing. I might start booking one for the end of autumn, end of winter and the end of spring every year so that at least after suffering through three months of shitty weather at a time I’ll have a reason to keep powering through because I know this little paradise in the Canary Islands will be waiting for me at the end. The only disappointing thing about this place (other than the fact that I don’t live here) is that there don’t seem to be any homeless people. When I go abroad I like it when there’s a big homeless problem because it makes me feel a hell of a lot richer but now I just feel like ordinary scum. 

[umichenginabroad]

Semana Santa pt. 2, London

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the second edition of my Semana Santa blog! For the second part of the week, me and my friend traveled to London, England!

We originally were supposed to fly out of Paris at 6am on Wednesday, but our flight was canceled so we moved to a flight out at 5pm. We checked out of our airbnb around noon, and then grabbed some food. We wanted to get some traditional french crepes before leaving, so we found a local spot that specializes in them. After eating, we made our way to the airport. We decided to go early as we had heard that with some of the transportation strikes in France, we might have some longer wait times than usual. Luckily, everything went smoothly and we made our way to London. 

After landing in London we took a train into the city and checked into our hostel. Our hostel was in a great location, sitting right across the street from the British Museum. We were situated near Covent Garden, which is a super cute neighborhood within London. We then went and grabbed some dinner from a local Indian restaurant and the food was delicious. I actually have been craving some Butter Chicken and naan for a while, so this was a treat. Unbeknownst to me, Chicken Tikka Masala is actually a national dish of England! I thought this was a cool fun fact, and I could see this reflected within the culture as there were Indian restaurants everywhere. 

The next day we woke up nice and early to start exploring. We walked through Covent Garden and stopped for a quick bite and coffee from a local cafe. We then made our way to some of the famous attractions within the city. In typical London fashion, the weather was bouncing between cloudy and rainy to sunny and pleasant throughout the entire day, so throughout our walk we were getting rained on and then dried off by the sun. We made our way to Big Ben, walked by Westminster Abbey, saw the London Eye, and also walked by Buckingham Palace. We then decided to go over to Soho, and wander through the stores there. 

After a long morning and afternoon of walking, we decided to stop for a late lunch. We went to Kingly Court, which was a food venue hosting multiple restaurants both inside and outside. We had our choice of food options, and since it was now sunny out, we ate outside. This was a fun opportunity to relax and people watch.

Later that night we had booked a musical on London’s West End! For those who don’t know, West End is basically London’s version of Broadway. This was something I had been looking forward to for months. At home, I’m a big musical fan so I was really excited to go see something, and I actually snagged some cheap tickets to my favorite musical! We got tickets to Phantom of the Opera for only about $44 each, and this musical is currently only showing on Broadway and on the West End, so I was so happy to get tickets. The musical is finally closing after 35 years, making it the longest running musical on Broadway and the West End. It also is my favorite musical, so getting the chance to see it again before it closes was amazing. 

On Friday, the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was sunny and warm, and the perfect day for wandering. We made our way to Notting Hill, partially because I’ve heard it's beautiful but also because I love the movie. The neighborhood/borough is filled with pastel houses, and there were plenty of people there taking them in. We stopped at the brunch place Farm Girl, which was so adorable and had great food!

Afterwards, we walked down Portobello Road, which was lined with tents and stalls selling vintage clothing, art, and yummy food. We were able to spend hours here going in and out of stores. We then walked back through Notting Hill to Kensington and went through the gardens there, and continued on to Chelsea. Chelsea was another beautiful neighborhood, and had plenty of shopping and food there as well. At this point we were pretty exhausted, and hopped on one of the local double-decker red buses to get home. 

That night we walked through the streets near our hostel with no set plan in mind, and it actually was super fun! There were plenty of people out since it was a Friday night, and we saw several street performers. We grabbed some dinner in the midst of all of this, and also walked by several pubs that were packed to the brim. It was a super fun ending to our time in London!

Saturday morning we got some breakfast before taking the train to Stansted airport. A quick tip to anyone traveling to or from London - I really disliked Stansted Airport. It was quite crowded and had a very poor layout that clustered everyone together. Our gates didn’t even appear until about an hour before our flight's departure, and there were no outlets anywhere. We didn’t face any delays thankfully, but I would just suggest using one of London’s other airports! 

After such an eventful week, I am super happy to be back in Madrid! I’m starting to get a bit sad with the end of the semester coming up, but I still have some fun things planned. 

Abbey Almeda

Industrial and Operations Engineering

UP Comillas

[sabrina-valerie]

Valentine's Day Fic

S/I: Sabrina | F/O: Kamek | Established Relationship | WC: 624

When Kamek said he had a surprise for her on Valentine's Day, Sabrina had been wary. She never really liked Valentine's Day, both because it all seemed very pointless and stupid and because Lou had been so stressed about making their first Valentine's Day together perfect back when they were dating that she had decided that any holiday that caused that much grief for one of her loved ones quite frankly didn't deserve to exist.

But now, after a nice picnic, they were picking their way through some bushes and trees.

"Any reason we couldn't take the path, Kam?" Sabrina asked, picking leaves out of her long, dark hair.

"Shhh, we're almost there!" Kamek was almost vibrating in excitement. He'd brought a tote bag, which he'd brought the food for the picnic in, but it still swung heavily by his side, as if there was something else in there.

They crept through the greenery, the echoes of laughter and chatter growing louder and louder until — oh, this was — 

"The Lovers Festival?" Sabrina's heart sank. Did Kamek want to attend after all? She'd endure it for his sake, but..."Did you change your mind about going?"

"Of course not." Kamek dug around in his bag, peering beyond the tree that hid them from view. Dozens of couples danced in the main square to a cheery-sounding pop song with lovey-dovey-sounding lyrics. Sabrina made a face. Eugh. Whatever happened to songs about friendship?

Kamek made a noise of triumph, pulling out what looked like an oversized glow stick covered in runes. Something rattled inside.

Kamek handed it to her. "Break this and throw it out past the trees."

"Sure." Snapping it was easy enough, and the object inside was a pretty little crystal sphere that immediately started smoking in her hands. Sabrina flung it away toward the festival.

The smoke cloud grew and grew, twirling and rising into the air and turning the picturesque sunny afternoon into a cloudy, dreary mess. Further out, the dancing couples had slowed to a stop, wondering at the abrupt change in weather.

"Wha —?"

"Wait for it..." Kamek stared out at the cloud intently. 

Suddenly, with an almighty BOOM, the skies opened up, dumping heavy rain on everyone in the area, to screams of surprise. Kamek and Sabrina weren't spared either, quickly becoming soaked as well.

"What?" Sabrina asked, a grin blooming on her face.

"Wait for it~," Kamek sang, squinting out into the gloom.

One of the men had taken to yelling at the clouds, as if that would save his beloved girlfriend's hair and makeup. The clouds rumbled ominously in response, and spat out a lightning bolt right at his feet. His scream could have shattered windows. 

As more rain and lighting were dropped recklessly from the sky, Sabrina lost the fight against her own mirth and burst out cackling. She collapsed onto the dirt-turned-mud, laughing herself to tears. "What?!"

Wind howled, knocking down the flimsy festival booths and throwing their contents into the air. The festival-goers were tripping and sliding around in the mud. The previously saccharine fun was completely replaced by crying and wailing and screaming.

"Happy Valentine's Day, dear," Kamek said, smiling down at her.

Sabrina, rain-soaked and beaming, pulled him into a deep kiss. This was probably the best Valentine's Day she'd ever had.

(Later, after coming up for air for the 5th time or so — "Kam, we should go before they find us here."

"Do we have to?"

Sabrina peeked out beyond the tree they were hiding behind. A few brave souls had spotted the capsule she threw and were skidding ungracefully towards it.

"Yeah." She got up, lifting Kamek in her arms. She picked her way back through the brush. "There's always next year, though. Maybe we can do something even bigger then!")

[sanniewriteshere]

🎸⚡Headcanons and Scenario: Rockstar Cookie x Male!Reader: Storm of Music

Request: Can I request rockstar cookie and ligyrophobic male reader where rockstar comforts the reader during a thunderstorm? Since there's like a lot of sudden thunder and stuff and if you don't mind could you write it in 3rd person?

There's a big storm tonight, and y/n is in need of a little comfort, if only one melody could save the night...

Gender: Masculine

Pronouns: He/Him

Y/N

Third person (I think?)

CW: - Thunder

Fluff and Comfort (Angst if you look veeeery deep)

Type of relationship: S/O with Romantic tones

Let's suppose Rockstar is on Kingdom for the sake of the Oneshot xD

Headcanons

~ He usually sleeps with you at the studio at home since it's soundproof and you can barely hear thunder there.

