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mrs-bucky-barnes106 · 9 months

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☆｡.:*･ﾟ Sweet Nothings ｡.:*･ﾟ☆

pairing: tfatws!bucky x baker!reader

warning: fluff, multiple mentions of cake, mentions of Bucky with children

a/n: Ahhh I had this idea before going to bed and literally stayed up two hours working on it. I finished it this morning, and I've gotta stay I'm proud of my commitment because I usually take at least a month to finish a fanfiction. Hopefully, there's more where this came from. P.S. I'm not a baker, so I'm sorry if I fudged any details. Feedback is always appreciated but please be kind. Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated but no reposting without credit <3

word count: 1.6k

summary: Reader is a baker and Bucky gets a cake from her to take to Sam's picnic party on the docks (scene from tfatws).

☆｡.:*･ﾟ

The bell jingled as Bucky entered Sweet Nothings, the bakery you had started from the ground up. He was instantly enveloped by the sweet scent of baked goods from the array of desserts neatly displayed in the glass case by the counter. Underneath the sugar, he smelled the new chai latte you had just added to the menu. It had been an instant hit, totally trumping the one at Starbucks that everyone raved about. Chai had been a nostalgic drink for you and a completely new one for Bucky. He now had an affinity for it, however, and asked for it every time he entered the shop after you made him the first honorary taste tester of the drink. Now, the shop was bustling since it was happy hour.

Soft music played in the background. Bucky recognized the voice of Taylor Swift, one of your favorite artists. She was one of Bucky's favorites now too. You had impeccable taste, and any song you loved became his favorite. The album that was currently playing was Midnights, the one you had told Bucky he was most like. He loved that about you, how you would associate things like albums and songs with him. It made his heart swell, knowing you thought about him in relation to music, which had a special place in your heart.

You were nowhere in sight, so he assumed you were in the back checking on your bread dough. Bucky approached the barrier that led to the backroom for employees and pushed the door open, hoping to surprise you while you were working. Once he entered, he found you bent over your proving drawer, checking on a fluffy batch of bread dough. He tiptoed up to you and grabbed your waist, lifting you off your feet and causing you to let out a yelp of surprise. Bucky spun you around, chuckling at your reaction (what did he expect when he literally attacked you with a bear hug from behind?).

Finally, he set you down on your feet and spun you around to face him. His eyes were crinkled with laugh lines as he took in your disheveled form. Your hair was in a low messy bun with a few strands astray in the front. You donned a cream-colored beret and a blue long-sleeve over which you had on your cheeky apron that read "Kiss the Cook." It was, of course, gifted to you by none other than your doting boyfriend. A light dusting of flour over your entire being gave you an angelic glow. In Bucky's eyes, you looked more heavenly than all of the desserts in your shop combined.

You blew your hair out of your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest before attempting to glare at Bucky. You didn't last long, however, as his sheepish grin caused you to look down, so he wouldn’t catch you smiling.

“You shouldn’t sneak up on me,” you admonished him half-heartedly. “Bakers can be dangerous when startled, you know.”

“Sure, doll,” Bucky still had on that cheeky grin. “I don’t know about dangerous, though. Former assassin here, remember?” He pointed at himself with his index fingers as if you didn't already know. "I think I can handle a blow from a rolling pin." He picked up the nearest tool his hand landed on, which, unfortunately for him, was a basting brush, making his joke fall flat. He sheepishly put the brush away as you tried not to laugh.

You gave him a warning look before turning your back to him and smiling wide. You may pretend to be annoyed by his antics, but they truly brought joy to your heart and brightened up your bland days. You loved your job, but you loved your man most of all.

“I’ve got the cake ready for Sam’s. Just gotta put the finishing touches on it. Did you bring the Oreos, baby boy?”

You turned around to find his face in yours. Had it been anyone else, you would’ve found it incredibly infuriating. But with Bucky, it left you blushing to your core.

He wrapped his arms around you and held up the blue plastic box. “Right here, sweetheart.”

It was a generic nickname that every single boyfriend in the history of the world had called his girlfriend at some point. But somehow, it was almost erotic coming from his plush pink lips with that deep timbre. You sometimes wondered if Bucky knew the effect he had on you.

“Thank you,” was all you trusted yourself to say as you took the box of cookies from him and started peeling off the plastic cover. You moved away from him and carefully placed six cookies on the cake, one on each of the iced rosettes on the border.

“Alright, Buck, I think it’s ready for the party. Lemme just get a box for it, and we’ll be on our way.”

Bucky smiled as he watched you tenderly place the plastic casing on the cake as if it was your baby. In a way, it was, along with all of your other creations.

“Alrighty then, doll,” Bucky grabbed the cake in his gloved flesh hand, then put his metal arm around your shoulders, pulling you in to plant a kiss on your temple. “Thank you so much for making this, baby cakes.”

You turned pink hearing him use your favorite nickname of all time. “Oh, it’s nothing,” you mumbled bashfully, suddenly shy again in the crook of his arm.

“It’s a Sweet Nothing, which means it’s the opposite of nothing. Doll, this cake is quite literally everything to me.”

“Buckyyy,” you playfully swatted him away. Sure, you were proud of your work, but you still got flustered when people complimented you, especially your boyfriend, who took every chance to make you feel like you were the biggest star in his world.

You eased yourself out of his embrace momentarily to hunt down your assistant. “Lemme just tell Nico to take over the closing shift tonight.”

Bucky nodded and waited patiently by the door for you to rejoin him. You returned and looped your arm around his waist to steer him out of your shop.

☆｡.:*･ﾟ

Bucky drove the both of you from the bakery to the docks in his pickup. You held the cake securely in your lap with your right hand and entwined your left with Bucky's. When you arrived, you let go of his hand and moved to open the door, but Bucky reached over you to close it again. Then he climbed out of the truck and rushed to open your door.

"M'lady," you rolled your eyes at him but couldn't help smiling as he took the cake from you so you could climb out of the car. He shut your door behind you, then took off with the cake balanced precariously in his flesh hand.

"Bucky! Be careful!" Your cries were drowned out by Sam's nephews, who were happily trailing Bucky at the sight of the cake. They tried play-fighting with him, pretending to punch him in the face, to which Bucky pretended to stagger backward from the force of impact.

You sighed and let the corners of your mouth lift as you watched your lover boy, totally enamored by his way with children.

Bucky ran to the nearest picnic table and finally placed the cake down safely. You let out a breath of relief you didn't realize you had been holding in and walked over to him.

☆｡.:*･ﾟ

Bucky returned to entertaining the kids a little while after everyone had eaten. He stood atop a picnic table, talking to you and Sarah with his metal arm extended out. Sam's nephew and his friend hung off of Bucky's arm. You were trying your hardest to concentrate on what he told you about his days in the Navy, but you couldn't help giggling softly at the sight of him effortlessly holding up two children using only one of his arms.

When you could finally steal a moment alone with him, you handed him a beer and tugged his arm to lead him to the pier's edge. You plopped down and let your feet dangle, the bottoms of your boots grazing the water's surface. After a moment, Bucky crouched down to join you. He scooted closer so his thigh was pressed up against yours. He put his arm around you, and you sighed softly, leaning into his shoulder and staring at the setting sun. Nose pressed against Bucky's shoulder, you inhaled, reveling in the warm scent of freshly-cut pine and the sweet undertones of amber and musky vanilla.

You leaned up to wrap your arms around his shoulder, suddenly needing to be closer to him than you already were. He seemed to understand and gently twisted to the side, snaking one arm around your lower back and using the other to bring your legs into his lap. You moved in to kiss him tenderly. Your hands were in his hair, his hands were on your hips, and everything felt perfect at that moment. You could still taste the Oreo cake on his breath, and you broke away from the kiss slowly, smiling all the while. Bucky returned your smile warmly as you turned to look at the sunset.

Bucky watched it paint your face the most gorgeous shade of pink and thanked his lucky stars at that moment. Somehow, life had brought you to him. He had never thought of himself as fortunate, but he was ecstatic now that you were in his arms, and he damn sure was never going to let go of this beautiful thing he had with you. He pressed his lips to your forehead and tightened his hold on you, whispering sweet nothings into your ear.

☆｡.:*･ﾟ

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whorediaries-09 · 2 months

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i wanna be yours;

pairing- sirius black x barista!reader warning(s)- tooth decaying fluff. (let me know if i should add more) a/n- totally self indulgent.

masterlist for the 'the seven lives'

the slut club

if you like your coffee hot let me be your coffee pot

he doesn’t fancy coffee much, he’s more of a tea person.

much to his dismay, james drags him to the one of the small downtown cafés in london. james likes his sweet coffees, it helps him focus, he insists. sirius thinks it makes him more inattentive; if that were to be possible. he thinks his friend would still be chasing colourful butterflies or pet dogs that curl up near sirius’ legs.

however, the feeling quickly dissipates. when his eyes fall on you. you’ve got your hair up in a messy bun, writing down orders on a piece of paper. a slight smile curved upon your lips. the apron you wear is dirty, and he imagines it smelling like freshly baked cookies and coffee. he feels his heart skip a beat when you turn your head around at the sound of the charms above the door jingling. the smile on your lips broadens, the soft sunlight reflecting your features.

he feels a weird warm sensation calm down over his nerves, as you wave to his friend.

‘hi james, what can i get you today?’ you ask. even your voice is ethereal.

‘just the regular, darlin’- he jolts sirius in his ribcage, causing him to stomp on his foot, ‘-and whatever this dolt likes,’

his hand grips his ribcage as the pain of the soft blow dissipates over his body. he rolls his eyes, and he walks nearer to the counter, behind which you stand, taking in the sight of you. you chuckle softly, and he thinks it’s music to his years. he’s pretending to trail his eyes over the menu, trying to choose what he wants. truth be told, he has no idea about what he’s seeing. cappuccinos espressos, lattes, americano, they all seem fancy, foreign words to him. he chooses the safest option, to not make a fool of himself.

‘i’ll have a masala chai, please,’ he says. james stares at him in silence. he watches his eyes as you walk away back into the kitchen, he knows that look. it’s been years since he’s seen it on his friend’s eyes. but he knows it, he remembers it.

‘okay so one caffé mocha for james and one masala chai for-?’ you speak. sirius thankfully enough, catches up to your words. he leans closer, letting his hips sabotage the counter,

‘for sirius,’ he whispers, as if a secret to be kept between you and him. he doesn’t miss the flush on your skin or the way your eyes cradle over his appearance or way you unconsciously lean slightly closer to listen to him. you nod, everting your eyes.

‘one masala chai for sirius,’

it’s the best one he’s had, he thinks.

you smudge the sticky lip gloss on your lips, fixing stray strands of hair on your head. it’s silly you think, to expect sirius to come back to the café. he wasn’t with james the other day he came in. but still, a part of you heaves hope that he’ll come in.

to maybe, just ask your name.

you’re busy eating your lunch, balancing yourself on a tool while reading a book. it’s not a very lovely book, with weird phrases and graphic descriptions containing nothing very interesting, but you think you’ll survive. it’s just for time pass, you convince yourself, letting the taste of your lunch relish on your tongue. it’s not a very busy day, with only a few customers dropping by, along with james. so, you’d finally convinced him to try something new out of the menu. he’d reluctantly chosen a caramel iced frappe. he was a very picky person, and you remembered how remus had introduced him to coffee, the first time he’d walked into the shop.

you never saw remus again, james became a regular. a picky person thing you supposed, to drink something new from the only shop they knew and liked.

you wondered whether sirius was a picky person too. it was a strange looming feeling, one that echoed into your brain and made you feel like a teenager high on hormones. but who wouldn’t be? the man exuded an aura of charm, his words and voice as smooth as velvet. it was idiotic you supposed, to be enamoured by somebody who didn’t give you more than his name.

still, it makes your stomach turn happily with dopamine, when your hopes turn into reality and the forsaken man that had been on your mind turns up. he carries a very chubby baby in his arms. you silently appreciate the flexing veins on his tattooed biceps as he walks towards you.

‘the chai was fire,’ he says. his eyes wander over to your uniform, trying to catch your name tag. there’s none he realizes, before his eyes fix on your face.

‘maybe you’ll try a coffee today?’ you say, a shy smile on your face.

‘surprise me darling,’ he says. the way the r rolls off his tongue makes you stomach do somersaults.

‘i’ll try my best,’ you say, dashing off into the kitchen.

it’s a hazelnut mocha caffé you bring back. you’re not sure whether he would appreciate the slight nut like taste on the drink, but it’s still worth a try. more cliched than a try really, bringing a cute customer your personal favourite drink.

you write his name on the cup with as much precision as you can on the curved surface. try to make the dots on the i’s look more carefully drawn along the paper. you silently hope he notices your effort.

‘what have you got, for me now, hot stuff?’ he says, a cheeky grin on his face. he enjoys the tiny flush the appears across your skin and how you bite your lip at the nickname.

‘are you flirting with me because your kiddo has eaten up the cookies on the counter?’ sirius’ eyes wanders to the baby in his arms, and he grabs a tissue to wipe off the dust of his cheeks.

‘he’s not mine, i’m his godfather. it’s james’ kid,’ he explains, letting out a soft chuckle at the baby’s antics.

‘father like son i suppose,’ you drawl, handing him the latte. he looks at the cup, wondering what you’ve got him for a surprise. he hopes it’s not one of the sweet things’ james’ buys. it’ll make him sleepy, and he won’t be able to take care of harry as he’d promised.

‘how much do I owe you -?’ he stops mid-sentence, in a dilemma to use nicknames or not. he wants to know your name, let it simmer on his tongue before he lets it out. thankfully, you get the deal. so you give him your name.

he thinks it’s beautiful.

‘hi baby, what are you drawing?’ your voice is soft. you hand sirius his masala chai, rutting your hips against harry’s side of the table. he fiddles with his crayons, drawing random scribbles on the piece of paper. his striking green eyes stare at you, before he blabbers, his words not so clear yet,

‘a motohcych!’

‘ouhh,’ you hum, pushing your fingers through the mop of curly hair atop his head. you scratch your nails softly on his scalp, enjoying the sound of his chuckling.

‘is it prehhy?’ he asks, a shy smile on his face as he finishes scribbling on the paper. you’re not able to make out much from the black colours, but the innocence in his voice makes your heart melt. you press a kiss on his chubby cheek, and he giggles,

‘it’s very pretty,’ you say, bopping his nose.

‘whah do you like? i wihh drawh thahh’ he says, struggling with his words. you find it adorable. but when you speak out your answer, it’s more for sirius than harry,

‘flowers maybe? like yellow ones?’

on a particularly busy day when, sirius walks in your café, it’s not a very empty space. and neither are you to be found anywhere. he hopes you’re in the kitchen somewhere, preparing your coffees. over the times he’s come over, he’s learnt you’re a shy thing. he’s not much of an observer, but somehow you make his eyes stop. you make him observe and learn things.

so sirius puts the bunch of flowers he’d bought on the table, alongside a note for you.

when you find them, they’re barely blooming, buds of yellow flowers. it makes your heart flutter when you find his note. a boost of serotonin runs through your body as you sabotage the tissue, searching for his number. it’s dumb, you think, but it’s also a hope that blossoms within you. you however find none.

you’re distracting by your name being shouted across the kitchen, asking for a hand in help.

you’re freezing, as the rain patters over the sidewalk, just barely missing your shoes under the sunroof. you urse yourself for not bringing in your umbrella or a raincoat. now you’re stuck under the rain, with nowhere to go until the rain stops.

you’re saved by an angel with red hair who comes along the way, carrying an extra umbrella, with a toddler curled up in her arms. her eyes are striking similar, an emerald green you could recognise anywhere.

‘harry?’ you ask, looking at the toddler. he flashes you a beautiful grin, throwing grubby hands at you. you pinch his cheeks, smiling.

‘you must be lily,’ you say, turning to the woman. she stares at you flabbergasted, her mind seemingly rendering to her memories,

‘how do you know me, sweetie?’ she says, giving you an extra umbrella.

‘sirius- um well he comes to the café very often. he usually brings your adorable kid around,’

her eyes scan your features, as a look of realization dawns upon her. she squeezes your shoulder, slowly walking away into the rain. it pitters over the plastic of the umbrella, and she smiles, a soft look in her eyes.

