#but i need to tell you that they got chinese noodles and soup

[makeitmingi]

The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 29]

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho

Summary: Yunho's dream was to open and run his own restaurant. But he doesn't know anything when it comes to cooking. Until you came along and accepted the job, bringing with you a small crew. How will the black cat tame the energetic golden retriever?

Word count: 3.2K

Yunho was outside your door, waiting for you. When you stepped out of the lift, you let out a sigh of relief, seeing him there. He was leaning against the wall and checking his phone as he waited for you. Upon hearing your heels, he looked up.

"(y/n)." He breathed out.

"Yunho. You're here." You let out a shaky breath. You couldn't even give him a fake smile anymore, you were too tired from doing that the whole evening.

"Thanks for coming." You said, opening your front door so the both of you could enter.

"No need to thank. I'll be here for you whenever you need me. You look amazing, by the way." He smiled.

"Thanks." You let yourself and him into the house. The first thing you did was toss your heels aside. Yunho removed his shoes and coat, putting it over the arm rest of the couch.

"Are you ok-"

You cut him off by hugging him. Yunho looked down at the top of your head and slowly wrapped his arms around you. He held you tight, against his body, giving you all the warmth and protection he could give. You didn't want to cry so you just took deep breaths, squeezing your eyes shut.

"It's okay." He stroked the back of your head. You were obviously not okay and he didn't want to talk too much, maybe you just wanted your silence, like always.

"I've got you." He promised, pressing his cheek against the top of your head.

"Sorry." You pulled away from him.

"Nothing for you to be sorry about." He cupped your cheek, staring into your eyes. Yunho could see all the emotions in your eyes. You chewed on your bottom lip, gulping.

"It's late and we have to go in tomorrow. I shouldn't have..." You shook your head, wanting to pull back even more.

"No, don't say that. Why don't you get out of this stuffy dress and get ready for bed? I'll be here." He smiled softly. You looked up at him, was he indirectly offering to stay the night? Or should you ask him to stay with you?

"Okay." You whispered. Yunho hummed and kissed your forehead before letting you go. After sending Seonghwa a text that you were home, you went to take a quick shower.

When you came out, drying your hair with a towel, you saw Yunho had a plastic bag in his hand.

"I ordered some food. Just something small." He smiled. You hummed and stepped closer to the counter to see what he ordered.

"It's Chinese food. Not too heavy like rose tteokbokki or oily like fried chicken." He explained. You went to get some small plates and pour some water for the both of you.

"How did you know I haven't eaten?" You raised an eyebrow.

"I... asked Seonghwa hyung... Don't be mad at him! I just wanted to make sure you ate before going to sleep." He said.

"I knew he would rat me out. But thank you for ordering food for me, I guess I am a little hungry now." You chuckled as you admitted, making the boy grin. While in the shower, you let all your frustrations wash down the drain. Now that Yunho was here, you weren't going to be all depressed and moody.

"This is yours." He took out the jjajangmyeon and unwrapped it, handing it to you. Before taking his own food out, he even broke chopsticks for you.

"Thank you. What are you having?" You asked, mixing the sauce into the noodles.

"Jjampong." He smiled and unwrapped his own bowl, pouring the soup into the noodles to eat.

"I'll tell you the gist of what happened. Ever since my mother died and my step family entered the picture, my relationship with my father is... awful, to say the least." You started to tell him.

"Do you not talk to him?" He asked.

"I do. I just... every time we talk, it ends up in an argument of some sort. A part of me still holds on to the old him, the person he was when my mother was around. That's why I bother to attend these events." You shrugged.

"But like tonight, he always proves to me that he'll never go back to the father that I knew. From a young age, I stopped becoming his poster child." You said.

"Was he abusive...?" Yunho was afraid to ask. Once again, he had to think about the 'right' questions to ask.

"The opposite, he didn't care at all. I was invisible. He only 'cared' after I left home." You rolled your eyes, shaking your head.

"For a long time, he tried to showcase my stepbrother. But I grew up in that sort of world, they all knew he had a daughter, they remember me and my mother, no matter how much he tries to deny it."

"He's your father, why would he deny it? That's just wrong." Yunho shook his head, dismayed.

"Sometimes when you move on, you try to erase your past." You said.

"That's awful. I'm sorry, I wouldn't want a relationship with a parent like that too." Yunho said, reaching over to hold your hand to offer some comfort.

"So to avoid there being rumours about him being a bad father to me, he tries to paint this picture of a happy step family. He acts like I'm included, that he wants me to take over the family business, parade me around to all his connections. But it's all just for show." You chuckled bitterly.

"Do you want to though? Take over his business." Yunho didn't even know what business your father was in but he knew, for sure, it didn't have you in the kitchen like now.

"No way. But my stepbrother's out there becoming a surgeon while I cook, so you can guess who is the one my father says will take over."

"Is he not supportive?" Yunho frowned.

"Not in the slightest. I'm the black sheep of the family now. The one who is rebelling by working in a kitchen instead of working a high paying job." You snorted.

"I'm sorry, (y/n). You don't deserve that. Especially after all the hardwork you put in to get to where you are." He said.

"Don't be sorry, Yunho. It's just the reality of how things are." You smiled sadly.

"Still, it isn't fair. You don't treat family like that." He scoffed. You hummed, rubbing his hand with your thumb. After finishing all the food, you both cleared up the place. You made yourself and Yunho a cup of tea.

"You might be able to fit into Seonghwa's shorts..." You said, digging into the cupboards. Luckily Yunho had an undershirt he could wear to sleep.

"What are you doing standing there? It's okay to come in." You chuckled, noticing how he was just standing at the door way.

"Thank you." He came in. Your room was very monochromatic, with light grey walls.

"Here. You can get changed in there." You handed Yunho a pair of Seonghwa's looser shorts that you knew he couldn't wear anymore. Yunho entered your bathroom to change.

"They're a little short but I'll manage for one night." Yunho laughed as he came out of the bathroom.

"Sorry." You giggled. He shook his head, assuring you that he was fine. Entering your bathroom, you got him a spare toothbrush from the cupboard. The both of you brushed your teeth together. While you didn't feel uncomfortable, there was a lingering awkwardness. This was oddly intimate.

You've acted so comfortably around Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Jongho. But you suddenly felt so shy around Yunho, you felt vulnerable showing this side of yourself to him.

"(y/n), are you alright? If this is too much or awkward, I can sleep on the couch or in the guestroom." Yunho broke your train of thought.

"I'm fine, Yunho. There's no need for you to sleep somewhere else. I just..." You couldn't find your words.

"I understand. I can stay with you until you sleep." He smiled softly, knowing where you came from. To be honest, his heart was racing too at the thought of sleeping next to you.

"No, I- I would prefer if you stayed. I don't want to be alone..." You confessed in a whisper.

"Okay." He tucked your hair behind your ear. As you both sipped your tea, your phone rang, it was Seonghwa calling you.

"Hey, Hwa... Yeah, I'm okay... You're headed back now? Tell your parents I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye to them... I know that but still... Mhmm, how mad is he?... Alright, I'll see you tomorrow? We'll talk then... Yeah, bye." You said and hung up.

"Who is mad?" Yunho asked when you placed your phone on your nightstand to charge.

"My dad... I did leave mid argument with him and before the event officially ended. That's always a big no-no since it can potentially embarrass him." You shrugged.

"Is it bad? That he is angry." Yunho winced as he asked. He didn't want to imagine what would happen.

"It used to be. But I hardly see him now so it doesn't matter." You chuckled.

After the tea was done, you went out to put the empty cups in the sink outside. Yunho looked over at Yuyu and Yunnie, who were perched on your pillow. He chuckled, placing them on his lap.

"Are you stealing my animals?" You asked when you came in, seeing Yunnie on his right thigh and Yuyu on his left.

"Considering they're named after me, I'm pretty sure I have some ownership rights, don't I?" Yunho tilted his head. You laughed and grabbed your phone, wanting to take a picture of him. Yunho was more than happy to indulge you, even smiling brightly as you took the picture of him.

"Give them back now." You took the two, hugging them as you got under the covers. Yunho laughed at how cute you were and slid under the blanket.

"(y/n), can I hold you?" He asked nervously. You were silent for a while before you let out a hum of approval.

"Okay." You replied. Yunho carefully wrapped an arm around you to pull you closer until you were almost pressed against his chest.

"Yunho, I'm sorry, I know we were supposed to talk tonight... I didn't mean for it to end on such a note. I keep ruining everything." You sighed, staring at his chest.

"Don't say that, you're not ruining anything. We don't have to talk now." He whispered.

"I don't know how to really express my feelings or put the right words out. But... I like you, Yunho. I'm not the best with relationships of any kind but I know that I like you." You confessed. Now, Yunho hoped you couldn't hear how his heart was pounding.

"It's okay, (y/n)... That's all I needed to hear. Thank you." You felt him kiss the crown of your head. Your cheeks were so warm, you couldn't even look up at him.

"We're in this together, okay? You don't have to handle all this on your own." He promised.

"I'm glad I have you, Yunho." You murmured, slowly falling asleep with the warmth and security that Yunho was giving you.

"Goodnight, love." He wished. With you safe and sound in his arms, Yunho fell asleep easily too. And despite not being in his own bed, he swore he had never slept so soundly in a long time.

-

Even if you were fine with leaving Yunho in your home alone while you went to work earlier, he insisted on going in with you. You knew he didn't need to go as early as you did and you wanted him to get more sleep. But he claimed he had infinite golden retriever energy, whatever that means.

"Here." You handed Yunho a cup of coffee when he came out after getting dressed.

"Thank you." He smiled and took a sip. You went to take your knives, packing them into your knife wrap.

"Do you want some breakfast before we go?" You asked.

"No, I'm good. We can just eat there." Yunho yawned. Honestly, he didn't want you to have to cook for him right before you were going to leave.

"Let's go." You said, checking your watch. After wearing your shoes, you and Yunho headed to his car with hands interlocked.

When you arrived, you entered the place. Wooyoung, Jongho and Seonghwa were waiting in their cars. You missed the raised eyebrow look Wooyoung shot Seonghwa, seeing you and Yunho openly holding hands. Seonghwa just shrugged.

"Morning." You greeted. Yunho let go of your hand seeing Wooyoung come up to hug you tightly. He opened the door to let all of you into the kitchen.

"Hwa?" You nodded over to the walk in. Seonghwa, who was tying his apron strings, looked up at you and followed you.

"What happened last night?" Seonghwa frowned worriedly. You began to briefly tell him the conversation between you and your father about your uncle Junghyun.

"I was just sick of it so I left. I'm sorry for leaving and worrying you." You sighed, rubbing your temples.

"Don't be sorry." Seonghwa patted your head. You let out a hum. Seonghwa smiled and gave you a hug, patting you on the back.

"So, you and Yunho?" He raised an eyebrow. You nodded again, a lot slower this time. You felt your cheeks heat up, like a teenager that was caught fooling around by her parent.

"Last night, it happened last night. I've been wanting to tell him but I really didn't want to tell him, considering what happened and all the emotions running high. It all just came out when he was comforting me. It was... I didn't want him to think that I only said it because he was the one comforting me." You rambled.

"Okay, okay. Calm down, sweetheart. I'm sure he does not think that judging by the big grin on his face when you walked in holding hands." Seonghwa calmed you.

"We'll talk properly after this, alright?" He looked at you with a soft smile. You nodded and walked out with him.

"Are you okay?" Yunho asked in a whisper when you emerged from the walk in.

"Yeah, don't worry." You said, giving him a small smile before beginning the prep the things for the morning. You completely focused on baking, throwing every other thought to the side.

"Jam for the danishes are done." Jongho announced.

"Thank you." You took the saucepan and left it by your station to cool while you prepared the cake batter.

"Woo, help me throw these in the oven. I need to check on my confit plums." You instructed. The male saluted and came over to help you while you checked on your cake filling. You were making a Victoria sponge but instead of jam, it was soft confit plums with cream.

"Tiramisu is done, going into the fridge to set and chill." Seonghwa informed and brought the trays in. After your plums were done, you filled the jam pastries so they could back.

"Good morning." The other boys came in.

"(y/n)! Seonghwa hyung! You're back." San smiled as he came over to you. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders to hug you.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Sannie." You chuckled while he grinned proudly. You would have reciprocated if your hands were not touching food at the moment.

"I could use your help." You told him. He saluted and went to put his bag down then wash his hands.

"How many people do you need?" Yeosang asked.

"Just one. Thank you." You smiled. Hongjoong and Mingi shot you waves before going to the front to help Yunho set up for the day. San came back with the spare apron Yunho always wears and began to help you with the jam pastries. You put the filling and he helped fold them then crimp the edges.

"Where's San?" Yunho asked when he only saw 3 friends emerge from the kitchen.

"Helping (y/n). She needs an extra pair of hands." Mingi informed. Yunho tried his best not the frown, he was always your assistant in the kitchen. Why didn't you call him?

"Relax, San was there welcoming her back so she asked him to help." Hongjoong said with amusement.

"Let's just get ready for opening..." Yunho mumbled. Today was the weekend so they were expecting a lot more families to come in.

When the shop opened, as expected, there were a lot of customers. Yunho was happy, seeing the line and filled tables. It meant that the restaurant was doing well.

"Excuse me?" A smartly dressed male came up to the counter. Yunho shook his head to re-focus himself.

"Sorry, sir. How may I help you?" Yunho smiled.

"No worries. One large americano, please. Hot. And... a jam pastry." The male ordered, leaning towards the display to see what was left. Yunho nodded and rang him up. He tried not to stare at the black card that was handed to him.

"Also, is (y/n) around?" The male asked. Now, that got Yunho's attention.

"You are...?" Yunho asked back, a little defensively. In case this guy was dangerous, Yunho wasn't going to give away that you were in the back working.

"Family member." The male replied. Yunho's eyes widened slightly, was this your father? The man Yunho never met but hated.

"Don't need to call her, I know she's busy. I'll wait over there." The male said, not wanting to hold up the line anymore. Yunho handed the card back to the male, as well as the placeholder.

"Here you go." Yeosang served his drink and pastry. The male smiled and thanked Yeosang.

As Yunho continued to clear the line of waiting customers, he would occasionally glance over at the male. True to what he said, he just sat there, waiting. Well, he did order another cup of coffee so he wouldn't be hogging the table unfairly. Mingi, who was working next to his best friend, noticed this.

"Who is that? Do you know him? You've been looking over at him." Mingi asked.

"I don't know who he is but he's looking for (y/n). Or rather, waiting for her. He says that he's her family member but I don't know..." Yunho replied in a low voice.

"Should I tell her?" Mingi offered.

"No, I'll tell her. See if she's free." Yunho said. He called Hongjoong to help him take over the cash register momentarily.

"Hey, are you free?" Yunho asked you as he walked in. Thankfully, you were cleaning up with Jongho while Wooyoung ang Seonghwa prepared lunch.

"Uh, depends on what you need me for." You replied.

"There's some guy outside. An older gentleman. He said he's your family member and has been waiting for you." Yunho informed. You paused for a while and Seonghwa turned around when he heard Yunho's words.

"Hang on." You said to Jongho, who nodded his head, understanding. Your heart sank to your stomach, thinking that it could be your father that came to visit you.

"(y/n)..." Seonghwa started.

"I'll go see. It's fine." You assured Seonghwa and walked out of the kitchen with an extremely worried Yunho in tow.

~

Series masterlist

#kpop #kpop scenarios #kpop series #ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez series #ateez x reader #ateez imagines #ateez yunho #yunho ateez #yunho #yunho scenarios #yunho series #yunho x reader #yunho x you #yunho x y/n #jeong yunho #jeong yunho scenarios #jeong yunho series #jeong yunho x reader

[purplegirl20]

Chilly Thursday

Pairing: Damian Priest x Self-Insert (Me)

Summary: Damian visit me on a chilly Thursday

Warning: None

Tagging:@ghoulsister1 @omg-im-such-a-masochist @babiidee28 @sparkleva25 @alicejoaquin1990 @vintage-pvssy @ashkrystal @theworldofotps @nyc-kyra-93 @ziasaph @priestparty @queenzay @sultryfandoms @auburnwrites @windhamsrotunda@rheaanddamianfan@theclawdeen1442@tmt-77@blueberryomega@ironshamelessyouth@lisashield

Note: This story is a drabble. I hope you still enjoy my story.

November 17th...

It was a quiet and chilly Thursday evening. I was in the kitchen, heating some tea.

Shaynell:(sighs) I'm tired.

I pour myself a cup and check on my phone.

Shaynell: Hey Mom. How are you. I just want to see how you and Dad doing lately? You have any plans for thanksgiving?

Mom: We're doing fine. And no. I'm off on Thanksgiving but i have to work on the whole thanksgiving weekend. So we'll have Chinese takeout for thanksgiving. I don't feel like cooking.

Shaynell: Alright.

Mom: You have any plan for thanksgiving with your boyfriend?

Shaynell: I don't know. He might have to do some house shows during thanksgiving weekend.

Mom: House shows?

Shaynell: Yea. They're staring their holiday tour.

Mom: Alright. Well I hope you're safe during thanksgiving. And Please don't overwork.

Shaynell: Alright. I will. Be safe. I love you. Tell the family hi.

Mom: I will. I love you.

I quickly hangs up the phone.

