#then i had a late lunch/pre-dinner little meal and watched some one piece

[drivingsideways]

For the ship and one word thingy, of you're still doing it(and thank you!) . Seunghyo and Seunwoo, exhaustion.

Hi anon! Sorry this is a bit late, and I'm not sure this will quite be what you were looking for, but I hope you'll enjoy the snippet. Once again, I'm setting this in my "Where Your Treasure Is" 'verse, but this works as a prequel to the first part of that series and is gen or pre-slash if you squint (or have read the rest of the 'verse!)

This is set post-canon, premising that Seon-woo gets a life-saving surgery, and Gu Seung-hyo is still with Hwajeong group but in an overseas posting. He's also dating Lee No-eul.

cw: mentions of physical disability, depression

The nurse is carefully unstrapping the prosthetics when there's a knock on the door, and a quiet voice says, "May I come in?"

Seon-woo looks up, startled. In the doorway is the last person he'd expected to see this morning, or indeed, for a long while.

"Gu sajang," he says, surprised. "Good morning," he adds, belatedly remembering his manners.

"Good morning, Ye Seon-woo-ssi. Is this a bad time?" Gu Seung-hyo asks, "I can come by later."

"Almost done," Seon-woo says, gesturing for him to enter. "I've just finished my exercise round for the morning."

The second leg is off now, and the immediate lessening of the weight makes him sigh unconsciously in relief, as he leans back into the pillows. It's been a month into the physiotherapy with the prosthetics, but he's still not used to it- neither to seeing the world from a different height, nor the strain on his back. He much preferred the chair still.

"I'll see you at 4," says Nurse Jang, with a smile, and he dredges up one for her. She's his favourite: a real sweetheart, with deft hands and a wicked sense of humour. She bows politely to Gu Seung-hyo, who bows back, before he takes the chair by the bed.

"I didn't know you were in town," Seon-woo says, "I thought No-eul-ssi mentioned you were in Indonesia."

"I have some meetings here this week," Gu Seung-hyo says, "And some free time. I hope this isn't an imposition on yours."

"My time has less value than yours, Gu sajang," he finds himself saying, "It's very kind of you to come by."

He curses himself inwardly the moment the words are out of his mouth. That had been well short of the inane courtesy that he should have responded with; that kind of self-deprecation wasn't as harmless with Gu Seung-hyo, as it might have been with another, less perspicacious man.

"Kindness has little to do with it, I'm afraid. I've been given a task," Gu Seung-hyo says smoothly, "I'm merely an errand boy."

He rises, holding out a brown paper that Seon-woo hadn't noticed before, toward him.

"From No-eul-ssi," he says, "Since she's unable to visit this week."

It's cherry tomatoes, which he knows come fresh from the little vegetable garden that No-eul's got going in her backyard in Gangneung.

Seon-woo smiles.

"Please help yourself," he says, holding out the bag to Seung-hyo, who looks hesitant but then picks one out, gingerly, as he seats himself again.

"You don't like them?" Seon-woo asks, as he roots in the bag, looking for the ripest one.

"I'm don’t usually snack in between meals," says Gu Seung-hyo.

Seon-woo nods; somehow that seems entirely in character. "It's nice though," he says, "To break the rule once in a while."

"Yes," Gu Seung-hyo says, and the corners of his eyes crinkle a little as he continues, "Though, as you know I'm rather fond of keeping them."

Seon-woo can't help chuckling at that, and the crinkles get more pronounced.

Silence reigns for a few minutes as they munch on the tomatoes; sweet with just a hint of tartness beneath. Gu Seung-hyo studies the room as he takes a second tomato, when the bag is proffered. It's not very large, but there's a long window which overlooks the garden of the rehab facility, and lets in the warm sun in the afternoons. The window sill and the small desk is covered in the detritus of Seon-woo's stay: books (from Choi Seo-hyun, mostly), a stuffed toy (No-eul), board games (which he plays with Jin-woo during his daily visits, flowers and snacks (eomma), a picture of the three of them taken at a cousin's wedding three years ago.

"This is a nice place," Gu Seung-hyo says, thoughtfully. "A good location, and they have good staff and equipment, it seems."

"Yes," Seon-woo agrees, wondering if Gu Seung-hyo's ever-ticking brain was thinking of a business opportunity. "I was lucky to get a place here after the surgery, it's always full, because they're competent but not very expensive. I have Chief Joo to thank for it, he pulled strings on my behalf."

"Did he?" Seung-hyo says, neutrally. "I'm glad it worked out."

Seon-woo nods, and attempts to concentrate on the sweetness of the tomato, and not the bitter aftertaste of pity.

It's hard though, getting harder every day, to not—

Gu Seung-hyo's studying the view from the window now, peering through the glass, hands shoved in his trouser-pockets. He's dressed in his customary three-piece suit, this time a light grey with a fine pattern, over a crisp white shirt and a navy tie. Conservative, reliable. Seon-woo wonders whom he was meeting today- some oldish government type, he assumes.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Gu Seung-hyo asks, suddenly, turning back to Seon-woo, startling him out of his thoughts. "Sorry, " he adds, taking in Seon-woo's surprised expression. "But I thought it was better to ask it straight, than attempt to infer."

"It gets better or worse," Seon-woo says, "but there's always some. It's—" he shrugs. "I'm doing as well as could be hoped, at this point."

"The prosthetics—"

Seon-woo shrugs. "They'll take time to get used to," he says, "It still feels strange. The ones I'm trying out are among the best on offer, but the cutting-edge stuff is only available if you're in some clinical trial."

"Who's doing that here, in Korea?"

"SNU, for one," Seon-woo says, "They're really out there in terms of their ongoing projects. But it's hard to say when one of those will become commercially viable."

Seung-hyo nods, thoughtfully.

He smiles at Gu Seung-hyo. "But it's boring to talk about me, you should tell me the news of the wide world."

Gu Seung-hyo's sudden smile reminds Seon-woo that he's a handsome man.

"Do I need to? Isn't that what the internet and that tablet by your bed is for?"

Seon-woo acknowledges it with a half-smile. "Then tell me stories," he says, surprising himself, "Of your adventures in the wild jungle of corporate life. I suppose the new assignment must be a relief after the drama at Sungkook."

"It's more what I'm used to," Seung-hyo acknowledges, and then easily, as if they were friends, "but I admit I miss the challenge of dealing with the eccentricities of top-notch medicos."

The crinkly-eyed expression makes a reappearance. The man was quite unfairly charming when he chose to be, Seon-woo notes; he'd forgotten that, somehow, in the year since he'd last met Gu sajang.

"Your successor isn't faring much better, I think, the last I heard."

"No doubt your brother has nothing to do with that situation," Seung-hyo says, gravely.

