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strongitsalifestyle · 11 months

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Hong Kong Adventures

4 days 2011

Day 1July 24 Hong Kong airport

I checked in to the Stanford Hotel situated beside Ladies' Market, located in Kowloon in one of the most colourful and vibrant areas of this lively, cosmopolitan city. Stanford Hotel Hong Kong is well served by public transport. It is just a few minutes' walk to the MTR Station as well as the Mong Kok East MTR Station, which connects to Mainland China. The Hotel offered complimentary scheduled shuttle bus service to Hung Hom MTR Station, Airport Express Kowloon Station, China Hong Kong City Ferry Terminal and Stanford Hillview Hotel.

I decided to take a stroll around the area to checkout my surroundings. I wondered into Kowloon park where I viewed many sculptors.

Right around the block from my hotel was the Ladies Market. This massive Mongkok street market is one of the best spots in the city to pick up a bargain. Find T-shirts, cheongsams, silk pyjamas, chopsticks, handbags, belts, hair accessories, toys, and more.

I found many malls around the area. Def amazing to see international brands in another country. Dinner at the mall!

DAY 2 Shek O Beach and Mainland Hong Kong

I found Breakfast 2 blocks from my hotel and made this my daily breakfast on the go spot!

Hong Kong is very tourist friendly, I was on a mission to find a rock formation that I found in a tourist book. It didn’t have an address or directions on how to get there but I was confident that I would locate this place. The only piece of information I had was the name, Shek O VillageRoad.

To my amazement everyone spoke English. A mother and daughter let me know that they were required to take English I’m school. They directed me to the correct train station.

When I arrived at the station the train workers helped me to figure out the train number to board.

When I got to my destination the bus driver pointed to a path. He said to walk up the path and I would find it. To my amazement I had found a beach! It was hotter than the mainland, I had wish I brought my bathing suit.

Shek O Beach is probably one of the most scenic and popular beaches on Hong Kong Island. It might be on the southeast end of the island, but it’s still relatively easy to access and is often the first beach that anyone new to Hong Kong visits (well at least I did). It’s literally a glimpse into the other side of Hong Kong, the side without skyscrapers.

I then viewed the house I saw in the Tourist Guide book, I had reached my destination!

I continued down the path to see if I could find the rock formation that was pictured in the guide book but to my surprised it was more than that rock image! Definitely was not prepared to see what I was about to see and I was so glad I ventured out to find it!

I took the bus and rail back to the mainland. Next stop The Peak Tram is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. The journey takes approximately 8–10 minutes and is a visual experience to remember, as skyscrapers glide past at what appear to be impossible angles while the tram makes its ascent. The Peak Tram passes six stations in order: Garden Road, Kennedy Road, MacDonnell Road, May Road, Barker Road, and the Peak. The lower terminus is at Garden Road in the Central, while the upper one is on the third floor of the Peak Tower on the hillside.

Before I head back down I had lunch at the bubba shrimp co Reaturant & Bar. With many days eating just Asian food I was happy to have a salad. When I got back down I walked over to visit St. Peter’s Cathedral the oldest Catholic Church in Hong Kong. The headed over to the Center.

Stopped at the Madrain Hotel turn off to dinner at Yung Kee (Chinese: 鏞記) is a Chinese restaurant located on Wellington Street in Central, Hong Kong. It is most famous for its roast goose.

Day 3 New Territories, Tap Mun & Big Buddah

Subway MTR to The ferry pier which was located at Science Park and University in between Shatin and Tai Po. Ma Liu Shui is an area in Sha Tin District, in the New Territories, Hong Kong.

www.traway.com.hk

Grass Island or Tap Mun is an island in Hong Kong, located in the northeastern part of the territory.

We found a 400-year-old temple with an altar, and legend has it that it is connected by a hidden tunnel to Tap Mun Cave on the opposite shore of the island but we didn’t see one.

We found a hiking trail with stairs, when we got to the top we were able to take in the views! On the way down we encountered a cow. As we were walking pass it, it ran ran after us. What a scary moment, but we were able to laugh about it later!

Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddah)

Ngong Ping Lantau Island, in Hong Kong

Set on Lantau Island, the most enjoyable way to reach the Big Buddha is via the Ngong Ping Cable Car from Tung Chung MTR station.

You are also about to take a 2.5 to 3.5 hours hike and the cable car back to the station or catch a bus for the return trip. We decided to take the Cable Car round trip, which was a 30 min ride.

It is totally free to visit the Big Buddha, however, we would recommend making a small contribution to their donation box as a kind gesture, as the Big Buddha Phuket was built entirely from donations.

The Big Buddha, also known as Tian Tan Buddha, is famed as the most iconic attraction of Lantau. Sitting next to the Po Lin Monastery, it is only a 10-minute walk away from Ngong Ping Village. The majestic outdoor bronze Buddha statue sits solemnly atop the peak of Mount Muk Yue.

We climb up 268 steps to reach the three-storey pedestal to visit the Buddha and enjoy the boundless views of Lantau and South China Sea.

Day 4 Victoria Harbour Mainland HK & Stanley Beach

Victoria Harbour is a natural channel separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. With a glorious location in the South China Sea, the harbor is one of Hong Kong’s top tourist attractions thanks to its historical significance (it was one of the British Empire’s biggest military and trading ports) and the fact it offers gorgeous views of the Hong Kong skyline.

A prime way of experiencing Victoria Harbor’s allure is by riding the award-winning Hong Kong Star Ferry, which carries passengers between Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side and Central and Wan Chai on Hong Kong island. The 20-min journey will provide you with the most spectacular views of Hong Kong,

You can also take in the beauty of Victoria Harbor from the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. This alluring promenade starts at the Star Ferry Terminal, where the historic Star Ferry departs from, linking Tsim Sha Tsui with Central Hong Kong. The ride is considered one of the top things to do in Hong Kong, as it offers the most dramatic views of the city.

We passed by the Floating Restaurant, Tai Pak Sea food. In June 2022, the city's iconic tourist attraction, Jumbo Floating Restaurant, left Hong Kong waters and capsized at sea while on its way to Cambodia for storage – a shocking news.

Stanley Village & Beach

MTR Central Station Exit A / MTR Hong Kong Station Exit B1 to Stanley Village Bus Terminus Stanley has been a fishing village since before the British came to Hong Kong.

Stanley is a village in Hong Kong Island’s Southern District, where many of Hong Kong’s top beaches can be found. Visitors to Stanley will find a well developed beachfront before them, with a gorgeous promenade and a host of western-style bars and restaurants lining the waterfront. The village also has two beaches: Stanley Main Beach and St. Stephen’s beach.

Next stop: Ritz Carlton, Kowloon

Occupying floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre in Kowloon, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, is the highest hotel in the world.With spectacular views of Hong Kong skyline; looking out to the Hong Kong city, harbour or Victoria Harbour view at 490 metres above sea level.

LAN Kwai Fong LFK

Lan Kwai Fong is one of Hong Kong's most popular nightlife hot spots and home to over 90 restaurants and bars. The atmosphere ranges from stylish wine pairings to raucous jelly shots and the food on offer is as diverse as the clientele.

Day 5 finally tried the sushi and took my hotek shuttle to the airport!

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thetrip2018 · 1 year

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April 8, 2023

We stayed up late last night so we slept in again today. Once we woke up we walked to borough market. It was jam packed today (more so than E**** remembered from his previous time in London). We walked through the market once before deciding to look for breakfast. While walking through L**** saw the Greedy Goat Ice Cream stand and pointed it out. E**** was friends with one of the people who manned the stand while he studied abroad in London. As soon as they got close, E**** saw the same man, Andrew, at the stand and they immediately recognized each other. They hugged and we got some ice cream. We talked for a few minutes and E*** and the man exchanged contact info before we kept walking to find food. We got a Japanese tofu and rice bowl and a box of Indian thali—both of which were delicious.

We walked over to the river and ate while looking out over the Thames. After we ate, we walked over to the Tate modern art museum where we saw a number of interesting exhibits. We were both pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed them. On the bottom floor we saw an exhibit by Nira Pereg an Israeli artist. The exhibit comprised two massive screens depicting the shared Jewish-Muslim use of Mearat Hamachpala in Hebron. Personally, E**** found the depiction hopeful for how Jews and Muslims could share a religious space peacefully. The description provided, however, presented a less hopeful and more anti-Israel view of the shared site (generally, the Tate didn’t seem very fond of Israel). Regardless, I found the exhibit fascinating. A few floors up, we found an exhibit about the East Village Beijing artists and the counter-culture they fostered. The exhibit had nude photographs of members of the east village group. They were doing a lot of gender experimentation. They met in secret. They were eventually discovered and evicted. The area where they lived was bulldozed. It was very cool to see this strong counter culture art scene in China in the 90s. Of course we don’t know if anything like that still exists, since it would have to be secret. It was very inspiring.

We made our way along the south bank of the river where we saw a cool skate park with youngsters showing off their tricks. Eventually we headed to the Churchill war rooms, crossing the Westminster bridge where E**** bought more candied peanuts.

The Churchill museum was very interesting, especially the parts about his rise to power and his career after the war, since we knew less about those parts. He has a lot of funny quotes too. We spent about two hours in the war room.

Afterwards, we walked in St. Jame’s park for a bit before walking through Trafalgar Square, Leicester square, Piccadilly circus, Soho, and China town. There were tons of people walking around. From China town we went to covent garden market (where we stopped to use the restroom) and then began searching for where to eat dinner. We kept walking east until we reached St. Paul’s cathedral where we saw people being baptized. We then crossed millennium bridge, where we got s good night view of the tower bridge and the city lights reflected in the water.

Once on south bank again we stopped at an Anatolian restaurant where the food was good but the service a bit slow. We especially enjoyed a fig and goat cheese salad. From there we started walking back to the hotel passing through the empty borough market. It was chilly on our walk back so near Liverpool street station we bought a hot chocolate at a 24/7 shop. We shared it as we meandered through the streets near our hotel. It’s a lovely area for nightlife with many bars and people going out.

Eventually we got back to the hotel and planned for the next day before going to bed.

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nyudesignsummer · 2 years

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Kevin Zhang - Poster Report

Today, I'll be taking a gander at two posters from the exact opposite ends of the "graphic design good-ification" spectrum.

Back in the olden era of 2010, little child me was taken to EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, China. It was an amazing expo filled with buildings crazed designers given a blank check could conjure up. Most of the buildings still look super futuristic today. While most of the exhibits have been teared down, a few of them still stand. The Chinese Pavilion still towers the land with its epic engineering un-conventions.

But something that stuck out to me-even back then-was just how bad the graphic design was throughout the whole expo. The poster I selected is probably the best example, but I still think it looks messy. It has all these different fonts on it that just don't gel well together. You have the top left logo with its geometric EXPO and SHANGHAI CHINA typeface that looks good, but a "Better City, Better Life" quote follows directly next to it. The sizing of the quote, coupled with the Chinese line, completely overemphasizes itself next to the EXPO logo. Then you have the text at the bottom right denoting the name of the expo and when it take place, which looks fine, until you realize it's a repeat of what the top left logo says exactly! The middle calligraphy I can't really fault, but it also doesn't come with am English translation...

Then, when we ignore the typeface shenanigans and see the actual designs of the poster, oh boy. It looks properly elementary. The colors look wack, every single person look like they haven't been lit in a similar way, and you wonder if they're standing on grass or algae. Then you see that blue thing guy in the front, which just destroys the whole thing even more.

This poster had a very simple goal. Show the Chinese pavilion, show the expo 2010 logo, done. It's a perfect example of how to do a simple thing in an overcomplicated trash way.

So with our eyes totaled from the previous poster, let's get them healed by a Swanson TV Dinner. These things still allude me today, as something that I'll always think about eating, always dream about eating, but will never buy (or eat) given it's appearance in a local trader joes.

But man, the poster really makes it look superbly appetizing. Frozen food rarely come out of the wave looking non-dog-food like, but the filmic color palette and the overall "composition" of the food make it look like some 3 star Michelin star meal. Combined with the tinted yellow background, the poster makes the dish look homely and dinner like. And despite the long quote shoved into the poster, including the long ad read, everything just looks well proportioned. You know your eyes are supposed to start at the "Ready to heat and serve" part, gliding down-leftward to the long passage, and ending at the "Swanson TV" logo and the different TV dinner flavors.

If this poster was a TV Dinner that tastes as good as the photo, the EXPO 2010 poster is an expired 7/11 Ceasar salad.

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boatcause3 · 2 years

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50 Most Popular Southeast Asian Noodle Dishes

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#外燴

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howardpotts · 4 years

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five: get a taste

Love on the Brain - Masterlist in links

Pairing: MobBoss!Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: You’re just a student, living her normal daily life in New York. One night changes everything, without you even knowing. Steve Rogers slowly introduces you to his world full of money, drugs and violence. But are you able to handle what he has to offer?

Chapter warning: none :)

A/N: Soooooo, here’s chapter 5 after a loooong time of waiting! Let me know what you think!

“I’m a little surprised that you got into my car after what happened”, he chuckles as you get in. You try to not show anything while getting in, but it felt like you failed miserably. He doesn’t look at you though, as if he wanted to give you that kind of privacy, since he ordered you to only wear the jacket he sent you.

“I have to admit that I’m not sure why I’m getting in either”, you counter. “I guess I just want you to tear me apart again, but now without all the gang-stuff please.”

As you grab your seatbelt, he turns his head to you. “It won’t happen this time, sweetheart.”

“Promise?”

“Well”, he starts, raising his eyebrows. “I can’t exactly promise anything. But I give it a good eighty percent chance.”

That gives him a low chuckle from your side. It kind of excites you. Which is wrong, of course, but you can’t help it.

