#knitting is about the only thing i can remember her doing other than baking brownies with me as a kid

[alilbabysprout]

guess who's picking up knitting again

#(it's me) #currently knitting a shawl !! #i learned to knit in 4th grade but have barely touched the craft since then #i made a sweater in quarantine and a scarf but that's it #i want to make my nana proud + feel closer to her #knitting is about the only thing i can remember her doing other than baking brownies with me as a kid #i miss her :•( #sprout talks #knitting #fiber art #fiber crafts #yarn #yarn crafts #yarnaddict #cottagecore #cozycore

[fanmoose12]

Hi fanmoose! Got a prompt for you, if you're interested: Levi seeing the 104th and the vets preparing gifts for Hange's birthday, but he's wondering what to give them so he goes above and beyond... all the Scouts are taken by surprise.

Thanks, and good luck!

i changed a couple of things..... hope you still enjoy it! thanks for the prompt <3

Jean got a notebook. Armin made a new quill, using a feather from the owl he and Mikasa caught. Connie brought from his home village a whole basket of peers Hange loved so much. Sasha was responsible for baking a cake.

Nifa made her favorite brownies. Mike decided to gift Hange a new jacket, Nanaba bought a new pair of shoes, Erwin got her a new pair of glasses and a microscope she was whining about for so long. Moblit drew a fucking portrait of her.

Even Eren, as obtuse as he was, prepared a present for Hange.

“My mom was very good at sewing,” he shared with Levi, in the middle of his training, “she didn’t teach me how to do it,” at that, his voice lost some of its edge, tints of sadness appearing, “but Mikasa knows how to sew and she promised to help me with it!”

Levi could only arch an eyebrow. “And how is that related to a gift for Hange?”

Eren leaned closer with a hand next to his mouth, looking so serious, like he was going to tell the biggest secret in the world. “I’m going to sew a plushie for Squad Leader.”

“A plushie? A fucking toy with your titan’s face?”

There was a beat of silence. Then… “Damn it.” Eren took head in his hands, tugging at his hair with alarming desperation. “Damn it! I should have sewed the plushie of my Titan! Hange-san loves it!”

Yeah, as much as it annoyed Levi, there was certainly no way he could deny that.

“So… what did you sew instead?”

Peaking beneath his fingers, Eren mumbled. “A plushie of me holding a heart that says ‘I love you, Hange’.”

Fuck… as dense as Eren was, Levi had to admit… the gift was not bad at all. Especially for Eren. Especially comparing to his gift, which consisted of…

Nothing.

Just two days were left before Hange’s birthday, and he still no idea what to give her. Hange was probably expecting a present from him. Or, maybe, she was not. She was nice like that – always giving without asking for something in return. Hange was also kind, she thought he was her friend, and even more than that. Best friend, she once told him. And Levi had to admit. He felt it too. Hange was his friend. The first one he made in Survey Corps. The closest one he had.

Some friend he was, apparently. Not even preparing a gift for her.

Sensibly, he knew that he was making a problem out of nothing. He could give Hange something simple – a shampoo she obviously didn’t possess; a book she would probably like and squeal in his ear about; a new shirt or a bottle of good wine.

Hange would probably enjoy these kinds of gift. They were certainly useful. But were they meaningful? Would Hange remember them, ten years from now?

He wanted her to. Hange was his friend, perhaps, even something more. He wanted only the best for her. That’s why picking up a gift was such a problem.

With only two days left, Levi was getting desperate. He was thinking about seeking out help, but just before he gathered the strength…

The help came to him themselves.

“Good day, Levi,” with a good-natured smile, Erwin invaded his office, Mike and Nanaba trailing after him. “Are you busy?”

Levi pointedly looked at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. “Yes,” he drew, “All thanks to you, Erwin.”

“Well, you can take a break,” Erwin waved his hand dismissively, and took a seat on the opposite end of Levi’s desk. Nanaba and Mike occupied the sofa. “We came to discuss something very important,” the smile was gone, as Erwin clenched his jaw and knitted his eyebrows in a hard line. Looking at that expression, Levi felt his stomach sinking. What was this all about? If it was about their upcoming expedition, then where was… “A little birdie shared with us,” Erwin interrupted his heavy thoughts, “That you still have no present for Hange.”

What? Levi gawked at his guests, switching his confused gaze from one to the other.

“And what is the name of that birdie?” He would find that birdie and give them a piece of his mind, for sure. Who dared get poke his nose into his personal matters?

“Please, Levi,” Mike joined the conversation, “You couldn’t get more obvious. I can smell your desperation from miles away.”

Levi’s annoyance rose. Birdies, smelling desperation. Could they talk like normal people?

Seeing his increasing frustration, Nanaba decided to come to rescue. She smiled, tucking a lock of her hair behind an ear. “I overheard your conversation with Eren. You looked a bit distressed, honestly I thought you were going to kick his ass again… And since I doubt Hange is enamored with Eren in that way, I concluded that you…”

“Are angry not because the boy is a titan and spends too much time with Hange, but because he already has a gift prepared, when you do not.” Erwin finished.

Well… the conclusion was sound, at least. But that didn’t mean that Levi felt any less annoyed.

“So?” he raised an eyebrow, staring judgingly at his intruders. “What do you want from me?”

“We want to help, of course,” the smile was back at Erwin’s lips. “And we have some ideas.”

“Such as?”

Nanaba bounced from her seat, crossing the room to bang her palms against the surface of Levi’s desk. He jumped slightly, certainly not expecting it.

“You know what Hange really likes?”

“Books?” Levi tried. “Science? Titans? Books about titan’s science?”

“No, dummy,” Nanaba shook her head, “Hange likes you.”

It took him a long moment to comprehend. Even then, the only thing Levi could get out of his mouth was a very faint, “Eh?”

“We all know how much Hans makes you happy.” Mike said.

They did? How so?

“You spend a lot of time with Hange,” Erwin noted, answering his unasked question.

“And you allow her to do things that you deny everyone else,” Nanaba continued.

“And when she is with you, that constipated expression disappears from your face.” Mike finished.

He… didn’t have a constipated expression. And while Hange did make his days more pleasant and his survival that easier and more enjoyable… Levi was sure that no one knew about it, but him.

“Listen, we all know that you like Hange, and we’re telling you that Hange likes you. That’s why…” Erwin lifted his chin, his smile becoming nearly devilish. Were they still talking about a simple birthday gift? “I made a reservation in a restaurant in Sina. Take Hange there, eat good food, drink some wine, have a good night… Make Hange happy.”

Their suggestion was certainly better than Levi’s nothing. However…

“What you’re offering seems a lot like fraternization. Isn’t that illegal?” he narrowed his eyes at Erwin, skepticism oozing from him. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Perish the thought!” not swayed by Levi’s scary expression, Erwin chuckled. “You’re correct, technically, two officers are not allowed to enter romantic relationship, but I think it’s a little too late for that.” Huh? Just how Levi was meant to interpret that? “Besides… think about humanity, Levi! If you and Hange were to conceive a child…” the expression on Erwin’s face was so dreamy, Levi felt chills at the base of his spine. “A child born from the union of humanity’s strongest and smartest… It could very well save our world!”

Levi stared at his Commander, at loss of words. Saying ‘you’re fucked up in the head, Erwin’ seemed a little too rude even for him, considering that Erwin was his superior officer. Still… he was fucked up in the head.

“Don’t listen to him,” Nanaba spoke, attracting Levi’s attention. “But think about our offer. An evening like that will really make Hange happy. You want that, don’t you?”

Did he want to make Hange happy? More than anything…

“Do it for Hange,” Nanaba urged.

“Do it for love,” Mike added.

“Do it for humanity!” Erwin passionately concluded.

Fucked up in the head, Levi thought. All of them were. Himself, included. But what was he going to lose? Besides, their offer was better than anything he could have come up with.

“Alright,” he surrendered, a sigh escaping him. “I’ll do it.”

Nanaba cheered. Mike nodded at him with a smile. Erwin looked like he was about to cry. Then, to Levi’s horror, he saluted.

“Get out of my office now,” he shooed them away, lowering his gaze back to the papers. “I need to work.”

“Just another quick thing,” Nanaba patted his shoulder with a cheerful smile. “Walk Hange to the door of her room after the dinner. And make sure that you return after nine o’clock.”