Shaynell:(sighs) What a day.

I sighs as I took sip of my tea.

Shaynell:(sighs) I need this after dealing with deliveries. Now, I need to figure out what to do for thanksgiving. I could probably work overtime with airport dropoff and deliveries.

As I contemplate as what to do, I heard the door open.

Damian: Hey Mija. Happy Thursday.

Shaynell: Oh hey Damian.

I smile and kiss me on the lips.

Damian: Wow. It very chilly outside.

Shaynell: It its. How are you?

Damian: I'm ok. How about you?

Shaynell:(sighs) I'm alright.

Damian: Boston cream. You ok? You sound a little down.

Shaynell: I'm still figuring out on what to do on Thanksgiving.

Damian: Really?

Shaynell: Yea. I got off the phone with my mom and she say she off on thanksgiving day but not the rest of the thanksgiving weekend.

Damian: That sucks. What about your sister?

Shaynell: She working the whole thanksgiving weekend.

Damian: Brother?

Shaynell: Friendsgiving.

Damian:(sighs) Wow.

Shaynell:(sighs) Yea. It kind of complicated. Thanksgiving and Christmas is going to be real intense since you have live shows around those two holidays.

Damian: That crazy.

Shaynell: Not to mentioned how you going to celebrate my birthday.

Damian:(sighs) That a lot to take in.

Shaynell:(sighs) Yea.

Damian: Well. We can always visit my parents in New York for Thanksgiving like last year. I mean Raw it in Albany and we can stay with our parents for a few days.

Shaynell: Ok. What about the Holiday tour around the time of my birthday?

Damian: We'll figure something out. Don't worry about it.

He smile and kiss me on the forehead.

Shaynell: Aw.

Damian chuckled and hold me tight.

Shaynell:(sighs) Damian...

Damian: Don't you worry about anything. Let Papi do all the heavy work.

Shaynell: Ok.

He smiles and kiss me on the lips, making me giggle.

Shaynell:(smiles) My bunuelos.

Damian:(chuckling) Since it chilly outside, How about we make some soup.

Shaynell:(smiles) Chicken noodle soup?

Damian: Of course Mija.

He smile and starts cooking the soup.

(Phone vibrating)

I quickly pick up and saw a text from Edge.

Edge:(texts) Hello my little bostom cream.

Shaynell: Hello sprinkles. How are you? I miss you.

Edge: I miss you too. I just want to text you to say Happy Thanksgiving if I don't text you next week.

Shaynell: Thank you. I hope you and your family are safe as well. I love you, sprinkles.

Edge: I love you too, boston cream. Be safe.

Shaynell: I will.

I smile and quickly deleted the texts and join in with Damian to make the soup.

#damian priest #damian priest imagine #damian priest oneshot #puerto rican papi #wwe fanfiction #wwe oneshot

[missguomeiyun]

dinner @ CQ Noodle & Bubble

CQ Noodle & Bubble (where CQ is short for "Chong Qing") - a Chinese noodle place on 104th Street. I had thought it took the location of another noodle place but no, I was wrong. The one I was thinking of still exists haha

Clara & I came here for our Christmas dinner last month. We came on a Tues late afternoon around 4:30. Once you open the door & walk in, you'll breath in a mix of Sichuan spice & sweet bubble(/bubbletea powder?) aroma. It's quite the mix of fragrances!

So the reason why we came was bcos. .. I suggested it. TBH, I'm not big on the whole Sichuan spice/mala flavour. I wanted to come & try the cocunut mango slush. I can't remember where/how I discovered that this place has this item. .. but it's not a common item on menus here. I don't think the English name gives an accurate description of this drink but tranditionally, this dessert-drink contains mango, pomelo (some places replace it with grapefruit), sago (the small white kind; NOT the large black sago pearls in bbt), coconut milk & milk/cream.

Their main menu (photo I took in-store).

I say the main menu bcos this was the double-sided laminated sheet (with the drinks) but they also this page-protector bundle(?) that had other menu items as well. I didn't take pictures of that unfortunately. But it had basically colour-photocopied pages of some appitizers, like marinated cucumbers, braised egg, wings, along with some seasonal items, I would say. Clara has been here before & she said she did not see this 'other' menu last time she came.

Interior. I didn't get a full-view shot bcos there were other customers during our time there. My attention was drawn to the chopstick holder & the fact that each table has a bottle of vinegar! In case you're wondering what's so special about the chopstick holder. .. they actually used a Knorr chicken essence powder container lol Google that if you don't know what that is!

My sad drink. . . . . .

It came & I as like . .. is this the right one??? It is so pale in colour & there's no sago pieces; no visible mango. .. I guess they did say slush so maybe it's all like blended??? But that name, then, would be completely not applicable.

I don't usually inquire about items at a restaurant after it arrives art the table but I ended up asking about it. I was like where is the grapefruit/pomelo topping??? The staff said they ran out & asked if I wanted other toppings as well, in which I refused. I left the drink untouched/unpoked on the side as Clara & I waited for our mains. When the staff came by to bring our food, she offered to have the drink be taken off the bill if I didn't like it. & I said, it's okay (bcos. .. I'm just not that kind of person). -.-"

BUT I must say, it turned out to be "useful" bcos. ..

Our noodles were large-portioned & NUMBLING-LY SPICY!

Clara's intestine (mild spicy) noodles & my braised beef (medium spicy) noodles.

One sniff & your sinus will be cleared lol

I'm quite good at spicy foods but this was just . .. kinda painful. I'm not good with Sichuan spice but thought mild might be too mild so I went for the safe "medium" but then . .. few bites in, I was regretting it a little xD therefore, it was actually a good thing I kept the slush bcos I needed it! I honestly couldn't tell if it was actually watered down or if it was quite sweet bcos truthfully speaking, my mouth was all numb & tingly. Anything cold just felt cold, you know, & offered temporary relief.

That being said, noodles were great. Beef was great! Their meat had a nice balance of lean & fatty parts. & for these reasons, I finished it despite being uncomfortable lol

We also got a side of chicken & mushroom wontons in soup to share. It's not really a side but a main menu item but when it's shared by 2, it's a good portion as a side. I didn't like this very much. I have high standards for wontons bcos our homemade ones are really good (store bought wrapper with my mom's filling). I think I just grew up eating my mom's so anything diff, even if it's the same ingredients, it's just not the same. I found the filling quite stiff & there wasn't much mushrooms in it (ie: felt like a ball of dry meat). OR maybe northern Chinese wontons are like this! I'm not sure! The broth was also not flavourful; just very strong in sesame oil. Sesame oil doesn't have much of a savoury flvaour, it's a condiment, really. So the soup was quite bland =(

Would I come again?... I don't know.

I'm usually quite decisive but the reason I don't know is bcos I have other menu items that I'm intersted in but I really didn't enjoy this meal as a whole. So a visit #2 is =/ would it also be disappointing? Or would it blow my mind?? I wanna try the hot pot beef noodles & the Yunnan coffee bcos. .. it's coffee! Like is the bean from Yunnan? Is it powdered instant coffee that's labeled "Yunnan coffee"? lol they don't have a particular brewing method so. .. I am interested in what kind of Yunnan coffee they serve.

What do you think? Revisit? or no?

I mean, it's probably worth another try & if it's disappointing again, I'll stop lol

#food #friends #dinner #christmas dinner #chinese food #chinese noodles #sichuan spice #chongqing noodles #chongqing #noodles #wonton

[haphira]

Marinette’s Hanahaki

Part 7

The next day had Marinette up at a reasonable hour, feeling decently rested and ready to start her day. Marinette knew she had to talk to her parents about her Hanahaki before it got back to them without her saying anything.  

Coming down the stairs for breakfast, she greeted her mother with a cheek kiss and sat down.  

“Maman, do you and Papa have time to sit and talk with me today?” Marinette asked, not looking at her mother, appearing to try to be as casually as possible. But a mother knows so Sabine asked directly.

“We have time at lunch today, is there something you want to tell us?” Now, Sabine wasn’t as blind as she appeared to be. She could see that her child has been looking a bit ill lately and not as lively as she was before. Sabine hoped that Marinette would come tell her or Tom what was wrong on her own time and it seemed like she was right to wait.  

“Yes, I want to talk to you about… things that have been happening at school and how they have been affecting me.” Marinette still wouldn’t look at her mother as she drizzled jam onto her toast. Marinette knew she would have to face them but wanted to do it on her own terms.

“Of course, honey, your father and I will listen and maybe we can have hot and sour soup for lunch?” Marinette glanced up at her mother with a smile, it had been a while since Marinette had her mother’s traditional Chinese hot and sour soup, it would be perfect to eat.  

“Maman, that sounds perfect! I’ll help make it since I have the time.” Marinette offered, she shoved the toast into her mouth and hopped off the stool to grab a list of ingredients.  

“Thank you honey, don’t forget that special ingredient!” Sabine called out as Marinette grabbed her shopping bag and purse. Marinette waved in acknowledgement to Sabine’s last words, heading out the door.  

Marinette’s shopping trip was a pleasant and successful one, getting everything, she needed for the soup and she planned to make homemade noodles as a side to go with it.  

After lugging everything back up to the kitchen Marinette started on making lunch. That was where Sabine found her, about an hour before lunch, making noodles and the hot and sour soup. Sabine smiled at Marinette and gave her a hand in helping to finish making lunch.  

An hour later Tom found his wife and daughter laughing and singing in the kitchen making food. His boisterous laugh announced his entrance and the three quickly settled down and sat for lunch.

Tom complimented them both for a fantastic lunch. Sabine and Marinette shared a smile and said at the same time, “It’s all because of the secret ingredient!” More laughter was heard around the table and as the bowls and plates emptied, Marinette grew nervous.

“Sit down sweetie, I’ll finish the dishes later.” Sabine said. “Now, what has been going on at school?”  

Marinette took a deep breath, “First, promise that you won’t interrupt until I’m done.” At both of her parents’ nods she launched into the details of the treatment her class has been giving her. How everyone has been disregarding her thoughts and feelings, ignoring when she speaks up about how this lair is using them, Marinette tells them about the advice she took because she had a crush on the boy not that she believed the advice was good. She told them about how pushing Alya has been, and outright demanding of her, Marinette told her parents about how she felt like she could no longer express herself and feel validated.  

She tells them about how she started to feel sick and the symptoms just got worse until she was coughing up flowers. At that point both of her parents were gripping each other’s hand tightly but didn’t speak, afraid if they uttered a sound, Marinette would shut down and stop speaking. Marinette’s voice softened as she spoke about how bad her Hanahaki was getting and how Luka had been helping her and urging her to talk to them about it. How Luka has been her rock and helped ease a lot of her symptoms. And finally, she told them what happened at the Liberty and how Luka had her back. Eventually Marinette mumbles an apology and goes quiet.  

Tom and Sabine are stunned and heartbroken that their child is having to deal with all of this.  

“Well, first things first, we are getting you enrolled in therapy. And we are going to see a doctor tomorrow.” Sabine said, her eyes soft as she looked at Marinette. Marinette starts to cry and throws herself into her mother’s arms and Tom comes over to give them both a hug.  

“Now, Marinette, why didn't you come talk to us about this sooner?” Sabine questions. Marinette looks guilty.

“I didn’t want to worry you and… I wasn’t sure if it was just in my head.” Marinette replies quietly.  

“Of course, we would worry, it's our job as parents, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come together to think of solutions.” Tom said. He ruffled Marinette’s hair affectionately.  

“Okay, I’ll do better in the future,” Marinette sighed, this went much better than what her anxiety made her think it would turn out to be. After her mother tells her to go rest for the rest of the day, Marinette heads up to her room and notices that she has a message on her phone.  

Anxiety grips her, Marinette warily picks up the phone and sees that it was Luka texting her, wishing her to have a restful day and if she needs anything she can always call him up.  

Marinette smiled and replied a lengthy thank you and update on how the talk with her parents went. Between texting Luka and designing ideas for Kitty Section, the evening rapidly approached Marinette. Seeing that dinner was going to be in five minutes she tells Luka she will talk to him later and has a pleasant dinner with her family.  

part 8

#supportive family #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fandom #good parents sabine and tom #lukanette #pro lukanette #pro lukamari #ao3 #hanahaki #hanahaki with a twist

[takeeachdayonebookatatime]

Lemonade and lies PART 19

Kate: pov after sitting in the tub for a bit, I climb out and get into some pajamas. I climb in bed and lay down. We stopped for food after leaving the hospital. I hear Castle shouting from his office asking what I want for dinner. I must have fallen asleep. I get up and walk into Castle's office asking how long I was asleep for. He says a few hours. Why didn't you wake me up? Castle says you needed the sleep.

Castle: pov Kate do you want to eat in or out, it's up to you. She says eat in, I ask If I should order take out or cook dinner. Kate wants to cook dinner, I tell her you have to take it easy you just got out of the ER. Me and Kate compromise. We decided she would help me make the soup. We can watch a movie together and cuddle. I have her cut the vegetables while I boil the noodles which will only take a few minutes. Once the soup is done we sit on the sofa with our bowls and eat the soup while we watch the movie. My crutches are next to the sofa in case I need them. Kate puts her bowl down on the coffee table now that she is done eating. The movie is over and Kate seems to have fallen asleep during it. I quietly head to my office to get some writing done. Alexis is hanging out at Dave's and mother is out late with some friends. I don't think Kate is going to work tomorrow it depends on how she feels and if her Dr's say it's fine.

Liv: pov it is late Cassidy was nice and picked up dinner and Noah on the way home for me. Me and Brian try to make home cooked meals but it is hard with our schedules. We usually buy pre-made food and things that cook quickly. I’m not a big fan of processed food but we still eat it. Tonight's dinner is chicken and fries with salad. The food looks amazing. I thank Brian for picking it up and Noah for me. Late one night me and Brain had worked through our differences and apologized for how things ended. It was such a relief for the both of us besides my squad, Brian and Tucker no one has seen my scars. I told Elliot about them but that is different.

Cassidy: pov the 3 of us watched a movie before bed. Liv, I took Noah to the store after work. He wanted to get you something special and wouldn't say why. As I walk into the bedroom I see her open the cute box Noah picked out. It has some coffee, candy and a few things to help her relax. I can see the emotion in her face. She said thank you Noah. I love it. What made you want to get me something, it's so thoughtful of you. Noah says you're always stressed and need some time for yourself mom. Like when I play video games in my room alone, you need time for yourself. Noah heads off to brush his teeth and head off to be. Me and Liv climb into bed after getting into our pajamas.

Jenny: pov Ryan texted me letting me know he should be home soon, I fed Sarah Grace some Mac and cheese which she requested for dinner, I'm making Alfredo pasta for me and Ryan. Once it's done cooking I take Sarah Grace a bath, it's getting hard for me to bend over the side of the tub. Ryan comes home as i’m getting her in her pajamas, I let her stay up and watch a short movie with us while me and Ryan eat dinner.

Ryan: pov Jenny is officially starting to get uncomfortable any way she sleeps bothers her. Jenny had put Sarah Grace to bed after dinner, which gave us a bit of free time to drink our special warm milk. Before bed I ran Jenny a bath to help with her sore muscles, I make sure the water isn't too hot for her.

Esposito: pov since I'm in charge while Kate is sick I decide to stay late at the precinct with Lanie working on the case together. Maybe she will find something I missed. I order Chinese take out food for us while we work. Do you know when Kate will be back at work, Lanie says probably the day after tomorrow depending on how tomorrow goes. That's great to hear, so far I haven't found anything that will help our investigation out.

Muncy: pov me and Joe are heading back to my place and ordering some take out, we choose Chinese food and a movie to watch. After ordering the food I head into the kitchen of my tiny apartment and get some paper plates while Joe gets some sodas out of the fridge. A few minutes later the food arrives. I pay and put the food on the table. We chat about my childhood while we eat and Joe chats about some of his life. Afterwards Joe leaves since it's getting late and we have to get up early.

Kate: pov I must have fallen asleep on the sofa during the movie. I head to the bathroom and brush my teeth before heading to Castle's office to tell him I'm going to bed. I plug in my phone and turn on my sound machine to help me sleep. I set up my anti-roll pillow and climb in bed.

Lanie: pov it's very late by the time we get home, I decide to jump in the shower since I work with dead bodies and I don't want that on me. After I'm done I text Castle to see how Kate is doing. The only reason I texted him instead of her is because it's late and she is probably asleep and he is most likely up writing. I brush my teeth and plug in my cell phone once that is done I climb I to bed next to Esposito. To be continued. ………….

#castle #caskett #katebeckett #stanakatic #nathanfillion #richardcastle #javieresposito #jonhuertas #kevinryan #seamusdever #lanieparish #tamalajones #lawandordersvu #oliviabenson #mariskahargitay #svu25 #icet #odafintutuola

[mutantenfisch]

Small Victories

Pairing:  Chargestep (Ricardo Ortega/Terry Rhys)

Summary:  The aftermath of the Psychopathor incident and Ortega’s stupid idea of kissing Terry.

Warning:  canon-typical mention of injuries

Notes: I originally planned to make this longer, to include a few more scenes, especially the reaction of the Rangers of the yellow press photo after the kiss, but i ran out of spoons halfway through this ^^; Also, I haven’t written anything i dared to show the public in well over a year so pls bear with me.

Word count:  1903

AO3 link: Here

Your head starts spinning even faster than your thoughts.

