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veganbobabeech · 3 years

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“A Todoroki Thanksgiving” (Shouto Todoroki x Reader) (My Hero Academia Fanfiction)

By: VeganBobaBeech

Description: With your Thanksgiving plans called off, your new boyfriend Shouto Todoroki offers to have you spend the holiday with him and his siblings. The event seems to be going well, but things get complicated when Pro-Hero Endeavor (also Shouto’s father) shows up unexpectedly.

Note: I’ve been writing fanfiction for a while, but this is the first one that I have ever posted. I hope you enjoy it!

“I can’t believe I’m finally getting to see your house!” You remark to your new boyfriend Shouto as the two of you approach the front door. “It was really nice of your family to put this together.”

Shouto gives you a lopsided smile. “I know how important this is to you.” He replies. “I’m sorry you aren’t able to spend this Thanksgiving with your own family. I’m sure you must miss them”

You link your arm around his and smile up at him. “I’m just glad that I’ll get to spend it with you.” You say brightly.

It is true. Although you were initially a little disappointed to not be able to spend the holiday with your family, you were thrilled when Shouto invited you over to his house. This would be the first time you were meeting Shouto’s family; his brother and sister at least, as his father is away on a business trip and wasn’t expected to return until the weekend. A part of you wonders if the absence of his father contributed to Shouto’s willingness to have you over. Historically, Shouto always seemed extremely hesitant whenever you brought up the idea of wanting to meet his family; particularly his father. You have known for a while that Shouto and his dad don’t have the greatest relationship. Though, it seems to be a subject that Shouto doesn’t like talking about, so you try not to bring it up too much. Despite what you do know about the nature of their relationship, a part of you can’t help but worry that Shouto may feel embarrassed of you, or worried that his family wouldn’t like you. You do your best to push the thought out of your mind. After all, you are meeting his siblings today, so you want to be positive; plus, you want to make a good impression on them.

You take a deep breath and smile up at Shouto. He lowers his arm slightly to take your hand in his as he ushers you inside the house. The interior of the house is beautifully decorated and well kept, with a traditional style to match the exterior. You imagined the house would be nice, given that Shouto’s dad was one of the top heroes in the entire country; though despite the beauty, you can’t help but feel that there is a heavy, almost sad atmosphere about the place. However, before you can make a remark, a warm and savory scent fills your nose. You have no doubt that someone has been slaving in the kitchen for a long time.

“Mmm… Shouto, can you smell that?” You ask him. “It smells amazing.”

“Yeah,” He replies, nonchalantly, “My sister can be quite the cook.” He takes your hand and leads you through the house to the kitchen. The wonderful smell becomes more potent and you don’t hesitate to indulge your nostrils with a few audible sniffs. When you arrive at the kitchen, you see a girl with white and red hair, hyper focused on what seems like a dozen pots and pans. There is a young man with white hair standing in the corner helping her; though, noticeably less engaged.

The man is the first to notice you, and offers a friendly wave. “Hey, Shouto!” He calls from across the room.

This causes the girl to whip around, immediately. She smiles kindly and approaches you. “Hello!” She says warmly. “I’m Shouto’s sister, Fuyumi. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” You reply. “The food smells wonderful.”

“Thank you so much!” She says. “I really hope you’ll enjoy it.” Just then a timer goes off. “Oh shoot, it’s ready!” She remarks, running back to the stove.

The white haired man chuckles slightly and approaches you. “This is my brother Natsuo.” Shouto says, introducing him

“Hello!” You say. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Natsuo nods, “It’s nice to finally be meeting you too.”

“Okay, everyone!” Fuyumi announces, proudly. “Dinner is just about ready!” She turns to the boys. “Shouto, would you and Natsuo mind setting the table?”

Natsuo places his hand on Shouto’s shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. “Sure, we’d be glad to, Sis.” He smiles.

“I can help too!” You say enthusiastically. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Don’t be silly!” Fuyumi smiles. “You’re the guest, and I’m sure the boys can handle it. Besides, I wouldn’t mind some company in the kitchen.”

“Oh, okay, then.” You reply. “If that’s what would be best.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Shouto asks, taking your hand.

“I’ll be fine!” You smile up at him.

“Don’t worry, Shouto” Fuyumi adds. “I promise I’ll take good care of her.”

“Alright, then.” Shouto says, hesitantly. “Just call to me if you need anything.”

“I will.” You say, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “I promise.”

He nods, slowly letting go and proceeds to follow Natsuo out of the kitchen.

“I’m so glad Shouto found you.” Fuyumi says, once he is out of sight. “He seems to be a lot happier since meeting you.” You blush a bit. “How did you two meet again?” She asks, while lightly stirring some savory-smelling substance in a saucepan.

“We met at school.” You say.

“Oh, are you studying to become a hero as well?” Fuyumi asks. “To be honest, I don’t think I recall ever seeing you at any of the events.”

You shake your head. “Oh no, I’m just a general studies student.” You say. “Honestly, I think I may be one of the few who isn’t actively trying to get into the hero program.” You pause. “Though, I do really admire the hero students and I like going to the events. That’s actually how I first met Shouto; at the UA sports festival.” You smile a bit to yourself, recalling the memory. “It was during the lunch break, and I saw Shouto standing alone in the hallway. I wanted to go up to him and tell them that he had been doing a good job, but when I approached him, I realized that he seemed sad.” You pause again, wondering if you should really be sharing what you know about your boyfriend’s private feelings with someone else; even if Fuyumi was his sister.

“That’s not surprising.” Fuyumi says, sounding a bit sad herself. “Our father has always put so much pressure on Shouto when it comes to his hero training, and I’m sure that festival was no exception.”

“That’s what I thought!” You say, almost excitedly. “I told him that I was sure that he must be under a lot of pressure from other people; especially after I learned that his dad was one of the top pro heroes. I told him that I was sure he would make a great hero, because I could see that his heart was in it, and I said not to let anyone else’s expectations discourage him.” You smile again bittersweetly, thinking about how many times you’ve said those words to Shouto since then. “I honestly didn’t speak to him again for a while after that, but since then I…”

Just then, you are cut off by the sound of commotion coming from the other room.

“Shouto it’s fine.” You hear Natsuo say.

“It’s not fine! It has to be perfect for her!”

Fuyumi chuckles a bit to herself. “He really cares about you, you know.” She says. “Shouto has always been quite distant, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t express it to you much… but believe me, from a sister’s perspective, I can see how much he loves you.”

You blush, feeling a bit embarrassed since Shouto had never actually used those words with you. You had been wanting to tell him that you loved him, but you were worried that you might make him feel uncomfortable if he wasn’t ready to say it back.

Suddenly, Natsuo rushes into the kitchen, with Shouto following closely behind him.

“Table’s all ready, Sis!” Natsuo announces, proudly.

Fuyumi smiles. “Alright then, let’s eat everyone!”

The dinner begins relatively casually. Fuyumi and Natsuo make friendly small talk with you; you imagine they are trying their best not to embarrass Shouto. The food was turning out to be just as decadent as it had smelled when you first came into the house.

“I can’t eat another bite if I want to save room for dessert!” You announce. “Though it is delicious. Thank you so much for cooking, Fuyumi.”

She smiles “It was my pleasure! I suppose I ought to break out the desserts then.” She turns to Natsuo, giving him a look. “Natsuo… You wanna help me.”

“Sure.” He smiles, getting up rather quickly. For a second you wonder if you should help, but get the feeling that Fuyumi only wanted Natsuo to come. You weren’t sure if this was intended so the two of them could discuss what they thought of you or if they wanted to give you and Shouto a moment alone together, but either way you decide it’s best to stay put.

“You really liked the food okay?” Shouto slides his chair closer to yours and rests his hand comfortingly on your knee.

You nod. “Yeah, it was really good.” You say happily. “Fuyumi and Natsuo seem to be really kind. Do you usually get along with them?”

Shouto nods. “Yes, I get along with them. Though, we unfortunately never spent much time together when I was younger. My father was so obsessed with training me to be a powerful hero, that I wasn’t even allowed to play with them much.”

You shake your head. “That’s awful. He was really that strict? That must have been so difficult for you, especially as a child.”

Shouto sighs “It was.” He pauses for a second. “I never told you this, but… He’s the reason my mom ended up in the hospital.” He lifts his hand over the scar on his left eye. “It’s entirely his fault that my mom cracked the way she did.” You notice his voice beginning to break a bit, almost as if he’s about to start crying. He takes a deep breath calming himself, staring intently downward at nothing in particular. “I blame him for every bit of hurt that this family has gone through.” He then shifts his gaze to your eyes. “I’m sorry if this is a lot to put on you all at once. I know you’ve been wondering about these things, and I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner.” He takes your hand in his. “The truth is… You are so pure and precious to me, and… My father has a way of taking away things that make me happy. As hard as it is, I can handle the fact that he took away my happiness as a child. I can even handle the fact that he took my mother away from me, but…” He raises his hands to cup your face in them. “I… I could never handle it if he tried to take you away from me.”

You feel tears welling in your eyes, both from sadness on Shouto’s behalf and for having just heard how much you mean to him.

“Shouto, I…” You lean forward. You know Fuyumi and Natsuo could walk back in at any second, but you don’t care. You need to kiss him; to feel his lips on yours and let him know how much you care about him too.

“What the hell is this!?” Your lips have barely brushed against Shouto’s when you hear the booming voice. It is so loud that it makes you jump a bit. You turn to see a tall, robust, yet intimidating man staring down at you. From the flames emulating from his body, as well as the unmistakably recognizable hero suit, you know instantly that this man is the hero Endeavor… Shouto’s father. His arms are crossed, making his muscles appear even larger, as he scowls at the two of you with a look of pure rage in his eyes. Immediately Shouto stands up, putting a barrier between you and his father. You don’t try to stop him; in fact you cower a bit behind him at the sight of the terrifying man staring down at you. “Shouto.” Endeavor shifts his gaze to look at him. “Who is this girl?”

Shouto moves back even closer to you, shielding you even further. You clutch the back of his shirt. “That’s none of your damn business.” Shouto says coldly back to his father.

Endeavor scoffs. “You're being foolish. Frankly, I expected more from you.” He shakes his head. “You know you can’t have distractions like this, and I will do whatever I have to to keep you on the right path, if you refuse to obey my orders.”

Is he threatening you? The anxiety makes your heart race, and you clutch onto the back of Shouto’s shirt even harder, suddenly feeling Shouto’s body grow icey cold underneath the cloth. “Don’t you lay a finger on her, you bastard!”

“Dad!?” You hear Fuyumi enter the kitchen behind you. You turn to see that she is carrying what looks like a pie, with Natsuo closely behind her. “What’s going on here?”

“How long have you two known about this!?” Endeavor demands. You meet Fuyumi’s eyes for a split second, you are sure she can tell how frightened you are.

“Look Dad, we were just about to start dessert. Why don’t you sit down and have some too?” You can tell that Fuyumi is doing her best to diffuse the situation. “We weren’t expecting you back so soon, but we’d be happy to have you join us.” She sets the pie down on the table. “I can go get an extra plate for you if you like, and you can tell us about your trip.” She smiles nervously.

Endeavor slams his fist down on the table, making the dishes clatter loudly. You bury your face into Shouto’s shoulder. You feel tears welling in your eyes, but you try your absolute hardest to keep them down.

“Dad please!” Fuyumi pleads. “You’re scaring her. Please just sit down with us, and we can talk this out.”

“You should have known better than to encourage this.” Endeavor says, directing his attention mostly towards Fuyumi and Natsuo. “You know that Shouto can’t be having distractions, especially at such a pivotal point in his training. Don’t you want your brother to succeed?”

“Shouto deserves to be happy!” Natsuo chimes in. “You’ve said yourself that he’s been doing well, and if anything, she encourages him. Just leave them alone!”

“Natsuo--” Fuyumi interjects, seemingly still trying to calm everyone down.

“No, he needs to know that he can’t push it.” Natsuo continues, getting more heated. “Remember what happened to mom? You pushed too hard Dad, you can’t keep doing that!”

“You’re mother was--” Endeavor begins, but Natsuo quickly cuts him off again.

“What about him, then? Huh?” You can see that Natsuo nearly has tears in his eyes. “What’s your excuse for what happened to Touya!?”

Immediately, the atmosphere of the room shifts. Fuyumi gasps, and you can feel Shouto tense up a bit. Even Endeavor seems to be shaken at the mention of this “Touya” person.

“I’m going out for a bit.” Endeavor says. His voice is still quite booming, yet it seems to have softened a little. You can sense that he is attempting to hide a feeling of shame. “I expect this mess to be cleaned up by the time I return.” You can’t tell if he is referring to the dinner table or the situation; you in particular. You try not to think about it too much. “Shouto and I will talk when I get back.”

As soon as you hear the front door to the house close, you let out a big breath, and your emotions pour out with it. You feel relief that he is gone, yet you can’t seem to stop the tears from flowing out of your eyes. “I’m sorry.” You say feeling embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to cause all that.”

You feel Shouto’s warm arms wrap around your body, any trace of ice that you felt in his body a minute ago was now long gone. “It’s not your fault.” He said softly.

“Yeah” Fuyumi agrees. “Please don’t feel as if anything that just happened is your fault… Our dad is just…” She trails off a bit, seemingly searching for the right words. “He’s just like that sometimes.”

“All the time.” Natsuo says under his breath.

Fuyumi shoots him a look. “Anyway I hope he didn’t scare you too much. I know he can be quite intimidating.”

“I’m okay…” You say, attempting to crack a smile.

“Natsuo and I can clean up if you guys want to step away for a bit.” Fuyumi says. “He shouldn’t be back for at least a couple of hours if not more.”

Your heartbeats quickens just a bit at the thought of Endeavor returning. After all, you had been told that he wouldn’t even be there today… But logically, you know Fuyumi is probably right. Besides, you’re sure that it would probably be comforting to have a moment or two alone with Shouto before you leave. You nod a bit vigorously.

Shouto gently takes your hand, and you stand up. “My room is this way.” He says, pointing down the hall.

You follow Shouto down the dark hallway leading to his room. The room is very traditional, matching the rest of the house, and it is very clean and organized. There is a slightly sweet, musky aroma in the room. It is the same scent you smell when Shouto gets very close to you; it’s very comforting. You take in a few deep breaths of the sweet smell, attempting to slow your still racing heart.

Shouto slides the door closed, and abruptly throws his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. You wrap your arms around him and breath him in. “I’m so sorry.” He whispers softly in your ear. “I should never have brought you here.”

“No.” You say back to him. “Don’t be sorry… I’m glad that you brought me here.” You pull back just slightly to meet his eyes. “I’m so happy that I’m getting to learn more about the person that I…” You shift your gaze downwards, slightly embarrassed.

Shouto searches your face for a brief moment, before pulling you back into him. He gently puts a hand on the back of your head, stroking your hair slightly. “I love you too” He whispers. You try to hide it, but you can’t help but let out a slight gasp of surprise and slight awe. “Don’t worry about my father.” Shouto continues. “I promise I won’t ever let him touch you, or take you away from me.”

You pull back to look up at him again. “Shouto…” You are at a loss for words. Your heart feels like it is absolutely bursting with joy.

“Shh…” He breaths, tilting your chin slightly upwards. “Don’t speak, just…” He leans forward, pressing his lips to yours.

You wrap your arms around his neck, feeling as though you never want to let go. You know his words were spoken with utter truth. He loves you, and you love him back. Despite Shouto’s father or any other challenges the two of you might face, in that moment you know that nothing could tear the two of you apart. You pull Shouto even tighter into you, knowing beyond any shadow of doubt that the two of you are meant to be together.

#mha #bnha #bnha fanfiction #my hero academia fanfiction #anime fanfiction #reader insert fanfiction #todoroki x reader #shouto x reader #my hero academia #anime fanfic #my writing

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thesaltyoceanwaves · 5 years

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Nice Guy Adrien the Musical Outline: Prologue/Notes

Hey, remember how I said I was going to write an outline for the Nice Guy Musical? Well, I finally got around to starting it. Here are some prologue/prior to the story notes.

→ As always, the Nice Guy Adrien AU belongs to @lenoreofraven.