Ah. So they had an ulterior motive. Of course. Levi shouldn’t be surprised.

“You’re planning something for Hange, I take it?”

“A little party,” Mike confessed. “We’ll deal with food and drinks, but you’re in charge of getting Hange there in time.”

Levi didn’t remember agreeing to be in charge of Hange, but… he didn’t like the idea of anyone else doing it in his stead.

“Nine o’clock, four-eyes’ room, I got it. Now get out of my office.”

Nanaba, Erwin and Mike didn’t need to be told twice.

___

After finding a solution to his main dilemma, Levi was now met with another, no less important and challenging than the previous one.

Erwin and the others got him a reservation at the restaurant. But... now he needed to invite Hange there.

His first attempt, executed not long after Erwin, Nanaba and Mike left his office, failed spectacularly, despite his expectations. He naively thought that a simple note, carried to Hange via Moblit, would suffice. But, perhaps, the note didn’t reach its destination. Or Hange forgot to read it. Or she somehow misinterpreted the sentence ‘do you want to dine together?’. Or the fault laid in the absence of Levi’s signature.

Nevertheless, he needed to do better.

His next attempt was slightly more successful. At least, he got some kind of reaction. Still not reaction he had needed. Apparently, there were ways that one could misunderstand the simple phrase ‘hey, four-eyes, want to eat with me?’. Levi had expected a very enthusiastic ‘yes’. Instead he received ‘I’ll see you at the dinner’ and a door to his face.

Evidently, he had to do not only better, but also be a little clearer about his intentions.

After lots of pondering, Levi decided that nothing could be clearer than throwing a shiny new black jacket from Mike at Hange and barking, “Get dressed, Hange. We’re going out.”

That got him an intrigued ‘oooh’ and a promise to be ready in five minutes.

Levi smirked to himself. Finally, his plan had worked. Finally, he got through that brilliant and extremely dense head.

___

At first, the dinner was, for the lack of better word,extremely awkward.

Erwin failed to mention just how fancy the restaurant would be. Turned out, it was fancy. Very fancy. Fancier than anything Levi had seen in his life. Even Hange, despite not being a street rat from Underground, was feeling a little off.

“Everyone is staring at us,” she whispered to him, leaning over the table to do so.

Hange was right. Everyone was gawking at them. Perhaps, the reason for it was their clothes. Both of them were dressed in their best suits. Still, their best didn’t even begin to reach the best of the gathered crowd. Perhaps, other guests were weirded out by Hange’s loud cheer at the sight of meat in the menu.

Or, perhaps, their reputation preceded them, and everyone in here knew about humanity’s strongest soldier and crazy titan scientist, two of Erwin Smith’s loyal devils.

Whatever the case was, Levi didn’t like the obvious staring. They came here to eat and have a good time, not be observed like clowns in the circus.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered back to her. He really was. It was Erwin’s mistake, but it was Hange’s birthday and it was his fault for not checking the restaurant beforehand. He was a scout, for fuck’s sake. It was his job.

“Don’t even start,” Hange huffed, waving her hand dismissively. “Not the first time I receive that sort of treatment. Probably not the last one as well.”

Hange paused, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “And if they want to look at us so much, let’s give them something to stare at.”

Levi’s lips twitched up. “And what do you suggest?”

“Let’s order the priciest meals they have, eat them like animals they think we are, and then run away and let Erwin deal with that.”

There were many reasons why Levi loved Hange. This was one of them.

___

True to Hange’s plan, they were at their worst behavior. They used spoons instead of forks, they drank straight from the bottle, Hange ate the dessert with her hands, smearing cake all over her mouth, cheeks, palms and shirt. Barely keeping himself from laughing out loud, Levi wiped it all with his cravat, as Hange cooed at his chivalry.

Two hours later, their stomachs were full, the crowd was scandalized, their hearts were merry and their eyes were shining with unbridled mischief.

“I think we’ve succeeded at making the worst impression possible,” Hange spoke, following it with a loud laughter. Several guest scoffed at the volume. Levi showed all of them his scariest scowl. The rich fuckers returned their attention to their plates in record time.

“It’s time we make our exit,” he agreed.

He looked at Hange more closely, thinking if he should take the risk. She had been touching him freely throughout the whole evening. She pressed their calves together under the table, she ran a hand through his arm, she let him touch her face and tilt her chin. She didn’t seem opposed to the idea, so… Levi took a deep sighed, searching for every bit of courage inside of him. Once all of it was gathered, he took Hange by the hand, helping her to stand up.

To his surprise and huge relief, she didn’t shake his hand off. On the contrary, she squeezed his palm and interlaced their fingers.

Hand in hand, they started towards walking out of the restaurant. On his way there, Levi discreetly pushed a plate of soup at some wealthy lady, staining her light creamy dress and receiving a indignant cry and a joyous giggle from Hange.

After that, they had to speed up a little. It was Hange’s birthday. Levi didn’t want to spend it in the prison cell.

Once they were outside and some distance away from the restaurant, Hange stopped.

“Shit, Levi! Had you seen her face? She was—”

She didn’t finish. Hange leaned against the wall and threw her head back, laughing without abandon. She doubled over, hugging her stomach, her mirth not ceasing. Finding her mood strangely infectious, Levi couldn’t help but chuckle too.

Still snickering to herself, Hange looked up to meet his gaze. Her whole body was shaking from the laughter, and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Disheveled, red-faced and laughing, she was the most beautiful sight Levi had ever seen. The moonlight and faint stars only accentuated her beauty.

Levi was lost in watching her.

Subconsciously, in a mindless attempt to get a better look at the wonder that was Hange Zoe, he leaned in.

Hange leaned in too, her hand finding place at his shoulder. She moved that hand slightly, closer to his neck. Her fingers ghosted around his hairline, making him shiver.

He was looking in her eyes. Hange was looking at his lips.

The world around the two of them faded, the sounds of a street at night, the singing from the nearby pub disappearing to the background.

Levi didn’t know, had failed to register who moved first. But a moment later, his hand was on her waist, and Hange buried her fingers in his hair. And then, they were kissing – sloppily, desperately, without skill but with lots of passion.

Levi felt like he was struck by lightning. Nothing he had ever done before felt even remotely as good as kissing Hange did.

As the kiss progressed, becoming deeper, Levi found himself pressed against the wall.

Hange was everywhere – her tongue was in his mouth, her palms on his cheeks, her knee was rising, resting against his crotch. It was almost too much. And yet, not enough.

“Hange, Hange,” with some difficulty, he separated himself from her hot mouth and soft lips. “Hange, if someone sees us—”

“Oh, right,” still pressed dangerously close to him, she giggled. “Erwin would have a heart attack if we get jailed for making out on the streets. He’d deem us a disappointment to humanity.”

“Back to barracks then?”

Hange licked her lips and winked. Levi felt another strong surge of desire. “We can continue there.”

After that kind of promise, Levi hurried to find where they left their horses. He all but raced there, and jumped on his loyal stallion, grasping the reins a little too tightly.

Hange followed his suit. “Who arrives at the barracks first, gets to be on top?” she challenged.

Without waiting for his reply, she started off. Cursing, Levi struggled to keep up.

That day, he learned one essential lesson. Riding a horse with a raging boner was a fucking torture.

___

Hange was the first one to reach the stumbles. Dismounting her horse, she ran up to Levi, pulling him off the saddle and instantly connecting their lips. Levi would have liked to complain, but… who was he kidding?

Without another word, he brought Hange closer, putting his hand on her hip.

Just as the first one, the second kiss was amazing, enough to knock his breath out and make his knees buckle underneath him.

“If that’s my birthday gift,” Hange murmured, panting after they broke apart. “Then it’s the best one I ever had.”

And here Levi thought that there was nothing more enjoyable than kissing Hange. But as he saw her gentle smile, the adoring expression in her twinkling eyes, he was ready to melt in her arms.

However, he wouldn’t be himself if he passed an opportunity to use a sarcastic quip. “Is it better than Erwin’s microscope? Than Eren’s plushie?”

Hange put a finger to her chin, looking up with a thoughtful expression. “The microscope is really good, and that plushie is so adorable…” Levi’s good spirits vanished, as something ugly found its place inside his chest. Before it could manifest in a scowl, Hange caught his lips with hers once again.

“But nothing is better than you, shorty,” she confessed as they separated.