This is happening. This can’t be happening. Why? Does he really kiss me? (He does) Am I really kissing him back? (You are)

His lips are soft, so soft, and warm against yours and for a brief moment there is nothing else in your life. And you feel oh so very alive, for the first time in… ever?

You slightly shift your position and pain shoots through your leg. You break the kiss with a pained whimper and cling to Ortega for support, your fingertips digging into his skinsuit so abruptly that he makes a choked sound as well. His hands that were cupping your face moments before instinctively move down your shoulders to support you standing.

“Shit Terry, your leg!” Ortega’s face is all worried frown now, his eyes darting all over your half-revealed face and up and down your body as if he’s assessing how much damage done by Psychopathor he didn’t notice.

“It’s fine”, you manage to get out between your teeth as you fumble to pull down your mask again. “It’s only punctured, not broken. Stop fussing. I’m fine.” You aren’t. You can feel the blood running down your shin in a constant, warm flow. You’re not so sure any-more that your light-headedness is only because of what just happened. Well, it is, but also for more than one reason.

“Listen Terry, you need to –“ You interrupt Ortega with a slight punch to his abdomen. Sometimes you hate how tall he is in comparison to you.

“No! You know I won’t go to a hospital while I’m still breathing”, you hiss. As if to prove a point, you let go of him, only now noticing how stiff your fingers are from clinging to his sides for support. You manage to not whimper again when you take a wobbling step back. He must be bruised from my grip. The thought pops up but disappears as soon as the other man opens his mouth again.

“Of course you won’t. Because then a morgue would be more sensible, you idiot.” His worry is shifting into something else now, something more… personal? You can see it in the way he straightens his back and furrows his brows even more, his beautiful brown eyes boring into yours relentlessly. You can see it in the twitch of the corner of his mouth when he continues, almost pleadingly: “Seriously Terry, if it is about the bill, I’m sure I… the Rangers can –“

You don’t let him finish this sentence either. “Shut it, Charge. No hospitals. And if you’re trying to drag me into one, you’ll be needing it more than I do right now.” Your voice is cold as ice. A growl you never expected to be capable of producing. At least not for a very long time.

As you turn to limp away from the Marshal, you try to assess your wounds. Your leg hurts like hell and you begin to feel nauseous because of the pain and blood loss, a creeping tingle on the back of your head being the precursor of what will probably turn into another migraine attack as soon as the adrenaline stops overriding everything else in your bloodstream. Great. Also, your leg isn’t the only part hurting right now. Your face and shoulders are bruised, the skinsuit under your coat uncomfortably sticking to your skin where the blood has already coagulated, and either the flying debris or the shockwave from the explosion definitely managed to hit one of your ribs hard enough to make breathing painful now as well.

You take a careful breath, wincing just a little when the rib acts up. “If you really want to do something for me, then get me a ride home so I can go visit my doctor.” This is only half a lie, you’re your own doctor after all. You try not to sound too harsh, as a peace offering. Then you turn back at him again and pull the hood of your coat over your head. Not a moment too soon, as some LDPD officers are getting near the scene now that the fight is over, and their voices start brushing against your mind. That was tough. Is he really down? The other thought pattern that joins them is all too familiar and you decide now is the best time to leave the scene and tend to your wounds. Steel’s scrutinizing glare is the last thing you need right now. Especially since the look he is giving you makes you more uncomfortable than ever. You shudder and pull your hood deeper over your face.

“I… I guess I can do that.” Ortega’s voice is quiet again. This is the answer you were hoping for but something in his tone and in how his expression changes makes you feel another pain added to the mix that comes from the centre of your chest and you grimace under your mask. Oh shit. Fucking hell!! This was never supposed to happen!

You reach out to reassuringly pat him on the arm, you aren’t mad at him after all. The look he gives you when you touch him makes you pull back as if you’d been hit by one of his electric charges. You notice his eyes wandering between your hand and your face and you turn away quickly.

“Just… just let us get out of here, okay?” You don’t dare to look into his eyes.

 __________________ 

Even with your mask still on you continue to avoid looking at Ortega during the whole ride back to the block where you live. Your cheeks are burning hot as it is. In return, he doesn’t stop looking at you, as if you might disappear from the cab seat next to him if he even blinked. When he helps you to get into the seat, you let him. When he slides to the place next to you, you let him. But when he tries to take your hands, you pull them away and wrap your arms around your torso under your coat and he lets you.

Ortega tries to start a conversation, but you cut him short, leaning forward to the cab driver to ask him to hurry up instead.

“Charge please, I can’t think straight at the moment. Let me rest, then we can talk.” You are barely whispering at that point and breathe a sigh of relief when he bites back whatever he is about to say and replies with an almost begging “Of course. But please text me if you need anything, alright?” before you get out of the cab to walk – no, hobble – the remaining distance from the side-walk to your tiny apartment. 

When you are finally sitting in your bathtub, you are so close to fainting that for a brief moment you consider getting back on his unspoken offer. But no, the risk would be too high. Too dangerous. Especially now that you are stripped naked to carefully wash away the crusted blood and debris, to see what can be patched up with a compress and some band aids and what would need the stapler. Lucky for you, the leg wound has finally stopped bleeding while you were in the cab. Unfortunately, you still have to clean it. Infection is the last thing you need right now. You clench your teeth and get to work. By now you’ve become quite the surgeon. It is messy work and your growing collection of scars surely isn’t pretty to look at, but your appearance is the last thing you’re thinking about until you’re done.

Then you lean back in the tub to rinse off the remaining sweat and blood and dirt with the shower head in your hand. You allow your mind to return to what happened. There’s no turning back now. You can’t undo this small slip-up. You can not make Ortega forget what you just did a few hours earlier and you realize that even if you could, you don’t want to.

With that thought, you pull yourself up to stiffly climb out of the tub. You make sure to rinse it properly so you don’t have to scrub away dried blood later, put on the pyjama pants and long sleeved shirt you wear at night and limp to your sleeping couch, downing some painkillers and iron supplements on the way. Whatever you’re going to do to solve this situation with Ortega will have to wait until later. You remember to send him a short Home. Doc says I'll be fine before you toss your phone to the floor. The last thing you need right now is him showing up here to make sure you haven’t bled to death or something. No, right now you need sleep more than anything else and you just hope for being too exhausted and having lost too much blood to have any dreams you can remember. Even though there’s the small hope that maybe, for once, the dreams might be pleasant.

 __________________ 

Judging from the light and noise coming through the shutters of your window, it must be past noon when you finally wake up. You are lucky that you really didn’t dream and it feels like the lingering migraine has been drowned out with the painkillers you swallowed yesterday. Still, when you rise into a sitting position, you feel a bit dizzy. You groan and blink into the small strip of sunlight that dances on the opposite wall until your head stops spinning. Then, the buzzing of your flip phone brings you back to the real world. You suppress another groan when you bend down sideways to pick it off the floor, where you left it yesterday. Of course. Ortega has tried to call you, once directly after you’ve sent your message, once around 10 am. The latest buzzing is from a text message though. Only two words. Dinner tonight?

You ponder the implications for a moment. Dinner with the Marshal is your usual way of celebrating another victory. Nothing special about it, really. Just two men enjoying some good food and drinks together to celebrate having made Los Diablos a little bit safer. Celebrating that they're still breathing. Except that, fucking hell, he’s kissed you and you have kissed him back and also he is currently dating this Riley, whom you haven’t bothered to meet yet but you still feel bad about if they found out about this kiss. 

Still, a part of you hopes that if you carry on as usual, the warm feeling in your stomach whenever your mind wanders to Ortega or his brown eyes or this damn smile of his or to this stupid stupid kiss will go away. You don’t want it to go away, but you are also so damn terrified of the consequences. 

The only thing you know is that you have to answer this text message or he would not stop pestering you or, even worse, show up here and there was no way of knowing what would happen then and you don’t dare to find out yet.

You sigh and flip open the phone again. The rumbling in your stomach finally helps you make a decision. 

OK HQ at 7:30?

The reply comes almost immediately and you can’t help but feel your cheeks burning again.This time, you allow the smile to creep up to your eyes.

#mutantenfisch writes #fhr #fallen hero #chargestep #fallen hero rebirth #ricardo ortega #oc: terry rhys #terry is a gay disaster who always assumes the worst #but deep down he is a marshmallow that just wants to be held #i said i didn't write the dinner and day after #but i need to tell you that they got chinese noodles and soup

[revoutionsingingintherain]

Father's Day - Malec

i couldn't stop thinking about how Rafael and Max would celebrate Fathers' day, because i never got to celebrate father's day with my dad, but anyways.

Alec and Magnus would probably wake up to Rafe and Max screaming at each other from the kitchen

"Rafe, we have perfectly good knives!"

"They're not good knives, Max! It won't cut the stupid fruit! That's why I'm using my seraph blade - the next sharpest thing I have!"

"It's a seraph blade!"

"It cuts the damn fruit!"

Magnus and Alec would laugh, and lazily pull each other out of bed. Magnus, still sleepy, leans on Alec as they walk out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where the brothers were fighting

The boys notice their fathers in the doorway, and stop fighting, and look at them guiltily because they really did make a mess of the kitchen

"What were you boys doing?"

"We were trying to make you breakfast without magic"

"And Aunt Izzy gave us some tips,"

"Is that why you're using your seraph blade to cut a pineapple?"

"Oh shut up!"

They decide that they'll just have a brunch at some mundane restaurant, because none of the Lightwood-Banes can cook a decent meal that isn't instant noodles or canned soup

Alec finds a card with their mail that says "Happy Father's Day, Alec. Your first son, Jace"

Alec laughs so hard, and then calls Jace to thank him

They go for brunch at a mundane restaurant down the street, where they have waffles with whipped cream and cherry on top, and pancakes filled with nutella, and so much more.

They order food for six people, when there's only four of them, because Alec and Rafael's stomachs are like an endless pit.

They laugh and joke around, and complain when Magnus and Alec kiss

"Ugh, dad! We don't need to see that!"

"Honestly, bapa! please stop!"

They don't stop till they can't stop laughing. They love teasing their sons like that.

Magnus and Max take A LOT of pictures, and Rafe and Alec make funny faces.

Rafael pays for the meal, because technically he is almost an adult, and Max is a teenager and they get some money from their parents. But Max spends all of his money on useless things like Magnus does, and Rafe, being a smart guy, keeps most of the money aside, and spends really less. Currently, he's the richest amongst the four of them.

They walk around Brooklyn aimlessly, just roaming around. the boys say they know where they're going, but Alec and Magnus aren't sure if they really do.

They end up in a fair, with all bright and colorful rides and games, with screaming and laughing families.

"Ta - da!"

"Did you guys really know we were coming here, or was itjust luck that we stumbled here?"

"Bapa, you need to have more faith in us,"

"Says the boy who used his seraph blade to cut a pineapple."

"Oh, come on! Am I ever going to stop hearing about it?"

"Nah. I'll tell your future girlfriend to not let you in the kitchen."

"MAX MICHEAL LIGHTWOOD-BANE, YOU STAY AWAY FROM ANY OF MY FUTURE GIRLFRIENDS!!"

That makes Max and Rafael start a competition of who can win their dads a bigger prize. The teams are Max and Alec and Rafael and Magnus.

They start with a game where they shoot balloons using guns. Rafael cheats by using his accuracy runes. Alec sees this and whispers to Max to use a little bit of magic.

"You cheated!"

"I cheated??"

"Yes! You used magic!"

"You used your accuracy rune!"

"You don't know that!"

"Your stele is right there, Rafael!"

Alec and Magnus move away and let them fight. they find a cotton candy stall and buy four for each of them, each of different flavors.

Rafe and Max have a fluffy unicorn and a fluffy octopus in their arms when they find their dads. Max hands the unicorn to Alec, who gives him a blueberry flavored cotton candy, and Rafe gives Magnus the octopus, who gives him a chocolate cotton candy (it did not taste as good as expected)

They took a bunch of pictures and sent them to the rest of their family

Max pulls them to sit on all kinds of fast moving rides, and they throw their hands in the air and laugh at each other

Magnus did not like the ride where they did the loop - to - loop in the air way too many times

They find a photo booth, and click a lot of pictures! Silly faces, smiling faces, every kind of face they can think of. And then they select their favorites and keep the single photos for themselves.

They buy pizza, and while eating, Alec gets an alert of a demon four blocks from where they are.

After all, no day is complete without a demon attack.

They leave their pizza, and go to kill the demon. It's a Drevak demon, which means more work. UGH.

They fight gracefully together. They're family, they know each other's moves well.

Alec and Rafael search for the queen Drevak, while Magnus and Max blast them off as much as they can.

It takes really long for Alec and Rafe to find the queen, because she's really well hidden, which means that Magnus and Max are getting tired soon.

They finally find the queen, and Alec distracts the queen, while Rafael comes out of no where and kills her.

By the time Alec and Rafael go back to Magnus and Max, they're exhausted. There were way too many of them, coming all at once.

The family go back home, because the demons are taken care of, and the warlocks of the family need to rest.

They change into sweatpants and loose t-shirts, and gather together on the couch. They order chinese, and do a Star Wars marathon, because it's Rafe's turn to choose and as much as he finds the loopholes annoying, he still thinks they're some of the best.

Only Rafe and Max are paying attention to the movies. Alec and Magnus are cuddling, and they're talking quietly about anything that comes to their mind.

In between their quiet discussions, Rafe and Max whisper a happy father's day to their dads.

"Happy fathers' day, dad and bapa,"

"Happy fathers' day, bapa. Happy fathers' day, dad,"

"Thank you, my loves."

"Thank you."

Magnus is half asleep, but he still pulls away from Alec and kisses both his sons on the forehead

Max smiles, and Rafael tries to hide his smile, but it's too late, everybody has already seen it

Magnus falls back on Alec's chest, before Alec can do anything else. But Alec smiles at both of his sons, and squeezes their hands.

Just before Magnus falls asleep, Alec wishes him as well.

"Happy father's day, Magnus. I love you."

"Happy father's day, Alexander. I love you too."

Magnus falls asleep against Alec's chest. and Max falls asleep, with his head on Magnus' lap and his feet on Rafael's lap.

Alec carries Magnus to their bed, and covers him with a blanket. Rafael carries Max to his bed, grumbling about how heavy he is, and he really needs to lose weight. Alec laughs softly.

While Rafe is busy putting Max to bed, Alec stands in the balcony. he softly whispers a happy father's day to his father.

"Dad? You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Do you miss grandpa? I didn't know him well."

"Sometimes, I do miss him,"

Alec tells Rafael about Robert Lightwood. He tells his son all about how Robert made mistakes, how he did not accept Alec completely for his sexuality, how he always seemed to prefer Jace over him. Alec tells Rafael about how Robert tired to fix his mistakes, and make amends with him and Magnus, how he told Alec that he was proud of him and loved him just as much as the rest of his siblings.

Rafael doesn't point it out, but Alec lets out a few tears. Rafael just hugs his father, and whispers a good night to him, knowing his father needs to be alone for a while, just to get himself together.

Alec stays out in the balcony for a few more minutes, before he checks the entire house, making sure everything is locked. He checks Max and Rafe's rooms where they're both asleep, and presses a soft kiss on their foreheads, and makes sure that they're covered properly by their blanket so that they don't feel cold.

Magnus stands in the doorway of Max's room, where Alec is, and makes a pretty nightlight for him, because he knows that Max does not like the dark. He makes a small nightlight for Rafael as well, with a spell that will let Magnus and Alec know if he has a nightmare.

Alec and Magnus walk back to their bedroom, wrapped in each other's arms.

"What are you doing up?"

"You weren't there, so I couldn't sleep."

"Hmm, I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?"

"I - I just miss dad, sometimes."

"It's okay, Alexander. he loves you."

"Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too."

Just before he sleeps, Izzy sends him a picture of a framed picture of Robert who was laughing, with a candle in front of it, and four father's day cards in surrounding it - one that Alec had sent, one that Alec bought on behalf of Max Lightwood, one from Izzy, and one from Jace.

Alec sends a red heart to his sister, and then sends her pictures from the day. He changes his homescreen picture to one of the four of them, eating cotton candy.

Magnus tugs at Alec's hand softly, and pulls him to bed. They cuddle, like they have been for the past fourteen/fifteen years.

They're both happy with the life that they have now. Tt was one of the best days they've ever had.

and that's their fathers' day!

thank you for reading this!

#alexander lightwood #alec lightwood #magnus x alec #magnus bane #max lightwood bane #rafael lightwood bane #fathers day special #malec #lightwood-bane #isabelle lightwood #jace herondale #robert lightwood #tmi #the mortal instruments #shadowhunters

[leonicscorpio]

Batboy Headcanons because I made this for me but you all can enjoy this too if want. (May contain mild NSFW)

Dick:

Has a weird relationship with unwanted gaze and the attention he receives because of his physique. He genuinely likes the attention but he draws the line when people start getting touchy. Just because he's shirtless working out doesn't mean he gave you consent to touch him.

Has good dieting skills but he's in his mid-late 20's and his metabolism has 0 signs of slowing down. He once ate a whole xl bag of M&M's in front of Steph and Babs and both said they wanted to murder him because he won't gain a pound.

Dick has ADHD and I'm sorry if you don't think otherwise. He has hyperactive type ADHD and while he's gotten better at controlling his symptoms he still stims stretching and flexing his arms and shaking his arms.