Seon-woo laughs, "Nothing at all."

Talk drifts from Sungkook, to other things- Seung-hyo's new role, Korean chaebols, the economy, the Blue House's current occupant and the prospects for the next elections which are less than a year away, books that they discover they're both fond of, and music, and somehow, before Seon-woo realizes it, it's lunch time. There's a knock on the door- it's the kitchen staff with a tray of food. The young woman pauses when she sees Seung-hyo and asks if they'd like another tray.

Seon-woo, mortified by the realization that he's probably upset Gu sajang's schedule irrevocably, is just going to decline, when Seung-hyo says, "It looks delicious, I think I'll have some, if that's not a bother."

"No problem at all," says Min-joo-ssi, with a pleased smile, "We have extra trays."

After she leaves, Seung-hyo says, "Do you feel like having lunch outside in the garden? It's a fine day. I noticed there are some tables set out."

"Uh," says Seon-woo, "I've already made you late."

"Not at all," says Gu Seung-hyo, blatantly lying without missing a beat- another talent that Seon-woo had forgotten he had- "I'll call someone to get a chair."

He's already at the desk phone, quickly dialing the extension after a quick check of the list tacked on the wall, and somehow, before Seon-woo can quite process it, they're outside, under the shade of a garden umbrella, watching butterflies flit, and the bees stagger, punch-drunk, among the roses that are in outrageous bloom.

Seung-hyo eats heartily, Seon-woo notices, without affectation.

He looks up at that moment, to meet Seon-woo's eyes. "You must be bored of the food here," he says, looking a bit rueful.

"They try their best to vary it," Seon-woo says, "and eomma always sends dinner or breakfast with hyung, so I don't have too much to complain about."

Seung-hyo nods, though something flashes in his eyes, that Seon-woo has no way to parse.

A silence falls between them, as they finish the meal. It's not an entirely comfortable one—and Seon-woo feels compelled to occasionally make a remark of some kind to break it, as he becomes more and more conscious of the passage of time. Gu Seung-hyo doesn't look at his watch or mobile even once.

"Do you mind showing me around the grounds?" Seung-hyo asks, after they are done.

Seon-woo looks at him in surprise. "There's not much to see," he says.

"A walk might do me some good," Seung-hyo says, "I'm afraid I might have overdone on the meal."

"You should snack more often," Seon-woo says, smiling at him, "That might prevent these situations from arising."

"Shall we?" Seung-hyo asks, rising from the chair. "Where do I put away the trays?"

So they make their way toward the rear entrance of the kitchen to hand over their trays, Seon-woo wheeling his own chair, and Seung-hyo keeping pace with him. After, Seon-woo directs him toward the southern end of the property, toward the area where there are some tennis courts and even a basketball court set up for the residents who might be able to play.

It's just after lunch, so the courts are empty.

"You used to play," Seung-hyo says.

"Yes," he says, surprised.

"No-eul-ssi mentioned it," Seung-hyo says, "She said that your brother and you made a formidable duo on court."

"Is that so?"

Seung-hyo slants a smile in his direction, "Well, her exact words may have been that you were both bastard cheaters."

"Sore loser," Seon-woo says immediately, "She hated it when she lost."

"She's surprisingly competitive about some things," Seung-hyo agrees, and the accompanying smile is a revelation, starting up an ache beneath Seon-woo's ribs.

"I hope you'll be able to play again soon," Seung-hyo says, "The next time I come by, we should have a game."

"Sure," Seon-woo says, "Next time."

"Seon-woo-ssi," says Gu Seung-hyo, "You can say no, if you don't want to."

Seon-woo looks up, startled.

Seung-hyo is smiling wryly. "I'm quite good at it, so I should warn you it won't be an easy game. You should consider it carefully."

"Is there anything you aren't good at?" Seon-woo says, a trifle acerbic.

"Cooking," Seung-hyo says, immediately, and then adds, reflectively, "And the care of tiny creatures."

"What happened to the dog?" Seon-woo asks, immediately concerned. He's seen enough photos of the creature thanks to No-eul to justify the feeling.

"Oh nothing, Nighty is, as the kids say these days, living his best life. He's eomma's dog now, barely acknowledges me."

Was that a hint of petulance? That was unexpectedly amusing. But there was something a little wistful in it, as well.

"You aren't home," Seon-woo finds himself- consoling- the man. "It's quite natural."

"I'm aware," Seung-hyo says, "And it's fine. It's good, actually. Like I said, caretaking isn't one of my talents."

Unlike compartmentalization, Seon-woo thinks. I wish I had that.

"Shall we head back?" Seung-hyo's voice breaks in. He hadn't realized that they'd been standing there in silence for a while. "You seem tired."

There's something oddly gentle about the way he says it, something that makes Seon-woo both want to punch a wall, and break down crying.

It takes him a minute to gather himself, before he nods.

"Seon-woo-ssi," says Gu Seung-hyo, "Is there something you want to say?"

Seon-woo looks up at him.

Gu Seung-hyo's face is watchful, cautious, but not closed off.

Seon-woo looks away, across the empty basketball court.

"I regret the surgery," Seon-woo says, aloud, for the first time. "I wish I had never let myself be talked into it. I should have had the courage to—let go."

Seung-hyo doesn't respond for a long minute. Then, with a sigh, he says, "But there's so much to let go of. And why should you?"

Seon-woo turns to him, but Seung-hyo isn't looking at him either. Instead, he squats, running his hands over the rough grass at the sidelines.

"I don't suppose you could understand," Seon-woo says, softly.

"No," says Seung-hyo, "You're right, I don't. But it's not your disability or its consequences that I don't understand. It's that I've always wanted everything that this world could offer, and I'm determined to have it. Whatever it takes. I don't accept any other possibility."

He turns to Seon-woo after a minute of silence.

"An uncle of mine once told me that it was better to be alive than dead, and to be born than not at all," he offers.

"Was your uncle a priest?"

"A foreman in a factory that made precision tools. He worked forty years there for the same company, before he retired to a fishing village."

"Close," notes Seon-woo, and Gu Seung-hyo gives him one of his genuinely warm smiles, that he's only seen in photographs No-eul had sometimes shared.

"I'm selfish," he says, "about the world, and my place in it. I have an outsized ego, perhaps, to insist on my significance in the face of the vast unknown. But I am convinced that there's one thing only I can do, and that is to live my life to the fullest."

"The universe has been benevolent to you," Seon-woo says, "You're her favourite. You know, as a pep talk this is remarkably bad."

Seung-hyo smiles, a quicksilver flash of amusement.

"If you wanted a pep talk, you'd talk to your psych," he observes. "Or someone who's invested in keeping you alive, for one reason or the other."