Hange likes you, Nanaba had said. She wasn’t wrong, it seemed.

“Your room or mine?” he asked, already tugging off Hange’s jacket.

“Mine. I was the one to win, after all,” she smirked, rapidly turning away and starting to run. Levi had no choice but to chase her.

___

He caught up with her near the entrance. Ceasing the moment, he wrapped arms around her waist, pressing her to him. Hange’s giggle turned into a moan. Levi delighted in that.

Exchanging messy kisses, they tumbled through the front door. Unable to break away from each other, they clumsily walked through the barracks, tripping and stumbling. And, despite the growing desire, they didn’t hurry as well. They stopped near the stairwell, so Hange could put a hickey on a spot above his collarbone. They paused at the middle of the hallway, so Levi could grind against her. Hange pressed him against the wall to whisper, “Fuck, Levi, this feels so good.”

When they reached the bedroom, Levi was ready to cheer. It was the longest walk through the barracks he had ever had. Was Hange’s room always that far away from the entrance?

With her hands shaking, she searched through her pockets for a key. She found it after a long minute that Levi spent kissing her neck. Once she fished it out, she put the key in the keyhole, and decided to celebrate that grand achievement with another breathtaking kiss.

Getting a little too eager, Levi pushed Hange forward. That was his mistake.

Apparently, the door to her room wasn’t closed. And, apparently,the room also wasn’t empty.

Unfortunately, Levi realized that and remembered the second part of Erwin’s plan a second too late. After he had heard the loud and cheerful ‘Happy birthday, Hange!’

With his arms still around Hange, he froze. Everyone else in the room froze too. The awkward silence settled over.

Levi’s thought frantically moved around his head, jumping from one corner to another. What should he do? Apologize? Let Hange go? Tell all of them to fuck off so he and Hange could finish what they had started?

However, he didn’t get to decide what to do with the unexpected audience. Hange chose for him.

“Guys!” she clasped her hands joyfully, her smile brighter than all the candles that stood around the room combined. “That’s so sweet! Thank you!”

She pulled away from Levi, sprinting to get to her friends. She gave a tight hug to Erwin, Mike, Nanaba, Moblit, Nifa, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Sasha, Jean, Connie… Levi thought the string of people who wanted Hange’s attention would never end.

After hugs, came cake, and after cake was wine. He felt ignored, he felt utterly forgotten. He contemplated if he should go back to his room. He wanted Hange to kiss him again.

But instead he was sulking in the corner, munching on a cake Sasha had prepared. At least, the cake was good. But his frustration left a bitter taste in his mouth.

As his plate was emptied, Levi thought once again about leaving. But in that exact moment, seemingly out of nowhere, Hange appeared by his side.

“Planning to ditch the party early?” she wiggled her eyebrows, staring at him with unmasked mischief.

“It’s your birthday, not mine, four-eyes.”

“Exactly!” Hange threw an arm over his shoulders. “You’re my guest of honor!”

Ignoring the awakening of butterflies in his stomach and chalking them up to the effects of Sasha’s cake, Levi grunted, “Meaning?”

“Meaning I want you to stay!”

Levi rolled his eyes. He couldn’t really say no to Hange today, right? Although, he had troubles saying no to her any other day as well…

“And thank you for spending the whole evening with me,” Hange punctuated her gratitude with a kiss to his cheek. The butterflies were now flying freely, making Levi dizzy. It was hard to deny their origin anymore, with the trigger standing so close to him. “It was the best birthday I ever had.”

Well, that was all the gratitude Levi needed.

Before she left his side to receive more birthday wishes from their friends, Hange put her mouth above his ear, lowering her voice to a whisper, “Stay until the end, shorty. I’m not finished with you.”

She bounced off before he could give an answer. Perhaps, it was fairly obvious to her.

After all, how he could refuse Hange on the day of her birthday? How could he say no to receiving more of her attentions, and kisses?

With a satisfied hum, Levi settled against the wall, aiming his glare at all the guests. He couldn’t wait until all of them would leave. He couldn’t wait to have Hange all to himself.

#levihan #hange zoe

[quillandink333]

Like Birds of a Feather

BotW Link X Zelda ~ Modern AU

Rating: T

Word Count: 3.2k

Summary: Link, the owner of a small bakery in the middle of the big city, and Zelda, one of his most frequent customers, spend the holidays together.

Masterlist

It was nearly a quarter to eight, when the eastern horizon was just beginning to brighten with the rays of the early winter sun. The Patisserie on Lynel Avenue was decked with bows of holly from one end to the other, and sleigh bells were sounding from the stereo. The holiday season, one of my busiest times of the year, had arrived.

It had yet to start getting really busy—only one or two customers had come and gone so far—but my employees and I were prepared for them to start flooding in as soon as the clock struck nine. I was behind the counter, getting the last of today’s freshly baked goodies behind the glass. I had nothing against Christmas time, of course. In truth, I loved the cheerful atmosphere it brought about, and I had a lot of happy childhood memories of it. But I had to admit that the sudden spike in demand that came with it had me at my wit’s end on occasion.

There was one aspect of my life acting as the oil that kept me running smoothly, however, aside from the rise in income. Since three or four months back, I wasn’t really sure how long ago, but there was one customer who’d been coming in more regularly than any other customer that I could remember. All I knew was that it was some time after we’d started serving coffee and tea and the like. I hadn’t taken much notice of her the first two or three times she’d stopped by. The times after that was when she’d started to grab my attention.

She was rather unassuming in appearance, not boasting too many features that stood out. She seemed like the academic type, judging from her cutely oversized glasses and the way she was always carrying some textbook or another under her arm. The thing that endeared me to her most of all, though, was her insatiable sweet tooth. Every time she dropped in, she’d order something different. And every time, as she took her first bite of whichever one of my treats she’d picked that morning, she’d get this look of complete and utter catharsis, like all of her worries were all at once melting away. To sum up, I was smitten. She seemed to be made up of all the right things one needed to win me over without even having held a full conversation with me.

It wasn’t just these things that drew me to her, however. Every time I looked into those viridian eyes of hers, I was overcome with a striking sense of déjà vu that I couldn’t for the life of me explain. I had no belief in such things whatsoever, nor did I consider myself a spiritual person by any means, but it was truly as though I’d known her in a past life, or something along those lines. I was certain I’d never heard the name ‘Zelda’ in my life before I’d taken her order for the first time. Yet when I looked at her face, I couldn’t help but feel like she was someone important to me. Even though my memory had the tendency to fail me at times, there was no way I could’ve forgotten someone who was seemingly so significant.

It was for these many reasons combined that I found myself so inextricably charmed by her, counting the days between each of her visits to the bakery. They were also the reason my heavy heart became weightless when I saw her smiling face come through the door that morning. She gave me a friendly wave as she walked up to the counter.

“What can I get you today, Ms. Zelda?” I joked. Her little laugh was music to my ears as she looked over the menu and what there was out on display. It turned out she could be rather indecisive about her order at times, which was something I could tell she was conscious of as she grew more and more fidgety the longer she stood there. “No rush.”

She nodded with a small and ashamed smile. “Thank you.” I decided to start counting up yesterday’s earnings while she was deciding. “Uhh... Okay. I think I’m ready.” I closed up the cash register. “I’ll take a tall peppermint mocha...”

“With whipped cream and extra chocolate, I’m assuming?”

“You probably knew what I was going to say before I did, didn’t you?” she huffed in false frustration. “And, well, the orange scones and the eggnog brownies both look delicious, so since I can’t decide, I’ll just have one of each.”

“You got it.”

Once she’d paid and had her order in her hands, I expected her to say a quick, “Thank you!” and walk away with it. Instead, when I handed over her drink, she stuck by the counter, looking as though she had something else on her mind. It wouldn’t be long before I’d find out what that was.

“So, Link...” I turned back around to face her. She must’ve read my name tag at some point. She was twirling a lock of golden hair between two dainty digits, glancing around the soon-to-be bustling café area. “Have you got any plans for Christmas? Anyone you’ll be spending it with?”

“Not really,” I shrugged. “I haven’t got family.”

The corners of her lips fell. “Oh. Are they out of town or something?”

I shook my head. “They all got into a bad accident about seven years ago. Both my parents and my sister.”