While not so much in Gotham, Dick is very politically active and volunteers at voter registration and working with organizations with the mission of police demilitarization in Blüdhaven.

Dick is a very sexually driven individual. However, I don't think it's entirely healthy. His ADHD also comes into play with this but Dick just needs to have a release at least twice a day or he'll feel physically sick.

I don't know if you all have seen male gymnasts. But Dick, like the rest of them, has FREAKSISHLY large biceps. Everyone talks about Dick has the best ass in the bat family and while Jason may be larger and stronger, Dick has the best physique.

Dick's apartment is littered with sticky notes in places such as the fridge/in front of his computer. If it's not written down and in a place where he can't ignore it, it's not going to get done.

I'm sorry I know everyone says his birthday is in March but I have to go to the older Nightwing comics and say his Birthday is December 1st. I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me this man doesn't give off Sagittarius energy. You can't. I respect you but you can't look at that and tell me that man isn't a Sagittarius or has super heavy Sag in his birth chart.

Dick's at home doing nothing but chilling? You best believe he's gonna be shirts off, tits out, and rocking some blue flannel PJ's.

Dick is currently the only member of the family asides from Barbara who is regularly attending therapy. And he actively encourages each of his brothers and sisters to go every time.

After his Agent 37 days. He sits down with Jason and talks about having to use a gun and how hard it was. And how having to kill people has affected him. When he had to kill the KGBeast (Agent 37 days he snapped his neck) I headcanon Dick just trauma v*mit*d. Jason hugged him and just consoled him.

It's canon that Dick has anger issues but to me, it's not explored or talked about enough and not a lot of people like to talk about it. Dick is very much the 'if I ignore it it'll go away' type when it comes to his anger and he can brush most insults or harassment off fine enough. But when he breaks, he makes Jason look like a saint. I'm talking slamming you into a wall and screaming in your face angry. He'll be profusely apologetic afterward but still.

Despite popular belief, I don't think he's that bad of a cook. He's just not very experimentative. He can follow a recipe and does look at some guides. But to me, Dick Grayson just is that guy who is like Chicken veggies and rice are a meal that I can cook 4-6 times a week.

Dick has a slight fear of dentists. He doesn't have bad teeth and has good dental health. He just doesn't like the idea of a drill going in his mouth and the few times Bruce has to take him to a dentist he had a panic attack every time.

Everyone lives for the fics where Jason beats the shit out of Tim and everyone is just like lol well Bruce and Dick just forgives him. No. When Dick found out it was Jason who beat Tim to the ground, Dick was literally seething and told Jason "Pick on someone your own size or else I'll make you wish you back in that f'ing coffin."

Dick's favorite foods (some based in Canon*): Milk Chocolate*, Cereal*, Asparagus, Bananas, Banana flavored candy, Hawaiian Pizza* (suffer its canon) Rum, thanksgiving Turkey.

Jason:

He may be the self-diagnosed black sheep (rightfully so) of the family, but Jason does genuinely love spending time with his siblings. Whether it be sharing memes with them on social media or just randomly showing up where they are and abducting them to go get ice cream/coffee/snacks.

He'd probably attempt to harm you if you told him this to his face. But he is the closest acting to Bruce out of all of the family. In terms of mannerisms and inherent warmth and kindness behind a dark façade.

Has two moods: either exceptionally, almost neat-freak levels of clean, or his life is completely falling apart and Jason can't tell you for sure what color his floors are because there's so much stuff scattered about.

Despite their initial hatred of each other, Jason truly feels closest to Tim and Tim is the only person asides from maybe Barbra who he can just talk to without feeling any judgment.

Jason only smokes when he's extremely nervous about an operation or a hit. For those who don't know criminal justice cigarettes are the fastest way to get genetic material on someone. That being said he does still like to smoke occasionally.

Me, plus a lot of people give him this sort of 'Lazarus Rage' as I like to call it. When he's in the heat of a mission or if he's getting upset/angry his vision will get blurred with green, and it feeds on his anger and just gets perpetually harder to contain until he releases it. Jason has gotten much better at controlling it. But as he will tell Tim or Babs, he's "seeing green" which means they need to be careful because Jason could kill.

Everyone says Dick is the mother hen. I see you, I accept you, but let me raise you. Jason came to realize that he died because of his rash decision to go after The Joker alone. If Jason finds any of his siblings out acting alone, or even at the very least without Oracle. Jason WILL forcefully interject himself and ask them what the fuck they think their doing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Trying to get close to Jason is hard. He will degrade you can attempt to try to get you to hate him before he lets you in (that cheeky Tsun of him)

He genuinely cares for and supports all of his siblings but has been rough on them needlessly. But if Bruce is being the distant or absent parent he is, you better believe if any of the siblings drops him a text or a call, Jason will be there in a heartbeat.

He's the most physically powerful of the whole Bat Family. You don't understand because of his time in the League, his time with the All-Caste, and having abused Venom for a time, he can snap an arm bone like it's a carrot with little effort.

Everyone in the family likes dogs and goes out of their way to gush over a dog, but Jason takes it to a whole new level. And even when he's masked up dogs just gravitate to Jason.

Can and has grown a beard in a matter of a few days. He usually likes to be clean shaven but some days he likes to wear a beard just to throw everyone off.

One time him, Steph, Tim, and Duke all went to a restaurant (Red Robin lol) and the waitress got his order wrong and his burger had raw tomatoes on it, Jason took the tomatoes off and ate it while looking absolutely miserable. Tim: Jay why did you eat that you didn't have to you know you could have asked the server to fix your burger. Jason, almost in tears: "She works really hard and she tried and I'm a scary dude I don't want to make her upset.." Duke: "... Jason you literally shot at a cop for looking at you funny the other day. But you're afraid of upsetting a waitress?!? I mean ACAB but dude.. "

Jason's happiest big brother moment™ was taking Tim and Damian to the shooting range and watching them both get their first bullseye.

You can't tell me Jason Todd was into the Emo/Screamo/Warped-Tour Scene. His favorite bands/Albums in no particular order, That's the Spirit (Literally the whole album is Jason Themed and I'm gonna die on this hill) & Sempiternal by Bring me the Horizon, Digital Renegade & Everyone's Safe in the Treehouse by I See Stars, The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways by Crown the Empire,

Jason Todd's favorite foods: (Also some based in Canon*) Burgers, Chili Dogs*, Lager-style beers, Freshly baked bread*, Neopolitan ice cream, grilled corn, and Chinese Chicken noodle soup with Duck.

Tim:

This boy *slaps car roof* gives off so much asexual energy. I know New 52 exists but I just feel like Tim is the person who really, REALLY has to trust you and like you before he's sexually active with you.

HYPERFIXATES. You also can't tell me Tim isn't on the spectrum/or has ADHD.

Is the only member of the family who regularly checks up on Jason and talks to him every day via text message. The two are memelords together and love to play pranks on the other members.

While Dick may give the most frequent hugs and Jason gives the tightest, most secure hugs, Tim's hugs are always the warmest and make you just feel good.

Tim's birthday is July 19th. Meaning he's a Cancer. Let that sink in.. no, really let that information just soak. (Note I have nothing against Cancer women, cancer men however....)

All of the bat boys really struggle with talking about their feelings. Dick will manipulate you into changing the subject via twisting it to be about you, Jason will just cut you off or will ignore you, Damian will deflect everything and harass you until you stop, Tim however, Tim is very emotional and while he's very calculated about who he's emotional with, he's not afraid to break down and cry if he trusts you.

Everyone who says he's the level headed Robin haha how's it feel to be WRONG. Tim is at best the least functional college student and at worst a lemming. 'No Tim, coffee isn't a meal I'm going to make you some food or I'm going to stick you in a room with Damian for an hour.' Richard (Dick) John Grayson.

People overblow how addicted to caffeine Tim is. But it's true. Just overblown. You can talk to him before he's had his caffeine just don't expect him to be anything but curt and blunt.

Everyone says Jason would be the worst at texting but it's Tim. He's the master of leaving you on read. While Jason may do it on purpose, Tim is just really bad at texting people and while he always will read your messages he forgets to respond unless it's really funny or really pressing.

Everyone sees Tim as this bean pole super skinny boy Robin. Tim may not be stacked like Dick or a freaking tank like Jason, but Tim is NOT super skinny. He's just as muscular and likes to work out as anyone, but he just is super lean, so he looks a lot bigger and his muscles are more defined because of how thin his skin is. He has those almost disgusting spider veins on his arm. Kind of gross to look at, but he's the dream of any nurse. This means Tim is also the king of accidentally sending/posting thirst traps.

He really is the glue of the Bat Family. Everyone kidnaps Tim for 'Tim Time'.

Dick likes to spar with and in general just hang out with Tim. Tim tried to teach Dick how to skateboard and you'd think the boy who mastered the trapeze would know how to skateboard but you'd be wrong.

Babs and Tim always hang out and talk about computer stuff and Babs knows she can vent to Tim about anything and he won't say a word.

Tim and Steph were a thing for a while and even though they're just friends now, they still are very close and the two have a very deep bond, liking to shop with each other and watch movies,

Cass just loves to be around Tim because of how calming he is but also she knows she can spar with him AND Cass can also skateboard with Tim too.

Even though him and Damian are always fighting, the two still end up being together and have this unspoken bond. They work great together on a team but other than that they still hate each other.

And while everyone still is hesitant around Jason, and despite the fact that Jason literally beat Tim to within an inch of his life, AND would still trigger Tim and taunt him about it. The two have this odd closeness that rivals even him and Steph. Tim will always be the first to bat for Jason. Jason was Tim's Robin. And despite the fact Jason literally beat it into Tim's head to "never meet your heroes." Tim will always be there for Jason should he ask. The two are just close. And it's hard to describe. Bruce has caught Tim and Jason just platonically sleeping next to each other or just doing their own things shoulder to shoulder silently, just enjoying each other's company.

Tim and Duke also have a really positive relationship with one another and the two can stay up all night just talking about anything. Their minds just mesh well together. The two also love to team up and prank the other members of the Batman Family.

Tim's favorite ASMR/Stim? Watching those Tik Toks of people cleaning computers or cleaning phones. The sound of an air duster is like music to his ears and if any of the Bats need their technology cleaned it secretly makes Tim so happy to help them.

Wear his hair up or wear his hair down? It depends! While Tim likes his long hair he also has gotten plenty of compliments for his short hair and likes to style it to suit any occasion.

My one pet-peeve with Tim is that he probably is that person who lets his privilege show from time to time. While he was essentially raised to just sit down, shut up, and be a perfect trophy son to the Drake's. The Drake's were in the same tax bracket as Bruce and Tim definitely was a rich kid. He never means to come across as spoiled, but sometimes Jason will give him harsh looks if Tim just throws away food he doesn't like or says things like Chipotle is 'poor people food'

Tim Drake's favorite foods (you know by now*) Donuts*, Shallot and Artichoke Pizza with Canadian Bacon* (odd choice but it could work) Artichokes in general are his favorite vegetable, Strawberries, and Beef Pho.

Damian:

I headcanon that he has the worst teeth of all of the Bat Boys and he actually has to use lingual braces. (Hence why you can't see his braces)

Canonically is a very good artist and while him and Tim don't get along, Tim introduced Damian to digital art and gave him a photoshop pack and a nice tablet for his birthday one year and Damian loved it so much.

Damian is a capricorn and I will die on this hill. A January capricorn too.

Now you want a good chef? You've got Damian. Having converted to veganism Damian has had to get creative whenever he goes out to eat so he tends to like to eat more home cooked foods. Damian loves all matters of mushrooms, eggplant, and bell peppers.

Damian really struggles the most with his wanting to just be a normal kid. Despite the fact he will dismiss you for it, anytime he gets to spend at Gotham Academy with Jon and the rest of the kids he's naturally the happiest.

Damian LOVES to give gifts. He loves the look on people's faces when they are shocked when they actually get something from Damian.

Despite the fact that he's been traumatized from both his times with Ra's and Talia as well as with Bruce. He just wants Bruce and Talia to be together because he loves them both equally.

While he's the least flexible and least gymnastic of the Robins do let your guard down around him. He is the fastest runner and the guy is rivaled only by Jason in terms of lethality.

So someone (Jason Todd & Duke Thomas) introduced Damian to trap music and ever since anytime his phone gets stolen people will be shocked to find he's listening to some combination of Lil' Yachty, X, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz, and Kodak.

If any random person tries to hug Damian he'll immediately push them away, he'll bitch and moan about just about anyone hugging him other than Bruce & Dick.

Damian loves to go to the beach/the ocean. He just thinks it's so vast and he loves the brineness of the air. Also being half white, quarter middle-eastern and quarter Chinese (Yes everyone forgets Talia is half Chinese) Damian gets DARK. And although he's just okay as a swimmer he still likes bogeyboarding and eventually wants to learn how to surf.

I'm genuinely afraid once Puberty is done with this kid and everyone in the family is. He has Bruce Wayne AND Talia Al-Ghouls genes and those are two SEXY human beings. Damian's gonna grow a beard one day and people aren't going to know how to act.

Damian secretly plays Fortnight and not even Jon knows. He doesn't want to get shamed. He'd rather lose a match and ruin his streaks than deal with the shame of anyone in that family finding out he plays Fortnight.

Damian Wayne's favorite foods (canon*) Cereal*, Avocados, Grilled Tempeh, his mom's Tabbouleh, Mushroom Tacos, and Vegan Sushi rolls, and grape juice.

Duke Thomas

Duke is like, freakishly good with a piano, and he picked it up naturally!

Also everyone says Tim brews the best pot of coffee in the Bat Family, cue to everyone's surprise when Tim was sick one day and couldn't make a pot. Only to find the coffee was freaking amazing. Duke didn't take any credit at first until Alfred let it slip that Duke was the one who brewed the pot.

Duke being the only Meta of the family originally thought he was the double-token because he was a Meta and a black boy. Needless to say his fears were seriously unfounded the moment he got to know everyone.

Although he somewhat fears Jason and his temper initially, he and Jason have one of the closest relationships in the family. If Tim isn't around to bat for Jason, Duke will happily take his spot. The two work on each other's bikes and grew to share the same taste in music.

Duke uses his Photokenetic powers as a force for good and for shenanigans. Jason wants to play a prank on Dick and Damian while Dick is reading Damian a story? Duke will hide Jason in the shadows and will cover up his shadow. Alfred dropped something in the dark? You better believe Duke will find it in 3 seconds or less.

Duke makes it a point to visit his parents every weekend to talk to them. Although they are making some progress in their recoveries, it's still slow going. Eventually, he starts bringing members of the family to see his parents. It started with Cass, then Jason, and the rest followed suit.

Duke loves playing video games with Damian and even helps Damian beat some tougher levels when Damian is about to rage and destroy the console.

Duke is into Magic the Gathering and you cannot tell me otherwise. Duke also is the DM for the Bat Kids annual D&D games. I can and will make a D&D Batfam Headcanons if asked.

Loves Pho just as much as Cass and Tim and they all call it a date night every now and then where they can go to a hole in the wall pho place. It's really a secret between the three of them.

DUKE THOMAS IS THE BEST SWIMMER OF THE BAT BOYS AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL. HE JUST THRIVES IN THE WATER.

Finding out his birth father is a supervillain was really tough for him. He went into a shell for a little bit afterwards. Cass and Steph were there to help talk him out of his funk.

Duke Thomas's favorite foods (lol what canon DC hasn't acknowleged our boy in a while..) Chicken Pho, Thai Iced Tea, Papaya, Crab Cakes, Italian Hoagies, his mom's Lemon Poundcake, mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I hope y'all enjoyed! Up next (eventually) will be the Bat Girls!

#Dick Grayson #Batfam #Batboys #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #Duke Thomas #Bruce Wayne #Barbara Gordon #Cassandra Cain #Stephanie Brown #Headcanons #Slight OOC but hey If DC can't stay in character neither should I

[digital-corruption]

Pieces of You Part 9

After a long day of work and additional travel time, there was no way I could tolerate preparing dinner. Sure I could’ve tossed one of the frozen dinners into the microwave, but I was feeling particularly playful. I picked up the take-out menu for the local Chinese restaurant and took a photo, then added the text: ‘I can’t decide what to order!’

After going through the entire menu, I glanced back at my phone. Photos of wonton soup and lo mein were added to my gallery.

‘Simple, but good. :)’

I searched for THAT scene from Lady and the Tramp where they first start eating the same noodle and added the text: ‘I'd offer you some, but what if this happens?’

I went to order my take-out on the restaurant's website. By the time I finished Jake had added a photo of the final part of that moment, when the two pups meet in the middle.

‘I wouldn’t mind. ;)’

I could feel myself blushing, but finding image responses for everything was getting tiring so I swapped to the private chat.

MC: Hi! Something tells me you’re online.

??? is now online.

???: Hi MC :)

???: I have some time.

MC: I have a confession to make.

???: I’m listening.

MC: I've never been on a motorcycle before. The thought of it kind of scares me.

???: Haha sorry, I thought your confession was going to be more serious.

MC: Hey! I am serious!

???: :)

???: Don’t worry, I’ll take it slow the first time until you’re comfortable.

MC: Thank you

MC: !!

MC: We are still talking about motorcycles!?