"I'm exhausted by people trying to fix me," Seon-woo admits. "You're a nice change."

"I don't think you need fixing," says Gu Seung-hyo, "I suspect you have problems that need to be fixed. Like the rest of us."

"Is that how you see yourself?" Seon-woo asks, diverted. "As a problem solver?"

Seung-hyo shrugs. "It helps me to think of the world that way," he admits. "A series of problems that I can apply my mind to."

"Sounds exhausting," Seon-woo says, not quite kindly.

Gu sajang seems unperturbed. He shrugs out of his jacket and spreads it on the grass, before sitting down on it.

"It is, sometimes," he responds. "But there's that ineffable component called luck," he adds, "Sometimes the problems sort themselves out."

"Hashtag blessed," says Seon-woo, "Do you have a social media account?"

"I've hired a very competent firm to run my PR," Seung-hyo says, "Though they insist that I post at least one cute picture of my dog or my mother every day. I believe I have a respectable number of followers."

Seon-woo laughs.

Seung-hyo looks up at him, with a raised eyebrow.

"Likeability is a problem that's not too difficult to solve these days," he remarks.

"Another win for the universe's favourite," Seon-woo murmurs, "Hurrah."

The silence that follows lasts a while, but oddly enough, doesn't feel awkward.

"Thank you," Seon-woo says, finally. "For your time today. I'm afraid I've messed up your schedule."

"You were the only meeting on my list."

"You're dressed to meet a government bureaucrat type—" Seon-woo starts, incredulously- and then stops, outraged.

And this smile- pure mischief, that makes him look ten years younger- is something he didn't even know Gu Seung-hyo was capable of, he thinks, and close on the heel of that, he looks like someone I could be friends with.

"You didn't mess up my schedule," Gu Seung-hyo says again, "I don't have those kinds of luxuries in my life."

Seon-woo huffs, looking away. He feels hot under his collar, and it has nothing to do with the afternoon heat. He wishes he had more experience in dealing with this kind of thing- the kindness of strangers was one thing, but Gu Seung-hyo's place in his life was ill-defined.

What rot, says a voice in his head, he's the enemy.

It sounds suspiciously like Jin-woo hyung.

But Seon-woo doesn't have that kind of luxury in his life, either, or the inclination for it. Whatever lay between them- Gu Seung-hyo's time at Sungkook, his ongoing relationship with the love of Seon-woo's life- that was a past perhaps best laid to rest. Life was constant turmoil, and to fight against the current of it in this matter seemed a pointless waste of energy he didn't have.

"Tell me more about this research they're doing at SNU," Seung-hyo says after a minute, and Seon-woo takes the out offered. Sooner than Seon-woo had thought, it's almost time for his second round of physiotherapy.

"I have to get back," he says, "I don't want to make Nurse Jang wait."

"Of course not," says Seung-hyo, as he rises, folding his jacket neatly over his arm. "Shall we?"

They head back, slower than strictly warranted, as the conversation continues.

Nurse Jang is waiting for them at the door.

"Ah, Ye Seon-woo-ssi, I hope you had a good day today," she says, "with your friend."

It seems pointlessly rude to correct her; what was he going to say anyway—

"Yes," he says, not looking at Seung-hyo, "I did."

But he can't resist a glance, and catches quietly pleased look on his face, though, perhaps, to a stranger, it wouldn't look any different than his normal expression.

Somewhere between strangers and friends, he thinks, that's where they were.

As Seung-hyo makes his farewell, Seon-woo says, impulsively, "Next time, we'll play a game."

"Sure," says Seung-hyo easily, "Basketball?"

"Hmm, I prefer strategy games."

There's a glint in Gu Seung-hyo's eyes that Seon-woo finds highly entertaining.

"Loser pays for a meal," he says, recklessly.

But there was something, Seon-woo thinks, to be said for making plans for an unknown tomorrow.

'Deal," says Gu Seung-hyo, holding out his hand, " I'll be seeing you then, Seon-woo-ssi."

"Yes," says Seon-woo, as he shakes the proffered hand, "See you soon."

#jtbc life #writing things

[therainroguefanfiction]

🎃 Frightful October Act VI, #17 ~ Mirror (Ryoma Echizen)

📑 Table of Contents

Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Slice of Life, Halloween

Word Count: 3,205

Pairing: Reader x Ryoma

World: Prince of Tennis

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

“Y/N! Mikoto! Come down here please!”

Hearing your mom calling your name, you set your pencil down and headed into the hall, nearly colliding with your younger brother. You descended the stairs, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

Your mom glanced over her shoulder before turning back to dinner. “Mom just called, she needs help moving a mirror to the living room. Someone is coming to look at it tomorrow, and she can’t move it herself.”

“Sure, mom~” The two of you chorused before heading to the entryway to slip your shoes on.

“Do you think she means that really creepy mirror in the guest room?” Mikoto whispered as he slipped on his sneakers, not wanting her to overhear him. “I bet it’s haunted.”

“There are no such things as spirits, Miko, we’ve been over this.” you rolled your eyes, slipping on your boots before pushing the front door open. The chilly October air greeted you, nipping at your face and hands.

“But if spirits did exist, they would totally exist in that mirror.” He leaned forward. “You don’t find it creepy?”

“Well… I guess it is kind of creepy,” you mused, tapping your chin with your index finger.

Your grandmother lived only four houses down from yours, so you arrived rather quickly and knocked on the door. She pushed it open and ushered you both inside, offering some hot cocoa to warm you both up. The smell of chocolate chip cookies filled her house.

“I’ve just put the cookies in the oven. They should be done by the time you move the mirror,” she smiled, putting her arms around both of you. “Thank you so much for the help, my dears.” With a gentle peck to your forehead and then his, she retreated over to the oven.

“Let’s get this over with,” you said softly, not wanting the older woman to overhear.

He nodded, following you into the guest room at the back of the house. You flicked the light on, feeling a drop of sweat roll down your cheek as you glanced at the tall mirror leaning against the wall, a faded white sheet thrown over it. You tugged the sheet off, letting it pool to the wooden floor.

The wooden frame was faded and chipped in multiple places. The glass was scratched and had the remnants of old stickers stuck to it. It looked like a simple old mirror, but looking at it gave you the chills.

“How should we…?”

You stood beside it. “Get on the other end and carefully push it over. It’ll be easier to carry if we turn it on its side.”

Mikoto nodded, his hands carefully holding onto the side of the mirror as he pushed it over. You held the other side, not letting it hit the ground. He bent down, putting his hands under it as he lifted.

“It’s light,” he commented.

You nodded. “Yes, but be careful, okay?”