“Oh...” A look of deep, genuine sympathy found its way onto her face. “I’m sorry.” A short moment of silence passed between us. Then she broke it, saying, “Me neither, actually.” I looked up from the cash register. “My mother passed away when I was really young and then I lost my father as a teenager.” It was difficult to process what I was hearing. I’d never imagined she’d have that kind of story just based on our handful of previous interactions.

“Hey, boss, want me to take over?” offered one of my few employees, pointing at the machine from beside me.

“Oh sure. Thanks.” He nodded, letting me step aside and out from behind the counter. When I met eyes with Zelda again, however, my mind drew a blank. “I’m sorry,” I laughed. “What were we just talking about?”

“It’s okay!” she reassured. “I was just going to say again, I’m so sorry about your family. That’s awful.”

I wasn’t really sure what the appropriate response would’ve been, so I simply said, “I’m sorry about yours.”

“Thank you. That’s very kind of you.” It quite frankly broke my heart just seeing her with anything but a smile on her face. “So what are you going to do for Christmas? Are you just staying home by yourself or...?”

“Pretty much.”

“Yeah, same here.” The silence returned for a short while as she took a cautious sip of her coffee until she quietly said, “Would...you maybe want to hang out? With me? On Christmas...?”

Her suggestion sent my thoughts into overdrive. The image of getting all cozy and warm by the fire with her in my arms and maybe even sharing a kiss or two under the mistletoe gave me a sudden rush of glee from head to toe. But then, maybe she didn’t have that exact scenario in mind. Maybe that was too much to ask.

“You’re not going to be working or anything, are you?” she asked, making me realize I was taking too long.

“Oh, no!” I cleared my throat in embarrassment. “That would be lovely. Were you thinking, like, one of us would go over to the other’s place for dinner or...would that be too soon...?”

Her face flushed as she stuttered out her answer. “That’s—I mean, I-I’d be happy to do that as long as it’s okay with you.” Then her shoulders shook with laughter as she added, “Let’s not go to mine, though. I have a flatmate who’s... Well, she’s a bit eccentric, as it were.”

“Mine it is, then,” I chuckled. “We could go out and do something else beforehand too, if you’d like.”

“That sounds perfect! Uh, where should we meet?” she pondered. “Oh! How about the park on Nayru Street? At...three o’clock?”

“I’d like that.”

When Christmas day arrived, it brought with it devastatingly low temperatures and a snowstorm overnight. So when I spotted her upon arriving at the park, I hadn’t expected her to come wearing nothing but a mini skirt, some sheer leggings, and a thin sweater with what looked like a button-up shirt underneath. Honestly I hadn’t really been expecting her to come at all. Nevertheless, there she was, waving at me from the opposite corner of the road.

“Hey, I’m so glad you came!” she chirped once I’d gotten within hearing range. Her pale pink, knitted hat with the pompom on the end, along with the pleats of her skirt, made her look like a cupcake. A shivering, frostbitten cupcake.

“Aren’t you cold?” I inquired.

“What? No! Not at all,” she scoffed, teeth chattering.

I stepped toward her and held out my hand without thinking, then stuffed it back in my pocket. What could I do? There was no chance she’d last more than an hour out in the icy December climate wearing that. I wanted to be a gentleman, but it wasn’t like I could give her my trousers to keep her warm.

“Link, don’t worry about it,” she insisted. “I’ll be f-fine.”

This didn’t do much to ease my concern for her, but I shrugged it off, trying my best not to worry.

A few hours went by remarkably quickly. After meeting up at three, we’d spent a little while in the park, sharing stories and learning more about each other’s lives. I told her about my experience with starting my own business, and she told me of her aspirations to become a groundbreaking tech engineer. Then the sun began its decent. While we went to grab hot drinks (which seemed to help warm her up temporarily), she had the idea of touring some high-end neighbourhoods to see all the lights and decorations. But by then, it had started snowing again, and she was shaking so much, it looked like her legs could’ve given out at any moment.

My heart lurched when I saw her stumble on the way up a particularly steep incline. I rushed to her side, even though she’d mostly managed to catch herself on her own. She was starting to look pale. “Okay, yeah, you’re definitely not fine. Let’s get you inside.”

“Yeah...” She nodded shakily, steadying herself on my arm. “Okay.”

The trip back to my flat lasted around half an hour, which was still longer than either of us would’ve preferred. The busses weren’t running due to the ice on the roads, so we had to go by train. At least now she was sheltered from the raging blizzard outside. The poor thing was shivering the whole way, albeit slightly less. I was doing all I could to protect her from the cold by rubbing up and down her arms, which she didn’t seem to mind, even leaning back into me a couple of times.

“I’m so sorry about tonight,” she frowned as she followed me through the front door once we’d arrived. “I honestly didn’t think it would be this cold, and I just wanted us to have a fun night out together. I didn’t mean to—“

“It’s okay, Zelda,” I hushed, turning on the fireplace and sitting her down in front of it. “We can still have fun here, can’t we? We can do whatever you want once we’ve eaten, your choice.”

Her frown turned into a shy smile. “Thank you,” she sniffled.

I nodded, stripping off my snow-covered jacket and hanging it up. “Would you like something a bit more comfortable to wear maybe...?”

“No, that’s alright,” she dismissed, noticing the—one might say ‘minimalist’—tree I’d set up on the mantel next to the television. “Thanks, though. I just need a minute here to...regain my body heat, I think.”

“Well, if you need anything, just ask.”

And with that, I made my way to the kitchen to get started making dinner. Once she’d recovered for the most part and some colour had returned to her cheeks, she took it upon herself to help me with cooking. It wasn’t a very traditional Christmas dinner, but she enjoyed it, as did I. The highlight, however, was yet to come. After filling our stomachs and having a bit of light banter, we sat down on the sofa to watch some shabby Christmas films together by the fireplace.

“Hey, so...” She turned her attention to me when I paused the movie abruptly. “I heard somewhere that you like cake.”

She straightened up, eyes dilating like a cat who’d been offered a saucer of cream. “There’s cake?”

“There is indeed,” I laughed, rising to my feet. “Would you care for some?”

“Oh, would I ever.” She sprung up and followed me back to the kitchen, where I’d already put my seasonal masterpiece out on display. She gasped. My concoction consisted of two layers of black forest cake frosted with and separated by white buttercream. To top it off, I’d lined the circumference with black cherries and, as the centrepiece, created a miniature forest scene using artificial evergreen trees and some powdered sugar. “Link,” she gaped as I observed her awestruck reaction with pride. “I... You shouldn’t have.”

“But I did.” I was beaming from ear to ear as she took her eyes off the tantalizing treat to look back at me. Picking up the knife and positioning it at the edge of the cake, I tried to ask, “How much do you have room for?”

But then she cut me off with an alarmed, “Wait!”

I halted, leaving only a millimetre or two between the cake and the edge of the knife.

“I mean...” she stuttered. “Sorry. It just looks too perfect. You know?”

Eventually she came to terms with the fact that she quite literally couldn’t have her cake and eat it too. So once I’d served us both a slice, she pranced back to the living room with me just a few paces behind. As “A Charlie Brown Christmas” resumed on the screen, I watched her take her first bite out of the corner of my eye. “Wow,” she garbled around a mouthful of rich, chocolaty goodness before swallowing. “Link, you’ve truly outdone yourself.”

I blushed, the sounds from the TV fading into white noise in the background. “You can have my cherries if you want.”

A gleaming grin lit up her face. “Oh my god, really?” She scooted closer to me so that I’d be able to roll them off of my plate and onto hers with my fork. Any further and her thigh would’ve ended up right up against my own.

Once she’d cleaned off her plate, she set it down on the coffee table in front of us and relaxed into the back of the sofa, which nearly swallowed her up with how deep it was.

“Damn,” she smiled to herself, making me turn my head. “Now I feel bad for not getting you a gift or anything.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I put my plate down next to hers. “Just spending the day with you has been wonderful.” She looked at me with not a trace of dismay in her gaze, eyes warm and filled with nothing but contentment. “Honestly, I can’t think of anything that would’ve made me happier. Thank you for today.”

Her gaze landed in her lap, a dusting of pink settling on her cheeks. “I should be thanking you.”

I hadn’t noticed, but as time had passed from that point, she’d been gradually reclining in my direction. The moment our mutual acts of platonism fell apart was the moment her head made contact with my shoulder. I couldn’t help but give in and let my arm drape itself around her. An upward curve settled into the corners of her lips briefly before they drooped sleepily back down. I took a glance at the clock hanging by the kitchen—it was half ten already.