→ There are other scenarios and prompts that didn’t make it into this version, (such as Marinette and Luka getting together earlier and breaking up, or Kagami and Marinette dating, Adrien reforming his ways, etc.). The reason I didn’t include these was because it didn’t make sense with the musical numbers that were suggested and used to make the playlist.

→ Playlist can be found here.

→ Scenarios that were pitched in “Bewitched” and “Bewildered” are brought up here, such as Lila’s “Il Malocchio” tale and the akuma of Bewitched herself. If you wanted to write your own take, you could swap these details out so long as they achieve the same narrative goal. I’m simply using them here because I’ve already written them in and it’s easier for me to work with.

→ Moving on to the timeline, I decided to tweak some stuff. Season 2 ends the school year and “Chameleon” now takes place at the beginning of the new school year. Yes, everyone is still in the same class. Assume pretty much everything else in season 3 gets tossed, with a few possible exceptions.

→ Felix transfers into school and is in Mendeleiev’s class. There would be a couple of episodes regarding his transition, and how he gets close to Kagami, Luka and Marinette. They are endgame, and for the uninitiated, their ship name is Ice Art.

→ The akumas are getting harder to fight and are forcing Ladybug to rely more and more on outside heroes. She’s also outgrowing the five minute timer. This is a blow to Chat’s ego, because he thinks that she’s going to replace him with a new partner. It doesn’t help that he keeps getting in the way of the akuma fights and messing around. After getting rejected by her crush, Chat thinks he might finally have a chance with her.

→ In addition to the above, Marinette still has plenty on her plate to deal with. She’s still the class rep, trying to build a fashion portfolio, trying to get into her ideal high school, deal with Lila’s stories and schemes, etc. Her relationship with Alya is rocky, needless to say.

→ Adrien has also been spending less time with his friends and feels lonely. His dad is getting more and more strict, especially as he starts to develop more plans to get the miraculouses.

→ After her experiences during Heroes’ Day, Chloe gets challenged by someone (Marinette, Felix, one of the other Bustier students, it doesn’t really matter who) to be a better civilian and heroine and not cause as many akumas. This is why she doesn’t get involved in the Lila drama - she’s trying to get better at picking her battles. If she causes too many akumas, there’s a chance that she might end up losing the miraculous for good.

→ Despite Lila playing a key role in all of this, she doesn’t actually get much focus in this musical. She’s supposed to have her own that explains her backstory and what she’s up to in the meantime. I also imagine that Alya and Nino have more of a subplot in that story (poor Nino doesn’t have a single number to himself here, but I like to imagine he gets some of the best choreography, especially in “Reason to Become a Witch”). However, Lila does get two numbers here, because I couldn’t imagine her having nothing to do for the entire story.

→ Oh, and the Gorilla is supposed to have a show-stopping dance number. I’m going to treat this as one of the post-credits Marvel scenes because I’m not quite sure where else it might fit.

→ Kagami and Marinette resolve their differences over Adrien and wish each other luck in trying to confess. However, Kagami’s feelings slowly start to change, and she no longer sees Adrien in a viable, romantic light by the time the musical starts.

→ I split this into three acts, even though most musicals take place in two acts for spacing reasons. “Wait For Me” felt like a number to end the act, especially considering it’s role in the story. Act 3 is a sort of deep breathing exercise to the ending considering everything that happens from mid-Act 2 until that point.

→ When I finish detailing the rest of the outline, I will have an Other Notes/FAQs questions, so if something is confusing or needs to be addressed, feel free to drop a comment or ask.

#ml salt #ml salt au #nice guy adrien #nice guy Adrien AU #nice guy adrien the musical #lenore's au #nice guy adrien the outline

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brightsun-and-darkmidnight · 4 years

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Stubborn Independence

TITLE: Stubborn Independence

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 10/10

AUTHOR: brightsun-and-darkmidnight

ORIGINAL IMAGINE:

Imagine Loki struggling to adjust to someone who is independent and insists on paying for themselves all the time, even if it is a struggle sometimes. They need to do everything on their own. They never ask for help and refuse help. Just imagine Loki really wanting to spoil this person. Imagine how creative he would get to make life easier on this person who has captivated him.

Imagine being a talented singer at your local club. Loki comes in one night with Thor and the others (he’d rather be anywhere else but who turns down free drinks?) and gets ensnared in the voice of the beautiful singer on stage. Suddenly, his interest (and arousal) are more than piqued.

Imagine getting into a petty fight with Loki, so in retaliation, he puts everything on the top shelf where you can’t reach?

AUTHOR'S NOTES: College AU. Loki is determined to take over Odin's company. He works hard and has a strict schedule for success. However, with the interference of Thor and the other four, Loki's plans are often interrupted so they can play matchmaker.

My Ao3: brightsun_and_darkmidnight

Tags: @cateyes315

~ ~ ENJOY ~ ~

Loki didn't know what to do.

A piece was always missing.

Sirena was missing. She would barely talk to him. Clint kept Loki away from her. Everyone was awkward around him. Sirena would sit on the other end of the lunch table.

Then programming and major classes were harder to tolerate.

Alone in his room he would sit and stare at his door. Waiting for someone to want his company.

There was a knock that pulled him from his thoughts.

"Loki. May I come in?"

Loki sighed. "Yes, Thor."

Thor walked in and shut the door.

"You seem to be handling the breakup worse."

Loki scoffed with an eye roll.

"You miss her?"

"Of course I do. I just… she is right. I hate programming and my majors. I don't want to do my homework, so I have to force myself to get it over with. She was the change I needed in my life but dad's company still needs ran."

"Then forget about Odin's company. You have no idea how much better I felt after that weight was lifted off my back."

Loki sighed… "I don't even know if Sirena would take me back."

"So you would rather live a miserable life, trapped in a job you can't stand? You said so yourself, Sirena is what you need."

"But two years of my major count for nothing? I won't get that money back."

"Well that is true… I know it doesn't seem like it, but Sirena misses you."

"Really? But she has been avoiding me."

"It is just her way of dealing with her feelings. She thinks if she ignores you it will be easier to stay away."

"I wish I could be with her… I think I am going to tell Odin I don't want the company."

It was as if some sort of weight was lifted off his shoulders and his heart felt free.

Loki woke in the morning and was set on telling Odin he no longer wanted the company when he went in for work. The day dragged on but with glimpses of Sirena, the plan sounded better and better.

Thor went with Loki and in front of Odin, Loki stood his ground as he said he didn't want the company.

Odin sighed heavily… "you have a sister, Hella. She will take over the company but I fear what she will do with it. My will states she will take over the company once I pass unless either of you would take over. My time is almost up and even if either of you wanted it, you would not have finished your schooling."

Frigga put her hand on Odin's. "Your father only has days before his passing."

In a few days Odin passed but Loki and Thor visited every day. Even Jane got to meet Odin and Frigga before his passing. With death near, Odin became more accepting and wished the couple well. Even doing the impossible and apologized.

Hella took over the company, and it was not long she announced that Asgardian Technology would start to program weapons.

Thor went to Loki. "We need to stop this somehow. This is not what father would want of his company."

Loki rubbed his lip in thought. "We could make a virus that would crash the entire system."

"You could do that?"

"Well yes. I know plenty about the code of the company. She couldn't have changed much about it."

"What about recruiting Tony and Bruce. They could make an A.I. to do the rest."

Loki stood with Thor and went to get the two and then the four of them started on a virus. They worked so the A.I. would finish the rest of the coding. Loki worked constantly on the virus and when it was done he sent it to the business through the internet.

Loki watched with everyone as the A.I. Surtur worked at destroying everything.

Once a notification came up saying, "Ragnarok is over and Asgard is no more."

Loki smiled as he sat back in his chair. Everyone was cheering.

Thor smiled at Loki, "Good job brother. I think father would be proud his company was not doing harm to others."

Loki nodded. "I guess all my programming wasn't for nothing. Though I do have another Idea as to what I can do with my majors…"

Loki went to Sirena.

They stared at the other and blurted out. "I'm sorry."

Loki smiled with her for a moment. "Do you remember telling me that you want to teach people how to make music?"

Sirena shifted on her feet. "Well yeah. Why are you saying that?"

"I can make you a program to teach others. If that's something you would be interested in. We would have to work together for a while. But if it goes well you will make some money off of it. I could make you a website as well."

Sirena smirked. "Are you going to just do it or are you going to teach me?"

Loki grinned, "Its going to be a lot of tech-talk."

Sirena just stared up at him before hugging him. "I missed you."

Loki held her as well. "I missed you as well. I never realized how much I needed you until you left. How much I needed to take care of myself."

Sirena sighed. "I am sorry for leaving you like that."

"The thing is… you were right. So don't apologize. I love you more for standing up for yourself and what you wanted in your future." Loki chuckled. "There are a lot of things I can do with my current majors, like running your business for music. I will pick up at least a minor in art and I could make art mixed with programming."

Sirena smiled and pulled Loki to kiss her.

Tony yelled playfully, "Get a room!"

Sirena flipped Tony off and said, "this is his room."

-:-

It took Loki a little longer to graduate college but with helping Sirena start up her small business he was making money already. Sirena and Loki worked together on the website and the program to teach music. Loki did his best to be present during the group therapy sessions when they were in Sirena's building. The times when she had to go elsewhere Loki was often not allowed due to health laws, he always wished her well.

Married life was always interesting with Sirena.

She would try to give Loki the cold shoulder for doing something wrong so in retaliation Loki would put things out of her reach. He would also make sure to really tighten jars so she needed to ask for help.

As if on cue she yelled his name in anger, making Loki chuckle to himself.

"Coming dear."

"Will you stop putting things on the top shelf!"

Loki easily got the can opener from its wrong location.

Loki smiled sweetly as he held out the object. "What's for dinner today dear?"

Sirena replied with a growl, snatching the can opener. "Meatloaf."

"When will it be done?"

"Depends if you hid anything else from me."

Loki made himself comfortable. "I guess I better stay here just in case."

Loki smiled at the brief glare before a smile started to pull her lips. "Get out."

Loki noticed the timer was still on the fridge and grinned knowing she would have to talk to him again.

Loki leaned on the counter. "So I was thinking about the cat we talked about before…"

Sirena huffed. "Maybe... I have appointment at the pound to look at some tomorrow… It was supposed to be a surprise."

Loki went to hold Sirena in his arms. He rested his head on hers as she formed the meat into a loaf shape.

Loki hummed. "You spoil me."

Sirena moved her head as Loki stared to husk in her ear dirty promises.

Sirena huffed. "Remember last time we tried to do those things while we waited on food to cook?"

Loki purred. "Yes."

Sirena bumped him backwards with her body to get him off of her then giggled as he gripped her hips to his body.

Loki nibbled on her ear. "We nearly burnt down the house since we took so long with our activities… Then I took you out for dinner and we resumed trying to make a family."

"Well, you were successful in making the family. I however, still need to learn to cook for a family."

Loki rubbed her swelled belly. "Just because WE were successful does not mean we need to stop… practicing."

Sirena grumbled, "What about food?"

Loki chuckled. "I will help. And if it doesn't taste good then there is always restaurants. As well as trying to make the meal again." Loki kissed her cheek before letting her go.

Sirena washed her hands, put the pan in the oven and then looked for the timer. Then sent a glare at Loki with her hand out. "Give me the timer."

Loki hummed… "Just let me know how much time we have."

#brightsun-and-darkmidnight #stubborn independence #loki #chapter 10 #college au

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therealcalicali · 6 years

Text

CLOSER TO ME: CHAPTER 10

Synopsis: Upon moving to a new city, the Reader crosses paths with Ivar, Hvitserk and the rest of the Lothbrok clan. Since her own life is already filled with internal demons from a strict upbringing, their introduction into her life only adds to the drama. As things progress, Reader discovers that there is more to her interactions with Ivar and Hvisterk than meets the eye.

Chapter 10 Warnings: Angst, Foreplay, Sex, Smut, Threats and Fluff

Word Count: 10,344

Setting: Modern Vikings

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pairing: Ivar x Reader x Hvitserk (Love Triangle)

Closer To Me: Prologue

Closer to Me: Chapter 1

Closer to Me: Chapter 2

Closer to Me: Chapter 3

Closer to Me: Chapter 4

Closer to Me: Chapter 5

Closer to Me: Chapter 7

Closer to Me: Chapter 8

Closer to Me: Chapter 9

___________________________

Nearly two and a half weeks later, you found yourself living with the boys at Ubbe and Bjorn's beach-side mansion. Though you spent time with them when you could, all of you had busy schedules. Especially Hvitserk who had decided to take Alfred's offer to work as a Talent Agent for LMG Records. Because of the job requirements, he and Sigurd traveled allot and had to attend many functions. Which of course meant, you saw him even less than you saw Ivar. But you didn't mind. After all, you were busy yourself.

You had received great news from Tata Vega before moving back to town. He loved the digitals of your artwork and had commissioned five pieces to be unveiled at an exhibit at his new Gallery in Italy.

No one could have been happier than you were, with the exception of Alfred of course. Your shy friend was proud of how far you had come. He stated that you had gone from an introverted waitress to the potential new darling of the Art world. Of course it was all due to his help. A fact that you reminded him of every chance you got. Truly, Alfred was very dear to your heart.

As for your parents, your father and you were on great terms despite you deciding to leave home again. Your mother on the other hand, not so much. She was not only upset about the entire Evan breakup but she hated Ivar. Your father had invited them to dine with you guys at the house a few times. Despite you telling your parents that they were your friends, your mother didn't believe you. She insisted that she knew something was going on between you and the younger Ragnarsson.

Out of the two brother's she disliked him the most. Because of this, the two of them made snide remarks to each other often. But, at least she had dropped the issue of their family's past. Most likely due to her conversations with Hvitserk and how well behaved he was. It didn't hurt that she had also verified their family's net worth online. Typical! Your mother had a thing for affluent people and the Lothbroks were filthy rich.

As you worked on your latest piece while listening to classical music, Ivar entered.

Unlike Hvitserk, he hadn't taken a regular job at any of the family businesses. Instead, he chose to work on assignments whenever he saw fit.

"Hey mus." He said as he turned down the volume on the speakers. "Let's go grab some lunch together."

"I thought you were going to pick up Bjorn and Folaki from the airport."

"Yeah. But they decided to do a stop in Sweden. It seems that your friend has my brother wrapped around her finger." He said chuckling. "Do you know he told me that he's been looking at engagement rings?"

You shrieked at the news despite knowing you couldn't say anything to her about it. Their relationship was truly a whirlwind romance. After only a few months together, even you could see that Folaki's wild ways were behind her. Which was surprising since she had always insisted that monogamy made no sense.

"Don't you think it's good? Them settling down, I mean." Ivar asked as he sat behind you and watched the brush glide against the canvas.

"Of course I do. They really seem to adore each other. I just hope Bjorn lets us be there when he pops the question. She's going to freak, I swear."

As you imagined Folaki's reaction, you laughed to yourself. Ivar on the other hand, was silent as he observed you. For some reason, he seemed to be in a serious mood on this particular day. However, you chalked it up to the fact he woke up very early that morning to host business partners for his dad.

"Mus…..we should get married."

"Who? You, me and Hvitserk?" You asked with a laugh.

Ivar scowled as he stared at you. Feeling his eyes, you glanced over your shoulder, surprised that he now appeared angry.

"Baby, why are you so upset?"

"You! I'm trying to talk about something serious and you're making fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you. I thought you were joking around."

And just like that, Ivar began a tirade. He first stated that he didn't like the fact you always took his real emotions for granted. As he paced the room, you tried to paint while you listened to him, but he was far too distracting. Setting your brushes and palette down, you turned to face him. You listened attentively and finally, Ivar admitted that he hated sharing you.

"I don't know how they did it. He, Sigurd and Ubbe. But I………..I don't know. Maybe I'm just different. I'm finding it hard to watch you with Hvitty."

"But Ivar, you're the one who suggested it in the first place."

"So what? That doesn't mean anything. Just because I thought something was okay at first, doesn't mean I can't change my mind."