“Okay~”

You slowly walked backward, holding on tight to the mirror as your brother walked forward, a look of concentration on his face. You noticed the rug, careful not to trip over it.

“Miko, watch out for the – ”

Mikoto squeaked in surprise as his foot caught the rug and he stumbled, his upper body pushing the mirror forward. It slid across your hand and you felt a sharp pain, making you lose your grip. In seconds, the mirror crashed to the ground, the glass shattering across the floor.

The two of you exchanged a look, wincing.

Your grandma came rushing in as fast as her old legs would carry her, her eyes scanning the scene. “Oh dear, are the two of you okay?” she noticed you holding your hand, a look of pain on your face. She shuffled over, careful of the glass.

“I’m sorry!” Mikoto’s voice cracked as his eyes filled with tears. “It was my fault!”

“It wasn’t,” you insisted, giving him a smile. “I got a splinter and lost my grip…”

“It looks quite deep. Come into the kitchen and let’s get it out, dear,” she held your wrist and the three of you stepped around the glass, entering the kitchen. After shuffling around for the tweezers, she carefully pulled the splinter from your palm. The area was red and sore, but you knew it would heal quickly. She placed a spotted bandaid over the wound and smiled.

“I’m really sorry, grandma,” you told her, grabbing the broom and dustpan from the storage closet.

“It’s okay,” she smiled. “Let me clean it up, I don’t want you getting hurt anymore.”

“No, I’ve got it. I’ll be careful, I promise!” you kissed her cheek before heading into the hall.

Mikoto stood nearby, watching you with a frown. “Isn’t it bad luck to break mirrors?”

“Seven years,” you answered without much thought, regretting it instantly as a worried look flashed across his face. “But don’t you worry, it’s just superstition.” You placed your hand on his head, ruffling his hair. “With this touch, I take all of your bad luck away!”

“You’re so lame, Y/N~” he pouted, the corners of his lips twitching upward.

With a smile, you got to work, careful to check under the furniture to make sure you got all of the glass.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

The Autumn festival was arriving in Tokyo, bringing all manner of people to the city. Starting on the twenty-fifth, the festival ran until the thirty-first of October. It offered rides – such as the Ferris wheel and bumper cars -, food stalls – mos of which offered scary-looking eyeball shaped items and drinks made to look like blood -, and various game stalls – like the dime pitch or the shooting game. The festival opened at four-thirty in the afternoon and remained open until well after midnight.

As someone that loved the month of October and Halloween with every fiber of your being, you fully intended to visit the festival every single day that it was in town, but life had other plans for you.

On the day the festival arrived, you had rushed out of your classroom, feeling excited, but that left you open to the science teacher that was passing by as you ran from the room. She stopped you, asking if you would help her carry the new science books from the office to the science lab. You were raised not to dismiss someone in need, so you reluctantly agreed to help. When you got there, in your haste to leave, you spilled a substance in a glass jar on her desk. Naturally, you had to stay and help her clean it up. It was pretty late by the time you finished, and you had to get home to help your mom with dinner.

The next day, a storm rolled in so the festival was closed until it passed, which it did at five the next morning.

On the third day, Mikoto was throwing up and had to stay home from school. Since both of your parents had to work, you stayed home from school, as well, and took care of him well into the night.

On the fourth day, in your haste to get to the festival, you tripped on a piece of sidewalk that was sticking out of the ground, spraining your ankle. You couldn’t put much pressure on it for two days.

On the sixth day, all Hallow’s eve, you were determined the make it to the festival, but the food you had eaten that morning had other plans. You spent most of the day in the bathroom with bad diarrhea.

Were you cursed? Was this some divine punishment for sins you committed in a previous life? Or was the superstition that breaking a mirror really did bring about bad luck true?

You were beginning to wonder, but the game wasn’t over yet. You had one more day.

October 31st

You kept glancing at the clock on the wall, but time seemed to be passing at a snail’s pace. The teacher droned on and on about one thing or another, but you didn’t register anything he said. Your mind was racing with thoughts about what had happened over the past week and what might yet happen.

No matter what, you would get to the festival. Nothing was going to stop you.

Tick, tock.

“Now, I’d like to take a moment to – ”

Tick, tock.

“And don’t forget to – ”

Tick, tock.

“I expect you all to – ”

Tick, tock.

The bell finally rang, echoing through the school like an angry banshee.

You jumped up, clutching your pre-packed bag to your chest. You were out of the room before the bell finished ringing. That’s when your challenge began.

Your plan was to avoid all of the other students and teachers – if they didn’t see you, they couldn’t ask you for help – while being careful of your footing so you didn’t trip again. The night before, you had made a nutritious meal packed full of vitamins for your brother, so you were confident that he wouldn’t get sick. As for yourself, you had skipped both breakfast and lunch to avoid any disagreements they might have with your stomach.

You were ready for anything!

You slowly peeked around the corner, eyes scanning the hallway. Although you had been the first one to leave the classroom, your sneaking around to avoid everyone made you one of the last people to leave the school. There were a few stragglers left behind.

The hallway was clear, so you ran as fast as you could, crouching behind a large round trashcan. The shoe lockers were just around the corner. All you had to do was pass that level and then face the boss – getting past the school gate.

Two girls were standing by the lockers, chatting about their plans to take their siblings trick-or-treating. Your eye twitched. ‘Just go home already!’

Several minutes passed before they finally left, their voices fading.

You peeked around the corner to make sure no one else was there. ‘Okay, Y/N, time to go for the record!’ you jumped around the corner, yanking the locker open and switching your shoes at lightning speed. You could hear voices approaching and your head snapped to the courtyard. There were still students floating around the gate and the voices behind you were getting closer.

You were being boxed in.

‘I have to make a run for it, there’s no other option!’ your feet pushed off the ground just as two boys rounded the corner. Cold air whipped around your body as you ran, your mind focusing on your feet so you didn’t trip over air like you had before.

The gate was right in front of you and steadily getting closer. Just a little bit farther and you’d be free.

A hand grabbed the back of your shirt, tugging you backward. With a squeak, your foot slipped out from underneath you as you fell back against a strong chest, arms wrapping around your body to steady you. You glanced over your shoulder, meeting the violet eyes of Rikkaidai’s self-proclaimed tensai, Marui Bunta.

He grinned at you as if he hadn’t just given you a big fat ‘game over’. “What’s the rush, Y/N-chan~?”

Jackal stood next to him, sending him a pointed look. “You shouldn’t grab people like that! Are you okay, Y/N? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

You scowled at Marui, pulling yourself from his arms before addressing Jackal. “I’m okay, but I really need to get going. Please excuse me.”

Marui’s threw his arm over your shoulder, preventing you from moving. “Do you have a date we don’t know about, Y/N-chan?” he wiggled his eyebrows with a grin, blowing a bubble with his mint gum.