Zelda’s eyes were all but closed, lips parted just so, and some of her hair had scattered across her face. I tucked it back behind her ear, trailing my fingertips along her downy hairline in the process. They wanted to keep going down her face, once they’d reached her ear, to discover whether those lips were as soft and warm as they appeared. “Zelda?” I murmured her name, not wishing to disturb her in her peaceful disposition. She gave me a sort of hum in delirious acknowledgement. “C...can I...?”

She hummed again in almost the same way as before, perhaps not having realized what I was about to say. Then again, her cheeks did seem a slight bit rosier now. I leaned in, thumb coming to rest on her jawline. She tilted her head up, eyes fluttering the rest of the way closed.

But I still hesitated. About to play out before my very eyes was the scene that had been running in the back of my mind ever since the first time I laid eyes on her. Ever since the first time I’d witnessed her indulging in one of my creations. Her lips and tongue would taste of sugar and strawberries if all my fantasies were to realize themselves. But what if they didn’t? Or even, what if they did? What would we be after today? This would change everything between me and her, and there would be no turning back.

Lazy fingers curled around the back of my neck, and before I could give it another thought, her lips and mine had met.

She did indeed taste sugary and sweet, as one would expect from someone whose last thing they’d eaten had been a slice of cake. Yet that wasn’t what stood out to me, made me melt into a useless puddle on the floor. It was the way she leaned her weight into me, trusting me to catch her with no questions asked. The way she made me drape my arms around her waist, wanting to feel as close to her as my corporeal being would allow. She was so warm and so soft. It had been an age since I’d known the feeling of home. Was this it?

I’d soon have my answer, as the moment her lips began to disappear from mine, I felt a sudden surge of homesickness swelling up in my chest. My heart pleaded for her not to leave, and she must’ve heard it, because no sooner than when I opened my eyes did she press her lips to my own again.

It would be a while until I’d be able to tear myself away from her long enough to ask her the question I had burning on my tongue. “What would you think,” I muttered, “about...spending the night here?”

“That...” Her eyes squinted. “That doesn’t—” She was interrupted by a yawn, which she covered with one hand. My breath went still. “...sound so bad actually.” I exhaled in relief, seeing her droopy eyes filling up with warmth. “Is it too late to accept your offer from earlier? About comfier clothes?”

“Not at all.”

#my writing #fanfic #botw #zelink #botw zelink #zelink botw #botw link x zelda #botw zelda x link #link x zelda #zelda x link #zelink fanfic #zelink ff #modern au #link pov #happy holidays everyone!

[peachbearies]

╰─ - ̗̀♡ ✎ Moonlight (A.)

Brandon Arreaga

   ↳ ⊹✿ Warnings: Harsh Language, Mentions of suicide.

   ↳ ⊹✿ Summary: you were having a bad day, so you disconnected yourself from everyone just to sit on the balcony and watch the stars. But Brandon was so worried about you so he came over.

   ↳ ⊹✿ Author’s note: if you or anyone is going through a hard time and you feel lost or hopeless please do not commit suicide, I promise you it will get better, suicide isn’t the answer no matter what the circumstances are. You are beautiful, you are treasure baby. And trust me take a second to think about those who’d be devastated to not see you smile everyday or hear your laugh. Trust me you are worth it, even when you don’t believe it, your life is far from being over, and you’ll continue to grow.Also I’m apologizing in advance; this is my first imagine I’ve ever typed haha, so if it’s bad or something I can do better let me know thanks! 

↳ ⊹ ° .✿ Song theme:

The sky looked alluring; the weather feeling somehow sultry,for it being 11’o clock at night. The problems you had stored in your mind just dawned on you. Family problems. Friendship problems. College classes. Rent expenses. It was to much to intake. It felt as if this was some bad karma going in late. It made your heart swell. Grabbing your frigid phone, you hold the power button turning off all communications. Expect for hearing the thoughts in your brain go haywire. Along with labored thumps of your swollen heart.

Meanwhile Brandon was biting through the skin on his fingertips, calling you but automatically getting a voicemail, the boys attempt too, getting the same automated response as him. Feeling more at ease of the intentions he thought you had.

Zion suspires “she could never block you out Brandon, just be placid for a minute and try again, maybe her phone is dead” Brandon knew he had a slight point, but his gut wouldn’t let him believe that, Brandon felt something wasn’t right, the body language you emitted on facetime, the way you didn’t joke around with him through text. Short replies, lots of “oh” and “lol” Brandon felt like you were stripped of your armor and left bare.

“I’m heading out” is the last thing he says before heading over to your house, to do something for you. He couldn’t just stand on the sidelines and let you hurt in pitch black void.

Grabbing the cookies out the oven, your only comfort food to maybe help place a band-aid on these painful bruises. Reminiscing on the times Brandon would come over and bake brownies for you. Brandon was the only person you felt like understood you and loved you unconditionally. While everyone played puppet master with your heart, telling you who to be. And shunning you out for who you really are. Sighing you grab all the cookies sliding them in the container. Heading back to the balcony; your door bell rings. Knitting your eyebrows in a form of confusion, you pomade towards the door.

There he stood, the water dripping down his onyx hair, sticking the blonde strands to his forehead his glasses fogged from the atmosphere, the veins in his head spiking Everytime he let out a cry for air.

“Brandon? Oh no never mind come in, why were you in the rain?” You ask; moving your shoes from the welcome, now his shoes take vacancy.

Pushing his damped hair from his face, showing you the rosy cheeks and coral print nose. “I came to see you” his voice sound so jagged, almost anxious. Brandon was having a rush for time, praying he would make it to you in time, he thought of possibilities you could be doing alone. He didn’t want to regret not telling you how he felt. You walk towards the bathroom and back with a towel in your hand,along with a blanket.

Catching the cold wind tingling up your spine as you both stared into each other’s orbs, falling deeper into a galaxy of unknown, contemplating what each other is thinking.

“What you though happened to me Brandon? That I got kidnapped or something” you cover your true feelings with humor; while towel drying his hair.

“I thought you killed yourself y/n” brandon bluntly speaks, your hands stop moving as your breath becomes stuck between your chest and vocal chords. Brandon knew you more than anyone, more than your parents. He knew something was fishy. And it would have killed him to lose you and he didn’t do anything about it. The tears you stored away for the pillows splattered on your cheeks, down to your shirt. Without a hesitation Brandon wraps his arms around your body; fiddling his fingers through your hair, holding your shards in his arms tightly.

Brandon closing his eyes, feeling his heart sting by each rumble against his chest from your everlasting heavy pain. Brandon loves you so much, wether it was being your boyfriend or bestfriend he needed you in his life. He would do anything to help you. Swaying your body side to side, his thumb caress your ear lobe, soothing every wound slowly. You just couldn’t take it no more. Being blamed, Mistreated, being a failure. You just wanted this pain to stop.

It’s been four years of feeling this pain, all you wanted was to numb it. To subtract yourself from everyone to relieve their pain and frustration. “I wanted to die, I really wanted to Brandon” hoarsely you speak into his hoodie. “I couldn’t take it no more, I didn’t want to be a burden any longer, I’m not happy here”

Brandon silences you by kissing the top of your head, your legs wrapped around his waist, carrying you to the backyard. Brandon’s heart disintegrating even more hearing those words slur out your lips. Your back against his chest, while he snakes his arm around you, holding you close to him as possible, the covers engulfing you both. The scent of his citrus musk with a side of coconut transuding in your airways. “I’m sorry to worry you..” you break the silence, not hearing him say anything made you more anxious. You felt his attitude will change, maybe breaking the friendship up. And that would be the dévastent blow.

“You remember when we were seven, and I fell on the concrete while skateboarding?” Brandon mumbles through your hair

“How could I forget?” You wipe your noise on a napkin Brandon handed you “I was freaking out from all the blood in your knees”

Brandon smiling an inch “and do you remember what you said?”,Your head tilts up at him coming in contact with his eyes right away “you said no matter what pain I am in that you’ll always be there for me” his fingertips removing fly away hairs from your face.