‘give the umbrella to sirius, the next time you see him,’

sirius is jittery when he walks into the café. he hopes to catch you, even though he knows it’s not your shift. but there’s something about the aftermath of rain and petrichor which heightens his hopes. he tousles with his raven dark strands, hoping he doesn’t look too bad. you’ve made him shy. in a way, where he’s too intimidated to speak his feelings out directly. but he’s a man with plans.

his heart threatens to jump out of his chest when he finds you there. it’s the work of gods, or perhaps the work of his faith. he walks towards the counter, and you catch his eye. he thinks your eyes carry the most magnificent twinkle when you see him. your eyes linger on his lips a tad bit longer for it to be just friendly and his heart almost jumps through his ribcage. he’s almost forgetting his plans when you smile so sweetly at him. for a moment, he thinks it’s meant just for him.

‘hi darling,’ he greets, leaning towards the counter. his hips jolt at the metal, and he takes out his phone. you nod, acknowledging him.

‘do you think you can help me with…a crush?’ he says. he watches your breaths stops in your throat, as a dark sadness reflecting in your features.

‘maybe,’ you whisper, a quiet disdain succumbing your voice. you don’t meet his eyes. over the time he’s observed you, he realised that you don’t meet anybody’s eyes when you’re sad or angry. it’s a way of bottling up your emotions and eating them up till your stomach churns.

‘you wanna see a picture?’ he asks, trying to not react to the sadness on your face.

‘sure,’ you say. his heart almost shatters when you keep your head low, not meeting his eyes. he unlocks his phone, sliding it between your face.

your reflection stares back at you, and you jump. with surprise or glee, he can’t decipher. the sadness on your features has dissipated, your eyes glowing with hope and emotion. he stares at his reflection in your eyes, and he thinks he’s the prettiest reflected through the colour of your irises. he bites his lip when you don’t say anything.

he’s waiting in contemplation, wondering what your next move is, when you lean against the counter, closer to his face, breathing him in. he secretly thanks himself for chewing on a gum before he came in.

‘i think you should just ask her out on a date. she’ll be foolish not to say yes to you,’ you say, your eyes full of mischief. you’re grinning, as he counts the wrinkles beside your eyes.

‘you think so?’ he says, leaning closer, and almost brushing his lips against yours. almost letting himself taste you. he thinks if he has a taste, he won’t be able to stop himself from devouring you, from ravaging you apart.

‘i bet so,’ you say, smiling before your hand cradles his face, pushing his lips upon yours. he groans, capturing his lips with yours. he tastes coffee and vanilla on your tongue, melting away into his tastebuds. he loves it, he thinks, when you slide your arms across his neck, pushing yourself deeper into a passionate fury of build-up tension and hormones. his heart flutters with serotonin, and he tangles his fingers into your hair.

he doesn’t fancy coffee much, but he’s never found it more endearing than this moment.

*********************************

taglist - @reggieisfit @siriuslycaptainofthedawntreader @jamespottergf @eternallybipanicking (if you want to be tagged, reply under this post!)

#harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #marauders #sirius black #sirius x reader #sirius black smut #the marauders #sirius black x reader #sirius black imagine #marauders era #sirius black thoughts #sirius black x oc #sirius black fanfiction #sirius black fanart #sirius being sirius #sirius black fluff #sirius black angst #fanfiction #james & peter & remus & sirius

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thethirdromana · 6 months

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You have done cheeses. How about dessert.

Ooh, good idea.

See, the thing about Victorian food is that a lot of it sounds pretty unappealing from the vantage point of the 21st century. There were a lot of overboiled vegetables and stodgy meals designed to get you through winters with no central heating.

But Victorian desserts? Much more reliably delicious. So I can restrict myself to the desserts that these characters might actually have eaten. No tiramisu (1960s) or banoffee pie (1971).

Starting off with an easy one, RM Renfield is the traditional Scottish fruit slice (which I already highlighted in my food guide to Dracula) known as flies graveyard. I'm going to trust that one doesn't need any additional exploration.

Lucy Westenra is light (literally: "Lucy" means light), pretty, and appealing to small children. OK, admittedly the eater-eaten relationship goes the other way around with the small children vs Lucy-as-dessert, but I think it still works. She's a bombe glacée, a spherical ice-cream dessert that first appeared on restaurant menus in the 1880s.

I had a fun browse through Dutch desserts before I found the perfect one for Abraham van Helsing. He's the old man of the story, but he's still a little bit spicy and a little bit divisive - much like anise, which flavours Dutch oudewijvenkoek, or old wives' cake.

For Quincey Morris, there could only be one option. He's from Texas, y'all, he is obviously peach cobbler.

Continuing with the suitors, the obvious answer for Arthur Holmwood would be a dessert associated with wealth and privilege - perhaps Eton Mess, traditionally served at the annual cricket match between Eton and Harrow Schools, and first mentioned in print in 1893. But Eton Mess is a light, sweet, inconsequential sort of dessert and that just doesn't seem right for Arthur. Instead, I'd associate him with a rich, indulgent, traditional, solid plum pudding.

Jack Seward is in some ways the most modern of the suitors. Also the most highly strung. He's cherries jubilee, a brand-new dessert in 1897 as it was (probably) created that year for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It's full of liqueur (suitably for Jack, who's full of chloral) and it gets flambéed at the table.

I have to admit that I struggled with Jonathan Harker. Maybe I just love him too much to caricature him, you know? But what I came down is that he needed to be a beloved treat, available on menus across the UK, not wildly expensive, not wildly luxurious. And also, Jonathan goes through a lot of trials and drinks a lot of tea in this novel. Jonathan is a toasted teacake.

As for Mina Harker née Murray, it seemed appropriate that she should be a similar sort of dessert to her husband. So he's a bun with dried fruit and she's a bread with dried fruit. Specifically, she's an Irish soda bread (since Murray is an Irish surname) that is known either as Spotted Dog or - more suitably for Mina - railway cake.

#dracula daily

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storiesforthemoonchild · 3 months

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29 with Maz pacheco

"I'm falling for you"

Falling | Maz Pacheco x Reader

“I think you only come here to use me for my services,” Maz enters her living room with two plates of food in hand. She takes a seat next to you as you pause the FC24 match you were in the middle of.

“Maybe, what’s on the menu for lunch today?” You tease, accepting the plate she puts out for you. You inspect the sandwich and hum in satisfaction, “looks good. I’ll stay for dinner too.”

Maz rolls her eyes as she flicks the television to something other than a paused video game screen, “who said you were invited to stay for dinner?”

You take an obnoxious bite of the sandwich before struggling to reply with your mouth full, “you always want me to stay and I was in the middle of a game turn it back on.”

“Nah, you can’t play and eat at the same time,” she bickers right back at you. This was how most conversations went between you two.

You signed to Aston Villa over the summer and quickly got close with Maz, bonding over your mutual love for fashion and trainers. You spent most of your time in her flat in order to survive. Coming to Villa it was the first time you had to live on your own. You weren’t used to cooking and being by yourself 24/7.

Maz was more than willing to show you around and let you invade her space, so you took full advantage. The rest of the girls on the team loved to poke fun at how the two of you were basically a couple. At first it didn’t bother you, but then there was a night you stayed over and it was like you really saw her for the first time.

Maybe you could blame the celebratory drinks you shared over team dinner after a win, but those wore off and morning came and left you feeling new things. Being with Maz wasn’t just a good meal and free wifi, she was your safety.

You race against no one to finish your food in record time just to force her to watch you play. You place the plate on the coffee table and snatch the remote from her hand, flipping back to the paused FC24 game. “Watch me,” you instruct the defender who groans at your action.

You resume your match and sneak a peek to see her smiling beside you. You loved that smile, it was subtle and always felt so genuine, it causes your own to set in place. “You suck,” your eyes snap back to the screen to see your team go a goal down at her chuckled words.

“Fuck,” you mumble out in frustration at once again getting distracted by the defender. You set your focus on the match as Maz finishes her food and moves to clean up both of your messes.

It’s moments later she returns, making herself comfortable with her head in your lap. You were used to it by now, she was always laid up with you in some way as you both lounged around. She watches you play for a moment before getting engrossed in TikTok as usual.

She distractedly tugs at the hem of your shorts as she scrolls. There’s a video she finds particularly funny that causes her to fall into a fit of laughter. The laugh that gathers all of your attention with its pure joy. Your game is long forgotten as you set the controller aside, your hand coming down to rest on her side as you watch her.

Maz finally calms from her blissful state and finds your eyes on her. “Why are you looking at me like that?” She blushes, locking her phone and turning to face you.

“Like what?” You shrug, reaching a hand up to tuck a bit of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her bun. It was a risky move and you don’t know why you did it.

Her eyes flutter close momentarily at the action before they are back on you. A soft smile settled on her face, “like you wanna kiss me.” She forces out a chuckle to ease the tension building, but it’s too late.

“I do,” you confess without remorse.

“You do?” You nod, confirming her suspicions. “Then do it,” she says, like it’s a challenge. Everything between the two of you was a challenge, who changed for practice faster, who can hit the crossbar more, any small task turned into a competition.

You didn’t lose, so without hesitation you lean down, connecting your lips with hers for the first time. It’s careful and barely there, but it causes butterflies to erupt inside you. “I win,” you whisper after pulling away.

Maz rolls her eyes, still settled comfortably in your lap with a bashful smile and red tinted cheeks. “Not everything has to be a competition.”

“I’m falling for you,” you confess casually, shrugging as if it won’t change everything between you.

Maz is just as relaxed as you, nodding in thought, “I started falling the first day I met you.”

You take in the information before a laugh rips through both of you. It was so typical how you were with one another that this is how anticlimactic your confession would be. “Cheesy,” you tease, picking back up your controller and resuming your game.

“Shut up, you still suck,” Maz laughs looking briefly towards the television. You both share a shy glance and you wink, “you like me,” she teases back.

“I like you,” you nod in confirmation with no shame.

a/n: If you aren't in love with Maz I'm judging you lol. for my very loyal fellow Maz loving anon, I hope you enjoy! no eta on finishing the other fic for her , but I hope this is good 🤎

#maz pacheco #woso fanfics #woso x reader #woso imagine #maz pacheco x reader #aston villa women #aston villa wfc #woso #woso community

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heard-nsfw-is-back · 4 months

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New years eve for Steve was always sort of disappointing. His parents were always away on some kind of "important business trip" and his 'friends' always came over to party and left a huge mess the next day to clean. It sucked. His nannies sent cards though and he always kept them safe in a box under his bed. Not that he was worried about his parents finding them but just to hold and read over and over when he got sad or lonely. After high school he would drive around to different restaurants or diners. Try to trick his mind in to thinking he was at a party or surrounded by loved ones. Robin was great but she needed family time and he never pushed he away from that. She wanted to be with her folks and he genuinely loved that for her.

He got dressed and looked at the map of his next diner to go to. A small mom and pop shop that boasted the best meatloaf ever. He pulled up the directions on his phone and called them just to make sure they would be open for a while. "Hello, Munson's. We're open our regular business hours. No we don't take reservations. How can I help you?" Steve laughed. "Well actually that was very helpful. Although I do hope that meatloaf is as good as you advertise." The voice on the other side got serious. "I would never exaggerate the quality of our meat." Steve made a face and the other person choked. "I know how that sounded I'm so sorry I did not think about it at all." Steve chuckled. "Well I look forward to trying your best meat." And hung up.

He pointed at his reflection. "Hey. What the fuck was that? A felony. Is what that was. Relax." But oh man that voice was so nice. Deep and throaty. Perfect pitch too. Steve pointed the other hand at his reflection. "Enough. Chill."

He got in the car after he could think about anything else and drove up. Meatloaf and broccoli, and mashed potatoes maybe, sounded so good. On the way back he could stop and get some good champagne and cheers himself to a new year. Happy with his plans and blaring some music he was content with everything. Which of course meant everything went sideways.

On the way his tire went out. Luckily there was a tire place because surprising no one that was his spare. The tap to pay was down and he had to use his emergency cash from the glove compartment. And he was getting really hungry and cranky. He finally found a spot to park because, of course, there was no parking lot. Steve finally made his way in and was hit with the best smells. Maple syrup and bacon and mozzarella cheese. Fuck he was hungry.

He waited by the counter and there was a guy maybe a few years older than him who waved his way. "Give me a minute I'll be right there." Oh it was the guy from the phone. He was covered in tattoos from what Steve could see and had long hair in a bun under a net. His boots had so many chains and little things hung from them. When he finished up with the group he was with and punched the other in on the tablet he turned to Steve. "Sorry about that. Staying here or taking your fine feast home?" Steve shook his head. "Here I think." The man blinked at him and smiled. "Ok I'll take you to your seat. Table or booth?" "Oh booth please."

He walked Steve over to his seat and handed him a menu. "Just flag me when you're ready. I'm Eddie by the way. Nice to meet you I'll be taking care of you tonight." Steve smiled, turning the charm up just a bit. "Ok Eddie, thank you." Eddie blinked again and walked away. Steve played with his nails. Ah man. He made it awkward. He made a quick glance at the menu but just waited till Eddie. Nope. His server would come back to order.

A little while later Eddie kind of shuffled his way over. Steve toned it down and smiled politely. "Ready?" Eddie looked almost disappointed and Steve made quick work of ordering and Eddie all but scrambled to get his order to the kitchen. Steve scrolled through some apps. Mostly stalking Robin on Twitter. A little while later Eddie brought out the food and Steve dug in. Ok yeah. The ads did not exaggerate even a little. This was fucking amazing. He texted Robin and she sent a gif of someone rolling their eyes. He stuck his tongue out at his phone and got lost in scrolling and people watching. Only sort of eating when he remembered. "Everything ok?" Steve jumped in the air. "Jesus!" Eddie held his hands up. "Sorry. Sorry. Should have walked the other way." Steve held a hand to his chest. "No you're fine. The food is great. Really great quality meat you guys have."

Eddie groaned. "Oh no you would be the guy from the phone. Look. I'm so sorry about that I wasn't really thinking. It was super unprofessional. Don't worry my uncle heard it and gave me an earful." Steve laughed. "No you're fine it was funny." Eddie played with his lip. "No I'm just glad you took it ok." Steve smiled. "Banter is one of my greatest talents. Taking it is what I'm best at." Eddie's eyebrows shot up and Steve covered his face. "That. That wasn't. I mean. It was funny. But not what I was going for." "You don't usually go for taking things people give you?" Steve grinned. "Oh its so on." Eddie held out his hand and Steve gave his phone over. "Should save your number as best quality meat." Eddie scoffed. "It wasn't my best please don't let that be my legacy." Steve rested his head in his hand. "Oh I don't know. What should I save you as then?" Fully committed to flirting with the hot waiter. Robin was going to lose it. She would be fully hiding under the table for this. Eddie typed in something and locked his phone. "I have a few hours left. I'll call you later."

Steve paid and hopefully didn't imagine the world's prettiest eyes staring at him on the way out.

A few hours later Steve was in the tub, sipping on probably the grossest champagne, texting Robin who was hiding in her parent's bathroom. She needed some downtime and was apparently faking an upset stomach. Steve was telling her about his day and she just sent a voice memo of her absolutely losing it. "Steve!! You could have been kicked out!" He frowned. No he could read people pretty well. And Eddie seemed more encouraging than not. His phone rang and 'Diner Daddy' was calling. "Ugh no awful I'm changing that name." He answered. Eddie laughed. "Sorry I couldn't really think of anything clever. Pretty boys have that effect on me I think." Steve pretended to sigh. "Well. It's not awful. I'll keep the Daddy. Just get rid of the Diner."

Eddie sucked in some air. "Or just put your name in." Steve backpedaled a bit. "Uh no I mean either works." Steve shrugged and changed the name to Eddie with a little black heart and the chain emoji. Safe enough, but he would know what he meant.

"Do you want to come back out and join me and some other people? We're throwing a party, we have fireworks and some more food." Steve hummed. "Yeah that sounds great! What should I bring?" "Nothing but that gorgeous face and even better ass. See you later." Eddie hung up and Steve pushed himself under the water. That's not fair, Eddie got the last word in and he's blushing hard enough to boil the water. He got a text of a pin and a time. He had a few hours to get ready and he scrambled to get going. Face routine, best cologne, and tightest pants. Steve stared at his reflection and decided on gloss and a soft sweater. It was nice enough to not be a jacket but he could not deal with the cold. He snapped a picture and sent it to Robin. 'Good?' She replied with a cartoon gif of some wolf howling and he smiled. She was the best.