~ Makes lighthearted jokes about it with songs and lyrics about thunders and storms. But only when you two are alone, and knows when to stop.

~ Of course he buys you a pair of soundproof headphones, or let you borrow his when you forgot to bring yours outside.

~ Humms songs to help you sleep when the storms are light. He knows how to mix tones and sounds to make relaxing tunes that hide the thunder on the background.

Scenario / Oneshot

Another rainy night at the Kingdom. It was another autumn storm, particularly loud as usual for the season. The leaves and branches crashing the roof make it feels like it was going to break y/n's house in half.

But let's rewind a little...

Y/n moved to the kingdom some months ago with Rockstar Cookie for recommendation of Parfait Cookie. The reception, public and environment was better for both Y/N and his special one, Rockstar Cookie.

So this wasn't his first storm with Y/N, but it was always a battle to make you feel comfortable.

Since Y/N was a the drummer of the duo, it was hard for Rockstar Cookie when he discovered that his companion was scared of storms, like, he saw him giving concerts on a lot of stages louder than a storm. But he wasn't going to judge, even when a lot of people told y/n to "buckle up" and "be strong" because "storms can't hurt you", Rockstar Cookie was always by his side to help to stand up for him.

One day, y/n and Rockstar Cookie were shopping at the music store on the kingdom, the shops were a little far from the residential area, where they lived.

The afternoon was windy, and since it was autumn, the weather was really unstable, at the morning there was a nice sunny day, but now, some clouds where spying on the sky.

The north wind made the leaves fly and make the usual whistle that announced rain, or even worse, a storm.

Only y/n with his good ear noticed, since the doors were closed and Rockstar Cookie was trying some new guitar strings. He touched Rockstar's shoulder slightly to call his attention. "Hey, I think-I think we should be going home", said y/n. Rockstar watched through the crystal wall and saw the black clouds for a storm coming to the kingdom. "Oh, yes of course, just let me pay for this real quick and I'm done". "Code Thunder" said Rockstar for himself.

Not even five minutes after, when Rockstar and y/n got out of the store, black clouds where already covering the kingdom.

"Do you think we'll make home before the storm start?", said y/n said in a scared voice. "If we run I think we'll make it, let's go then!", Rockstar said and they started running.

A thunder from the forest made y/n shiver a little, but he has to keep moving to get home safe.

They were near, tired from running but they can see home already just some streets more to get there.

A nearer thunder, louder this time, distracted y/n and make him trip on the paviment. Not a bad fall, but the noise was enough to put y/n in a freeze state, he was too scared to move, waiting for the next thunder to break his ears, but just some steps from home.

"Come on y/n get up, we're almost home, it's near and we can get on the studio", Said Rockstar in an attempt to get him up the ground. "I- I can't, I'll just wait here, I'm not moving..." y/n said almost crying, scared to even look at Rockstar.

"Please, we'll get soggy here outside, let's go..." No response... "Here, take my hand, you can squeeze hard if another thunder falls, no worries as always"

So y/n almost crushes Rockstar's hand, but now the only thing that matters is to get home. Rockstar puts a hand on his s/o shoulder to give him strength and balance. Step by step, slow but steady, they walk home.

"FINALLY HOME", y/n screamed to relax his body.

Just as they left the shopping bags on the table, little raindrops start falling. And another loud thunder made y/n shake, which Rockstar jump from behind to give him a big hug. Rockstar could feel y/n's heartbeat, it was loud and fast.

As the great improvisor he is, Rockstar quickly remembered a music that matched his heartbeat and started singing it with a soft voice, and the hug lasted at least some minutes.

With the now loud rain hitting the house, he takes y/n's hand "Before the storm gets stronger, let's choose a movie and get to the studio", "Thanks for everything, I'm such a looser, I'm sorry to make you go through all of this and sorr-" Interrupted Rockstar "Hey hey, don't say that, you're not a looser, or a heavy load, or anything bad you say about you, you are an amazing cookie, who makes happy a lot of people , so please don't say that to you ever again, you know that I'll love you with any little silly thing you have, that only makes you an amazing limited edition."

Y/n almost started crying, but a thunder far from the city makes him get back in himself again.

Rockstar made popcorn, and with a comfy blanket, y/n and Rockstar Cookie now are relaxing on the couch in the studio, without hearing any storms or Thunder from outside. He takes y/n's hand really tight and softly strokes his hair, and he feel the soft and crunchy dough of Rockstar, it feels like the witches really made a good job with him...

[cabensonsgirly]

👼Co-com-comparison is killing me slowly...And I’m so sick of myself, rather be, rather be. Anyone, anyone else (Diane Sherman) [NSFW]👼

Diane Sherman xFem!Reader

A gift for someone special, @billiedeannovak

👼Wordcount: 2297👼

👼Content: NSFW, drugging, alcohol, coercion, hair brushing, gentle touching, mommy.👼

👼“How about we go inside and have some tea and start from there? I won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with, okay?” You nod and get out of the car, waiting for her before you lead her inside and up to your apartment, locking the door behind you both. You could feel every beat of your heart hammering in your chest, it had been so long since you had someone over to your place and suddenly you felt as though the place wasn’t tidy enough even though you cleaned it every day, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, aga-👼

You were supposed to finish work over an hour ago, when it was still sunny out, but a co-worker had called in sick, so you had to wait until someone else came in. Was it still sunny outside? No. No, it really fucking wasn’t. It was absolutely pouring down outside, and you didn’t have any ride home, bussing wasn’t an option because you didn’t have any loose change nor did you have a bus card, so the walk home was going to be absolutely horrible.

While you were wiping down your station, you heard a soft voice, “Excuse me? May I please have a glass of red?” You look up, feeling your cheeks colour when your eyes meet that of the beautiful woman whose voice was made of milk and honey, “I- I’m not on at the moment, sorry. I’ve just finished for the night.” She sighs, “No, no, that’s okay. I’ll just ask someone else,” as she starts to get up you blurt out, “Wait” making your cheeks colour further, “I- I’ll pour you that glass, it’s the least I can do for coming in on such a miserable afternoon.” The amber-haired woman flashes you a warm smile that calms your fiercely beating heart, “Thank you, sweetheart.”

You smile shyly and give her a nod of your head before turning behind you to get the finest red-wine from the shelf and pouring her a glass, entering it down as a standard red so she wouldn’t need to pay the exorbitant price. You slide the glass in front of her, “One glass of red for the beautiful woman.” She chuckles and you notice her cheeks take on a faint pink hue, “Thank you.”

Once again, you start wiping down your station, making sure it’s clean for the person who’s working after you. “Do you have anything planned after your shift?” You look up, “Hm? Oh- No, no, I just plan on heading home. I don’t really feel like spending more time out in the rain than I have to, a bit like a cat in that regard, not a fan of it.” She laughs lightly, a sound you already found yourself enjoying, “Did you want a ride home? My kids have moved out, so I don’t have to worry about picking any of them up from soccer or any other extracurricular.”

You look around to see if any of your colleagues are nearby, part of you hoping one of them would offer you a ride instead because you know not to trust rides from strangers, but the other part of you felt safe with her, she had children so she must be a trustworthy person, yes? You look back at her, smiling a bit, “I- I’d really appreciate that, thank you. Usually, one of my co-workers drops me off or I walk, but both of those are off the table, the latter because of the shitty weather.” You take her empty glass and put it with the rest of the dirty ones from the afternoon rush, removing your apron and stuffing it in your bag before clocking off returning back to the kind woman.

“Are you ready to go?” You nod and she gets up, paying for her drink before walking with you to her car, her fingers itching to touch you, but she brushes it off, forces it to the recess of her mind, “I managed to upgrade from the typical soccer mom car, it’s been so nice being able to drive such a luxurious car. My first big spend in years since my children left.” She unlocks the car, and you get in, putting your bag in the footwell, “May- May I ask your name?” She looks at you before focusing on the road when she starts the car, driving out of the parking, “I’m Diane. What’s your name, sweets?” You mouth her name, feeling each letter as it rolls off your tongue, enjoying the way it feels in your mouth before you respond, “Mine’s Yn, not as nice to say as yours” probably nice to moan too.