“That was also my vow to you as well, I wish you could see yourself through everyone’s lenses and realize we don’t beg you to be perfect, we don’t strive for you to be molded in a certain way, we adore your flaws, you’re not perfect none of us are, but you deserve to be treated as you are, you deserve to be loved the way you give out love”

“It took me years to develop a voice to inform you on this, but I love you, and not on a friendship level, I love you so much I get butterflies just thinking about the next time I’ll see you, my heart beats at a rate I’m sure isn’t humane, y/n I fell in love with you because they is no one like you, I fell in love with all the quirks you deemed to be toxic or ugly, those are what made me want you close to me, so please don’t leave me” his voice falls flat, his body vibrating against yours holding onto you tight. Slipping out of his arm to wrap your arms around his head, droplets falling on your chest. Feeling his fingers dig into your fabric.

His cries were louder than he’s ever cried, your heart felt devastated. That you even thought about leaving him behind. You wasn’t thinking how others around you would feel. But how could you? Everyone you’ve asked for help and guidance either turned you down or ignore your pleas.

Holding onto him tighter you kiss his head ever so softly, being super fragile with him, your thumb dancing across his skin. When he was done he looked so exhausted. Almost dead like, his skin was so pale, his nose and eyes burning in pink shades. His hair was a hurricane. You never wanted to see him like that ever again.

“Brandon?” You mumble, he didn’t answer. So you look up at him his eyes look like he was possessed. So dark, motionless. His eyes was just staring into an empty void. Grabbing his hand softly they slip in between your fingers. Finally he comes back to life, sighing heavily you lay your head on his knee. “I’m sorry, I’ll never make you worry ever again”

“Babygirl I am always going to be worried about you, in case you didn’t know you’re the red string connected to me, no matter where you go” Brandon’s nasally voice makes you smile, followed by his small smile “I like that smile”

“And I like how you call me babygirl” you encourage him

“Maybe I can make that a permanent thing” Brandon pulls you up to sit on his lap. Without a hesitation you sit down on his lap, wrapping your legs around his waist. “I would love that” you smile pressing your nose against his. His eyes dancing with yours as they move in sync with one another. Both of you making a move to kiss one another. The stars moved against each other to combine as one. His hands on your waist while you cupped his jawline. To grasp air you guys both pull away. Brandon starts to admire your beauty but you kiss all over his face.

“Look a shooting star!” You yell, closing your eyes you make a wish. While Brandon just gazes at you. What’s the point of making a wish when his moonlight was his now. The only thing he could wish for.

Was to make sure she knows she’s loved everyday. And he won’t stop until she knows.

#prettymuchimagines #prettymuch #brandon arreaga #prettymuch brandon #prettymuch blurbs #brandon imagines #Spotify

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Twenty-Seven: Miniature ___ ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

If there’s one thing Hinata is a fan of...it’s tiny things. She isn’t even really sure why...she just likes them. Always has. When she was little, she collected the miniature versions of Beanie Babies. Polly Pocket was one of her favorite toys, along with any teeny models of anything she could get her hands on. Little figurines, small animals, tiny dollhouses...the smaller, the better.

Even her handwriting is small. Neat and curvy, she even dots her i’s and j’s with tiny little hearts. During her doodling phase, there would be tiny little drawings along the sides of her assignments and notebooks. Then she got into things like knitting and crochet, and took to creating smaller and smaller versions of the projects she would find in books or online.

Even her height caps out relatively short in high school. By the time she’s a senior, she’s still only five feet four inches. Of course, she also has a rather curvy build, but that doesn’t bother her at all. She’s the shortest of her friend group, and earns herself the nickname pixie.

She loves it.

“So...what are we making today?”

“Huh?” Looking up from the cookbook she’s skimming through, Hinata gives a small start. She...sort of forgot she was in Home Ec class...whoops. They have a bit of a free day, and as always that means cooking with Sasuke. But though she’d started reading with the intention of finding something to make, she got a little...lost. A bit of a daydreamer, her focus isn’t always the best. A sheepish smile pulls at her lips. “Um...I dunno yet. You wanna pick?”

“Eh, I’m no good at it.”

Lips pursing thoughtfully, she absently flips through a few more pages before perking up. “Ooh...what about this?”

“Hm?” Glancing over, Sasuke grimaces just a hair: it’s a dessert. He still doesn’t like sweet things all that much.

“What?”

“Brownies?”

“Mhm! See, they’re supposed to be like, um...s’mores!” She turns the book to him, letting him see the picture right side up. “You make a graham cracker crust first, in the bottom of the pan. Then you make the brownies on top! Once those are done, you put a whole bunch of miniature marshmallows along the top, and broil them so they get browned. Doesn’t it look good?”

“Eh, I guess.”

Hinata gives a pout. “I still can’t believe you don’t like s-sweets.”

“They’re okay, I guess. It’s just easy for something to be too sweet, y’know?”

“No such thing!”

“Says you.”

“Well...we’ll make something savory next time,” she promises, turning the book back around. “I just...really want to use the marshmallows…”

“Oh yeah?”

“They’re so cute and tiny!” Hinata brings hands to her cheeks, smiling and going a bit pink. “Don’t you think?”

That earns a small snort of amusement. “Never really thought of food as cute before, no. But uh...I guess?”

“They are! Fluffy and soft and small…”

A grin softly curls Sasuke’s lips. The more he gets to know Hinata, the more he learns about her little quips and quirks. And so far, they all add up to a sweet, soft girl. Much like the marshmallows she’s so excited about. “All right, you win. They’re cute.” Like you.

...he...he did not just think that.

Jolting a bit as he realizes the thought, it thankfully goes unnoticed as Hinata turns to start gathering ingredients. Gripping over his mouth with a hand, he takes the opportunity to fight back a flustered flush. Darn this girl…!

“So, do you want to make the crust?”

“W-? Huh?”

“The graham cracker crust! It’s super easy,” she assures him, smiling. “You just need to melt some butter, and crush the graham crackers, mix them together...a-and press them in the pan to bake!”

“...sure.” Schooling his expression back to neutral, Sasuke does as asked, referencing the book as he goes. At least she has one thing right, it’s pretty straight forward. Using a ziplock bag, he smooshes the crackers with a rolling pin before mixing them into the butter. It actually...smells pretty good.

All the while, Hinata works on the brownie batter, humming idly to herself. Every so often, Sasuke gives her a glance from the corner of her eye, watching her go. A lot about her reminds him of his mother. Whenever she’s in the kitchen, she gets just as jovial, no matter what she’s making. It’s so boringly domestic, and yet...something about it brings a subconscious smile to his face.

“Ready to put it in the oven?”

“O-oh, uh...yeah.” Hurriedly getting it all packed into place, Sasuke puts the pan in, setting a timer.

“Okay, once that’s done we can do the brownies, and then the marshmallows!”

“So...we have marshmallows?”

“Mhm, right here.” Hinata shows the bag, which is...open. At his perked brow, she goes a little pink. “I...might’ve eaten one. Just to see if they were s-stale!”

“...and?”

“And, um...they’re fine!” She takes out another, squishing it between a thumb and forefinger with a giggle. “Nice and soft!”

Amused, Sasuke takes one as well, giving it a squish before popping it in his mouth. Almost immediately, he cringes at the pure sugary taste.

“W...what’s wrong?”

He shakes his head, forcing himself to swallow. “It’s just, guh...sweet.”

“You’d never survive a week at my house, I’ve always got sweets around,” Hinata laughs, indulging in another marshmallow.

“I dunno how you stand it. It’s just...too much.”

“Well, the taste changes a lot once they’ve been broiled, and along with the brownie and the cracker crust. Maybe that’ll be more your style?”

“Maybe.”

The timer dings, and once Sasuke fetches the pan, Hinata carefully spoons out the batter, smoothing it with a spatula and ensuring it’s nice and flat, with no splatters on the side. “There we go…!”

Then...more waiting.

“Here, you pick something for next time, okay?”

“Uh…” Accepting the book, Sasuke starts idly flipping through the pages. In truth, there’s...not a lot in here that isn’t sweet. “Maybe we need something other than baking, huh?”

Hinata blinks. “...you...probably have a point.” She moves to the little bookcase of cookbooks. “Anything look promising to you?”

He has no idea. Picking one at random, he flips a few pages before coming to a halt, eyes going a little wide. “...that one.”

Looking over his shoulder, Hinata brightens. “Baked Parmesan tomatoes…?” They look really easy to make. “...do you like tomatoes?”

