#my mum used water and eggs

[nohoney]

bae now you're LEGALLY required to write something about c&c touya and reader taking care of their newborn. my heart ACHES

legally required you say (￢‿￢ )

Touya remembers the days of rolling out of bed from being out late at night, his body still exhausted and his head pounding with a hangover, needing more sleep, needing food in his stomach, and needing coffee and a smoke after a tiring night.

He’d go out to the balcony, light up a cigarette and inhale nicotine in between sips warm coffee.

The pairing he still believes is the best and can’t be topped.

He still drinks coffee but he’s given up the smoking, and instead of looking out at the balcony, now he looks out into the small backyard of the house you and him bought together. His body is exhausted after the long nights he’s had, but instead of being disgruntled by it, Touya holds no resentment.

Not with his newborn son being the reason why he’s tired.

“What’s with the face? You grumpy, hm? Got a bad attitude in the morning just like your mum?” Touya speaks to his son in his arms, fascinated with how his baby looks so curious but sometimes scrunching his little face like he doesn’t understand something. “Or maybe you’re making that face because you want her instead?”

Speaking of which, you shuffle out into the living room, pulling your arms through a cardigan and stifling a yawn. “There’s my boys,” you announce with a tired smile, “whatcha doing?”

“Nothing much, I was talking to him about his face. He was looking kinda pissed for a little.” Touya walks away from the sliding doors, carefully transferring his son into your arms and helping you sit down on the couch. His son makes a squirmy little sound but recognizes that he’s with his mother, turning his head when you coo over him.

It makes Touya feel sappy to see this before him, but he knows that once there’s crying or a soiled nappy, the feeling will momentarily leave until the baby is all settled.

“Gonna brew some coffee. You want your tea?” Touya offers and is given a little affirming hum from you, “You want breakfast too?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry.”

There’s been very little energy to cook since bringing the baby home. Touya remembers the second day wanting to make eggs but his body was too exhausted from staying up with you as you breastfed your baby in the early hours of the morning and then falling asleep when his son was full. Your mom was right to suggest prepping meals ahead of time and freezing them.

While the coffee brews, Touya is warming a frozen meal into a pot. He smells the coffee in the air and he sighs a little wistfully; he misses the cigarettes. Not even the little vape that he used as a substitute was touched after you reached your third trimester. The routine of stepping outside for a smoke was dearly missed.

He’s got your favorite mug filled with hot tea as he approaches you in the living room, only to find you sniffling and weeping a little. He was told that baby blues are normal and has been keeping vigilant whenever you have these moments.

“Doll? What’s wrong?” He asks you gently, putting the cup on a coaster first. Three days after bringing the baby home, you had burst into tears when Touya had put your cup of water down on the coffee table without a coaster, unreasonably lamenting about water rings on the wood.

You wipe at your tears and sniffle first, letting out an embarrassed laugh before telling him, “I don’t know. I told you I was hungry and then all of a sudden I felt like I wasn’t hungry, but I could already hear you warming up the food in the kitchen. And then I just started spiraling about how I was wasting your time making breakfast that I’m not even sure I wanted anymore.”

He leans over to kiss your forehead, murmuring that it’s okay but most like you are hungry and that he’ll take the baby so that you could eat in peace.

By the time you’re finished eating, you do feel better and your son starts getting a little squirmy to indicate that it’s his turn. You make yourself comfortable in the armchair and unfasten the strap to your top, sighing when your son latches at your nipple and talking softly as he’s fed. “Hey, no nodding off just yet. Gotta make sure your tummy’s full so that you can sleep.”

It’s been about nine days since the baby has been home, and it almost feels surreal to Touya that almost every conversation you and him have had together centers around the baby boy. Talking about things like the little hairs on his head, how he blinks, the way he seems to recognize Touya’s music when it’s played, and having whole conversations about what’s considered normal inside of a nappy. When your sister and her husband spoke of their own daughter when she was a newborn, Touya couldn’t really understand the fascination that they had.

Now he gets it.

#dabi x reader #todoroki touya x reader #dabi fluff

[themultifandomgal]

Harry Styles- Midnight Feast

Harry and I have been together for years. We started off as childhood friends, my parents and I moved next door to Anne, Gemma and Harry when I was 10. We ended up going to the same school together. When we were 16 Harry and I started dating. I went with him to his X-Factor audition, moved to London with him when we were 17. I went to collage then uni to then I traveled around the world with Harry after One Direction split up. I got a job as his assistant media manager. In 2022 we married after a 4 year long engagement and now with Harry taking a brake from touring we decided now would be the right time to try for a baby. Thankfully for us it didn’t take too long and I fell pregnant within 4 months of us trying.

I’m now 6 month pregnant and both of us are so excited to welcome a baby into our lives. Thankfully I barley had any morning sickness, however I'm so hungry, like all of the time. Today I ended up going to the nearby bakery to by cakes and biscuits to help subside my cravings. It's now 9pm and I'm lying in bed with Harry, wrapped up in his arms. His hand gently placed on my bump. I sigh feeling hungry, even though Harry and I had our tea only an hour ago

"What are you thinkin’ ‘bout love?" Harry asks rubbing his thumb over my bump

"About how I could eat a whole fucking cow" I giggle. Just as I say that my stomach growls

"You hungry little one?" Harry asks looking at my tummy "shall I get you and mummy something to eat"

"It's ok. You've had a long day writing. Go to sleep, I'll get myself..." I start to get out of bed but Harry pushes me back down gently

"I'll get you something to eat. You relax"

"H it's fine I...."

"Let me spoil and look after my wife" he leans down and kisses my lips sweetly

"Ok" I watch Harry practically jump out of bed and run out of the bedroom making me giggle. How did I get so damn lucky?

In no time at all my husband has reappeared with all of my craved foods, chocolate cake with strawberries and cream. My stomach growls again making Harry laugh

"Ok ok I'm coming" he hands me a the plates as he gets back into bed

“Your letting me eat cake in bed?” I raise any eyebrow. Harry hates food in bed, I often get scolded for bringing food upstairs with me.

“Just don’t drop any. I'll change the sheets tomorrow" I give him his plate and we both tuck in

"I asked your mum if the hunger would go, like the sickness did, but she said it's only going to get worse. Even after I have the baby I'll be hungry because of feeding him or her. I'm gonna be huge"

"No you won't" I look at my husband with raised eyebrows “even if you are your pregnant”

“What about if I don’t loose the baby weigh”

“Then I will still love you because you will have created our baby. Kept them safe for 9 months and worked so damn hard to look after yourself for those months. I have loved you from the age of 15 and I promise that won’t change ever”

“15? We stared dating when we were 16”

“I was to shy to tell you that’s why Gem had to set us up. Now get that cake down you and feed my child”

The following morning I wake up to an empty bed, but the smell of bacon immediately makes my mouth water. I get out of bed and wrap my gown around my body. My stomach growls as I descend the stair

"I know little one. I'm hungry as well" I rub my tummy and enter the kitchen

"Good morning, I thought I'd let you sleep in this morning, so I've cooked you some bacon and eggs"

"Thank you" I give Harry a smile and kiss his cheek "this one is feeling hungry, let me know when I woke up this morning"

"Well then. You best sit at the table and I'll bring over your food" I do as Harry says and I sit down at our kitchen table. He puts a plate down in front of me and once again my stomach growls

"Told you” I chuckle “I hope they look like you"

"I hope they have your heart, your kind smile"

"I can't wait for next 4 months to be over"

"Neither can I" Harry kisses my forehead then joins me, sitting opposite me with the same food on his plate. My life will soon be complete and I can't wait.

#harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #dad harry styles #harry styles x oc #harry styles fanfic rec #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles x pregnant!reader #harry styles x wife

[fanficriter]

can u do kaidou shun dating hcs!?!?!?