Diane laughs lightly, glancing at you before returning her attention back to the road, “Yn is a pretty name, but thank you for the compliment. I’m more inclined to believe it coming from a pretty woman like you.” You blush and look out the passenger window, a shy smile on your face. She rests a hand on your thigh, “I mean it, sweetheart. You are very beautiful.” You bite your lip slightly, tensing your thigh underneath her hand, unsure whether you want her hand to move further up or if you want her to not touch you. “You’re awfully tense… Do you take time for yourself, Yn?” You look at her then down, shaking your head, “I feel like I’m not allowed to. That- That I have to do enough to be worthy of doing something for myself, and I just… I never feel like I am doing enough to deserve that.”

She pulls into the apartment carpark and turns off the car, giving your thigh a gentle squeeze, “You don’t always need to do things in order to take time- in order to do things for yourself.” You sigh and shrug, taking off your seatbelt, “I- I don’t know about that…”

“How about we go inside and have some tea and start from there? I won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with, okay?” You nod and get out of the car, waiting for her before you lead her inside and up to your apartment, locking the door behind you both. You could feel every beat of your heart hammering in your chest, it had been so long since you had someone over to your place and suddenly you felt as though the place wasn’t tidy enough even though you cleaned it every day, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, aga-

“Sweetheart? Are you okay?” Diane asks quietly, her hands resting on your shoulders before she starts working the tension from your shoulders, “My god you’re tense,” she moans. You groan quietly and tilt your head back, closing your eyes, "I- I find it hard to relax. God- you've got magic fingers." She chuckles, “you’d be surprised what I could do with them.” She whispers, continuing her ministrations. You reluctantly move out of her touch, wanting to put distance between you both because you were starting to feel something, and you didn’t know if you liked it or not. “I- I’m sorry,” you whisper.

Diane turns you around gently, brushing some hair from your face, “Nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart. It’s okay. How about we sit down, yeah?” You nod and lead her to the lounge, taking a seat on the couch, Diane sitting down next to you, “You’re not use to people wanting to take care of you, are you, sweetheart?” It’s not that you weren’t used to people taking care of you, you just… Didn’t feel like you deserved such attention. There are people out there that need it more than you. You didn’t have it as bad as others. Someone else has it worse. Someone else needed that care more than you. You didn’t do anything to deserve such attention. You haven’t done anything to deserve care.

You shake your head, “No, I am.” No, I’m not but it’s okay because someone else needs it more. “I don’t have time for it consistently though. Too many things that need to be done.” It only dawned on you that Diane had moved when you felt her hands on your shoulders once more, her fingers working out each knot she encounters, “You are still so young, sweetheart… There is plenty of time for you to get things done.” She focuses on a particularly tough knot, groaning “This tension is so severe… Let mommy get rid of it for you.” Mommy? Why was she referring to herself as that? She was- is a mom… That must be why.

Every so often her touch would wander down your front, the tips of her fingers ghosting over the swell of your breasts before her touch returned to working out the knots. “You deserve happiness and satisfaction too, sweetheart. Let mommy help you, let mommy help.” You lean back in the couch, each passing moment you could feel Diane working out the years of tension that you had held on to. Your head lulls back against the top of the couch, your eyes closing, “It- It just feels like I haven’t- I haven’t done enough. I can’t- I can’t…” She hushes you quietly, moving to rake her fingers through your hair gently, teasing out the knots she encounters, her nails occasionally scraping your scalp, “You shouldn’t have to do things in order to feel as though you deserve to be cared for… to enjoy yourself. Let mommy help you relax… I’ll go make you some tea, just stay here. Good girl.”

She leans down and presses a wet kiss to your neck, the first taste- the first touch of poison, biting back a smirk at the way you shudder. Diane has been watching you for a while, she knows your routine as well as the back of her hand, when she wants something- she gets it. It was easy for her to notice you needed saving, a mother’s intuition so-to-speak, you rarely left your house unless it was for work, very, very rarely went to the doctors, didn’t have many visitors unless you count delivery services, you were so clearly in need of her, and you didn’t even realise it. But you will.

Diane tips a little bit of powder into your mug and stirs until it has dissolved, she removes the teabag and puts it in the bin before bringing the mug to you, “Here you go, sweetheart.” You open your eyes and look at her, taking the mug, “Thank you, Diane,” you blow on it slightly before taking a sip, noticing an odd taste but put it down to the type of tea rather than anything nefarious. Still feeling thirsty, and tense, you drink some more, starting to feel the effects of what Diane put in, although you thought it was just general fatigue. You sway as you try putting the mug down on the coffee table, hitting the side of it and spilling some of the tea that’s left, “Shit.”

“Here, let me help, sweetheart,” Diane takes the mug from you gently and puts it on the table, “How are you feeling? You look rather tired. I should go so you can rest.” You nod, thinking it might be a good idea to hit the hay, so, you get up and start heading towards your bedroom when your legs give out and you hit the wall with a groan, and of course, Diane swoops in to support you, wrapping an arm around your waist as she helps you to your room, “I- I don’t know what’s- I’m sorry” you whisper.

The red-head sits you down on your bed, crouching down so she can help you undress, “Nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart. That’s what mommy’s here for, to help you. You’re being such a good girl letting mommy help you.” She pulls your pants off, putting them in the laundry basket then doing the same with your shirt before going to your drawers and getting out a pair of pyjamas for you, “Lets put these on and then I’ll brush your hair.” You don’t even register fully what she’s saying, but it sounds good, and her hands are so warm and soft even though your skin gets goosebumps whenever she touches you. You weren’t exactly comfortable with many people seeing your body, but maybe that was also because you weren’t comfortable with it yourself.

The bed dips behind you and you feel the gentle pull of your hairbrush through your hair, your eyes falling shut due to the sensation. “You’ve relaxed so much since we returned home, sweetheart. Listening to mommy so well… Tell me, sweetheart, why do you take so much pride in your work, yet not for yourself?” You shrug a bit, finding it harder to find the words with each run of the brush through your hair, long, gentle strokes, “I don’t see the point” you admit frankly, perhaps the only time tonight you had been so honest.

“Then how are you to find a partner?” You squeeze your hands between your knees, you hated talking about this sort of thing, yet with this woman you found it difficult to lie to her, the truth seemingly easier to admit as the night drew on, “I don’t want to have my heart broken again.” She lets out a hum, whether it acknowledgement, pleasure, or thought, you weren’t sure. She ties the plait off, making sure not to tug your hair too roughly so soon, “To find someone who loves as much as you is life, sometimes people need saving before they realise.”

“There are too many things to be done, no time for love.” Diane chuckles lowly, dipping her head so you could feel her hot breath against your ear, “Things? Or people, babygirl?” Tugging sensually on your earlobe, enjoying the faint moan that escapes you, and the way you expose more of your neck for her, “I- Oh…”

“Let mommy show you,” she wraps an arm around you and holds you against her, her other hand slipping into the front of your pyjama pants, moaning when her fingers find dampness on your panties, “Let mommy help you, babygirl… She can save you, make everything better.” Your head lulls back against her shoulder, lips parted slightly, gasping softly when she cups your heat, pressing her palm firmly against your clit, “Help me, mommy. Please.”

[thelostcityofsugarteara]

Hmmm,,, could I perhaps get Golden Cheese with a s/o who’s really positive and cheerful,,,? But they also have off days where they want to stay in their room all day and such,, I just like GC a lot and I need to see more love for her ••” -🍓

oh 🍓anon. you have made my day. my week. my whole month, even. FIRST GOLDEN CHEESE REQUEST WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!

golden cheese with a cheery s/o who has bad days !!

golden cheese never expected she was going to be in a relationship. she was rich & powerful ! why would she need a partner ?!

but then she met you. your smile shone as bright as the gold that decorated her castle’s every edge, your wonderfully sweet presence knocking down her walls and allowing her to realise that yes, she liked you. romantically.

after her revelation, which involved her having to write hollyberry a long letter asking what should she do about it, she calmed herself down. something along the lines of ‘golden cheese. you are a ruler. you cannot afford to spend time on being flustered about something like this !!’ could be heard coming through her gritted teeth.

how golden cheese’s confession to you went was that one day she was pacing around her massive bedroom, calming herself down from another flustered frenzy over you. prior to this you had given her some herbs & spices to add to her food, wrapped up nicely in a cloth, set in a woven basket, which had flustered golden cheese greatly. she receives gifts all the time, so why was your one effecting her this way ?

as the queen was calming herself down, you came into her room without knocking. she turned her head fast and said ‘don’t ever come in here without knocking again !’. you immediately apologised to her, bowing your head.

she chuckled and told it you it’s fine. you asked what she thought of the herbs & spices, to which she responded with ‘they are wonderful, but not as wonderful as you’. the last part had slipped out absentmindedly as she filled with a feather in her wing.

golden cheese realised what she had said in a flash. she played it off as best she could though. which was… not that good. she became flustered again, and this time you asked her was she alright.