You could feel your window of opportunity closing and you kept glancing at the gate like a trapped animal ready to dash. “I’m going to the festival with -”

“We’re going too!” Marui declared. “Let’s go together!”

“What? No, I -”

But he wasn’t listening as he dragged you out of the gate with Jackal following close behind, trying to convince him to let you go. You frowned, chewing on your bottom lip. So far, every single failed attempt to get to the festival involved you going there alone to meet someone. Was this the secret? Did you just have to visit the festival with someone? You glanced at the two as they bantered back and forth.

‘It’s always easy to get lost in the crowd at festivals. You see it happen all the time in shoujou anime. When we get there, I’ll just sneak away and go see Ryoma!’ you thought with a renewed excitement.

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

The three of you made it to the festival without incident. You were so happy to be standing at the entrance that you wanted to cry, letting your eyes take in the scene of the happy festival-goers. There was a problem, though.

Marui’s arm was wrapped around your own and he refused to let you get away.

You tried to pull your arm free, making like you were heading for one of the game stalls, but his grip tightened as he said. “I don’t want you to get lost!”

You even tried to bathroom excuse, but he insisted on escorting you there.

Having two younger brothers made Marui quite a protective person, and he regarded you like family.

‘What do I do now?’ you frowned. You were happy to have made it to the festival and you did love both Marui and Jackal, but you wanted to experience the festival at your own pace, not Marui’s. You also wanted to find Ryoma, who you had desperately been trying to see over the past week.

Your phone buzzed. It was a new message from Ryoma.

✉ ‘Did you finally made it to the festival?’

You bit your lip, typing a quick reply. ‘I did but… I’m being dragged around by Marui…’

✉ ‘Che’

Your frown deepened. You could feel his annoyance through that one word and you honestly felt guilty, knowing he was feeling that way because of you. The two of you went to different schools in different prefectures, so you didn’t get to see the short boy that you had fallen head over heels for very often. Both of you had been expecting to spend the festival together, but day after day, something happened that prevented you from going.

As you passed by the haunted house, you suddenly had a brilliant idea. You tugged on Marui’s arm, pointing at the attraction with a grin. “Let’s go in there!”

His body visibly stiffened, his face going pale as a scream sounded from the entrance. “A-Are you sure you want to go in th-there?”

You suppressed a smirk, tilting your head to the side. “Yeah! You can’t come to the Autumn festival without checking out the haunted house.”

Jackal caught onto your plan. “Sounds like fun, let’s go!” He pushed his friend toward the entrance with some difficulty since Marui’s heels were firmly digging into the ground.

Another scream ripped through the air, followed by the cackle of a witch. You could see Marui’s soul leaving his body as his head fell back. Jackal gave you a nod and a kind smile, slipping his arm around Marui’s own. You gave him a thankful smile, tugging your arm free before you turned tail and ran in the opposite direction. Once you were a safe distance away from the haunted house, your body started to relax, your eyes sweeping over the scenery around you.

“Y/N.”

You turned around, eyes meeting those cat-like eyes belonging to Ryoma. Without hesitation, you threw yourself at him, arms wrapping around his neck so you could bring him close to you. “I missed you so much, Ryoma.”

He scowled, fighting back the blush that was creeping across his cheeks. “Where’s Marui?”

“I managed to ditch him at the haunted house with some help from Jackal,” you grinned, letting him pull back. You knew he wasn’t fond of affectionate displays.

He started to walk toward the back of the festival and you slipped your hand in his, lacing your fingers together. The throngs of people began to thin out and the loud sounds faded as he brought you farther away from the festival. You were slightly disappointed, knowing that it was the last day to experience everything it had to offer, but feeling Ryoma’s warm hand in yours made it worth it.

He found a nice patch of grass and laid down, folding his arms behind his head. You settled down beside him, your cheek resting against your palm as your eyes scanned his face – his cat-like eyes always full of mischief, his long lashes, and his soft lips. He was gorgeous in your eyes. You reached forward, gently brushing the hair from his eyes.

“You should transfer to Seigaku.”

“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?” you chuckled. “Maybe when I graduate I’ll try and pass the entrance exam for Seishun High. It’ll be hell trying to get away from the tennis team, though.”

He scowled at the mention of them, feeling jealousy tugging at his heart. “I don’t like how close they are to you.”

“Aww, are you jealous~?” you teased, poking his warm cheek. He scoffed, knocking your hand away. “There’s nothing to worry about. Those guys are like family to me.”

Ryoma hummed, closing his eyes, but he didn’t comment.

You glanced up at the black, velvety sky, lit up by dozens of twinkling stars. “Hey, Ryoma?”

“Hm?”

“Do you believe in bad luck?”

He raised a brow, looking at you curiously. You told him about the mirror you and your brother had broken and how you were starting to think that it was behind the string of bad events that had kept you two apart over the past week. “Isn’t a mirror seven years of bad luck?”

“Actually, I took Mikoto’s bad luck, too…”

“Fourteen years of bad luck.”

“Y-Yeah, but that’s just superstition… right?” you both exchanged a look. “I’m gonna end up being that crazy old person with a string of garlic around their neck and a horseshoe above every door…”

Ryoma laughed at the mental image that provided. “Don’t forget the rabbit’s feet and four-leaf clovers.” Your pointed look made him smirk. “Even if you become some crazy superstitious person with fourteen years of bad luck coming for you, I’ll still love you, Y/N.”

Your lips tugged up on their own as you leaned over him, tugging on the hem of his shirt. “You better~”

“I promise,” he whispered, closing the distance between you.

Just before your lips met, a familiar scream broke through the night air, followed closely by a crying fuschia-haired boy who was shrieking your name as if his life depended on it. It made you jump up, thinking something was wrong, but Marui tripped, slamming his body into yours. You both hit the ground.

“Y/N! Th-There are gh-ghosts here! This place is haunted! We need to leave!” Marui cried, clinging to you like a child as tears streamed down his face. Jackal came running up a moment later, sweatdropping at the scene.

You sent Ryoma an apologetic smile, but he was too busy staring at Marui in annoyance. ‘Definitely bad luck…’

───── ⋆⋅🎃⋅⋆ ─────

#frightful october #halloween #echizen ryoma #prince of tennis #tenipuri #tennis no oujisama #the prince of tennis #tennis no ouji-sama #pot imagines #pot scenarios #anime #anime imagines #writing #creative writing #writeblr #scenario #scenarios #anime scenarios #anime scenario #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfics #anime fanfic #anime fanfics #reader insert #reader-insert #reader #one shot #fluff #comedy

[atths--twice]

New story today. A little Pre-IWTB for @kyouryokusenshi who celebrated a birthday yesterday. 😊 Hope you enjoy.