Steve pulled up to a driveway covered in lights and people mingling and laughing. Music was playing from somewhere and he saw a lot filled with other cars. He parked and came out to Eddie walking over. "You made it! He looked great. Same pants and boots but his shirt was all cut up and Steve could barely make a band name out. "Yeah of course! It's been a while since I've been out here. Used to walk the woods and stuff when I was a teenager." Eddie grinned and held a hand out. Steve took it and they walked up to the house. "Gonna introduce you to my uncle and some friends."

He introduced Wayne and Jeff and Gareth. And another guy Steve almost immediately forgot the name of. Shit. The names sounded familiar though. "Oh are you the band? I forget the name." Dustin never stopped talking about them. Steve would definitely lord this over him though this summer. Eddie jumped around. "So you've heard of us merry men?" Steve smiled. "Sort of. The kids I watch listen to you though. Hogging the Bluetooth whenever they can." The guys smiled and looked at each other. "We're gonna make it big one day." Jeff said. "I believe it. Don't forget Hawkins when you're all living in your penthouses with your trophy wives." They laughed and made more small talk while Wayne cooked more food.

Eddie pulled Steve aside after a little bit. "Do you think we'll be famous? I mean I know we will be but. Are you kind of talking out of your ass?" Steve stared. "I think you will. Even if you don't the kids think the world of your music so." Steve shrugged. "You're already making an impact." Eddie nodded and swallowed. "Thanks. Thank you." Steve bumped his shoulder. "It's gonna be midnight soon. Want to light some fireworks?" Eddie grinned a little manic. "Oh absolutely."

They grabbed a few sparklers and Steve took some photos before Eddie walked away to light the big ones. He pulled out a timer and Steve waited almost impatiently for the fireworks. He looked around at everyone paired off or holding hands or cuddled in to each other and something very small, very cold let go of his chest. Silently he started crying. He wasn't upset or anything he just. He's never seen so much love in so many people. Everyone looked excited or nervous and he laughed. Eddie came up next to him, and reached for his hand.

"Can I kiss you? Please. For new years?" "Yes absolutely." Steve whispered and when people started counting down, Eddie held his jaw up. At 6 Steve felt Eddie's breath on his lips. At 3, their eyes closed. And when people started cheering at 1 and the fireworks went off, they kissed. God it was perfect. The laughter of loved ones. The lights around them. Eddie pulled Steve closer and for the first time in a long time, Steve felt right at home.

#steddie #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve x eddie #eddie x steve #alternate universe #not canon

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scorpioracha · 1 year

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Dating Jeongin

Hi guys im sorry Innie’s took so long to write but I hope you enjoy this one!! This has not been proofread yet so if there’s typos it be like that💀You know the deal, comments,reblogs,likes,etc

Yang Jeongin 양 정인

-whenever I think about dating Innie I just think of that shy first love kind of crush that has him stumbling over his feet and acting hella dumb💀 baby bread has no game and I’m so sorry to say it, this is an Aquarius man. His was of shooting his shot is staring in your direction like 😐 and then getting back to the dorms to ✨manifest you✨

-It takes a while for this boy to even establish a friendship—let alone even let his mind wander to dating. And when I say it takes a while, it takes a WHILE. This boy has been oogling over you since god’s menu was just an idea in the studio💀 you were a friend of their choreographer and he would just kinda 🧍🏻‍♂️ whenever you were in the dance studio. You held an unofficial official position at JYP, mainly running little errands,picking up coffee for the boys,etc. usually whenever you had free time.

-Hyunjin’s evil ass dubbed you dance studio bae and of course being the hyung’s they were, they wasted no time in teasing the boy both in and out of the group chat. Poor baby bread was a red bean bun half the time you were around😔

-You honestly thought he didn’t like you at first, he rarely spoke, and when he did kept it extremely formal—he wouldn’t even look you in your eyes when you handed him whatever he needed. Everyone was more or less friendly and you thought he was just shy.

-you didn’t let it bother you too much because vying??? For a MANS attention??? Absolutely not. whenever there was down time in the studio or you were called in on the odd day the boys weren’t practicing you realized the other seven were all pretty friendly. You got Channie’s seal of approval and the rest of them took to you pretty quickly. You earned yourself the nickname ‘little mom’ as you couldn’t help but fuss sometimes, you still had a job to do.

-This caused Jeongin to realize two things about himself. One, he’s the jealous type. And two, he doesn’t like that shit at all. If you thought he was shy at first he was just downright cold now.

-you could see him out of the corner of your eye grimacing half the time and the other half his face was just blank.

-It all came to a head one day when you got sick of his bullshit. It was a recording day and you were plucked alongside the rest of the staff to help keep up with busy work. You work exhausted. Channie needed a towel, Hyunjin needed coffee, Jisung couldn’t find his anxiety meds and Seungmin was being a brat—you were worn absolutely thin and it was going to be a long day. You brushed past Jeongin to help Jisung rifle through his backpack because he said and quote ‘moms find everything’ when Jeongin had the nerve to scoff. You had never about faced so quickly in your life.

“Yang Jeongin-ssi, I’m done with your princess attitude”you said, “you can dislike me, but you will not disrespect me”

He was baffled to say the least, and you had to deal with Bang Chan’s numerous apologies and stuttering explanations of how he doesn’t even know what happened or how Jeongin wasn’t really like this. You weren’t hearing it. The rest of that day was spent in uncomfortable silence.

-After that incident Jeongin was better, but there was still something off about him. You could always feel his eyes on you whenever you got a little too close to the others, it was really starting to get on your nerves.

-You finally got fed up enough to bring the issue to Chan and this man could not hold it together. Like you were so close to beating his ass because what was so funny🤨

-He told you to just go speak to Jeongin yourself and when you did, he was back to the shy and awkward little fox you originally knew him as. It took you exactly .02 seconds to connect the dots and when you did you honestly felt kinda flattered

“Yang Jeongin, do you like me?”

He got so defensive oml

“N-no! Why would you think that??!” But his rosy cheeks and flickering eyes were answer enough.

You just patted his cheek and said, “maybe actually spend some time with me and we can see where this goes, yeah?”

-From that moment on, you started to see a new side of him. He was no longer Yang Jeongin, he became Jeongin who smiled with a shy thank you when you handed him his coffee. Jeongin who tried to catch your eye during rehearsal and grinned when he had your attention. Then eventually Innie who weaseled his way out practice sometimes via maknae privileges to join you on your errands.

“I don’t want y/n-ah to be alone”he’d mumble

-That’s how you found yourself with in a Starbucks of all places laughing at a story from one of his childhood trips to the beach, iced americanos forgotten on the side. It was the first snow of the year and you still couldn’t fathom why they all wanted cold drinks. A simple twenty minute errand turned into almost two hours of you two trading stories back and forth. He was elated to know how familiar you were with Busan and went on a tangent about how beautiful it was.

-Sadly this was cut short by Bang Chan himself showing up at the Starbucks with his 😐 face to drag you to back to the company.

-There was an unspoken agreement that you two were going to see each other again.

-you learned that the real Yang Jeongin was a complete gentleman. Your second ‘hangout’ was spent walking around a mall as it was too cold to be outside longer than necessary. Jeongin greeted you with a hot coffee and blushing his way through explaining how he remembered you preferred hot drinks. As you went from store to store you soon realized whatever you touched ended up in his shopping bag. You thought it was a coincidence at first until your eyes had lingered on a shirt for too long and you found the sleeve peeking out of one of his bags. You drew the line when you entered a jewelry shop and he looked like a kid caught in the cookie jar when you told him to put the earrings back.

“I just wanted to…I..Y/n I really like spending time with you”he said, you went to speak but he quickly shook his head. “I had this whole thing planned out cause I’m not too good with words but…I would really like to continue spending time with you”

You felt your heart almost beat out of your chest “what are you saying Jeongin?”

“Be mine y/n…please?”

You couldn’t help but slap the back of his neck “Yang Jeongin, you idiot” nothing more was said but you did leave the jewelry store with the earrings in tow and his hand in yours. Close enough that your hips bumped and you could smell his cologne clinging to his winter coat.

-Things were different after that and because of him you learned that different could be good. He loved to tease and be teased by his hyungs and that soon got extended to you. Wiping off your kisses,sticking his foot out to trip you and randomly chasing you through the building were a few of the things he was known for.

-But he still smiled all the way to his eyes whenever you showed up even though you were there multiple times a week. Even in all his teasing he was still a doter. Coming over to kiss the top of your head in between run throughs, handing you his phone to order food and forcing you to go home when you came in dead on your feet.

-He may be the maknae of skz but he was still hyung at home and that kinda status isn’t something you shake easily. Older than you or not he still treated you like his baby, he was going to take care of you in whatever way he could. He was a lot more mature than he usually lead on, obviously he had to be.

NSFW

-as we established Jeongin has a jealous streak that goes a mile wide. Now that he’s more secure in your relationship with each other it’s not so bad, but it’s still so easy to push his buttons if you know what you’re looking for.

-All inhibitions go out the window if you test him and you’ll find yourself in the nearest lockable room with your panties down and his tee shirt in your mouth. he’ll say the filthiest things too while he’s pounding into you, it’s like he comes a different person.

“You just love to piss me off huh? You like when I snap, right?”he whispered in your ear, “if you wanna be fucked like a whore you can just ask and not act like one”

-He’s the type to want you to scream so everyone can know you’re just girl, but with the idol image comes idol responsibility. He satiates the urge by having your cunt dripping on the floor and down the black denim of his pants. He likes when you mark him up just as much as he marks you.

-He is big on hickies, once again idol responsibilities his can’t be visible but he loves when you suck on his hip bones and thighs before he’s forcing his cock back down your throat. You are not safe from hickies either, invest in a real good concealer or just deal with never being able to wear low cut tops because he’s obsessed with your tiddies. He loves the way they look, the way they taste and how pretty your chest looks covered in his bites and he bites hard.

-He’s only programmed with two modes, making love and fucking. Unless it’s an anniversary or you specifically asked him for it, you’re fucking. Hard,fast and nasty. He’s the type to spit into your mouth and tell you swallow it for daddy like the good girl you are with that stupid smirk on his face.

-and shiii ay ay captain 🫡

-We all know about Channie but this is the other one with the daddy kink. It’s unexpected but that’s exactly what Aquarius’ are. He treats you like a princess in public but has you cuffed to his bed with a wand on your clit in private. And don’t get me wrong, he’s also got a praise kink.

He’ll be railing you from behind and drapes himself over your chest to say “does it feel good jagi? Is daddy doing a good job for you? Show me how good I’m doing by cumming all over my cock, yeah?”

-Y’all try to reverse the roles a few times but you just get too nervous with his piercing gaze on you and he can’t help but coo at you and wrap you up in his arms cause fuck if that wasn’t the cutest thing he’s ever seen.

-but if you could actually get past his stare and stoic demeanor, he wouldn’t be too opposed to being on the receiving end…

#skz #skz headcanons #skz hard thoughts #skz reactions #skz fluff #dating skz #skz yang jeongin #dating Jeongin #stray kids reactions #stray kids headcanons

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putschki1969 · 3 months

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2024/01/15 Blog post by Wakana 真奈ちゃんと最高の餃子を食べたお話〜一生餃子推し〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ Do ❗NOT SHARE❗ on other sites ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

A Story About Eating The Best Gyoza With Mana-chan 〜Lifetime Gyoza Fans〜

I decided to really laze around during the New Year's holidays, I didn't do any of the strength training or cooking that I usually do, I didn't sing at all, I basically just slept and slept some more without thinking about anything else. Then, I gradually started forgetting what my life was like before so I got scared and immediately went back to my usual routine 😂 It's scary because if you don't set boundaries for yourself you can easily let yourself go forever! ! 😭

Hello, this is Wakana (0￣▽￣0)／

Generally, I enjoy singing all-year-round but after focusing hard on a concert, I like to take a break from singing for a while🧚‍♀️ It depends on the situation and my mood but those breaks could be a few days or even a month. If I don't do that, I feel like my perspective on many things will become too narrow...🥺 Lately, I've once again realised that it's important to create a sense of contrast and variety so I don't get stuck on something (^^)✨

Now! I would like to finally talk about my Gyoza Eating Journey that was featured in my latest newsletter. In Vol.#5 of my journey, I visited two amazing gyoza restaurants together with Mana Ogawa-chan🥟🥟＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Mana-chan is active as a singer, she also does stage work and participates in a project called Benesse Kodomo Challenge ♪(*´ω｀*) I can't believe she was still in elementary school when we first met...😱(I was already an adult at that point)

Mana-chan also loves gyoza! ️ We live by the motto “NO GYOZA, NO LIFE”!! ️ (no, okay, this is really just me who is saying this). Anyway, I have been wanting to do some sort of gyoza activity together with her for the longest time😆♡ Finally, that dream-like project came true!! ️ Thank you Mana-chan😍

I asked Mana-chan to make a suggestion on where we should go first. She requested a Chinese restaurant called "Rengetsu" that was introduced in my gyoza guide book! Since I had read a lot about it in the book, I was of course very interested. Furthermore, there was another restaurant mentioned in the guide book which happened to be near Mana-chan's recommended place so I really wanted to check that out too, it's called "Min Min"🥟That's pretty much how we ended up going to two restaurants! (^-^)

First of all, let me introduce "Min Min" in Akasaka! The vending machine outside was only selling food that I love 😳✨ The inside of the store was much more lively than I had imagined from the outside, and the tatami room seats made it feel a bit like an izakaya😆 We had an appetizer but I was so focused on the gyoza that I don't remember anything about it😂. The highlight was definitely the fried gyoza! ️🥟 They are as big as a steamed bun! And so chewy! ! Akasaka's "Min Min" is a direct descendant of the currently closed Shibuya's "Min Min Yan Rou Kan" which is said to be the origin place of fried gyoza in Japan. Apparently they make around 1,000 pieces a day😳 We had our order together with their famous "vinegar and pepper" dipping sauce which actually originated at this restaurant♡ The gyoza filling had plenty of chives which Mana-chan was a big fan of! All in all, they were really delicious 😍 Next up we had boiled gyoza! The soup is so flavourful that you'll want to eat it with some noodles! Honestly, it was so delicious that you will be left wanting more 😳✨ Lastly, we had miso gyoza which was actually my first time😳 They were so rich in taste...!! ︎ The bean paste which looks reminded me of mapo tofu was so smooth and rich that I really wanted to eat it with rice! Look at the face I am making, pure happiness...😂 Akasaka's "Min Min" was truly the best~😭💕 There were many other menu items but we didn't pay attention to anything other than the gyoza😂We left the restaurant having thoroughly enjoyed a nice variety of gyoza: Fried, boiled and miso🥟

Next, we went to the restaurant Mana-chan wanted to visit, “Rengetsu” in Aoyama!🥟 The noren at the entrance was so cute ♡ The gyoza on the fabric looks like flowers 🥟The inside of the restaurant is very compact with only one table and a counter. My manager had made reservations for me a month in advance so we were able to get in but it was fully booked😳 (By the way, Akasaka's "Min Min" was also fully booked! Seems like both restaurants are really popular😍) As appetizers we had Szechuan pickles and a "green chili pepper, cucumber, and coriander salad"! Both were spicy and Mana-chan struggled a bit with those since she has a low tolerance for spicy food...! First, we wanted to try "Rengetsu's" signature meal, the boiled gyoza with minced lamb! ! Oh, oh, it was so delicious...! ! ! ! ! This was the best boiled gyoza I've ever had! ! ! 😭✨The sauce was also great! Apparently, the owner of "Rengetsu" won the Chinese Cuisine World Championship back in 2012😳 The taste was worthy of a world champion for sure! ! Of course we had another plate of boiled gyoza and then we moved on to the much anticipated fried gyoza 🥟 This one was also delicious! ! ! ! 😭😭✨ The sauces were different for boiled gyoza and fried gyoza, both delicious of course! ! (I actually switched between the sauces). We ordered another place of this too...😍It felt like a true indulgence and we were eating as much as we wanted😂

This was my 5th time eating gyoza for the fan club magazine and I had a special guest join me for the first time, it was really delicious and fun, I want to do this again and again! ! 😂Mana-chan and I got to talk a lot, not only about gyoza but also about work. Thank you so much Mana-chan! ! ! ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+ (Mana-chan always has a cute smile on her face (*´ω｀*)💓)

There are still many restaurants I want to go to...My journey to eat gyoza will never end! ! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／♡ If you have any delicious restaurant recommendations, please let me know! ! ! Until next time~☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊ Instagram post by Wakana

2024/01/20 Blog post by Wakana おしゃべりガーデン第5回目！〜その２〜

Talk Garden Vol. 5！〜Part 2〜

It's part of my daily routine to keep an eye on the plants in my house, but when my heart gets distracted by other things, I end up not being able to keep an eye on all of my plant babies so they will often end up running out of water. The frequency of watering varies from one plant to another, so it is essential to watch each of them very closely for sign of dehydration. (Sometimes I'll just lift the pot to determine how much water is left in it. By now I have a pretty decent understanding of how much water my plants need based on their weight!) For my bigger plants, I am using a moisture meter (I became a big fan after receiving one at a plant shop I visited a while back), so when the meter turns white, it's a signal to water my plant. I also want to keep track of the times when I water my plants throughout the year so I always write it down on my calendar. It's been dry lately, even my giant plants like Schefflera and Everfresh have been having a hard time😳 When I'm home all day and can take a close look at the plants, I try to take them for a walk around the room. Basically, I just move them around, following the sunlight🚶♪ Recently, I have also tried having my children stay in another room with considerably more sunlight, I pretty much send them abroad to learn and grow. However, studying abroad is a bit of a gamble for both humans and plants, there's always a risk that you don't like the place you're going so instead of growing stronger, the experience will end up weakening you. Not every place is a perfect match for every individual, for some it works, for others it doesn't...😭

Hello, this is Wakana (0￣▽￣0)／

As usual, my Queen of the Night is holding a bud festival but she really does it at her own pace...😳 There are a lot of buds but they don't grow at all 😂 The thing is, she will suddenly start blooming out of nowhere so you really need to keep an eye on her!! Sometimes buds are blooming and I don't even notice🤣

On a different note, Part 2 of "Wakana's Talk Garden Vol. #5" has just been uploaded. In this episode we are talking about our "Resolutions for 2024"! ! I received a lot of your passionate goals and things you want to do this year!＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Thank you 😊♡

I also decided to add a new corner to the podcast (the topic might change on a whim) *laughs* Here are some photos of the things I talked about in that corner! First we have a dried persimmon! (If you know of any delicious ways to eat it, please let me know!) And then we have a very old tablet. (I can't even read a book without the screen freezing every few pages)

2024 will be the 5th anniversary of my solo debut. I'm planning to sing a lot for you this year, so please wait until I can make some announcements 😆 In my Talk Garden podcast, I was asked the question, ``How do you get through difficult times?'' The truth is, I have had so many people help me. I am who I am today because of my family, all the people who have been by my side, and everyone who has supported me😊 I am once again reminded of my privilege and am filled with gratitude. Thank you so much everyone✨I will continue to try my best so that my music can reach all of you who have always been by my side♪

To begin with, please look forward to the live performance “Wakana 5th Anniversary “Prologue” ~Premium Online Live~” held on February 6th, this event will officially kickoff my 5th Anniversary celebrations🤗I will be accompanied by Saku-chan on piano 🎹♪ See you online on February 6th! ! ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+

Until next time~☆( *'▽’*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

Wakana’s Talk Garden #5 Part 2

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ Do ❗NOT SHARE❗ on other sites ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Episode #5 Part 2 »»—— CLICK ME 🎁 CLICK ME ——««

Vol 5 Topic “Resolutions for 2024”

For next month’s episode which is scheduled to air on February 10th, the topic is “Memories of Valentine’s Day.” The submission deadline is 01/31.

#kalafina #wakana #wakana blog #fan club exclusive content #botanical land #Wakana's Talk Garden #long text post

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aalyssah · 1 year

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No More Burger King

Pairing: Matt Jackson x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Fluff?

Word Count: 984

Summary: You and Matt in counter rude employee and when he gets the order wrong, Matt goes back to have some friendly works.

A/N: First Matt fic. Hope You Enjoy!

You and Matt were carrying bags out of the arena. You both just had a match that was tiring and you wanted nothing more than to drive to the hotel, eat, and cuddle up with him.

Matt closed the door for you and walked to the drivers side before starting up the car. You both drove for a while until your stomach growled, which didn’t go unnoticed by Matt.

He let out a laugh. “Are you hungry?” You hid your blushing face with a ‘Mhm.’ Next thing you knew, Matt pulled into a drive through at Burger King. You both don’t usually eat there unless it’s the last option.

You looked at the menu as the car moved closer to the window. “What are you getting?” You looked over the menu and made your decision. “Maybe a whopper with bacon , but not onions and tomatoes.” Matt nodded his head and rolled the window down.

“Hurry up and order.” You and Matt were taken back by the attitude of the guy, but brushed it off. “Yeah, can I get a whopper with bacon, lettuce, but no onions or tomatoes, with ketchup.” You heard tapping and he asked, “Is that all?”

Matt shook his head. “Uh, no-” He was cut off by the faint, ‘Of course.’ It was full of attitude and sassiness. Matt wasn’t gonna let that one slide. “Um, is there a problem?” The guy yawned very likely. “No, no, take your time.”

Matt decided that he didn’t want to be there anymore. Just the vibe of the employee was rude. “Y’know what, that’s all.” The guy said, ‘Finally and rang up the food. “That will be $7.24.” Matt drove to the next window and held his card out.

It was no surprise that the guy looked how he did. He just looked led straight up dirty. “Hurry up and drive to the next window, slow asses.” You watched as Matt froze, turning his head at the man.

You were quick enough to put your hand on his. “Just come on, babe. Go get my food and let’s go.” Matt took a breath, calming himself down before driving to the next window. “Yeah, bye babe.” The man mocked, before laughing loudly.

Luckily the person was just nice and gave you your food without a problem. You didn’t feel like eating, so you put it on the floor and ended up falling asleep. When you did wake up, Matt was carrying you inside the hotel.

You smiled and tucked your head deeper in his chest.

You made it to your room and instantly went to eat. After a mini nap, you just want to eat and sleep. You handed Matt some fries and took your burger out, but when you unwrapped the paper from the burger, it was disgusting.

The way all the food was placed was messy, a whole onion sitting inside the burger, tomato juice making the buns soggy. You plopped it down and went to the sink to wash your hands.

Matt on the other hand wasn’t happy at all. You came back and put all the stuff in the bag and placed it on the counter. “Well, looks like no Burger King for me.”

You began to walk to the bed, but was stopped by Matt. “Put your shoes on.” You looked at him with confusion. “Why?” Matt didn’t say anything, but grabbed the bag and walked outside, to which, of course you followed. “Matt, where are you going?”

You asked, almost out of breath from Matt walking so fast. “To get my money back and teach that guy a lesson.” Your eyes grew big. “Matt, calm down. It’s just a burger!” Matt shook his head, unlocking the door and getting in.

You rolled your eyes and sat in the passenger's seat while he drove fast to the Burger King. When you made it, you were scared for the guy’s safety. He parked in front of the door and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Stay in here.” He grabbed the bag and left out.

You could only obey his command and watch from the clear glass of the front door. At first they were talking like normal, with Matt’s mouth slowly getting bigger as his voice was louder. Then it all happened so fast.

One moment, Matt is talking to co-workers and then the next, he’s jumping over the counter, punching the shit out of the guy. You quickly unbuckled your seatbelt and ran inside.

People failed to get Matt off the man, but only you could stop him. “Matthew!” He stopped mid punch, Turing to look at you. “I thought I told you to stay in the car.” His voice was raspy, blood dripping out his nose as he looked at you. “Just come back to the car, we’ll report them to the Corporate.” Matt thought about it for a second and nodded his head.

He had to leave one last punch in. The second you and Matt walked out the restaurant, his co-workers were checking on the guy. As you drove back home, it was silent. No music, no talking, just the outside noise. You walked back inside the hotel room and went for the first aid kit in the bathroom.

You sat on the counter while Matt was in between your legs letting you clean the blood. "Are you crazy? Fighting at a Burger King because of a burger." You mumbled, shaking your head. Matt looked down at the ground. "I wasn't fighting him because of that."

You tilted your head in question. "Why'd you punch him then?" Matt avoided eye contact at your question. "Because he was talking about you. Saying things that no man should say about a woman." A smile broke on your face as you engulfed him in a hug. "Awe Love, we won't go to a Burger King ever again."

Matt nodded his head in agreement. "Good, no more Burger King."

#matt jackson #matt jackson fluff #matt jackson imagine #matt jackson x reader #matt jackson smut #matt jackson fanfiction #aew fluff #aew imagine #aew smut

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witchybitchy222 · 2 years

Text

Azriel x Reader | Renewal

Chapter Two

Azriel x Female Reader

Based on this ask:

“My brain literally will not shut up about reader from our world who is actually the reincarnation of Rhy’s sister (and Az’s mate duh)but NONE of them realize it until she dies/gets put into the cauldron and is brought back as high fae”

THANK YOU again for all the support! Sorry this part took forever, all this exposition is hard to write when I just wanna get to the good stuff lol Enjoy!!

Chapter one:

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Y/N

You thanked the waiter as he set down your glass of lemonade and glanced at your watch, 12:47, you should’ve known, Cora was late to everything. You looked back at the menu trying to decide between a salad and a sandwich when Cora dropped herself into the seat across from you with a sigh.

“I know, I know, I’m late” she began “but to be fair, I had to wait for the subway because that guy who smells like feet and sits way too close to any woman he spots was on there and I was NOT dealing with that today.”

“I’ll accept that” you said with a laugh.

“Soooo” Cora began as she wrapped her braids up into a bun “how was your date last night?”

“Ugh,” you rolled your eyes

“That bad?” Cora asked, eyebrows raised.

“Horrible.” You began, “he forgot to take off his wedding ring.”

“What an ass! Men are literally the worst.” Cora said, scrunching her face up in disgust.

“Tell me about it, I’m so over dating. I’ve accepted that I’ll never have sex again” You say, taking a sip of your lemonade.

“Maybe if you could hookup without getting emotionally invested it’d work out better for you.” Your friend laughed.

The waiter came over to take your order, you could hear yourself talking, but things started to go out of focus and eventually the whole restaurant faded from view.

You opened your eyes with a gasp. A dream. It was a dream. But it felt so real. Was it a memory?

You pushed the blankets off and swung your feet onto the floor. You went to the bathroom and braided back your hair before choosing some comfortable clothes to wear. You couldn’t stop replaying the dream, trying to see if there was anything that stood out enough to spark more memories, if it even was a memory.

You planned to meet with Rhysand and His second in command this morning. The High Lord had said Amren was good with spells and might be able to dig up something to trigger your memory. You’d have to ask her opinion on your dream.

You heard voices as you headed downstairs. There were paintings hanging along the wall you wanted to admire, but didn’t want to keep the fae waiting, so you continued on, making a mental note to come back and look at them later.

You walked down the hall to an open door and took a deep breath before walking into the room. The female you assumed was Amren stood across the room, between the fireplace and window. Two dark green plush chairs were placed in front of the hearth, the High Lord occupied one, dressed impeccably in a black suit, one leg propped up on the other, an easy smile on his face.

“Good morning, I hope you slept well.” He said as you entered. He gestured for you to take the other seat.

You sat a little nervously, feeling Amren’s eyes on you.

“This is Amren, my second in command.” Rhysand gestured to the female.

“I’m Y/N” you said with a slight smile.

“Oh I know all about you” Amren replied with a slightly unnerving smile. You swallowed thickly and looked to Rhysand. Amusement swam in his blue eyes, eyes you only now realized were strikingly similar to your own.

“I had a dream.” You told him.

He rose one eyebrow, his mouth slightly curving up at the sides.

“I mean, it may have been a memory” you quickly added, glancing at Amren who’s face revealed no emotion.

“Can I see?” Rhysand asked you. You nodded hesitantly, remembering what he told you the day before about his and Feyre’s powers to communicate with their minds. A shiver went down your spine as you felt him enter your brain. It wasn’t unpleasant necessarily, but your thoughts became harder to control. You felt yourself thinking of your dream, recalling the images and words.

Once he’d seen it all, Rhysand eased off and sighed.

“I’ve seen enough dreams and memories over the years to know it wasn’t just a dream.” He stated, glancing at Amren. “And it confirms what we already believed, you’re not of this realm.”

You had of course already suspected this, but hearing how certain Rhysand was made your stomach drop.

“I believe you’re here for a reason. We’ve checked with the other courts around Prythian and no one else has had an unexpected visitor. There must be a reason you’re here, not only in this realm, but in this court.”

“Normally I wouldn’t believe in this being an act of fate,” Amren began, “but your eyes lead me to believe otherwise.”

You looked again to Rhysand, his eyes unnervingly similar to yours.

“I’ve only known three other people to have this specific eye color,” he said, leaning forward on his elbows, “my son, who inherited them from me, my mother, and my sister. Both of whom have been dead for centuries.” Rhysand’s face flashed with a brief flicker of pain, and you noted that it must’ve been an unexpected death for them both. You furrowed your brows in confusion, “what do you think it means?” You glanced between the two, unsure what they could be alluding to.

Rhysand sighed, “we don’t know. Maybe you’re from the same lineage as me, just in an alternate reality? Maybe you’re your realm’s equivalent of me? Maybe it’s just a common eye color in your world. Honestly we don’t have much to go off of.” This was all so confusing, something was a hint, but didn’t give any information? At your frown Rhysand spoke again “It’s a great lead that you were able to dream a memory though, this means they’re still buried in your subconscious. Amren can look for a way to pull them out, and Feyre and I can help you strengthen your mind. Maybe focusing on sharpening your brain will push some more memories to the surface.”

Azriel

Y/N laughed at something Mor said as she browsed the items in Mor’s favorite boutique in downtown Velaris. Damn that laugh, it was too distracting. He’d agreed to go shopping with them for honorable reasons, Rhys had asked him to keep an eye on her. They still didn’t know much about Y/N, and while the High Lord seemed to trust her, there was no telling when her memories would come back, and what that would lead to. He was normally so focused, catching little details and storing information was what he was good at, but there was something about this woman that made it hard to focus on anything but the way she smiled, and how her laugh sounded.

He followed behind Y/N and Mor as they headed back to the river house, trying to listen in on their conversation without getting distracted.

“So how’d it go with Rhys and Amren this morning?” Mor asked her as she linked their arms together.

“Fine, I guess.” Y/N replied, sighing a bit. “We still don’t know much, Amren has some theories she’s going to look into, and Rhysand wants to help me sharpen my mind. He thinks I may have some kind of mental block that won’t allow me to access my memories.”

Mor frowned, “I suppose that would make sense. Maybe you suffered some kind of trauma? What do you think, Az?”

They both turned to look at him, and for a moment his eyes caught Y/N’s and he forgot how to breathe, then she blushed and looked away and he regained control.

“I don’t know,” he began, “it’s nothing I’ve seen before. But if anyone can figure it out, it’s Rhys and Amren. Between the two of them they have enough knowledge and resources to help.” Y/N gave a small nod at that, and his heart swelled a bit in thinking that he had made her feel better, even if it was the tiniest bit. Cauldron, he couldn’t be developing feelings for her. He knew nothing about her! She was just a human woman who needed their help. Sure she was painfully beautiful, but he should be able to control himself. He was halfway through his fifth century, a crush wasn’t going to keep him from focusing on his job.

Y/N

Feyre found you before dinner and started teaching you how to fortify your mind. She’d explained it like building a wall, a wall so thick and solid no one could penetrate it, and inside that wall was you. Your thoughts, feelings, memories, everything.

You were concentrating on placing yourself behind that wall when you felt Feyre’s presence approach you. You squeezed your eyes shut tighter and tried to focus on keeping her out. You knew she wasn’t pushing as hard as she could, and nothing about what she was doing was painful, but you were determined not to let her in.

“Good, Y/N” Feyre praised as she slid up to the wall. “Your foundation is good, but there are still some gaps that could be easily exploited” she explained as you felt her gently push her way into your mind.

“Ugh” you sighed and opened your eyes. “This is so much harder than I thought it’d be.”

“You’re doing great!” Feyre said with a smile. You shot her a small glare, she was being too kind.

“Really!” She said, “it’s only your first try and you’ve built a pretty solid wall already. It’s hard to do, but with more practice you’ll get better. Now stop pouting and let’s go eat.”

You followed her out of the room to the dining hall, your stomach grumbling after exerting all that energy trying to keep the High Lady out of your mind.

Dinner was mostly uneventful, it was only you, Feyre, Rhys, Nyx, and Mor, and as much as you hated to admit it, you were sad Azriel hadn’t joined. He hadn’t said much on your outing with Mor that afternoon, but something about being in his presence was calming.