UM YES I LOVE HIM????

——————————————————————————-

Dating Kaidou Shun

Warnings - None

Characters - Kaidou Shun

Gender neutral reader

Notes - Sorry this is a bit short, I’m a bit sick atm

——————————————————————————

- If you dress in Emo/Gothic clothes, expect him to fall for you like 10 times faster

- When he finally asked you out, he slide you one of those notes with the little yes or no checkboxes down the bottom

- He is definitely scared if the dark, he won’t admit it

- “The Jet Black Wings is scared of nothing! C-could you turn the light back on though?”

- He loves it when you play along with his little fantasies, it makes him feel loved

- LOVES physical affection!! But he does get very shy, especially when it’s in public

- Very shy when it comes to kisses. He will give you a peck on the lips and run away blushing

- If you surprise him with a kiss, he kinda just stands there for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened

- He is a clingy little shit tbh

- Loves cuddling with you sm

- He also love quality time, he’s inviting you everywhere everyday at all times

- Study sessions together always 🙏🙏

- If his mum likes you, expect home cooked meals every time you come over

- Literally is a shaking, nervous ball when meeting your parents

- “I promise to take care of them! I-indubitably!!”

- Your parents love him

- I feel like he really good with kids, so if you have younger siblings, they absolutely adore him

- Every time he comes over they will run up and hug him

- You feel like they love him more than you atp

- Has a huge hero complex, so he will protect you from all the bullies! But your usually the one whose protecting him…

- When his classmates make fun of him for talking about Dark Reunion, your always there to comfort him

- He doesn’t know how to swim, so you teach him. He tries to act tough though the whole thing

- “If I released my full power in the water… i’d course a tsunam- Y/N HELP IM DROWNING”

- For your birthday he always has a homemade present and a 10 page essay for a card

- He was definitely a night core kid

- Angel with a shotgun is HIS JAM (me to)

- He uses emoticon while texting

- “Hey angel! ^_^ Do u want to go get ramen with me tmrw? o(｀ω´ )o”

- Can also speak irl with them??? He just does it and no one says anything about it

- Your name is his phone is definitely something like ‘My Fallen angel’ or ‘My Queen/King of Darkness’

- Is oddly good at singing?

- Every time he’s in the shower you hear him having his own little concerts

- He’s insanely talented at eyeliner

- Will sit in your lap and do yours if you let him

- MATCHING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES ARE A MUST!!!

- This could very from being bacon and eggs, to being undead lovers, he doesn’t care! As long as he gets to look cute with you, he’s up for anything!

- He’s always talking about you to his friends

- “Me and Y/n went to the movie theatre yesterday!!”

- “Check you this cool ring Y/n got for me!

- “Did you see Y/n’s outfit today?”

- Your his first real partner, and he loves you a lot. You guys are always looking after each other!

- Also he’s a twilight fanboy so you have a twilight wedding 🙏🙏

——————————————————————————

I love Kaidou Shun goodnight tumblr (´-ω-`)

#the disastrous life of saiki k. #fanfic writing #tumblr #ao3 #the disaster of psi kusuo saiki #the disasterous life of saiki k #shun kaidou #kaidou shun x reader #kaidou shun #kaidou x reader #k #saiki k #kusuo saiki #fandom #fanfic #writers on tumblr #tumblr fanfic

[leiflitter]

Some of my favourite Felix quotes from the early chapters of YAH! because I love that idiot so much.

“It was two thousand and six. I wasn't about to start batting my eyes at the rugger lads, Ollie. And I'm lazy. Girls were easy.” - Chapter 4

“I won't be alone, I'll have Oliver with me. Gives us a chance to do some middle-aged man stuff- sit around and watch 1917 or Das Boot-” - Chapter 10

“So you do want to kiss me?” - Chapter 12

“Not to ruin the moment, Olls, but my knees are killing me. Reckon we could wriggle about a bit?” - Chapter 14

“He should be thanking you. Don't get me wrong, Olls, I'm not angry- but you should have crept into my room. I'd have tossed him out on his ear if you'd woken me up, gave me an impromptu handy and asked me nicely.” - Chapter 15

“Christ alive, if I had a monster like that I'd sack off the degree and go into adult entertainment.” - Chapter 16

“Oh, yeah. Firstly, I've learned- from much experience- that if you cum in hot water it gets a bit… sticky. Googled it once- something about the protein- it's just rather grim. It's why I try to float about a bit- not to ruin the mood, though, I know how you felt about runny eggs- tell me to shut up if I'm cockblocking myself, yeah?” - Chapter 17

“Well- you touch me, I touch you. Take positions, count down from three and off we go. One hand only, first to get their, erm, horse to the finish wins.” - Chapter 18

“Then at breakfast you can go oh, how's Sir Catton today? And I can go oh, ha-ha, raring to go- but do call me Felix. And nobody'd be any the wiser… Ooh, and I can send Fredders to come find you, and if he goes Sir Catton would appreciate your presence you know I'm up for it, eh?” - Chapter 19

“I was fed up with everyone going on about Wimbledon- Federer was everywhere in those shorts, Venetia and mum kept going on about his legs, and I just thought the whole look was pretty awful. So…Formal Tennis.” - Chapter 20

“You're driving me absolutely bonkers. I had to lie to Lu- told her I couldn't get off because I was sad about Venetia.” - Chapter 21

"It's you, Professor. I'm hopelessly in love with you and I just can't do anything except think about you.” - Chapter 22

“Christ on a bike. Runny eggs at mach fucking five." / “Olls? Your cock's out, mate.” - Chapter 23

“But indulge me a little- this sex with men business, Ollie, how do I hold up in the rankings? Top ten- top three- oh no, don't tell me-” - Chapter 24

“We can always do with another hand about the place- and you're already settled in at the house. You can cuddle Dozie in the Mornings, tutor Harry in the afternoons and we can be boring old men in the evenings. Sounds perfect to me.” - Chapter 25

#you're almost home #leiflitter writes #felix catton #saltburn fanfic #saltburn fanfiction #cattonquick #felix catton/oliver quick #saltburn fic #felix catton quotes #yah!posting

[fountainpenguin]

"And honestly, I think you're fine! I mean, you're beautiful... about 84% of the time!" (x)

---

New Dog's Life chapter today! ~ 3rd Life series fan-season

Chapter 21 - “Heat (Martyn, BigB)”

❤️ Read on AO3

💛 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

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A frustrated Martyn is left alone to babysit the Fox Dragon’s eggs. He texts Grian, Scott, Cleo, Mumbo, and Ren, then gets in three fights within an hour.

Meanwhile, BigB checks if Impulse's new farm designs are ethical for the villagers involved and Bdubs walks in on a dynamic that catches him off guard. Huzzah for server hub politics!

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

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InTheLittleWood - Phantom

Status: Bored

Acting captain of New Star Station's phantom hybrid flock

💙  🧡  💚

"Iron… water… charcoal… salt… Ugh." Martyn leans all his weight against the lab table, blowing his lips. "Wow, this would be so much easier if I had an admin panel- none of this back-and-forth rabble. Why don't I ever look these things up when I'm on-server?"

The fox eggs, being eggs, don't respond. Martyn had to peel his eyes from them to focus his attention on the lab table, though he keeps his tail resting on the ground, lightly wrapped around the nearest one. If someone flutters down on the flock roost platform, he'll hear them. And if someone creeps on tiptoes across the landing, the vibration will rattle up his spine. He's a great caretaker. This is going just swell.

And it's not a bad gig, actually, stuck up here on the clock tower... so long as you don't mind the squawking and banter of parrot hybrids in the southern park whose voices carry back all this way. Let them sing you the song of their people; we're all sparky-frustrated up here in Between. Gods, that stupid moon.