Spending time alone in the Unremarkable House can sometimes take its toll on Mulder. The winter months seem exceptionally long at times and so he must find ways to use himself. Won’t Scully be in for a surprise when she gets home...

(I apologize for the long post, but the website would not allow me to post ANYTHING, and I needed to share this story. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Snow Aliens and Surprises

February 2007

Snow crunched beneath Mulder’s feet, his cheeks cold, and his nose slightly runny. Looking at the large oddly shaped snowball he had gathered, he let out a breath, the condensed mist appearing before him. Bending down, he began to gather more snow to make the next level to his snow sculpture.

Getting it to the correct size, he lifted it onto the large snowball and set it at the right angle. One more smaller snowball was made and he placed it on the top of the other two. Shaping it and smoothing it down, he glanced over at the others he had already made, and he laughed softly.

Scully was in for a surprise when she got home.

He had been outside for quite awhile now, and he was happy with the creations he had made. Being inside and stuck at home, was beginning to wear on him and he knew Scully was concerned about how it was affecting him. She had said as much a few times, but he always brushed it off, not wanting to worry her.

After she had left for work that morning, he decided to do something different and be more proactive with how he was coping. He had gone for a long run in the cold winter air and then had a warm shower. Staring at himself in the mirror when he had finished, he had nodded and picked up a pair of shears, intent on trimming his beard down. It had gotten unruly and it needed to be trimmed and cleaned up.

Scully did not like it as much as he did, though she had not minded it as much when they had been on the run. Maybe if he did not appear too much like an unkempt mountain man, she would appreciate it more, and also see that he was doing okay in near solitude.

Going downstairs, he had made himself a late lunch and stared out the window at the snow in the yard, an idea beginning to form. Hurrying through his meal, he had gotten dressed in warmer clothing, and headed outside.

Deciding where to set it up, he had started gathering snow to create two snow aliens; snowmen being far too commonplace for their yard. Once the bodies were in their most basic form, he was now working on the best part: a large UFO.

He chuckled as he watched it taking shape under his gloved hands, gliding them along the edges, creating a curved body.

Picking up a stick he had found ahead of time, he carved one large circle around the circumference of the top, and then smaller ones under the edge he had just made. The bottom was given another continuous circle as he thinned the base somewhat, creating a beam-like look.

Smiling as he looked at his handiwork, he stepped back and began to work on the aliens. Curving their faces, he gave them a neck and shoulders before using the stick to create lines, suggesting a more detailed form to their snowy bodies. Adding dark rocks for eyes and mouths, he stepped back and grinned at the finished product.

“Yeah, that’s pretty badass,” he murmured with a nod. “It just needs one last thing.”

He walked to the steps and picked up the sign he had made from a garden stake he found in the garage. Cutting a thick piece of cardboard from an old box, he had nailed it to the stake and written in bold black letters: Nothing to see here. Move along.

Laughing again, he stuck it in the side of one of the aliens, as though it were holding it in its hand to ward off anyone interested in investigating their downed ship. Nodding at the sight before him, he took one last deep breath of cold air and trudged up the stairs, stomping his boots clean along the way.

At the door, he did so again and then unlaced them, sliding them off and leaving them outside, knowing he would need them again soon. Opening the door, he stepped inside, the warmth of the house surrounding him.

He took off his outer layers and blew his runny nose. With a shiver, he walked into the kitchen and washed his hands. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was later than he had thought, although he should have guessed by the sun setting as he finished his project.

Knowing there was no time to make anything from scratch, and God help their stomachs if he did, he opened the refrigerator and searched for leftovers he thought he had seen in there. Moving aside a large jar of pickles, his eyes widened. He grabbed the container Mrs. Scully had sent home with Scully a couple of days ago. Opening the lid, he found a beef stew that smelled so delicious, it made his mouth water and his stomach rumble.

“Thank you, Mrs. Scully,” he said quietly, as he set it on the counter and began to gather items for an impromptu fancy dinner.

Two deep bowls, cutlery, two wine glasses, napkins, candlesticks, and a tablecloth were set on the dining room table. Putting on his coat, he opened the door, slid on his boots and walked to the garage.

Searching around, he found the outdoor table and chairs set Scully had bought last September when the heat had been so awful, sitting outside in the warm humid air had been more preferable than sitting inside.

They had eaten the majority of their meals outside. Cool meals, that did not require the use of the oven, thus turning the house into what had felt like the center of the sun. Sandwiches, salads, or even bowls of cereal had been eaten at that table, both of them sweating and motionless.

Even after the heatwave, they had occasionally sat out there with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at night, until a wild wind storm had forced them to clear the porch one night. They were put away and not used again.

Until now.

He carried them to the porch and set them up, in clear view of the snow aliens. Smiling at them, he went back inside and brought out the tablecloth, candles, napkins, and cutlery. Laying the tablecloth down, he set the table.

Leaving his shoes outside again, he took off his coat and opened a bottle of red wine. Glancing at the clock once more, he saw that Scully would be home in about ten minutes.

Perfect.

Taking out a pot, he emptied the plastic container of stew into it, to heat up on the stove. Leaving the stew on a low simmer, he poured the wine and as he set them down, he closed his eyes with a loud exhale.

“Shhhhhhhit,” he said through clenched teeth as he walked hurriedly over to his office to double check the calendar.

February 18tb.

“Fuck,” he seethed and took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay.” He looked around the office and shook his head. There was nothing there that one: she had not seen before, and two: would make a decent last minute early birthday gift. With a sigh and a shake of his head, he left the room and checked on the stew.

When it was hot, he turned it off and covered it. Putting on his coat, he walked out the door and slid on his shoes yet again, and sat in one of the chairs to await Scully’s arrival.

He was not waiting long when he saw her headlights turning off the main road, pausing as she opened the world's creakiest gate, she pulled through and then closed the gate again, before continuing up the snow covered driveway.

He could hear her laughing through the window as her headlights hit the snow aliens. He looked at her as she stopped and shook her head, a huge grin on her face. Turning the car off, but leaving the headlights on, she opened the door, stepped out and walked over to inspect them.

“Hey! Can’t you read?” he called out and she jumped back, apparently not having seen him sitting there. “Move along, woman!”

“Mulder…” she laughed and he stood up with a grin, walking down the stairs to join her. “You are… too much.” She touched the sign and shook her head with another chuckle.

“They’re pretty good, huh?” he asked and she nodded. “Gotta fill my days somehow.”

“Mulder,” she said again and turned her head to look at him. “Oh… look at you.” She touched his cheeks with cold fingers and he inhaled sharply. “Serves you right for startling me.” Holding his face, she pulled him down for a kiss, humming happily as he pulled back.