After dinner you took a long hot bath and threw on one of the night dresses Mor had bought you earlier. It was a bit skimpier than you liked, but the material was soft and comfortable. You tried to rest, but sleep wouldn’t claim you, so you grabbed a long, silk robe in the most beautiful shade of blue, also purchased by Mor, and headed downstairs.

You thought about stopping to admire the paintings you’d seen earlier, but it was too dark to see them properly and you didn’t want to wake anyone by turning on any fae lights.

You eventually found yourself in the library and figured you might as well settle in there for a while.

You’d been so engrossed in your reading you didn’t notice anyone else had entered until a fae light flicked on by the door. You jumped a bit, but immediately relaxed when you turned to see it was Azriel who had come inside.

“You’re up late.” He said as he came to sit in the chair across the table from you.

“I couldn’t sleep,” you started “so I figured I’d come learn as much as I could about this realm, see if anything sparked a memory.”

Azriel stared at you, then at the books spread across the table, all detailing histories of Prythian. You could never tell what he was thinking. His face was neutral but you could tell his mind was working, trying to calculate something. It was clear he didn’t trust you. You blushed a bit at that thought, annoyed by how upset it made you, when one of his shadows reached across the table and glided across your hand. You gasped as you watched it retreat back to its master. You’d been told of Azriel’s unique abilities, but this was the first time you’d seen the shadows at work. They were beautiful, like sentient smoke blending in with the darkness in the room around you.

You looked up to find Azriel watching you, yet again, and realized something. This wasn’t the first time you’d seen those shadows, he’d been watching you.

“I’m not a threat, you know.” You said to him, angry he’d felt the need to take away your privacy by constantly watching you.

His eyebrows shot up, and he looked almost amused, which of course only made you angrier. “You realize saying that unprompted only makes you seem guilty, right?” He asked you.

You felt your face flush and crossed your arms in anger. “I can barely remember who I am, I’m not here to hurt anyone. Besides, I’m a human in a house filled with powerful fae, I couldn’t do anything even if I tried.”

“I know that.” Azriel replied, his face staying aggravatingly neutral.

“Then call of your little shadows and stop watching me in my private rooms! It’s creepy!”

He smirked at that and you let out a grunt of frustration, you were trying to be serious and all he could do was laugh at you.

“It’s my job to watch people” he said with that stupid smirk on his face.

“Well just, tone it down, would you?” You asked, exasperated with the whole conversation.

“Deal.” He said, his face going back to neutral.

“Good.” You said as you stood up and left the library. He was so frustrating, constantly glaring at you and judging your every move, and now he was laughing at you? He may be crazy attractive, but he was kind of an ass, and you were determined to be done drooling over him.

You threw yourself into bed, swearing you were done thinking about him.

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@amdiriel

#a court of thorns and roses #acotar #azriel #azriel x reader #send me asks #mine #renewal #azriel x female reader #witchybitchy222

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blondie20000 · 7 months

Text

Birthday Boy - Billy Batson x Diana Prince

Billy couldn't believe this is happening.

He couldn't believe he is about to have dinner with Wonder Woman!

When Billy sent the letter asking if they could meet up he didn't expect a response. The day before his 18th birthday he received a letter from Wonder Woman and it said she has accepted his request and will meet with him on his birthday.

At first Billy thought he was seeing things he had to read it over and over to fully process the fact that he is going on a date with Wonder Woman!

Not a date. Billy quickly told himself. It is just dinner. Just two superheroes having dinner that's all.

When his birthday finally arrived Billy spent the day celebrating it with his family. When the evening came Billy got ready and he flew to the restaurant the two superheroes agreed to meet in.

Along the way Billy brought some flowers.

Roses Wonder Woman will like roses right?

He drops down in front of the restaurant entrance.

It's not a romantic gesture or anything I'm just being nice, polite, friendly. She will like them. She will like them!

He nods to himself.

Yeah just friends just friends. It is not a date not a date.

When Billy walked in he was met with whoops and cheers.

"SHAZAM!" One kid squealed.

Billy raises his hand and waves.

"Hey!"

"Shazam!"

"Holy shit it's him!"

"The Savior!"

"Our hero!"

"I love you Shazam!" A woman shouted out.

"I love you too." Billy smiled.

"Are you single?" The same woman asked.

"Uhh..." Billy laughs a little. "Well uh as you can see I'm um..."

He holds up the roses to make his point.

"You are meeting someone?" The Chef asked.

Billy nods.

"That's right."

The Chef raises his eyebrows.

"A special someone."

"A special someone indeed."

"Well well." The Chef rubs his hands excitedly. "We better get you seated."

Billy was escorted to the table. He accepts the menu and looks through it.

"It is on the house." The Chef nodded. "As a thank you for your services."

Billy places his hand on his chest and smiles.

"Thank you Mr..."

" Pascal. " The Chef bowed.

"Chef Pascal." Billy grinned .

"He knows my name." The Chef muttered.

In the end Billy decided to order steak, fries and a soda. He sucks on the straw and glances at the clock.

She should be here by now.

He looks outside and he starts to become nervous.

What if she changed her mind.

Billy sadly sighs.

Of course she would change her mind. Why would she wanna spend time with me? She's probably got better things to do.

Billy looks round the restaurant and grits his teeth.

A superhero being stood up that's um...that's embarrassing...really embarrassing.

What should Billy do? Just get up and leave? Come up with an excuse? Surely there has to be a robbery nearby that he can go and check out.

As Billy goes to check the recent news on his phone someone walks past him and goes into the seat opposite. They clear their throat gaining his attention.

Billy looks up from his phone and frowns.

"Sorry but this seat is taken..." His voice trails off as the person lowers their sunglasses. "Oh...OH!" Billy sits up straight. His eyes are wide with shock. "Wonder Woman!"

"Wonder Woman smiles at him.

"Hello Billy."

"Uh..."

Billy suddenly became speechless. He noticed Wonder Woman is not wearing her iconic armor instead she is wearing a black shirt with flared trousers to match, high heeled boots and a brown leather jacket. Her hair is tied back into a bun. This was all a fascinating sight to Billy it amazed him how a superhero like Wonder Woman can look so human right now.

"I like to keep a low profile." Wonder Woman said reading his mind. "You on the other hand." She looks round at all the staring faces. "I see we have ourselves an audience."

"Um..." Billy looked sheepishly at his suit. He and Wonder Woman always wore their suits in his dreams.

"So this is the lucky woman." Chef Pascal purred.

"Yes!" Billy replied. "Yes this is Wo..."

"Diana." She quickly cut him off with a smile.

"Diana. Lovely name for a lovely woman."

Diana kept her head down but Billy saw her cheeks blush pink.

"What would you like Madam?" The Chef asked. "You can pick whatever you like it is on the house."

"I'll have what he is having please." Diana replied as she pointed at Billy's plate.

"Coming right up."

As the Chef walks off he bends down and whispers in Billy's ear.

"I like her already."

Billy forced a smile.

If only you knew who she was.

"So Billy last time we saw each other. "

"I was dead." Billy laughed.

"Hey!" Diana smiles. "Not everyone gets to say that."

"True." Billy again laughs. "Very true...Oh!" Billy picks up the bunch of roses. "I uh I got these for you." He added shyly.

"Aww." Diana takes the roses. "That's very sweet Billy thank you. That reminds me." She places a little gift on the table. She grins. "Happy Birthday."

Billy quickly shakes his head.

"You didn't have to do that."

"It's your birthday I had to get you something."

Billy stares at the present with disbelief.

I got a present from Wonder Woman...Holy shit!

Billy didn't recognize the gift when he opened it. He examines the strange object in his hands. His frown deepens as he tries to work out what it is.

Diana then told him what it was. It is something to do with their culture, their beliefs, part of the Greek mythology. Billy pretended to understand he smiled and nodded as she spoke about it. Then a chuckle comes from Diana.

"You are puzzled."

Billy felt like he been caught out.

"No I'm not!" He quickly said.

"It's okay." She gives him an amused smile. "All I can say is it is harmless so you don't need to worry about it."

"Good." Billy places the item back into the box. "That's good you know where I'm from accidents can umm happen but thank you I really appreciate it I really do I never had a present from a superhero before. I feel honored. So umm..." He clears his throat. "How have you been? How's life?"

"All good." She nods. "Billy, why did you contact me?"

"I told you in the letter it's my birthday and it has been a while since we last saw each other and I thought we should catch up."

"I read the letter." She sighs. "Billy. " She leans forward. She raises her eyebrow at him. "Why did you really contact me?"

Shit!

Billy leans back in his seat. He bites his lip as he thought about how to respond to this.

"When we last spoke I said I would be 18 soon and maybe we could..." He does the phone gesture. "Do you remember that?"

"I do. So what you are saying is you want to have sex with me? "

"No not like that it's just..." He sighs.

Just spit it out.

"I have these dreams. Me, you together like this only difference is you were wearing your superhero stuff. We talk about things, get to know each other then...it's get more heated? Passionate but...every time we are about to...do it I wake up. It is annoying as Hell. I thought now that I am 18 I am now an adult I can do whatever the Hell I like I thought maybe I could finally finish that dream."

"So you do want to have sex with me?"

"Uh...yeah." Billy silently cursed to himself.

I must sound like a creep.

He can already imagine Freddy's face if he told him what he just confessed to Wonder Woman. If Wonder Woman decided to run out of this restaurant Billy wouldn't blame her at all. He made himself sound like a right weirdo. Instead Diana stayed in her seat. Her face is blank Billy didn't know what she is feeling right now. That made Billy feel even more anxious.

A minute later Diana sighs heavily.

"Billy. You are just a kid."

"18." Billy gestures to himself. "Not a kid anymore."

"Compared to me, you are very young."

"Well Freddy's girlfriend is over 6000 years old."

Diana couldn't argue with that.

The boy had a fair point.

"But still..." She again sighs. "It is not right."

"It's not like I look 18. I'm in a full grown man's body so it wouldn't look weird or anything...It never looks weird in my dreams. " He muttered the last part.

"How often do you have these dreams?" Diana asked.

"Every night." He answered without hesitation.

Now I really sound like a creep.

"Look. " Billy gives her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"Billy, I'm sure you are not the first person to dream about me." She replied with a slight laugh. "I know lots of men and women who wish to sleep with me."

"Men and women, you are very popular then."

Billy looks down at himself again. His cheeks go from pink to red. He is feeling embarrassed.

Diana tilts her head. She frowns.

"You really want this?" When Billy didn't reply Diana decided to ask another question. "Have you ever done it before?"

"Sex." Billy couldn't look her in the eye. "No."

"You are a virgin?" Diana shakes her head. "Wouldn't you prefer to lose your virginity to someone special?"

"But you are special." Billy looks up at her with wide eyes. "I mean you are Wonder Woman and you are...you are..."

Beautiful, hot, gorgeous.

Billy couldn't get the words out. Diana however seem to understand what he is trying to convey to her. At that moment Diana didn't see a cocky lad trying to get into her underwear instead she saw a boy with a crush. She is his first crush. While these dreams he had pleased him it also frustrated him as well.

Diana can already sense the sexual tension from him he couldn't even sit straight. As he spoke to her his legs shook under the table and his eyes kept going to her chest. While Diana is flattered by the attention part of her felt she needed to put a stop to it right now. If Billy was ever going to join her team one day they needed to be professional he couldn't follow her around like a lapdog with big heart eyes.

With a dramatic sigh Diana places her hands on the table.

"I usually don't allow this but as it is your birthday I am willing to make an expectation. I will help you finish your dream."

Billy's head shot up with surprise. His mouth hung open.

"You will?" He whispered in shock.

"There will be some rules." She answered with a stern tone. "This will be a one time deal. You are not getting anymore out of me kid once we do this it's over. We never speak of this again."

"Okay." Billy nodded.

"Two we'll do this my way. As it is your first time it is probably for the best if I take charge. "

"Yeah that makes sense."

"Three no kissing."

Billy's shoulders slumped at that.

"I would prefer it if we keep this mutual." Diana added. "No strings attached."

"Of...Of course." Billy replied respecting her decision. "But the rest is fine?"

"The rest is indeed fine my dear boy." She places her hand over his. Her lips form into a seductive smirk. "Whenever you are ready just say the word. "

"Oh..." Billy laughs. "Right umm wow okay straight to business I see um..."

He stands up. Diana follows shortly afterwards. She presses her body against his. Her smirk widens.

"Lead the way kid."

Without hesitation Billy takes Diana by her hand and takes her out of the restaurant. He gives the Chef a thumbs up along the way. Once they reached outside Billy wraps his arms around Diana and they both shoot up into the sky.

..........................

Diana stood in front of the bed with her hands on her hips. Billy is on the bed completely naked and still in his adult form.

"You know the password?" Diana asked.

Billy swallows and nods.

"Sunflower."

She smiles.

"That's right. Good."

Billy suddenly felt nervous. He has never done this before what if he screws up? What if he makes a fool of himself? What if he loses control of his powers and hurts someone?

Shit I didn't think about that!

"Billy?" Diana looked at him with concern. "You okay?"

He answered with a sigh.

"What if I mess this up?"

"You won't ." Diana assured him. "Because I will be here to help you."

Billy smiled sheepishly but the doubt remained in his eyes.

"Thanks."

"It will come to you." Diana nods. "It is an natural instinct." She suddenly reaches out and wraps her fingers around his cock. She then smirks. "I see you already halfway there."

She strokes his length. The touch caused him to shiver. She gives him another stroke before stepping back. She then starts to undress herself.

Billy straightened up as the layers of clothing slip of her.

A gasp escapes his lips as she removes her bra followed by her underwear. His eyes widen as she steps into the spotlight and peers down at him.

Holy fuck!

Billy eyes her up and down. He takes in every part of her. Her muscular toned body, her perfectly shaped breasts. He bit down on his lip hard as he looks at her vagina.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

His mind goes into overdrive. Scenarios of imagining himself in her raced through his mind. The thought of it both excited him and scared him.

"You like what you see?" She grinned.

He gazes up at her. His face full of wonder and awe.

"Mommy."

She raises an eyebrow at that.

She then removes the clip from her hair. Billy watched as her hair falls down on to her shoulders.

"Wow." He muttered to himself. "Can I?"

Diana leans forward. Billy reaches out and grasps on to a lock of her hair. He runs his fingers through it.

"So soft." He said with childlike awe.

"Billy." She cups his chin and gets him to look at her. "Are you going to be a good boy for me?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That's what I like to hear." She runs her hand along his chest as she climbs on to the bed. She sits on top of him and eyes his body up and down. "The Gods have blessed you. You do indeed look very well."

Billy smiles nervously.

"I work out."

Her hands return to his cock.

"Diana."

"Shh!" She places a finger on his lips. "Relax."

He nods a little.

Diana turns back to his length. She draws him into her mouth. Billy watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as she took him in whole. She at first choked as his length hit the back of her throat. She is surprised at how big he is then once Diana got comfortable she begun to suck his cock.

"Crap! Fuck!" Billy hissed.

Diana head bops up and down as she sucked and teased him. She then slips her hand around his balls and starts to squeeze them.

Another curse comes out of Billy's lips. The young superhero turns his head from side to side as he tried to process what is happening to him right now. He still couldn't believe this is truly happening he felt at any minute now everything around him will fall apart and he will wake up. This is all nothing but a dream, a fantasy.

No. This is real. He then pinched himself. Yeah I felt that. This is real definitely real.

He sighs with happiness. Pure joy shows on his face.

Hell yeah! Yeah...YES!

"Don't stop!" He quickly said as he saw Diana slowing down. "Don't."

He closes his eyes and moans with delight as she increased in speed again.

"Man that feels so good." He thought out loud.

Moments later Diana removes herself from him. She made a loud pop sound as she comes out. Billy groans at the loss of contact.

"No."

Diana goes back on top of him again.

"Did you enjoy that birthday boy?" She asked.

"Yes." He replied his voice high pitched.

"Hmm?"

"Yes...ma'am." He squeaked.

She strokes his hair and studies his face. His cheeks are flushed pink, sweat is forming above his brow, his lips are trembling and his eyes are pleading, begging for more.

"You want more?" She asked.

"Yes! "

"Yes what?"

"Yes please."

She smiles at that.

"I like a boy with good manners." She tilts her head. "Do you want me to be happy Billy? "

"Of course I want you to be happy. " Billy replied with a frown.

What kind of a question is that?

"Do you want to please me Billy?"

Please? Where is this going?

Billy gave her a cocky grin. He didn't want her to see his confusion.

"I aim to please. " He smirked.