your words brought her back to reality. she then proceeded to tell you that she loved you, and wanted to be your girlfriend, if you’d let her. you were caught by surprise, but blushed & accepted. congrats, the queen of the golden cheese kingdom’s your girlfriend now :DD

golden cheese really appreciates how cheery you are. since she’s quite serious, it’s a nice contrast that works perfectly well :)

one afternoon, the kingdom of riches that you & your girlfriend ruled together wasn’t having the beautiful sunny weather it always was.

this abrupt weather change was ���the last straw’ for you & you went into you & golden cheese’s shared room & just cried. you let the bottled up emotions fall out & curled up in the bed.

golden cheese was looking for you. she wanted you to join her on the balcony as it rained, to mark the rare occasion. she walked into the room & found you crying.

golden cheese asked you what the matter was, coming over to stroke your back. you tell her between sobs that the weather just did it for you & made all your bottled up feelings come out.

she gives you a kiss and tells you she’ll be right back. a few minutes later, she comes back with some soup. you have it and start to feel better.

eventually, your girlfriend asks you to join her on the balcony to enjoy the rain. you do, hoping it would change your perspective. it did !! you laughed together as you both got soaked by the heavy rain plummeting down.

i hope you enjoyed this !! golden cheese is one of my favourites <3

[jobean12-blog]

Fate

Pairing: Loki x reader

Word Count: 1,132

Summary: You meet Loki at a bookshop. 

Author’s Note: This is for the HBC’s @the-th-horniest-book-club Lucky in Love Challenge and day 8: Fate. My lovely friend Jo @gallifreystray sent me this amazing prompt a while back and I saw it and this story just happened. I really hope you like it, I so enjoyed writing it! Thank you all SO MUCH for reading and much love always! ❤❤❤ My divider is by the lovely @imerdwarf PS the quote is by Clairel Estevez. 

Warnings: soft and sweet fluff

The early Spring rain is heavy and cold as you slosh down the city street. Your boots are nearly soaked through and your toes are feeling icy. You can’t seem to find a safe haven from the weather as you search the rows of apartment buildings.

Turning the corner, you see a small store with fruit out front and under an awning. You rush over and stand under it, deciding a snack might be in order while you’re here. Just as you start inspecting the apples something rubs against your legs.

You move back and look down. Two piercing green eyes stare back up at you with an expectant look.

“Oh, you sweet thing. What are you doing out here?” you ask the shiny black cat.

As if to answer your question the cat meows and starts to walk away into the rain. Unable to help your curiosity you put the apple back and follow the cat. He only walks a short distance before disappearing between the small crack in a door that was left slightly ajar.

You look up at the building but can’t read the sign because of the rain and decide to go inside. The moment you do you’re met with a cozy warmth and the smell of old leathered books. You slowly walk toward the numerous and tall bookshelves, all lined with the spines of what must be thousands and thousands of books.

“I see Fate has brought you here,” a smooth voice says from behind you.

You jump with a start and spin on your heel. You’re met with the same green eyes from earlier but this time they belong to a man. A very handsome and tall man.  His hair is as jet black as the cat’s fur that is perched atop his shoulder and as if on cue they tilt their heads in greeting.

“Hi,” you whisper, now entirely unsure of the situation.

“You must be freezing in all those wet clothes. Can I offer you some tea?” the man asks.

Before you realize what you’re doing you nod your head and follow him to the back of the bookshop. It’s there that you find a small space with a couch and two chairs and a fireplace. He motions to the chair closest to the fire and you sit with a plop.

“Thank you,” you manage to squeak.

“Of course, darling. I’m just happy Fate found you.”

The cat jumps off his shoulder and lands at your feet, rubbing along your ankles and purring.

“I was so surprised to see him outside in this weather,” you start, feeling as if you owe him an explanation for coming into the shop. “I didn’t even know there was a bookshop here.”

He smiles softly before disappearing again. You lean over and pet Fate, the sweet cat clearly seeing it as an invitation to crawl into your lap. The man returns with a large cup of tea and some biscuits.

“Here you go my sweet. Now, drink that up and get yourself warm. You should probably remove your shoes and socks as well,” he states, taking a seat in the chair across from you.

“Thank you for all this,” you say, taking his advice.

“I’m Loki, the owner of this bookshop and as you already know, your friend there is Fate,” he tells you.

You continue scratching Fate and take a sip of the tea, sighing happily when the hot liquid goes down and warms your belly. You find it extremely easy to talk to Loki and it isn’t until your stomach grumbles that you check the time and nearly yelp when you see that three hours have passed.

“Oh my! I’ve kept you so long. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize,” you ramble on, standing and stumbling over the discarded shoes at your feet. You start to fall forward but a pair of strong arms catch you, easily setting you straight again.

“Do be careful darling,” he purrs.  “Can’t have you getting hurt now can I?”

You’re completely entranced by the green of his eyes and how they seem to swirl with color.

“Hmmmm?” you reply. “Oh yes. Right. Of course. Uh, thank you,” you mutter.

You sit back down and put on your socks and shoes, now both dry thanks to the warm fire and your long stay.

“Thank you again,” you tell him. “This was lovely and I think the rain has finally stopped.”

You tear your gaze away from his and look out the front window to see the early evening sky alit with the fiery orange of the setting sun.

“Indeed, it has,” Loki agrees, eyes still on you. “I hope you will visit again soon. If only to keep Fate happy.”

You look down at the cat now sandwiched between your legs, his tail swishing happily back and forth against you.

“I don’t think I could stay away very long,” you admit, giving him one more pat before walking to the door.

“Thank you again, Loki. It was nice meeting you both,” you say, smiling at the matching pair of green eyes before opening the door.

Work and life keep you away from the bookshop for the remainder of the week but on Saturday afternoon you stroll down the same street, now sunny and dry, and see Fate sitting outside the door as if he is waiting for you.

The feline immediately perks up and saunters over to you, meowing as if to ask, “where have you been?”

You pick him up and open the door, seeing no sign of Loki. Fate unexpectedly leaps from your arms and naturally lands on his feet, padding softly down a dimly lit aisle of books. You follow him, brushing your fingertips over the worn book bindings and kicking up dust.

“Where are we going Fate?” you ask, the cat’s eyes gleaming in the low light.

Finally, he stops by a small bookshelf set under a stained-glass window. He hops on top and starts to paw at a book on the top shelf. You walk closer and caress the books spine before carefully pulling it from the shelf. When you open it a small piece of parchment falls to the floor.

You take it between trembling fingers and read the scribbled ink, as exquisite in form as it is in words; ‘Fate has spoken…your name fits in my heart, in such a way. You are destined to be the body, for the story of my life.’

Your soft gasp is met with the purr of Fate and the feel of Loki at your back. You turn slowly and see him standing amongst the fading light of the sun, his eyes shining.

“I’m so glad to see that Fate has brought you back to me darling.”

@bugsbucky @book-dragon-13​ @drabblewithfrannybarnes​ @eurynome827​ @hiddles-rose​ @jhangelface0523​ @jewels2876​ @loricameback​ @lorilane33​ @lookiamtrying​ @lizette50​ @marvelgirl7​ @nano--raptor​ @pinkdiamond1016​ @randomfandompenguin​ @white-wolf1940​

[the-himawari-otome]

[Piofiore: Episodio 1926] Character Drama CD Vol. 3 Orlok Translation

Track 1:  Aller Anfang ist schwer.

Summary: Orlok and Lili have started their new life in England and encounter something unexpected on their way home one day...

Translated by ear so it might not be 100% accurate. But I tried my best! All for you, Orlok 。゜゜(´□｀。)°゜。

･ﾟ･:,｡★ translation under the cut ★,｡･:･ﾟ

*sfx: bell on door rings, customers chatter about*

Good afternoon. Excuse me, I came to pick her up… where is she…?

Ahh, no, I don’t need any tea today—.

Ah, sorry to bother you. Thank you as always.

*sfx: footsteps run towards Orlok*

Good job with your work. It’s time to go home now, right? That’s great.

Alright then… um… thank you for your work today.

*sfx: bell on door rings, rain falls outside*

I brought an umbrella with me since it’s still raining.

*sfx: opens umbrella*

Ah, come a bit closer. Your shoulder will get wet.

*sfx: rain falls against umbrella*

It was sunny this morning, but the rain kept falling since it hit afternoon.

The rain has mostly thinned out though.

How was today? There weren’t any difficult customers or anything else strange, was there?

I see. I’m relieved nothing happened.

When I first heard you were going to work too, I was honestly a bit worried. But I’m glad you found a nice shop.