“Nice car, by the way”, you remark. The yellow lamborghini was quite the eyecatcher in your neighborhood - which wasn’t exactly in the best part of the city.

The old buildings from Brooklyn quickly get replaced by the view of the skyline of Manhattan. The view always amazes you, but especially now - around sunset. All those towers can make any person feel small, but at the same time so powerful. It makes you feel like you have purpose in such a big world.

“Y’know, I was born in Flatbush”, Steve calls. You look at him. He’s from Brooklyn?

“And you left? Why?”, you ask curiously, without even thinking that he’s a potentially dangerous guy you don’t want to ask too many questions.

“I don’t have anything to live for there”, he simply answers. You can feel he’s holding back, and him biting his upper lip betrays that even more.

As we drive into Manhattan, he takes some turns, bringing you into China Town. You’re not sure why; but every time you’d enter China Town, you’d get this uneasy feeling. As if you were being watched, but at the same time not watched at all. Even though there wasn’t any reason at all that you’d have to feel that way, no one ever approached you or betrayed you.

Steve took a right turn at the traffic lights, taking the car to the unknown part of China Town - the part you never explored, even though you lived her for a couple of years now. Now you were starting to get really uncomfortable.

Would he be active in human trafficking?

Holy shit. That thought scared you. Even though you tried to shake it off, it stuck. Especially when he took another right, getting into a street that was almost dead - apart from some kind of club?

He stopped right across the street from it, neonlights were flashing in your eyes. You had to squint to read the sign. ‘Sexclub Spider’. No. This couldn’t- Steve wouldn’t-

Of course he would. Fuck, you’re such a stupid fucking girl to believe that he would take you to a fucking restaurant. You’re so naïve. Even though you felt like you were careful at the times you should be, you somehow decided to give the bad guy your weak spot.

“Here we are”, he smiles, unclicking his belt and opening his door. You look like a deer in headlights. You’re not sure if it’s better to cooperate or to struggle. Maybe if you do as they say, they’ll treat you nicely. But maybe if you put on a fight, you can get away. Run to freedom. Never get in a fucking car with a stranger again.

A call of your name gets you out of your thoughts. “Are you getting out of the car?” A light chuckle in his voice as he leans down. You nod, too afraid to not do as he says. You open the door and get out, your brain foggy about what is happening.

“I normally come here alone, so I’m sorry if you get a few looks”, he says. You look at him, thoughts still a mile away - looking for a way out of this situation. The sentence doesn’t even fully comprehend in your head.

“Alone?”, you ask.

“Yes, just like the coffeebar you work at, I’m a regular at Happy’s Place”, he says as he points to something behind you. “And, yeah, before you judge. I know the name is a bit ridiculous, but the food is amazing.”

Slowly you turn around, and a small dark but cosy restaurant comes in your view. There’s this small board with ‘Happy’s Place’ above the wooden windows.

A sigh of relief leaves your mouth without you noticing it. Your shoulders relax again and your facial expression must have changed too. Again you face Steve, now with a little smile on your face.

“What?”, he asks, a bit dumbfounded. You know what, let’s be honest with him.

“Well, I, uhm”, you say, red slowly showing on your cheeks. “I thought…. Just look across the street.”

He turns his head around for two seconds before turning it back to you. A big surprised smile is on his face, eyebrows up showing some wrinkles on his forehead.

“You thought that I’d…? No, I don’t do that shit. Hell, even I have some decency and respect”, he snorts as he walks around the car and puts his hand on your lower back. It’s a sudden reminder for you that you’re not wearing anything but the jacket.

“Sorry, that was rude of me to think”, you apologize, not wanting to be on the wrong page with him.

“Let’s just enjoy a good meal and get to know each other a little bit”, he says. You nod, and pull on the jacket; feeling a little bit uncomfortable again.

The waitress was giving us a big smile when we walked in, I automatically smiled back politely and greeted her.

“Can I take your jackets?”, she asks as she clasps her hands together softly. Your smile almost washes off your face, but you remember quickly enough to keep up your façade.

Steve gives his leather jacket and then he watches you with the biggest mischievous smirk. “Aren’t you going to give your jacket?”

You clench your teeth together for a split second before shaking your head. “No thanks, I’m okay.”

The waitress leads you to your table. Even though the restaurant is fairly small, it doesn’t feel packed. It’s full, but not crowded. It has this warm family feeling, with several family portraits on the brick walls. Some red curtains and table drapes add to the atmosphere that’s already going on, and the people all seem to have a great time. It feels like one of those ‘almost-too-perfect’ places.

“Thank you”, you say as Steve helps you get in your chair. Even though you could’ve easily done it yourself, it never fails to flatter you when a man acts like a true gentleman.

Steve wasn’t lying when he told you the food was delicious. You ordered some chicken breast with cheese stuffing, with fries and a salad on the side. Nothing out of the ordinary, but Steve told you that he didn’t need all the fancy stuff.

It made him feel real, the stuff he did and told. How he took you to some normal restaurant in China Town, instead of trying to impress you with all the fancy restaurants he can afford. How he grew up in Brooklyn but left because he didn’t feel home there.

“So, I can imagine you’re curious to my business”, he says as he eyes you.

“Of course, but I don’t expect you to tell me a lot about it. It’s not very legal after all.” You try to get if he’s okay with it. But then again - he opened up the topic. “But, yes, I’m curious.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. I can’t tell a lot about it, but I can maybe feel you a bit at ease. It might help to know that I don’t human traffic - like I said earlier - but I also don’t deal drugs. I’m doing something not a lot of guys can do. In fact, I only have one big rival.”

“Rival? Like, another gang?”, you ask. You’re feeling less afraid now and dare to feel his boundaries.

“Exactly that. We’re not exactly on good terms. It’s actually a lot like every other business; the only difference is that our product is illegal and we use a little bit more violence.” He takes another bite from his beef, giving you time to ask another question.

“Like that guy that broke in last week”, you state.

“Like that guy that broke in last week”, he repeats to confirm your thoughts.

“But how did you get into this?” You take a sip from your wine, not letting your eyes leave him. You’re way too invested in this conversation.

“That’s a story for me to know, and you to guess, sweetheart”, he says with a wink. You understand the notion of him giving the boundarie you were searching for and decide to be very respectful of it.

“Now that I’ve given you some, you gotta give me something back”, he smirks. “How did you come to live in Bushwick?”

“Well”, you say and clear your throat. “I decided it was time to go live on my own a few years ago. It was such a hell job to find an affordable apartment in New York, but I met Wanda through school and she was also looking for a room or apartment. We decided to look together and then we stumbled upon this little apartment. It’s small, but we’re glad we found something.”

He nods, listening to you as you tell. It’s a bit weird, but the dangerous man he is, is slowly getting to the background. He’s starting to become more of a normal person - maybe someone who could actually be a normal friend of yours.

“And that’s why you work at the café?”

“I need to pay the bills somehow. A lot of sparetime goes into that, to be honest, and a lot of that goes into my apartment. But as soon as I’m done with my study, I hope to find some job that makes life a bit easier”, you give him a little sad smile.

“So I think now is the fair question to ask: do you really think it’s that weird for me to go illegal? To get myself a nice place in Manhattan, so I don’t have to worry about money.” He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t drink. He just looks at you with wonder on his face.

You’re quiet for a second, collecting your thoughts about that question. Now that you’re getting to know him a bit, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy at all. It kind of makes sense that he just wants money. But then again, there are other ways of getting that money. Maybe not as much, but that’s the price you pay for not ending up behind bars.

“I don’t know”, you say. “There’s always another path.”

“Right. The ‘rightful’ path? You think those politicians came to the top by playing it by the rules? You think Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburg got there by following the book? The most succesful people don’t follow the law; they just work in the gray areas. And it’s kind of what I do too; but it’s a bit more to the illegal side.” He takes the fry of his plate, looking at you with fire in his eyes. You’re not sure if it’s passion or anger.

It stays silent for a minute. You’re not sure if you believe what he just said, but you get his trail of thoughts. But you’re not sure if that’s the only thing that got him into that business, otherwise he would’ve told you when you asked the question.

“Now, how about we both slip to the bathroom and I’ll eat you as dessert?”, he smirks as he leans back in his chair. “Didn’t make you wear that jacket for nothin’, my dear.”

________________________

TAGS:

@mcueveryday @mschellehitt @thamuddagirl @buckysthot @what-if-i-am-weird @myspectacularfantasies @ornella0910 @steeeeverogers @babygirl-htx @estillion14 @my-super-musical-life @tranquil--heart @golddaggers @swanlakemikey @notyourtypicalrose @lollipopdomination @profoundllamanickeleggs

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fyreb1rd · 3 years

Note

Fun fact! Pizza Hut in china banned salad bar due to customers making salad towers:)

LET THOSE BITCHES MAKE A DAMN SALAD TOWER WTF!!!!!

#Pizza Hut #I AM MAIN TAGGING THIS #/lh #/j

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menucougar8 · 3 years

Text

Outdoor Weddings In Metropolis

What is special about the location of the HARBOR CITY NOVALAND project? 2016 was a hot year for the real estate market, a series of large-scale projects were launched in many provinces and cities across the country, including Ho Chi Minh City. Understanding the market demand, Novaland - a famous real estate corporation has launched the Harbor City project with the expectation of building it into a complex of residential areas, townhouses, villas and shopping areas at the southernmost point. HCMC. Natural green space. Harbor City Novaland converges many factors that attract customers and real estate investors such as outstanding modern design, diverse public facilities, and reasonable prices. However, one of the project's features cannot fail to mention the prime location, the most ideal in the southwest of the city, helping Novaland project become a prime location with long-term investment prospects. The following are some special features in choosing the location of the new Harbor City project. Where is the Harbor City Novaland project located? Harbor City urban area invested by Novaland Real Estate Group is located in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, with a total area of ??more than 50 hectares, close to Phuc Dinh port. This is one of the city's leading complexes and offers a lot of potential for real estate development. The detailed location of Harbor City Novaland is Ho Hoc Lam Street, District 8, District 16, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the city today. At the same time, this is also one of the important traffic bottlenecks in the busy port of Fude. Novaland Harbor City is bordered to the North by EHome 3 urban area and National Highway 11 of Nanlong, to the South by Ben Luc River, to the West by current residential areas, to the East by Ring Road 2 and a number of residential areas. . Other residents are in that area. As can be seen, the urban area project is located in a prime area surrounded by District 8, District 7, Binh Tan, Binh Chanh, many smooth traffic routes. Ho Chi Minh today. What's so special about the location of Harbor City New Urban Area? Harbor City project includes commercial townhouses, garden townhouses, garden villas and duplex villas that fully converge the modern and comfortable elements of a micro city, as well as the prime location of the project. judgment. With the motto of lighting up the port city, the port city of Novaland promises to bring the dream of modern life, amenities filled with natural space, as well as a convenient construction location in all aspects. - Recently viewed, because the project is located in the central area of ??Phu Dinh port and close to many other areas of the city such as District 7, Pingxin District, Pyeongchang District or District 5. This brings convenience in shopping. moving to other parts of the city for work, study or recreation. From Harbor City, it only takes 3 to 5 minutes to go to convenient shopping centers, and 10 to 15 minutes to go to Coopmart Community Market, Big C An Lac Shopping Center, AEON Shopping Center, Binh Tan Hospital, Binh Tan Bus Station , People's Committees of Metro Binh Phu and Binh Tan districts or adjacent to the international school system. In addition, from the coastal city of Novaland, families can quickly move to the city's leading tourist and entertainment areas such as Tansen Tourist Area, Xincang, Ansheng Bridge or Pingguo. Harbor City promises to bring an ideal living space, convenient location and a system of modern and advanced public utilities for residents living in the urban area. Nhi is near Giang, close to the Saigon River, Ben Luc section, providing an ideal living space for residents of the harbor city, blending with the natural landscape and beautiful scenery. In addition, the location close to the river also helps to regulate the climate of the new harbor city, and at the same time can enjoy the river view from the window or balcony of the villa, family townhouse, adding poetry to the city. life of urban dwellers. - These three routes are close to the highway, because the port city area is close to important roads and the main traffic planning project of HCMC, which helps to quickly connect other roads and areas vicinity. In particular, rapid bus route No. 1 (Saigon BRT) helps inner-city people move quickly through districts 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 as well as Binh Chanh and Binh Tan districts. This road is currently under construction, in the near future will become one of the main traffic axes of the city to help reduce travel time in the inner city. In addition, in the urban development planning, a series of roads and other important transport infrastructure can be invested in the new city project Harbor City. Novaland Group officially opened for sale the seaport urban area, townhouses and villas, Fude Port District 8 It can be seen that the Harbor City project is one of the most potential complex urban projects of Novaland Group, located in a prime location in the southwest of the city and very special. This place is expected to be an ideal and wonderful living space for families, with a panoramic view of the port city, with high-class facilities and a comfortable living environment. For options available . of venue, showcase the most that your city is offering. It would be really fun for the bride to wear a modern and fashion-forward wedding gown, perhaps one designed by an up-and-coming designer in her own city. As an alternative to the standard wedding fare, hire a hip local restaurant you can do the offering. Your wedding favors can be cookies inside of shape for this local landmark or image. This will make area itself a role of your wedding, which is great for couples who met and fell in love in a house like Houston or D.A. My final meal concentrated on slow cooked beef ribs with a side of potatoes roasted in chicken fat. When facing the meat this wine brimmed with dark cherries and tobacco. Has been created powerful and mouthfilling together fine dimension. Yet its alcohol level didn't seem abnormal. This wine simply rolled the actual potatoes. With a Turkish salad composed of sweet pimentos, tomato paste, hot peppers (very little) and garlic the Bandol was moderate. After your Sky Tower visit, a person are walk for the hill to Queen Street and go up towards the town Hall. Here you can see the Civic theatre offers been restored recently. Can an amazing historic theatre with plain plaster labor. You may also have a Novaland take a the Aotea Concert Hall. The Aotea Square has some fascinating markets where could possibly shop onto your heart's amount. The city offers many array of attractions like museums, art galleries, Tivoli, the central square as well as some more, for that tourists coming here. If visitors are using air path to reach the city, supply enjoy viewing several islands, windmills and a huge bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark from the plane. These days' cheap flights to Copenhagen are given by leading carriers like Air China, British Airways and Air France. Cheap plane tickets are entirely on these carriers most belonging to the times. This attunement is not nightmare. It makes the ego uncomfortable because ego to be able to surrender. This is simply not something trial https://batdongsan-caocapnhat.blogspot.com/2021/07/vi-tri-du-harbor-city-novaland.html ">Harbour City willingly. For this reason only direct experience in the ground getting is the basis of real change and real peace. Otherwise it is a tinkering at the edges. Another choices are to pay a visit to Fire Destination. If you haven't been to fireplace Harbor City Novaland Island, appeared worth the trek. This tropical isle has particular climate system; so never attention to the forecasts, for it is usually good weather there. Among the common wealth countries, Cochin runs on the synagogue to get oldest that is known. The ancient Hebrew inscriptions made on stone slabs and the inscriptions on copper plates and the pattern of flooring tiles being willow proves that Cochin could be the best place never pertaining to being missed with your visit to Kerala.