“Yeah, they’re one of my favorite foods.”

“Ooh, aren’t there cherry tomatoes…? The little ones?”

At that, Sasuke gives her a glance. First miniature marshmallows, now little tomatoes? “...you have a thing for small stuff?”

The accusation makes her go pink again. “Well, I...s-sorta. I just think small stuff is...is cute!”

His prior thought nearly comes spilling out, and Sasuke has to clench his jaw shut before it tumbles out of his mouth. “...all tomatoes are good.”

“Then we’ll do this one next time! I’ll bring some fresh tomatoes from the store the next time we have a lighter day. If it was summer break, I could bring you some from my garden!”

��...you grow a garden?”

“A small one, yeah! I love plants, too!”

Is there anything this girl doesn’t love? “I’ve never grown anything...no idea if I’d be any good at it. Mom keeps a flower garden, but nothing you can eat.”

“I’ll have to bring you some!”

“...I’d like that.”

There’s a small, growingly-awkward silence, and then they’re blissfully interrupted by the timer. “...o-oh! Time to, uh...add the marshmallows!”

“...yeah.”

Carefully taking out the pan, they marvel at the two layers they have so far. “Okay, set the oven to broil, and I’ll add the ‘mallows!”

With everything in place, they put the pan back in, door cracked to make sure nothing burns. Soon enough, the smell of caramelized sugar wafts out, and Sasuke surprises himself at finding it pleasant.

“Okay, all done!”

...it looks glorious.

By then, they’ve drawn onlookers, and Hinata doles pieces out for the rest of the class. They take their own last, Sasuke looking at it curiously before taking a bite.

Hinata waits for a verdict.

A few seconds of chewing pass, and then he swallows. “...not bad. I like the bitter brownies, helps balance it out.”

“Yeah, I put in a bit less sugar to try to balance it out!”

“...you did?”

“I thought you’d like them better that way,” she replies, beaming.

He blinks. “...thanks.”

Once all is said and done, they clean up just as the bell rings. “Oh shoot, I need to get to practice, can you…?”

“I got it,” Sasuke assures her. “Get going.”

“Thank youuu!” Taking up her bag, she dashes out of the room with the others.

Left alone, Sasuke considers the bit of a mess, eyes lingering on the mini marshmallows.

...he’ll have to remember that.

                                                           .oOo.

     Back to the Home Ec AU! I...love this one a lot xD It's so gosh darn cute. Give it up, Sasuke - there's no resisting how stinkin' adorable Hinata is. You're as good as gone, my boy. Just give in and submit to the cute!      Anywho, I got more to get done tonight, so...that's all for now! Thanks for reading n_n

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #best years of your life [ au ] #365daysofsasuhina

[awgish]

The Reward: Jisoo x Reader

*A/N: Sorry for any mistakes! Thanks for all the likes on my last post, it really made me happy that that many people read what I wrote. I hope you like this one, it’s just all fluff. 

*Gif does not belong to me*

Jisoo feels guilty and she knows you wouldn’t want her too. You bought her another gift, and this time, she knows how expensive it is. Your gift to her, for your guy’s two-year anniversary, is a simple gold chain that has a small dog tag with her name engraved in it.

She saw the necklace online when she was looking for new accessories to buy when you and Jennie were over at her house to study for a test. Jennie had pointed out how pretty it was and suggested Jisoo to buy it as a reward for passing the semester. Jisoo almost does if it weren’t for you.

Money isn’t a problem for Jisoo. Her family is well off and she’s been living comfortably all her life. It’s when she met you, she’s more considerate of her money. Not that she wasn’t before. She knew what she needed and never got anything that wasn’t necessary. Now, she’s more considerate on the stuff she wants just incase you feel insecure that she could buy the things you couldn’t so easily, and that even if you couldn’t, you would work like no tomorrow until you had enough money to buy her what she wanted. She didn’t want you to suffer.

Jisoo knows your family is financially stable, but it’s only to an extent where you need a job too because your family can’t afford the things you want as freely as she can. She sees how tiring a job can be for a college student. You come to her apartment with droopy eyes and before she can ask you how your day was, you’re snuggling into her side and you’ve blocked off the rest of the world with your light snores.

Jisoo bought you a sweater you had wanted for a while for your anniversary. She remembered Lisa telling her that you wanted that sweater because some celebrity had it. She knew it would be easy to get, she just had to ask her parents for their credit card and buy it online. She didn’t think much about it first, but when she gave you your sweater, you jokingly said that she worked hard for it, but the both of you knew that she didn’t have to do anything.

You seemed to brush your comment off easily, but your words scared Jisoo. She worries that her wealth status is what drives you to buy expensive things for her. She enjoys your homemade gifts, like the beanie you knitted for her for Christmas, or the mini brownies you baked for her when she passed her economics test. The small things you placed into her life are what made her love you more.

She knows you know she doesn’t want you to buy such expensive gifts, but you only reply with: ‘It’s rewarding, cause I love you’. She wishes she could say the same thing, but she can’t, and it makes her feel insecure. She wonders why working so hard to buy her one expensive gift, is rewarding. What do you get out of it?

 Jisoo looks at the necklace you bought her. She promises to wear for as long as she can to make your money’s worth. The necklace fits perfectly, and it seems like it always belonged around her neck. She feels a warm tingle start from her belly and spread across her body. Soon an idea forms in her head and she’s calling her uncle for help.

  You’re helping you manager clean up the last few tables some last-minute customers decided to sit at. It was closing time and you got tomorrow off, so you were trying to leave your work place as fast as possible. The bell above the door rings and you roll your eyes in annoyance.

Can’t people read? You think to yourself. You’re about to tell the customer that you are closed for the night, but when you see Jisoo smiling at you sheepishly, your heart melts a little and you go in to hug her.

“What are you doing here?” You pull away enough, so you could see her face. Jisoo notices how tired you are. You’re wearing your glasses, which you normally never wear, and your hair is up in a messy bun. Your eyes also have bags underneath them, but she can’t help notice the lazy smile spread across your face.

“I missed you.” Jisoo goes in a gives a quick peck. You smile bigger at her touch and pull her towards the last table you cleaned up.

“Wait here, I just have to turn off the fro-yo machines.” Jisoo nods and waits for you. She looks down at her hands and she’s a little nervous than usual. Without your knowledge, while you were working, Jisoo was also working; she convinced her uncle to work at his famous cafe for four days, pulling in enough money to buy you a gift. She didn’t like it at first, but when she purchased your gift, the four days trying to figure out how to use a coffee grinder, was rewarding- she understood what you meant, this was the love you had for her, and she’s happy she could understand you a little better now.

The two of you are walking to your apartment, hand in hand. Jisoo still has the gift in her pocket and you’re telling Jisoo about this customer that ate four bowls of frozen yogurt in one setting. Jisoo laughs, only to cover up the fact that she isn’t listening to you because she is trying to plan out how to give her gift to you. But you know Jisoo too well.

“What wrong, babe?” You ask her. Jisoo quickly thinks of an excuse, but she doesn’t know what to say.

She looks up to you and see’s that you’re patiently waiting for her answer. She smiles, gaining some sort of confidence. She pulls the gift out of her sweater and says her words calmly. “Happy anniversary.” Jisoo says, and you give her furrowing eye brows and a cute head tilt.

“Jisoo, we already gave each other’s gift on Saturday.”

“I know, but this one is special.” Jisoo looks down to the ground. Was this how you felt like when you randomly gave her gifts out of nowhere? It’s kind of scary, she’ll admit, but she won’t take your rejection as answer.

“Jisoo, all your gifts to me are special.” You walk up to her and hug her firmly. Jisoo smiles. You always know what to say to make her feel better about herself. She pulls away just enough to place her gift in front of your face.

“This one is extra special. I actually worked for it.” Jisoo explains how her uncle let her work for four days and how she used the tip money to buy you another gift. You’re in complete awe when Jisoo gives you her signature heart shaped smile. “I wanted to work hard like you do, so I could understand why it’s so rewarding to spend so much time and money for me.”

“Jisoo,” you lean in and give her a chaste kiss. When you open the box, you see the same necklace you bought her. But with your name engraved on it instead. You didn’t know what to say. The fact that Jisoo worked for this is completely mind blowing, but completely heart-warming too. You could feel tears build up in your eyes and you give Jisoo the biggest hug you could.