???: ;)

???: I won’t rush you so let me know when you're ready.

MC: For riding on your motorcycle, right!?

???: Of course.

???: What did you think I was talking about?

???: ;)

MC: I never expected such flirting from you

???: Sorry, I’ve been up several days in a row and I can’t stop looking at this photo that was left for me this morning.

MC: You liked it?

???: Of course I did :)

MC: Then come here and tell me that to my face!

???: You know I want to!

???: This isn’t helping.

MC: Maybe next time I’ll leave a video

???: !!

MC: hehe Just imagining your expression makes it worth it

???: Can I advise you don’t leave anything too compromising?

???: As we saw two nights ago, I can’t protect you from every attack.

MC: Uh-huh... for my protection.

???: Yes.

MC: Not because of how it might compromise you?

???: I have to go.

??? is now offline.

I burst out laughing. Despite his attempts at flirting with me, he still was so easy. There was a knock at my door for my delivery so I left my phone to accept the food.

I spent the rest of the evening eating my dinner while watching a movie on Netflix. By the time the movie finished, I was exhausted and ready to hit the sack. I got changed for bed and decided one last photo wouldn’t hurt. I laid down on the bed on my side facing the empty space beside me and looked up at my phone that I held above me, trying my best lonely expression.

‘Wish you were HERE.’

Content with my work, I put my phone down and started to read a bit more of the novel I left by my bedside. A couple of pages in though I got too curious so I picked up my phone and checked my gallery. There was a stock photo of a man’s hand with his fingers interlaced with a woman’s fingers while pressing her hand into the bedsheets. Yeah, that one didn’t need text to be understood, but there was some still.

‘Sweet dreams ;)'

#duskwood #duskwood jake #duskwood jake x mc #duskwood jake x player #duskwood fanfiction #Pieces of You

[hermannsthumb]

Could you please write #43 grandparents/neighbors one?

43. we’re having our family meal at my grandparents’ house this year so fingers crossed your parents still live next door and you grew up to be even hotter

from winter writing prompts here

oh god this one got so long. sorry everyone! thank you to @k-sci-janitor for the alien bit because it was so fucking funny

------------

Holidays have gotten a little weird to manage since Newt transformed into a fully-fledged adult with an apartment and a job and stuff, so while he hasn’t made it to the big Geiszler celebration in Germany every December since starting college out of elementary school, he still tries to make a point of dropping by his dad’s for dinner and a movie or something to fill his holiday quota. It’s fine by him; he loves his family, but they’re definitely overwhelming, and trying to submit final grades and work on syllabuses for the next semester all while distant relatives ruffle his hair and ask him when he’s going to hit his growth spurt is not his idea of a relaxing time. It’s a constant point of contention between him and his dad. This year more than most, apparently.

“Your grandmother misses you!” he tells Newt sadly over their Chinese takeout. “She calls me every week to ask how you are, and why you never visit with them. Every week.” He waves a fork at Newt. “You’re breaking her heart.”

“I’m in the lab, like, twenty-four-seven, dad,” Newt sighs. It’s a well-rehearsed conversation at this point, but it doesn’t get any less tiresome. Especially because he knows his dad is lying about the phone call thing—Newt is a great grandson and texts his grandmother plenty, thank you very much, he would know if he was breaking her heart. “I’m working straight through winter break this year. Seriously.”

“That’s what you did last year,” Newt’s dad says. “And the year before that…” Newt turns the volume up on the TV to cut his dad off before he can segue into the next part of his argument, which is (usually) that Newt needs to work on his personal life, maybe settle down, produce some grandkids of his own. Or at least adopt a cat. Also well-rehearsed.

He’s not sure why he says what he does next—maybe in a desperate attempt to distract his dad further. Maybe because of the sudden onslaught of childhood memories the mention of his grandparents’ house brought on. “Hey, do you remember that boy who used to live next door to grandma?” he says. “He had the weird haircut and always dressed kind of funny?” Old-fashioned, and a little too formal for the sort of things that little kids tend to do, climbing trees or playing in the mud—sweatervests and polished loafers and starched-white knee-highs.

Newt’s dad blinks at him. Newt half expects him to declare that Newt is nuts, and that he has no idea what he’s talking about, like this is one of those horror stories where the childhood friend turns out to be some ghost who died fifty years prior. The clothing would match up, he guesses. But he smiles in recognition a moment later. “You mean the Gottlieb boy?” he says.

“Gottlieb,” Newt echoes. It sounds familiar enough. “Hermann, I think. When I’d stay with grandma for the summer we would play together every day. I wonder what he’s doing now.” Hermann was a smart guy, a real geek like Newt; he used to carry a graphing calculator around in his pocket and build the most goddamn pristine model spacecrafts Newt had ever seen. Hermann’s dad shipped him off to a prestigious boarding school the last summer Newt spent there, when they were around twelve or so. Newt started at MIT not long after. “Dude’s probably designing rocket ships by now or something.”

“You could ask him yourself if you came with me,” Newt’s dad laughs. “The Gottliebs never moved away, and their children actually visit. I’m sure your Hermann visits, too.”

“Ha,” Newt says. “Yeah.”

It’s snowing by the time Newt and his dad finish their movie, and Newt (fearing his dad’s driving even in ideal conditions) declines the offer of a lift home to trudge his way through it to his T stop instead. It’s nice to have the chance to be alone with his thoughts, anyway, because he can’t seem to get funny little Hermann Gottlieb out of his head. What is he doing now?

A quick Facebook search on the train produces a few Hermann Gottliebs, but none of them promising—none of them have the brown eyes or strangely angular face (devoid of any baby fat even that young) Newt remembers, none of them are from the right German countryside, none of them went to a preppy English boarding school. Google (utilizing the information Newt does have) is a little more rewarding, and by the time Newt presses the button to request his stop, he’s scrounged up a decent amount of info: Hermann Gottlieb has a doctorate in astrophysics, Hermann Gottlieb publishes papers at a slightly terrifying rate, and Hermann Gottlieb turned out kinda hot.

As Newt stares down at a slightly grainy current photograph of his old friend—haircut and clothing unchanged, a cane in hand, some round librarian glasses perched on the end of his nose, wide mouth twisted into a scowl—he suddenly recalls another thing about Hermann Gottlieb: the summer Hermann was sent away to boarding school was the summer that Hermann kissed Newt goodbye, shyly and tearfully, under the shade of the tall maple tree in his yard. It was the last time Newt ever saw Hermann. It was Newt’s first kiss.

“Oh, boy,” Newt says.

He texts his dad when he gets back to his apartment. When do we leave?

Newt feels like the belle of the fucking ball when he steps into his grandparents’ house a week later, snow dusting his shoulders, small suitcase clenched in his hand. His cheeks are kissed; his scarf and hat and leather jacket are brushed off and tossed onto a coat rack; his hair is in parts smoothed down (too messy!) and ruffled (too flat!); he’s hugged more times than he has been in the entire last year, probably. “Still playing around with bugs in the dirt, eh, Newt?” his grandfather booms, tucking Newt into the crook of his arm with enough force to knock Newt’s glasses off.

“Actually,” Newt squeaks, scrambling for both what he remembers of his very rusty German, and his glasses before they can hit the ground, “entomology isn’t really my main focus at—”

“Newt’s studying jellyfish now,” Newt’s dad declares proudly. “He went on a diving expedition this July.”

“Diving? How exciting,” Newt’s grandmother says.

“Yeah,” Newt says. He pushes his glasses back on. “Yeah, it was fascinating, I was lucky to get the funding for it. You wouldn’t believe the sorts of—”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Newt’s cousin says.

“My little Newt’s a daredevil!” Newt’s dad says.

“It’s not that dangerous,” Newt says. “As long as you’re—”

“What happened to that nice man your father said you were dating?” Newt’s grandfather says. “With the, the what was it, the poetry? The poet? We thought you’d bring him!”

Newt flushes. Trust his dad to talk up some random guy Newt dated in March like it was a long-term affair and not an elongated one-night stand that fizzled out after three weeks. Though maybe that one’s on Newt—it’s not like he mentioned the one-night stand part to his dad, after all. He definitely didn’t mention that the guy ended it with a poem, too. “We broke up,” he says, weakly. He wriggles out from the throng of the crowd. “Look, it’s so great seeing you all, but I’m actually, like, really tired, soooooo…?”

“Oh, of course you are,” Newt’s grandmother says. She pats his head. “What a long flight you must have had! We’ll send someone up for you for dinner—you can have your old guest room.”

“Cool,” Newt says.

He scurries up the stairs.

The guest room he slept in during those summers is almost exactly the way he remembers it, but a little dustier—the floral quilt on the bed, his grandma’s sewing table crammed into the corner, the bookcase stocked with a weird combination of kid’s books and illustrated encyclopedias that Newt used to pore over for hours as a kid, often with Hermann. Newt draws back the embroidered curtains and peers out the window at the Gottliebs’ snow-capped house next door. Hermann’s window was directly across from his. It still is, technically, though the curtains (these navy blue and embroidered with little constellations) are pulled tight, and Newt has a feeling that Hermann hasn’t set foot in his old room in well over a decade. Two decades, probably.

He remembers the one summer he showed Hermann how to make a soup can telephone, and they managed to string it all the way across between their windows before discovering it kinda didn’t work as well as Newt said it would. He remembers when Hermann’s dad banned him from the Gottlieb house for tracking water all over their front hallway after he and Hermann went wading in the creek, but it was really Hermann who did it, because he forgot to take his shoes off and they got soaked, and Newt just took the fall for it so Hermann wouldn’t get in trouble. And when Hermann asked Newt to play astronaut with him, and Newt insisted on being an alien and mimed the chestburster scene from Alien, and Hermann freaked out so bad he fell in a mud puddle and got grounded for ruining his clothing, and Newt got grounded for that and for watching Alien when he wasn’t supposed to, and they spent the following few days staring sadly out across at each other before Newt’s grandma finally got tired of his moping and sent him to work weeding the garden. He remembers knotting a little friendship bracelet for Hermann out of embroidery thread he found in his grandmother’s sewing basket and Hermann vowing to keep it until he died.

Newt’s half of the soup can phone is still on the windowsill, though the string snapped and crumbled apart years ago. He picks at the peeling Chicken Noodle label, so distracted that he almost doesn’t notice the light suddenly seeping through at the edges of Hermann’s curtains, or the way they’re pushed open—almost.

Hermann—real, live, adult Hermann, botched haircut and round glasses and all—stares out at Newt with a shocked expression on his face. Newt drops the can with a clatter.

Then he waves.

“Hey, Grandma?” Newt says, poking his head into the kitchen. Tonight’s dinner is a massive pot of soup boiling away on the stovetop, dessert a mountain of cookies and tiny pastries on serving platters on the counters. Newt hasn’t had food that looked this good since he moved out, to be honest. The intersection of Newt’s sad lack of cooking skills and his attempts at vegetarianism means he eats a lot of boxed mac-and-cheese and frozen Vegetable Lovers’ pizzas. “Are you—?"

“Oh, Newt!” Newt’s grandmother says. She sets down her wooden spoon. “Are you feeling rested, then?”

“Yeah,” Newt says. “Grandma, I was wondering, could I—uh—maybe run some food over to the Gottliebs? To be…neighborly? We just have so much, and—”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Newt’s grandmother says. “They keep to themselves, mostly, but I can’t imagine they’d turn it down. You might even see your little friend again! What was his name? You were so fond of him.”

“Hermann,” Newt says, quickly shoving cookies into a red-lid plastic container. “Thanks, Grandma.”

He tucks the tupperware under his arm and nearly wipes out on the icy front path he runs to the Gottliebs’ so fast. Before he can so much as catch his breath and knock, their door swings open; Hermann, dressed in a tacky Hannukah sweater, arches an eyebrow at him. “I saw you sprint over here like a bloody madman,” he says, in blessed English. He must’ve remembered how shitty Newt’s German was when they were kids. “Hello, Newton. What’s so terribly important?”

His voice got deeper—expected—and he swapped out his German accent for an English one somewhere along the way. Probably at his stuffy boarding school. He also got taller—he’s got a few inches on Newt now, but Newt admits that’s not exactly hard. God, he’s even hotter in person. “Uh,” Newt says. Why is he here? Oh, right. He thrusts out the tupperware. “I brought some cookies over for you?”

Hermann peers down at the offering over his glasses. His forehead wrinkles. “How considerate,” he says. He pulls an olive-green parka on and steps out onto the porch, tugging the door shut behind him. He taps at a peeling porch swing with the end of his cane. “Just leave them there. Would you like to take a walk?”

It’s freezing, and snowing, but for some reason, a walk sounds like the best idea in the world right now. “Yes, please,” Newt says, and chucks the cookies onto the swing.

“I must say,” Hermann says, after their meandering walk around the Gottliebs’ yard takes them to the old maple tree. The branches are bare, but thick, and shield them from most of the falling snow. Hermann’s breath puffs out white in front of his angular face. The last time I stood here, Newt thinks, he kissed me. “I really did not expect to see you.”

“I didn’t expect to see you, either,” Newt admits. “From what I remember, you and your family weren’t—uh—well, very close. I didn’t think you’d be coming back to share in the holiday cheer with them, is what I mean.”

The corner of Hermann’s mouth twitches up. “That’s certainly one way of describing it. Yes, I suppose you’re right—my father is a bit of a bastard, isn’t he?” Newt laughs awkwardly, unsure whether to agree or attempt to weakly the defend a guy who openly hated him for being a bad influence on Hermann most of his childhood; he’s grateful when Hermann continues and saves him the choice. “This is the first year I’ve come home in a long while. My brother’s just had a daughter, you see, and I thought I should start getting used to playing uncle.”

“Oh, congrats,” Newt says. Hermann shrugs, and Newt has the distinct feeling that this is Hermann’s older brother, who used to dissemble Hermann’s telescope and hide the pieces around the house when Hermann annoyed him, and tattled on Newt and Hermann to Hermann’s parents the one time Newt snuck in to see Hermann after he got banned. He always made Newt thankful that he was an only child. “Same here, actually. Not the uncle thing—I mean I haven’t visited since I was in college. Too busy.”

“I know,” Hermann says, and then adds teasingly (in a way that makes color flood Newt’s cheeks and his heart beat just a little faster), “I’ve looked you up online. Er—quite a bit recently, in fact. I was curious. You’ve made quite the name for yourself, haven’t you, Dr. Geiszler?”

“I,” Newt squeaks, and then coughs. “I mean, I guess? I like…science.”

“I oughtn’t be surprised,” Hermann says. “You were always giving me bugs, and salamanders, and funny little frogs—”

Newt liked bugs, and salamanders, and frogs, but he liked Hermann more, and the gifts had a lot more to do with the latter than the former, because what kid wouldn’t want bugs or salamanders or frogs, right? Not that Hermann ever appreciated them—especially not the worms Newt would pluck from the sidewalks after rainstorms. He thinks he got grounded for that one, too, because his grandma wouldn’t believe that he really wasn’t trying to terrorize the poor Gottlieb boy. “And what about you?” Newt says. He pokes his elbow into Hermann’s side. “Dr. Gottlieb? Guess those model rockets paid off.”

(“No, Newton,” Hermann would snap at him on the rare occasions he would allow Newt to watch him piece one together, “the glue hasn’t dried yet. You have to be patient, or else it’ll fall apart.”)

“Not yet,” Hermann says, “but I hope soon.”

Hermann smiles at him. A snowflake catches in his eyelashes—his long, pretty, dark eyelashes. “Do you remember when you kissed me here?” Newt blurts out.

“It’s hardly the sort of thing I’d forget,” Hermann says. He reaches out and tucks a piece of Newt’s hair up into his hat. “I like your tattoos—I saw the photographs on your social media accounts. They suit you.” Newt wonders if this means Hermann saw the shirtless selfie he posted on Instagram. “I’m also pleased to see you’ve gotten your braces removed. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience last time.”

Then he leans in and kisses Newt. Again, technically. It’s so light and brief Newt hardly believes it even happened. Their glasses clack together, and when Hermann pulls away, he straightens out Newt’s.

“I confess,” Hermann says, “that I’m wholly pleased to see how you’ve turned out. I hope that wasn’t too forward of me. I’ve been thinking about doing it all night.”

“Jeez, dude,” Newt says, blinking at him, his head swimming just a little. Hermann looks smug. “Not, uh, not too forward. So. Uh. You wanna get dinner or something this week and catch up?”

Hermann snorts, and nods.

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #Anonymous

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 22 - Soba restaurant Hosojimaya.

J: Um, its a programme edition of The Freedom of Expression, right here?

K: Yes, we're finally on location, kinda.

J: We're finally on location. So this place has been recommend on local area tv shows before. I'd like us to pay a visit to that restaurant.

K: Not that one!?

J: The one and only..you can see the sign. I can't say that I come here every week, but I come at least twice a month. I've lived nearby here for 15 years, so I must have come here about 150 times.

K: You really have been coming here, havn't you?

J: I have. Can you see the sign? It says 'Soba restaurant Hosojimaya'. Today we will try out the legendary Hosojimaya. *clapping* Thank you. *Kaoru gets some hand sanitizer* Oh, please do that, please do that. Ok, Kaoru, can you go in first.

T: The door says 'hand operated'.