“You like?” he asked, touching his trimmed beard and she nodded with a smile that made his pulse race.

Oh yeah, he had made the right decision.

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand and walking toward the house. Stopping at the car, she turned off the headlights and took out her bag. Closing the door, she took his hand and they walked up the stairs.

“What? What’s all this?” she asked, stopping and looking at the table set on the porch.

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat and running a hand across his chin. “I made the aliens there and thought some dinner would be nice, but… my cooking abilities…”

“Are rather abysmal,” she stated with a smile and he tilted his head with a shrug, his eyebrows up.

“Abysmal seems a bit harsh, but… ehhh yeah,” he agreed and she laughed softly. “But I wanted to do something and I found some leftovers your mom sent over-”

“Ohhh. The beef stew?” He nodded and she hummed. “I was thinking about it all day, so I’m happy to hear it’s on the menu. But are we eating outside? Mulder, it’s freezing out here.”

“Psshh…” he scoffed, waving his hand at her and shaking his head. “We’ve been in colder weather, we can certainly sit out here for twenty minutes and eat some dinner. Come on.”

“Hmm. Yes, nothing better than sitting in chilly weather and eating warm stew, while the warm house is just steps away.”

“Stop.”

“Hmm.”

They walked inside and she set her bag down on the dining room chair before she took off her coat, scarf, and heels. Sighing, she walked over to the sink and washed her hands. Drying them, she took her hair down and ran her fingers through it with another sigh.

“Feel how nice and warm it is in here? And yet you’re still intent on sitting out in the cold? Are you surrrrre?” she asked, stepping closer to him and running her hands down his chest. He inhaled and looked down at her hands, before raising his eyes to hers.

“Yup,” he said, with an affirmative nod and her mouth dropped open in surprise. He grinned and smacked her ass. “Go change into something warmer and come back down.”

“Hmm. Can’t believe you didn’t pick up what I was laying down… your loss I guess.” She shrugged as she stepped back, sighing loudly.

“Nah… I definitely picked it up, I’m just choosing to hold onto it for the time being.”

“That’s all you’ll be holding onto,” she muttered as she walked up the stairs and he smiled, reaching for a bowl and a ladle.

Within minutes, she was back down, dressed appropriately for the weather, her warm boots on as she picked up the glasses of wine. Waiting at the door for him, she smiled as she opened the door and they stepped outside.

“Jesus, it’s cold,” she breathed and he hummed, nudging her forward slightly. “What about the candles? They could add some warmth.”

“Yeah, I’ll go get some matches. Sit down.”

He went inside, grabbed the matches, came back and lit the candles before he sat down and smiled at her. She rolled her eyes with a smile and picked up her spoon, wearing her black mittens with the neon alien faces on the top. He nodded at them and she shrugged.

“Seemed like the right pair to wear. Didn’t want our yard aliens to feel lonely.” He laughed and began to eat his food.

She told him about her day and asked after his. Gesturing towards the yard aliens and his beard, he raised his eyebrows. She licked her lips, her teeth grazing the bottom one as she stared at him.

“I went for a run too.”

“Hmm… are you done with your food?” she asked and he wondered if she had even heard him. Looking down, he saw his bowl was nearly empty and nodded as he looked back up at herGood,” she said in a low voice, one he knew well, as she stood up and stepped closer to him. Staring down at him, she tapped his thigh with her knee. He turned in his chair and she straddled him, his throat going dry as his pants became tighter.

He wrapped his arms around her, his fingers locking together, low across her back. Her mittened hands held his face, running up and down.

“I like your beard like this,” she whispered.

“Happy birthday,” he whispered back and she pulled back in surprise.

“Birthday?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You’re a few days early,” she said, her fingers moving slowly across his cheeks and down to his neck.

“Well, I also apparently completely missed Valentine’s Day-”

“When have we w celebrated that day?” she scoffed and he smiled.

“Maybe we should start.”

“It’s a silly holiday, Mulder. In which people are pressured to feel that their love for someone must be expressed by a card, flowers, or candy-”

“Or lingerie,” he said, with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Lingerie that they want the person to wear and not the other way around.”

“Are you saying you won’t wear the lingerie I bought for you?” She stared at him and he kept a straight face, though it was very difficult.

“Did you buy me lingerie?” He held her gaze as long as he could, before shaking his head and smiling.

“No. I know better than that.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Besides, whatever you wear, is always more than enough for me. All the colors, lace, and bows… you’ll get no complaints from me.” He thought of his favorite sets she wore: the sapphire blue with white piping, the black with the red red bow in the middle, and the lilac with the softest pink lace; they all left him dizzy and aching for her.

“What about… nude? Do you like that color?” she whispered, her mouth close to his ear and he jerked forward, holding her tighter.

“That… that so happens to be my favorite color.”

“Hmm… it’s like I have a sixth sense.”

“A… sexth sense,” he corrected her and she pulled back to stare at him. Her head fell back and she laughed, her hands on his shoulders.

“Oh my god…” she chuckled, shaking her head. “That was good.”

“I aim to please,” he teased and she stared at him, her eyes like fire.

“Hmm… and you do it so well,” she breathed and her hands were back on his cheeks, her warm breath warming his cold face. “Thank you for my birthday gift.”

“You’re more than welcome.”

“Not yet I’m not,” she nearly growled and he pulled her closer to him, her lips falling to his, kissing him slowly. Soft nibbles and light touches, which contradicted the looks of molten desire she had been displaying.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t work with an audience.” She pulled back and shook her head, causing him to frown at her. She shook her head again and looked toward the snow aliens. “Hey guys, could you read your sign and take it to heart and “move along”? There’s about to be something to see over here and I’m not quite sure you’re of age.” He laughed as he watched her address the snow aliens and wait for a response.

“I can’t understand them, but look, they aren’t leaving. I think we need to be the bigger people here.” She rocked into him and they both exhaled. “I see you're already a little ahead of me. Well, maybe more than a little.”

“Thank you.”

He grinned and she kissed him once more, before rising from his lap and standing to her feet. Collecting both glasses, she blew out the candles and he grabbed the plates as he stood as well.

The dishes made it as far as the sink, not even given the chance for a soak, before he reached for her coat, unbuttoned it and let it drop to the floor, his own soon following. A trail of clothes littered the stairs and along the floor of their bedroom.

Both of them breathing hard, he lay against her breast, marveling once more at the softness of her skin. Her chest rose and fell steadily, her heart racing beneath his ear.

“See? Isn’t it better in here where it’s warm?” she asked, her now mitten less fingers running through his hair.