I can’t take you along with me to my jobs, and it’s safer than staying home alone after all.

Yeah, I like the atmosphere at the pub too.

It’s lively and something about it makes you feel warm.

Despite the fact it’s actually more crowded at night, they hired you on the condition you would only work during the day.

I’m grateful for that alone. But it looks like they have a bunch of friendly regulars there. And there are quite a few immigrants in that area, so we don’t stick out even if we don’t speak that much English.

Plus, the people at the shop are kind too.

The madam welcomes me with a smile whenever I come pick you up.

The tea they serve as I’m waiting while you’re tied up with work also tastes great every time.

Ah, they told me that the panna cotta recipe you taught them was a huge hit.

The shop workers complimented you when I came to pick you up the other day, and it made me happy too.

They said Italians are good with their hands, so we tend to run pubs and barbershops. I wonder if that’s true.

Also—ahh, hold on.

There’s dust on your eyelashes. Close your eyes.

*Sharp Inhale*.

Eh? Ah, no, it’s nothing. I got it, see?

*Sigh*, that was close.

Err, well… I… was just about to kiss you.

I mean... we can’t do that outside, can we?

Ah, but no one will be able see if we hide using the umbrella.

Can I kiss you just once?

*sfx: kiss*

*Sigh*. It really might’ve been better to hold back after all. Now I want to kiss you more.

—Oh, it looks like the rain will let up soon.

Look. The light’s coming out through the clouds.

The weather in London changes on a whim. It’s a little surprising, isn’t it?

It’s totally different from Italy.

It’s already been half a year since we came here, but I’m still not used to it.

It’s nice that it’s not that cold even if it rains a lot. But to be honest, I think I would like it better if it was sunny every day.

Maybe I actually don’t like rain very much.

I prefer being able to see the stars at night. And not to mention... my chest feels tight on rainy days.

*Deep breath*.

I guess it’s because a lot of memories come flooding back.

“Meow”

Hm? What’s wrong?

Eh? Um, yeah, I heard that too. The cry… was soft and muffled by the rain though.

“Meow, meow”

I think… it came from over here?

*sfx: footsteps walk around*

“Meow”

Ah, a cat. It’s really tiny.

Is a parent cat nearby… hm, it doesn’t look like it.

Maybe they wandered off?

“Meow”

This kitten doesn’t look like it’s in very good shape. It’s probably not good leaving them here like this.

“Meow”

Eh, you want to bring them home with us?

No, I don’t mind. I didn’t want to leave them either.

But… I wonder if it’ll be alright?

-pause-

*sfx: door opens and closes*

U-uh, what should I do?

Ah, we should prepare food for them, right? Something that’ll give them energy… like meat or something?

R-right, you know way more about food than me. I’ll leave it to you then.

Is there anything else I can help with?

*sfx: hands towel to Orlok*

Huh? A towel? Ah, I see. I have to dry them.

*sfx: footsteps walk away*

Um, w-where should I start?

Ah, hold on—don’t run away. I’m trying my best, so—.

Ngh. Um, listen. If you stay wet, then your body temperature will drop.

You’re especially tiny, so I think it could be fatal if your body keeps cooling at this rate.

So… let me wipe you?

Ah… they’re even smaller than I thought.

I have to be careful not to crush them.

So then, gently…

*sfx: towel ruffles*

H-how’s that? Are you all dry now?

“Meow”

Ah, that’s a relief. It didn’t look like it hurt. And it doesn’t look like they’re angry either.

Come to think of it, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard their cry since we got home.

Hm, they’re jet black. Beautiful.

You’re just like colour of the night, you know?

“Meow, meow”

Ah, hold on. No moving all of a sudden!

*sfx: footsteps approach*

Ah, is it ready? Thank you.

*sfx: places dish*

Come on, we’ve prepared food for you. Eat up.

“Meow”

*sfx: kitten laps up food*

Ohh, they’re really digging in. They must’ve been hungry, huh?

Taking in nutrients is the basis of preserving life.

I’m glad they’re able to eat on their own.

I’m relieved you came back. I have no clue what to do on my own.

“Meow”

Eh? W-what is it?

“Meow”

Did I say something weird?

Eh? You… want to jump onto my lap?

“Meow”

You can’t. It’s dangero—

“Meow”

Uh…

“Meow, meow”

What do I do?

N-no, it’s not that I don’t like cats.

“Meow”

Ah… they’re clinging to me.

Could it be they still feel cold?

There won’t be any problems if I hold them? They won’t break?

Are you sure it’ll be alright?

Mm… I got it.

"Meow”

Hah… I did it.

I’ll stay here like this, so you prepare a bed for them.

Use lots of blankets.

*sfx: footsteps walk away*

*Sigh*. They’re so small… and warm.

But they’re soft, helpless... and it seems like they’ll die if you just leave them on their own.

*Sigh*. I hope you get your energy back quickly.

“Meow”

It doesn’t look like you’re hurt… but it’d be better to take you to see a doctor, wouldn’t it?

We also have to find someone to take you in.

We don’t really know anyone here, so I wonder if we’ll be able find somebody.

The pub would be… difficult, huh? Keeping an animal in a place that serves food would be—.

“Meow”

Mm?

*sfx: licks*

Hehe, that tickles.

“Meow”

Relax. I won’t drop you. Don’t worry about a thing.

“Meow”

---

[DO NOT USE OR REPOST MY WORK W/O PERMISSION, THANK YOU]

[tomboyneedshercoffee]

Lovedust Pt.3 || Peter Parker x Stark Reader

Summary: Y/N catches the eye of one of her male classmates who invites her to an upcoming party. As she weighs her options, Peter takes her out for a treat but old history comes back up. 

Word Count: 4.1k

Author’s Note: I hope everyone is safe during this crazy time. Remember: Wear a mask, wash your hands, and only leave your house for necessities! You can literally stay at home and read fanfiction all day and you would be saving lives! I introduced a new male character and I’ll be real, Joshua Bassett needs to be appreciated so I put him in! However, for the character Josh you can think of any celeb or crush you have if you want! 

Warnings: Adult language, mentions of sex

part one || part two || part three || part four || part five || part six || 

part seven || part eight || epilogue

When Monday rolled around, all you wanted to do was stay home. You felt that there was too much going on to just go on autopilot for eight hours at school when all you could think about was how to fix Peter.

While you had decided that you would at least be nice to him, there was still a small part of you that was worried about what would happen if he never got better. 

How much of your relationship would change and worst of all, what would happen to his ‘superhero’ duties?

If you were really the only thing running through his mind, how would he even function saving lives?

As much as you wanted to sit and worry about him, you knew you needed to get your own life together before you started fixing other people like going to school.

You went to college-prep academy which really just meant that everyone had to wear uniforms to kill all individualistic forms of expression and pay ridiculous tuition to learn. 

You really didn’t mind since most of your classes were ridiculously easy but a lot of your classmates were spoiled monsters who liked to flaunt their rich last name.

Lucky for you, Stark was pretty hard to beat.

Once you slipped your blazer on, you grabbed the straps of your backpack and walked out into the kitchen to pack your lunch where Peter was already awake, making breakfast.

Usually, by this time, Peter would already be on his way to school on the subway but your dad and Banner thought it would be best for him to stay at the complex so they could run more tests on him.

Peter took his attention off of the stove and drew his eyes towards you, his face already flushed red as he tried not to stare below your skirt,” Y/N! You look really pretty in your uh- uniform.”

At this point, you knew that whatever words that came out of Peter’s mouth wasn’t his fault so you decided to roll with it. You were so used to him always giving you snarky replies about your school uniform but now, you didn’t have to waste your energy thinking of a comeback.

You hummed as you leaned over the kitchen island to grab a piece of bacon that was off to the side,” And you look really pretty in your pajamas Parker. How are you holding up? Are they getting any closer into figuring out how to stop your chest pains?”

Ever since Peter first made contact with the lovedust, he had been complaining about how tight his chest was feeling. It seemed like a normal side effect since it would happen whenever you were close to him but as days passed, his chest started to hurt more every time you weren’t around.

You felt guilty knowing that you going to school would literally cause him pain but at the same time, you couldn’t adjust your whole life around Peter.

Peter shook his head as he swallowed hard,” No not yet but I’m sure they’ll figure out something soon... I packed your lunch by the way. It’s over there by the sink.”

You looked over towards the sink and sure enough, your lunch bag that you hadn’t used since freshman year was neatly packed. You didn’t have the heart to tell him that your school had really good chicken pesto on Mondays so you gladly looked through the lunch bag to see what was inside.