Grian: i maen its no surprise if its rough. wild phantom idle ambiance uses live young w/o eggs or nests. the hybrids were the same back in my world Grian: well undead young but ykwim Grian: like its your bat side and not your vulture side is what im saying Grian: or whatever else you are InTheLittleWood: k InTheLittleWood: thanks g Grian: yeah sure InTheLittleWood: wait how do undead hybrid babies work? Grian: ? were you born alive? InTheLittleWood: ?? I thought I was? I was adopted as an egg tho, I didn't hatch in Linda's nest. Never thought to ask "Hey Mum and Dad, was I born alive?"

He pats the nearby eggs as Grian starts to type. Should he put his crocs back on? Is it rude to put your smelly feet up on a spawn egg? They can't sense that, right? Nah… They're not even born yet. The very beginnings of a soul might be in there (Maybe? He's not sure how it works), but they only hatch once an account links up to them. This clutch only has a few dozen eggs.

Martyn rests his hands on his stomach, counting down the ticking seconds. Thousands and thousands of eggs hatch every day, more or less in the order they were laid by one of the 98 dragons across Between. Sometimes siblings and camera twins are born the same species. Sometimes another dragon dropped a few of her own in a nest at the same time, so there's a split.

On rare occasion, two souls bundle in a single egg- That's where you get identical twins like Grian and Two. How much longer before these foxes start spawning? It can't be long now.

Gods, imagine if every single one hatches two souls… That'll be at least 60, 70, 80 fox hybrids scampering around up here. I should probably take them down to ground level. The base of the tower is a big empty room, offering nothing but the stairs and the doorway out.

Grian: i think mumbo said the phantom dragon carries the eggs in her throat pouch Grian: its what the alligator dragon does and she lives in the swamp near mumbo's spawner with joels mom InTheLittleWood: Suddenly I think I owe my parents some cards and gifts. I knew adopting phantoms was rare but I didnt realize grabbing an egg probably means crawling inside Linda's mouth and escaping before she bites you, geez 😳 InTheLittleWood: unless they just got my egg right after it was laid Grian: when the spawnlings hatch they eat the souls shes been carrying in there Grian: lol Grian: i mean mumbo got paid the big $ to do egg stealing runs, its why he had the last allay aggs Grian: eggs

Martyn lifts his brows, staring at his comm screen. If you measure by years instead of levels, he's older than Mumbo. Mumbo definitely didn't grab his egg, but how weird would that be? You marry the man who kidnapped you as a baby… That's just weird.

Granted, he does hail from a well-off family. The term "well-off" is ambiguous when you're off-server, but the gist is that his parents actually do have diamonds whereas most of Between's natural resources have been picked over out in the wild.

Growing up, he always just assumed his parents ended up with a phantom egg because that's what they bid for when the adventurers - usually, but not always wandering traders - went out on adoption runs to the dragon nests. His mum's an otter hybrid and his dad's a raven: a rare predator and a rare scavenger most people don't even know are native in the game.

Otter code was prepped for Minecraft Dungeons, but never made it beyond early concepts. Nonetheless, they exist. They're called a Tweenborn mob- something meant to exist, but never truly crossed into one of the main dimensions. Ravens actually did make it into the Dungeons spin-off, but only went public as cosmetic pets. You don't fight them, but they hang around anyway.

Most people thought his parents were modded and would do a double-take if they ever mentioned the Otter Dragon or Raven Dragon, who rarely get the mental pings to build nests and lay eggs. Growing up, they used to introduce Martyn as "their phantom kid" and urge him to show the wings and his baby fangs.

Was I a trophy kid? he wonders now. He wouldn't put it past them. Love his parents he may, but they did chase a lot of status symbols. Being rich enough to afford what must've been a wizard-level egg retrieval - potentially from the depths of Linda's gular pouch - may have been too good to resist.

Martyn stares a little more, rubbing his thumb across the edge of his communicator. I haven't seen my parents since before my EVO days. Maybe he should go. He can fly fast and be back in a snap. Would Scott allow that?

I guess it doesn't hurt to ask.

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top]

#trafficblr #Martyn InTheLittleWood #bigbst4tz2 #ZombieCleo #Grian #Zombiewood #Ahasbands #MumboJumbo #BigB #'Shirtless Martyn flopped on floor surrounded by dragon eggs & feeling sorry for himself' is my favorite genre #Dog's Life #Dog's Life art #fic announcement #ridwriting #mcyt #apparently art #I have a lot of favorite chapters but this one for sure #If you've never seen the movie this song comes from... perhaps consider it. it's a ride to be sure...

[ddejavvu]

Rooster, my soulmate, I had to try so hard not to look too happy during the beach scene because I was watching the movie with my mum.

Rooster and his girlfriend live in a nice house not too far away from Mav, quaint, they had only 3 requirements.

1. Room for a study or a quiet room, somewhere for both of them to relax, complete with hanging egg chairs and big armchairs and blankets and cushions.

2. A large garden, they're always the hosts and they love it, and Rooster has a small shed (I cant think of a better word) that he uses as his gym, it has all his equipment. Enough room for the dog they inevitably buy to run around and the cat that inevitably comes with it to sunbathe.

3. At least 2 extra bedrooms. Why? If they ever want a kid for 1, and for 2, their house is always open to their navy friends and family whenever. Its stocked to the rafters, all the toiletries needed, a little snack, everything. Amelia needs a place to stay to get away from Mav and Penny? Spare bedroom. Hangman had a bad night and needs to sleep off the shame? Spare bedroom. Anyone is welcome anytime

send me more top gun requests!

no bc i repeated the beach scene 4 times on the plane and i know the man behind me was 🤨

HANGING EGG CHAIRS. okay but they need the armchairs too because rooster can't spend 5 minutes without her in his lap and his egg chair broke when they tried it </33

rooster seems like the type of guy to pet a dog by slapping its side and the dog looooves it. and the kitty curls up on his chest and snoozes and it doesn't matter where he is in the house he is not moving. one time he got stuck in the bathroom for three hours 'cause the cat came by while he was replacing the toilet paper roll and he'll be damned if he bothers the cat. he starts sitting where the sun shines on your couch just so that the kitty comes around and dozes on him :')

his little gym!! you bring him out fresh water bottles 'cause he goes through 'em so fast and he's all sweaty and he insists on hugging you so that he can press himself against you and then you sit and watch him work out :')

amelia shows up one night on your front doorstep and you're instantly panicked because wtf where are her parents?? and she tells you very grouchily that they're having too much sex for her to concentrate on her homework so she studies at your house pretty frequently - except mav and penny realize that she does this every day at a certain time so they just get to fuck more <3

one time hangman crashes there and he comes downstairs in amelia's fluffy slippers and you just stare at him like... and he goes 'i thought they were included with the room..'

#rooster #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley rooster bradshaw x y/n #rooster x y/n #rooster x you #top gun #top gun x reader #top gun maverick #top gun maverick x reader

[yelenasdiary]

13 with florence pugh please

Summer Getaway

Pairing: Florence Pugh x Reader 

Summary: You invited Florence to come along to a week away at your family’s cabin.

| Fluff | 1.01K | No Warnings | Florence & Reader are 18. 

Prompt: "l’ll say we'll take the boat out. Just you and me." From THIS list. 

AC: Ignore the fact this gif doesn't really go with the story.

Every Summer your family would spend a week away at a cabin that has been passed down from your grandfather to your father who has said when he passes, you and your younger brother, Alex, would have the cabin to share. 

The cabin was located near a large lake, surrounded by tall green trees, wildlife calling throughout the night and a clear view of the night sky. It was tucked away well enough for privacy, not needing to worry about any ‘neighbours’ making complains about loud noises if you were to throw a party. 