#Harbour City

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brookstonalmanac · 4 years

Text

Events 8.23

30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.[citation needed] 20 BC – Ludi Volcanalici are held within the temple precinct of Vulcan, and used by Augustus to mark the treaty with Parthia and the return of the legionary standards that had been lost at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC.[citation needed] AD 79 – Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. 476 – Odoacer, chieftain of the Germanic tribes (Herulic - Scirian foederati), is proclaimed rex Italiae ("King of Italy") by his troops. 1244 – Siege of Jerusalem: The city's citadel, the Tower of David, surrenders to Khwarezmian Empire. 1268 – The Battle of Tagliacozzo marks the fall of the Hohenstaufen family from the Imperial and Sicilian thrones, and leading to the new chapter of Angevin domination in Southern Italy. 1305 – Sir William Wallace is executed for high treason at Smithfield, London. 1328 – Battle of Cassel: French troops stop an uprising of Flemish farmers. 1382 – Siege of Moscow: The Golden Horde led by Tokhtamysh lays siege to the capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. 1514 – The Battle of Chaldiran ends with a decisive victory for the Sultan Selim I, Ottoman Empire, over the Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty. 1521 – Christian II of Denmark is deposed as king of Sweden and Gustav Vasa is elected regent. 1541 – French explorer Jacques Cartier lands near Quebec City in his third voyage to Canada. 1572 – French Wars of Religion: Mob violence against thousands of Huguenots in Paris results in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. 1595 – Long Turkish War: Wallachian prince Michael the Brave confronts the Ottoman army in the Battle of Călugăreni and achieves a tactical victory. 1600 – Battle of Gifu Castle: The eastern forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu defeat the western Japanese clans loyal to Toyotomi Hideyori, leading to the destruction of Gifu Castle and serving as a prelude to the Battle of Sekigahara. 1628 – George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, is assassinated by John Felton. 1655 – Battle of Sobota: The Swedish Empire led by Charles X Gustav defeats the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1703 – Edirne event: Sultan Mustafa II of the Ottoman Empire is dethroned. 1775 – American Revolutionary War: King George III delivers his Proclamation of Rebellion to the Court of St James's stating that the American colonies have proceeded to a state of open and avowed rebellion. 1784 – Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it is not accepted into the United States, and only lasts for four years. 1799 – Napoleon I of France leaves Egypt for France en route to seizing power. 1813 – At the Battle of Großbeeren, the Prussians under Von Bülow repulse the French army. 1831 – Nat Turner's slave rebellion is suppressed. 1839 – The United Kingdom captures Hong Kong as a base as it prepares for the First Opium War with Qing China. 1864 – American Civil War: The Union Navy captures Fort Morgan, Alabama, thus breaking Confederate dominance of all ports on the Gulf of Mexico except Galveston, Texas. 1866 – Austro-Prussian War ends with the Treaty of Prague. 1873 – Albert Bridge in Chelsea, London opens. 1898 – The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, departs from London. 1904 – The automobile tire chain is patented. 1914 – World War I: The British Expeditionary Force and the French Fifth Army begin their Great Retreat before the German Army. 1914 – World War I: Japan declares war on Germany. 1921 – British airship R-38 experiences structural failure over Hull in England and crashes in the Humber Estuary. Of her 49 British and American training crew, only four survive. 1923 – Captain Lowell Smith and Lieutenant John P. Richter performed the first mid-air refueling on De Havilland DH-4B, setting an endurance flight record of 37 hours. 1927 – Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti are executed after a lengthy, controversial trial. 1929 – Hebron Massacre during the 1929 Palestine riots: Arab attack on the Jewish community in Hebron in the British Mandate of Palestine, continuing until the next day, resulted in the death of 65–68 Jews and the remaining Jews being forced to leave the city. 1939 – World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In a secret addition to the pact, the Baltic states, Finland, Romania, and Poland are divided between the two nations. 1942 – World War II: Beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. 1943 – World War II: Kharkiv is liberated by the Soviet Union after the Battle of Kursk. 1944 – World War II: Marseille is liberated by the Allies. 1944 – World War II: King Michael of Romania dismisses the pro-Nazi government of Marshal Antonescu, who is arrested. Romania switches sides from the Axis to the Allies. 1944 – Freckleton Air Disaster: A United States Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator bomber crashes into a school in Freckleton, England, killing 61 people. 1945 – World War II: Soviet–Japanese War: The USSR State Defense Committee issues Decree no. 9898cc "About Receiving, Accommodation, and Labor Utilization of the Japanese Army Prisoners of War". 1946 – Ordinance No. 46 of the British Military Government constitutes the German Länder (states) of Hanover and Schleswig-Holstein. 1948 – World Council of Churches is formed by 147 churches from 44 countries. 1954 – First flight of the Lockheed C-130 multi-role aircraft. 1958 – Chinese Civil War: The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis begins with the People's Liberation Army's bombardment of Quemoy. 1966 – Lunar Orbiter 1 takes the first photograph of Earth from orbit around the Moon. 1970 – Organized by Mexican American labor union leader César Chávez, the Salad Bowl strike, the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history, begins. 1973 – A bank robbery gone wrong in Stockholm, Sweden, turns into a hostage crisis; over the next five days the hostages begin to sympathise with their captors, leading to the term "Stockholm syndrome". 1975 – The start of the Wave Hill walk-off by Gurindji people in Australia, lasting eight years, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 Paul Kelly song and an annual celebration. 1975 – The Pontiac Silverdome opens in Pontiac, Michigan, 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Detroit, Michigan 1985 – Hans Tiedge, top counter-spy of West Germany, defects to East Germany. 1989 – Singing Revolution: Two million people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stand on the Vilnius–Tallinn road, holding hands. This is called the Baltic Way or Baltic Chain. 1990 – Saddam Hussein appears on Iraqi state television with a number of Western "guests" (actually hostages) to try to prevent the Gulf War. 1990 – Armenia declares its independence from the Soviet Union. 1990 – West and East Germany announce that they will reunite on October 3. 1991 – The World Wide Web is opened to the public. 1994 – Eugene Bullard, the only African American pilot in World War I, is posthumously commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. 2000 – Gulf Air Flight 072 crashes into the Persian Gulf near Manama, Bahrain, killing 143. 2006 – Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten, escapes from her captor Wolfgang Přiklopil, after eight years of captivity. 2007 – The skeletal remains of Russia's last royal family members Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia, and his sister Grand Duchess Anastasia are discovered near Yekaterinburg, Russia. 2011 – A magnitude 5.8 (class: moderate) earthquake occurs in Virginia. Damage occurs to monuments and structures in Washington D.C. and the resulted damage is estimated at $200 million–$300 million USD. 2011 – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is overthrown after the National Transitional Council forces take control of Bab al-Azizia compound during the Libyan Civil War. 2012 – A hot-air balloon crashes near the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, killing six people and injuring 28 others. 2013 – A riot at the Palmasola prison complex in Santa Cruz, Bolivia kills 31 people.

#Events

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backdeck-potato-novelist · 4 years

Text

I Get The Feeling That I’m Right Where I Belong

Chapter 3: My Life’s Become As Vapid

AO3

Beginning, Previous, Next

Adrien and Luka kissed each other goodbye on the cheek. Luka put his helmet on and slowly started up his motorcycle. Juleka grabbed his waist and leaned into him as they took off down the street. Adrien waved after them, before turning back to school. He had fencing today. While it meant he wouldn’t get home until almost five, it also meant that he had the next forty five minutes with nothing to do. Kagami had talked Chloe in to staying until practice started, so he was considering crashing their date.

He reentered the front of the building and groaned. Lila Rossi was standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by her adoring drones. Adrien didn’t know most of them, but he recognized a few from their class. They all knew who he was, though, and so the moment he made eye contact with Lila, they had practically swarmed him.

“Oh my gosh, Adrien. How are you?”

“I’m good, Lila. And you?” He was very proud of how level he had kept his voice.

“Oh, I’m just fantastic! My boyfriend just texted to let me know that I can stay with him for the summer!” There was so much cruel hope in her eyes. Adrien didn’t want to ask the expected question of her, but he also knew that if he didn’t follow expectations, his father would hear. He only had three more weeks until he was eighteen. He could suffer through three more weeks of this.

“That’s great,” He said, deadpan as possible. The emotions he wanted to show would end poorly. “Do I know your boyfriend? I take it he doesn’t go here.”

There was a half-second glare from Lila. They both knew Lila was lying through her teeth, though Lila didn’t know how much Adrien understood that. She didn’t expect him to catch her look or the underlying anger involved. Of course she wouldn’t have a fake boyfriend that went to their school! She didn’t expect Adrien to understand that, though. He never understood her.

“You might, actually. His dad owns a fashion company, among other things. Damian? Damian Wayne?”

It took every ounce of self-taught emotional repression Adrien possessed to not react. Lila was claiming to be Damian Wayne’s girlfriend? Of all the people she could have picked, she chose Damian Wayne? He couldn’t believe it! Because as far as almost everyone knew, as far as even his father and Nathalie knew, he didn’t know Damian Wayne. He had no reason to know an American billionaire’s reclusive child, except for the fact that one of his best friends and superhero teammates was actually dating Damian Wayne and that whenever he was in Paris, as uncommon as that was, Robin would join Team Miraculous on patrols and in akuma battles. Marinette would think this was hilarious. He couldn’t wait to tell her at movie night.

Adrien spent a moment to give credit to Lila for setting her story up like this. The way she had asked if he knew Damian, it left room for her to wiggle out if he did. And a reclusive American? She could disappear off to the US for the whole summer and never actually meet Damian with her “friends” none the wiser, so it was a surprisingly low risk play. And yet-

“I don’t think so. I may have met him once, but yeah.” Lila’s smile relaxed. She had tricked him. “Good for you. How long have the two of you been together?”

“Oh, a few months now. We met at a gala over the winter, and we’ve been texting a lot since then.” There was a gala, but Damian had taken Chloe (with Kagami’s permission) as his date because Marinette was in China visiting family at the time and Chloe hadn’t exactly been out to her parents. Lila had really done her research on this one. “He was in Paris last month, though, so we finally had our first official date.” Also true, but he had been on a few secret superhero dates with his secret superhero girlfriend, not with Lila. The great part about having a superhero as a significant other, and Adrien knew this very well from experience, was that you could go almost anywhere in the city at any time. He and Luka had picnics on the top of the Eiffel Tower not infrequently.

Lila was holding his arm very tightly. He began to walk towards where he knew Chloe and Kagami were waiting. “He’s so romantic. He took me to a restaurant overlooking the Seine and we watched the sunset…” Adrien tuned Lila out. He could see Chloe and Kagami. He could see his saving graces, but they were deep in conversation and at the far end of the hall. Why couldn’t they look up? He needed their help. Lila was hurting his arm now. He decided he should start listening again.

“...And then his dad said yes, so I’m going to Gotham for the summer.” Lila finished expectantly.

“That does sound romantic. Which restaurant did he take you to? If you and Damian Wayne approve, I’d love to try it myself.” He was almost genuinely curious. For living on a travelling river boat that had been all over Europe, his boyfriend very rarely took advantage of shore leave. Luka had been in Paris now for almost four years, which was more than double as long as they’d stayed anywhere else. He and Juleka both liked it, and had settled in.

“It’s this place at the western end of town, Astrance. The food was absolutely exquisite.” Chloe and Kagami still hadn’t looked up. “I’m a vegetarian, but Damian got the steak and said it was the best steak he had ever had.” Lie. And a sloppy one too. Weirdly sloppy. “If you are interested in the vegetarian option, the house salad was pretty good.” Maybe she was testing him? Maybe she didn’t know better? It wasn’t exactly public knowledge, but anyone who knew the Waynes knew Damian was a vegetarian. Adrien was planning on at least going pescetarian when he moved out because of Damian.

“Sounds good.” He doubted Lila had ever been anywhere near Astrance. “I have been needing a good place to go for my date.” Chloe finally, finally looked up. She made eye contact with Adrien, and elbowed Kagami to get her attention.

“You have a date? Oh, I’m so happy for you!” There was too much hatred in her eyes. She wanted Adrian as her own trophy and would kill to get him. Even if he didn’t know, Adrien would have noticed. On a purely sadistic note, he would have liked to see her try to fight his super-powered time-jumping boyfriend. It would be very entertaining. “With whom?”