As you looked through it, you could see a white piece of lined paper folded and taped against a small packet of Oreos. Peter noticed that you had found the note and this time, his face grew redder.

“ You can throw it away if you want, I thought it would be nice or whatever,” Peter said quietly as he walked over to where you were standing.

He reached for your lunch bag but you tensed up, pulling it towards your chest,” Aw, come on Parker, please? Technically, this note is like mail and you know it’s a federal crime to tamper with it.”

Peter bit the inside of his cheek and nodded as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs. You had never seen Peter ever this flustered before and a part of you felt guilty that you were the reason he was so nervous but a part of you liked the attention.

You had to remind yourself that once Peter was cured, it gave him free rein to possibly be the same dick as before. At least for now, you liked being friends with Peter.

“ I gotta go now but I’ll see you after school,” You finally said as you put your backpack on and walked over to the elevator,” try not to die or anything.”

“ I’ll do my best, have a good day,” Peter smiled as he suddenly remembered something,” oh, make sure you bring an umbrella, it’s supposed to rain today.”

You checked your phone to look at the weather for the afternoon but saw that it was supposed to be bright and sunny all day,” I’m sure it’ll be fine, bye Parker.”

Once you made it all the way downstairs to the main entrance, you looked behind your shoulder to make sure no one was behind you before rummaging through your lunch bag. You took out the note Peter had written to you and even though you didn’t even open it yet, you already felt your stomach twisting and turning.

You had a feeling it would be him saying how pretty you looked or how much he loved you since he was under his lovey trance but when you opened up the note, you felt yourself smile.

Thank you for not being weird about everything that’s going on. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. P.S I love it when you call me Parker

                                                      -------

School dragged on and on and by the time the last bell had rung, you felt like you were on the verge of dropping out.

Any of your STEM classes weren’t as interesting or as challenging to you anymore, especially since you had a whole floor in your own house that was just laboratories filled with people who have actually won Nobel Prizes.  

Once you left class, you made your way straight to your locker and put your math textbook into your backpack. When you shut your locker, you looked up to see your friend Kim holding up her phone towards your face.

“ Hello to you too, what am I looking at?” You asked as you took her phone to get a better look at the screen,” is this a Snapchat invitation?”

“ Good, you can read,” Kim teased as she adjusted the straps of her backpack,” Amber is throwing a party on Saturday and we have to go!”

You furrowed your eyebrows as you handed the phone back to her. You didn’t hate parties but you much rather preferred smaller functions with all of your friends than a room filled with total strangers your age.

“ I thought we hated Amber and I’m pretty sure she hates us. She literally called you rat face when you were doing your presentation and you pushed her into the trashcan the other day,” You reminded Kim as your mind thought back to how much you disliked Amber.

If your school was the chocolate factory, Amber Kennedy was Veruca Salt. Anytime she pouted and whined about whatever new golden ticket she craved, she got it.

While Amber never anything specific towards you, anyone who disrespected your friend was an enemy in your book.

Kim rolled her eyes as the two of you made your way down the hallway,” Okay that’s true, I hate that bitch with every fiber of my being but I just need a mental break from school. Plus, it’ll be good for you to get yourself out there. I heard a certain lead singer in a band is looking forward to seeing you there.”

You knew right away who Kim was going on about but you only shrugged,” I don’t know who you’re talking about...Is it raining outside?”

Of course, she knew you were lying because there was only one guy you ever mentioned around her when you weren’t complaining about Peter.

Joshua- or Josh- was one of the few guys in your life who managed to not piss you off completely but that wasn’t the only thing you liked about him.

“ Let me refresh your memory; dark brown, curly-haired genius who sits behind you in Anatomy and according to you has ‘perfect brown eyes that make me want to jump off a bridge’?” Kim reminded you as you playfully hit her shoulder.

You were never the type to be boy crazy and you weren’t one of the girls who felt their knees buckle every time they saw him, but whenever he would wave or smile at you in class, you had to physically stop yourself from blushing like a schoolgirl.

In all honesty, you wouldn’t say you and Josh were friends, a better-suited term would be classmates that occasionally talked about things outside of school ever now and then. 

“ Look, as much as I would love to go to a party where I know no one and where the host hates me, I’m not going to go to a party just because Josh is going to be there. I don’t care how cute he is, I’m busy dealing with you know who,” You said as you heard someone chuckle behind you.

“ You think I’m cute?”

Your heart dropped to the floor as you turned around to see Josh standing behind you with a wide smirk on his face. You could feel your throat hitch as you quickly looked Josh up and down to make sure he was not a figment of your imagination.

It was nearly impossible for anyone to look good in a school uniform but of course, Josh managed to pull it off every time. His tie was loosely undone around his white collar and his sleeves were rolled up all the way to his elbows and you were 100% on board with it.

For a moment, you felt actual sympathy for Peter because now you understood how he must be feeling.

Without a second thought, you felt your binder slip out of your hands and once it hit the floor, your notes came out of the binder pocket.

You both took a moment to stare at the papers on the floor but Josh was the first one to bend down and pick some of them up.

You snapped out of your daze and kneeled down in front of him awkwardly as you helped him pick up your notes,” I’m sorry, you just startled me.”

Josh let out a small laugh as he shook his head,” Well, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was hoping to do the opposite actually. I was calling your name earlier but I guess you were too busy talking about...me.”

You pressed your lips together as you tried to avoid his gaze, as if that would help the blush fade away,” Yeah, about that, Kim was just telling me that you were planning to go to some party this weekend. Apparently, your band is playing right?”

You looked over your shoulder to look up at Kim but she was nowhere to be seen. Coward.

“ Amber’s party, yeah,” Josh said as you neatly put your stack of papers into your binder,” I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but were you saying that you aren’t going?”

Your heart skipped a beat as you looked up at Josh and you felt stupid for feeling so nervous around him.

 By all means, you were not in love with him and saying that he was your crush was pushing it a bit.

All you knew was that apparently, Josh had been asking about you and that alone made something inside of you click.

You cleared your throat as you nodded, tearing your eyes away from his,” I mean, I would love to go but I might have plans.”

“ That’s too bad, I was kinda hoping I would see you there,” Josh said quietly, his face slightly flushed,” but don’t worry about it. I’m sure whatever you have going on is more important than just some party.”

You didn’t even realize you were both reaching for the same page of notes until his hand rested against yours for a moment. Your heart stopped as you waited for him to pull his hand away but he kept it on top of yours.

After a few seconds passed, Josh held your hand tightly as he helped you stand up again. He gave your hand one last squeeze before he let his hand fall to the side.

What the hell is happening?

As much as you wanted to go to the party, all you could think about was Peter. You knew that more than ever, he needed you and if your dad needed your help in the lab, you wanted to be there.

Then, as if your mind was telling you to reconsider, it pushed forward the conversation you had with Peter before he made contact with the lovedust.

“ You wasted your whole high school years on never accomplishing anything. You never went to a single party, you never passed your drivers test, and you’ve never even had a boyfriend before.”

A part of you couldn’t even believe Peter would ever say something like that because of how obsessed he is over you. Yet, that memory of Peter was only a few days ago.

You couldn’t just let it all go, you knew he was capable of saying hurtful things and for once, you didn’t want to worry about someone else.

For the first time ever, you were going to be selfish.

“ Maybe I can stop by to say hi or something to listen to your band,” You said as you watched him smile back,” but I can’t promise anything.”

Josh flipped his blazer over his shoulder and smirked,” Too late, I’m already looking forward to seeing you there.”

Josh gave a small wave before walking back over to his friends who were leaned up against the lockers. As you walked away, you felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of your shoulders.

When you got to the front doors, you looked out the windows and watched the rain quietly. Of course, Peter was right.

You had planned to walk to the subway station after school since you knew your dad would be too busy fixing Peter to pick you up but if you would have known it was going to rain, you would’ve asked Kim to take you home.

You opened up the glass doors and held your textbook over your head, thankful for once that Mr. Carter had assigned homework from this mammoth of a book.  As you made your way down the stairs, you spotted a familiar face waiting on the bench in the courtyard with an umbrella.

“ Peter?” You called out as his head snapped up to see you,” what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the lab?”

Peter stood up and held the umbrella closer to you so you wouldn’t get wet and rubbed the back of his neck.

“ Your dad and Banner have been running tests on me all morning so they sent me to my room to rest for a bit. But then I saw that you forgot your umbrella and I didn’t want you to walk to the subway in the rain,” Peter said as the two of you shared the umbrella,” so here I am.”

“ You didn’t have to come all this way...but thank you,” You said as the two of you walked out the gates. 