Florence tagged along every now and then if she was free. Florence is one of your closest friends. You guys have known each since your first day of school, so it was never a surprise to your parents when you’d come home and announce that Florence was coming along for the week getaway. 

Little did your family know that Florence and you had recently admitted you both had feelings for each other and wanted to take things slow and private. 

“I really want to spend the day with you, just us” Florence’s morning voice made you smile. Being friends for so long neither of you care to share the bed together but now it was different, it was exciting. 

“We can do that” you replied with a smile. 

“Away from your brother?” 

“And my parents” you added, brush a lock of hair out of her face. “How do you plan on making that happen? I love your family, I do but – “

“I know” you chuckled, “super in our faces this year” you add. 

“Only because we’re about to go to college and what not” 

You playfully rolled your eyes remembering how much your mother has been on your back about packing the things you truly needed. 

“I wish my parents were as chill as yours” you chuckled. 

“They are, it’s just that Toby has already done college so they kind of let all that stress and worry out on him and you’re the eldest so they’re going to stress” 

“I guess but it’s still frustrating! Mum won’t stop nagging me about packing, we still have all summer before we go so, I don’t see the harm in waiting until the last week of summer to pack”

“Let’s just enjoy the summer while we can before we’re slammed with exams and assignments again” Florence said before giving you a soft kiss. “Now, how do you plan to get us some time to ourselves?” Florence asked. 

“We’ll have breakfast and if dad asks what we want to do today, I’ll say we’ll take the boat out. Just you and me” 

“Will take work? I know how your dad gets about boat” Florence chuckled. 

“Yeah, it should be fine. It needs a run anyway, plus Alex is probably going to want to get his motorbike out so dad will help him with that” 

“Girls! Breakfast is ready!” your mother called from downstairs before Florence could reply.

After a big breakfast of eggs, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages, and sides of pancakes and of course, beans for those who enjoyed them, your father agreed you could take the boat out for a few hours as long as you took a walkie talkie in case of any emergency. 

Florence was the first to shower and get dressed, wearing a peach-coloured playsuit, her hair in a messy bun and layers of gold jewellery, topped with her iconic sunglasses. “Are you ready?” she smiled with excitement as you returned downstairs after having a shower. 

“I’m just going to grab a few sandwiches and some bottled water then we can go” you smiled as you walked into the kitchen. Your mother was always on top of things, after she’d have breakfast, she’d make up salads or sandwiches and put them in the fridge for lunch, saving time making them later.

“She’s all ready to go kid!” Your dad wore a proud smile after getting the small boat ready. 

“Thank you, dad! I’ll be careful and if anything happens, I have the walkie talkie” you assured him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “She’s got fuel and some back up under that blanket if you need. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” 

“I promise” you smiled once more before making your way over to the boat. Your dad untied it from the wooden post and gave you a light push further into the lake as you got the engine to start. Your dad being the protective father he is, waved you both off until you were out of sight. Florence giggled before leaning over to kiss you properly now that you were both along. 

“I know a place we can chill unless you’d rather just float in the middle of the lake” you smiled after she pulled away. “I don’t mind what we do”.

You drove the boat a little further away from any signs of life before letting the boat just float above the water. Florence stripped from her playsuit, showing her light blue bikini underneath. “Are you coming?” she asked, throwing her playsuit on top of the blanket that covered the fuel from the hot sun. “Let me just put the anchor out” you smiled, flicking the switch that automatically released the medium sized anchor. 

Florence jumped into the warm water as you stripped into your own bathing suit before joining her. She swam close to you, wrapping her arms around the back of your neck as you placed your hands on her hips. Both of you kicking your legs to keep you both afloat. 

“I don’t say it enough but you’re so beautiful” Florence said softly, looking to your eyes through her sunglasses. “You don’t need too; you already show me” you gave her a soft smile. “I’m going to miss you so much when we go to college” she sighed with a little frown. “Don’t think about college right now, just enjoy the summer with me” you replied before kissing her once again, “right now, it’s just us” you whispered against her lips. 

Taglist: @red1culous | @bentleywolf29 | @natasha-belova | @jeyramarie | 

#florence pugh #florence pugh x reader #fanfiction

[picnokinesis]

What are your three favorite family recipes?

Oh man, okay so this has been in my inbox for AGES (I'm so sorry!!) because I was like damn, this is such a cool ask, but honestly I wouldn't say my family has any 'family recipes' so to speak, at least not anything that I'm aware of as something that's been passed down, y'know? I think this is mostly because my mum is a fantastic cook, and generally found/came up with her own recipes rather than doing anything my gran taught her haha. I learnt pretty much everything about how I cook from her, which is what I would describe as 'a vibes-based approach', where rather than precise measurements, she'll say 'oh a bit of that, a bit of this', and also ignore half of what the recipe says and do her own thing. She makes roux sauce without measuring anything and by pouring all the liquid in at once, and just whisking it like a mad thing to get rid of the lumps hahaha

So then, following on from that, I figured actually whilst I don't really have any passed-down family recipes (other than like, my mum's amazing quiche, which I do not know how to make myself rip), I do have recipes that I've made up, based on other recipes! So I'll quickly tell you about those!

Courgette Pesto Pasta Ingredients:

Pasta (I use 50g of penne per person)

1 onion (or half if you're only cooking for one person)

Mushrooms (like. a bunch. follow your heart)

Courgette

Bacon (2 slices per person)

Pesto

Lemon Juice

Butter

So you'll need to chop up everything before hand (or, if you're like me, time it with how long it takes the kettle to boil, but I have a gas kettle that takes 5-10mins to boil, and also screams at me). So: chopped onions, sliced mushrooms, sliced courgette, and cut the bacon into little squares. Then - kettle boils and pasta goes on. By the time you're done with cooking everything, the pasta should be about ready.

Put the courgette in a small pan, and add a lump of butter, some lemon juice and a bit of some of the boiled water left over from the kettle. The aim of the game here is that the water/lemon juice is gonna boil off and leave the butter behind to fry the courgette a little before adding it in with everything else, so only have enough liquid that it doesn't quite cover the top layer of courgette. Then whack that on the heat. Grab a wok, throw some oil in and start frying the onions. After a few, throw in the mushrooms. Then, add the bacon. I personally like my wok-fried food a little seared, so when it's getting crispy, the courgette will hopefully be beginning to fry in the other pan. At this point, I usually tip the courgette AND whatever liquid is left in that pan into the wok, and start frying it all together. By now, it should have been about five or ten minutes, so test the pasta, see if it's cooked. When it's ready, drain the pasta, turn the heat down on the wok and then add the pasta. Then mix in a healthy teaspoonful of pesto for as many people as you're making it for, and that's it!

Potential variations:

So my mum makes this one differently - no lemon juice, no courgette, no pesto. Instead, she cuts up a red bell pepper and adds that into the wok after the bacon, and adds in a ton of Philadelphia cream cheese for the sauce. It tastes incredible haha. I've also made a variation on this where it's the same as my mum's version, but I add in a couple of teaspoons of sun-dried tomato pesto as well, which was glorious. And then the other day I made up a new variation, which takes my version of the recipe as outlined above, but uses grilled vegetable pesto instead of normal pesto - and then, before serving, beat one egg per person in a mug, and pour that into the wok and stir it in throughout. That was AMAZING

Quail Egg Carbonara Ingredients:

Quail eggs (5 per person)

Pasta again

Single cream

Butter

Parmesan cheese (1 hearty tablespoon per person)

Mushrooms

Bacon (again, two slices each)

Okay so you don't have to use quail eggs. However, I get quail eggs for free from work because we have like, six or seven quails HAHAH so we get a ton of eggs and most of my co-workers don't eat them so I make the most of it. This recipe is based on a recipe from a cook book that I have, but the proportions are kinda whack, so I riffed off it, and I use quail eggs because the yolk to egg white ratio works out better, I think? However, you can absolutely try and use a chicken egg - my mum tried this the other day and just used one chicken egg per person, and she said it was fine, just a lot more liquid than my version haha.