Diana moves towards him. She then sits down on top of his face.

"Then please me!" She growled.

Her response sent a jolt of electricity through him. The rasp and growl in her voice sounded so hot!

Letting natural instincts take over Billy suddenly reaches out and latches on to her. He bites down on her folds and begins fucking her with his tongue.

"Fuck!" Diana cursed.

Diana throws her head back as Billy hungrily licked her up and down. He pushes his tongue deep inside her and slides it up, down and around her vagina.

Diana pushes herself down on to him. She moans as he sucks on to her wet folds.

"Good! So good Billy! Keep going! " She praised him.

He obeyed and kept going.

His hands go on to her ass. He squeezes her ass cheeks tight. Diana again moans and drops her head forward.

Billy brushed himself against her hair. He breathed in her shampoo and fragrance.

Smells like roses. He thought. Like the roses I gave her.

He then grins.

So she does like roses!

"That's it! " Diana sighs with pleasure. "You are doing well my dear boy so well!"

Eventually Diana climbs of the bed.

"For your first attempt you did very good I am impressed. Well done. " Diana said with a nod and smile.

Billy beamed back at her. He cherished the praise he received from her.

"Now." Diana continued. "Do you have a condom?"

"Condom?...Oh...Yeah! Yeah I do. Hold on."

Once Billy had the condom on Diana goes between his legs.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked.

He nods he now looked more confident.

"Yes ma'am."

Diana then lowers herself on to him. A sign escapes her lips as he goes inside her. She then starts to ride him.

Billy lifts his hips to allow him to meet Diana for each thrust. He gasps when he felt the first thrust. The feelings of pleasure and delight immediately course through his body.

"You want me Billy?"

"I do."

"You really want me? "

"I do I so do." He moaned.

She leans forward. Her breasts are inches away from his face.

"Show me!" She ordered.

Billy pulls her in by her waist and consumes her nipple with his mouth. He sucks hard on it and teases her other nipple with his hand. This caused Diana to pick up the pace. Billy quickly followed after her as he continued to bite her already swollen nipples.

"SO GOOD! FUCK!" Diana screamed.

Her scream made him turn feral.

He devoured her body taking in every part of her while she continued to fuck him. He sucked and teased all her sensitive areas. She responded by pulling at his hair hard.

That made Billy growl. He increases his grip on her when he felt her shaking above him.

"You enjoying that?" He asked sounding smug.

"Just shut up and fuck me!"

Billy laughs.

"You got it! Anything for you Wonder Woman."

The bed squeaked as the super powered couple poured all their energy and strength into this. Several lamps fall on the ground, books tumble of the shelves, clothes fly out of the wardrobe.

Suddenly Billy felt a strange feeling forming at the bottom of his stomach. He felt himself becoming full down there. It took several moments for Billy to realize what he needed to do.

"Diana!" He gasped. "I need to...I need to cum!"

He looks up at her seeking her permission. Diana nods at him.

"Do it."

When Billy let go Diana let go as well. Screams echoed around the room as the two superheroes let it all out.

"Fuck!" Billy cursed.

As soon as those words left Billy's mouth a bolt of lightning suddenly shoots out of his hand and blasts straight into the wall.

The wall crumbles and crashes down on the ground.

Billy grits his teeth.

"Whoops."

"OH MY GOD!" Someone yelled with horror.

A couple a man and a woman stood where the wall once was. They stared at the two superheroes in shock.

Billy is the first to scream. He jumps out of bed and grabs a blanket to wrap around himself. His reaction made the couple scream as well.

"WHAT THE HELL? "

"MY GOD MY GOD!"

"HEY CAN YOU LIKE TURN AROUND OR SOMETHING I'M NAKED!" Billy screamed at them.

"YOU JUST BROKE THE DAMM WALL! YOU SON OF A BITCH! " The man glared at him.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"YOU STILL BROKE THE FUCKING WALL!"

Diana quickly grabs the covers and wraps it around herself. She then runs over to the wardrobe and starts to push it.

"I'm sorry." She told the couple. "We'll pay for the damages I promise."

Diana does one final push and the wardrobe successfully covers the hole Billy caused.

"I'm sorry!" Billy yelled at the couple.

The young superhero again grits his teeth. He is blushing pink with embarrassment. He then gives Diana an apologetic look.

"I am so sorry." He sighs. "I knew I was gonna mess this up!"

"It's fine." She assured him. "And you didn't mess up. You did well. "

Billy smiles.

"Really?"

"Really what?" She frowned at him.

"The..." He then laughs. "Oh I get it, the deal never speak of this again. Got it." He does a zip gesture with his mouth. "My lips are sealed."

Diana places her hand on his shoulder. She beamed at him.

"Happy Birthday Billy."

Billy nods.

"Thank you Diana. Thank you for making my dreams come true. "

She slowly nods.

"Now... " She said changing the subject. She gestures to the room. "Are you going to help me tidy up?"

Billy responds with a cheeky grin.

"Yes ma'am. "

The End

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tiredlaoshi · 8 months

Text

Strawberry Short Cake

Today is easily one of the most awful days Lan Zhan has had since he started working for his family’s company. One particular supplier, named Yao Chemicals, is causing delays with their production, asking for a raise in payment than what they signed in the contract. Ouyang Logistics had canceled their shipping in the name of maintenance. Why did they not inform them ahead of time? Lan Zhan does not want to find out but knows that he should.

As the Vice-President of the family-owned company, Lan Zhan is always on top of things. Thankfully, he has a diligent Operations General Manager who is willing to share the stress and burden of their work. He should give Lou Qinyang an extra bonus and longer vacation time next year. A ship cruise does not sound bad, it could also be her late honeymoon with her wife.

The clock hits eight, everyone has already left the company building since six saves for him, the maintenance, and the security. Lan Zhan loosened his necktie and opened two top buttons of his dress shirt. He should head home, too, it’s closing his usual bedtime and today’s stress must be at least washed away.

On the drive home, he rounded a corner and saw a cafe. It looks warm and cozy from its windows. The cafe has a combined rustic and bookish vibe in its interior design visible through its clear windows. There are only two tables occupied, a bonus that it is not crowded considering that it is near a business district.

Lan Zhan parked his car on the curbside and walked to the cafe. He surveyed the menu before going up to the counter manned by a timid-looking barista. “Hi, my name is Wen Ning. Welcome to Dafen Cafe! What can I get you tonight?” The barista, Wen Ning, said.

“Hi. I’d have your Lavender Mint Tea. 50% sugar, please. Lukewarm temperature.” Don’t judge him, okay? Usually, Lan Zhan would drink his tea without any confectionery but this day was really a challenging one. He deserves some sweetness.

“Lavender Mint with 50% sugar. Lukewarm. Got that. Anything else? We have bread and pastries, too. If I could offer you some?”

Lan Zhan regarded the display shelf. The croissant does not look bad, it looks buttery and flaky. Maybe if he is having breakfast, he would get it, some other time maybe. The chocolate truffle cake and carrot cake also look heavenly. And there’s red velvet and sans rival, too. Too many choices!

“Mm. What can you recommend?” He asked Wen Ning instead because he was really having a hard time choosing. And he feels like the barista had been waiting for him for all eternity. It is best to finish their business now.

“Oh. oh… my recommendation. Uhm, I’d recommend the chocolate decadence cake if you like sweet stuff. But, if you are into fruity flavor, our strawberry shortcake is our best seller.”

“Mm. then I’d take that—” But before Wen Ning could confirm his order, the bells on the cafe door chimed. A loud voice and a whirlwind of a man also came into view.

“Wen Ning! I hope you saved me some of that strawberry shortcake because I really, really, really need it now!” The newcomer seems to be a regular if he is addressing the barista by his personal name. Lan Zhan could not help but take in the man’s features.

Tall and slender frame with a cinched waist. Wide childbearing hips partnered with the most plump-looking ass. Is it even possible for a man to look this breedable, Lan Zhan thinks? Maybe he could do research on that. His cropped pullover shirt slipped on one side showing his clear and smooth skin and deep collarbones. He is also wearing a paint-stained black sweatpants that perfectly highlights the delicious curves of his round ass. Long dark wavy hair tried in a messy bun. His face is sharp, yet he radiates softness with his tantalizing mercurial eyes. Lan Zhan is not sure if it is just the cafe’s warm lights reflecting on the man’s eyes that give him that impression but he is captivated nonetheless.

Lan Zhan shook his head a little, hoping to clear his mind of the shameless and unspeakable things it was conjuring at the moment. These thoughts are nowhere near appropriate, especially since it involves a total stranger. He did not notice that the stranger was already standing close to him at the counter.

“Hi, Ying-ge. Rough day? Sorry but the order for the last slice of the strawberry shortcake is already placed. I’ll make sure to save some for you tomorrow.” Wen Ning said to the man, Ying , and the man deflated. Lan Zhan did not know people could deflate, but he is seeing it now.

His beautiful pinkish lips pout on that reply, and Lan Zhan had made a creed to wipe that out of the man’s lips. A kiss would be a good way to erase the pout but would that not be too straightforward? Maybe he could start with something wholesome.

So, instead of jumping the man for a kiss, Lan Zhan said, “You should take it.” Well, he really likes to do the kissing, but he needs to be polite. His uncle had spent his prime teaching and instilling morals and ethics in him and his brother, which cannot go to waste. Maybe he would ask for the man’s name and his number, but that would be another challenge he would have to figure out. He hoped the other man would not decline the cake and give at least his name.

The other man turned to face him and gave him a blinding smile, “No, take it. It's yours, you could have it. Besides, you placed the order before I came in. Although, I think you just went ahead of me by 13 milliseconds. Not that I actually counted, but you know what I mean.” The other man said with a shrug. Truth be told, Lan Zhan does not actually think he should have the cake just because he finished speaking first. But whatever.

“No. You take it. I work nearby. I could get my fill tomorrow.”

“No. You want it now. It's yours—”

“Uhm. If none of you want to take the last slice, maybe you could just share with one another?” Lan Zhan perked up with the suggestion. Wen Ning, oh bless his soul!

Ying’s face blushed a bright shade of red at that and averted his eyes from Lan Zhan to face the counter and pointed an accusatory finger at the barista. “Ning-di?! Are you trying to sell me? No… your poor gege could not take this—”

“I’m sorry. If you are uncomfortable with his suggestion, I will leave. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable—” Lan Zhan interrupted Ying’s speech and pushed down his earlier hopes. It is stupid to think someone would want to share a cake with him. Everyone avoids him like the plague, he is used to that, but this actually hurts more than he expected.

With a gasp, the other man faced him with serious face yet mischievous eyes, “Ahhh, No! You did not make me uncomfortable, silly! I’m just really like this—” He then turned to Wen Ning again and gestured for him to finish the order. “We'll take it! How about giving us two spoons? And please add mixed berries smoothie for me, too.”

Before Ying could pull out his wallet, Lan Zhan had already handed Wen Ning his card. “Such a generous gege! Tell me how much my share is later so I can pay you!” Ying said with a cheery tone.

“No need. It’s on me. Let’s find a seat.” He really, really, really needs to find a seat now or else his legs will collapse. He does not know how managed to do it, but he did it. He has a date with the most beautiful person he has seen! Calling their first meeting a date might be a stretch but isn’t this how dates are?

“I’ll serve you your drinks later. Here’s the cake and your spoons. Enjoy your—” Lan Zhan is sure Wen Ning would say the word “date,” but Ying had cut him off with a thank you. He picked up the tray with both of his hands. Ying hooked his arms on his right arm and led him to a well-lit table with couches beside the window. He almost dropped the tray. Wasting the cake would be a shame.

Of course, as a gentleman, Lan Zhan waited for the other man to take a sit first. He set the cake and the forks down on the table, then placed the tray on the table next to theirs.

“Sit.”

“ Yes! Right! Sit!” The man gave a small chuckle before taking his place.

“We should take a seat—”

“We are already seated…” Another breathless chuckle came out of the man’s pretty mouth.

Before they could continue, Wen Ning came to their place to deliver their drinks. The other man eagerly sipped his smoothie, a white line of foam stained his upper lips. Lan Zhan is tempted to swipe his tongue on that to remove it. Before he knew it, he was already reaching for the other man and wiping it using his thumb. He thought he was possessed. He did not stop using his thumb to wipe the foam off but also sucked his thumb after.

The other man flushed at his actions and stared at him with parted lips. “Lan Zhan.” Introducing himself hopefully would salvage this not date . He could only hope he had not spoiled the mood yet.

“Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan ah—” his name sounded heaven from the other man’s mouth. He wants to hear him say his name again and again. Everyday. Until the moment he breathed his last breath. That’s a dream. “Yes, yes, your name is Lan Zhan!”

“ Yours?”

“Huh? Yours? Yes, yours! I mean—”

“Your name?”

“Ha? Yes, right, yes, my name. What's my name?”

“ ....” There was a pregnant pause between them before the other man erupted into melodious laughter. His smile is beautiful, but his laughter sounds like heavenly fairies singing. He wants to hear more of that.

“Why am I asking you for my name? Silly! I'm Wei Ying!” He would cherish that name forever. He is already thinking of what to write in his wedding vows. A spring wedding sounds good. He should start looking for an events coordinator to set up the wedding.

“So, Lan-gege…”

“Er— I have an older brother.” Wei Ying’s eyes seemed to be delighted at that. Lan Zhan really hopes he is doing this right. He does not have much experience with dating. Actually, he has never been on a date before. The closest he had on a date was third-wheeling his brother on his dates with Nie Mingjue.

Right, he could use his observations from their dates to his advantage now. Hmmm, what does Nie Mingjue does to impress his brother? He had already paid for their snacks. What else? Movie tickets? Maybe they could catch the last full show. Flowers. Yes, flowers! Nie Mingjue always had flowers to give to Lan Xichen during their dates. But shouldn’t the flowers come first before the food? Maybe he could sneak a quick message to Nie Mingjue to ask him for advice.

A small cough from in front of him called his attention back to his companion. He can’t help but stare at his pretty face and kind smile. “Uhm. Sorry. I’m not used to going on dates—” Oh no, he’s ruined it. This is not a date! How could he forget they were total strangers five minutes ago?

“So, is that what this is, Lan-er-gege? A date? You’re so straightforward! I didn’t take you for a flirt!” Lan Zhan hoped Wei Ying did not notice his ears blushing from his teasing. “Oh, hahaha. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tease you too much! That would be rude of me!”

“I’m sorry, too. I did not mean to be presumptuous.”

“Nah. Nah. Nah. None of that! Well, we might have been total strangers earlier, but we could turn this into a date. Only if you want, tho! I will not force you into it!” And yes! Lan Zhan totally wants this to be a date badly.

“Only if Wei Ying also wants this to be our date.”

“So smooth, er-gege! Yes, I would love this to be our first date!”

And with that, they had their first date. He learned that Wei Ying is a freelance artist currently working on his main canvas for his first solo exhibit. He showed him samples from his portfolio, and everything was great. Wei Ying asked him if he could be his muse for his painting. Of course, Lan Zhan naturally agreed. Maybe he could also ask Lan Huan and Nie Mingjue to come and see Wei Ying’s exhibit.

Nie Mingjue’s brother, Nie Huiasang, has a wide reach. It would do Wei Ying great if his works were recognized by those who have an eye for great talent. Wei Ying is nervous about his first solo exhibit flopping, and he already had encountered difficulties. A little exposure would bolster Wei Ying’s name in the industry. Wei Ying deserves only the best and Lan Zhan would happily help boost his career.

He also learned that Wei Ying volunteers as an art therapy teacher for troubled kids in care shelters. He should find a way how to make the care shelter part of Lan Corp.’s philanthropic responsibility. Wei Ying is doing great service to their community and society, it is only right to support him. If he was captivated by Wei Ying’s appearance earlier, now, he knows he is the one. His soulmate.

The shared piece of strawberry shortcake tasted sweeter with they both eating it. The stress of the day was washed away by the lavender mint tea and Wei Ying’s presence. They left before Wen Ning closed the cafe for the day. By midnight, they had their first kiss in front of Wei Ying’s apartment. Lan Zhan went home that night way past his usual bedtime, but it was all worth it.

The following year on their anniversary, they would be sitting on the same window seat. Wei Ying suggested making it a tradition between them. They would wear the same set of clothes they wore that fateful day they met. They would drink the same drink they had, lavender mint tea for him and mixed berries smoothie for Wei Ying. and of course, they would share a slice of strawberry shortcake together.