“With Luka,” he said. Just like every date for the past year and a half had been with Luka. Just like he’d told Lila at least three times already. Kwami, she was dense. He was actually grateful for that, because if his father suspected he wasn’t straight, Adrian Agreste would be stuck in his room until he turned eighteen.

“Oh, I’m so glad you found someone. This Luka sounds like a lovely woman-”

“Adrien, I need your help,” Kagami interrupted, practically shoving her way through the other students. Lila started to pout, but stopped with a glare from Chloe. Kagami didn’t even bother to acknowledge the Italian. “I seem to have lost my gloves. You must help me find them.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Lila.

“Of course, Kagami. Sorry to leave Lila!” Adrien called over his shoulder as he was herded around a corner and down the hall by Chloe and Kagami. “Oh my god, thank you,” he cried out in relief the moment he was out of view of Lila.

“No problem,” Chloe said. Adrien pulled her and Kagami into a hug. Chloe began to protest, but quickly melted into him. After a few seconds, he pulled away and turned to Kagami.

“Alright, let’s find those gloves.” Chloe smirked. Kagami laughed.

“You mean these gloves?” Kagami held up the fencing gloves. “Oh, well, I happened to find them in my bag, right where I left them. I’m so forgetful sometimes.”

“Kwami, you two are the best! You know that, right?”

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #chloé bourgeois #Nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #Kagami Tsurugi #luka coffaine #chloé x kagami #alya x nino #adrien x luka #daminette #My fic

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avengerscompound · 5 years

Text

My Love,

My Love, - A Captain America Fanfic

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count: 3349

Warnings: Fluff with a side of angst

Synopsis: Steve writes you a letter every time he goes on a mission. They usually arrive after he gets back.

A/N: For my #Happy Steve Bingo Fill: Letters

I really hate being away from you so long. That’s the nature of the job I guess. At least it takes me to interesting places.

France is nice. Definitely prettier than the first time I was here. Not too surprising really.

Even with the mission, Tony keeps splurging on things. Paris definitely knows how to do opulent. I try and imagine what it would be like if I went back in time and told myself that my life would turn out like this and all I can think is I’d have tried to fight myself for being a liar. Size difference and all.

The food here is good. Rich but you don’t eat much of it. Sam ordered a cappuccino which is an Italian drink. Bucky thought it was hilarious when the waitress rolled her eyes and then charged him tourist prices.

I’m hoping we can see the Louvre before we leave but I doubt we’ll have time. I’ll try and wrap up as quickly as I can though. I do like art. It would be nice to see it.

If not, maybe I can bring you some time? Just for a vacation. There’s a bridge where lovers engrave their initials on a lock and lock it to the railing. We could do that together.

I miss you, With love, Steve

I got your letter a week after you got back. I still feel the need to write to you though because that has by far been the cutest thing you’ve ever done. Who stops mid-mission to go to a post office?

I would, however, love to go to France with you. Thank you for the tip about cappuccinos. Knowing me I’ll screw something up though. You’ll have to do all the ordering. Just remember I’ll want to eat all the cheese.

I know you didn’t make it to the Louvre so we will make sure we go together. There is nothing I like more than seeing you being all artistic. Maybe they’ll inspire you.

I missed you like crazy too. I’m so glad you’re home. XXXOOO

London is dreary. It’s been raining almost constantly since we got here. That kind of rain that almost just hangs in the air and soaks you to the bone.

Even though it’s changed, being here reminds me of Peggy.

I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I miss her. It’s good to remember her and us.

Is it bad to be talking about a lost-love with a new one? I’m sorry if that stepped over a line.

Sam won’t stop doing a bad English accent when he talks to locals. I swear if he says ‘cheerio gov'na’ to one more person he’s going to get decked. Bucky has been finding it extremely funny though. I mean his accent is terrible.

Clint is obsessed with English breakfasts. None of the rest of us understand it at all. I mean, it comes with beans in tomato sauce and blood pudding that’s usually like rubbery disks. He can’t get enough of it though and even though it’s eggs, bacon, beans, sausage, blood pudding, and toast, he still goes back for seconds every time.

We haven’t done much sightseeing this time. I’ll buy you something really cheesy.

Love you and see you soon, Steve

Oh my god, I love you so much do you know that? You are such a dork but so sweet I don’t even know what to do with you. This time your letter arrived two days after you. Kudos to the postal service.

You did come home with a bear dressed as a Queen’s Guard and stories of the Tower of London so lucky you got some sightseeing time.

Of course, you can talk to me about Peggy. She was much more than an ex to you. She was a first love and a lost life. That’s important. I love you and I don’t want you to hide important things from me just because you’re worried about petty things like jealousy.

I’m glad Sam was able to keep Bucky entertained. I heard that accent, it was equal parts bad and hilarious.

I kind of want to try an English Breakfast now is that weird? Or maybe I just want to see it. We’ll have to go together sometime too. Also, let’s get fish and chips. That’s a thing right?

I don’t think you understand how much I love you.

With all my heart XXXOOO

The middle of nowhere Serbia has nothing worth noting. It’s cold and empty and it brings back bad memories. No one is happy. I don’t get cold easily but I hate it when I am and right now I am cold to my very bones.

Bucky has shut down almost completely. He barely says anything to anyone. Not even Sam or Clint are able to make him crack a smile. I hope this is over soon.

I miss you. I miss you like crazy. I miss talking to you. I miss holding you. I miss how your lips feel against mine. How mine feel against the rest of you. I want to hold you and taste you and make love to you and instead I’m stuck here in the cold remembering what it’s like to die.

I love you. Please don’t forget that. Steve

You can have whatever you need. I’m right here.

I always like visiting China. We don’t really get to come here often enough. Even if it is for work. Beijing is such an interesting city. These temples that are older than Thor just alongside these wonders of modern architecture.

Also, everyone drives like maniacs. I’m glad we have Clint to drive because I took a cab one time and thought for sure that was going to be the day I died. And as you know, I don’t think those thoughts very often.

Natasha and Bucky speak fluent Mandarin and I think Bucky keeps saying shit about Sam to the locals because they keep giving him the weirdest looks anytime they speak to Bucky. He won’t tell me what he’s saying though.

There’s a street food you can buy that’s like a savory pancake with an egg fried into it and some kind of crunchy thing that I’m not even sure what it is. It tastes amazing though. It has a spicy sauce that I can handle. I’ve bought so many since I got here.

There is a fashion trend where people were little plastic flowers or leaves that look like they’re growing straight out of a person’s head. Wanda loves it and bought herself a daisy. She looks very cute wearing it.

We get stopped on the street a lot. I’m glad we aren’t doing spy work because there is no way we’d be going unnoticed. I will say I won’t miss the fact I get to have a small amount of anonymity back in New York.

I bought you a packet of Oreos with green and pink cream. I think they’re peach and grape. Only Clint was brave enough to taste them and he didn’t seem impressed. And hot fish soup flavored chips.

Miss you. This might be on the list of places we go. What do you think? Steve

Man, this trip was a long one. I miss you like crazy and I’m actually posting this to you before your even home. Maybe it will be waiting for you before you get back.

At least it sounds like you’re having a good time. I’m going to bug the hell out of Bucky to find out what he was saying about Sam.

I’m interested to see what the treats you’ve bought me are like. Scared. But interested. I hope you buy me one of those head plants too. They sound cute. I definitely want to see Wanda wearing hers.

I hope you’re home soon. I try not to, but I do worry when you’re gone. I know you say it’s okay and normal. And I know logically that that’s true, but I feel guilty about it. Like you will then worry about me worrying about you.

Miss you so much. I hope you’re ready for an embarrassing amount of PDA when your back.

XXXOOO

Austria is another country I think. God, the buildings in Vienna are beautiful.

Tony is splurging again and I can’t even blame him. It’s just one of those places. A honeymoon place if you know what I mean?

When you order coffee here they serve it on a silver tray with a glass of water and a silver spoon. Even places like McDonald’s serve it like that. Clint says it’s about time he was treated like royalty because of his addiction.

The food is usually very heavy and meat is a big part of it but there’s always the lightest salad served on the side and the cakes here are amazing.

There are are some huge museums here in really old buildings. I’d like to go see them. Lots of art galleries too. Gustav Klimt is from Vienna and his art features on a lot of banners around the city. I would love to see it in person.

I’m surprised by how many people here dye their hair vibrant colors. I mean I know it happens everywhere but I’ve never seen it in so commonly done. Mostly young people in their late teens/early twenties but also lots of people of all ages. Bucky said I should dye my hair so they fit in better and I kid you not an hour later Clint showed up with lavender hair saying he’s never going back to natural.

I miss you and love you. I should be home soon. Steve

A honeymoon type place huh? I see…

I got this letter a week after you got home. Clint’s hair had already mostly washed out and I wish I had seen it so badly. If you wanted to dye your hair I’d be okay with it. As long as it wasn’t red, white, and blue.

I will definitely go to Vienna with you just for the cake and coffee experience. If we have time I guess we can see some art too.

All my love XXXOOO

New Zealand is beautiful. We’ve been traveling around with this one and in many ways, it reminds me of England in that it’s so green and it has been raining a lot. But there’s something more … primal and … raw about it? I guess those are the right words. The mountains are huge and there’s a lot of volcanic activity. Thor seems almost more alive here than I’ve ever seen him.

There is a lot of talk about Hobbiton and the Lord of the Rings around here. Like that’s the thing you do in New Zealand. I’d like to see it. I read the Hobbit when it was released though I haven’t read the others or seen the movies. They all came out while I was still on the ice. Another thing to add to the list I guess. That thing is getting longer and longer and I don’t seem to be making much of a dent in it.

The birds here are all very interesting. I haven’t seen most of the really rare ones, although some government officials have organized to let us meet a kiwi once all the official work things are taken care of.

They call corner stores here dairies and Sam can’t stop laughing about it. Oh also, one time we needed a cooler to store some… things… and the guy we bought it off called it a chilly bin. Only with the accent, it sounded like chully bun and Sam didn’t stop laughing for a good hour after we left the store. And then just randomly Bucky would say chully bun and set Sam off again for another 20 minutes.

I really love seeing them that happy, you know?

I bought you pineapple lumps because of the name.

I miss you. I hope this wraps up soon. Steve

Oh my god, this one is a record-breaker. It was a month after you got home that your letter arrived. Man, the post office was in no hurry at all.

I have the Lord of the Rings movies here. We can watch them next time you sleepover. Which can be tonight if you like.

I really liked those pineapple lumps. We should go to New Zealand just to get them. I’m jealous that you got to hold a Kiwi bird. I am totally framing that photo of you with it. I’ve heard they have actual dinosaurs in New Zealand and I want to see them too.

I have to say, getting these letters from you is always something I look forward to. It takes the edge off you going. Like I know when you’re away at some random point in time I’m going to get a letter from you and I can look forward to it.

I love you so so much. XXXOOO

Santiago is such an intense city. There are so many people. It’s crowded all the time and the pollution hangs low to the ground. It does make it easy to blend in though. Even for us.

I love how the mountains loom over us. They just go up so drastically that even though they aren’t even close it looks like they’re in walking distance. I want to climb them but then also I really don’t want to do that either.

I’m having a little trouble with the food with my poor Irish stomach. I have however discovered Ceviche. Bucky is very uncertain as to why I would want to be eating raw fish but it is so good. I think I’m going to try and make it when I get home. I’ve probably eaten it every single day.

We aren’t getting to see very much this time though. It’s pretty much been constant work. We did have a naked Clint situation but I might let him tell you about it. Make sure you ask him though.

I miss you and love you. Steve

Your Ceviche was wonderful and I’m so glad you have that as a thing you can make. If nothing else, I’m glad you went to Chile for that alone. Though I wish I could go with you on these things. I mean, obviously, I know you can’t but still, the bed feels empty without you in it.

You are welcome to climb those mountains, but I think you might have to do it without me. Unless you want to carry me. You can probably carry me if you like.

Naked Clint situation you say? Well, I guess I’m coming over to the compound. I’ll see you soon.

Love you XXXOOO

I have been to Germany so many times I stopped seeing it as something interesting. I’ve never been here for the Christmas markets though and I am absolutely bringing you back for them.

I have never really understood Christmas lights until seeing them here. It gets dark so early and it just looks magical.

I have never seen the team so happy to be on a mission before. We’re doing the work… but we blend into the crowds in the dark. On the time off they’re going out and buying drinks in the street. Maybe not the most responsible thing to do I guess.

Sam has found a stall that sells skewers of meat with a potato stuck on the end and he carries them around pretending he’s a Viking.

I bought you an ornament. It’s not super Christmas themed so you can just put it up if you want to all year round. It looks like a bird. Clint keeps asking me if I want you to be thinking about him when I’m not around. So of course now I’m only going to think of him when I see it.

I have never wished you were with me as much as I do right now. I think you would really like it here.

I miss you and love you, Steve

It sounds amazing. I love the bird and I will absolutely not think about Clint when I look at it. I will think about how much I love you and how you always surprise me.

The Christmas Markets do sound good and you all looked very relaxed when you got back. That doesn’t happen very often. I really hope we can go one day. There are so many things I would like to do with you now. We are definitely going to have to organize a trip together but you’re always so happy to be home. I don’t want to drag you away from that either.

This time your letter arrived three weeks after you did. Not a record but I was starting to wonder if you forgot. I should have more faith in you.

Love you XXXOOO

Sydney is really pretty. It’s been really warm here despite coming off the tail end of winter I feel like I’m steaming to death in my uniform. It’s funny when you go to a place and it’s just like the pictures on TV look. The Harbor is like that. With the Bridge and the Opera House.