Anyway. This one is so simple. Make the sauce first: beat all the eggs together in a large bowl, then add a lump of butter and the single cream (I'm so sorry. It's like - okay, last time I made it, I wanna say I used about 100ml cream to cook for three people, and a healthy sized lump of butter. But it's a vibes based approach. Follow your heart) and then 1 hearty tablespoon of parmesan cheese per person. Yes, it's a lot. That's because this recipe is good for the soul. Anyway - important note, do NOT MIX the ingredients together. Just throw them into the bowl and let it stand. Put the pasta on to cook, and then fry the bacon in a frying pan (oh, the bacon and the mushrooms should be chopped). After the bacon is getting on, add the mushrooms. Again, we love these slightly seared. THEN. When the pasta is cooked - do NOT turn off the heat, but turn it down, and then drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add the mushrooms, bacon and pan juices into the pan with the pasta, put it back on the low heat, and then pour everything in that bowl into the pan and mix it together. The og recipe was like 'turn the heat off, the heat of the pasta will cook the eggs!!' but I don't trust that lol so I do keep it on the low heat as I stir it for about a minute or so, and then I take it off the heat and serve it immediately. With more parmesan on top, of course.

The other three main things that I cook that are actually pretty decent/interesting come from some recipe books that I have, but they are: Sausage and Bacon Casserole, Chicken in Cider (this one is AMAZING and also so easy but looks very impressive haha), and Pork in Apple Gravy (also amazing, but less simple - you kinda make a roux sauce but use apple juice rather than milk!). I also like a lot of vegetarian food, so my mum and I work together to make a really lovely nut roast from an old recipe book, and also stir fry with cashew nuts fried in soy sauce, and I'm actually hoping to try and make a vegan version of that first recipe with pine nuts and cashews rather than bacon for my vegan friend who makes her own pesto at some point!

Anyway!! Hope the person who originally asked me this sees this lol, and if not I hope it's interesting for other people! I'm always interested in new recipes that don't involve spices because I'm very weak when it comes to heat in food (like......peppery sauces taste spicy to me RIP) so if anyone has any recommendations, send them my way!

#long post #taka replies #taka cooks #recipes #cooking #anon #I've been meaning to answer this one for ages so this was fun!! #i actually like cooking a lot #I used to really struggle with food so maybe it's because i like being able to choose what's in it sKSKSKS #but also idk it's just nice #except for when i'm tired then it's hell HAHAH #my sister is fabulous at baking though and i have No Idea about that

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Cook

Two very awkward wizards flirt and have a heart-to-heart. SFW.

Martha Hylfyst watched the Wizard of Waterdeep at the campfire with great interest, the open book she was holding long forgotten. She had not expected Gale to be the one who assumed the role of camp cook but was glad of it because he’s just that good. Just as good as Aunt Luci, and that’s a very high compliment.

“If you don’t go over there and speak to him, then I will make you, darling.” Astarion teased, walking by the front of Martha’s tent. “I’ll tell him you have your pretty little eyes on him—”

She squeaked, slamming the book shut. “No!” The half-elf stood and placed the book on the chair she was sitting on. “I’ll…talk to him.” Right. Talk to him. Like a person talks to another person. Not like how a silly thirty-year-old, who’s been rejected by numerous suitors, talks to a charming, kind, funny, sweet wizard of great renown.

Astarion giggled as he reached his tent. “This is going to be quite the show!”

Fuck.

What would Da say? “Just be yourself.”

Mum? “Be strong and confident. You are a Hylfyst and a de Fontaine---act like it.”

Aunt Luci? “Follow your heart, sweetie. And make sure there’s nothing in your teeth!”

Pushing her shoulders back, she tried to maintain a confident yet relaxed walk to the campfire. “Smells good, Gale.” She said with a small smile, her golden eyes sparkling.

He glanced upwards and grinned. “Thank you, Martha! Please, come and join me.” Gale watched as she sat next to him, her hands folded in her lap. Just like Mum and Aunt Luci taught me. “I found some spicy sausages among our rations. That, combined with flour from the Grove, eggs, and water, to make a rudimentary pasta, and fresh milk and spices to make a sauce…” His smile grew even wider. “Well, it’s a lovely pasta dish I would make if I were at home. Something delicious that soothes the soul.”

“Sounds like how I cook at home too.”

Stirring the sauce gently, he raised an eyebrow. “A lady of House Hylfyst cooking?” He then winked at her. Oh, he’s teasing me. Well, I’ll show you!

She wrinkled her freckled nose and smirked. “My godmother, Countess Luci Wildheart, taught me. I enjoy it, especially cooking for me and my friend Nadia. I think I mentioned her before, right? We live together in a small house in Baldur’s Gate.” Stop. Rambling.

“Yes! She’s a bard if I remember correctly?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I was coming back from one of her gigs when I was…you know…” Oh great now you’ve ruining the mood. Recover! Quickly! Wringing her hands, she felt anxiety bloom in her chest. “Anyways—”

“I’m sorry. Truly.” Gale murmured as he checked to see if the pasta was done cooking. “It must have been so frightening for you, as it was for us all obviously…ah, it’s done! Do you mind giving me a hand?”

Perfect! This will get things back on track. “Of course!”

“I’m going to attempt to strain this as best I can. If you wouldn’t mind minding the sauce and combining it with the pasta, then that would be most helpful.” He set about using a bowl he magic missile’d some holes into earlier to strain the pasta.

Martha smiled to herself. He doesn’t need me to do this. He can easily do it, but he wants me to. And maybe he knows I know this? And is enjoying this little time together as much as I am? And I hope there’s more of this in the future? When he returned with the strained pasta, he never took his eyes off her as she added the sauce and spicy sausage with ease. “Do you approve of your sous chef, Gale?” she whispered, her smile growing wider by the second.

His brown eyes were full of mirth. “I approve of her very much and look forward to hearing her opinion on my made-in-the-frontier pasta.”

After sitting next to each other at dinner (it was so fucking good), Gale asked if they could speak more and took two shortbread biscuits to share. They ended up on a large log by the river. Far enough so the others won’t hear but still not a long walk away in case something happens. “I was wondering if you could share your knowledge on necromancy. I’m most interested…” Upon seeing her expression change to a mixture of shock and fear, he immediately apologized. “Forgive me for my eagerness. It’s simply that I don’t meet too many necromancers in the flesh, as it were. But if it’s not something you wish to discuss, then I would be happy to talk about anything else.”

So he’s interested in that. What on earth made you think he was any different than other power-hungry wizards? Of course he’s not. Martha turned away as she stood, trying desperately to hide the tears forming in her eyes. “You know what, I suddenly feel tired—” He’s just wants what’s in my head, not me. I never should’ve mentioned it, because now everything is ruined.

“Please.”

She froze, still not looking at him.

“If I have offended you in any way, then I most sincerely apologize. I-I will make it up to you, I swear it. I’ll do anything you ask of me. But please, please,” his voice hitched.“Don’t go…unless you truly are tired, then rest.”

Maybe…he’s not like the others. While he wanted more from Mystra, he’s never shown any tendencies towards darker magic. Trust my heart. Trust him. She turned and sat back down, wiping the tears from her golden eyes. “Sorry. Usually when I get asked about necromancy, it’s not for the best of reasons.”

He nodded. Martha thought she saw tears in his eyes. Oh no. Oh fuck. Oh shit. “My dear, that’s very understandable. Gods, Szass Tam comes to mind and other notoriously evil Red Wizards. Not that you are obviously!” Gale buried his face in his hands and groaned. “I’m cocking this right up, aren’t I?”