You sighed. What did he want you to do exactly? You adored Hvitserk and couldn't see yourself dumping him for any reason. If anything, Ivar was the one you could possibly see yourself breaking up with. Not that you wanted to do that either. Despite his hot temper, you cared deeply about him too. And though he argued with you often and started fights whenever you went out, your relationship was strong.

"I don’t know what to say." You confessed.

"Just say you'll be with me. Me and no one else."

Your jaw clenched as you looked at him. Ivar was putting you on the spot and you had no clue how to respond.

"Baby, I……I can't do that. I love Hvitty too."

Ivar stared at you as if you had shot him in the heart. For a brief second, you thought he was going to flip your art supplies and paintings over. His blue eyes were dark and full of rage as he stood up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Wanting to get far away from the mansion, Ivar went for a stroll on the boardwalk to clear his head. He didn't understand why you were being so difficult. As he stood by the water, he felt his eyes well with tears. Rubbing his face, he tried to figure out whether the relationship between the two of could go on or not.

_____________

Ivar didn't come return home until the later in the evening. During the time he was gone, you were able to finish your painting as well as run a few errands. As you were busily making dinner in the kitchen, Ubbe came in, tired from a long day at work.

"Oh. Another hot meal?" He said as he stood in the kitchen doorway. "You're spoiling us. It's like having our mom here."

"Well, then "son" go and freshen up. The food should be ready in about an hour."

Ubbe smiled before leaving for his room. While you were setting the timer for the roasted Cornish hens, you felt arms wrap around your waist. Since Ivar was mad at you, you had hoped it was him. However, it turned out to be Hvitserk, looking smart in his black suit.

"Hey baby." You said before planting a big kiss on his lips. "How was your day?"

"I'm not going to lie. It was pretty freakin great. I didn't spend allot of time in the office since I had a business luncheon with a certain megastar and her team. She wants to collab with one of our newest rappers."

"Wow! Who is it?"

"I'll give you a hint. She's a Queen with her own hive." He said with a wink.

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the thought of meeting Beyoncé if things worked out. As he told you more about the meeting, you began cutting avocados for the salad. Hvitserk's face lit up when he mentioned how beautiful she was in person.

"No offense, of course."

"Hvitty, this is Beyoncé you're talking about. I would kill you if you didn't find her attractive."

Hvitserk smiled at your response before taking a sip of water.

As the two of you talked about his upcoming trip to New York with Sigurd, Ivar walked into the kitchen. He went straight to the fridge without saying a word to either of you.

"Hey. How's it going?" Hvitserk asked.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ivar opened one of the cabinets and took out a glass. Typically, his moodiness didn't last too long. However, this time, it appeared that Ivar was really angry with you. As he poured himself some orange juice, you and Hvitserk glanced at each other.

"Baby, dinner will be ready in an hour." You said. "Just thought you would like to know."

"Keep your food Y/N. I'm going out."

You sighed before you turned your attention back to the avocados. Naturally, Hvitserk wanted to know what was going on. When he asked Ivar if everything was alright, he chuckled.

"Everything's great. You see, Y/N and I came to an understanding about some things."

"What understanding?" A curious Hvitserk asked.

"That sharing is fine. Which of course means that I can bring home any girl I want."

You rolled your eyes as you checked the timer. Despite the fact that he was exaggerating things said during your conversation, you were in no mood to argue. If he wanted another girl, you would keep your mouth shut.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Ivar suddenly asked.

"What do you want me to say?"

Ivar glared at you before putting the orange juice back in the fridge. He then leaned on the island and stared at you, causing you to become uncomfortable.

"I see you guys had another fight while I was at work." Hvitserk said as he loosened his tie. "Ivar, whatever it is, just stop."

"Shut up, Hvitty! You always do this. It's none of your business. It's between Y/N and I. Right?"

"Whatever you say, Ivar." You said halfheartedly.

As you continued washing vegetables, Ivar grew angrier.

"Say something!" He demanded.

"You know what? Just go out with your friends, alright. Have fun."

"What did you just say?"

"I said, have fun. If you meet someone….good for you."

Ivar rushed from where he was and was instantly beside you. As he roughly grabbed hold of your wrist that held a tomato in the sink, your heart raced. He pressed his forehead against the side of your head aggressively and asked you to repeat yourself.

"Ivar!" Hvitserk said, standing from where he was.

Ignoring his elder brother, Ivar squeezed your wrist harder causing you to wince.

"You're hurting me."

"You better watch how you talk to me Y/N. I've told you before, I'm not Hvitty."

He then let go of your wrist but kept standing at your side. You could feel his breath against your cheek as you tried to wash the tomato again.

"Since you don’t care about me anymore, when I go out tonight, I'll do as you suggested."

"Seriously! Just stop it already." Hvitserk said as he pushed Ivar away from you.

Ivar's blue eyes never left you as he bit his bottom lip in anger. He then demanded that you look at him, but you totally refused. You were in no mood to fight especially with Ubbe being home. Though you didn't like hurting Ivar, you had to resist being pulled into his madness.

"Mus! Open your fucking mouth and say something." Ivar commanded as Hvitserk stood between the two of you.

Despite his increased anger, you kept ignoring him. When he was like this, there was no point in engaging him. It only led to more confrontation and you had learned quickly that silence was golden. Ivar eyed you for what seemed like an eternity before storming out of the kitchen. As he made his way down the hallway, the two of you could hear him kick something and punch the wall.

"It's alright, Y/N. My brother's a very angry person sometimes." Hvitserk said as he wrapped his arms around you.

You loved the fact that he was doing his best to reassure you. But as you embraced Hvitserk, you wondered if you were the one actually making Ivar worse.

_________________

As you and Hvitserk stood in the living room chatting as you waited for Ubbe, Ivar stood in the doorway.

Not that he said anything to either of you. No. He just stood there hate-watching you in an attempt to make you feel guilty. Naturally, you chose to ignore him and focus on your conversation with Hvitserk. After growing tired of you ignoring him, he finally left to meet his friends at the bar while you were busily setting the table

You ate dinner with Hvitserk and Ubbe, glad that there was finally some peace in the house. While the three of you sat at the dining table, you had a chance to catch up with Ryan. Since your brother had a spring break coming, he told you that he would accompany you to Italy. He shocked you by saying your parents were trying to get time off to surprise you. As much as they hated you choosing such an "odd" career, they were slowly warming up to it.

Of course it helped that you told them that Tata Vega had made you a protégé. After all, even people who hated Art knew who he was. The man was just that famous. After speaking to your little brother, you also managed to text with Alfred for a while. Towards the end of your conversation, he mentioned something about a surprise coming for you but stated that he couldn't reveal it yet.

After you were all done eating, Ubbe helped you clean up before turning in for the night. Finally alone, you and Hvitserk settled on the couch and put on a horror flick. As the two of you enjoyed the movie, Ivar was across town standing outside of a local bar with some friends.

As he drank with them, he laughed and carried on as if he was totally fine. However, deep down, he was dying to talk to you. Looking at his cell phone, he hoped that you had sent a text. But when he saw that there wasn't one, he put it in his pocket. One of his friends noticed that he had taken his phone out for the third time and asked if he was expecting a call.

"Not really. I'm just making sure my battery is good."

Another friend suddenly suggested that they go to a nightclub. Despite not really wanting to go, Ivar said he was game. When a group of women passed by, they all dared him to get one of their numbers. Ivar looked in their direction first, before asking how much money was on the line.

"Fifty bucks. But you have to get the tall brunette's number. She looks the most conceited out of all of them." His friend said.

“Don’t be so cheap you peace of shit. One hundred.”

“Fine. A hundred it is asshole.”

Ivar smirked before handing his beer to one of his buddies. He then did an exaggerated bow to his them before running off to catch up to the women. Meanwhile at home, you and Hvitserk were happily spending quality time with each other. As you now sat in the hot tub, you gazed into each other's eyes. If it were possible to see love in someone's eyes, you could definitely see them in his. Hvitserk sensually brushed his lips against your own before parting them in a tender kiss.

"Have I told you how proud I am of you?"

"Like a million time." You replied with a smile.

"Seriously. So many people just give in. I'm glad you're going for your dreams no matter what."

"Well, it's all thanks to Alfred. Without him pushing me, I wouldn't be where I am. He's such a sweetheart."

"Yeah. But not as sweet as you." Hvitserk said before kissing you again passionately.

After breaking the kiss, he slapped you on the ass and said you guys should head to his room.

________________

In the bedroom, Hvitserk put on his playlist of romantic R&B songs to set the mood. After dimming the lights, he slow danced with you for a while before laying you on the bed.

"You're too much." You said with a smile as he gave you opened mouthed kisses on your neck.

With a flirtatious smirk, he gently separated your legs with his body.

"Hvitty?"

"I'm listening babe."

"I…….I think I’ve fallen in love with you." You said shyly.

Hvitserk smirked before pressing his soft lips to your own. As he took mouth from yours, he looked into your eyes, almost amused at how nervous you looked.

"Well, I hope so. Because I've fallen in love with you, min beskedne."

You pulled him into a kiss that left you both breathless before reaching down between your bodies.

When you took hold of his hardened member and pressed it against your entrance, Hvitserk smacked you hand away. He gave you a devilish smirk before dragging his tongue down your stomach all the way to your mound. As you tried to sit up on your elbows, he pushed you back down.

"Relax, Y/N."

"But----"

Hvitserk told you to lay down before reaching into the nightstand. When he pulled out a pair of pink handcuffs, you raised a brow and giggled.

"Look what Daddy's got. " He said, swinging them on his finger. "I bought these just for you."

"Daddy? No way."

"Yes, way. You have to call me Daddy or I'm going to do some spanking."

"You're crazy."

"Who's crazy?" Hvitserk asked with a smirk.

"You are.............Daddy."

"Good girl." He said before rolling you over and giving you a hard smack on the ass.

"Fine! I'll call you Daddy but I don't want to be cuffed."

"Be quiet. Daddy's in charge now."

Ignoring your protests, he began cuffing you to the headboard. As he did, you couldn't help laughing despite your initial apprehension. When your hands were finally secured above your head, he positioned himself between your legs again.

You felt his fingers gliding up and down your entrance as he teased you with his eyes. When your hips bucked at his touch, Hvitserk pushed your hips down firmly. With a wink, he bent his head down. Your eyes shut as you felt the warmth of his tongue slowly trail along your sensitive flesh. The tingle nearly caused you to close your legs but Hvitserk's arms were strong. He held your thighs open as he started licking in circles, teasing your clit.

"Baby....yes." You murmured, as your back arched off the bed.

Out of the blue, you felt a hard slap against your thigh.

"What did I say, Y/N?" Hvitserk asked as he lifted his head.

"It feels good, Daddy."

"That's better."

Hvitserk bent back down and dragged his tongue over your entire entrance. When he curled the tip of his tongue on your clit, you cried out. Enjoying your reactions, he pulled the sensitive flesh into his mouth and gently sucked on it. Your cries grew louder as your body jerked uncontrollably. You wanted to grab hold of his head badly, but couldn't. Your hands were firmly cuffed and there was no budging them.

"Hvitty!"

Since you broke the rules, he slapped the side of your thigh again. Only this time, much harder than before.

"What did I tell you, Y/N?"

"Daddy."

"That's better."

As he placed his hot mouth back on your pussy again you moaned. Suddenly, your cell phone rang. It rang until the call was eventually sent to voicemail. But not even a second later, it rang several more times as if someone was urgently trying to get a hold of you. Though didn't want to, you asked Hvitserk to check who was calling. You just couldn't enjoy yourself if you didn't know who was trying to reach you. For all you knew, it could have been a family emergency. Fortunately, it wasn't. Hvitserk scoffed as he looked at the screen.

"It's Ivar."

"Just turn it off."

Doing as you asked, he tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. Hvitserk then got the key for the handcuffs and freed your hands.

"I can't take not having you touch me." He said with a wink.

Crawling on top of you, his hands roamed over your breasts as he peppered kisses over them. While he was sucking on your nipples, you wrapped your legs around his waist tightly. Quite aroused, Hvitserk took hold of his cock and began pressing his tip against your wet entrance.

"Are you ready for Daddy to give it to you?"

When you remained silent and raised your hips, he playfully slapped your cheek. Grabbing you forcefully by the jaw, he titled your face toward his.

"I said, are you ready? If you don't answer, I'll have to slap you again."

"Yes, Daddy."You whispered.

Without hesitation, he slowly eased himself into you, watching as your eyes shut and teeth clenched. He grunted as he felt the warmth of your tightness around his member.

"Y/N." He moaned before burying his face against your neck.

While he rested with his pelvis flush against your own, you began to rotate your hips. You could feel hot air against your neck as his breathing became erratic. You continued moving your hips, until Hvitserk finally began meeting you with his own thrusts. At first he moved at a fast pace but then slowed - thrusting deeply each time. As he kissed you, his grunts escaped into your mouth as he pressed your hips into the mattress.

"Don't stop." Hvitserk muttered as his lips grazed yours.

As he quickened his thrusts, you wrapped your arms around his neck. Your bodies moved in unison, as the euphoric high of your lovemaking increased. Hvitserk followed the motions of your hips, resisting the urge to begin pounding into you. It was an excruciating pace but he wanted to please you. But as you began to grind against him faster, the friction caused him to lose control. Hvitserk began thrusting hard as held your hips. You raked your nails on his back as you cried out in pleasure.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh began to echo in the bedroom, almost drowning out the music. After a few minutes of him pounding you at an unrelenting pace, Hvitserk grunted as his cock twitched. He lifted you off the bed as he straddled you around his waist. He supported you while bouncing you on his cock as he came inside you.

"Oh shit!" He grunted.

You soon followed, shaking and losing strength instantly. As your orgasm began, the heat created by the two of you grinding against each other made your bodies glisten.

"Hvitty..................yes." You muttered, holding onto his sweaty neck.

He continued to support you while you rode him, circling your hips. When you finally collapsed against his chest, Hvitserk guided you onto your back gently. He cradled you in his arms as you both lay in silence as if you were the only people in the world.

__________________

As Hvitserk slept beside you, he stirred in his sleep. When his eyes fluttered open, he first looked at you, making sure you were alright. Still, he couldn't shake the ominous feeling that had awakened him. Sensing a presence near the bed, he sat up abruptly only to come face to face with an enraged Ivar. His little brother stared at him with eyes full of malice.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Hvitserk asked between gritted teeth – not wanting to wake you. "You need to get out."

"Who turned her phone off?"

What?"

Ivar raised your cell phone and glared at his brother. Not in the mood to argue in the middle of the night, Hvitserk told him to go to bed. Especially since he could smell the Tequila and beer on his breath.

"Fine. If you won't tell me, then I'll ask Y/N."

"Ivar stop being an ass. She's sleeping."

"So what? If I feel like talking to her, I can."

When Ivar tried to reach over to shake you awake, Hvitserk pushed his hand away. The two brothers stared at each other, the tension thick between them. What was once a peaceful night, had turned upside down in seconds thanks to the youngest Ragnarsson.

"Mus! Wa----"

"Alright!" An irritated Hvitserk said. "If you really want to know, I turned it off."

"Why the hell would you do that? I wanted to talk to her."

"Ivar! The two of you fought practically all day. What did you think was going to happen if you talked to her on the phone?"

"Does it matter? Besides, I just wanted to hear her voice."

Hvitserk rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted and aware that he only had a few hours before he had to get up for work.

"Listen, let's grab some coffee tomorrow and we'll talk about it."

"Talk about what?"

"Listen, Y/N confessed some things to me that I think you need to hear."

Ivar frowned and glanced at your sleeping form. He then looked back at Hvitserk with some confusion.

"Why can't I hear it from her?"

"Trust me. It's better for you and I talk first." Hvitserk said. "Now, please get some rest."

Ivar hesitated at first. He really wanted to wake you but noticed that you never got up the entire time. Knowing how much of a light sleeper you were, he realized you must have been very tired. Despite being drunk, he still cared about your well-being so he agreed to go to his room.

____________________

You and Hvitserk both woke up early to get ready for the busy day ahead. He had nothing but meetings scheduled while you had errands to run – to include getting your passport. Since your Uber arrived before he left for work, you kissed him goodbye before leaving the mansion.