I got to try Tim Tams. Finally knocking some things off my damned list. They’re pretty good. One of the locals showed me this way to eat them where you kind of use them as a straw. It was a little too sweet for me but Sam made sounds like he just had an orgasm.

It’s interesting the kinds of wildlife you see right in the city too. I mean it’s not kangaroos or anything. But they have those big white parrots. Cockatoos? Is that what they’re called. And at night there are the biggest bats I’ve ever seen in my life. Every time we see them Sam starts quoting Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Bucky tried eating kangaroo. He said it was gamey but okay. It’s funny how the rest of the team were too scared to do that. We’re superheroes. Oh well, I guess being too scared to eat marsupial isn’t going to end the world.

They sell opals everywhere here. I bought you something. I really, really hope you like it. I think you will.

I miss you and love you. See you soon. Steve

Five weeks!! Five weeks this letter took me. I can’t believe it. And what do you mean present? You never gave me a present. Or are we talking those Tim Tams because I thought they were from Sam? Sam definitely tried to make it very clear they were from him. The whole ‘you may want to ditch Steve for me after this’ thing and all.

They were pretty damn good, but it will take more than a chocolate cookie to pull me away from you.

I really want to see giant bats. Is Australia on our list? It’s pretty big. There’s got to be more to it than just Sydney.

Love you so much. XXXOOO

I’m writing this on the plane on the way back from Sydney. Even with the Quinjet, it takes a long, long time to get from Sydney to New York. Lots of time to think.

Obviously, I was already thinking this, because I bought the ring before I wrote the letter. I just wanted to make sure you knew exactly how I felt.

I love you so much. You are the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep at night. When we are apart every small thing I enjoy I wish I was sharing with you. When we are together I feel as safe and happy as I ever have.

I love you and I want to share the rest of my life with you. I want us to visit the world as a couple enjoying all the little things I always miss.

Will you marry me? Steve

#happy steve bingo #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #captain america #captain america fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #fluff #letters #my love

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onhirel · 5 years

Text

Flight Class

Part of the Decades Drabbles, set two years after the Battle of Arcturus Forest. Amanda has to deal with an impertinent student...

Archive of Our Own here

It was a beautiful day at Luna Nova Magical Academy, with only a few clouds dotting the bright blue skies, the sun bringing some welcomed warmth, and a refreshing breeze blew from the northwest. All in all, a perfect day for flying, which wasn’t always a guarantee in Western England, and Professor O’Neill was a stickler for flying through any sort of weather, save for weather that could seriously injure a student, such as a thunderstorm or very thick fog. “Out there in the world, y’all might be flying in all sorts’ve conditions,” the fiery-haired professor had said in that Texas drawl on the first day of classes. “Better to learn how to fly safely now than to be grounded later, or even worse, fly in weather y’all aren’t ready for.”

That seemed to be the American professor’s style…despite her wild appearance with undercut, two-toned red hair and tattoos on her arms that she shamelessly bared to the annoyance of some of the more conservative teachers, she took the safety of her students incredibly seriously, and she watched her flying students like a hawk, her bright green and electric blue eyes missing very little, much to the consternation of-

“Miss Laveau, slow down!” Professor O’Neill’s voice cracked through the air, and Keyatta Laveau, witch descendent from a proud lineage of Cajun witches from Delacroix, Louisiana, immediately slowed down her broom before turning an annoyed grimace back up towards the walkway extending off of the Observatory Tower to see Professor O’Neill scowling down at her.

“What?!” she gave a complaining shout back up to the teacher and the other students. “Come on, I wasn’t even going that fast!”

“I know you know the rules, Laveau, keep it at the proper speed or I’ll ground you!”

Keyatta rolled her eyes before going so much slower than she was capable of going, and just to be a brat, she started doing exaggerated loop-de-loops. To her surprise, Professor O’Neill didn’t yell at her, instead sparing her one last annoyed glare before she returned her attention to the next student to fly off the end of the walkway. Later, during lunch, the African-American student and the Irish-American professor would both gripe to their peers about one another, much to the amusement of those around them. After all, anyone could see that the two of them were very similar in temperament…no wonder they didn’t get along…

For Amanda, it was Professor Finnelan to whom she complained while they ate their lunches in the staff cafeteria. “Like, I just don’t get it, she’s one of the smartest girls in her year and is a model student with the other professors, why can’t she just follow the rules in my class?”

Finnelan literally snorted into her tea at that, turning astounded blue eyes on the younger professor. “Really? You, of all people, are asking that?” she asked, voice incredulous. “As I recall, Katelyn…er, Nelson, that is, she used to say very much the same thing about a hotheaded student from Texas twelve years ago,” she said, her expression only saddening a little at the mention of her friend. But then she gave a slight, teasing grin. “Well, perhaps not the smartest girl in her year, mind…” she said leadingly, and Amanda rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said with a flippant wave of her hand before she sighed, crossing her arms and staring at the egg salad and olive sandwich on her plate. “I dunno, Finnelan, like…I’m tempted to let her do her thing, but what if she gets hurt? Then it’d be my fault, and after…after Arcturus Forest, I can’t stand the thought of losing anyone else I’m responsible for.”

The look Finnelan gave her was sympathetic. “Well, the Headmistress has given you some pretty decent leeway in your curriculum, O’Neill. Give it some thought, I’m sure you’ll think of something…”

Meanwhile, in the student cafeteria, Keyatta was having a much more spirited discussion about the matter, a scowl on her pretty face as she stabbed her spoon repeatedly into her mashed potatoes as the other two in the lavender team, Astrid Ingridsdottir from Iceland and Lihua Chang from China looked on with amusement. “I just don’t get what her damn problem is!” she snapped, the harsh tone at odds with her usually relaxed Louisianan drawl. “Like, I ain’t a damn kid, I know how to ride a broom!”

“Yes, but if a student is hurt during her class, it will be the professor’s fault,” Lihua reminded her primly before she took a drink from her water glass, and Keyatta fairly glared at her.

“I know that, but…it’s like she wants me to keep training wheels on when I don’t need them, and it’s so annoying. It’s like she doesn’t care what I’m capable of, and I just don’t know why!”

Lihua and Astrid glanced at one another. “You have heard the rumors about Professor O’Neill, right?” Astrid asked, and Keyatta huffed.

“Which ones? To date, there’s the one where when Atsuko Kagari was a professor here before she went into showbiz, O’Neill would frequently show up and have a tryst with Kagari in her office. Then there’s the one saying that O’Neill has a whole harem of witches out in Wedinburgh that she’s banging on the weekends. Or how about-”

“Not her love life, Key, but her history as a broom rider,” Lihuang said with a roll of her eyes.

“You mean like the Battle of Arcturus Forest? Lih, we learn about that in History of Magic. That’s not a rumor, that’s documented history. She was in command of the air group.”

“And how many riders did she lose?” Astrid asked. “They suffered really badly against the Silent Spring cult, surely that would make her want to be cautious…”

“Plus there’s the whole matter of her winning a bunch of broom races and she was a professional daredevil for a while…”

“Wait, what?” Keyatta asked, frowning. “She was a daredevil?”

“Yeah, it was probably like, six or seven years ago that she retired from all that, she was pretty popular on Witchtube for a long time.”

Keyatta blinked at that. Her family had been pretty traditional, and so frowned on things like Witchtube and other fancy modern spells…by the Nine, she shuddered to think about what Grand-maman would say about the magitronics courses being taught now. “I didn’t know,” she murmured to herself thoughtfully. That night, she would stay up until the wee hours of the morning, watching old footage of a woman she could scarcely believe was the stuffy flight instructor of Luna Nova. And through all of that, the resentment grew. Professor O’Neill used to fly like that and she was complaining about Keyatta going a little too fast? Merde, but that was so annoying! Her next flight class was on Friday, and she’d show Professor O’Neill then, by God! Decision made and tentative plan forming in her mind, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

xxxXXXxxx

Hannah quirked an eyebrow as Amanda came storming into the house on Friday evening, her expression thunderous. “Rough day at class?” she asked as Barbara came into the living room, drying her hands, the two of them watching as Amanda angrily toed her shoes off and making a beeline to the kitchen where they heard the fridge open and then close, followed by the sound of a beer bottle opening. Then Amanda reappeared, still scowling as she threw herself onto the couch, dropping her feet on top of the coffee table before taking a deep drink from the bottle, and Hannah and Barbara glanced at one another, slightly concerned. This was the worst mood Amanda had been in coming home from school in a long while.

Finally Amanda pulled the bottle away from her lips with a gasp for air. “I’m gonna kill her,” she muttered darkly.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “If it’s a student you’re talking about, it’s probably not allowed, love.”

“She deserves it!”

“Who was it, that Laveau girl from the US?” Barbara asked, and Amanda huffed out a wordless acknowledgment. “What’d she do this time?”

“Damn near gave me a heart attack today!” Amanda snapped before taking another drink. “For a moment, I thought she had lost control of her broom, and I went after her like a shot, but she gained control just before she hit the trees and then just smirked up at me. Little brat!”

Hannah and Barbara just looked at one another before turning almost sappily sympathetic faces on their lover. “Oh, no, Amanda, whatever will you do?” Hannah started, and Amanda shot her a sharp glance.

“Oi,” she started warningly, but Barbara was already talking.

“How awful, you’d think these kids would know to behave themselves doing something so dangerous. Honestly, the lack of self-preservation in some people. It doesn’t remind you of anyone that we know, does it, Han?”

Hannah tapped her chin thoughtfully. “It does sound familiar, Babs, but I just can’t put my finger on it…”

By now Amanda was pouting at them. “Alright, alright, I get it, no need to be so mean about it.”

“Awww, poor Amanda thinks that we’re being mean,” Hannah grinned, some heat creeping into her tone, and Barbara caught on immediately, wrapping loose arms around her, resting her cheek on Hannah’s shoulder as she fixed glittering eyes on Amanda, who was now watching them very intently.

“However shall we make it up to her?” Barbara asked, and Hannah almost laughed at the way Amanda swallowed thickly at that.

“I think I might have an idea,” she murmured as she turned her head and captured Barbara’s lips in a slow, heated kiss. The rest of the evening was spent rather successfully distracting Amanda from the issues that plagued her mind. Unfortunately it would be only a short reprieve…

xxxXXXxxx

“Miss Laveau,” came the stern voice, and Keyatta froze, wind whistling around the crowd gathered on the walkway of the Observatory, her broom propped on her shoulder.

She sighed heavily before turning slowly, facing the irate face of the other American. “Yes, Professor?” she asked, voice kept carefully free of derision.

“Look, I know you’re a skilled rider, but you have to follow the rules, alright?” Professor O’Neill asked, voice almost weary, and for a brief moment, Keyatta almost felt sorry for her teacher. Then steel crept into Professor O’Neill’s expression. “That said, you ever pull a stunt like Friday again, I’m taking your broom and giving you a D- for the semester, am I understood?”

��Yes, Professor,” Keyatta muttered, and as Professor O’Neill nodded and began to turn away, the resentment of all the scolding she had received caused the words to spill from her lips. “Pfft, like you could do any better.”

Everyone froze at that, Keyatta included. She hadn’t meant to say it, she really hadn’t! Respect for elders and those in authority had been drilled into her from a very young age, and if Papa had been there, he’d probably already be switching her backside for daring to sass her teacher. She glanced, wide-eyed and fearful, at Lihuang and Astrid who were both looking at her with horrified expressions. Then again, so were all of the other students immediately surrounding her, and she licked her lips nervously as she looked at the frozen back of Professor O’Neill. Nine preserve me, she’s going to be so furious!

But when the professor turned around, it wasn’t with an angry scowl, it was with a look of almost incredulous delight, and she gave a short, astonished laugh the molded into words. “I-I’m sorry, but what did you just say?”

“I…I…I didn’t mean…I’m so sor-!” Keyatta stammered, but Professor O’Neill cut her off.

“No, seriously. I want you to say that again, right now.”

Keyatta winced, her heart sinking into her stomach. Well, Professor O’Neill was telling her to say the words again, and she was already in enough trouble. Might as well. “I said, ‘like you could do any better,’ ma’am,” she answered meekly, head bowed.

“Okay, okay, that’s what I thought. Stay right where you are, nobody else start flying.” The rustle of clothes, and Keyatta looked up to see the red-headed flight instructor pull out her wand, all while grinning at Keyatta with an expression that would have been home on a shark’s face. “Vera Gurasare,” Professor O’Neill chanted, and she disappeared with a pop.

For a moment silence reigned, but then Astrid turned to Lihuang. “Dibs! I call dibs on her crystal ball!”

Lihuang scowled. “Damn, I wanted that, it’s got better reception than mine does. Fine, I get her potions set.”

“That’s fair. Do you want her antique shrunken head?”

“Ugh, no, that thing creeps me out. It always feels like it’s watching me…”

Keyatta frowned. “What are you doing?” she snapped, and her two teammates turned exasperated looks on her.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re divvying up your belongings now, so we don’t fight after Professor O’Neill kills you.”

Keyatta scoffed. “She’s not gonna kill me!” she protested, but she couldn’t help some of the doubt that crept into her words. Given some of the rumors about Professor O’Neill’s kill count during the fight against Silent Spring, could she be blamed for doubting, though?

And so her two so-called friends continued to lay claim to her belongings, other students occasionally throwing in a request, and an almost festive mood seemed to grip everyone except for Keyatta. After all, no one had ever seen Professor O’Neill really angry before, and there was a lot of curiosity about how exactly the punishment would be meted out.

Then, finally, one of the girls keeping lookout cried out. “Hey! There she is!” And then, softer, with frank admiration in her voice: “Oh, damn.”

There was almost a stampede as the students crowded at the railing, getting a look at the professor now walking towards the Observatory, and Keyatta couldn’t help but silently repeat that sentiment in her head. Oh, damn.