A smile crept onto her face. “It’s alright. I…do you mind if I share the first time, I realized there was something different about me and my magic?” He lifted his head and nodded enthusiastically. She tentatively offered her hand which he took with a soft smile. “Like you, I’ve been in touch with the Weave for as long as I can remember. One night when I was about five, I saw a boy in my bedroom. He was around my age, maybe a little younger. He asked if we could play for a while, and I said yes. I didn’t think anything of it.” She chuckled. “I found out later that he was the son one of my great-great-uncles who died of flu as a boy. His spirit was still in Hylfyst Manor and just wanted to play. This went on for a few weeks before my parents caught us playing but obviously couldn’t see him. He was scared when he saw them, saw how afraid they were of him. I reached out to touch him and when I did…they could see him.”

Gale’s eyes widened. “Are you telling me that you---as a five-year-old---made a spirit reveal himself? With a touch?!”

She smiled nervously. “Yes?”

“By the gods, how?!?!? How?! Can you still do this?!” He’s not afraid. He’s excited. Very excited. Like how Horace or Scratch gets really excited before I give him a treat.

“I can, though it doesn’t always work. I also can’t explain how I can do it. When it does happen, there’s always some light, which my parents and teachers think is the influence of Selune or Lathander, but who knows?” She shook her head. “Anyways, my parents told him he wasn’t in any trouble and then his spirit moved on. That was the first of my many communions with the dead and helping them along to whatever awaits them next.”

“That’s very kind of you to do.” He said warmly, giving her hand a squeeze.

Martha smiled nervously. Again. Oh my gods, my heart races when he smiles at me like that. “If I can help them, then I will. That’s not to say it’s easy or fun sometimes…but it’s worth it. And before you ask, none of my own studies in necromancy have explained why I’m like this---a freak.” A freak whose own mother thinks she’s useless…no, Mum’s never said that. She just thinks it. I know she does. I’m not a ranger like her. Not as elegant and pretty a lady as her. She’s braver and stronger. She loves the outdoors. Loves hunting. And then there’s me…

Gale shook his head, squeezing her hand again. “You’re not a freak. You were given a gift, from who I cannot say, but a gift nonetheless.” He let go of her hand and slowly touched her freckled cheek. His brown eyes stared into her wide golden ones. “You use this gift, this power bestowed upon you to help others. That’s not freakish at all. In fact, it’s quite admirable.” Something flashed in his eyes---a realization. “Have you ever heard of white necromancers?”

Her brow furrowed. “Hmm, I think there was a reference to that in a book I read years ago, but nothing specific I’m afraid.”

“White necromancers assist the living and the dead---healing mind and body, moving spirits on, and occasionally going into battle against other necromancers. By that definition,” he’s flashing my favorite charming smile. Gods, he’s so handsome. “You’re not a freak. You’re a white necromancer, which is nothing to be ashamed of.”

That’s what it’s always been about, hasn’t it?

Shame.

Shame for having this power.

Shame that in a family of barbarians and rangers, I’m the outlier.

Shame that I won’t live up to my own very high expectations.

She nodded quickly, feeling tears in her eyes. “No. No, it’s not.”

I won’t be ashamed anymore.

#martha hylfyst #martha x gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #pre relationship #plus size tav #wizard tav #necromancer tav #they are SO AWKWARD #but food is love and so is talking about your power over the dead #implied chubby gale #martha “i see dead people” hylfyst

[buffetlicious]

My economy rice came with Sichuan Vegetable (榨菜) or Chinese pickled vegetable which is a type of pickled mustard plant stem originating from China. The pickle is made from the knobby, fist-sized, swollen green stem of Brassica juncea, subspecies tsatsai. The stem is first salted and pressed, and dried before being rubbed with hot red chili paste and allowed to ferment in an earthenware jar. This preservation process is similar to that used to produce Korean kimchi. It is very salty and must be rinsed with water before using in stir-fry or soup. Also in my takeaway pack is a fried chicken drumstick, over easy egg and fish balls that mum bought separately.

#Brunch #Takeaway #Packed #Economy Rice #菜饭 #Cai Png #Sichuan Vegetable #榨菜 #Chinese Pickled Vegetable #Salty #Spicy #Mustard Stem #Fried Chicken #Chicken Drumstick #Over Easy Egg #Fish Ball #White Rice #Food #Buffetlicious

[rosekasa]

Do you have any self care routines? I want to try some but have no idea where to start

i do!!! right now the main ones that come to mind are re: my hair and also reading.

for reading, i read 20 pages after i wake up and 100 pages before i go to bed, and in between i like to read while having my coffee/having lunch and also on the way to and back from uni. reading has helped my mental health so much shdjsksk

for my hair i use rosemary oil on my scalp + usually jojoba oil on my ends every other day and leave it for a few hours before washing it. then at the end of the week i use a clarifying rinse and put a hair mask on because the water in england is ✨bad✨. i also have started making this rosemary mint water?? it's like fresh rosemary and mint boiled and i put the water in one of those root applicator things. i use it on my scalp after i wake up and befor i go to bed it keeps my scalp feeling softttt

ive been doing a lot of stuff with my family as well which i definitely consider self care - my relationship with my mum and dad has improved a lot as a result and also my feelings about myself and about how much love there is in my life! every weekend i make my mum eggs and tea so she can wake up easily and with my dad ive been sitting with him whenever he doesnt have work while he works on a book he's writing (as opposed to sitting in my room all day) so we can spend time together. i know this sounds irrelevant to self care but i always forget how much of self care also involves purposefully giving love to the things in your life that you want more of

i hope this helps!! ^^

#ask #anon

[copperbadge]

Adventures in cooking with the Farm Share Box!

I received a Kabocha squash, which I had no idea what to do with, but I uncovered an intriguing cooking method: place the squash whole in a slow cooker and cook on high four hours. It slices like butter when you take it out, and it’s easy to scoop out the seeds and then spoon the flesh away from the rind. It practically purees itself. (I also roasted the pumpkin from the last box but the photos looked identical and would just be confusing.)

Employed my new dehydrator to make kale chips, which went perfectly except that I used too much seasoning, which made them so face-meltingly salt-spicy that they’re inedible. Proof of concept though, and mum suggested I save the chips and use them as stock/soup flavoring, so they’re in a container in the fridge for now. 

The new dehydrator was a gift from my parents for Christmas, but there was a good deal on Black Friday so I bought it then, and was able to throw in an immersion heater on excellent sale as well, so I’m testing it out this morning making hard boiled eggs. (According to, some people will be delighted to learn, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s guide to sous vide eggs.) 

Got some beer in the farm share too so this morning I’m also making rosemary olive-oil beer bread, which is rising now; also got pizza dough rising to make pizzas tomorrow. I’m going to make one of the pizzas with refried beans for sauce, mozzarella cheese, steak strips, and taco-seasoned mushrooms for topping, to make “nacho pizza”. 

 [ID: A series of images of food; three of them are of the process of cooking the Kabocha squash, including one photo of the squash, a squat, knobbly gourd; one photo of it sliced in half, with seeds and bright orange cooked flesh on display; lastly, a bowl of the pureed cooked squash. Also included are two other images, one of kale being dried in a dehydrator, and one of an immersion cooker clamped to a pan of water full of brown speckled eggs.]