After his morning briefing, Hvitserk met Ivar at a nearby coffee across from LMG records. As he took as seat, he could tell that his little brother was already on edge.

"Y/N won't pick up my calls." Ivar said with an uncomfortable laugh before sipping his cappuccino. "She didn't even respond to any of the texts I sent last night." He then wiped his mouth with his jacket sleeve.

As he looked around, Hvitserk told him that he needed relax. But he couldn't. Ivar just wasn't accustomed to things not going his way. Typically, when he offended someone, they were too afraid to call him out. In fact, the other person would do their best to get back in his good graces. But not you. Not this time anyway. It appeared that you were done dealing with his temper.

"Call her on your phone."

"No, Ivar. We came to talk, remember?"

"Fine. But after we're done, will you do that for me?

Hvitserk shrugged and asked his brother to focus for a moment. As he drank his coffee, he told Ivar that you were tired of arguing all the time.

"She said she's over it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get so defensive. It just means you guys need to stop being at each other's throats all the time. Or else."

"Or else what?" Ivar asked as he stared at his brother. "Don't sugar coat it. What did she say?"

"She.......... might end things."

Ivar immediately stood up and began walking away. A frustrated Hvitserk picked up his cup and followed, yelling for him to stop. When he finally caught up to Ivar, he managed to convince him to take a seat near an old fashioned building.

"Just listen to everything I have to say before you get all pissed off." Hvitserk said.

Ivar pulled out a pack of cigarettes form his jacket pocket and stuck one in his mouth.

“Go ahead, Let’s hear all the bad things she had to say about me.” He said, genuinely unable to understand why you were so mad at him.

"Look. I never said that she’s planning on breaking up with you. I only said that she's sick of all the fighting."

"At least that's what she admitted. Look, I know Y/N better than she knows herself. She's just saying half of what she really feels. I'm not surprised though." Ivar said as he blew smoke from his mouth. "She wanted you from the beginning anyway."

"Stop talking like that."

"It's okay, Hvitty. I can't make her stay with me if she doesn't want to."

"You're overreacting. Just control your temper and you guys will be fine."

Ivar continued smoking as Hvitserk confessed that he had one more thing to tell him. Though he hesitated at first, the elder Ragnarsson knew it was now or never.

"Tata Vega extended an invitation for Y/N to train under him in addition to signing with his agent."

"So? Isn't that what she's doing with the exhibit?"

"Not exactly. It's an offer for her to live in Italy..........for the foreseeable future."

Ivar's blue eyes widened with shock. He couldn't believe that you hadn't mentioned it to him at all. Despite being a life changing decision for you, it would affect him as well.

"What did you say to her?"

"It's a no brainier, Ivar. I told her to go for it!"

"Are you fucking nuts? You want Y/N to move halfway across the world?"

"Of course not but this is her her dream. Why should she stay here when a huge opportunity waits for her in Italy?"

Ivar frowned as he continued smoking. He couldn't believe that his brother didn't see a problem with the entire situation. Glancing at his phone, Hvitserk stood up and said he had to get back to the office. When he left, an angry Ivar pondered what to say when he saw you that evening.

________________

That evening, you got home a little past eight due to spending time with Jason and his girlfriend, Irene. When they dropped you off, you forced them to come inside so you could feed them. There was no way you were going to let them eat fast food when you had plenty of leftovers from all the cooking you did.

Hvitserk was already home so the four of you were able to enjoy a lively dinner together. Afterward, you were all watching TV when Ivar finally arrived home. Though he seemed to be in one of his moods, he behaved himself since there was company.

"How's everyone doing tonight?" He asked as he took a seat beside Hvitserk.

As you sat between Jason and his girlfriend, you noticed Ivar giving you strange looks. You knew what he was trying to do. However, if he thought he could intimidate you into talking to him, he had another thing coming. Especially since he had yet to apologize. Despite all the messages and texts, none of them were about feeling bad for how he had treated you. Ignoring Ivar, you announced that Jason was taking vacation days to attend your exhibit.

"That's great." Hvitserk said. "See babe, everyone's really happy for you."

Jason agreed but added that he planned on taking you clubbing after your time in the spotlight.

"No way. You and Folaki need to stay in your hotel rooms. The two of you always start trouble when you go out." Irene said.

As you nodded, you pushed Jason's shoulder playfully.

"So true. The last thing I want to do is go around begging for your freedom at random police stations."

As everyone was in conversation, Ivar looked at you and asked how excited you were about Italy. Though your friends didn't catch it, you and Hvitserk could hear the sarcasm in his tone.

"I'm super excited. Who wouldn't be?"

"True. Besides, who wouldn't want to go to Italy? I hear it's also a great place to live." Ivar said, staring straight into your eyes.

You sighed, knowing that Hvitserk had managed to tell him about your career opportunity. Not that you were upset. It had been your idea for Ivar to hear it from his brother anyway. Since he had a bad temper, you figured it would prevent another argument. Naturally, his snide comments were to be expected.

"Ivar, please take a quick walk with me?" You said as you stood up.

Despite looking disinterested in going at first, he followed you. As the two of you made your way out of the house and towards the boardwalk, he kept glancing at you. Eventually, you felt his arm move around your waist, but you moved away. The fact that you wiggled out of his arms made him angry and he almost contemplated going back to the house. However, he kept walking beside you. As you focused on the setting sun in the distance, you prepared your thoughts. Though it was going to be hard, the conversation you were about to have was long overdue.

____________________

As you stood facing Ivar, you resolve wavered. Not because you didn't know what you wanted to say. After all, you had been practicing everything in your head for a few days now. However, it was difficult to speak with his blue eyes boring into your soul. Even without trying, Ivar had a way of intimidating you.

"So..............I suppose you know everything by now."

"Mus! That's a stupid thing to say. Of course I know. The question is, why did I have to hear it from Hvitty instead of you?"

"Because, just look at how you're reacting? You-----"

"Excuse me? Oh, I see. Because I'm not reacting the way you want, something's wrong with me?"

"I didn't say that. You're putting words in my mouth."

"Then what are you saying?"

You rolled your eyes as you bit your lip in frustration. Talking to Ivar was like talking to a ticking time bomb. One wrong word or statement, and he flew into a tangent that left you mentally drained.

"Ivar, I don't want to argue with you. It's become very tiresome"

"Really?" He asked with an annoyed expression. "I had no idea you felt this way. So now, you find me tiresome? That's good to know. Please, don't stop now. Go on."

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about! Whenever you ask me to be honest with you, I know you don't really mean it. That's why it's so hard for us to talk to each other."

Ivar's eyes were wide and his nostrils flared as he glared at you, almost as if you were insane. You weren't sure why, but it seemed that none of your words were reaching him. As usual, Ivar thought you were overreacting and being dramatic.

"Fine. You want us to be honest, I'll start. I'm pissed off and I have every right to be. First you hide your job offer from me, then, you send Hvitty to deliver the message. I'm not a monster, Y/N. You could have told me yourself."

"I know..........it's..........it's just hard to talk to you these days."

"That's bullshit! Besides, I'm the one that here for you more than Hvitty. His new job barely allows him to spend time with you."

"I don't care that he's busy. It's better than being around each other all the time and doing nothing but fighting. I'm so over it!"

Ivar's stared into Y/C eyes as if you had said the worst thing in the world. You couldn't quite make-out the expression he wore on his face. It was an odd mixture of rage and sadness. You hadn't intended on being so blunt but he had pushed your buttons.

"What are you trying to say, Y/N?"

"I.......I'm just saying that I'm over all..............this! Whatever it is."

"Mus, don't beat around the bush. Just say what you really want to say. After all, you haven't had any problem telling me how you feel up to now. You obviously can't stand me anymore so just say it."

"Ivar, you're putting words in my mouth again. I never-----"

"No, Y/N, I'm not. If you want to move to Italy, that's fine. I won't try to stop you. Go ahead and chase your amazing career."

"Ivar!"

"Isn't that what you want to hear? Besides, Hvitty supports it so, I'm sure you'll be happy. The two of you will make it work."

"Will you let me talk? I don't understand why you make it so hard to have a normal conversation with you."

"There's nothing left to talk about." Ivar said as he eyed you - his expression now full of anger.

When you reached out to touch his hand, he stepped back, surprising you. Never had Ivar moved away from any show of affection before. That's when you knew he was truly upset with you. You stared at each other for a while, as people walked past. It was such an odd moment knowing that everything was going downhill fast.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." You said, still stunned by his behavior.

"I'm sorry too. But I'm sure Hvitty will take good care of you."

"What?"

"You heard me, Y/N. I'm doing us both a favor. We're done."

"You're breaking up with me?"

"It's for the best. I'm done chasing you and you obviously don't want to be chased. Don't worry, I won't be around much longer."

With that, Ivar walked away from you, obviously going for a stroll by himself. As you watched him go down the boardwalk, you felt numb. You couldn't believe that he had basically dumped you. It was infuriating to think that you had been so concerned about his feelings, yet, he showed none for yours.

"Goodbye, Ivar." You muttered to yourself before walking towards the mansion alone.

______________

The next three weeks were a blur. You were so busy trying to get ready for your move to Italy that you had no real time to cry over your breakup with Ivar. Not that you wanted to. The way he had dumped you had made you angry more than anything else. Fortunately, despite him still living at the mansion, you barely saw him. Ivar spent most of his time crashing at a friend's apartment and only came over to grab clothes and stuff.

One day, when he did run into you in the driveway, he stared at you as you waited for your Uber. He was holding hands with a girl as his friends all got out of their cars. Naturally, you ignored him. When he did attempt to walk over to you, the blonde he was with pulled him into the house.

It was then that you realized that the the two of you were truly over. So, you did your best to focus on you and Hvitty. Thankfully, he was able to convince Alfred to allow him to work remotely from Italy. Especially since the location fit into their plans of having an agent travel across Europe, Asia.

Tata Vega's real estate agent helped Hvitty secure a nice villa for the two of you. It was located in a nice neighborhood and not far from where the new gallery was located. All in all, things were going well for you. Bjorn and Folaki were also a great help. Since the elder Ragnarsson had a home in Denmark, he knew all about living overseas. He graciously assisted you with the last minute details of your move.

When your last week in country finally arrived ,you could barely contain your excitement. Hvitserk had planned a get-together for family and close friends that was only a day away. He had wanted to throw a big going away party, but he knew that you hated big crowds. The night before the event, Ivar called Hvitty and asked him to meet him at his friends apartment. When he told you about it, you shrugged at told him to go. After all, the last thing you wanted to do was to keep them apart. Regardless of how badly you and Ivar had ended, he was still Hvitserk's brother.

It was a little after nine in the evening when Ivar and Hvitserk sat at the waterfront. Since the apartment he was staying at had a great view of a river, they decided to converse outside. As they smoked and drank beer together, they discussed sports for a while. As Hvitserk talked excitedly about soccer, Ivar suddenly glanced at him.

"I miss Y/N."

Hvitserk couldn't help giving his brother a sympathetic look. Being the closest to Ivar, he knew that despite his fearsome persona, his little brother's emotions ran deep.

"Why don't you call her then?"

"No. She doesn't care about me anymore."

"That's not true." Hvitserk said as he took a sip of beer. "She does care about you, allot."

"Thanks but I know what I'm talking about. When I broke up with Y/N, I expected her to react in some way. You know. Get mad enough to do something. Curse me out, scream, slap me.............anything. I never expected her to just accept it."

"Why don't you just tell her?"

"Because it wouldn't change anything. I know that she doesn't love me. Fuck. I could see it in her expression when I said we were over. She looked..............relieved." Ivar's eyes welled with tears as he stared into the water. "She loves you though."

Hvitserk's shoulder slumped a little at his brother's words. It was true. Though he was certain that you loved him, he wasn't sure how you felt about the youngest Ragnarsson.

"Ivar, just because your relationship with Y/N is over, don't make up things in your head. She did love you."

"No, she didn't! She never told me that she loved me, ever. I've heard her say it to you though." He said with a weak smile. "I'm happy for you, despite how I may sound right now. There's a little jealousy, I won't lie, but you're my brother. I want to see you happy no matter what."

Hvitserk returned the smile, even though it was hard for him to do it. His eyes were wet with tears from seeing his brother so depressed.

"So, the party's tomorrow, huh?" Ivar asked.

"Yeah. You're coming, right?"

"No. I don't want to see Y/N. Not yet anyway." Ivar said as he wiped his eyes. "Maybe in a few months or years. Then we can go on double dates or something."

The two brothers exchanged understanding glances. Hvitserk knew that no matter what, he would not be able to convince his little brother to attend. So, he dropped the subject. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a miniature pink envelope you had given him. It was something you had asked him to give to Ivar. Handing it to his brother, the elder Ragnarsson looked out over the city.

"What's this?"

"Y/N told me to give it to you." Hvitserk said before finishing his cigarette.

When Ivar opened the tiny envelope, there was a strip of white paper inside with the word "Always" written in black ink. As he stared at the tiny note, Hvitserk stood up and pulled out his car keys.

"I better get going. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Alright. Since I'm not coming to the party, we'll do something before you leave. I'll call you."

When Hvitserk left, Ivar sat by the water alone, looking at the note. Suddenly, he tore it in half, and prepared to throw it into the trash can beside him. But, he changed his mind.

Ivar thought for a good, long while before deciding to invite you out for coffee. Hopefully, there was still a chance to fix things.

_________________

When you received the text from Ivar to meet for coffee, you didn't know what to think. The two of you had been avoiding each other for nearly four weeks. While you mulled things over, he sat at the cafe, looking at his phone. Since you were taking long to return his text, he ordered a coffee so that he wouldn't just be taking up a table.

"Come on Y/N, text me back." He muttered as he stared at the screen.

Though you wanted to reach out to Ivar, you couldn't bring yourself to do it. You were just about to begin texting when your mind flashed through all the fights. It wasn't only the yelling that bothered you, it was how easily he was able to bully you at times. So despite wanting to see Ivar, you put your phone back down. As you laid in bed, you heard the familiar ring tone that belonged to only him.

Ivar had given up waiting for you to return the text and decided to call you instead. As he held the phone to his ear, his heart raced.

"Mus, please pick up." Ivar thought - clenching his jaw in anticipation.

When the call eventually went to voicemail, he nearly threw the phone down the street. After listening to your greeting, he decided against leaving a message. Abandoning his coffee, Ivar walked down the street, alone and upset.

You and Hvitserk were flying to Italy early the next morning and there was no changing that. And since you had refused to respond to him, Ivar finally had his answer. The two of you, were totally over.

________________

Ivar didn't come to see you and Hvitserk off at the airport like everyone else. In the private lounge, there was a bit of a party going on. Almost the entire Lothbrok clan was there. From Ragnar, Lagertha, Aslaug and Floki to the cousins like Alfred, everyone sat around talking and laughing.

Bjorn, who had a wanderlust, decided to fly out with you guys on the private jet. He was never one to stay at one place for a long time and Italy had his name all over it. As far as your BFF Folaki, she was working since it was her last week at Club 52. One thing she didn't know was that Bjorn was going to propose to her in Italy. Thankfully he promised to wait until after your Art Exhibit so that he didn't steal your thunder.

As you sat beside Ragnar, you were quietly watching everyone have a good time when he leaned over.

"I hear you ran my youngest son off."

You nearly spit out your orange juice as you stared at him, unsure of what he meant. Giving you a smirk, he leaned back in his chair with his plate of fruit.

"No need to be so alarmed. Ivar's moody but he does share things with me time-to-time."

You looked at the floor, mortified beyond belief. Your ears and neck were hot with embarrassment as you realized he knew you had been with his two sons. When Hvitserk took a seat beside you, he noticed that you looked like you had seen a ghost. Of course, he asked what was wrong with you.

"Your........your dad.........he knows?"

"Of course. Besides, like we told you already, sharing a woman is okay in our culture. It's only you who's so embarrassed. You should see your face right now." Hvitserk added before laughing at you.