Peter smiled as you interlocked your arms with him to get closer. As the two of you made your way across town, you both exchanged how your day went but when it came to talking about yours,  you purposely left out the part about Josh and the party.

You didn’t know why you would even keep it from him but you just kept telling yourself that what Peter didn’t know, couldn’t hurt him. Plus, if Peter found out about your interaction with Josh, there could be a possibility that he would be on a whole other level of jealousy and frankly, you didn’t have the time.

“ So, I read your note,” You said as you felt Peter tense up beside you,” you said you’d make it up to me and now I’m intrigued. What did you have in mind?”

“ A lot of things, if we’re thinking about someplace romantic there’s this-” Peter stopped himself and shook his head before taking a breath,” sorry. I’m just trying to get better at controlling what I say around you. I was just going to say that there’s this place around the corner that makes really good milkshakes and I thought it would be a nice date- as friends! Just friends. Unless you want to- fuck! I’m sorry Y/N, I’m just going to shut up now.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a small laugh as Peter shook his head,” You’re such a sap, Parker. It really is never a dull moment with you.”

Peter opened up the diner doors and as soon as you stepped in, you felt like you had been transported back in time.

The floor was sketched in the iconic black and white checkered print and the platinum bar had bright red stools along the outside. 

Just from your spot in the front, you could smell the peppermint disinfectant that they used to wipe down the tables but you were most focused on the jukebox in the corner as a Ritchie Valens song started to play in the background.

“ How did you find this place?” You asked as Peter led you to one of the booths in the corner of the diner.

“ I always knew about it but I figured it wouldn’t be fun without bringing someone along,” Peter admitted as you looked around at the old, decorative records across the wall,” I know how much you like those old movies so I thought it would be nice to take you back to the fun part of the 50s without the, you know, racism.”

You shook your head laughing as you turned your attention to the menu,” Nothing says the 50s like institutionalized racism and systemic oppression of women.”

Once the waitress arrived at the booth, Peter ordered a milkshake for the two of you to share and while you felt yourself falling deeper into the cliche, you couldn’t oppose since he was paying.

When the waitress left, Peter turned back to you and rested his hands on the table nervously. You couldn’t even imagine what he was thinking about but that in itself made you stand up straighter.

“ Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to but I’m just curious,” You asked as Peter nodded enthusiastically.

“ What does the lovedust feel like?” You asked as Peter raised his eyebrow,” I mean, how does it make you feel... about me?”

Peter felt the inside of his mouth dry up as he croaked,” Do you mean- are you asking me what it feels like to be in love with you? Because honestly Y/N,  it feels so weird-”

“ Being in love with me is weird?”

“ Well yeah! Wait no! No, it’s not weird!” Peter stammered as you watched him get more and more nervous,” it’s not weird to love you but my body feels weird around you. My hands are constantly sweaty and clammy and sometimes it’s hard to even focus on small things like breathing. I can’t even shower without thinking of you- not like that- well kinda like that- but every time I have a quiet moment to myself, all my mind wants to think about is you. When your dad was running tests on me this morning, all I could think about was how you two shared the same last name and one day-hopefully-I can change your last name to Parker- okay see I can’t stop what comes out of my mouth when I’m on a roll!”  

As your mind started to break down every sentence he said, the waitress gave Peter a strange look before placing the milkshake in front of the two of you.

“ Wow, okay that was... a lot. You could’ve left out about half of that but I’ll give you a pass because I feel sorry for you,” You admitted as you took the paper wrapping off of the straw and dipped it into your milkshake,” but is there anything else? Like is there any part of you that still hates me? Or is it all gone because of the lovedust?”

Peter furrowed his eyebrows as you leaned over to take a sip,” Hate you? I never hated you Y/N.”

You pulled your lips away from the straw and sat back,” What do you mean you never hated me? I’m pretty sure you hated me, we were so mean to each other. Like our relationship was toxic as hell.”

Peter lightly banged his straw against the table and tore off the paper around the straw without looking at you.

“ I never hated you. Was I a huge dick to you? Of course I was. Was it entertaining watching you air out your room after I left smoke bombs in it before your friends came over? Kinda yeah. But I never did it because I hated you. I would never do those things out of pure malice but...it’s hard for me to look back and imagine us hating each other when I’m head over heels for you now,” Peter sighed as he started playing with the wrappings of the straw.

It was hard to believe that after all this time Peter never hated you because there were countless times for you where you really hated him and planned to murder him in his sleep without a second thought.

“ I’m not going to lie, I hated you. Some days, you made me feel so shitty about myself that I would cry underneath my covers so no one could hear,” You revealed to him as Peter felt a wave of sadness wash over him,” After a while, I wasn’t even sad anymore I was just so exhausted. I felt like I always had to be on my toes around you just in case you would pull something on me and to make sure you would never make me cry again, I knew I would always have to have the upper hand.”

You watched Peter almost sulk back into his seat, his mind swarming with memories of how awful he really was to you,” Y/N, I am so sorry I ever treated you like that. I never knew I made you cry. I know I’m sick with the powder but even if I wasn’t, I would still feel as miserable as I do right now...I’m a monster aren’t I?”

You wanted to be as honest as possible with Peter but in the state that he was in at the moment, you weren’t sure if he was in the right mental headspace to hear any harsh criticism.

“ We were both monsters...but now we’re different. This is the first time in years where I’ve actually enjoyed your company and while I’m not ready to start picking out baby names or whatever you’re trying to do with me, I like what we have. I just hope that when you get cured, things don’t have to change, you know?” You said as you reached across the table and opened up your hand.

You never knew how important starting over was until now and you knew that no matter what, Peter would always be in your life. The only question was what he really meant to you but at this moment, you didn’t have an answer and it was okay.

Peter looked down at it and hesitantly held it, his fingers caressing over your knuckles lightly as he inhaled deeply,” As long as you’re in my life, things don’t have to change.”

You squeezed his hand as you leaned in to take another sip. When you pulled away, you leaned back into your seat as you playfully sighed,” You know, I can’t decide if I’m weirded out or flattered by your comments lately but at the same time, I kinda wanna just open the flood gates and see what kind of crazy stuff you say so I can blackmail you later on.”

Peter only shook his head as his face started to grow flushed,” Y/N, please,  if I could control my mouth, I would. Once I start talking, every single thought in my mind surges with your face and how I feel like how fucking amazing you look in your uniform-”

“ Nope, nuh-uh, we can stop it right there pervert.”

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[tetsuroyaoyaoya]

✧ CAFÉ AU NAME ✧

pairing: barista!akaashi x f!reader

word count: 2,418

synopsis: you walk into akaashi’s back-alley coffee shop every thursday evening with a new book, a new order, and a new name.

The feathers of the duster glided over the counter, brushing off any loose beans onto the linoleum on the bar. Conscious of the time, Akaashi let his eyes wander over to the door expectantly. It was still an hour till closing time, but that’s not exactly what he was looking forward to. 

For the last two months or so, every Thursday evening, roughly an hour before close; in walked you. 

From the second you walked through the door, he was entranced by you, and his infatuation only deepened the more you visited his hidden little cafe.

Akaashi had never been one to have friends, besides ones he met through his old volleyball team, and there was definitely no girlfriend anywhere in the picture, so he didn't really know where to start when just one look at you made his heart tumble out of his chest.

And, becuase of course, there was another dilema on his mind; despite asking for your name every time he made your drink, he didnt actually know your real name yet. Every time you came in you had ordered something wildly different, along with a brand new name. The poor boy thought he was going insane.

The first time he had met you, it had been a sunny evening, and as usual, the shop was pretty much empty - only two customers and himself occupying the café. He was practically begging for something to do before the bell on the door chimed, signalling another entry.

For the first time in his life, Akaashi had to physically pause in shock as he laid eyes on you. He quickly caught himself out and slipped right back into his role, but the fact that you had caught his attention enough to distract him like that was baffling to him.

"Good evening. What can I get started for you?" His eyes followed you as you approached the counter gracefully, smiling at him before squinting up at the menu.

"Ah... hazelnut mocha? Yeah, regular size, please." Akaashi resisted the urge to chuckle at your indecisiveness.

"And a name for that?" You rained an eyebrow slightly, eyes darting around the shop, noting how empty it was. Akaashi has realised his mistake, but it was both a mistake of habit and just a petty excuse to learn your name.

"Elizabeth." Once again, Akaashi was rendered speechless. It seemed his surprise didn't go unnoticed either as you attempted to hide your giggle behind the book he hasn't realised you were holding. he tried to catch the title, but didn't get the chance as you had composed yourself before he could even blink. 