Professor O’Neill had changed out of her teacher’s robes and into something much more informal…dark green khaki cargo pants with knee pads built into them and a tight, black sleeveless shirt that showed off her trim torso, leanly muscled and tattooed arms, and broad shoulders. A beat up pair of combat boots and flight goggles strapped across her forehead completed the ensemble. She also had one of the biggest and monstrous looking brooms resting across her shoulders, and for the first time, Keyatta realized that she may have made a mistake. She gulped nervously as Professor O’Neill jabbed a finger up at the tower and then pointed at the ground in front of her.

“Oh my God, she’s going to kill me,” she whimpered, but there was nothing else she could do. A feeling of dread sitting like concrete in her stomach, she mounted her broom and flew down to the waiting professor, feeling very much like she was going to her executioner.

When she landed, she stood meekly in front of Professor O’Neill who stared at her with unreadable eyes. Then the older witch huffed, and brought her broom around with a flourish, the broom whistling through the air before it came to a rest. “Alright, so, you’re gonna back up your words, kid, we’re going to race. And this? This…is Silver,” Professor O’Neill said as she gestured to the massive broom, and Keyatta couldn’t help the small frown that took to her face, one that the professor noticed. “What?” she asked, tone short.

“Sorry, it’s just…Silver? That’s an odd name for a broom.”

Professor O’Neill frowned. “Silver…as in the Lone Ranger’s horse. It’s a classic name!”

By some small mercy, Keyatta kept her face composed, even as that little bit of knowledge made Professor O’Neill just that little bit more relatable. Her teacher liked old-timey cowboy shows. Huh. “Of course,” she said, tone neutral, and Professor O’Neill stared at her with narrowed eyes before she continued.

“Anyway, Silver here was made by Caplett and Prague, and probably cost more than your family’s property.”

Her first reaction was to scoff. Her family was one of the more prominent families of Louisiana, but then she really processed what Professor O’Neill had said. Caplett and Prague was the Bugatti of the broom world, and she gave the monstrous broom a once over, noting the sleek design and the unique knee and foot pegs, and she remembered some of the footage she had seen where Professor O’Neill had been able to keep full control over the broom without her hands. There were also gouges cut into the wood of the broom handle, as well as scorch marks. This was the broom the older witch had taken to battle against Silent Spring. And Keyatta was so totally dead. A school broom couldn’t compare to that broom.

Thus, it came as a complete surprise when Professor O’Neill tilted the broom handle towards her. “You will be the one riding it.”

Keyatta’s eyes flared open in shock. “What?”

“If I rode this, it wouldn’t be fair. So, you get Silver, I’ll ride your broom.”

“But Professor…I-I don’t want to damage it!”

Professor O’Neill threw her head back and laughed out loud at that. “Ha! Trust me kid, you should be way more worried about this broom hurting you than you hurting it. Now come on, put your hand on the broomstick, I have to tell it that you’re allowed to fly it.” Kenyatta hesitantly put her hand on the well-worn handle, and her breath was instantly taken away. It was like grabbing onto a live wire! And Professor O’Neill was going to let her ride this thing? “Silver, this is Keyatta Laveau, she’s going to be riding you. Don’t hold anything back, do exactly what she tells you to.”

The broom seemed to pulse in her hand, and some of that intensity to it seemed to reduce, and Keyatta let out a slow breath, suddenly very nervous. She was really going to ride this monster? Yes, apparently. Professor O’Neill was already mounting Keyatta’s broom, lifting off and hovering about ten feet off the ground, looking down at her. “We’ll do one lap, and I’ll mark the course with a trail, then we can race, and whoever wins gets bragging rights. Now come on, we don’t have all day.”

Numbly, Keyatta cast Tia Freyre, and Silver hovered obediently three feet off the ground, and she mounted it, rear resting on the well-worn saddle, wrapping her legs around the pegs so that they rested behind her knees and on top of her feet, like she had seen Professor O’Neill do in the videos on Witchtube. Heart hammering nervously, she gently brought the broom up to where her professor was waiting, and it was so strange…she could almost feel the broom’s impatient potential, it was like she was driving a formula one race car at the speed limit. The broom did it, but it seriously felt like it wanted to open up and just go.

Professor O’Neill gave her a smirk before turning forward and heading off, a sparkling golden trail emitting from Keyatta’s broom’s bristles, and the course that they were to run started with a long straightaway before banking sharply to the right before it meandered all over the school, at times mere feet from the ground, other times soaring up into the sky. It circled tightly up and around the New Moon Tower before diving sharply towards the ground. It did two laps around the perimeter of the athletic field. It weaved through the spires on the roof of the main school building, and it ran a few feet over the ground, heading towards the Observatory before it shot straight up, and Professor O’Neill marked a horizontal circle just in front of the end of the walkway that would be the finish.

They stopped there for a moment, and Keyatta glanced at all of her classmates who were looking at her with wide, disbelieving eyes, and she licked her lips as she wiped sweaty hands off on her robes, and Professor O’Neill was still smirking at her. “You can back out now if you want,” she said, amusement clear in her voice, and the competitive fire in Keyatta’s heart was lit.

“No, I want to do this!” she protested, and Professor O’Neill nodded before going into a slow dive back towards the base of the tower and the start point, and Keyatta took a deep, steeling breath. Okay, she had the better broom, and she was also smaller and lighter than the older witch. She should be more able to maneuver through tight areas…right? Professor O’Neill had well over a decade of riding experience, including some very high stakes races, but she was on Keyatta’s broom, and while it was a nice enough broom, it wasn’t built for a race more intense than the Luna Nova Cup. Surely she had a chance!

With that little bit of self-reassurance, she gave one last glance at her classmates before she, too, dived down to where Professor O’Neill was now waiting, and seeing the red-headed teacher roll her multi-colored eyes, she looked behind her to see most of her class taking off on their own brooms as they headed for the best vantage points to see the race. They were going to have an audience.

Then she reached the start point, and Professor O’Neill fished a pair of goggles out of one of her pants cargo pockets and handed them to her. “Here, you’re going to want these,” she said, dropping the goggles that had been resting across her forehead down over her mismatched eyes as Keyatta put on the offered goggles, making sure that the strap was tight. Once her hands returned to the broomstick, Professor O’Neill shot her a look. “Alright, y’all ready?” she drawled, and Keyatta nodded, nerves skyrocketing, and she wouldn’t trust herself to speak. “Alright, on your mark…get set…go!”

They were both off like a shot, the air instantly roaring against Keyatta’s ears as Silver rocketed forward, easily outstripping Professor O’Neill, and Keyatta couldn’t help the exhilarated whoop that erupted from her as she tore down the golden trail…only for that excitement to disappear as she shot past the turn, and she grunted, straining with all her strength to try and turn the broom to return to the race course, lifting her head to see Professor O’Neill effortlessly make the sharp turn, legs crossed at the ankles over the broomstick as she yanked up on the broom, taking the lead. Snarling every last Cajun curse she knew under her breath, Keyatta wrestled with Silver, finally getting it to turn, and she shot after Professor O’Neill as she cursed herself for her stupidity. All the speed in the world wouldn’t help if she lost fine control of the broom. She only had to go just a little faster than she knew her broom was capable of, and she’d win!

The next leg of the race didn’t have much in the way of sharp turns, and she was able to close the large gap that had developed between her and Professor O’Neill, but she couldn’t quite take the lead before they reached the New Moon Tower, and she grit her teeth as she followed Professor O’Neill in the spiraling path up and up, and she started to get a feel of just how badly she was actually outclassed. She was able to keep the path, but her movements were slightly jerky, and she kept well away from the tower…Professor O’Neill was as smooth as silk in her flight, and had she reached a hand up, she’d be able to touch the tower whose windows flashed by in rapid blurs. By the Nine, she’s good, she breathed to herself…and then they were clear of the tower and heading into the dive, the negative G’s pulling at Keyatta’s robes, and her stomach seemed to rise up into her throat as she was able to use gravity to take the lead again…only to lose it as she slowed down well in advance of the ground so that she could make the sharp turn. Overshooting a hard bank wasn’t a problem when you had nothing but air in front of you, but not pulling out of a dive heading right for the ground…

So it was a surprise when Professor O’Neill shot past her at the same break neck speed, and she couldn’t help the cry of alarm as the Texan rocketed towards the hard and unforgiving ground, only to stare in shock as Professor O’Neill managed to pull out of the dive, the bristles of Keyatta’s broom slapping the grass before O’Neill was pulling further ahead, and Keyatta grit her teeth as she followed after, once again closing the distance as they closed in on the athletic field, but even here she was outmatched, Professor O’Neill heading into the turns perilously close to the ground, close enough that when she turned, her knees brushed against the ground, the pads built into the pants protecting them as well as providing that much more friction to have the turns be that much sharper, and frustration bit at Keyatta as the gap between her and the Professor grew that much wider. She didn’t even know that her broom was capable of flying like that, how the hell did Professor O’Neill make it look that effortless?!

Then they were on the straightaway heading towards the main building, and Keyatta tried, she really did, but the lead between her and the Professor was just too big for her to clear in the short distance they had, and all she could manage was to get within ten feet of Professor O’Neill when they entered the spires, and honestly, it was at that point that Keyatta gave up all hope of actually winning this thing. She had to slow down to a manageable speed as she wove between the towering spires, but through it all, she couldn’t help but gape at Professor O’Neill. Keyatta was confident enough in her flying ability to keep the distance between her and the spires to within a few feet as she passed them…Professor O’Neill? She kept the distance down to mere inches, and how she did it blew Keyatta’s mind.

Professor O’Neill moved her body, not the broom, and it boggled the mind to think of how much strength and coordination it must have taken, but for each spire that she passed, Professor O’Neill would literally throw her body in the opposite direction, keeping contact with the broom with only a hooked ankle and gripping hand, and the amount of control she must have had over the broom to keep from spinning out of control as she did the crazy maneuver…Keyatta wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t powerful enough to exert that much control over a broom, and probably wouldn’t for years!

Then they were clear of the main building, and Keyatta ground her teeth together as she leaned low over the broom, urging it to go faster, to close that unbridgeable gap between her and the professor, and Silver complied, leaping forward eagerly. This time, she drew even with Professor O’Neill as they shot toward the near right angle turn that lead straight up the side of the Observatory, and she glanced over to see the former daredevil flier smirk at her before Keyatta had to slow down so she could make the turn safely, and she watched as Professor O’Neill leapt up away from the broom, planting a foot on top of where the bristles met the broomstick, pulling up with all her strength, the muscles of her back flexing and swelling with the strain of it as the bristles rasped against the grass before she was shooting straight up, body perfectly in line with the broom, and her sleek form cut through the air with very little drag, giving her just enough of an edge that Keyatta, despite trying her hardest, still finished the race just behind Professor O’Neill, much to the delight of her classmates who cheered and clapped at Professor O’Neill’s victory, and as the redhead slowed down and sat properly on the broom and Keyatta caught up to her, she shot a smug look at her. “So, you still think I can’t do any better?” she laughed.

Keyatta didn’t reply as she turned and headed back to the walkway, depositing the broom silently against the railing after she landed. She wasn’t even mad, she was actually terribly impressed with how well Professor O’Neill had flown, but the knowledge that she hadn’t had a chance even while on Silver was a bitter pill to swallow. She wouldn’t participate in the rest of the lesson after Professor O’Neill corralled all the other students back and continued her teaching. Instead, Keyatta merely sat on the walkway in the bright sun and brisk wind, arms wrapped around the legs drawn up to her chest as she went through the race moment by moment, analyzing every last move that Professor O’Neill had made. The older witch was so skilled, so it still begged the question:

Why would someone who could fly like that be so opposed to any of the students really pushing their skills and abilities to the max? Was she truly so afraid of losing someone that she would continue to keep them well below what they were all capable of?

These thoughts continued to ear at her as Professor O’Neill wrapped up the lesson and the rest of the students left, Lihuang and Astrid hesitating slightly over her as she continued to sit, but with a pair of sighs, they, too, mounted their brooms and left, leaving only her and Professor O’Neill on the walkway.

“Hey, kiddo, are you alright?” Professor O’Neill asked after a long pause, and normally the nickname would have annoyed Keyatta, but Professor O’Neill never called anyone by a nickname. “I, uh, I’d like to apologize for what I said…at the end of the race. It wasn’t very mature of me, but I was so pumped up after the race…it’s not very often than I get the chance to really fly like that…”

“Professor…” Keyatta started, voice hesitant. “Why…why won’t you let use really fly?” She turned confused, sad eyes on Professor O’Neill, who shifted uneasily, a look of discomfort on her face. “I’d get so mad because you treated me like a little kid when all the other professors would treat me my age, but…”

“Little kid?” Professor O’Neill scoffed as she dropped down to sit beside Keyatta. “I wouldn’t let a little kid ride that course, and I sure as shit wouldn’t let a little kid ride Silver!” Then she paused, fingers tapping absently on the floor of the walkway. “I just…I lost a lot of close friends and a cherished mentor during the Battle of Arcturus Forest, and the thought of losing anyone else, especially for something stupid like an accident while broom riding…I wouldn’t be able to live with myself,” she said, voice almost broken, and Keyatta shot a startled glance at her teacher, who had a completely open look on her face, a deep vulnerability to her as she opened up to her student, and Keyatta wasn’t sure how to handle being the one that Professor O’Neill was so open towards.

Then she glanced at Silver and blinked as the idea struck her. “Hey, Professor, can I ask a favor?” she asked, and at the redhead’s questioning glance, she continued. “Can I…can I see you run that course, on Silver, not holding anything back?”

Professor O’Neill stared at her for a long moment before a mischievous grin split her face. “You know what, kid, I’ll do you one better. You want to ride with me while I run the course?”