While you were all busily having fun at the airport, Ivar was on a train in a window seat. He wasn't even sure what he was doing exactly. All he knew is that he had to get away from everyone for a while. When he had searched online, he found a quaint Belgian styled town. Naturally, he figured it was a good place as any to hide out until he got over the breakup. As he listened to music, he wondered if there was any part of you that regretted how things had ended.

___________________

It was the end of the first week of being in Italy and boy, were you ever loving it. From the scenic architecture of the town to the location of your Villa near the water, you couldn't be a happier person. Even though you guys hadn't totally finished unpacking, your Art studio was already set-up. Since it faced the sea, you felt inspired every time you stepped in the room.

Hvitserk's childhood friend from Denmark lived nearby so you guys had company for dinner most nights. It was really nice to see him relaxed and enjoying the move. Truthfully, you had been worried that he would regret leaving his entire family. However, you were shocked at how easily Hvitserk adjusted to the move. As for Bjorn, who was staying in one of the guest rooms, he had gone on a business trip to Germany.

Since Folaki was arriving in a few days, you promised the eldest Ragnarsson that you would find a great event hall for the proposal. Despite trying to get Hvitserk’s help, he kept saying it "wasn't his thing".

As you sat on the floor of the living room looking at venues on your tablet, Hvitserk called you into the kitchen. When you went, he was standing next to his friend Daniel, smirking at you. Instantly, you wondered what they were up to. Especially since the two of them looked too smug for their own good.

"Why are you guys smiling so much?" You asked.

"I’ll answer that for you."Daniel said to Hvitserk before giving you his attention. "Guess who convinced LMG Records to open an office out here? And not only that, but also got me hired as an Agent?"

You glared at them, realizing they had been drinking and it wasn't even dinner time. Though you wanted to laugh, you bit your lip, finding them adorable.

"Let me gue-----."

"Me babe! The best part is I'm not going to be traveling much anymore. Once the office is set-up, I'll have plenty of minions to do that for me. I mean, have you ever seen a VP of Operations traveling like a commoner? I don’t think so." A pleased Hvitserk said before putting the champagne bottle to his lips.

"Minions?" You repeated with a chuckle. "So you got a promotion as well?"

"That's right. Alfred and Sigurd really went to bat for me with the Board of Directors. Boom!"

"Okay, it's time for you to stop drinking from the bottle." You said before taking it from him.

Since it was a huge achievement, the three of you decided to celebrate at a waterfront restaurant instead of staying home. You couldn't deny it. Despite everything, the move to Italy was the best thing that had happened to you in a long time.

________________

While you were out running errands the following day, you kept getting calls from an unknown number. It was definitely a local number, however, you didn't know that many people in Italy. Since you didn’t know who was calling, you ignored it. But as you purchased some coffee, you received a text from the same number. The person said "Hi" in Italian so you sent a message asking who they were just in case they were Art connected.

Your heart raced as you looked at the last line of text. 'Behind you.' Could it be that Ivar had really come to Italy? And just like that, all your feelings for him came bubbling to the surface. Who were you lying to? You missed him so much and there wasn't a day that went by that you didn't wonder where he was or what he was doing.

As you put your phone back in your purse, you were practically shaking. Right behind you, seated by a Gelato stand, you spotted a man that appeared to be Ivar. Despite having his back to you, you just knew that it had to be him. The build, the way his man-bun was styled...................you just knew.

Rushing over, you sat beside him before tapping his shoulder. Oddly enough, Ivar didn't turn around right away. Instead, he started bouncing his shoulders to the music playing over the outdoor speakers.

"Ivar!" You almost screeched, overwhelmed at being so close to him after so long.

Though he heard you, he kept dancing, which made your smile turn into laughter. As he heard you finally enjoying his little show, Ivar finally turned around to face you. He dropped the rose from his mouth and continued doing his goofy dance.

"You're nuts." You said – as tears stung your eyes.

Without waiting for him, you threw your arms around Ivar's neck, embracing him so tightly, that passerbys whispered.

"Oh my God, baby! I can't believe you're really here."

"Mus, look at me."

Ivar pushed you back slightly as he kept his arm around your waist. Both of you were near tears as you looked into each other's eyes. The emotions of the moment not needing words.

"Do you miss me?" A solemn Ivar asked, almost as if he was afraid of the answer.

Without saying anything, you leaned in and kissed him. Tasting Ivar's lips after the long separation caused a moan escape your throat. In return, he kissed you hungrily too, not caring that you were seated outside. You could tell how much he missed you by the way he refused to let you to break the kiss. Every time you tried to catch your breath, his lips were immediately on yours - biting, licking and nibbling. Ivar really made your lips quite puffy from his passionate kisses.

When you finally got him to look at you, he pressed his forehead against yours - his hand on the small of your back.

"Mus------."

"Ivar, I love you."

His blue eyes met yours as his lips parted in shock. Hvitserk had told you that Ivar didn't believe you loved him and you wanted to fix that. Though you said many things when the two of you had sex, it wasn't the same. He needed to know that you loved him beyond the sexual part of your relationship.

"Say it again, mus."

"I love you so much Ivar. I always have."

"Always?"

"Always." You said.

A few tears finally escaped your eyes and rolled down your cheeks slowly. Ivar gently wiped them with his thumb as he kept his forehead against yours.

"I want you back, Y/N."

"Me too. You don't know how happy I am right now. I swear, I can't imagine my life without you."

"Really? Say that for me again." Ivar said as he brushed his lips against yours.

"I want you back, Ivar. I love you so much and I can’t imagine living my life without you."

After hearing you say what he had longed to hear, Ivar pulled you into one of the most tender embraces you had ever felt. He held you like a man who had been on a long journey and had finally returned home. When he stood, he took you by the hand, staring at you as if you were the only person in the world. Not that you weren't looking at him with the same amount of love. You couldn't believe how close you had come to losing each other.

"Mus."

"Yes, baby."

"You owe me for the rose. I mean, I'm not made of money like Hvitserk."

Before you could hit him, Ivar let go of your hand and jogged away. He knew that his sense of humor got under your skin but it didn't mean he was going to stop being himself.

____________________

You and Ivar spent the rest of the day running your errands before grabbing lunch at a American style restaurant. The entire time, he couldn't stop looking at you. He sat beside you, barely eating his food - choosing instead to cuddle you. When an old woman stopped at the table and complimented him for being such a sweet husband, you nearly choked on your burger.

Ivar, who was totally tickled by her assumption didn't even blink an eye. He thanked her and then told you to stop being rude. After making you thank the old woman for noticing how great your "marriage" was, he told her that sometimes, you were a bad wife. Incensed by his revelation, the old lady spent fifteen minutes lecturing you about the importance of a happy home. When she finally left and you were sure that she was out of earshot, you smacked Ivar's shoulder hard.

After leaving the restaurant, the two of you stopped at a store close to the villa to grab some wine. While there, Ivar held your hand firmly despite you wanting to go down the other isles alone.

"Does Hvitty know you're here yet?"

"Of course, mus. Who do you think helped me stalk you?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. He told me what time you would be leaving the house so I could tail you. You're so cute when your lost." Ivar then went on to imitate you in a high pitched tone. "Excuse me....Sir....Signore. Do you speak English, uh Inglese? I need to find this store."

You tried your best not to laugh. After all, it was you he was making fun of.

"I don't sound like that."

"Alright. If you say so." Ivar said with a laugh. "You sounded like you were on the verge of tears every time you asked for directions.

"Will you just buy the damn wine so we can get out of here!"

"Touchy."

Eventually, Ivar settled on three wines with the help of the the store owner. Naturally, they were very expensive but they were the type of wines a Lothbrok could easily afford. After he paid, the owner introduced himself as Ambrogio. He then insisted that the two of you taste some wines made at his family's private vineyard. As you stood beside Ivar drinking, he and Ambrogio became fast friends, laughing about all manner of things. After chatting for nearly an hour, the two of them exchanged numbers. Before you left the store, Ambrogio even invited you guys to an upcoming party at his estate.

The way that Ivar made friends always impressed you. It was as if people just gravitated to his magnetic personality. When the two of you entered the villa, it was obvious that Hvitserk was home. Not wanting to be seen yet, Ivar ducked into the closest guest room and sat down. You took the bag of wines from his hand and told him to stay put.

"Give me like five minutes and then come out."

"You think that's enough time?" Ivar whispered.

You nodded before leaving him in the room. When you got to the kitchen, Hvitserk was there making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Hey baby. How was your day?" He asked before giving you a kiss on the lips.

"It was good. Please don't eat all of that. I'm going to cook."

As you put the wines in the electric chiller, he glanced at you. Right away, you knew he was waiting for you to say something about Ivar. Smirking to yourself, you put the recyclable bags away before looking at him again.

"I'm going to turn on some music." You said as you loosened your ponytail.

"Okay. But.............how was your day?"

"You just asked me that, Hvitty."

Hvitserk stared at you blankly a moment before he put the jelly back in the fridge. As he went to the living room, you followed him. You took a seat on the couch and removed your heels, glad to have them off. Though the TV was on, Hvitserk kept glancing in your direction, looking quite on edge. Finally, he couldn't keep his curiosity in check any longer.

"Y/N, do you know Ivar is here?"

"Ivar's is in Italy?

Hvitserk nodded as he bit his sandwich and pushed the bread to the side of his mouth.

"He wanted to see you."

"Me?"

"Who else?"

"Well, you do remember that he dumped me. Right?"

Despite sighing, Hvitserk explained that Ivar regretted breaking up with you. He even confessed that he was the one who advised him to come to Italy to straighten things out.

"Hvitty. I can't believe you would do that." You said, trying to look genuinely hurt. "He chose to leave me."

"He didn't mean it though. I've told you before, don't always take everything Ivar does personally. He's a good person who makes mistakes."

"I know but.........."

"So you didn't hear from him?"

You stood up and turned your back to Hvitserk. It was just too much and you were on the verge of laughing. As you stood with your back to him, Hvitserk went to the window to check if he had closed it. Just then, Ivar came rushing into the living-room yelling Hvitserk's name at the top of his lungs. When the two of them saw each other, they embraced like long lost friends.

You stood by the fireplace, smiling as they talked excitedly for a while. Suddenly Ivar looked at you.

"Get over here, mus."

He grabbed your wrist and gave you a peck on the lips. As you tried to go to the kitchen to start dinner, Hvitserk smacked you on the ass.

"You're in so much trouble. I can't believe you bullshitted me like that."

"It was Ivar's idea." You protested.

"So? What does that mean?"

"Exactly Hvitty?" Ivar said before looking at you and smirking. "Just because I suggested something didn't mean you had to do it."

You rolled your eyes as you wen to the kitchen. After putting your apron on, you started washing the vegetables in the sink. As you stood there, you could the boys chatting it up and blasting music. It was an unconventional relationship, but one that made all three of you happy. Especially you. After the way Evan had treated you, never in a million years did you think you would feel wanted again.

How the three of you would deal with raising children was an issue you would deal with when the time came. All you knew was that you were beyond happy. Your exhibit was in a week's time and your best friends Folaki and Jason were arriving the next day. There was so much ahead for you and you wanted do it all with Hvitserk and Ivar by your side.

THE END!_________________

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tlatollotl · 7 years

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One afternoon in 2014, May Bernhardt, an 87-year-old Inupiat Eskimo with stringy gray hair, toothlessly chewed a banana. The fruit was perfectly ripe and a good source of fiber and potassium, but she hated it.

Bernhardt lives in a nursing home in the Alaskan Arctic, and like the other Inupiat elders in the home, she was accustomed to being served imported foods from faraway climes. But she and the others craved the traditional Inupiat foods they grew up eating. Most of them were raised in the bush of northwestern Alaska living a mostly subsistence lifestyle, eating caribou, fish, wild tundra berries, and marine mammals like seals and whales. Once they moved into the nursing home, a wooden building atop stilts drilled into permafrost beneath the grassy tundra, they had to eat what the home provided. And that meant bananas, green beans, potatoes, and pasta.

“You can’t get an old-timer Eskimo and just switch them over to white [people’s] food. Such a big change don’t agree with ’em,” Bernhardt complained. Richard, another elder sitting nearby, 66-years-old and gray at the temples, concurred with the assessment.

The problem is they didn’t have much say in the matter. Federal regulations determine which foods can be served in most nursing homes, and traditional Inupiat foods, the most unique of all Native American cuisines, sorely conflict with rules for nutrition and food safety. Since 2011, when the elders moved into the nursing home in the town of Kotzebue—with a population of 3,000, it’s Alaska’s largest town above the Arctic Circle—a distant federal bureaucracy thousands of miles away had come between them and the wild, meat- and animal fat–based diet they had grown up on.

They complained. And the staff at the nursing home listened and brought their concerns south—to dieticians in Anchorage, health care providers, and Alaskan politicians. Soon, they had sparked a battle between this far-flung nursing home and the federal government that would embroil this tiny Arctic town in a tangled web of nutrition politics.

When Val Kreil arrived in Kotzebue in 2013, he planned to stay for three weeks as the nursing home’s interim director. A soft-spoken middle-aged man, balding with a few tufts of red hair, Kreil had worked in more than 30 nursing homes throughout the “Lower 48,” as Alaskans call the continental U.S.

But Kotzebue charmed him immediately. He liked the home’s diverse staff from all over the country and world. Sure, the negative-40-degree winter days and ferocious winds were daunting, but the hardy locals amazed him with their good nature despite living in one of the Earth’s harshest climates.

More than anything, Kreil was impressed by how the Inupiat community showed respect toward its elders. In his vast experience, Kreil explained, “Kotzebue is the only place where I have seen elders truly respected. In the Lower 48, it’s more just lip service.” He admired the Inupiat tradition of young hunters always sharing their catch with elders, a sign of deference in a hunting-centered culture. So Kreil signed on as permanent director of the country’s northernmost accredited nursing home, known as Utuqqanaat-Inaat in Inupiaq.

And then he started to hear the complaints about the food—complaints that went deeper than the expected dissatisfaction from constant cafeteria food. The home had a strict meal schedule, as in other nursing homes, one designed to meet the nutritional goals determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and enforced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, which determines reimbursements for all accredited, federally funded nursing homes like Kotzebue’s. Kreil knew his nursing home depended on federal reimbursement, and receiving that money required he serve only USDA-approved foods. He answered the elders’ supplications by blaming “the Lower 48—and the elders knew exactly what I meant.”

The only exception to the prohibition against traditional foods in the nursing home was during monthly “potlucks.” On the first Monday of each month, a long buffet table stretched across the nursing home’s dining hall with bubbling caribou soup, raw whale blubber, baked salmon and sheefish, wild berry desserts, and a bowl of seal oil—the quintessential Inupiat condiment and all-purpose dip. Steam would curl upward into the hall’s high, latticed ceilings as residents and their relatives, who provided the spread, feasted. (It could not be prepared in the nursing home’s kitchen or served using its plates or cutlery.) Potluck foods, legally considered “gifts” to the elders, were exempt from the official tallies of caloric intake that counted toward nutritional goals.

When Kreil moved to Kotzebue, he inherited the previous director’s effort to serve traditional foods more often. When he reached out to a USDA representative in the Lower 48 to discern where things stood, he was met with surprise—she was not accustomed to contact from above the Arctic Circle, where agriculture and livestock, the USDA’s focus, are virtually nonexistent. To be eligible for federal reimbursement dollars, wild game animals, she told him, would require the same pre- and postmortem inspection as domesticated animals. A pre-mortem inspection for wild caribou, moose, musk oxen, seals, and whales is, of course, impossible. (As Kreil put it, they’re “not going to just stand there for the USDA inspector to stare” at them.) And besides, selling wild game meat is illegal anyway, so receiving federal reimbursement for such food would be akin to its illegal purchase and therefore impossible.

Traditional Inupiat foods—and indeed all local foods in the Arctic—are necessarily wild. But USDA guidelines apply chiefly to domesticated produce. In addition, Inupiat dishes violate the USDA’s nutritional standards. The particular Arctic environment of northwestern Alaska shaped a unique native cuisine of wild foods high in meat and animal fat and virtually devoid of fruits and vegetables. High-fat foods like whale blubber and seal oil, though once essential for surviving Arctic winters, exceed recommendations for fat intake as taught by modern medical dogma. And serving such foods raw, a favorite Inupiat custom, is totally out of the question for federal standards. Despite its stunning natural bounty, as far as the USDA was concerned, northern Alaska is a food desert.