He cleared his throat and moved to the till, where he quickly tapped your order into the machine. He tried desperately not to blush when your hands brushed as you handed him the money for your drink, and decided to focus on making your drink instead of studying your face. 

However, because of this, he completely missed the way your eyes followed him as he danced across the bar, first for the syrup, then for the chocolate. It was as if you would miss the entire show if you took your eyes off of him. He moved so fluently it was if the process was ingrained into his body. You continued to watch as he allowed the chocolate to steam unsupervised while he prepared the espresso, savouring the scent of the coffee as he pulled the shots. 

You noticed a slight change in the sound to the steam, as did he, and without even looking he turned the lever to stop it, while also pouring the the espresso into the mug and swirling it together. The pouring felt like some sort of performance, with the way he held the jug so lightly, gently and precisely guiding the chocolate into the mug, wiggling it to make a gorgeous pattern on top. 

He placed the drink on a saucer, pairing it with a spoon and a little biscuit that he had pulled from seemingly nowhere. You smiled gratefully as he pushed it over to you, barely able to meet your eyes. 

“If you want a quiet place to read, the corner over there with the ferns is probably your best bet,” He nodded over to a little nook across the shop and you could see what he meant, it was secluded, and all other tables were faced away from it, but you could still see out over the entire store, especially with it being so small. 

“They’re fake... in case, you know... allergies?’ Giggling, you tucked your book under your arm in order to use both hands to carry the drink over to the table. A you did, Akaashi finally got a good look at the spine. 

‘Pride and Prejudice’

Elizabeth, of course.

“I’ll be here if you need anything.” With one last nod in thanks, you left the counter, allowing the barista to breathe again without the fear or stuttering or stumbling over his words. 

The second time he met you it has already turned cold, and frost was beginning to creep its way up the café windows. Luckily, it was nice and toasty inside the shop, and with an unlimited supply of hot drinks at his fingertips, it couldn’t be any better.

Except, it could. 

Akaashi was actually meant to be training up a new barista today, and yet he was distracted, thinking about a certain customer that he hasn't seen in a full week now. Who did he think he was? Falling in love at first sight only to possibly never see you again? It was just his luck. 

The owner was drawn out of his thoughts as he heard a hiss of pain, immediately looking over to see said new barista with a hand now covered in scalding hot coffee. He sighed, but quickly grabbed the cloth he kept in his apron pocket. Wiping the trainee’s hand, he instructed them to run it under cold water for as long as possible to make sure it didn't blister.

As they walked away, Akaashi faintly heard the door chime, and ran a hand through his hair in order to calm himself before speaking to a customer. 

“Hi, what can I- oh...” You stood across the counter, warm eyes peeking out from where your neck and mouth were buried in the biggest, fluffiest scarf Akaashi thought he’d ever seen. He heard a small chuckle and you reached up to unravel yourself from the bundle of fabric. 

“Stressed?” Your voice was soft when you finally freed yourself. Akaashi could only give you a nod and a small smile in response, aware of his trainee’s return to the machine. A quick once-over told him that they were fine and he could continue with their training. 

“What can I get you today?” It only took one look between the two baristas to understand the situation, and you immediately took pity on the owner, deciding to order something simple to be nice. 

“Just a latte, thank you.” The more experienced barista smiled at you gratefully, and put the transaction through the till before taking your money. 

“And a name for that?” He suggested playfully, mostly in reference to his mistake the last time the two of you met.

“Emma.” He almost laughed, eyeing the new book you were holding. A fan of Jane Austen then. Akaashi opened his mouth to say something else when he was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of breaking glass behind him. It was a good thing he turned away in a panic the second he heard it, or else he would have seen you jump out of your skin in surprise. 

The whole café seemed to become even quiter than it already was for a few moments, only Akaashi’s soothing murmer present in the silence. He once again made sure that the trainee was alright before instructing them to step away so that he could clean up the mess. He disappeared for a moment before returning with a sweeping brush. With a smile, albeit a nervous one, he told you to sit down to wait rather than remaining at the counter. 

“Get comfy, it may be a minute.”

The third time you returned to his little café, Akaashi was too busy already serving a customer to greet you immediately. He was so distracted that he hadn't even heard the chime of the bell on the door, which was unusual. What did attract his attention to you however, was the odd sniffle every minute or so to his left. He slipped his gaze over you in time to see you desperately trying to hold back a sneeze, nose scrunched in the cutest way possible, sleeve ready to catch it. 

With a quiet chuckle he quickly finished up with his current customer, handing the order over to his trainee, who had surprisingly improved by miles in the past week, and was now able to handle the standard drinks to an acceptable degree. 

As the customer moved on, he watched you with an amused smile as you practically waddled up to the counter, no scarf today, but instead a chunky sweater that more of less buried you, barely visible fingers clutching your book choice for this week - Sense and Sensibility. 

He raised an eyebrow expectantly and you rolled your eyes. Despite the scarf the previous visit, you had managed to catch a cold last week from the freezing wind you walked through to get to the café, and you still hadn't fully recovered yet.

“Afternoon, Elinor.” Your eyes widened as he guessed you name for this week before you even had chance to order, but it brought an excited smile to your face.

“Something strong... uh, a... ugh!” He snickered at your frustration and you scowled, a crease in your brow, but he couldn't take you seriously with the bright pink flush across your cheeks the cold had given you. 

“A cappuccino!” You announced triumphantly, but quickly calmed yourself in slight embarrassment as you realised you might have been just a tad too loud. Akaashi was clearly enjoying your playfulness today, but made no comment, thankfully.

“Chocolate dusting?” You perked up again at that, but remained sheepish.

“Extra, please?” He put your order through the till as he always did, and you stalked off to find your usual seat as he handed it off to the trainee. 

The fourth time you stopped by, the cold spell has finally disappeared, and the glow of the evening light shining through the windows was slightly warmer than it had been recently. 

Despite this, the sight of the improved weather was immediately dampened when you walked in, such a tired expression on your face that Akaashi physically stopped in his track out of worry. You always had such a happy smile that seeing you without it seemed so strange. 

At the look on his face, you tried your hardest to smile like you usually did, but you could both that it was horribly forced, and you gave up quickly. 

“Choose for me today, ‘kaashi.” He didn't know what surprised him more - the nickname or the fact that you knew his name in the first place. Obviously it was on his name tag that you saw every time you were in the shop, but he hadn't expected you to actually remember it. 

He couldn't help the strange feeling in his stomach, both in worry and... something else that he couldn't quite place the feeling of. 

“This one’s on me. Jane today?” Even with your mood, you were never without your precious book. A quick look at the cover told him that it was Jane Eyre today, his favourite. 

You opened your mouth to protest, but one stern look from Akaashi shut you right up. You gave him a thankful smile, a genuine one, and slowly walked off to take your usual spot.

Akaashi waited until you had your back turned to quickly switch places with his other barista in order to personally make your drink today. The other barista was shocked at his hurry, but shook their head with a smile at the action. They had witnessed enough interactions between the two of you to understand. 

The next week, Akaashi waited all day and all evening, so worried about last week and how you left without a word that he couldn't even focus on his work because he just needed to see you to make sure you were okay. 

But you never came.

He was upset, but you were probably busy, or something had happened, but the though of an incident of some sort only put him even more on edge than he already was. 

With a sigh, he exited the shop, adjusting the bag on his shoulder so that he could place the key in the door to lock it. He was about to turn the metal when he heard frantic footsteps behind him. Akaashi glanced back to see you, rushing as quickly as you could, jacket billowing behind you as you made it towards him. 

You came to a stop just next to him, hands on your knees as you attempted to catch your breath as Akaashi stared down at you in bewilderment. As you finally stood straight, you smiled heavily, breaths still laboured.

“Work meeting ran over,” you tried to explain, “you aren't closed yet, are you?” You could clearly see him with the key in the door, but he could hear the evident disappointment in your voice. 

“Depends.” Hope flooded your features and the absolute joy on your face would have made him give in if he hadn't already. 

“On?” Even if he didn't know it, you could see plain as day how dejected he looked today, and you had an inkling that it was to do with your lack of appearance. 

“Tell me your name.” The was a slight pause, before you giggled at the simple condition, causing Akaashi to turn his head away as to hide from you how contagious your smile really was.

“Y/N.” You held your hand out, having never been happier to introduce yourself to someone. 

“Keiji, nice to meet you.” He took your hand in his and shook it, lingering for a moment before letting to go to take the key out of the door and open it, gesturing you inside with a smile. 

You brought books to places with you to loose yourself in someone else’s fantasy, but maybe you had found your real-life fairytale. 

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