Keyatta’s eyes flared open at the, and she was so very glad that her dark skin helped hide blushes as the thought of riding on Silver with Professor O’Neill struck her full force. “I-I don’t know if that would b-be a good idea, Professor,” she protested, and Professor O’Neill just grinned wider.

“Nah, it’ll be fine. I’ve had to ride double with other students before, generally witches who are really uncertain of their ability and need someone to show them the ropes.” She stood up, dusted off her pants, and offered a hand to Keyatta. “Come on, I insist.”

Keyatta hesitated for a moment before she placed her hand in the warm, well-calloused hand of her professor, and she was pulled effortlessly to her feet as her blush deepened, though thankfully it seemed as though Professor O’Neill didn’t noticed as she prepared for the flight, first telling Silver that it would bear two riders, and it flashed briefly as the saddle elongated and the pegs moved so that both riders could rest their feet on them. Then Professor O’Neill changed Keyatta’s robes that they had a harness that she would connect to her belt, for safety, she explained cheerily as she motioned to the leather strap that Keyatta had noticed wrapped around the broomstick and that was attached to the saddle. Professor O’Neill would be attached to the broom, and Keyatta would be attached to her professor, so there was no chance of falling.

They mounted, and Keyatta wrapped arms around Professor O’Neill’s waist after she attached the clip of her harness to Professor O’Neill’s belt, feeling the firm, toned muscles dancing under the black fabric of her teacher’s shirt as Professor O’Neill buckled herself onto the broom. “Alright, just remember, keep with my body as we fly. We won’t be going as fast as I can get Silver to go, but it’ll be fast. And if you do well, then maybe we can talk about starting an advanced flyer’s course. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds good, Professor,” Keyatta managed to say with a level voice, despite the heavy blush on her face.

Professor O’Neill laughed as the broom lifted off the walkway. “Of course it does, it’s my idea! Now, hold on, here we go!” They shot off into the welcoming spring sky like an arrow fired from a bow, and Keyatta couldn’t help the laugh of delight that sprang from her lips as they dove towards the ground and the waiting starting point. After the flight, which would be the fastest Keyatta had ever been on, she would resolve to become the president of the sizable Professor O’Neill Fan Club as well as to put together the framework for an Advanced Flyer’s Club to be presented to the Headmistress, but right here and now, she resolved to truly enjoy the feeling of the wind in her hair, the warm sun against her skin, and the strength of the professor she held onto and moved with as they streaked through the course.

One thing was for damn certain, though…she was never going to be a problem student for Professor O’Neill ever again!

#Little Witch Academia #amanda o'neill #hannah england #Barbara Parker #professor finnelan #hanbarmanda #professor o'neill #Keyatta Laveau #Astrid Ingridsdottir #Lihua Chang #broom race #what a decade brings

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our-jensen-ackles-love · 6 years

Text

Flashes; Chapter Eleven

Summary: Playboy Jensen Ackles is hurting his television show’s image. Every time he promised to get his act together, it’d last for about a week before pictures emerge of him half-drunk with some broad on his arm. Fed up and desperate, his agent decides their only hope to save some face is to write up a contract with a nobody girl who could use the money while getting to play the role of Jensen’s girlfriend.

It was only for a year and it was only for the photos. But feelings don’t always follow the rules, do they?

Word Count: 1945

Warnings: Angst, lots of it.

CATCH UP HERE FEEDBACK MAKES ME WRITE.

Chapter Eleven

“Oh, good,” Momma poked her head in from around the corner. If you had to take a wild guess, you figured that would be where the dining room was located. “I was starting to think we would have to send someone else up there to get the two of ya.”

You couldn’t help, but blush at her words.

Jensen tore his harsh gaze away from Danneel, giving your hand a small squeeze before letting go and heading over in his mother’s direction. “Ma, no amount of lovin’ could keep me away from your fried chicken.”

Now you knew your cheeks were flaming.

You didn’t have to look to know that Danneel had her sights on you, probably tearing you apart to pieces in her mind, just like you were sure every girl did when another picture was posted of you and Jensen together. Instead of pretending like she didn’t exist, you turned towards her and offered up the biggest smile you could manage.

“Oh, Danneel, right?” You asked, taking a step closer while extending your hand in her direction. “I’m Y/N.”

She eyeballed your hand like the simple gesture would transform into a rabid dog that was out to bite her. Cautiously, you noticed her dark burgundy eyes wander to where Jensen was standing with his mother in quiet conversation.

“Yeah,” was all she said before flipping his hair behind her shoulder. If you didn’t know any better, you could guess that this night was going to go something like a scene from a popular teen girl rom com. “I know who you are.”

“Then you know that I’m Jensen’s girlfriend.”

Her thin lips formed into a sly looking smirk. She stole another glance at Jensen’s direction while Mackenzie walked into the dining room with what looked like several dark pieces of cloth. “Only for now.”

Something bubbled in your chest at her words. “Excuse me?”

That little smile didn’t leave her face, “You’re just going to be like the rest of them. Jay will only keep you around until you bore him.”

In that moment, Jensen was at your side. “Y/N,” he said breathlessly like he had rushed to get to you. You saw him from your peripherals, looking from you to Danneel then back – it was like he was trying to read what had already been said in the quiet between us. “Table’s all set.”

Danneel stood up so slow that even you got a good shot of her cleavage before she went sashaying her hips into the other room. Not the kind of person to resort to violence, you were getting really close to launching yourself at her and pulling a scene out of Mean Girls where you just went all animal kingdom on her smug, irrelevant face.

“Hey,” Jensen’s voice came through the storm cloud of fury that was raging in your head. “Remember to keep that war face strong.”

Your head whipped over to look him, his eyes searching you carefully while his fingers gripped your chin lightly, making sure that you couldn’t look anywhere but at him. Despite the way your insides were twisting at having to break bread with that woman, you cracked a small grin. “Are you using my words against me?”

He shrugged, releasing you from his grasp, but keeping his eyes on you cautiously. “Am I really using it against you if it’s sound advice to begin with?”

“Wow, Ackles.”

After another careful smile was shared between the two of you, he reached down and grabbed your hand before playfully dragging you along to the dining room. The long, rectangular table had been set with something similar to wedding china; the kind that was white with specs of dark blue and gold, tall glasses filled to the brim with what looked like iced tea and the food was plated throughout the middle.

The big plate of fried chicken was calling your name front and center.

Like the southern gentleman you were getting to know, Jensen led you to your chair, pulling it out for you to sit before scooting you closer to the table. “Now ya’ll don’t be shy,” Momma said from the top of the table. “I made enough food to feed a whole fleet.”

Once Jensen was sitting and Danneel was adjusted directly across from you where she was basically eye fucking the man next to you, did the proper introductions start. At one end of the table sat Jensen’s father who insisted that you call him Alan - no matter what, then Joshua sat caddy corner to his father with his best friend Barrett who sat opposite of him. Mackenzie was sitting next to Danneel, passing the spinach salad towards you while Jensen said something that made his mother whack his arm playfully. Cliff was apparently still sleeping and Momma didn’t want to wake him, but she made sure to mention that Josh would have to bring him a plate of food when he did make his way upstairs.

Despite Jensen’s ex-girlfriend being there, the whole environment made you feel like you were home. There was a lot going on a once, from Alan asking for more fried chicken to Jensen focusing all of his attention on making sure that your plate was full at all times, to the small chatter than Kenzie was trying to make with their guest.

“So remember when I said that I hoped you got fat on this trip?” You asked before Jensen gave you a chuckle and a slight nod while shoveling more mashed potatoes onto his own plate. “I didn’t mean that you could take me down with you.”

The tip of his thumb was in his mouth as he was licking up a bit of the leftover mash that had escaped the bowl, but that wink that he gave you made you want to melt into your chair.

“So I saw the interview Jay,” Danneel spoke for the first time since dinner had started. Her voice was even, like she had been preparing this speech for quite some time, but her focus was on strategically stabbing the pieces of spinach salad before her. “There seemed to be a lot of questions about us.”

A silence fell over the whole table.

In the quiet, your mind wandered back to that night that he came stumbling home drunk making your heart hurt for the man next to you. Instantly, your hand reached between the chairs and grabbed his, which had been tightly clamped into a fist in his lap.

“Dee,” Kenzie hissed at the woman next to her, stealing a sorrowful glance at her brother. “You promised you wouldn’t bring that up.”

Her shoulder rose and fell with a half assed shrug, never taking her eyes off of Jensen. You weren’t even sure if she had blinked since stating her piece. “Maybe I have my own questions.”

Jensen, who had finally released some of the tension in his hand enough that he grabbed your own and gave it an aggressive squeeze before he stood up from the table, his knees bumping the edge in the process. You half-drunk glass of iced tea almost toppled over, but you managed to catch it just before the worst could happen – making an even bigger mess of this night.

He towered over where you were sitting, breaking eye contact with the bitch who sat across from you. “Ma, I think it’s time I excuse myself.”

It was evident that everyone around the table was a little put out by these proceedings. Momma cleared her throat before offering her son a forced smile. “Are you sure darlin’? I made some pie for dessert.”

Jay veered over his mother’s chair and kissed her forehead. The action itself was a polar opposite of what was probably gnawing away on his insides. “Save me a slice.”

You had barely been able to get out a thank you before Jensen almost tore your arm off when he made contact with your body again. The rest of the house, that you had yet to see, blurred by quickly as you were hurried up the stairs. In record time, you found yourself back in Jensen’s room with him standing before you with an hazy look overshadowing his forest green eyes.

No words were spoken prior to his lips finding yours for the second time that night.

Jensen’s body pushed into yours, like he was trying to mold himself into you. His body caged you in between the wooden door and his hard chest - his kisses came urgent, devouring your mouth like you were the only slice of heaven he needed right now.

Those same lips were starting to cloud your judgment about what was happening. His mouth was making it’s slow descend down towards your collarbone and you couldn’t help, but close your eyes as he continued on his way. Your hands made their way into his hair, tugging gently enough that you could bring his focus back to your face.

He broke contact with you, breathing heavily while his eyes searched yours for permission to continue. Damn, did you really want to continue. “Jensen?”

“Yeah?” He asked leaning down to nip at the corner of your mouth causing your to groan internally; the man was doing things to you.

“Is this really a good idea?”

As he continued to lean over, your bodies still pressed together and your labored breath filling the momentary silence, you watched him continue to look over your face like he was searching for the answer. “Probably not,” he mumbled, releasing you.

With an slow step backwards, you had a little more breathing room to get your head on straight. “Don’t get me wrong,” you started seeing the look of rejection flicker across Jensen’s face. “I want this.”

His eyes lit up. “But?”

You chewed your bottom lip while choosing your words carefully. “But, don’t you think you are just acting on impulse right now? Out of anger at Danneel?”

Jensen looked at you, his eyes roaming from the top of your head all the way down to your toes. You would have sold your soul to the devil right then and there to get a piece of what was running through his head.

When his eyes found yours again, he spoke with intention in his words. “Only a little.”

Your insides squeezed at his answer, but you still didn’t trust that he actually wanted you right now. Like that he honestly to god wanted you. There was no way that his sudden actions weren’t being influenced by the fact that his ex-girlfriend was sitting downstairs at the family table right that very minute.

Jensen stepped closer to you, closing in on your personal space. With the same gesture from earlier, he grabbed your chin gently. “But, I think we probably should just get some sleep and see what tomorrow holds for us, okay?”

You managed a slow nod. “Okay.”

After all was said and done, you found yourself in the darkness of the bedroom, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top while a shirtless Jensen was laying awfully still next to you. Your mind started to wander, focusing mainly on the fact that the man next to you said that he wanted you, but you had been wondering if that was genuine or not.

As that thought kept circling over and over, Jensen rolled over and threw an arm over your waist. You felt him snuggle up close to your warm body which in turned caused you to relax before reminding yourself that this was all fake.

Who was to say that these feelings weren’t fake too?

TAGS: @supernatural-bellawinchester, @luciathewinchestergirl, @supernatural-teamfreewillpage, @nanie5, @kbl1313, @wanderer-08, @squirrelnotsam, @allonsy-yesiwill, @mirandaaustin93, @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @docharleythegeekqueen @sandlee44 @chameleah86 @dean-is-my-superhero @hellolarry34 @internationalmusicteacher @maralisa124 @spn-ficfanatic @mannls @like-a-bag-of-potatoes @angelessquirrel @appleslicesandmustard @ilovesebastianstanmore @mlovesstories @aeonian-forever @faithfullpanicmoon @shawtygonemad @itssmallerontheoutside-13 @theplaidshirtmadness @laqueus-ludovicus @jhudawnareeves @applepielyf @gemini75eeyore @missbosstown @kristina818 @hayleighr4 @superwhomerlockinuum @ria132love @shutupiminlooove @imaginationisgrowth @thatbandchick39 @spnwoman @deangetsme @satanwithapencil @dramione-winchester-mccall @monkeymcpoopoo @in-tenebris-ad-astra @just-ladyme @juniorhuntersam @ineedhelpmovingtobostonmatoteach @ravenangel33 @iamabeautifulperson18 @chocolateturtlepeanutopera @xalgaliareptx @snffbeebee @laurenw1025 @sweetlythoughtfulbird @winchesterjude @thebeautywithinme

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systemfailuresunshine · 6 years

Text

Made of Thunder and Lightning (Female!Reader)

Author: @systemfailuresunshine

A/N: I have been on, what feels like, a very long writing break because stuff would just not come out and I’m still working on a fic that I started in about April. But I have managed to make something, and it is this fic! I really hope you guys like it, and it is another pairing that I didn’t think I’d write, not because I didn’t like the character but because I didn’t know how to write him. So, here is what might be my longest fic: a Thor x Reader fic. This has two versions - a completely blank gender neutral one, and a female!Reader version, both of which I will upload. Hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Thor x Reader

Word Count: 3057

Warning(s): None! Absolutely none, just some good old fluff. Self-image trigger warning?