Kotzebue was not the only town in Alaska experiencing this fight, though. Kreil soon found an ally in Ted Mala, an internal medicine physician, who had been pushing for a rule change at his Anchorage hospital before Kreil’s arrival. Like nursing homes, federally funded hospitals and schools also receive reimbursement only by serving USDA-approved foods and meeting nutrition standards.

A tall hulking figure with a gentle voice, Mala had noticed his elderly patients frequently refusing hospital food but heartily eating traditional dishes brought in by relatives. He treated one native teenage girl with depression and suicidal thoughts who had been transferred to Anchorage from her remote village and, at first, refused to speak to psychiatrists. Once under Mala’s care at Anchorage’s native hospital, the flagship facility of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, she began eating traditional foods and opened up. “After a while they couldn’t get her to stop talking,” Mala said. “Imagine—a child flown out of her village against her will to the big city, locked up in a hospital and given tasteless food she wasn’t used to.” He still attributes her improvement to being in a place where “people were talking her own language and eating her own foods.”

Mala has numerous stories pointing to the important role traditional foods have played in his patients’ health, yet, he griped, “these foods practically had to be smuggled into the hospital like illicit contraband.” He especially recognized their value for patients suffering from mental health issues, a rampant epidemic among Alaska Native young adults.

Mala’s experience is anecdotal, but evidence is accumulating to support his conviction. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention began encouraging consumption of traditional foods in 2008 as a way to promote health and prevent obesity and diabetes among Native Americans. With the shift away from physically demanding subsistence lifestyles and toward foods mostly purchased in grocery stores, health problems that were once rare have become common among native peoples. Obesity rates in Alaska soared more than 60 percent from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s, accompanied by rising rates of obesity-related diseases like diabetes. The medical profession increasingly sees traditional foods as part of the solution.

Mala was raised in Buckland, a tiny road-less village that sits one hour by motorboat upriver from Kotzebue. (His father, Ray Mala, was Hollywood’s first native movie star.) After finishing medical school, Ted Mala became the first Alaskan Native physician to practice medicine in his home state. He has become a leading proponent of blending native traditions with modern conceptions of health.

In 2009, Mala began attending annual White House Tribal Nations Conferences where tribal representatives gathered to raise issues and engage with specific federal agencies. Each year he represented the Inupiat Eskimo and pushed the USDA about serving traditional foods to hospitalized patients. His argument rested on cultural and health grounds—more traditional foods would improve health and strengthen native culture—but also on economic ones. In a region with few job opportunities but plentiful fish and game, serving wild foods could help the local economy, he argued. Instead of spending federal money on shipping costly produce, all of which comes from further south, funds could instead support local hunters and fishermen to provide food to the town’s nursing home, hospital, and school.

But his annual argument yielded little progress. So, in 2011, Mala tried a different route: He approached Alaska’s Sen. Mark Begich to discuss legislative fixes. Begich was familiar with the issue—it was a topic of regular complaint from his constituents. After a rural outreach trip to Kotzebue in 2012, during which nursing home staff pressed him on it, he tasked his assistant Andrea Sanders with drafting legislation that he would present on the U.S. Senate floor.

Sanders, a native of Alaska’s Yukon River delta region, began researching the issue. In early 2013, she began drafting a bill that would allow traditional foods to be served in public facilities primarily serving native people while also encouraging increased consumption of traditional foods for health reasons. She borrowed wording from Alaska’s own state regulations on wild foods. With its frontier culture and strong tradition of living off the land, Alaska’s law was far more lenient than federal rules on the topic of traditional and wild foods. Mala wrote letters of support, providing both medical and cultural perspectives for politicians and federal agencies.

The following year, in early 2014, the U.S. Congress was busy tussling over the Farm Bill, a massive piece of legislation setting federal policy for agriculture and food that is renewed every five years. Using the legislation Sanders had drafted, Begich pushed for a traditional foods amendment in the Senate while Alaska’s Don Young pushed similarly in the House of Representatives. There was plenty of debate over a Republican initiative to strip safety net legislation from the bill, but little disagreement over the traditional foods amendment. It was ultimately included in the final legislation, signed into law on Feb. 7, 2014. The amendment, titled “Service of Traditional Foods in Public Facilities,” was a major victory for Alaska and for natives throughout the country. In the words of Daniel Consenstein, a USDA representative in Anchorage, the 2014 Farm Bill was “the first time that the U.S. Congress officially recognized that the traditional foods of Native Americans are a real part of the American food system. And an important part.”

On a drizzly day in July 2015, more than a year after the passage of the updated Farm Bill, a crowd gathered around a small trailer in Kotzebue for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A leading member of the Inupiat community spoke as raindrops splotched his notes; miles away across the tundra, rain quenched wildfires that had filled the town with smoke in recent days. The speaker stood before a row of Inupiat elders sitting in wheelchairs, themselves surrounded by dozens of locals who had come out in support. Mala stood among the crowd and received a special mention in the brief speech.

The ribbon was cut to inaugurate the Siglauq Center, Alaska’s first official processing center for native foods. The trailer, a repurposed woodworking shop, would provide space and tools to process wild game and fish served in Kotzebue’s nursing home. The crowd toured the trailer, admiring its gleaming steel counters topped with saws and grinders and its two large walk-in freezers for storage.

The construction of the Siglauq Center helped the nursing home clear the remaining legal hurdles posed by USDA regulation by providing a sanctioned place to process the food. After the approval of the Farm Bill, Kreil had called the USDA administrator once again to discuss the “Exotic Animals” provision of the Farm Bill. The provision lists common game species requiring proper USDA inspection, including deer, elk, and bison, but says nothing about two deer family members most relevant to northwestern Alaska—caribou and moose. The USDA administrator, admitting that since moose and caribou were not mentioned in the provision they may not require USDA oversight after all, agreed to defer to Alaska’s state agencies for approving these wild game meats.

Kreil had also triumphed by gaining approval from CMS for his new menu. On a conference call that included representatives of Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation and federal representatives of CMS, Kreil argued that a CMS memo released in September 2011 allowed nursing homes to serve produce from their own gardens. In the Arctic, Kreil argued, “the tundra is our garden,” and so its wild bounty was the equivalent of garden vegetables in the Lower 48. DEC granted Siglauq a permit, and CMS agreed to maintain federal reimbursements for the wild foods processed there.

By summer 2016 Inupiat foods were officially on the menu in Kotzebue’s nursing home—prepared in its kitchen, served on its plates, and counted toward the nutritional goals of its residents. Cyrus Harris, a local Inupiat man, worked as the nursing home’s official hunter and fisherman, perhaps the only job description of its kind in the country. Harris grew up along the shores and rivers of northwestern Alaska and cherishes the job that allows him to continue traditional subsistence activities and to serve his respected elders.

Despite the achievements already won, the battle over traditional foods continues. One food not yet included or approved in the Farm Bill is seal oil. A Seal Oil Task Force formed in late 2016 with Kreil and a team of dieticians pushing for its inclusion among permitted traditional foods. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin are currently analyzing seal oil samples for botulism, a potential danger of improper production and a primary concern of health agencies. If safe production can be ensured, Alaska’s DEC will allow it to join the menu.

During a recent lunch at Kotzebue’s nursing home, Bernhardt sat at one of the tables, slurping loudly at a bowl of caribou soup. Behind her, against the dining room wall, stood a large glass case displaying traditional Inupiat clothing and hunting implements—clothing that she grew up wearing that is now confined to display. Her generation may be the last to have truly grown up in the Arctic wild, and the threat posed by rising sea levels to Alaska’s coastal villages may speed the already hastened demise of Inupiat culture.

But on that day, her complaint was simpler: She thought her own caribou soup recipe was better.

#native american #first nations #Inupiat #Inupiat eskimo #eskimo #food #cooking #history #alaska #seal #indigenous

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larchwood · 7 years

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Give me single dad Zane.

I’ve never cottoned to the idea that having a baby was the next logical step for Ty & Zane after they got married. Zane was 46 when they got married. I’m 45. Let me tell you - I’m not having a baby at this time of my life. (Unless I win the lottery and can hire people to do everything else for me).

But what if Zane had a kid with Becky?

After getting married in July 1993, Zane is a high powered attorney in Austin, while Becky volunteers throughout the community as part of the Women’s League and various other philanthropic organizations. Together they’re a young up-and-coming couple who were often seen on the society pages, hobnobbing with the elites of Texas power. (Beverly couldn’t be more proud).

Eventually they decide the time is right to have a kid. They’re both excited and thrilled. Zane might be a little apprehensive about handling a tiny baby (it’s been a long time since his sister was a baby) but he knows Becky will be an awesome mom and she’ll probably do the majority of the parenting while he continues up the corporate legal ladder. (Beverly of course is also ready to swoop in at a moment’s notice to “help out” as needed, gloating at the idea of the next generation of Garretts arriving.)

Patrick Garrett is born in February 2003. He is a beautiful and perfect as they all could have hoped for. Zane doesn’t think his heart can get any bigger. And after a few minor freak outs and some coaching, he’s lugging the baby around like a pro after awhile. He cuts back his 70 hour a week work schedule to something slightly more manageable, but Becky and their nanny have everything under control.

Becky Garrett dies in a car crash in November 2003.

Zane’s grief and depression are overwhelming. Becky had been his world for more than two decades. He holds it together until after the funeral, but then he crumbles. Yes, like canon Zane he drinks to numb the pain. Probably would sleep all day if he could, not eating, alternating between ignoring baby Patrick to clutching him tightly like he’ll never let him go. The nanny does her best to keep things as normal as possible for the baby, but eventually she calls in the big guns to take over - Beverly Carter-Garrett.

She arrives and nags, scolds, threatens until Zane agrees to move back to the ranch. It’ll be better to be surrounded by family, she says. You can rest and heal. Your law firm will understand a bereavement leave of absence. We can help you take care of Patrick better. The baby should grow up on the ranch and learn his legacy, yadda yadda yadda.

Zane gives in. He’s just so fucking tired. And what’s the point of arguing? Beverly’s probably right - she can do a better job of handling Patrick than he can. (Never mind that there is already a housemaid assigned for nanny duty). Becky had handled everything. Zane only has a vague idea of who Patrick’s pediatrician even is. He has no clue when he’s due for his next round of vaccinations, for cryin’ out loud.

It takes a little while, but eventually Zane works through some of his depression. It doesn’t go away for the longest time, but having a baby means you don’t stop, you have to keep moving forward - whether you want to or not. And Patrick is moving and crawling and about to walk and babbling and holding his arms up to be carried and how can Zane deny him that?

The temporary leave of absence continues for a year. His law firm tries to get him back in the office, but other than a few consult/strategy sessions with the partners, he really doesn’t want to go back to that life.

He’s coming to the realization that he doesn’t really want ranch life, either. Not that he doesn’t love it, or appreciate the help that his family has been, but it’s time to break free of the memories of life with Becky. And - let’s be honest - the clashes with Beverly are starting to become more frequent. Yes, she was a help when he needed it, but Patrick is his child, not hers. She doesn’t get to make the parenting decisions for the boy and it’s time they made a change.

They end up in Baltimore. (surprise, surprise). Maybe Zane had visited once for a legal conference and loved it. Maybe his law firm had some sort of corporate retreat there every year. But Zane picks it for other reasons - being on the east coast like that puts them closer to historical and cultural resources that Zane thinks will be a benefit to Patrick’s education. He’s looking forward to exploring the Smithsonian with him, and Broadway, and the Statue of Liberty and every other thing they can possibly do.

Zane knows that he doesn’t want to be a lawyer any more, other than maybe a little pro bono work here and there, but he’s not in a hurry to pass the Maryland bar. He just can’t go back to 12 hour days and miss out on life with his son.

So, he buys a bookstore in Fells Point from a couple who are ready to retire. One with living space above the store. (Let’s face it - starting a business from scratch with a 3 year old underfoot probably is probably more work than he’s looking for). It’s a comfortable modest business. The decor is cushy reading nook meets college library stacks, but with plenty of spaces for Patrick to color and read his books in the kids area or play with blocks and cars and space ships. They even get a couple of store cats who follow Patrick everywhere. The cutest thing is when Patrick settles down for a nap in the back room and the kittens snuggle with him.

Zane’s feeling blessed that his handful of employees (probably all part-timers - a couple of college kids from Johns Hopkins and maybe a couple of retired ladies who enjoy working a couple of days a week) are okay with him bringing Patrick to work every day. In fact, the retired ladies are always ready to be surrogate grandmas while they’re there, admiring Patrick’s drawings and listening to his stories and trying to sneak him a treat every once in awhile when Zane’s not looking. And so far no complaints from the customers either about him being a disruption.

Zane treasurers these few years with Patrick underfoot. School will start soon enough with all that changes that entails. Zane can still see Becky in Patrick - the shape of his nose, the lighter brown of his hair. Patrick doesn’t remember her, but Zane makes a point of showing him pictures of her and pointing out their similarities.

“Zane would feel the weight of responsibility quite heavily, which could make him a rather strict, dull father on the surface, adhering to the rules, rarely letting the child break them because he knows those rules are there for the child’s benefit. But he would also be the father who, at the end of the day, is the one a child will go to for advice and comfort because kids know where it’s at, and Zane’s love for his child would shine through in every action, even when he is scolding. Zane would be the father whose hugs and words meant more to a child, because rather than coming at random for no reason, they always have a reason behind them.” **

A couple of years later, Patrick would be in 2nd grade (7 years old). It’s his last year to attend the Sea Life Safari at the Baltimore Aquarium. He’s gone for the past 2 years and it usually falls around his birthday, so they build a little birthday party into it. Zane is going along as a parent chaperone to help out.

Cue bomb scare at the Aquarium in Divide & Conquer. Ty still comes running in to help out. Maybe he helps hustle out Zane and Patrick’s group before heading back in. Zane’s outside with the kids, trying to keep the kids calm and out of the way of other law enforcement, but he might have taken an interest in the FBI agent as he gives his impromptu interview, but he never learns his name. It takes Zane forever to get Patrick to sleep that night after all the excitement. He is just as excited the next day to see the interview, because not only can you see the FBI agent “He’s so cool, dad!” you can also see Zane and Patrick for about 2 seconds in the background. “We’re on TV, dad! We’re famous!!!! I can’t wait to tell the kids in my class!”

One of the must dos of being a small business owner is to network - so Zane regularly attends the monthly Chamber of Commerce meetings and the city’s community outreach events. Especially in light of the unrest that’s been happening in the city lately. The back of his shop got tagged a few weeks ago, and he’s got a vested interest in keeping Fells Point a safe and welcoming area. So he’s eager to hear what law enforcement is doing to address these issues.

So imagine his surprise with the guest speaker at this month’s CoC breakfast meeting is none other than the FBI agent from the Aquarium - one Special Agent B. Tyler Grady according to the agenda. He’s witty and engaging, seeming to be in perpetual motion as he gives his talk. The information is interesting enough, but Zane does appreciate being able to get a better look at the guy in daylight, in a suit, and not under a state of personal panic like the first time.

Afterwards, Ty stays to do few mandatory ‘grip and grins’ before he can escape. Zane doesn’t intentionally wander over, but as he’s doing his own chatting with people, they end up in the same general area. Zane thinks he notices Ty getting a cornered look like he’s desperate to escape - his gaze is wandering like he’s trying to gauge the number of people he’s got to shoulder past to get to the exit.

Ty looks past Zane, but then zeros back on him, eyes widening with recognition. Zane can’t imagine that he would remember him from a brief encounter weeks ago that happened under duress, but he knows that with his height, people do tend to remember him.

Ty comes up and introduces himself with a handshake. “Hi. Special Agent Ty Grady. And you are?” Zane smiles. “Zane Garrett, Special Agent. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

At this point, my creative juices have given out. Maybe Zane goes home and tells Patrick that he got to meet the cool FBI agent again, and he invited them both to watch the FBI team play softball. Instead of Shannon and Elaina in the dugout when the bomb goes off, it’s Zane and Patrick.