J: So, what do you think after getting inside? It really has the atmosphere of a soba restaurant, doesn't it? Ah, here's the menu. Well, its a soba restaurant, so of course it has many types of delicious soba noodles, but the thing I always order is on the in-house special menu. Here it is, Half curry with chinese style soba noodles. Its a small size curry rice with, well, we would call it ramen. Once you try this, you won't be able to stop..its so...Can you smell that good smell?

K: Yeah, I can.

J: Well, we can't convey the smell to the viewers...I mean, everything on the menu is delicious, but I generally go for this.

*sitting down at table*

What shall we do, shall we go for Half curry with chinese style soba noodles?

K: Yes, I will.

J: Will you? Shall we talk about stuff while eating it?

T: Because I revere Fujii sensei so much, I'd like to try the Katsu curry with raw onion that Fujii sensei ate, if they can do it.

J: Oh, you're gonna go for that? So shall we order? Im certainly going for Half curry/chinese soba. Won't you feel like eating it when you see it?

T:...

K: Hahaha

T: Ahh, what should I do?! I can only look forward to that. Thats all I can do.

J: You can only look forward to it? Well, actually, the operating hours for this place are already over for today, but I asked especially for them to open for us.

T: Ah, thank you so much.

J: Ok, well..Excuse me, can we order please.

T: Please.

J: *Gesturing to himself and Kaoru* Us two will have Half curry/Chinese soba. And, sorry, but one of us would like to have something different...*gestures to Tasai*

T: Can you do the Katsu curry with raw onion that Fujii sensei ate? You can?! Thank you! I'm so happy.

J: *To staff* How long has this place been operating? *To K, T* He's the third generation.

Staff: Probably 43 years.

J: 43 years?

T: Do you really come here, Joe?

J: *To staff* No, no, I do come here a lot, don't I!?

Staff: Yeh, he's been coming here since before I started to work here.

J: See!

T: You weren't lying!

J: I wasn't!

K: If you were lying to would be pretty risky to take it this far.

J: It would be! Like I said on this show before, this place is near the Shogi Hall, and a lot of Shogi players come here, but thats not the reason I first came here. I can't really remember why. I mean, I live near here...but, even if you just look at it from outside, it looks nice doesn't it? You can't lose with this type of place. Well, today, if you eat this and don't find it delicious, I will shave my head!

T: Really?!

J: Haha, not really, I just wanted to see your reaction. I saw a sparkle in Kaoru's eyes. Well, if anyone comes here and asks for half curry/chinese soba which Joe Yokomizu recommends, just be aware that it does sometimes sell out. What time does the restaurant stay open till? Lunch time is until about 2:00 or 2:30. And then in the evening they open from about 17:00..but it does sell out quite quickly, so rather than getting here just before closing time, do try to come with a bit of time to spare. The fact that its far from the station is perhaps what makes it seem like a gourmet place. Its not like a so-called famous restaurant in front of the train station.

T: I see

J: Restaurants in front of the station get a lot of chance customers, its less about the taste, and more about the convenience. Like, the food comes out quickly and stuff. Thats a possiblity with that type of place, but a restaurant thats far from the station has to get more local customers, and a lot of repeat customers, so if the food doesn't taste good they won't be able to....I'm talking a lot today, aren't I?

K: You are. But, if you didn't talk...

J: Yeh, Im the only one who's talking. But after you eat, we'll get your reactions. I'll keep trying until then. Well, today we are gonna have the half curry, but here in Sendagaya - Jingu mae, it is said to be a curry battleground. There are a lot of delicious curry restaurants. But Hosojimaya's curry is a soba restaurant's curry, so its less spicy than some of the others, but its delicious. *To Kaoru* Do you like curry?

K: Yes..I grew mold in it once before though.

T: Oh, yeh.

J: Ah, you said, that legendary curry. Um, Hosojimaya's curry has a bit of meat in it, but not big pieces, just enough that you can pair it with either noodles or fried culet, and it won't get in the way. Ahh, my mouth is starting to water.

K: Haha.

J: Actually, because we're on location today, I've not eaten since last night.

T: Me too.

K: Yeh, I was told to come hungry too.

J: Ahh, this is great.

T: Its a gourmet report. *1

K: Its the first time I've done this.

J: Dir en grey doing gourmet reports doesn't  usually happen, right.

K: It doesn't. Its the first time for me.

T: So this is gonna be quite rare footage.

J: Yes! You know, doing food reports is surprisingly difficult.

K: Really?

J: You always end up saying 'Yummy!'

K: *laughing* I don't know if I'll say that.

J: Ah, the food is here!

K: That was quick.

J: Kaoru, yours first. What do you think?

K: Wow, looks great! You can tell just by looking at it.

J: Right?! Its a winner.

T: Amazing

J: Half curry/Chinese soba is here.

K: I'll start with the soup.

T: Ahh, looks so good.

J: How is it? I love this so much. Its here! Look at these soba!

K: Ahh, your curry is here!

T: This is man's food!

J: I'll get katsu curry later. Oh, Kaoru! You started eating?

T: Fujii sensei ate this?

J: He did...Yummy...Yummy. How is it?

K: Mmm, delicious.

J: This must be tough for people watching, thier mouths will be watering. This has a lot of extras in it, ???*2, also pork, it has tonnes. How is the Katsu curry?

T: Delicious.

J: I bet it is. Fujii sensei...

T: The portion is big.

J: Yeah.

T: When I eat this and think of the shogi players, its kinda moving.

K: Shogi players won't be able to concentrate*3 if they are hungry.

J: Right. Ah, Kaoru tried the curry!

K: Ah!

J: He said 'Ah'. How is it?

K: Delicious.

J: We can see that, haha. At our age, we don't often eat carbs with carbs, do we?

K: Right.

J: So this is a good chance, if you come here.

This curry is still really nice even after its cooled down...

.....Look, Camerman, Kaoru has finished. That was quick! He's faster than me. Kaoru is finished!

K: I enjoyed that, thank you.

J: A word from you Kaoru, now that you've finished?

K: Yummy.

J, T: Hahaha.

J: You said it!

T: We got there in the end.

J: If we use other peoples' catchphrases too much, ????. That was simple.

J: ???

T: He's good at pretending *4

J: Scary! Ahhhh, that was delicious!

K: Yeah, but..

J: Ahh, the soup?

K: Yeh, the soup, and the onions, I want to rake them up all into one spoon.

J: Hahaha...So, that was Hosojimaya. Look, here's the menu, there are a lot more things on the menu.

K: Its difficult to know what to choose.

J: By the way, the Katsu curry is 980yen. And the Half curry/chinese noodles that we had is 1250yen. Opening hours on Sat are till 2:30pm. Its closed on Modays and public holidays.  From 3:00pm to 5:30pm its closed for preparations. Open from 5:30pm onwards. The address is Shibuya ward, Sendagaya, 2-29-8, Hosojimaya. Tel: [phone]

T: Joe, you don't need to go that far.

J: No, just in case people want to contact. Well you can find the details on Tabelog.

T: Kaoru, would you like to say a final word?

K: Gochisousamadeshita/I enjoyed this meal. Im blissfully full. If you are nearby, please come here to try it out, and say Joe recommended it, right?

J: Yes.

K: Gochisousamadeshita.

J: Gochisousamadeshita.

T: Gochisousamadeshita. It was yummy!

J: Yummy!

*1, 3 Couldn't clearly hear, but I think thats the gist.

* 2 Couldn't catch, some ramen ingredient. 

*4 This exchange I couldn't make out explicitly, but they are talking about the phase 'まいう~\maiuuu', which is a phrase used by TV comedy personality Ishizuka Hidehiko when he does gourmet reports, and is a play on the word 'umai/delicious'. Also, how to translate that? Yummy?

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #tfoe #kaoru #薫

[missguomeiyun]

Homecooking [May ed]

Be proud of me :P  I cooked more this month haha

I also did some night shifts. .. & lived thru over a week of really poor air quality. I shouldn’t be complaining, considering ppl have lost homes, businesses, & community facilities/shops but it was just so bad. It’s bad for me, so I could only imagine what it’s like for ppl with respiratory or heart problems. Every yr there are wildfires here but I read somewhere that this is the 1st time AB beat BC in ‘starting’ of wildfires. Like our Albertan wildfires aren’t supposed to start yet but we had a few days where temperature was 10degrees above average, plus the winds. .. Yikes!!

^ that’s the sun at 0815h o_O !!!!

Now that short track season, primarily the World Championships ended. .. the sports event I was looking to was the Sudirman Cup for badminton. It’s held every 2 yrs & this yr, the venue is was in Suzhou - China’s 1st international badminton event in over 3 yrs! Can’t say much about the venue bcos I only see the inside & it’s focussed on a court lol but BWF inserts travel-themed clips in the opening of every live so I got to see some of the views in Suzhou. I’ve actually been there! Anyway, what a wild ride!!! I won’t give spoilers but the CHN vs JPN semi-finals. .. YOU NEED TO WATCH IT! At least the highlights. So much drama!! The finals... I was a little disappointed. I thought KOR vs CHN would be a tight battle but . ..

Alrighty, let’s get to the food~

Random flour noodle with choy sum & egg.

The same package of noodle with choy sum & Busan fish cake.

lol you can tell these were my post-night shift meal... I tend to go for simpler stuff, & in smaller portions bcos I eat 6 times when I’m working nights...

Air fryer egg plant. You may think it’s weird.. . but I really like it.

Fettuccine with tomato + vegetarian sausage

Udon with capa cabbage & grey squash. Another one of those night shift stretch meals.

Mom’s air fryer chicken

vs .. my air fryer chicken

*she added Chinese soy sauce to it for a better colour hence why it’s so dark

There were not as good I thought. It’s gotta be the plain Costco fries :P

Thick rice noodles + egg + cucumber, seasoned with Korean tartar sauce & fish sauce (the green cap squid one). This is probably the most randomest thing I ‘put together’ this month haha! Usually the thin vermicelli noodles are used but I used the thick soup kind of rice noodles. Then the combo of tartar sauce + fish sauce... But trust me, it was good!

Using the raclette grill for the 1st time this year

Air fryer ribs with a hamburger bun

A closer look. I used the Montreal steak spice with some extra fresh ground black pepper. Yum~

Sujebi with baby bokchoy, seaweed, white beech mushrooms, & an egg~

Udon with napa cabbage, carrot thins & egg.

May book #1: The Obsession. It was quite an easy read (recommended to me via Chapters recommendation based on my purchase history lol). I didn’t think it was ‘thrilling’ enough for be called a thriller but that’s bcos this is a YA fiction novel so the intended audience is YA. The storyline itself was well thought out but was predictable. I thought the ending was a bit rushed. Read it for relaxation~ I rate it 7.8/10~

May novel #2: Just Haven’t Met You Yet. A rom-com that could easily be made into a movie or drama. I thought the main girl was a pathetic - the type that “I don’t know what I want; my life has been a lie”. You know, the aimless, not driven type of lead that you can’t relate to. Or maybe you can *shrugs* I bought it bcos it begins with “suitcase switch-up” & I thought, “ooooh totally K-drama plot”. I enjoyed it overall; with some slow moments. I really like the main girl’s boss. 8.0/10 (lower than expected)

May novel #3: the Eighth Girl. What a fantastic debut novel by this author~  this novel was very thrilling & dark. It’s about a girl with DID & she goes through things.. . The plot itself is simple to understand but I love twists & novels that make me think. This was one of those. It’s better to start reading without reading up on it so I will leave it here!

K ttyl!!

#food #homemade #homecooking #healthy #dinner #lunch #noodles #fries #air fryer #novels #reading goal

[densi-mber]

TLC

A/N: For today’s prompt. Takes place shortly after Deeks returns in season 5. This one’s a bit angsty and explores some possible PTSD symptoms.

***

“Hey, what do you want for lunch?” Kensi asked, holding her phone up as she waited for Deeks’ reply. “Callen is going to that new deli.”

Deeks didn’t respond and after a minute she glanced up, frowning when she realized he was still bent over his desk, face obscured by his hair.

“Deeks!” He looked up slowly, his expression slightly confused, and a little vacant.

“What?” he said finally. His voice sounded rough, like he hadn’t spoken in a while. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard him talking as much as he normally would. In fact, Sam and Callen had an in-depth discussion about which of them would win in a triathlon and Deeks barely contributed.

“Lunch,” she repeated. “What do you want?”

“Oh, I’m not really hungry.” He scratched at his beard, making a face and looked back down at his work.

“You sure?”

“Yup.” He started typing again, effectively ending the conversation, but Kensi watched him for a few more minutes. He looked thinner than usual Kensi realized and tried to remember if she’d seen him eat lunch at all this week.

Maybe she’d grab him a sandwich anyways.

***

Kensi tried not to let it bother her. Deeks wasn’t hungry, it wasn’t the end of the world. It was his first week back from the most horrific time of his life and his behavior wasn’t going to be completely normal.

Still, she found herself watching him for the rest of the day. He’d refused the extra sandwich she’d got him, even seeming a little annoyed that she was bothering him. On top of that, he was definitely withdrawn, quieter than normal. It was like something had been dimmed inside him, she realized.

Sighing, Kensi tossed her pen down, giving up on the paperwork she was supposed to turn in by tomorrow. It was after 8 and she and Deeks were the only ones still there. He seemed almost oblivious to her presence which gave her plenty of time to observe him.

She couldn’t remember the last time he’d talked about surfing or Monty’s latest shenanigans at the dog park. It terrified her; not just because it felt like she was losing her best friend, but also because she’d seen this before.

With Jack. He’d started out the same way. In their last few months together barely talked some days, unless it was to argue. She hadn’t been able to do anything to help Jack, but she could certainly make sure the same thing didn’t happen to Deeks.

She started to say something to him, but held back, knowing he’d just brush her off or change the subject. Her stomach growled and she remembered that she hadn’t eaten since lunch. She glanced at him one more time, but he still seemed completely preoccupied and didn’t look up once as she grabbed her bag and quietly left the room.

“Who’s the best partner ever?” Kensi sang about 20 minutes later, waving a foam container under Deeks’ nose. He grimaced, leaning back a little with a vaguely confused face.

“Is that chicken soup?” he asked, sniffing. The shadows under his eyes were visible even in the less than stellar lighting, but she smiled like everything was fine.

“Yup. Your favorite kind, with extra noodles.” She pried the lid off and set it in front of Deeks along with a plastic spoon. He stared at it for a moment, then shook his head.

“I’m not really that hungry.”

“Yeah, that’s what you said earlier and I’m not buying it, so drink up,” she urged him. Deeks crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

“Kensi, I’m-“

“Deeks, when’s the last time you ate?” she interrupted. He looked stumped by her question, scratching at his beard again and then reaching for his hair. He ruffled it a couple times, shrugging.

“I don’t know, this morning I guess.” It came out sounding more like a question, which did not reassure her at all. She pushed back the memory of Jack not eating for days at a time.

“Well, you should eat this now before it gets cold and gross.” He nudged the spoon with his pinky finger, but didn’t move to actually pick it up.

“You know, I’m not going to wither away or something,” he told her, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Kensi realized she been staring at him again, only now he was well aware of her presence.

“No,” she agreed. “But it’s not good for you to skip meals. You-“ she paused and sighed, rubbing her palms against her thighs. “You need to eat.”

Deeks looked like he might argue some more, but then the fight went out of him. He grabbed the spoon, scooping up a noodle and chicken heavy bite of soup.

“Are you going to watch me? Cause that would be kind of creepy.”

“No, I’m going to eat with you.” Kensi pulled a second, larger container from her bag, sighing as she pulled off the lid and sat down across from Deeks. He chuckled as she ate three bites in quick succession and tossed him a packet of crackers without looking. From the sound of it, he’d caught them.

“You’re going to spoil me,” he said a couple minutes later. Kensi was satisfied to see he was eating, if at an admittedly much slower rate than her. “First Chinese and now soup.”

“Don’t forget the cronut,” Kensi added around her spoon, a little surprised he’d brought up that night.

“Oh, I will never forget the cronut of love.” She snorted, nearly inhaling soup, and he handed her a napkin.

“Please tell me that you didn’t eat it.”

“Of course not. I’m having it lacquered so I can keep it by my bed for eternity,” Deeks said, grinning for the first time all day. It was nice to see.

“You are so weird,” Kensi said and if her voice was a little more fond than normal, neither of them mentioned it.

They ate in silence for a couple minutes until Deeks started to slow down, his bucket about half empty. He fiddled with his spoon, aimlessly stirring around bits of carrot and onion. His eyes flicked up to meet hers for a moment before he looked back down at the mini tsunami revolving in his soup cup.

“I’ll be ok. You know that, right?” Kensi stalled, eating another bite before she answered. He certainly looked more alert and marginally happier than half an hour ago.

“Yeah, of course you will.” She just hoped she wasn’t lying to both of them.

#densimber 2020 #densimber 4.0 #densi #marty deeks #kensi blye #angst #densimber day 18 #ncis la fanfiction #by ejzah

[drjackandmissjo]

it’s nice to have a friend

previous chapter --- chapter 7 --- next chapter

feysand masterlist

“Call my bluff, Call you ‘babe’“

It had been a fairly long day for Feyre. She had to organise a new collection for her gallery, dealing with things like catering for the event and security and insurances on the pieces that had to be exposed. Her assistant Ressina was searching for two more artworks, since two of her own paintings that she was supposed to showcase had been just bought.