Summary: You hate how your body looks. Someone helps you to feel better about it…

She stared at herself in the mirror for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning as she stood in her underwear. She traced her hands down her sides and across her hips, along the lines that had carved their way into her skin over the years. “Tiger stripes”, “lightning lines”; she’d heard a lot of names for them over the years but no matter how many different ways they were phrased, she still hated them littering her skin. The way they streaked down her stomach and sides. She slid her hands down further and squeezed the front of her thighs, then the outer parts, and finally, she pinched the inner parts. Sighing, she bit her lip to keep the tears she could feel welling up from spilling out. She turned away from the mirror before reaching to grab a jumper from her wardrobe. Days like these seemed to come more frequently and she longed for the days when she’d not cared what she looked like. When life was more about what she could do with it than what it had done to her. She was covered in reminders of what life had done to her; from the scar on her left knee where she’d fallen out of a tree when she was 10, to the dent of a chicken pox scar on her upper right cheek.

Her watch beeped: another reminder, this time of her impending work day, and also of the date she had that night. She took a shaky breath to steady herself before putting her arms into the jumper and shimmying into a pair of trousers. Finalising her outfit and crossing back to the mirror to brush her hair, she glanced down once again at her now clothed lower half. Her phone rang then, knocking her out of her trance and back into reality. Work. She had started as a receptionist at Stark Tower about 6 months ago and had grown to love her new, if slightly hectic, job. Casting one last look at her reflection before she left, her eyes drifted further into her flat and towards the window. Looking out of it, she saw the clouds becoming increasingly grey and the sky darkening. She picked up her watch from on top of her bed, grabbed her phone and keys, and pulled an umbrella out of the stand by the front door. Her watch beeped again as she locked up and headed to work.

No sooner had she logged on to her computer and opened her emails than the boss himself strode into the building, heading for the lift. Tony nodded at her as he passed and then appeared to reconsider, turning on his heel and walking towards her desk.

“Good morning, (Y/N), and how are you on this fine morning?”

She snorted as she jerked her head towards the door and the ever-decreasing visibility of the ground.

“I’m fine, Mr Stark, but I'm not sure I'd call this morning fine.”

He laughed and nodded his head, musing.

“Good point. I have a feeling I know why it's like that though. Although the day is always brightened by seeing you, my dear.”

“Mr Stark,” she smiled, lighting up her eyes. This was Tony's daily greeting and she'd grown used to his banter. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost call it flirting. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“No, actually.” He paused. “I have a wife.” He couldn’t hide the look of pride that appeared in his eyes as he thought of Pepper. Coughing, he smiled down at her and motioned toward the lift doors. “Well, I'd better go and work for a living. Carry on, (Y/N).”

“See you later, Mr Stark.”

“Always a pleasure talking to you, (Y/N),” he said as he walked backwards away from her. “You keep me on the straight and narrow.”

“I’m pretty sure Miss Potts had that covered long before I did,” she called.

“She did,” he replied loudly before disappearing into the lift.

It seemed mere minutes before someone else strode towards her desk.

“Good morning, Lady (Y/N),” came a booming voice.

“Morning, Thor,” she smiled as she looked up from her typing. “Weather’s kinda crazy today, huh?”

He ducked his head but she could see the sides of his mouth curling upwards.

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “How are you today?”

“Can’t complain. Date tonight!”

“A lucky person,” he nodded.

She blushed, feeling the heat spread across her face.

“Well, I wish you luck, but Stark needs me today so I must be off.”

“Have fun,” she waved after him as he headed for the lift.

“Always.”

By the time 5pm came around, she could barely sit still in her seat. Adjusting herself in her chair once more, she gave a final check to her emails before logging off, grabbing her umbrella and almost running out the door. She checked her watch as she stepped outside the building: an hour to go. She looked up at the sky to see that it was clear and brightening. It was a welcome change from this morning.

‘So much for the umbrella,’ she thought as she headed back to her flat to get ready for her date.

Pulling down her dress for the fifth time since she’d left the flat, she walked slowly up to the doors of the restaurant. She opened them and moved to the podium where she was greeted by a waiter.

“Umm, I’m meeting someone called Alex,” she told him with a shaky voice.

The waiter seemed to sense her nervousness and looked her over, eventually meeting her eyes with a big smile.

“Of course, miss. Your table is over here and you look lovely!”

Her face softened as she wrung her hands.

“Right this way,” he motioned, leading her to a small table that was already half occupied.

Her date had arrived before her and she walked round to sit down as the waiter left. Alex didn’t even look at her as she pulled the seat out from under the table and perched herself on the end of it. Looking up from his phone, she was shocked to see the look of what she could only describe as disgust cross his features. He appeared to compose himself before saying “well, I’m not made of money so I hope you ate before you came out. I can only afford so much.”

Swallowing, she tried to speak but nothing came out. She could feel her eyes pricking with tears. Alex clicked his fingers in the air and the waiter from before glanced up, a frown marring his face. Alex clicked again and the waiter came over to them. Pushing back his look of annoyance, the waiter plastered on a smile and turned to Alex.

“What can I get for you tonight?”

“I’ll have the fillet steak with garlic butter and a red wine. She will have the Caesar salad and a glass of water.”

She made to speak again and the waiter’s face softened as his eyes met hers.

“Is that alright with you, miss?”

Running a finger under her left eye, she made to answer him but Alex snapped.

“Yes, yes, that’s fine. Come now, I don’t have all night.”

She watched as the waiter visibly steadied himself before turning back to Alex.

“Of course. I’ll bring everything out as soon as it’s ready.”

The rest of the evening seemed to drag as though time had stopped. She sat and listened to Alex drone on and on about his important banking job in the city, not once thinking to ask her opinion or care to ask about her life. The waiter returned with their food about twenty minutes into his conversation on the best loans.

“Steak and a Caesar salad,” he smiled at her, placing the food down on the table.

She nodded cautiously, now trying to do everything she could to just finish the evening without crying. Reaching for her fork, she ran it through the salad, only vaguely aware of Alex’s voice now. She speared a piece of lettuce and ate it slowly, as though to make as little noise as possible. As though she could make Alex forget she was there. As though she could make herself forget that she was there. She cringed as she heard the scraping of cutlery on china every time Alex cut another piece of his steak, pointing his knife at her as he made another point. Glancing at her watch as discreetly as possible, she tried to make an excuse to leave. Alex; however, beat her to it.

“Well, I must be up for work in the morning. Important business, you see, very important business.”

He stood up, dropped a $50 bill on the table and turned on his heel. A small noise from her seemed to remind him that she was there. He walked back over to her, a smarmy smile on his lips as his next words dripped from them like poison.

“I wouldn’t expect a second date, my dear.” He gestured towards her, waving his hand carelessly. “I guess it goes to show that you should never believe what you see on dating profiles. I trust you can find your own way home.”

With that, he spun with almost a flourish and headed for the door without a glance back. It was then that the tears she had managed to hold back for the night spilled over. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her and she ran from the restaurant. It was only when she was safely back in her flat and collapsed on her bed that she let the sobs wrack her body.

She awoke the next morning to her alarm clock blaring. She ran a hand over her face, feeling the dried tears on her cheeks and tracing them down her chin. Turning off her alarm clock, she padded to the bathroom. Stripping off the clothes from the night before, she stepped into the shower and let the true weight of last night hit her. How could she have been so stupid? Of course, a guy like that would never have gone for a girl like her but did he have to be so cruel about it? Confirming all her worst fears in just a few words. She heard her watch beep faintly from the other side of the bathroom door as she switched off the water and grabbed her towel from the back of the door. Half an hour before work. She tried to slow her breathing while she dried herself off and walked back into her bedroom. Knowing she would never leave if she looked in the mirror, she ran her fingers through her hair to make it somewhat smooth. She grabbed the first outfit she could find and snatched up her phone and keys before wrestling her watch onto her wrist. It beeped again and she headed out the door.

She shuffled into work, her head bowed as she sat at her desk. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes self-consciously before logging on to the computer and checking her emails as she did every morning. The low clattering of her keyboard and the blood she could hear rushing through her ears meant that she didn’t hear Tony walk up to her desk. He’d been leaning against the wall, watching her run her hand underneath her nose and sniff every couple of minutes.

“You alright there, (Y/N)?”

“Always, Mr Stark,” her voice was almost a whisper but he heard it.

Tony nodded but the look in his eyes told her he didn’t believe her in the slightest.

“I’ll see you later,” he smiled softly, his eyes crinkling at the sides.

“See you,” she sighed.

A few emails later and she heard a crack of thunder. She turned around to watch the ground darkening as grey clouds began to once again cover the sky. Frowning slightly, she muttered ‘bloody pathetic fallacy’ and tried to carry on with her work. She was immediately cut off by a loud voice from across the room.

“Lady (Y/N)!”

She swallowed and scrubbed at her face, sure he could see the red rims around her eyes from her night of crying. Thor’s smile almost mirrored Tony’s as he strode towards her.

“Good morning, Thor,” she said quietly. “How are you?”

“I am well, little one. And what about you? How was your date last night?”

Her emotions betrayed her then as the tears she had tried so hard to hold in for the remainder of the workday spilled over and she slumped forward, desperately reaching for a tissue inside her desk. Seeing her distress, Thor immediately scooted round her desk in order to catch her in his arms. She held onto him tightly as sobs wracked her body. He rubbed her back soothingly but said nothing. He held her as she let out all the pain she had. He held her as she tried to force herself to breathe right. He held her as her sobs started to fade away and she was hiccupping and sniffing. Taking one arm from around her, he reached onto her desk to find the packet of tissues she had discarded and passed it to her. She sniffed again before gulping and taking it. He continued to rub circles on her back as she regained her composure and wiped her eyes.

“There now, little one. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

“Why are you,” she coughed. “Being so nice to me?”

He frowned and she felt his body tense as he pulled away so that he could crouch in front of her. She tried to cover her face with her hands but he held onto them.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused.

“I mean,” she wiped at her eyes again and took a deep breath. “What did I do to deserve you being so nice to me? How can you hold me when I look like this? How can you be so nice to me when I’m nothing at all?”

He waited for her to finish before speaking.

“What makes you think that?” he asked, shocked.

“Well, look at me,” she said, letting her head droop and letting go of his hands.

His eyes followed her gaze downwards as she continued.

“You really want to know how the date went last night?” her eyes appeared to spark back to life but with an anger in them.

Thor nodded, slowly, helping her back onto her chair and brushing the hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. She didn’t look at him as she told her story.

“He was disgusted by me. And why wouldn’t he be?”

She glanced up for a second and could swear that she saw his eyes flashing bright blue.

“I mean, I’ve got thunder thighs, lightning lines and I’m just,” she paused. “I’m just…”

She couldn’t think of a way to end the sentence that didn’t set her teeth on edge or her heart aching.

There was silence between them as he mulled over her words.

“Lightning lines?”

A flash went off behind them as she noticed droplets knocking on the window. Shame she’d forgotten her umbrella this morning, she realised.

“Thunder thighs?” he mused, smiling softly as he ran the words over in his mind. “I like that.”

She repressed the urge to roll her eyes as she took in his expression. He carried on.

“And you must be truly blessed to have received such gifts.”

She couldn’t find the nerve to speak but still managed to scoff at his casual usage of the words ‘blessed’ and ‘gifts’.

Suddenly finding her voice, she replied sarcastically, “Sure, if you can call all this a gift, then I guess I am blessed.”

She gestured over herself and huffed quietly.

“I do not understand, little one. Do you not think these things are a gift?”

“Not particularly.”

Thor’s face dropped slightly, and she backed up hastily, afraid that her harsh words had hurt his feelings.

“But it’s sweet that you’d say that.”

“Of course.” He chuckled. “Asgardian women are known for their battle scars and these I would count among them.”

He paused, holding out his hand for her to take. She obliged and stood up from her chair, while he let her hand go and looked her over. She shrunk visibly in his gaze before noticing the shy but approving look in his eyes. He blinked, shook his head and then took her hands in his again.

“Little one, do your legs not give you the strength to hold yourself up? Do the lines not provide you with the knowledge that you have grown?” Thor shook his head again, slower this time. “Do you not see you as I see you? All this beauty and you see none of it?”

Her mouth dropped open as she registered his last words. He squeezed her hands to make sure she was still breathing as a red tinge crept over her face.

“I don’t see what you see,” she started, slowly. She took a deep breath before continuing. “But I’d like to.”

It was Thor’s turn to look away. He swallowed and then spoke, looking her dead in the eye.

“Would it be okay if I asked you to get coffee with me?”

She looked away quickly, before peering back up through her eyelashes.

“Like a date? Because my last one didn’t work out so well.”

Her heart fluttered as she recalled the night before. She gave Thor a small smile. Another crack of thunder could be heard and he laughed; almost a bark and full of joy.

“I would like to think that this one could be better, but that all depends on your answer.”

“Well, yes, obviously,” she replied quickly. “How could I say no to the God of Thunder?”

“Quite easily,” he chuckled, running his thumbs over the backs of her hands.

It was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.

“How does Thursday sound?”

She gave an involuntary laugh at her luck and answered, “Thursday sounds great.”

She could hear a vague crackle around her as he pressed his lips lightly to her cheek and left. He gave her a wave as he ducked into the lift, leaving her to stare into the open space like an idiot. Thursday was going to be fun.

Gender neutral version here!

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Enjoy!!

#my writing #thor #thor odinson #thor x reader #avengers imagine #thor imagine #avengers #female reader

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