Maybe Ty and Zane start meeting for lunch occasionally. Not calling it dating just yet. They both know single parent dating is challenging. Every so often they do things with Patrick, who still thinks Mr. Ty is the coolest thing ever. They’ll go to Orioles games or a day trip into DC.

It gets a little dicy once Patrick realizes that he’s gotta share Zane. But eventually they all get through it. Because

“Ty would be the fun father, the one you know will teach you the things that will make you the cool kid in school, the one who will help you pick up and brush you off when you fall down and then say ‘walk it off, kiddo, you’ll get better’ because that’s who Ty is and that’s who he makes everyone around him. Walk it off, kid.” **

Patrick gets to be Zane’s best man at the wedding.

** Parental analysis courtesy of Liam Bell.

timeline

#hello beautiful #zane friday #single dad au #fanfic #i guess?#not a real thought out one #great set up that goes no where #I don't want to work that hard #zane garrett #ty & zane #This Zane never gets as dark as canon!Zane #and if Burns isn't sending Ty to clean up after canon Zane in Miami - maybe he's not *quite* as dark either

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charllieeldridge · 4 years

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Working As A VIPKID Teacher: An Insider’s Review

If you’re interested in becoming an online English teacher, you’ve probably heard about a popular teaching company called VIPKID.

I’ve been an English teacher with VIPKID for 3 years now and am here to share my insider information with you.

This first-hand review of VIPKID will cover everything you need to know about this online ESL giant, including what to expect as a VIPKID teacher and how to decide if it’s right for you.

Let’s get started! Here’s what it’s like working as a VIPKID teacher.

About VIPKID

Created in 2013, VIPKID is one of the largest and most established online English companies in the industry. They are based in China and focus on offering English lessons to Chinese children between the ages of 4 and 12.

Classes are one-on-one and students learn a curriculum designed to match a North American elementary education. This means that teachers will cover science, math, and social studies topics in addition to English grammar, reading and speaking.

VIPKID lessons are 25 minutes long and are taught through the VIPKID App. Teachers can enter the classroom and hold classes on a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet as long as there is a strong internet connection.

Teachers are paid between $14 – $22/hour and scheduling is extremely flexible. There are no minimum or maximum working hours each week so you can teach as much or as little as you want. You can also change your schedule each week as needed.

I learned about VIPKID when I was teaching in a traditional classroom back home in the USA. I was interested in remote work and a colleague mentioned that she had been able to earn a few hundred dollars a month teaching English online on the weekends and before school.

As you can imagine, I was intrigued. This was in 2017 and online teaching wasn’t as widespread as it is now. The idea that you could actually make decent money teaching online was very new and I worried that it was too good to be true.

Still, my skepticism didn’t stop me from signing up once school let out for the summer. It didn’t take long for me to become totally hooked on the online teaching lifestyle.

VIPKID has changed a lot since I started in the summer of 2017. I think these changes are for the better. The hiring process has been simplified, the classroom design and functionality has improved drastically, and teachers are more supported than they were back in the day.

☞ SEE ALSO: 10 Things To Know Before Becoming An Online English Teacher

What Are The Requirements To Become a VIPKID Teacher?

Unfortunately, the VIPKID requirements are strict compared to some other online ESL companies. To become a VIPKID teacher, applicants must have the following credentials:

You Must Be From The USA Or Canada

While you can teach classes from anywhere in the world, you must be from the USA or Canada to be hired with VIPKID. As of 2020, VIPKID no longer hires teachers that live in California.

You Must Have A BA Degree Or Higher

Your degree can be in any subject, but you’ll need to have at least a BA or higher to get hired by VIPKID. They are strict about this requirement and will require verification of your degree later in the hiring process.

1+ Year Experience Working With Children Is Required

Many types of experience will fit this requirement. If you have experience coaching, mentoring, babysitting, teaching, or tutoring, that counts toward your year of experience.

While traditional classroom teaching is a plus, it’s not a requirement to teach English with VIPKID.

You’ll Need a Computer or Tablet With High-Speed Internet.

It makes sense that you’ll need reliable internet for a job that takes place online, so this requirement probably doesn’t come as a surprise. VIPKID teachers need to have a device for teaching as well as consistent access to the internet.

If possible, the ideal internet speed for teaching online is at least 20 Mbps. I’ve been able to comfortably teach on around 10 Mbps, but higher speeds are preferable.

Special Mention: TEFL Certificate

For VIPKID, all teachers will need either a TEFL certification or a professional teaching license. But don’t worry, you can still apply even if you don’t have one of these qualifications.

If you don’t have a TEFL certificate or teaching license, VIPKID will require that you take an in-house TEFL course while you complete your onboarding. This course is free and provided within the VIPKID platform.

As far as I know, this special VIPKID TEFL course won’t transfer to other teaching jobs, but it is enough for you to meet the VIPKID requirements and start teaching on their platform.

Click Here To Apply For a VIPKID Teaching Position

How Do I Apply To VIPKID?

The VIPKID hiring process used to be a deterrent for prospective teachers because it was so complicated. In recent months, however, VIPKID has overhauled its hiring process and now it’s much simpler.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to start teaching with VIPKID!

Fill out the written application. This is done online and you’ll need to make sure you meet the criteria above.

Complete an Interview Demo Lesson. You can do a short “Smart Demo Lesson” on your phone, record yourself teaching a Demo Lesson, or sign up for a Live Coaching Day in a city near you.

Review Materials in the Certification Center. After passing the interview, you’ll have access to the Certification Center on the VIPKID website. You will find information about teaching, helpful resources, and the lessons you’ll need to teach in your mock classes.

Complete your Mock Classes. Mock classes take place with an existing VIPKID teacher called a mock class mentor. You’ll teach a mini-lesson and your mentor will give you feedback. Most people will do their mock classes 2-3 times before moving on. Think of this as your teacher training!

Upload your documents. You’ll fill out your payment information and upload the required documents. Getting your documents verified can take a few days, so in the meantime, you can work on the final step…

Complete your Profile. This is where you’ll create your teacher bio, welcome video, and upload profile pictures.

Click Here To Apply For a VIPKID Teaching Position

What Materials Do I Need For VIPKID?

When I first started teaching with VIPKID, I used some flashcards I bought at the dollar store and dog toys as props. These days, my teaching equipment is a bit more refined!

Teaching Materials And Resources

For this part, you can get creative! While VIPKID does expect you to use some props and classroom decorations, you can be as inventive and unique as you want.

To get started, it’s a good idea to find some sort of academic posters, a chalkboard, or decorations to put on the wall behind you while you teach. This gives your little computer thumbnail more of a classroom feel.

For props, you can’t go wrong with a set of flashcards and a small dry erase board. You should also have a stuffed animal or puppet to help demonstrate question and answer scenarios to younger students.

You can find these items at dollar stores, teacher supply stores, or on Amazon.

Technology Requirements

You’ll need a reasonably new laptop, desktop or tablet for teaching classes. You’ll also need a headset with a microphone attachment so that your students don’t get distracted by any background noises.

If your computer doesn’t have an HD camera (most modern devices have one built-in), you’ll need to buy a separate webcam camera so your students can see you clearly.

It’s also a good idea to connect your laptop to your internet source via an ethernet cord if you’re able to do so. Using an ethernet cord means your connection will be more reliable and ensures a smoother classroom experience.

My First Hand VIPKID Experience

My typical day as a VIPKID teacher begins early in the morning. When I’m on the East Coast time zone, the time is opposite for me and my students in China. This means that China’s evening is my early morning.

The highest demand for classes is in the afternoons and evenings after kids are home from school, so I’m up well before first light most weekdays.

After getting a cup of coffee and changing into my orange teaching t-shirt, I head to my classroom which is set up in the corner of my bedroom.

How I Prepare For My VIPKID Classes

With VIPKID, you open the time slots you’re available to teach in the teacher platform. You can open classes a few weeks in advance or a few days in advance.

Parents can see your availability schedule. Starting about 1-2 weeks in advance, parents can book your time slots for their child. While you’ll often see the same students again and again (called regulars), you might also meet new students.

Once a time slot gets booked by a student, I can see the lesson I’ll be teaching. This means that I can look over the slides in advance so there are no surprises.

The night before a class, I make sure to review which lessons I have coming up and pull out any props I’ll need.

For example, if I’m teaching a class about fruit, I might go to the kitchen and grab a banana so I can use it during the lesson. If I’m teaching a younger student about colors, I’ll try to find a few different colored items that I can use.

I’m always amazed by how many teaching props I can find around my home!

I also look through my 2D image props and pull out any pictures that might be useful for the lesson. Some of my most frequently used 2D props are a picture of my family and a world map.

Starting A VIPKID Lesson

About 5 minutes before my first class, I get settled into my desk and connect my ethernet cord to my laptop. Then I launch the VIPKID computer app and click on my bookings tab.

This displays a calendar of all my booked classes, so I can click on the one that’s about to start to “enter the classroom.”

Once I’m in the classroom, I can see a timer that tells me exactly how long I have until the start time. VIPKID is strict about starting and ending classes on time, so don’t be late!

With 10 seconds until class time, I turn on my webcam and unmute my microphone on my headset. Now I can see my student and the student can see me. It’s time to begin class.

If I see a regular, I’ll ask them about their day and chat with them about the topics we discussed last time before introducing the new material.

If I see a new student, I’ll focus on more “get to know you” information like asking them their name, how old they are, where they’re from, and, depending on their speaking level, their interests.

After saying hello and building that initial connection, we begin the lesson.

What Is A VIPKID Lesson Like?

Lessons in VIPKID often follow the same format. They all start with a warm-up activity where the student practices reading or conversation skills. With younger students, this could be a song or matching game.

Then I introduce new material to the student and we practice it together. After practicing together, I encourage the student to practice independently. There will be activities to evaluate student understanding throughout the lesson.

Remember that VIPKID will provide the entire lesson for teachers so you don’t have to worry about creating a curriculum. Teachers are expected to teach the material and encourage the student to participate independently.

At the end of the 25-minute lesson, my student and I will say goodbye. If I have another lesson scheduled in the next time slot, I have about 5 minutes between classes to go to the bathroom, refresh my coffee, stretch, and start on class feedback.

If you don’t have any more classes booked, congratulations, you’re almost done for the day.

Usually, I teach between six and eight classes (3-4 hours) in one sitting. It took me several months of teaching to build up to this point, so when you’re starting out, give yourself plenty of breaks. Overall, I love having my workday finished around the same time most people are just getting started.

What Is Class Feedback?

VIPKID requires that you submit class feedback after every lesson you teach. This feedback goes to the parents of the student and is a way for you to tell them how their child is doing.

I usually write about a paragraph for my lesson feedback. I thank the parent for choosing my class and explain briefly what we learned during the lesson. Then I name at least three things the student did well and suggest an area to review independently. I end the paragraph by saying that I hope to see the student again soon.

Writing feedback will get faster with time, but to help remember what happened in each lesson, I’d recommend keeping a document open on your computer where you can jot down notes during or immediately after the class.

Class feedback must be submitted no later than 12 hours after the class in order to receive full pay, so don’t procrastinate!

Pros of Being a VIPKID Teacher

Almost 100,000 teachers have made VIPKID their classroom of choice, and there’s a good reason. The following VIPKID Pros are a big part of why so many teachers rave about this online ESL company. See Also: 15 Pros and Cons Of Being An Online English Teacher.

Totally Remote Work

One of the biggest pros of VIPKID is that your work is entirely online. You can work from home, from your friend’s house, or while travelling. As long as you have reliable internet, you’re good to go!

Schedule Flexibility

While some other companies require that you commit to the same schedule week to week, VIPKID offers more schedule flexibility. You can change your schedule as much as you want and there are no minimum or maximum teaching hours.

This means that on busy weeks, you don’t have to teach at all if you don’t want to. On the flip side, if you wanted to make more money, you could easily open more classes.

Engaged Teacher Community

Even though you won’t physically spend much time with other VIPKID teachers, there is a large and active online community. VIPKID has a welcoming presence on social media and it’s easy to find other teachers to connect with.

VIPKID also does a good job of keeping teachers up to date on company happenings via a weekly email newsletter. They listen to and address teacher concerns, making adjustments when necessary.

Online Teaching Is Fun

One of the reasons I became invested in VIPKID so quickly was because the classes were really fun! Even now after teaching thousands of lessons, I start to miss it if I take time off.

I have made bonds with several of my regular students and seen them grow over time. I love helping students build confidence in their language skills and many of my students have told me that they look forward to their VIPKID classes all week.

Students usually participate in VIPKID as an extracurricular activity. Classes are more focused on conversation skills than assessment.

Since the children usually take classes from the comfort of their homes, students are relaxed and excited to show their teachers their toys, pets, and siblings. I get to learn more about Chinese culture while teaching some of the sweetest students, which is definitely a win in my book!

Cons of Being a VIPKID Teacher

As with any job, some parts of the gig are less than ideal. The following aspects of VIPKID can be challenging for some teachers.

Different Time Zones Means Early Working Hours

If you hate early mornings, you’ll probably have a hard time making a substantial income with VIPKID if you’re teaching from North America. Because the highest demand for classes is in the evenings, China time, most teachers get bookings during the early hours of the morning in North America.

Now, if you plan to teach with VIPKID in addition to a traditional day job, this could be a huge perk! I have friends with 9-5 jobs who do VIPKID for a few hours in the mornings to make extra money. For them, the early hours are perfect.

If you’re working as a VIPKID teacher while you’re travelling or living in Europe, Australia, or Asia, you’ll have no issues with the time changes!

But if you’re living in North America and are looking for something to totally replace your day job, you might have a hard time unless you’re okay with early morning work sessions. Across social media, one of the most common complaints of being a VIPKID teacher is the lack of “normal” working hours.

Slow Start-Up Process

Even though it’s improved recently, VIPKID still has a lengthy hiring process. New applicants should allow at least two weeks from the time they fill out the application to the end of the hiring process.

After being hired, some teachers have trouble getting their first bookings right away. It’s important to be very flexible at the beginning and open as many high-demand time slots as possible.

After you’ve taught some classes and built up good reviews, it gets easier. Be patient and remember that most teachers start getting consistently booked around 2-3 months in.

Strict Cancellation Policies

If you open a time slot and it gets booked by a parent, canceling that spot could have consequences. Teachers should avoid too many class cancelations.

VIPKID teachers get six class cancelations per six month period. The maximum they will count against you in a single day is two cancelations. For example, if an emergency comes up and you have to cancel ten classes in one day, you would only have two cancelations count toward your six month total.

If you are sick, you’ll need to provide a doctor’s note. If your internet or power goes out, you’ll need to provide documentation of the outage from the provider. Other family emergencies will also require documentation for them not to count against your total.

Teacher Burnout Is A Real Thing

Another common complaint from VIPKID teachers is feeling burned out. VIPKID classes are short but require a lot of energy. For those 25 minutes in the classroom, one student has your full attention and teachers must be engaged at all times.

Especially when you’re first starting out, it’s easy to over-do it and get burned out. To avoid this feeling, make sure to:

Schedule breaks between classes. A good starting point is to teach two classes back to back, then take a 30-minute break. As you build your teaching stamina, you can teach more classes in a row with fewer breaks

Take a day off every week. I know it’s tempting to schedule yourself to the max when you’re first starting out, but having one morning to sleep in each week does wonders for preventing teacher burn out.

Get different VIPKID certification levels. In the teacher portal, you have the option to add different levels and class types. This will allow you to teach a greater variety of lessons so you won’t get bored teaching the same ones again and again.

In my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons!

Is VIPKID A Good Fit For You?

VIPKID gave me the best of both worlds. I had the freedom to make my own schedule and work from home or on the road, but I also got to stay in the teaching profession.

VIPKID teachers should be excited to work with children and care about helping others learn the English language. They should also be comfortable working with the scheduling demands of students in China.

If you’re from the USA or Canada, hold a BA degree, enjoy teaching children, and are looking for a flexible online job doing meaningful work, VIPKID could be a great fit for you! Click here to apply and let me know what you think in the comments below.

The post Working As A VIPKID Teacher: An Insider’s Review appeared first on Goats On The Road.