#food #sam cooks #squash #eggs

[lexiscooking]

i LOVE tumblr community you all are weird as heck and funny and mostly nice 😭😭

for my first round number (ten whole followers, and its my tenth post) i baked a cake. my favourite

carrot cake 🥕

it hasn’t been my favourite for a long time, but oh man, with every slice i fall in love again(*´ω｀*)

my mum actually called my cooking “intuitive”. said i remind her of gusto from ratatouille. i do believe everyone can cook, and i love experimenting. you might’ve noticed that i don’t usually put exact measurements, because i don’t measure anything. it’s always more fun that way and i often add or take ingredients! it’s nice to have a role model 🐭🐭

you will need:

nuts ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) usually people use walnuts, this time i also added hazelnuts but i think it’s а pretty versatile combination (carrots and nuts) so its up to you to experiment.

carrots… for carrot cake

eggs

flour

sugar

cinnamon

baking powder

and i made a cream cheese/orange icing. just a mix of some cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and sugared oranges..? mum makes it. its oranges simmered in sugar, tastes nice, lasts really long.

grate carrots and your nuts ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) squeeze all the water out of the carrots, add cinnamon to nuts. you can also roast your nuts ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) with some salt, it adds a nice kick, i personally love the sweet & salty mix.

beat up poor eggs with sugar, until its all dissolved into the eggs, add flour, baking powder, carrot-nut-cinnamon mix and bake. i baked around 180° for one hour.

and now, while the cake is baking, lets mix icing! again, only three ingredients, four if you add the orange marmalade (can be skipped) just mix it all really well.

yes, i used the same spatula, i cleaned it (￣^￣)ゞ

its best to keep the icing in the fridge or it’ll melt. and let the cake cool down, but we were getting late..

actually we would arrive on time, but papa was a little cranky that day and couldn’t wait

… so i assembled the cake very quickly, icing melted from the heat of the cake, it wasn’t pretty and i didn’t take a picture, but tasted nicely!

again, i am truly grateful for your interest (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

#carrot cake #cooking #food #recipe #thank you tumblr for being weird

[unschooledramblling]

I made a cake yesterday all by myself!

I used a cake mix so it really wasn’t too complicated, other than it literally said “add oil water and eggs = cake” so I almost didn’t put in the actual cake mix LMAO, I was a tiny bit scared of the oven but I did it! It’s very yum

Talking about cake and trust

One of the things that really helped me was my mum trusted me, and she trusted I knew my way around the kitchen enough to make a cake! When you trust your child to their level of skill and knowledge what your doing is trusting them to spread their wings a little and grow into their own person, when you don’t trust your child you leave them open to be manipulated and many other bad things, take for example checking their phone, any “traditional parent” might think that helps keep your child safe when in reality your practically guiding your child to find a way to use the internet and post things where you can’t find it. You’re guiding them to unsecure websites, and unsecure people! But there are levels to this, when I was about 8-9 ish my mum and older sister Checked my phone occasionally because my level of skill and knowledge wasn’t at the point where I could spot an unsafe person before it’s too late. And it’s not just me! My mum trusts both my brothers to their level of skill and knowledge and she helps them with the things they express they struggle with and trusts them to do things she knows they can. Taking my talking point back to the cake when it was time to put icing on the cake my mum came in to help me! Because I had never iced a cake before and she knew I would be sad if my cake turned out not-nice looking, and I struggled at first with it because I was happy in the kitchen on my own but I’m even more happy that my cake turned out ok! Moral of the story, trust your kids to their level and knowledge and they will prosper <3

#unschooling #baking #unschooledrambling #home education

[1016anon]

Title: Fathoms Below Author: 1016anon Fandom: Bridgerton/Little Mermaid Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton/Kathani Sharma Summary: In which Kathani goes to the surface and Anthony is at the pier.

A/N -- Warning: Major character death

"What are you doing in the water?  You shouldn't be in there."

"Well, you look strange.  Where are your fins?"

"What are you talking about?  I have legs.  Why should I have fins?"

"You're a very strange boy."

"You still haven't answered my question.  What are you doing in the water?"

"I live here."

"I don't believe you.  No one lives in the water.  You're going to drown and die.  My da says so."

"I've been living in the water my whole life.  Maybe you'd drown and die because you have those shrimpy things.  That's what you get for being on the surface-- I bet your fins dried out and split and that's why you can't swim."

"I can too swim!"

"You can't.  You're a stupid little boy and that's why you're stuck on the surface."

"I'm not stupid!  And I'm not a little boy!  I'm nearly eight!"

"Then prove it!"

"Fine!  I will!"

This went about as well as could be expected of a seven year-old boy trying to follow a mermaid down to the ocean's depths.

"So you've never had fins?  Your whole entire life?"

"No."

"Even as a baby?"

"I don't remember, but all my brothers and sisters didn't have fins when they were born."

"How many brothers and sisters do you have?  I have six sisters."

"Six?!  That's a lot.  I only have two, but ma's growing one right now."

"My mum's growing one too.  She visits the egg every day to make sure it's happy."

"You were born in an egg?"

"Of course I was born in an egg.  Weren't you born in an egg?"

"No.  I was born from my mother's belly."

The mermaid looked at him with a great deal of skepticism.

"How did you get out?"

This stumped the human boy.

"I don't remember."

"Then how did your brothers and sisters get out?"

"I don't know.  Ma sends me to my friends and when I come back, there's a baby."

"Hmm," she peered at him with her large brown eyes.  "What's your name?  Do humans have names?"

"We have names!  My name is Anthony."

"That's a strange name."

"It is not!  You think everything is strange."

"My name is Kathani."

"You've a strange name too.  Ka-tha-ni."

"You're very rude."

"You're very rude.  I don't like you."

"I don't like you either."

"You almost drowned me."

"You didn't tell me that humans can't breathe underwater."

"I--"

"Anthony!  I've been searching for you everywhere!  Where have you been?  You're all wet!"

"Ma!  I was talking to Kathani," he turned to introduce her.

There were only ripples.

"Who?"

"Kathani.  She was just here-- she's a mermaid."

His mother looked at him in that pinched expression of fondness and worry.  It was obvious she didn't believe a word he said.

"Come along, Anthony, it's time for supper."

"But she was right there!"

"I'm sure she was, my dear."

"She was!"

Kathani watched as Anthony the Human Boy Who Couldn't Breathe Underwater used his legs to walk down the pier, holding his mother's hand.  It seemed he hadn't been lying-- his mother was growing something in her belly.

Humans were very odd.

--

"I thought you had lessons today."

"Lessons are boring.  All they talk about are angles and constellations."

"You said you have to do well if you want to join the navy."

"I am doing well.  That's why lessons are boring.  What about you, I thought you weren't allowed to come to the surface anymore."

"I may have let a few stingrays loose in the classroom."

Kathani smiled with bright-eyed mischief as Anthony laughed.

"You won't get in trouble?"

"They can't prove I did it."

"Menace," he splashed her.  "I feel sorry for your tutors."

"You said you had something to show me?"

"Here."

Anthony offered her a small pewter figurine.  It had cost a bit of pocket money, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"What is it?" she asked, awed.

"It's a horse.  I was telling you about them the other day."

"I've seen these around the pier!  They pull the boxes with wheels."

"Carts.  And those are draft horses-- this is a thoroughbred.  They're much faster."

"Humans ride these?"

"Yes.  You need two legs though," he teased.

"Why?  You can just hold onto the neck?"

"No, we have saddles and sit on their backs."

"That doesn't seem very comfortable for the horse.  It doesn't hurt them?"

"I don't think so.  We're much lighter than the carts."

"I wouldn't let anyone sit on my back."

"Why does that not surprise me."

Kathani moved to give the pewter figure back to Anthony, but he shook his head.

"It's for you."

"For me?  Really?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Anthony blushed to the tips of his ears, something Kathani either did not notice or did not quite understand.  She, however, was relieved that Anthony could not see the way her scales shimmered underwater.

There was a tug on her fin.  It seemed the very brief amount of time she had was up-- Newton was nudging her with his pointy nose.