The website Azriel had built for her gallery had been a complete success since the opening day, through it Feyre had managed to sell almost all of her creations and many of those that she presented through the gallery itself, reaching the proper audience even outside of Prythian. Paying for international shipping was her new most hated activity, but she couldn't complain.

In the few years since she had graduated and started business for herself, she had made a name for herself. Her junior and last year of university had given her the opportunity to internship in one of the best art museums in Velaris, where she learnt the importance of good displays and how to haggle the right price for each piece. During that time she mostly painted for commissions, which she continued to take now, five years later, with the only difference being that now a 'Feyre A.N.' costed much more than in her early days. Even those she created freely, out of her own heart's desires, were being sold at fairly high prices with a surprisingly high rate.

So now she had to look and scout for new artists to display, considering the current shortage of her own artworks. It all brought a whole new sense of responsibility to Feyre and a whole lot of paperwork she wasn't particularly fond of. She was everyday grateful of her choice of hiring an assistant, even if at the beginning she was a bit sceptical.

Thankfully, Velaris was the best place in the entire world to be an artist, a safe haven: the city had an entire neighborhood, the Rainbow, fully inhabited by writers and sculptors and poets and painters, with several theatres and galleries and museums. Feyre had chosen to open shop there, in one of the main streets and it had been a glorious success since the inauguration. The artists that made the community had welcomed her warmly and with open arms, helping her get on her own feet at the start with their support, and now she was repaying them in kind, offering opportunities to anyone who might need them.

Her originally rented space now fully belonged to her, having been bought two years after the opening with the money her hard work brought. She had fallen in love with the locale in an heartbeat, as she walked the Rainbow hand in hand with her boyfriend as he helped her carry back to her place bags full of paint and canvases. Feyre had stopped dead in her tracks, as if called by it, declaring it the perfect spot. Rhys had laughed at her and kissed the top of her head, telling her how she should take the number of the owner and contact them to see if she could rent. Being fresh out of college meant she didn't have enough funds to do more, but one day, Rhys had said, it could've been hers.

The old lady who owned the space had been ecstatic with her call and heard her ideas with interest. The rent was decent, given the great metrage and locations, but the place was new and needed little to no modifications, and thus 'Starfall ' gallery was born.

When her clock chimed, telling her the time, she slowly rose from her chair, stretching her sore back. The new tattoo she had gotten three weeks prior on her spine still hadn't healed fully, causing her some wincing that her husband was constantly worried of. The long piece was a masterpiece on its own, the longline depicting the different lunar phases she had drawn herself.

Deciding to call it a day, she gathered her stuff and closed the lights, locking the door on her way out. Despite it being mid-October, the weather was still pleasantly warm even during the evening, and Feyre enjoyed walking alongside of the Sidra quietly as the wind quietly messed her hair. She and Rhys had bought a townhouse on the other side of the river before their wedding, close enough to be able to walk to their respective workplaces, she to the Rainbow while he went back to the university, teaching English poetry and drama, as he had chosen that specific minor on his senior year.

Although they had a similar commute, the different paths had Rhys always beat her to the rush home and he started usually dinner, as she was downright cursed with her cooking inhabilities. Even helping in the kitchen was something she did carefully, her and her husband both weary of the outcomes. The only thing she could do safely from 'scratch' was to heat up soup.

A wicked plan began to outline itself in her mind. It had been awhile since she had humoured her husband, both too focused on their respective works. She moved in the upstair bedroom they shared, removing her proper attire to slip into a severely more comfortable pair of leggings and a worn out t-shirt, covered in blue paint of every shade. " This is gonna be fun" she thought, delighted in the possible turn of events as she rang up his favourite Chinese restaurant to order take-out to be delivered.

And then she set to 'work'.

***

As soon as she felt the front door open, Feyre moved swiftly to rotate the timer on the oven and made it set off immediately. She knew Rhys had heard the little series of noises that signaled the end of a cooking process. He usually would discard his keys on the small table that decorated their tiny foyer as soon as the door closed behind him, but this time he was stalling.

Probably debating whether to retreat back outside in case the kitchen exploded or not.

The problem wasn't that she was a bad cook perse. Feyre never had much time playing around the stove growing up, thankfully for them Elain was the chef of the household. She had learnt the basics, how to boil water for instant cheap ramen noodles and how to heat up frozen pre-cooked stuff in the microwave of the communal kitchen of her dorm on her first month in Velaris, with Alis patiently telling her what to do to survive in case there was an emergency. During the years she had tried a little more, once she moved with Amren and Mor and had a kitchen at her disposal without limitations.

Her first attempt at scrambling eggs for breakfast set the fire alarm off and she had to explain to an exasperated fireman that the house wasn't on fire. That earned her a wary look from her roommates, but considering that neither of them had any luck with cooking, no one spoke of it for the following week.

Her second one brought a weird texture of a pasture looking like brown instead of the expected yellow, completely stuck at the bottom of the pan. Not burnt, simply attached there and impossible to remove. She then went to buy a new set, throwing the mystery pan immediately in the trash.

Cassin was with her for her third trial, to guide her into the mystical art he had mastered, and made her solemnly swear to never, ever , again touch a kitchen utensil if not with the sole purpose to eat with it, and even then he had some serious doubts about letting her anywhere near anything inside a kitchen. She wasn't allowed to be there unsupervised, he had said, scared shitless.

So the problem wasn't inside her cooking abilities, since she made the best sandwiches out of anyone in the Inner Circle, but rather her rotten luck an inability not to burn anything that involved heat or patience to be made.

A smile appeared on Feyre's lips as she suppressed a series of giggles that were threatening to rise up, imagining the face her husband was surely making. The sounds from the foyer told her two things: the door had been closed and remained unlocked, ready to aid in their escape from a fire that Rhysand thought undoubtedly might happen any minute, and her husband was taking his time through his routine, as if a minimal change in the air might've triggered the self destruction of their home.

"Darling?" he called for her as he made his way through the open space of the living room to reach for the kitchen, cautiously stopping before properly entering the room and setting off something.

Feyre immediately turned around, her light brown hair neatly folded in a messy bun swinging to the side and promptly losing some strands that fell into her face. She found him leaning against the doorframe, seemingly relaxed were it not for the fact he was hiding his hands inside the pockets of his black pants. Her genuine smile seemed to ease his stance and Rhys took the opportunity to move towards her. She turned back at the task at hand as he walked past the island, using her knife to cut an apple into tiny slices. His arms came to encircle her, effectively pinning her against the counter, and she leaned back, resting her head on his chest.

"How was work today?" she asked, warmth radiating through her as he bent down to place a soft kiss to the top of her head. For someone who thought the stove might explode at any minute, he was incredibly calm with the whole ordeal.

"The usual" he shrugged "some kid had the audacity to groan when I told them we would soon start with Shakespeare's Sonnets!"

One of the many things she utterly loved about him was how passionate he was for his job, for the curriculum he got to teach each class. Overall, his favourite subject was Shakespeare, on whom he did his dissertation which got him the place at the University. He still kept on writing, publishing mostly the new researches his department did, and he worked with all his heart.

Feyre shook her head slightly, "Kids this day have no respect." Then, in afterthought, she added "Are you going to downplay the whole homoerotic full blown text like our old prof did?"

"Are you crazy? That's the best part!" His grip tightened around her as she set the knife down, wiping her hands on a nearby handchendief. "I'm thinking about letting those freshmans do their winter final paper on who they actually thought Good Ol' Willy was shagging."

"Professor Carver might object." she said, turning in his arms and now facing him, her back against the cold material of the counter.

"Who do you think I got the idea from? That man wants nothing more than to gossip, even if it's 500 years old stuff."

"Remember how he was somehow the first person outside our Inner Circle to know we were dating when we came back?" They both laughed at the memory, noses brushing softly as they were both content to remain there.

"How was your day?" he asked, his breath caressing her neck gently.

"Too much paperwork. But I sold that Springtime painting we both didn't like to probably the most horrible and rude woman ever."

The woman had truly been a demon: she had stormed in as if she owned the place, demanding attention. Ressina had been patient and listened to her raging nonsense as best as she could, but couldn't do much herself. Feyre then went into her aid: she had past experience dealing with bad customers from when she used to be a waitress in high school, yet this woman took the cake. lanthe Spring, as she had proudly introduced herself as if she was the most important person in the world, was looking for a present for her husband, she had told her while raising the most preposterous ring to ever been made. The green gems looked more like a torture device than a wedding ring, but Feyre didn't usually judge. After an entire hour looking at the catalogue, her eyes had set on one of the paintings Feyre had done way back in her freshman year. She had finally gotten the approval from the art department to sell the early works she had done during her period there and the majority had either already been sold or she had gifted to her family and friends. That was the last one to remain in Feyre's possession, probably the laziest work she had ever done: the colours well dull, the motif unclear; despite it showing a green and flowery scenery, it resembled much more a dead nature. She hadn't been in the best mindset when the work had come to life, her constant fights with Tamlin causing an artist block on all her works, yet the woman had been ecstatic, claiming it reminded her of her own husband.

Feyre didn't make the connection until she saw the checkbook, yet no feeling came to her, good nor bad. She would've liked to know his reaction at seeing her painting though, just to get some sick and twisted satisfaction at how she was thriving with only her 'hobby' . "But I got a nice cut from that, so dinner's on me!" she finished lightly, pulling herself from her daydream.

"I know exactly what you're doing, Feyre Darling." he hummed from her neck, as he drew his lips across the skin. Suddenly she was finding it hard to concentrate. "I have no idea of what you're talking about, Rhysand."

He pulled back abruptly, moving their bodies till she was now leaning against the empty and clean kitchen island. "Your attempt at scaring me almost worked, you know?" he whispered against her ear, moving to nibble at the soft flesh, "But next time make a little mess with some flour all around if you want to truly give me a heart attack."

"But you see," she started, trying to sort her foggy thoughts as the world narrowed to where his lips were against her neck once more, "I'd have to take you to the ER then and that's too much work, babe." She was breathless, sick of the attention her neck was getting. Hands plunged in his hair, positioning him flush against her as her lips claimed his, his own hands roaming freely under her T-shirt.

He suddenly pulled away slightly, eyes never leaving hers and not bothering to remove his hands from where they rested on her back, slowly working the clasps of her bra. "Not to mention you don't even know where to find most things that aren't downright edible without preparation in our pantry, am I correct?"

She brought him back down in an instant, "Arrogant prick" she murmured against his lips as she began to undo the button of his shirt, their hips moving in sync as their lips.

He hoisted her up on the island counter in one swift move as she took the shirt off of his shoulders, caressing the inky swirls of his traditional lilynian tattoo that adorned his upper torso. He immediately returned the favour, removing her tee and bra in one swipe, moving his attention fully to the newly exposed skin, biting and nipping there. Her grip on his hair became iron as his hands darthed southward, his own wedding band cold against her feverish skin as his mouth drew circles around her breast. He began to slowly slid off her leggings, never once removing his mouth from her, when the doorbell rang.

A string of colourful profanities that could've rivaled a sailor's entire vocabulary made its way out of Feyre's mouth as her husband merely laughed at their interrupted moment.

"I've ordered Chinese" was the only non-curse Feyre spoke as she jumped of the counter, grabbing her t-shirt to answer the door at least decent.

"I was indeed promised dinner" Rhys said, not bothering to cover himself as his wife paid for the food.

"I still got you there for a second, didn't l?" she asked, walking back to the kitchen carrying two bags.

Rhys kissed her cheek sweetly, "Always, my Darling."

#to the stars who queue #feysand #feyre x rhysand #feyre archeron #rhysand #feysand fanfiction #ao3 #ao3 link #alternate universe #college/university #post college/university #modern day #friends to lovers #taylor swift song #it's nice to have a friend #inthaf #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #pranking

[simsadventures]

After All: Chapter 12: Mission Calls

Summary: You go on another date with Bucky, but then he has to go on a mission.

Warnings: fluff, swearing, implied angst (just wait and see, you’ll understand) 

Word Count: 2650

A/N: I’m so happy you guys like this story so far. Hope you won’t stone me to death after this one. Love y’all.

Series Masterlist __ Masterlist

< Previous Chapter

To get up the next morning after a night full of laughter and relax was a challenge. Even more so when there was a heavy arm draped around your torso, making your body unbearably hot. You tried to shimmy away, to the colder part of the bed, but the arm stretched and pulled you back, even further to the warm body.

You huffed out and tried to get up, but the freaking arm gripped you and didn’t want to let go. “Stop moving so much, some of us are trying to sleep here.” Bucky mulled from behind you, his eyes still closed. “You’re too hot, Buck! Let me go!”

He chuckled slightly. “Too hot, huh? You make it sound like a bad thing. I’m glad I make your knees go weak when you see me,” he whispered and pulled you to his chiselled chest, “or when you feel me.” You could feel the stupid smirk on his face, and you just rolled your eyes. This earned you a pinch to the side, even though there was no way in hell that he saw you. “Ouch, what was that for, you human radiator?”

“I know when you roll your eyes at me, doll. I know you better than you think.”

“Good for you, now let me go. I need to pee and actually get ready for work, because some of us have actual working hours, and can’t sleep all day, every day.”

Your side got pinched again for that comment, and you just had to laugh. “I have to train like crazy to save your pretty ass from the end of the world every now and then.” He mumbled into your hair, and you let yourself close your eyes for a little while.

“You’re my hero!”

“Damn right, I am!”

Somehow you managed to make Bucky let you go, and when you were leaving for work, he was still comfortably tangled in your sheets, looking like a French painting, with his hair all over the pillows, his naked torso peeking underneath the snow-white sheets. You smiled for yourself seeing him like that and turned around to go and do your part in saving the world, even if it was only in the laboratory.

—-

Throughout the whole day, while trying to perfect Tony’s suit, you were thinking about making something nice for Bucky. You were well aware that for the past few weeks, it was always him trying to get your trust and friendship back, but that you didn’t do anything too nice for him. You knew that it was him betraying you in a sense, but because you spent so much time with him, and the trust was back, you wanted to show him that you could do sweet things for him as well.

He enjoyed exploring cuisines with you, and although the good ole’ American was his favourite, he was starting to feel himself some Mexican and Thai food as well. At first, you thought you’d treat him to a nice restaurant, but you knew that he would never let you pay for it, and it would be him doing nice things for you once again.

So you decided upon cooking for him, a bit of everything. The thought excited you, not only because you could try your cooking skills with something more than your classic cuisine made of pasta and rice, but because you knew Bucky would appreciate you trying. He was relatively easy to please, and you wanted to show him that you cared.

“What you’re thinking about, Y/N?” Tony said from behind you, working on a model himself. “Oh, nothing much, just what I’m gonna do tonight.” You were familiar with the fact that Tony and Bucky weren’t the best of friends, so you never brought your friendship with Bucky to Tony, because you knew he wouldn’t be too happy about it all.

“Let me guess, you’ll be doing something that starts with a B and ends with a Y?”

You blushed like crazy and shook your head. “You’re an ass, Stark! Me and Bucky, we’re just friends.”

He laughed out loud this time and looked at you pointedly. “Right, and I’m the Chinese God of Laughter! Please, spare me the bullshit. You do you, sweetheart, but at least admit it to yourself that he is more than a friend. Because I think you and I are friends, and I highly doubt that you’d let me sleep in your bed every night.”

It was not like you didn’t consider the slight chance that you and Bucky could be something more. And it was not like you didn’t find him attractive. But ever since you let him in step by step, you always thought about your relationship as friends only. But the more you thought about it, the more it occurred to you that you acted like a couple than a couple of friends.

You tried to figure out if there were any indications that Bucky was interested in you as well, and you had to smile at yourself. He was jealous at literally every man that stood too close to you, and when the guy at the entertainment park grabbed your arm, Bucky almost killed him.

“There you go! Not that I’m the biggest fan of the guy, but I think you’re good for him. I think you can bring the best out of him. But if you ever tell him, I’ll have to kill you.”

You chuckled and mockingly raised your hands in surrender. “Yes, sir! And by the way, he wouldn’t believe me anyway, no-one would, for that matter.” Tony just hummed in agreement and continued to work on the new prototype.

—-

It was half-past 8, and you were running like crazy around your little apartment, to try and get ready everything the way you envisioned it. You decided upon making Thai red curry noodle soup, tacos, and tiramisu for a dessert, reaching different ends of the Earth with each dish. At the same time, you tried to get yourself ready, wearing an old-school pin-up red dresses with big white dots and matching your lipstick with the dress. You even put a headband in your hair to finish the look.

Bucky told you many times that he sometimes missed the fashion of his old days, and that it wouldn’t kill anyone to wear dresses from time to time. You agreed with him, even though you felt the most comfortable in your wide t-shirt (or nowadays, in Bucky’s shirt) and your black leggings.

But you wanted to make a beautiful night for Bucky to remember and you so dressed up for him. You internally rolled your eyes at your sappiness but let it go quickly, as you still had to set the table before Bucky came in. You called him from work, telling him that you expect him around 8, that you have a surprise for him. He sounded suspicious of your plans but agreed to come nevertheless.

When you had everything ready, you checked your look once more, and give yourself a nod in the mirror. You looked lovely, even you had to admit it. The dresses showed off your boobs nicely and hid your hips and thighs, which you thought were your most problematic areas.