Fifty years after their first meeting, they would still be doing the same. Lan Zhan had bought the cafe to ensure their little tradition would not be interrupted. Their son and grandchildren teased him for it, but Lan Zhan could not regret it. Wei Ying still had that same blinding smile the first time they met. He would happily continue their anniversary tradition for the next fifty years. He only hopes to keep that smile and melodious laughter of Wei Ying.

His best friend.

His husband.

His life confidant.

His soulmate.

His Wei Ying.

-end-

Note:

This idea popped into my head last 520 (Chinese Valentine's), but it took me too much time to actually write it.

I also used to think that mango cake was the best cake, but strawberries made me change my mind. How I wish I could have strawberry cake every time I want it. Wouldn't that be nice?

This was originally posted in AO3 and you can find this story here

#mxtx mdzs #mdzs au #mdzs fanfiction #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wen ning #coffeshop

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the-fiction-witch · 10 months

Text

Take My Hand P10

Media 1912

Character Thomas Brodie Sangster

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Abuse + Sweet

Concept Take My Hand Series

Warnings Abuse

|Thomas| I watched y/n go, heading back to her deck. I couldn't help my wide smile finishing my cigarette as I watched the sun get higher and higher into the sky. I threw the end off the side of the ship and headed back to the suite having a shower and getting dressed for today making sure I used alot of aftershave as I'd get a slap if he could smell the smoke on me.

So I headed out and sat on the deck for breakfast making sure I ate it all,

"Hungry this morning?" my father asks as he read his book

"yeah, I don't want to waste it." I told him

"Don't get fat I told your wife you're skinny"

"I won't get fat over four days"

"Where's all this lip coming from?"

"Sorry" I sighed

"I think you should get down to the gym. get on the electric horse for a bit"

"I'm fine"

"Don't argue with me."

"...Fine" I sighed "After breakfast"

"Alright, where are you going to spend the rest of the day then?"

"I don't know I might have a little rest. I didn't sleep well last night,"

"Alright, where did you go last night?"

"for a walk, I couldn't sleep so I needed to clear my head"

"...Okay. Ohh remember we're having dinner at the Café tonight"

"Oh no I'm having dinner at the other restaurant tonight."

"...are you now? with who?"

"some.. friends I met when I popped out last night"

"I see. Alright just don't run the bill up" He says "and get to the gym" he demanded before he headed into his suite

"yes sir" I nodded, I finished my breakfast taking a couple of the honey buns and I did as he asked and went to the gym even if I didn't do much just enough to make sure I was seen.

And after I'd been there enough I headed up to the deck watching people go back and forth I made sure I was over the side where the gates of the classes crossed over, I waited for a good while until I saw her again she came up the steps with her journal and she smiled giving me a little wave, so I smiled and waved back as she came over.

"Hi,"

"Hi, do you feel better?"

"A lot better yeah, did you get your breakfast?"

"I did, but the marmalade was gone"

"Ohh, well I got you something" I told her giving her the honeybuns

"Oohhh, I shouldn't"

"I got them for you, here"

she smiled and happily took them giving one a taste "Ummm that's good bread"

"They're honeybuns"

"Ohh, yummy" she smiled "This is breakfast for you?"

"Yeah, I figured I'd save them for you."

"That's so sweet" she giggled but she happily handed one back to me so I smiled and we shared the rest

"You carry that around everywhere?" I asked glancing to her book

"Of course, I like to journal about things especially big experiences" she smiled she showed me her journal she had been keeping all the tickets, the menus from third class, all with her drawings and little descriptions it was all so sweet and beautiful the way she had pasted all these little things in her book, even the smallest things where looked after and written about like they were great works of art and I couldn't help but find joy in how she see's so much beauty in things.

"I wanted to ask you... there's a few restaurants in first class and if I talk to the staff you can come over for dinner, I'd really like to treat you to a nice dinner as a thank you for last night"

"Really?"

"Absolutely, so? what do you say?"

"That's far too generous."

"Y/n. you saved my life. I'll sort it all out I promise"

"I'd love to"

"Really?"

"I would," she smiled she opened her journal ripping out a page and using her pencil "That's my room number and the deck, what time should I be ready?"

"Ohh uhh five thirty?"

"I'll sort out my best dress and I'll see you then" she smiled "see you later Thomas"

"Yeah see you later y/n."

she happily headed off and I waved to her unable to stop my smile

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sixohsixoheightfourtwo · 1 year

Text

just re the british chinese food discourse - the british library has this great audio clip and transcript from Woon Wing Yip who came to the UK from Hong Kong in the 1950s - he started out in restaurants & later started a chain of supermarkets. here's their transcript -

Wing Yip discusses Chinese restaurants:

The Chinese restaurant - we came the right time, in the right place and do it right. That's why so many Chinese. Up to the middle sixties, after nine o'clock or in the evening, you go out for a meal, there are two places you go - either you buy fish and chips which closes at ten o'clock, half past ten, or you go into a hotel where the last order is half past nine. Or you could go to Wimpey cafeteria. The Chinese came along, opened a restaurant and we put a carpet down, we put a tablecloth down. Before that restaurant, you only got a carpet and a tablecloth and a waiter service only in hotels, which were beyond ordinary means, ordinary people's means and they close half past nine. And other than that, Wimpey, cup of tea, a bun or fish and chips. The Chinese bring the tablecloth, carpet, lower it and bring the fish restaurant up above it, right hit the niche market. Open eleven o'clock - the pub close half past ten, eleven. The last order in the pub is eleven, we open half past eleven so we hit it. At the right time, doing the right thing and do it right. And for the first time, the British had more money to spend, from middle sixties on. Right hit it on the nail.

...

In Yorkshire bread and butter - everyone come in and wanted bread and butter as well. They wanted curry chicken and rice and with bread and butter. Curry, something, bread and butter, mixed grill bread and butter, everything bread and butter. We had a little department attached to the tea and coffee side, got two English ladies that every day for two, three hours, doing bread and butters. You know, for two hours for lunchtime - everybody bread and butter. When the menu, we say 'curry chicken and chips, or rice'. To begin with a lot of people were like 'curry chicken, and chips', not rice - and bread and butter. The chef made the curry sauce, the chef buy the curry powders, and with the other few powders, get together spices, put the onions, orange peel everything, they boiled it for hours, mixed them. Very good.

What other things were on the menu?

Half Chinese, half English. Mixed grill, fillet steak, pork chop, omelettes. No Chinese restaurant outside London would not have English menu because they're still in the process of changing. That's why the Chinese do it right - we can not say in 50s, 60s and 70s, say you had had Chinese food. Say 4 people come in, if 3 of them want Chinese, 1 do Chinese, the second has omelette or salad or something. We do it right, we don't insist to say you have to have Chinese. Food is a culture, food is a culture - you cannot change people in one year. In those days, in those days in the 50s, I think a lot of people never had Chinese food before. They go in the Chinese restaurant because the other English restaurant close at half past nine, their last order, so they came out after half past nine they go to Chinese restaurant and they ask for mixed grill - in Yorkshire mixed grill is very popular.

Did people ever make negative comments about Chinese food at that time?

Oh yes, they say a lot of things, they say a lot - the main thing, we're standing outside, there's a menu, they say 'sweet and sour pork', everybody think, 'sweet and sour pork? Sweet and sour?' They are very sarcastic. They couldn't understand how can a thing be sweet and sour at the same time. Until they taste it - it is.

#food #diaspora #colonialism #china #hong kong #the chinese restaurants near my parents in the countryside all have a section on the menu called 'english dishes'#which is where the chips and scampi and steak reside

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enchantedchocolatebars · 7 months

Note

Late evening, Slade walks into a burger joint and asks for a burger and drink to go. The staff aren’t even shocked at his appearance with all the heroes and villains they get in their restaurant. Once he’s given the order he requested, he starts leaving out the door. While he leaves, he casually steals another distracted customer’s wallet from their pocket and tucks it in one of the belt pouches on his utility belt.

🍔 A Burger and Cola To Go 🥤

Revisited some Slade scenes on YouTube.

He's so dark and chilling.😨

Good villain.👍

Enjoy!

"I'll take a number two."

"Can I get fries with that?"

"No pickles please."

"I need a refill."

Super Burger was bustling with business one Saturday evening as cashiers took orders and met the demands of costumed customers.

The burger joint was a huge hit with both heroes and villains, as both sides needed a bite to eat out every once in a while after a hard day's work of fighting and committing crimes.

The restaurant offered a comic book-inspired atmosphere with deliciously greasy food at a low price.

A man wearing a mask and a black body suit covered in overlapping armor entered the establishment as the bells hanging over the front door chimed.

The masked figure was none other than Slade Wilson.

What was his objective for today?

Grab his meal to go.

Normally, when it came to food related tasks, he'd order one of his robot commandos to complete them for him, but today was different.

He wanted to check out this place for himself.

Having heard good things about it, Slade expects nothing less than the best in both service and food.

Due to his time being important, disappointment was not a feasible option.

As he makes his way to the ordering counter, his demeanor is calm and composed, yet chilling with every step he takes.

"Welcome to Super Burger, sir!" The peppy cashier greets Slade cheerily as he arrives. "Would you like to try our 2 for 4 deal?"

The cashier waits patiently for a 'yes' or a 'no' from the man, but he fails to deliver a reply.

Instead, he chooses to stare down the counter server with his one eye, causing the employee to feel extremely awkward.

Okay then...

He'll consider that a no.

"Uh, what can I get for you for tonight, sir?"

He hopes to get a response this time.

Without looking up at the menu above him, Slade begins to speak, his tone tranquil and tough.

"My demands are simple. I require a burger with your best quality beef topped with your freshest toppings, condiments, and sauces all packed in a soft, fresh out of the oven bun. My sandwich should be brought to me in 5 minutes or less otherwise..."

He narrows his single eye.

"There will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

Consequences? The cashier gulped at the threat, his shoulders starting to tense.

He's come in contact with some creepy villains before at the cash register, but this guy definitely takes the cake for most creepy.

Perhaps recommending him something off the menu might save his tail.

It was worth a shot anyways.

"... H-How about the number one?" He suggested, pointing his finger at the static picture of the number one meal. "It comes with a burger, medium fry, and a cola. It's the most popular combo here." His voice cracks, showing Slade a fictitious smile.

"Very well." The criminal mastermind nods. "I'll have that."

The cashier internally sighs, entering the info into the tablet. "And a name for the order?"

"Slade."

The employee types that in. "Alright, Mr. Slade, that'll be $10.79."

The glare that Slade sent to the employee was so dark and menacing that it nearly made the poor guy wet his pants. "O-On second, it's on the house." He finishes his sentence with a nervous chuckle.

Someone help him.

...

"Order for Mr. Slade!" A female employee called, holding a brown bag and disposable cup.

After receiving his food, Slade heads for the door.

During his exit, he casually slips his hand into the pocket of a distracted customer who is sharing a milkshake with their partner and pulls out a wallet.

It gets tucked in one of the belt pouches on his utility belt.

Splendid, he thought.

Now he has cash for tomorrow's dinner.

He'll make it pizza.

#teen titans #teen titans slade #slade #slade wilson #fanfic #fanfics #fanfiction #fanfictions #ask #asks #anon #anonymous #request #writing #my writing

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exleviathan · 2 years

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TIMING: current. LOCATION: Levi’s boat. PARTIES: @exleviathan & @stolensiren SUMMARY: Levi takes Cass out for a diving lesson, and the two have a little heart-to-heart about her fear of being replaced. CONTENT WARNINGS: none.

—

Mornings were so not Cass’s thing. Especially not when she’d been out most of the night before fighting crime. So someone knocking on her door at the ungodly hour of ten in the morning on her day off was definitely not, like, super ideal.

Blearily, she pulled herself out of bed, trudging over to the door without bothering to resolve her bedhead or change out of her pajamas. She made a face before pulling the door open, though the expression quickly morphed into something softer when she saw who was on the other side. “Oh, hey, Levi. What’s up?” She peered at the demon curiously, taking note of the gear on its back. “Is that… a scuba tank?”

—

“Yup!” Levi pushed its way inside, slipping the harness off its back and setting it down beside the door. “Lesson is today, kiddo! Go get your suit on!” Squinting at her, the demon smirked. “Just woke up, didn’t you? We’ll grab you something to eat on the way.” It had a dry suit that would probably fit her in the truck, as well as all the other gear—the scuba tank on its back had really just been for dramatic effect. The water here in Maine was fucking cold, after all, and while it didn’t really bother Levi, it had a feeling that Cass might not be quite so fond of it.

—

Cass stepped aside so Levi could enter, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “I don’t have a scuba suit,” she pointed out, giving it a careful look. “Most people don’t have scuba suits.” She wrinkled her nose as it effortlessly called her out, shrugging a shoulder. “It’s my day off! I can sleep in on my day off.” She slipped by Levi into the bedroom, grabbing her keys and her wallet off the nightstand. Her hair was still a mess, but she didn’t think it mattered much. She was gonna be underwater soon, anyway, wasn’t she? “You’re buying breakfast. We can get McDonald’s!”

—

“Your bathing suit, dummy,” Levi laughed, following after her and pulling her bedroom door closed between them so she could change. “Grab a hair elastic, too—you’re not gonna want all that floating around in your face!” it called back as it fetched the tank and hoisted it over its shoulder again.

When the girl emerged again, Levi beamed. “Great, c’mon. I want a McGriddle.”

The drive was quick but the line at McDonald’s was annoyingly long, leaving Levi tapping its fingers against the steering wheel impatiently. As it pulled forward a bit more and started to curve into the loop that’d take them back around to the drive-thru window, something bright glinted in the sunlight and caught its eye. Glancing over, it noticed a bit of jewelry hanging out of the door pocket on Cass’ side of the truck—ah, shit. It clearly wasn’t Levi’s, and the true owner had met a rather unfortunate end in a seaside cave some time ago.

It really needed to get better about cleaning this thing out after using it to transport people.

“Know what you want?” it asked, in spite of the fact that they couldn’t even see the pre-order-speaker menu yet.

—

“Oh.” That did make more sense. Cass had never really considered what one would wear under a scuba suit, but a bathing suit was the only logical answer. Making a face, she moved over to the dresser as Levi shut the door between them, pulling out a plain black one piece and changing into it quickly. Not her cutest swimsuit, but she figured it was the best one for the job. She threw on a large t-shirt on top of it and grabbed an elastic from the bedside table at Levi’s instruction, pulling her hair back into a messy bun.

Finally pleased with herself, she came back into the living room, flashing Levi a bright grin. She followed Levi down to the truck, settling into the passengers’ seat as it climbed into the driver’s side. She fiddled with a piece of jewelry in the door, mindlessly twisting it around her fingers. She didn’t think it was Levi’s, but it didn’t seem like Marina’s style, either. She thought, with a brief flash of jealousy, that it might be Teddy’s. The thought bothered her a little more than she knew it ought to.

Levi spoke up from the other seat, catching her attention as she looked up. “Huh?” It took a moment for its question to register. “Oh! Yeah, I want a McGriddle, too. You’ve got good taste, I guess!”

—

“You guess? Come on, you’ve always known it,” Levi teased, feeling some relief as the line moved and they were able to roll forward. The less time Cass had to ask any questions about the weird shit she’d surely find in the demon’s truck, the better.

The rest of the drive to the docks after getting food was pretty uneventful, and once they were parked, Levi grabbed a duffel bag from the truck bed and passed it off to Cass while grabbing the three oxygen tanks itself. “Fins, dry suit, n’ boots are in there,” it explained, nodding its head at the bag. Its own suit was still on the boat, as well as all the other universally-sized gear. The pair headed into the marina and down the main dock, turning off down one of the finger decks when they reached Levi’s boat. Helping Cass climb aboard, the demon set about unfastening the ropes from the cleats that held the watercraft in place. Once it was free, Levi quickly climbed back on board and fished the keys out of its pocket, turning them in the ignition and hearing the motor roar to life.

With a grin, it looked over at Cass. “You ever been out in open water before?” It wasn’t the plan for today, today they were going to stick near the shore of Harmony Island, but Levi was curious to hear her reaction.

—

“I so haven’t,” Cass snorted, rolling her eyes. “Sometimes you have very questionable tastes!” Like, for example, when it decided that Teddy was a member of its family despite him being, like… It was hard to complete the thought. Truthfully, Cass didn’t have anything bad to say about Teddy; he’d been perfectly nice when she’d met him. She’d actually kind of liked him. If not for the jealousy that burned in her chest at the way Levi and Marina spoke of him, she’d probably still think he was just fine. But the envy was a hard thing to shake, especially after years and years in foster care always feeling as though she was second best to someone. It was hard not to think of the foster family who’d sent her back to the group home when the wife got pregnant with their own baby. It was hard not to feel antsy at the idea that history could repeat itself here in White Crest.