"I have to go."

"You promised you'd help me study the constellations."

"Tomorrow night.  You'll have a boat?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll be there at moonrise.  Bring some more hard-tack.  Newton liked those."

Anthony rolled his eyes.

"More evidence that your dogfish has no taste.  Don't splash me!  They'll know I was at the pier!"

Kathani harrumphed, then dove under the water.

--

"Well?  What do you think?"

He turned around for her inspection.

"This is your uniform?"

"Don't say it looks odd.  You've seen enough human clothing now to know how it works."

"I still don't understand it, but it looks nice.  I like it.  This means you're an officer?"

"Something like that.  No longer swabbing the deck anyway.  Here," he carefully perched the ridiculous hat on her head.  "Don't get it wet."

It was crooked and fell over her eyes.  Anthony laughed as he adjusted the angle.  The brim of the hat slowly revealed her eyes, always so large and a clear, beautiful brown.

His breath caught as impossible dreams came to the fore-- dreams which had once limited their reach to night but now followed him into the day.

"It suits you," he said hoarsely. 

She kept staring at him.

"Anyway," he cleared his throat.  "I've been assigned to a new ship, the Aquata-- and yes, I know how ridiculous the name is.  I didn't choose my assignment."

"Whose idea was it to name a ship after my sister?"

"I haven't a clue."

"It's bad luck."

"Then you'll just have to sail with me," he replied, aiming for jaunty but coming out too hopeful.

She grimaced.

"Trouble below?"

"Ariel.  She's been sneaking to the surface."

"The youngest?"

Kathani sighed.

"What?  I can't keep track of all your sisters, there are too many."

"Says the man with seven brothers and sisters.  And none of you born from eggs-- I don't know why human women go through it.  It sounds terrible."

"I should never have told you about that."

She stuck her tongue out.

"Very mature, Kathani.  You undoubtedly serve as an excellent role model for Ariel."

"She's reckless, Anthony.  She's been seen too many times by shore-people-- not just sailors.  And she goes around collecting human things from shipwrecks."

"Any gold?"

"Be serious."

"You've been meeting me at the surface for nearly twenty years, why is it a problem when your younger sister does it?"

"It's different, Anthony.  She's friends with a seagull."

"Ah."

"You know what I think of seagulls."

"Scheming opportunists leading impressionable young mermaids astray?"

"Do you know what their names are?"

"There's two of them?  I thought there was only the one."

"Another has joined them!  Soon it will be an entire flock!"

"Dire circumstances indeed."

"Nothing good can come from seagulls.  Especially ones named Scuttle and Squakerdown."

"Does this mean you won't be able to come with me?"

"Don't be stupid, of course I'll be there.  As often as I can."

"You have to take care of your strange human boy who can't breathe underwater."

"I do," she said primly.  "So try not to fall overboard and drown this time."

"No promises," he grinned.  "I almost forgot," he pulled out a packed wrapped in old newspaper.  "For Newton."

The dogfish popped to the surface for a moment upon hearing its name and swam in excited circles to sniff its favorite surface treats.  Kathani, having sampled the hard-tack long ago, shared Anthony's opinion of the stuff: she didn't see the appeal.  But Newton never tired of them, especially if Anthony threw them a distance for Newton to catch.

They spent the rest of the afternoon that way, Kathani and Anthony taking turns to throw hard-tack for Newton.

If there happened to be gaps in conversation where they simply stared at each other, there was no one but an easily bribable dogfish to witness it.

--

"Anthony, what are you doing?  I told you there was going to be a storm!"

"His Majesty Prince Eric insisted on taking this intrepid voyage out to sea for his birthday."

"You can't be on the water-- the storm is moving too quickly.  You need to get back to shore."

"Prince 'I-outrank-you-as-Rear-Admiral' Eric seems to disagree."

"Humans!"

"None of us are here voluntarily," he said sharply.  "We're better sailors than that."

Kathani made a sound of frustration.

"This storm is getting bigger-- it will be a tropical storm, if not a hurricane, when it makes landfall tonight."

"I'll do what I can, but his Majesty is of the impression he is an expert sailor with a gift for forecasting the weather."

"Be careful!"

"Aren't I always?"

"No.  Anthony-- I can't promise I'll be here, there's a celebration today at the palace."

"Ariel's birthday, I know."

"Not her birthday, her debut."

"I wish I could be there to see it," he smiled crookedly.  "And this crab-composer you've been complaining of for months."

Her expression softened.

"I wish you could be there also."

He leaned down and kissed her-- her lips were salty but her mouth was sweet.  It was new and a long time coming, this thing between them.

"I have to go back on board."

"Don't drown," she whispered.

If he could have clubbed His Royal Highness Rear Admiral Prince Eric on the head to sail back to shore without being arrested by Grimsby for treason, he would have.  As it was, he was readying a rowboat as best he could to survive a goddamn hurricane.

--

He drowned.

Even a sailor as experienced as Anthony was no match for a hurricane.  Of the many sailors who went out that fateful day for Prince Eric's self-indulgent birthday celebration, only seven survived.

The rest were post-humously promoted and awarded medals of honor for their valiant service to King and Country.

Most of the bodies of the sailors washed to shore, which was surprising as the beach on which they were found was nowhere near the shipwreck.  Kathani and Newton had dragged them to the surface out of deference to Anthony, who'd told her it was a luxury for a sailor to be buried.

Anthony, however, she kept for herself.  Her strange human boy who couldn't breathe underwater.

The End.

#bridgerton #kathony #fanfiction #little mermaid au

[daughterofhecata]

15 questions

tagged by @wodkapudding - thank you!

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?: My mum did originally name me after some fictional character from a series she vaguely implied I should give a try but like. Never really tried to get me interested in. Idek the title or author rn. Stole my current names from an OC and from Sebastian Moran.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?: don't remember, but it was uuuh close on Wednesday because my mum called me to tell me my grandma's not doing as well as she pretends to. (We saw her on Friday and I'm a bit more at ease now since she wasn't like. noticeably weaker than usual and can probably leave the hospital some time next week.)

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?: Nope. Don't see that happening either.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?: Fenced for a long time, would love to get back to it on a purely recreational level, but I'm not paying the 20€ fee for one training session per month (that I would also probably miss a lot in summer because work). Did some athletics as a kid, but with neither passion nor success.

DO YOU USE SARCASM?: I would never. /s

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?: overall apperance, followed by clothing, because I usually avoid people's eyes

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR?: some undefinable greyish greenish mishmash

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?: depends entirely on the movie

ANY TALENTS?: does writing count? Also filling the water thingy for the egg cooker at work with the exactly right amount of water on the first try.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?: in the middle of bumfuck nowhere (actually, a Kreisstadt. doesn't make it any less bumfuck nowhere) between Hamburg and Sylt. Couple dozen kilometers from Wacken.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?: writing and reading, mostly. cooking can be fun too and I like going to the gym.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?: nah. Not a fan of animals in my immediate living space.

HOW TALL ARE YOU?: ~1,73m, please don't ask me what that's in ft

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?: history, german, english as long as we had a competent teacher, biology and chemistry were fun too

DREAM JOB?: eeeeeh. Sometimes I wish I could go back to [redacted], but a) that's impossible, b) it would be terrible for my mental health and c) there are Reasons why I quit. Mostly I wanna keep working food service or maybe retail, might try and throw an application at a book shop at some point. I just want something chill that pays the bills and lets me be helpful and leaves some time & energy for writing.

Not tagging anyone specifically, feels like I've been tagging more than a few people in stuff lately, but if you feel like doing this, go for it!

#i was tagged #thanks! haven't done one of these in a while #and of course as soon as i sat down with the laptop all energy and inspiration to write evaporated immediately soooo