You were checking your butt, when you heard two loud knocks on your door, you let out the breath you were holding and went to open it. Bucky was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and his favourite pair of jeans. But anything that men wore looked like haute-couture. Damn him and his perfect body!

Bucky’s eyes widened as he took you all in. You could see him gulping hard, and when he looked up, his eyes looked a little darker. But you couldn’t be too sure in the dim light of the hall. “What are you wearing doll? Trying to kill me, or something?” He chuckled, but his voice still sounded a little restrained.

You blushed a little and bid him come inside. “You said yourself that you missed girls dressing up the way they did when you were just a young chap, so I thought I’d try it. But if you hate it, I can-“

“Hate it? Have you lost your mind? If it were up to me, I’d let you wear only this! You’re so fucking hot, Y/N, and you don’t even know it!”

“C’mon, Prince Charming. We have things to get to.”

Bucky looked around the room and saw that the small dining table was set beautifully, with white napkins, and even a flower in the middle. “You trying to seduce me, sweetheart?”

You rolled your eyes and forcefully made him sit down. “Oh, would you shut up?” You said with a smile and went to the kitchen to serve you two the soup. When you finally sat down, Bucky looked at you, questions written all over his face.

“What? I just wanted to do something nice for you. And I know you love American cuisine the most, but I thought I’d take us on a little trip. So, right now, we’re in Thailand, we’ll continue through Mexico, and we’ll end up in Italy. Sounds ok?”

Bucky smiled and reached across the table to take your hand in his. “More than ok. But you know that you don’t have to do nice things for me, right? Especially not after a whole day at work, and a whole day with Tony.”

You laughed a little and gave his hand a squeeze. “You don’t have to do nice things for me either, and you still do them. I just wanted to show you that I care about you and that I enjoy your company.”

“Wait, does that mean I’m officially forgiven?”

You chuckled and shook your head. “Oh, Bucky, you’ve been forgiven for quite some time. Do you think I’d let sleep in my bed, just anyone? Or someone I didn’t trust? It took me some time, but I forgave you, and I want to forget about what happened and move forward. And I’d be happy if we moved forward together.”

You whispered the last part, scared at your own admission. But Bucky and his superhuman hearing caught it, and his smile grew so much, you were actually afraid his cheeks would burst.

“I want nothing more than to move forward with you, Y/N.”

“Good. Can we move by eating the food I spent so much time preparing?” You both chuckled and ate while talking about your days.

Bucky helped you clean it all up when you were finished, still talking about how good it all was, and that he could get used to cooking like yours. You were just happy that he liked it, and seeing the smile on his face the whole night, you assumed he liked more than the food. And it made your stomach flutter and your heartbeat a little faster.

You sat next to each other on the sofa, letting something that was on TV play in the background, just talking and laughing. It was in the moment when both of you leaned in laughing, and your heads almost knocked, that you looked into Bucky’s eyes, and all your laughter died out.

He was looking at you with so much intensity, so much fervour and devotion, that all you wanted to do was to stay in that moment with him forever, letting your whole being bask in the feeling.

Bucky leaned in, and your breath hitched in your throat. Even if you didn’t admit to yourself before this night, you wanted this to happen for a long time. Before all, the fiasco with Hannah happened, and after that as well. You closed your eyes, and let Bucky take over control. You could feel his hot breath on your lips, and you couldn’t help but shudder. His lips teased you, touching you ever so slightly, feeling like a feather on your lips. You could feel him shifting his weight so that he could really kiss you the way you yearned when his phone started ringing loudly.

You both jumped and panted, looking around trying to find the source of the noise. You wanted to kill whoever was destroying this moment for the two of you. Bucky smiled apologetically and grunted into the phone. He listened for a short while, hummed in agreement and ended the call. You knew what it meant. He had to go on a mission ASAP.

“Where to?” You asked, trying to hide the disappointment from your voice.

He caressed your cheek and kiss the crown of your head. But that is not the place I want you to kiss, you almost screamed at him but tried to control your feelings. You were sure he wanted to leave as much as you.

“Romania. Some assholes are trying to bomb down the Cotroceni Palace, which is the official residence of their president. I’m actually going there alone, they think that I can take it. So it’s just a few agents and me. Should be an easy job, and I should be back in 4 days max. I would love to continue where we stopped, but I kinda feel like the phone destroyed the moment. And I wanna do it properly.”

You nodded, but couldn’t help your heart aching a little. “I’ll make it up to you, doll, I promise.” He said, and with the last kiss to your cheek, he got up and went to the door.

“Wait!” You yelled, and got up from the couch, and ran into his arms. You didn’t care about what was proper, or that he wanted to do it right. You couldn’t let him go on a mission without a proper goodbye. Not anymore.

You crashed your lips against his, and even though he was a little shocked at first, he quickly woke up from it, and hugged you tightly, his body melting into yours. It was everything you dreamed of and more. You fitted into his arms perfectly, as if your body was moulded precisely to be with him. His soft lips were exploring your mouth, letting you feel all the things he did, and making your heart skip a few beats.

You pulled away and looked deep into his eyes. “Just get back in one piece, please. And let me know you’re alright whenever you have the chance, ok?”

“Anything for my girl,” Bucky whispered and pecked your lips. “Stay safe here, and I’ll see you in a few days.” You nodded, and he was on his way.

—-

The mission was actually easier than Bucky thought, and he didn’t mind it one bit. All he wanted to do was to get back to New York and be with you when you finally forgave him, and he could show you all he had to offer. And he honestly couldn’t wait. The image of you in that red dress was forever burned into his brain, and he was sure that no matter what happened, you in that dress was forever his favourite thing. He had to make sure you wore it more often.

He got into the Quinjet, with the other three agents that went there with him, and put the thing into the air, setting the course to the Compound. They were halfway there when he could hear weird grunting from the other side of the aircraft. He looked that way, but even with his heightened senses, he couldn’t see anything in the dark space.

He got up from his seat and went to see what it was all about. Suddenly, a shadow moved on his right, and when he turned around, he could see someone coming to him. He frowned, trying to think of a way somebody could get into the plane, but couldn’t think of anything.

But when the person stepped out of the shadows, Bucky growled involuntarily.

“Hannah.”

/ Next Chapter >

After All:

@iheartsebastianstan​ @readermia​ @kolakube9​ @ibookishqueen​  @emogril​ @the-melancholyfeels​ @pinkleopardss​ @supervengerslock​ @the-soulofdevil​ @jessyballet​  @bxrnsfeyson​ @38leticia @sparkling-gayyyy​ @deansbbysblog​ @lustgardn​ @wantingtobekorra​ @backflip-into-a-garbage-can​ @thefifthmaraud3r​

Forever Tag:

@eileenalone​ @sasbb23​ @p8tn0lish​ @coffeebooksandfandom​

Bucky Taglist

@this-kitten-is-smitten​ @sebbbystaaan​ @paradisiacalsparks​ @crazybutconfidentaf​ @owlyannah​ @lassini​

Marvel Taglist

@waiting4inspiration​ @voltage-my2dlove​ @kneel-begyourpardon​

If you’d like to be tagged comment/message/send an ask. If you like the story, please reblog :) any comments are appreciated, even the critical ones. Always a space to get better, so let me know what you guys think.

#bucky barnes #bucky #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky barnes #the winter soldier #the winter solider fanfiction #the white wolf #avengers #avengers fanfiction #marvel #mcu #mcu fanfiction #after all #fluff #fluffy bucky #angst #angst is coming #cliffhanger #multiple chapters

[lokihzra]

My Heart’s On Fire For Your Love

Chapter 3

Thor falls to his knees in front of his brother, his heartbeat picking up with every sharp inhale Loki takes. “Loki hey look at me” Thor demands through the lump in his throat as he gently lifts Loki’s face to look at him “you’re okay, we’re in New York” he says as soft as he can, keeping his touch gentle and pleading, hoping Loki can see the worry and pain in his eyes.

“no I-I” Loki stops and gulps to try and ease the lump in his throat attempting to suffocate him “I don’t know what’s happening” he mumbles and tries to look back down at the floor.

Thor pulls his head back up and Loki couldn’t tell if he wanted to pull away or lean into Thor’s touch “breathe Loki, keep your eyes on me”

“I can’t-“ he breaks off into sharp gasps and leans forward until his head hits Thor’s shoulder “make it stop” the gasps burned his lungs but his head hurt more.

worthless, useless, nothing, a monster. Who can love a monster?

Especially a fallen jotun runt.

“Loki please breathe” Thor begs, tears welling up in his own eyes. Helpless, the weight in his heart screams at him to do something but he can’t. Thor isn’t skilled with a Seidr so no matter how bad he wanted to, he couldn’t help his brother.

“Please make it stop” Loki sobs and his stomach drops as he remembers the darkness, the endless silence “Thor please” he begs, pressing his face farther into thor’s shoulder, his hands gripping Thors sweater so hard that Loki swears he feels one of his nails crack.

Thor starts softly shushing him and Loki feels his hand rubbing his back gently, his other hand playing with his hair and he only notices that it calms him down near ten minutes later when his lungs stopped burning and that dull throbbing started pounding at the back of his eyes.

“what do you need?” Thor asks quietly, not moving to pull away.

Loki gulps, trying to ignore the embarrassment as he pulls back “I don’t know why that-“

“you want to rest? you look like you need it” Thor smiles softly making Loki’s nose sting.

“okay”

“Sir, Mr. Rhodes was already on his way here”

Tony sighs but it just gets caught in his throat “wher-where is he?” he says quickly.

“he’s just parked”

“he has a damn suit-oh god” Tony falls back on his ass and brings his knees up to his chin.

“he’s in the elevator”

Tony nods to himself as he grips the table and pulls himself up to his feet. He stumbles and hits his hip against the table so hard he knows there will be a bruise but he doesn’t care because he hears the door slide open.

He turns around to see Rhodey rushing over to him and Tony stumbles over to him, Rhodey catching him before he could trip over his own foot. “Hey man what happened?” Rhodey asks softly as he lowers them to the ground.

“Loki-I-” Tony buries his face in Rhodeys shoulder, his hands holding onto Rhodeys jacket like his life depended on it “me and Loki-“

“You and Loki what? fought?” he asks quietly as he rubs Tony’s back, drawing patterns and words into it.

“no-we-opposite”

“you guys hooked up?” Rhodey nearly yells.

“no-he’s my-“

“okay Tony calm down just breathe, copy my breathing” Rhodey demands and he doesn’t breathe louder on purpose, It helped Tony a lot more when he had to strain to focus, when he blocked everything out to focus on one thing.

And it worked. The pounding in his head got quieter as he strained to listen to Rhodeys even breaths and mimic them. Tony loved Rhodey with all his damn heart, if it wasn’t for Rhodey, Tony probably would have died by 22 and Tony never ever expresses how much Rhodey means to him and he hates it because he got it from Howard.

“you okay now?” Rhodey breaks him from his thoughts, the hand on his back slowing to a halt.

“I love you, you know that?”

“shut up”

“No i really do Rhodes, I would die for you man”

“you’ll die for anyone Tony”

“not true”

“well if you love me so much tell me what happened”

“um��� Tony pauses to try and think of how the hell he tells his best friend that soulmates are real and he knows because his soulmate is upstairs right now and it just so happens to be the man who attacked the very city they’re in at the moment “maybe another time buddy”

Tony starts to get up but Rhodey pulls him back down to the floor “I’m your best friend douche bag, tell me”

“do you believe in soulmates?”

“sometimes” Rhodey says with a shrug but continues when Tony raises a brow “I thought you and Pepper were soulmates”

“yeah well she’s not and my soulmate is a guy”

Rhodeys face falls but he quickly breaks off into a quiet laugh “you’re telling me soulmates are real?”

“the city was attacked by aliens five days ago and this, you don’t believe?”

“okay fine keep talking” Rhodey demands as he focuses his attention on Tony.

“nevermind I shouldn’t-“

“Tony tony I’m listening so tell me please” Rhodey nearly begs.

Tony rambles to hopefully avoid the subject but Rhodey knows him. Rhodey knows that this is what he does.“apparently soulmates are rare. Like extinct rare and I don’t really know the purpose but-“

Rhodey interrupts him “Tony”

Tony stops with a huff and as he opened his mouth to say the words, he suddenly couldn’t. “Tony?” he sighs before lifting his sleeve and revealing the L on his wrist, the black marking standing out against his tan skin like an emo at Disney land.

Tony watches as Rhodey frowns at it before his face drops “am I being punk’d?”

“fuck” Tony says harshly as he pulls his sleeve back down “see?” he quickly gets up and walks over to his desk “this is why I don’t want to tell anybody”

“do you love him?” Rhodey asks and Tony stops abruptly.

“no” he says without missing a beat and he turns around to face Rhodey in case the latter doesn’t believe him.

“well then you’ll be okay” Rhodey says reassuringly.

It doesn’t work thought because Rhodey can’t hide his concern from Tony, not after 12 years of being bestfriends. “Thor said something about a bond becoming complete-the fuck does that mean Rhodey?” Tony asks quickly, his heart beating faster than his tongue moves.

“Call Loki down here”

“what? no-“

“I can’t answer your questions only he can”

“Sir it seems that Mr. Odinson is not functional enough to come down here”

He groans before mumbling “and why not?” secretly hoping that JARVIS never heard.

“he’s suffering from a migraine ” JARVIS informs him and Tony sighs in relief before something catches his attention.

“Aliens can get headaches?”

“technically sir he is Asgardian, A god, not an alien, they have the same physiology but they’re only denser so yes Asgardians can get headaches”

“diseases?”

“no sir, their density makes it near impossible for diseases to survive off of their body, it would take nearly a million years for any disease to affect them”

“hm” Tony shrugs “won’t have to use a condom.

“Tony!” Rhodey scolds as he watches Tony walk to the door.

“i’m kidding sourpatch”

May 9th, 2012

“we ordered supper, it’s on the counter” Natasha nods towards the several takeout plates on the counter.

“didn’t know what you guys wanted so I just ordered almost everything” Tony says through a mouthful of food.

Loki frowns down at the meat and vegetables mixed together, with rice or noodles, a bowl of soup and small balls covered in a red sauce. “what is this?”

“Chinese food” Clint says through his mouthful of food

“Why are you here and why are you all dirty?”

“While you guys were destroying the training room we were out cleaning your mess” Steve states

Loki frowns and it disappears before anyone could even notice it. His eyebrows are furrowed and his fists clenched together as he walks over to the giant windows. Thor and Tony silently watching as Loki scans the wreck of the city below him.

Suddenly Tony’s throat closes up, his eyes filling with tears and the weight in his heart makes him literally stop breathing for a moment. He freezes before harshly putting his plate down and watching as Loki is staring down at the city.

Loki's fists are clenched so tight that his arms tremble along with his tense jaw, shaking, trying to form words as he scans the debris littering the streets and buildings. Broken windows and signs, craters from explosions and some buildings had holes in them that was at least 4 stories big.

He blinks quickly to make the tears go away before he holds his palms out, parallel to the window in front of him and his guilt doesn’t fade as the warmth travels through his veins. The warm green light of his magic absorbing the mess; garbage, debris, glass and metal all disappearing from the streets and buildings. He couldn’t fix the buildings or signs, not until he got more of his strength back but this was enough for now.

He couldn't fix broken families and give children their parents back.

He’ll do better.

He’ll make up for it, somehow.

“how many people?” he asks quietly, staying in his spot “how many people did I kill?”

“one hundred and ninety three” Steve states and Loki couldn’t hold in his shaky exhale.

He was about to say something but Clints cold tone made his brain short circuit “cleaning up the mess won’t do anything”

Lokis guilt completely fades morphing into anger as he scans the avengers in the living room. “I accept you all for who you are even when you can’t find even a shred of humanity to accept me. Natasha’s ledger is worse than mine, Thor waged war on Jötunheim out of anger, he wasn’t mind controlled, tortured and forced like I was ” Loki snarls but he continues before Thor can ask questions “Clint you had a secret family, Bruce killed his abusive alcoholic father” Loki stops quickly, his gaze softening as he looks at the tense scientist “I’m not judging you for that I would have done the same thing. Tony is an alcoholic who made weapons and Steve claims to be a self-sacrificing hero yet he has 90 years to prove that”

The room is silent as every word sinks into their bones. Every word was true and none of them could deny that not even to themselves, Tony never ever denied who he was but that doesn’t stop the anger from boiling his blood and organs.

“I’m not the only one with mistakes or a past, I’m not the only one who lies about who I am and I know that, so degrade me all you want but don’t throw it in my face” Loki deadpans “because I promise you Barton, I will win at that game every time” he says lowly.

“shut the fuck up”

“pardon?” Loki glares and Tony feels another wave of that hot red rage setting in his bones.

“shut the fuck up, you’re pissing me off”

Loki scoffs, folding his arms and barking out a laugh “I’m pissing you-“ he stops abruptly, his face dropping as he suddenly marches into the elevator, leaving everyone shocked.

Except for Tony, as fast as the anger came it transformed into fear as soon as-

As soon as Loki wasn't angry anymore.

#frostiron #frostiron fic #frostiron fanfic #tony stark #loki x tony #Iron Man #ironfrost #ironfrost fic #loki #Loki Laufeyson #loki odinson #loki (marvel) #Loki Friggason #loki fanfic #loki mcu #MHOFFYL #soulmates #soulmate au #soulmates au