Working As A VIPKID Teacher: An Insider’s Review published first on https://travelaspire.weebly.com/

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tortuga-aak · 7 years

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Inside the complicated fight in Alaska for the right to eat sea blubber

AP/Gregory Bull

They complained. And the staff at the nursing home listened and brought their concerns south—to dietitians in Anchorage, health care providers, and Alaskan politicians. Soon, they had sparked a battle between this far-flung nursing home and the federal government that would embroil this tiny Arctic town in a tangled web of nutrition politics.

David Goldman/AP

Reuters/Bob Strong

But on that day, her complaint was simpler: She thought her own caribou soup recipe was better.

NOW WATCH: Animated map shows what would happen to Asia if all the Earth's ice melted

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puravidaeh · 7 years

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Nikki; learning how to make tres leches cake

Ricky; enjoying homemade tres leches cake

COSTA RICAN FOOD AT HOME

Imagine June Clever as a Tica. She would likely spoil her husband Ward on a nightly basis with hearty helpings of some of Costa Rica’s most notorious dishes (rich in flavour and tradition), including casado, tamales, or olla de carne. She might accompany those dishes with a glass of horchata or a bottle of Imperial, and for dessert, she could top off the meal with flan de coco, arroz con leche, or one of a number of other sweet delicacies. The options are endless; Leave it to Beaver, and we bet he’d choose one of Costa Rica’s most popular postres: tres leches cake.

Although I am hardly a “traditional homemaker” in the June-Clever sense, I love to incorporate traditional Costa Rican cooking in our home. Although Ricky’s persona is virtually the opposite of the Ward-Clever type, he doesn’t complain when our fridge is stocked with traditional Costa Rican treats. One of his favourites is tres leches cake (three-milk cake, in English), and fortunately for me, it is one of the easiest desserts I make.

Don’t miss our related blog post:

What To Eat And Drink In Costa Rica: Our Costa Rica Food/Beverage List And Order Tips

OUR TRES LECHES CAKE HEALTH DISCLAIMER

It is worth noting that the preparation of tres leches cake breaks just about every food rule that I follow. It is unhealthy in a multitude of ways, and since Ricky and I maintain a fairly strict healthy diet saturated with nutrient and vitamin-packed food choices, whole grains, very little sugar, and vegetarian (if not vegan) ingredients, our consumption of the dessert is essentially taboo. This being said, as an occasional treat that we only indulge in once or twice each year, we allow ourselves the cheat. If you can get past the use of white flour, processed white sugar, and egg yolks, the high fat content that results from the use of butter, evaporated milk, and condensed milk, and the dessert’s astronomical sugar content overall, tres leches cake is worth a taste.

Delicious tres leches cake!

HOW TO MAKE TRES LECHES CAKE: WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

Tres leches cake is ridiculously simple to make. Little technical skill is involved, and there is hardly any opportunity for something to go wrong. The dessert consists of three main parts: the cake base, a three-milk mixture that is poured over the cake base, and a whipped dessert cake topping.

Eaten cold, tres leches cake is best served (straight from the fridge) the day after it is prepared. However, in a pinch, the dessert can be prepared and served during the same day, so long as you give yourself at least two hours to assemble the ingredients, construct the cake, and allow it ample time to cool.

The recipe I use requires the cake base to be made from scratch. If you choose to prepare the cake base from a store-bought cake mix, note that the cake will struggle to maintain its structure and will be more likely to crumble when cut. As store-bought cake mixes are designed to produce light and airy cakes, the cake base I make from scratch aims to produce a much denser foundation; this helps the base withstand the three-milk mixture it will eventually absorb, as well as maintain its shape.

The recipe I use relies on Dream Whip to produce the whipped dessert cake topping. Traditional Costa Rican tres leches cake uses a cake topping comprised of whipped heavy cream instead, however I prefer the lighter taste of Dream Whip. If you would prefer to use heavy cream (or if you do not have access to Dream Whip), simply substitute it for the Dream Whip layer explained below. For convenience purposes, if you would rather to use a pre-constructed whipped topping product (such as Cool Whip), give it a go.

The recipe I use works for Ricky and I. I am neither a baker nor a chef, and I do not doubt that there is a more professional way of tackling tres leches cake than the method described below. However, this article sums up the quickest and easiest way we know to produce a dessert that looks and tastes close enough to how Ricky’s Costa Rican ancestors long produced it, which is good enough for us. For anyone living in Costa Rica who wants to try their hand at replicating the popular dessert at home, or anyone who has just returned home from a trip to Costa Rica and wishes they could have more of the dessert they fell in love with while on vacation, the below recipe will do the trick.

QUICK TRES LECHES CAKE RECIPE ITEM LIST

Recipe list

Mixing bowl and baking dish

Blender

Products you will need:

All-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)

White sugar (1/2 cup)

Baking powder (1 teaspoon)

Large eggs (5)

Unsalted butter (1/2 cup, plus an extra 1 teaspoon for greasing the baking dish)

1% or 2% milk (2 cups, plus an extra 1 cup if using Dream Whip as the dessert topping)

Evaporated milk (1 can)

Sweetened condensed milk (1 can)

Vanilla (1 teaspoon, plus an extra 1 teaspoon if using Dream Whip as the dessert topping)

Packages of Dream Whip whipped topping (2 packets / 1/2 box, if using Dream Whip as the dessert topping)

Cinnamon (optional)

Equipment you will need:

Baking dish (9×13, or similar); ideally a glass dish with a lid (for viewing and storing purposes)

Large mixing bowl

Blender

Electric mixer (optional; ingredients may be mixed by hand)

Spatula

Fork (or similar piercing tool, such as a toothpick)

Sharp knife

HOW TO MAKE TRES LECHES CAKE – PART #1: CONSTRUCTING THE CAKE’S BASE LAYER

Step #1: Prepare the cake batter

Butter and sugar mixture

Adding the eggs and vanilla

Butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla mixture

Adding baking powder and 1/2 of the flour

Adding the remaining 1/2 of the flour

Complete batter mix

For this step you will need:

All-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)

White sugar (1/2 cup)

Baking powder (1 teaspoon)

Large eggs (5)

Unsalted butter (1/2 cup)

Vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Large mixing bowl

Electric mixer (optional; ingredients may be mixed by hand)

Before you begin to prepare the cake base’s batter, set your oven to preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the butter (room temperature or slightly warmed to soften) and sugar in a bowl. When completely mixed, the batter should be fluffy and grainy.

Add the eggs and only 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter, then mix. When completely combined, the batter should be runny and bubbly.

Add half of the flour (3/4 cup) and baking powder to the batter, then mix. When combined, add the remaining flour (3/4 cup) and mix again. The flour will thicken the batter; by the time all of the flour has been added, the batter should have a doughy consistency.

Step #2: Baking the cake

Greased baking dish

Pouring the batter into the baking dish

Spreading the batter evenly throughout the baking dish

Placing the baking dish in the middle of the oven

For this step you will need:

Butter (1 teaspoon)

Baking dish (9×13, or similar); ideally a glass dish with a lid (for viewing and storing purposes)

Spatula

Before you begin to bake the cake, ensure your oven has reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease the baking dish with a teaspoon of butter (or oil, if you prefer it).

Pour the batter into the baking dish. Use a spatula to ensure the batter is evenly distributed across the dish.

Place the baking dish in the middle rack of the oven.

Set the oven timer to bake the cake for 30 minutes.

Step #3: Piercing the cake

Baked cake base layer

Baked cake base layer; sideview

Running a knife around the edges and gently lifting the cake from the corners

Using a fork to puncture the cake

First round of cake punctures

Completely punctured cake

For this step you will need:

Fork (or similar piercing tool, such as a toothpick)

Sharp knife

Before you begin to pierce the cake, ensure that it is cooked throughout; the cake should be dense to the touch (not loose, especially in the middle). Its colour should be beige on top and light brown around the edges.

Soon after the cake is removed from the oven, run a sharp knife around the baking dish’s edges to separate the cake from the dish’s walls. The cake should be dense enough for you to slide the knife under the bottom of the cake’s corner and slightly lift the cake with ease.

Before the cake cools completely, use a fork to pierce holes throughout. Start by piercing holes in one direction across the entire cake, then pierce the entire cake once again in the opposite direction. The holes should be close enough to each other to allow for ample milk absorption, yet not so close that the cake’s structure breaks or crumbles.

HOW TO MAKE TRES LECHES CAKE – PART #2: CREATING AND APPLYING THE THREE-MILK MIXTURE

Step #1: Prepare the three-milk mixture

Pouring the milk

Pouring the evaporated milk

Pouring the condensed milk

Allowing the condensed milk can to drain

For this step you will need:

1% or 2% milk (2 cups)

Evaporated milk (1 can)

Sweetened condensed milk (1 can)

Blender

This step couldn’t be easier, yet it makes the tres leches cake what it is.

Combine the 1% or 2% milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk into a blender and mix for one minute. As a tip, I leave the lid on the can of the condensed milk so I can prop the can up on the top of the blender to let all of the sticky contents drain out (as displayed in the image above). When completely combined, the mixture should be runny and resemble milk, but slightly more beige in colour.

Step #2: Apply the three-milk mixture to the cake base

Partly cooled cake base

Pouring the three-milk mixture into the middle of the cake

Pouring the three-milk mixture evenly across the cake

Giving the three-milk mixture time to soak into the cake base

Pouring another round of three-milk mixture onto the cake base

View of the cake base from above as the milk continues to be absorbed

View of the cake base from the side to show how the milk seeps down the corners

For this step you will need:

Cooked case base

Three-milk mixture

Sharp knife

With the cake base cooked and partly cooled, the dessert is ready for its showstopper!

Pour 1/3 of the three-milk mixture directly from the blender over the top of the cake base. Try to pour the three-milk mixture evenly across the cake. Wait a few seconds for the milk to soak into the cake through the holes.

Pour 1/3 of the three-milk mixture directly from the blender over the top of the cake base once again and wait a few seconds for that round of liquid to absorb. Aim to pour more of the mixture into the holes in the middle of the cake. Naturally, the milk will flow toward the edges of the baking dish, allowing the edges of the cake to absorb more milk than the center. By pouring the mixture primarily in the middle of the cake, you can help the center absorb as much milk as the edges.

Pour the remaining 1/3 of the three-milk mixture directly from the blender over the top of the cake base, ensuring that each section of the cake received ample liquid. Use a sharp knife to slightly pull back the cake from the baking dish’s edges to ensure that the mixture can reach the cake’s corners (the advantage to using a glass baking dish is that you will be able to trace the liquid’s trail). If need be, use the knife to drag puddles of the mixture that collect around the baking dish’s edges into the middle of the cake.

Place the baking dish in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow all remaining liquid to seep into the cake. The absorption process is complete when you can no longer see puddles of the three-milk mixture on the top of the cake; the cake itself will be lighter in colou and mushy to the touch.

HOW TO MAKE TRES LECHES CAKE – PART #3: CREATE AND APPLY THE WHIPPED DESSERT CAKE TOPPING

Step #1: Prepare the whipped dessert cake topping

Preparing the Dream Whip

Milk, vanilla, and Dream Whip product

Mixing the whipped dressing topping

Showing the consistency of the completed whipped dressing topping

For this step you will need:

Packages of Dream Whip whipped topping (2 packets / 1/2 box, if using Dream Whip as the dessert topping)

1% or 2% milk (1 cup)

Vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Mixing bowl (washed/dried, if using the same bowl as the one you prepared the cake batter in)

Electric mixer (optional; ingredients may be mixed by hand)

As per the instructions provided on Dream Whip‘s packaging, combine the milk, vanilla, and Dream Whip product in a bowl. Mix rapidly for three to four minutes, or as soon as the whipped mixture forms peaks.

Step #2: Apply the whipped dessert cake topping to the cake base

A mushy cake base layer; showing how the cake should look prior to applying the whipped dressing topping

Scooping the whipped dressing topping out of the bowl and onto the cake base

Spreading the whipped dressing topping over the cake evenly

For this step you will need:

Cooked cake base with three-milk mixture absorbed

Whipped dessert cake topping

Spatula

Pull the cake out of the fridge; it’s time to add the finishing touch!

Scoop the Dream Whip mixture out of the mixing bowl and onto the cake base. Spread the mixture evenly across the cake using the spatula.

TRES LECHES CAKE TIPS

Showing the inside of the cut cake and the pool of milk that collects on the bottom

Delicious tres leches cake!

Store tres leches in the fridge covered (if your baking dish does not have a lid, cover the cake with tinfoil)

Store the cake in the fridge and serve it cool

Although the cake will last for a number of days, the longer you wait to eat it, the soggier it will be. We recommend consuming the cake within two days of preparation.

Cut/serve the cake from the same dish the cake was prepared in

Given the cake’s wet composition, the cake can be difficult to transfer once constructed, and the pool of the three-milk mixture at the bottom of the dish can be messy to deal with.

If you would prefer to bake the cake in a smaller dish, reduce the recipe quantity

Alternatively, if you use the same quantity of ingredients with the intent of creating a taller/thicker/fuller cake (as opposed to the relatively thin cake that a spread-out 9×13 baking dish produces), the end result will not be the same. With a taller cake, the majority of the three-milk mixture will sink to the bottom half of the dessert, which will leave the top half of the dessert dry and flavourless. For this reason, tres leches cake is best served as a short-but-wide piece, as opposed to a tall-but-thin slice.

If you would prefer to make a low-fat tres leches cake, use low-fat evaporated milk and low-fat condensed milk

I have baked tres leches cake using both low-fat options in the past and noted little difference in the cake’s quality, apart from the the low-fat version not having as much of a rich taste. For regular milk, do not use less than 1% milk.

Don’t be put off by the cake batter’s bitter taste/smell

Unlike standard “birthday cakes”, a tres leches cake’s base is not meant to be sweet and tasty; the dessert’s sweetness and flavour are provided by the three milk-mixture, which compliments the dense and boring base layer well.

Nikki; loving the tres leches cake!

QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you tried tres leches cake in Costa Rica? What did you think? Have you attempted to bake it on your own? How did it go?

Pura vida!

Take a moment to view our gallery photos below featuring our tres leches cake pictures.

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Store tres leches in the fridge covered (if your baking dish does not have a lid, cover the cake with tinfoil)

Pouring the three-milk mixture evenly across the cake

Mixing the whipped dressing topping

Pouring the condensed milk

Giving the three-milk mixture time to soak into the cake base

Baked cake base layer; sideview

Using a fork to puncture the cake

Allowing the condensed milk can to drain

A mushy cake base layer; showing how the cake should look prior to applying the whipped dressing topping

Spreading the batter evenly throughout the baking dish

Mixing bowl and baking dish

Showing the inside of the cut cake and the pool of milk that collects on the bottom

Adding baking powder and 1/2 of the flour

View of the cake base from the side to show how the milk seeps down the corners

Adding the eggs and vanilla

Delicious tres leches cake!

Pouring the three-milk mixture into the middle of the cake

Adding the remaining 1/2 of the flour

Pouring the batter into the baking dish

Spreading the whipped dressing topping over the cake evenly

Pouring another round of three-milk mixture onto the cake base

Showing the consistency of the completed whipped dressing topping

Recipe list

Complete batter mix

Preparing the Dream Whip

Completely punctured cake

Partly cooled cake base

Butter and sugar mixture

Baked cake base layer

Greased baking dish

Scooping the whipped dressing topping out of the bowl and onto the cake base

Butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla mixture

Ricky; enjoying homemade tres leches cake

Blender

Pouring the evaporated milk

Nikki; learning how to make tres leches cake

Placing the baking dish in the middle of the oven

Running a knife around the edges and gently lifting the cake from the corners

View of the cake base from above as the milk continues to be absorbed

Milk, vanilla, and Dream Whip product

Pouring the milk

First round of cake punctures

How To Make Tres Leches Cake: A Popular Costa Rican Dessert COSTA RICAN FOOD AT HOME Imagine June Clever as a Tica. She would likely spoil her husband Ward on a nightly basis with hearty helpings of some of Costa Rica's most notorious dishes (rich in flavour and tradition), including casado, tamales, or olla de carne.

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