When Jisoo seems your eyes glimmer, she goes in for another kiss. “I understand now- why you say it’s rewarding. It’s hard – and can be frustrating at times, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to you. I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too.” 

#blackpink scenarios #blackpink imagines #girl group scenarios #kim jisoo #fluff

[helenoftroybolton]

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week - My Story

Hi all.

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week and I’m gonna tell you something I don’t think I’ve shared in the past, like, anywhere.

I am, very much so, in constant recovery from an eating disorder. It can be best described as Restrictive Anorexia Nervosa and/or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, depending on which doctor you ask.

I’m going to go into the story of my eating disorder, the signs of it, the (very nonspecific) ways in which I carried it out, and how I am doing now. If it’s triggering or upsetting, please do not continue to read. But if you need to hear a story of a young woman who hasn’t “beaten” her eating disorder but  is living with it, just more in check these days, please read on. I love you, be safe.

I have always been an anxious person and my anxiety specifically manifests itself in both nausea, the inability to eat, and a fear of vomiting. So you know, it was pretty easy to not eat if I was afraid that the nausea was going to make me sick. Then, sometimes, I’d just be too exhausted to get up and eat, or even carry out the actions to eat at all. Well, surprise surprise, I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. So the anxiety makes me afraid to eat. The depression makes me too tired to eat.

I also thought I was super out of shape, always, even when I was probably in really great shape, because my heart would beat really hard and I’d feel faint and out of breath whenever I did any light exercise. Well, I also have a condition known as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, which basically means that my body thinks I’m bleeding out all the time, especially when I exercise. So when I don’t eat or drink enough, I get dizzy and need to sit or lie down for a while or else I may pass out.

So, lots of anxiety + nausea + fear of physical illness + feeling out of shape + Depression and lack of energy = solid building blocks of an eating disorder

The disorder itself began when I was a young teenager, before high school. My parents and a few close relatives, all of whom have struggled with their weight and were told by their doctors they needed to diet to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, made a concerted effort to diet with the express purpose to lose weight. That meant that everything from a dash of table salt or a pat of butter all the way to birthday cake was not only gone from my household, but shamed if anyone expressed desire for it. I watched the Sunday breakfasts turn into SlimFast shakes and freshly baked cookies looked at as if they were the downfall of the free world.

A friend of mine in middle school was tall, lanky, and incredibly insecure with how she looked I am sure. She’d often point out how her naturally high metabolism kept her thighs from touching while she sat down or how her stomach had no pouch while she wore a bikini. Myself, a girl who hit puberty before anyone else and with curves that are oddly ridiculed when you are young, felt that my body was just wrong. It had to be.

So, I restricted my food to the bland, saltless, fatless, almost carb free and sugar free diet of my father. I’d skip breakfast, because if I could conquer the most important meal of the day, I thought, I’d be happy. I’d eat a salad for lunch and drink a huge bottle of water and feel full but sloshy inside. I’d get home at eat a high fiber pita bread, counted to exactly 100 calories, or so sad the packaging, and one whole SlimFast shake which, the bottle said, could replace a whole meal for 200 calories, and then sit, fearing dinner. The best was when there was tons of slightly charred broccoli and unseasoned, tasteless lean ground turkey, cooked in a teaspoon of olive oil, because it tasted so disgusting I didn’t eat it. I was in control. And I was winning.

My family continued to struggle with weight and tell me at every turn just how jealous they were of me; how skinny I was, how little I had to eat, and how good I was about not eating sweets. The validation was incredible. I was always considered the “smart” cousin, but never the pretty one. My parents would wonder aloud how I could possibly be their child if my waist was so small with my dress size to match.

Occasionally, either in a prediction of genetics catching up to me or jealousy, my mother would often ridicule me for wearing “tight fitting clothes” that stretched across my chest (because they were designed like that) or would only buy large or extra large shirts (even if I was a size 2, at best) because I’d “eventually just grow into them.” Horrified by this prospect of taking up any more physical space in the world, growing into something my parents taught me was “ugly,” I tried even harder. I restricted more.

It got to the point that, while I was a senior in high school, I welcomed the flu that left me unable to eat, save for the occasional spoonful of broth and sip of water. I remember weighing myself, which I did at least ten times a day (when I woke up, before I showered, after I showered, with clothes on, with clothes off, before and after meals, before and after trips to the bathroom) I realized I had lost ten pounds in a week. How amazing! All I had to do was have a 104 degree fever and restrict every single part of my diet and I’d never have to worry about fulfilling my mother’s prophecy. I felt wobbly and frail, but my thighs didn’t touch, so I must be doing something right.

Eventually, I headed out to college and began my freshman year at a university in rural Rhode Island. The place was incredibly confining and claustrophobic by the fact that I couldn’t actually leave campus if I wanted to.  I was dating a handsome  yet incredibly shallow man who complimented me only on my body and gave the reasoning that, because I was “so hot” he wouldn’t cheat on me. I was lauded at Thanksgiving and Christmas by my family for not gaining the dreaded “Freshman 15″ which was easy when you were too worried about the calories in beer to drink at parties or stress eat. My parents visited me often and I rarely spent time alone on campus and would often pick up extra shifts of any one of the number of jobs I worked. I filled my time of extreme anxiety and depression with the control that food restriction gave me. I knit so I could relieve pent up anxiety feelings in a positive way. I rarely ate breakfast and often only ate health foods (when I ate any food at all) and survived mostly on quarters of Clif bars and still those wonderful SlimFast shakes that my father, very kindly, gave to me in case I “went hungry” when I didn’t want to eat dining hall food.

I transferred out of that terrible school to a women’s centered college in Boston which had programming, people, and resources that helped instead of hindered me. Still, I was surrounded by predominantly women or people assigned female at birth, who all were at least raised with an expectation of those good unattainable body standards. Lots of friends were still extremely into restricting food and exercising almost to a fault. But something was different. I was much much less depressed and wanted to be participatory in a way that required me to make a change.

When I figured out I was queer and started dating other queer folks, getting rid of the straight cis male gaze, it didn’t magically cure me. I did, however, get to feel a little bit more human than object during my time there. I took active steps to helping myself, because I knew by my junior year of college that this was an issue that wouldn’t be going away on its own and barely eating was making it hard to both stay awake and be present in the things I wanted to do.

As a first step, I decided that I would stop looking at scales all together. It stressed me out too much to know if I was weighing “too much” or “too little” and came to the comfortable understanding that, as long as I fit in this one pair of yoga pants. Or something. I don’t really remember. I stopped telling myself that the world was over if I ate a brownie. Actually, I just kind of started to eat the sweets I think I deserved. Ate good food? Check? Deserving of chocolate? Also check.

And it was hard to swallow, literally, when I saw my hips get even half an inch wider or my collarbone fading more into me. And I panicked and tried to stop eating, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t let myself hurt so much again. I had things to do now and a purpose and a future, not just a controlled environment of people who want to see me stay as small as possible. To “beat” the idea of largeness. To stay sick.

It still sucks. Every single day is a shitty battle with my own brain and body. Sometimes I feel like I’m doing better with it, like treating myself and not feeling like it’s the end of the world. Sometimes, I don’t , like when I use work being “too busy” for me to take a lunch break. 

Recently, I decided I wanted to start eating better and getting into shape by working out again. After a few days of eating healthily, but not adequately calorically, I started to fall down the same rabbit hole again. I need to stop eating carbs and meat and butter and cheese and oil and dessert and drink cold water because it burns more…wait. I had to stop.  

Little steps in the right direction.

Last night, I took a bath and watched my stomach bunch up and I thought to myself, oh god, what have I done? It used to be flat! Now it’s basically flat but there’s fat there. 

My eating disorder is never going to go away. Ever. It’s always going to be a part of me and how I interact with the world around me. Am I happy about this? No, not at all. If I could wish it away, I would.

Recognizing my negative behaviors and forcing myself to overpower them took 8 years and a whole bunch of therapists and friends who support me. There isn’t always some happy ending, but it’s not a sad ending either. In fact, there is no ending, at least not right now. It’s still going.

So that’s my story. Hope it helps or at least does not hurt anyone who has read it. I love you. Thank you for listening. 

#neda week #national eating disorder awareness week #tw: eating disorder #personal #recovery #long post #okay to reblog #also okay to message