She was careful as they drove to the docks not to be too quiet. Levi would notice that kind of thing, and it would certainly ask about it. The longer Cass could pretend there was nothing wrong, the longer people might let her cling to that lie. Cass took the duffel bag Levi offered her with a nod, following it down to the boat. She thought of Bobbi and the last boat she’d been on, smiling faintly. This would probably be a lot less of an ordeal than that had been, at least.

“Just once,” she replied, returning Levi’s grin with one of her own. “Not, like, entirely on purpose, though. I snuck onto a boat because they were being super sketchy. The captain turned out to be all right, though. Where are we going today?” She trusted Levi entirely; whatever it said, she’d be on board with without question.

—

“Snuck on a—Cass,” it reprimanded rather uncharacteristically. Two months ago, the demon probably would have laughed and said that was awesome, but now it just looked concerned. “Don’t sneak onto sketchy boats, you’ll get yourself kidnapped.” Still, with the request out of the way, Levi managed a soft smile. “Anyway, I thought we’d head over near Harmony Island. There’s a lot of sea creatures that way and some neat rock formations to check out. Starting simple, y’know… apparently the Drop Off is dangerous, so we won’t go there. Yet.” It shrugged, motioning for her to sit in one of the available spots on the watercraft so she wouldn’t topple over as they pulled out of the slip.

Once they were free of the no wake zone, Levi kicked the engine into high gear, turning into the wake of other boats that passed them by to get them some air, laughing all the while. After a bit of goofing around, it was time to drop anchor and get suited up. The island sat to their left as their boat bobbed in the waves, the pair busy getting changed into their drysuits. Levi gave Cass a thorough rundown of all the equipment they’d be using and how to use it before they got in the water to practice. “And one of the most important things to remember is to never ascend too quickly, okay? Take it slow, exhale, then stop. Take another breath, exhale, keep going slow.” It went through all the safety instructions, including a few very essential hand signals to use in case of an array of problems. Then, it gave her a sheathed knife to attach to her weighted vest. “Just in case,” it said. “Good for getting someone’s attention, too, if you bang the handle against your tank. Don’t worry too much, though, the water’s calm around here and not that deep in most places. We won’t go down far enough to risk running out of oxygen.” Really, it was best to start someone in a pool or the shallows right on the shore, but Levi wanted Cass to enjoy herself and see some marine wildlife. She was smart, she’d pick up on it quick.

Fully dressed, the pair rolled backwards off the edge of the boat and into the water, where Levi went through a few of its instructions again, just to be sure she’d gotten them. Holding its regulator up, it grinned. “Ready?”

—

“I couldn’t just not do anything,” she protested, though Levi’s concern did leave a fond warmth in her stomach. Most of the time, people were only concerned about her for show. She knew it was different with Levi. It didn’t pretend to care about her. It actually did care. “What if they were, like, hurting people? Anyway, it all worked out in the end! The captain even told me she knew a siren back in the day and that I could totally bug her for info on them!” It was something Cass absolutely planned on doing, even if it might not be the best idea to bug someone whose boat you’d stowed away on and who didn’t actually know your real name. But she wanted to know everything, and Bobbi was a good resource for that. She was sure of it. “Harmony Island,” she repeated with a sloppy salute. “Roger, Captain. I totally want to do the dangerous stuff eventually, though. It’s always so much more fun.”

The ride was nothing like the one on Bobbi’s ship, which had been so smooth that Cass almost didn’t realize she was on a boat at all. Levi’s boat, like Levi itself, was a wild, exciting thing. Cass laughed as they moved through the waters. The fact that they could have this much fun before they even started the scuba stuff was totally awesome. And she had no doubt that the scuba stuff would be the same. Excitement thrummed through her as she pulled on the wetsuit, watching Levi carefully as it introduced the equipment. “Got it,” she confirmed, flashing a thumbs up. She only hesitated when it handed her the knife, fiddling with the sheath nervously as she remembered the heavy weight of a kitchen knife dripping blood, the tacky feeling of it staining her hands. She wouldn’t pull the knife from its sheath; she knew as much even as she strapped it to her side. The most she’d use it for was, like Levi said, to get its attention. Other than that… Cass thought she might rather drown than feel that blood on her hands again. “I’m not worried about running out of air,” she admitted with a shrug. “I know you’ve got my back.” It was one of the few things she had complete faith in, these days.

The water was colder than she thought it’d be, but not freezing. Enough to shock the system just a little bit, in the best kind of way. She flashed Levi a grin at the question, nodding her head. “Ready,” she confirmed. “Let’s go see some motherfucking fish!”

—

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Levi pulled its mask down over its eyes and popped the regulator in its mouth before disappearing beneath the waves. It was a whole different world underwater, and as Levi guided Cass around the rocky formations of the island’s cliffs, it tried to point out as many different species as it could. There were, of course, lobsters and crabs and sea stars abound, and in the distance, the clicks of some Atlantic White-sided dolphins carried through the water to meet their ears.

Diving deeper, Levi made sure to always keep Cass in its field of view, often reaching out to touch her shoulder or gently take her wrist to get her attention and guide her somewhere else. All sorts of fish milled around them, flitting in and out of crevices in the underwater cliffside and brushing happily through the seagrass. Moving ahead a little to peer around a big boulder, Levi stopped dead. It turned back to look at Cass, motioning excitedly as a huge shadow appeared in the water just beyond it. A massive thing, about fifteen feet in length, was swimming slowly in their direction. Pulling itself up the rock to get a better vantage point, Levi hunkered down atop the boulder and watched as a sturgeon swam along the ocean floor, pushing its snout through sand and silt in the search for food. Looking to Cass and then down at the fish, Levi pointed between them, then gave a thumbs up before taking off towards it. The sturgeon, massive and ancient looking, seemed wholly unbothered by the demon’s presence as it floated over the top of it and dragged its fingers over the bony plates that lined the animal’s spine, utterly dwarfing the silhouette that so often dwarfed those around it.

—

Following Levi’s example, Cass pulled her mask down and popped the regulator into her mouth. Then, she followed the demon down into the depths. Her eyes were wide behind the mask as she looked around, head turning in an attempt to see everything. Levi was a good guide; she looked at everything it pointed out with interest, grinning beneath the equipment.

The deeper they went, the cooler things got. Fish of all different sizes, shapes, and colors parted around them, coral brightened the ocean floor. When Levi stopped suddenly in front of her, Cass had to scramble to keep from running into it. It wasn’t hard to see what had caught its eye; the bony fish in front of them was so huge that it was impossible to miss, so massive that it made both Cass and Levi look tiny in comparison. She followed Levi towards it, reaching out hesitantly to touch it just as Levi did. It felt strange under her fingertips, otherworldly. After a few moments of humoring them, the fish took off, swimming away at a speed that was impressive for its size even if it wasn’t quite as fast as some of the smaller fish. Cass watched it go.

She followed Levi in another direction, bumping into a brightly colored fish that quickly darted away at the contact. She wished they’d run into an octopus — something she’d be able to recount to Marina later — but there was no such luck. Maybe they weren’t deep enough for it, or maybe there just weren’t any in the area. Cass wasn’t sure. Regardless, the journey was a beautiful one.

It was disappointing when Levi motioned to their tanks and she realized the dwindling oxygen meant they’d need to resurface. She followed it up slowly, careful to heed its earlier warning and not go too fast. When they finally broke the surface, she pulled off the mask and popped out the regulator while still treading water, flashing the demon a grin. “That was so cool,” she said breathlessly, looking down at where her feet kicked in the water.

—

They’d been down for about 45 minutes when Levi decided it was time to resurface in order to have a safe reserve of oxygen. Once they’d breached the waves above and Cass expressed her enjoyment, Levi grinned. “Glad you liked it, short round.” Leading her back over to the boat and helping her remove her flippers so she could climb up the ladder more easily, the two of them hauled themselves aboard and stripped out of their drysuits and gear, leaving it all down in the cabin below, where Levi had also packed some snacks and drinks in the fridge. Bringing them back topside in a tote bag, the demon laid out on the bench seating and popped a square of honeydew in its mouth, situating its sunglasses on its face before looking over at the siren.

“You’re a good listener, easy to teach,” it complimented her with a smirk. “Like that in a person.” It could think of a few other people who were not very good listeners, nor did they seem to want to try and see anything from Levi’s perspective. Which was stupid, because it had way more perspective than any of them. “We’ll get Mari out here with us next time, yeah?”

—

Getting back to the boat was easier than Cass had anticipated, though that might have been the way her adrenaline was pumping from the excitement of the dive. This was certainly a new experience, and not one she’d ever really expected she might have. Scuba diving, up until she met Levi, had always seemed like a hobby for rich people with too much time on their hands. She’d never imagined she’d even get the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

She grinned as Levi rejoined her on the deck, trailing behind it to the bench seat and grabbing some of the food it laid out. Scuba diving, as it turned out, did make you pretty hungry. “Well, you’re a pretty good teacher.” Better than most of the ones she’d had in school, who gave up on her long before she had a chance to actually learn anything. “Oh, yeah, for sure! Next time, she can show us up with octopus stuff.”

—

Levi laughed, knowing full well that Marina would indeed show them up with her octopus stuff. “Did I tell you that’s how I met her? I can’t remember. I was free-diving one day and just kind of… happened upon her off the coast.” It smiled fondly, staring up at the cloudless, blue sky. “Lucky she didn’t decide to rip me in half, as unimpressive as I look right now.” That frustration reared its ugly head once again and Levi hurried to mask it, deciding to try and change the subject to something else. Literally anything else other than discussion of its humanity.

“Hey, uh…” Levi stalled, digging for a topic. Something sprang to mind and it frowned—the topic wasn’t exactly fun, but it had crossed the demon’s mind a few times now and it felt compelled to ask, “Are you… okay with the whole thing with Teddy?”

—

“She told me,” Cass replied with a fond smile that was reflective of the one gracing Levi’s face. “It’s like a sea monster meet cute, isn’t it? The two of you ending up in the same place at the same time like that.” Her expression flashed something sympathetic at Levi’s brief display of frustration, though she was careful not to let it shine through too much. She didn’t want to upset it by bringing up its humanity, not when she knew it was… self conscious about it.

Her smile faded a little at Levi’s next question, and she found herself looking off the edge of the boat towards the water, feeling heavy without really knowing why. She shrugged, chewing her lip uncertainly. “It’s…” She trailed off for a moment, shrugging again. “I don’t know. It’s stupid, but I guess I’m a little jealous.”

—

“Sea monster meet cute. Heh, yeah… I like that.” The seed of experiencing care for someone other than itself had been planted the night Levi sat on a rooftop with Cass talking about monsters and superheroes, though the demon hadn’t realized it at the time—and would eventually bloom into its full, frustratingly beautiful self on the day that it met Marina. After them, there was no returning to selfishness and disregard for the feelings of others… try as it might. And once the seal had been broken, it seemed like more and more individuals were getting caught in the same net, which was nothing if not overwhelming to Levi.

One of those people, of course, was Teddy—it wouldn’t have cared if not for the connection they shared. If not for the stark reminder of everything it had once been, and wanting to preserve that. The boy was frustrating, so morally righteous that Levi could get away with next to nothing without upsetting him, and it was quite the adjustment from keeping company like Marina, Correy, and Baz. Even Cass, for her part, was much more forgiving. Either that, or she wasn’t told, which was not a luxury it seemed to have with Teddy, thanks to his beau of choice.

That was something Levi didn’t even want to think about.

“It’s not stupid,” Levi assured her gently, sitting up and giving her a serious stare. “And… for what it’s worth, I don’t think you need to feel jealous. He doesn’t even like me.” A sad smile crossed its face and it interrupted the moment by snatching up another piece of fruit and looking out over the water toward the open ocean. Maybe they could go check out the drop off.

—

“Like a cheesy romcom,” Cass added in a sing-song tone. Imagining what that movie would look like was sort of funny; Marina, in all her octopode glory and Levi, small and human and mesmerized. Cass could practically see it in her mind’s eye, and it was enough to bring a soft smile to her face. She loved them both so completely, and it was nice to know that they were so dedicated to one another. Cass didn’t always trust herself to watch her friends’ backs — couldn’t, considering how many times she’d found herself way out of her league with White Crest’s unique brand of danger — but she knew Levi and Marina would look out for each other until their dying breaths. And there was certainly some comfort in that.

There was a little, too, in Levi’s words now, in the way it assured her that her feelings weren’t stupid even if its further reassurances didn’t quite manage to wipe away her doubts. “But you like him,” she pointed out, a little hesitant. It didn’t matter if Teddy hated Levi, because Levi clearly didn’t hate Teddy. And it would try, Cass knew, with everything it had, to change Teddy’s mind. Eventually, she knew it would succeed. She might be biased in thinking so, but she found Levi very hard not to like. Teddy would see that, eventually, too. And when he did… What good would Cass be? What were the odds they’d want her around at all?

She looked down at the water droplets on the deck, watching the way they gathered together and combined. “It’s okay, you know,” she said quietly. “If you… like him more than me, or whatever. I mean, I get it.” Teddy had a connection with Levi that she could never hope to replicate thanks to whatever deal they’d made. And even if he didn’t, he was probably preferable to her. Teddy was kind and honest and brave, and Cass didn’t think she was any of those things, really. She was just… there. Present and perpetually unwanted.

—

It couldn’t know the full extent of self-doubt that was seated so permanently in Cass’ mind, and not just because she kept it locked away. Even if she’d told Levi outright the thoughts she had, more so than the offhand comment that she’d understand if Teddy was the preferred party, it might not have understood. It had never been in her shoes, after all, and likely never would. Whether the confidence was born of pride or a lack of empathy was anyone’s guess, but the outcome remained the same: Levi never worried about being replaced by someone better. It was a foreign concept.

And yet here was Cass, expressing that fear in not so many words.

“I mean I want to like him, but he makes it hard when he lectures me,” Levi mumbled. “But I don’t like him more than you. Especially not lately.” Frowning, the demon gave Cass a long, hard stare. “Why do you think that I do?”

—

The way Cass felt wasn’t entirely fair. She understood that. It wasn’t fair to Levi, who deserved to have plenty of people to care about. It wasn’t fair to Teddy, whose experience was so similar to hers and who deserved to be cared about, even if he might not particularly like the way Levi did it. It might not have even been fair to Cass herself, who always wanted more than what she was given no matter what that might be. But she couldn’t change it. Those desires, those fears, they were buried so deeply within her that they might as well have become a part of her DNA at this point. It was impossible to separate them from her and still have enough of either one to make sense of it.

So there was relief when Levi said it didn’t like Teddy more than it liked her. It was hot and sweet and she’d feel guilty for it later, but it felt good in the moment. It was only when Levi turned the question around and wondered why she felt the way she felt that Cass shifted, uncertainty bleeding back into her stance. “People usually do,” she admitted quietly. “It’s like — When I was a kid, they’d put me in all these foster homes, you know? And every time the family would just… send me back. They’d say I wasn’t a good fit, or they’d… Find something else that fit better.” Like the house with the cross on the wall that packed her suitcase the moment they had an ultrasound photo to put on the fridge. “So I’m just… It’s what always happens. People usually find something they like better than they like me, and that’s it.”

—

“That’s fucked up.” Very astute. Levi narrowed its eyes behind the sunglasses it wore, frown deepening. “Look, Cass… you don’t have to worry about that here, alright? Not with us.” It stood, moving toward her and holding out a hand for her to take. “I mean it. We chose you for a reason, and when you live as long as we do, you don’t make those choices lightly.” When her hand found its palm, the demon pulled her into a hug, her head tucked beneath its chin as it stared out at the water, the boat rocking gently beneath them. Despite the way it had felt itself disconnecting lately, it still hated the idea of Cass thinking that she was going to be abandoned again. If nothing else, it knew that Marina would always be there for her. Its own future was up in the air, but it will still try. Because, unlike Teddy, Cass didn’t have to force the desire to be in its life. She just wanted it. And while the demon might have a hard time maintaining meaningful connections with people, the siren inspired it to give a little more effort.

“We’re not going anywhere, kiddo.”

#. para ;#. para ; living proof #. with ; c. terrence #wickedswriting

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