“Hmm,” he agreed, his eyes closed as he kissed the top of her breast. “It’s hard to argue with such sound logic.”

“Hmm,” she echoed and he smiled. “Oh. I was, by the way.”

“What?”

“Welcomed,” she stated, offering up no other explanation. It took a second, but then he laughed and he felt her answering chuckle against his cheek. “Very welcomed, in fact.”

“Good. Then I’d say we both thoroughly enjoyed your birthday this year.”

“Hmm. Well, strictly speaking, it’s still five days away. So…” He raised his head and stared at her with a smile.

“What exactly are you saying?”

“Nothing. Just putting it out there that there are still five days to… enjoy my birthday,” she said, with an innocent shrug. They stared at each other and she smiled slowly. He nodded and put his head back on her breast, his eyes closing once again.

“Oh, but this I am saying: I want a cake. We don’t need candles and I don’t need gifts, but I do want a chocolate cake. Or cheesecake. Or ohhhhh, a chocolate pie… Mmmm.” He laughed and nodded, plans already beginning to take shape.

He had built two snow aliens and a large UFO on a whim today. He had five days. He would find her that cake, or perhaps all of her suggestions.

Find and buy, but not bake it himself. Because she had been right earlier; his cooking skills were truly abysmal.

And no one deserved that on their birthday. Especially not Scully. A woman who, oh so kindly, asked the snow aliens to take a hike.

Yeah, he would get her that cake.

And so much more.

#fanfic #msr #xfiles #love #msr fanfic #pre IWTB #Sexy banter #funny #sweet

[derangedangel]

Thanksgiving Invitation - Scott McCall

Scott McCall x Reader

Summary: You can’t fly home for Thanksgiving break, so Scott invites you to spend it with him.

Word count: 2,212

Author’s note: So I have a Stiles one that’s basically like this, and I know before I started writing, I requested someone else to do this same imagine. Apparently, I’ve got a thing for your crush inviting you home for the holidays. Sue me. BTW, this takes place Junior year of college.

Thanksgiving break in high school was great. A whole week off from school, a huge meal with your family, then shopping on Friday. In college, you were reduced to two and half days off. Wednesday at noon, the campus closed, but what were you supposed to do with that. 

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break, the cafeteria made Thanksgiving dinner at lunch. It was always a huge deal on campus. They had everything, turkey, dressing, mac and cheese. All kinds of cakes and pies. You and few of your classmates were in the caf just finishing your lunch.

“That was probably the best thing this caf has ever made,” Scott said next to you.

“I definitely prefer my dad’s fried turkey, but that was pretty good,” you said picking away at your slice of cake with your fork. 

“Oh, my mom makes a pumpkin pie you would die for,” Scott said as he patted his stomach. “This one can’t even compare. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving.”

“Well, have an extra piece for me,” you said sighing. You dropped your fork on your plate making a clink noise.

“What’s wrong,” Scott asked smelling your chemo signals. You were sad. Disappointed, maybe?

“I’m staying here for Thanksgiving.”

“What? Why?”

“Finals are next week. And honestly, I don’t have the money to fly home tomorrow just to turn around, fly back Sunday, then fly back for winter break.” You looked up at Scott with sad eyes. You already accepted you lame Thanksgiving weeks ago.

“But it’s Thanksgiving. You shouldn’t be here,” Scott tried to argue.

“It’s fine,” you said shrugging. “The international students are having an event and inviting anyone who can’t go home for break. I’ll just grab a plate from them and watch a movie.”

“Why don’t you come home with me,” Scott blurted out suddenly. 

You smiled softly at Scott. “Scott, that’s really sweet, but I’m not riding on the back of your bike for two hours. Plus, I don’t think my suitcase will fit.”

“Oh,” Scott said rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I didn’t think about that.” He thought for a moment then spoke again. “Give me some time and I’ll figure it out.”

You giggled. “Scott, it’s okay,” you said placing your hand on Scott’s. “I already accepted my sad little Thanksgiving. I’ll see my family in two weeks after finals.”

“No,” Scott said jumping up. “I’m going to figure this out. You’re going to have an actual Thanksgiving.” And with that, Scott grabbed his plate and cup and left the table. You turned and smiled at your other friends shaking your head about Scott. He was sweet, but as for now, a Thanksgiving in your dorm was scheduled on your calendar.

________________________________________________________________

A knock sounded at your door. You sat your laptop down, rolled out of bed, and then answered it. Scott was standing there with the biggest grin you had ever seen on his face.

“I hope you like pumpkin pie,” he said. You stepped aside to let him in.

“Uhh, I prefer pecan, but why the sudden urge for me to like pumpkin?”

“Because my mom would be really disappointed if you didn’t love her pie.”

“What are you talking about, Scott?”

“You’re coming home with me for Thanksgiving,” he said excitedly. He was like a cute little puppy smiling at you waiting for you to pet him.

“We talked about this already,” you said turning and hopping onto your bed.

“That was before.”

“Before what,” you asked.

“Before I called my mom and convinced her to drive down and pick the both of us up for Thanksgiving break.”

“What,” you asked shocked. “Scott, I can’t have your mom drive all the way down here-,” you began to argue but Scott interrupted.

“Too late, “he said shaking his head. “She already said yes, and she’s expecting both of us to be ready to go by 1 o’clock tomorrow,” Scott said proudly.

Your mouth dropped open in surprise. You weren’t sure what to say. “Scott, I..”

“Look, I know you were fine with not going home, but I couldn’t let you stay here alone over the holiday.”

“You didn’t have to do that, though. I don’t want your mom going out of her way for me.”

Scott stepped closer to you placing his hand next to you on the bed. “She wants to do it. I want to do it. You can stop trying to talk me out of it because it’s happening,” he said smiling sweetly at you.

“Okay,” you said smiling back.

“Good,” he said taking a step back, heading for the door walking backwards. “Pack a bag. I’ll come by your dorm tomorrow at 12:45 to get you.”

“Alright, Scotty,” you said happy about your new Thanksgiving plans.

________________________________________________________________

The next day Scott came by your dorm and helped you carry your bag to his dorm building where his mom was going to pick the two of you up. This was your first time meeting Mrs. McCall and she was incredibly sweet. The first thing she did was hug you and told you to call her Melissa, not Mrs. McCall. You were expecting the ride to be awkward. Two hours in the car with your male friend you had a crush on and his mom who you just met wasn’t something people really looked forward to. Surprisingly, the ride went okay. Melissa didn’t pry too much into your life or ask was anything happening between you and her son.

On Thanksgiving, Scott’s friend Stiles and his dad came over, and so did Melissa’s boyfriend Argent as well. It made you a little more nervous being surrounded by all these people from Scott’s life. You felt like the odd man out, but Scott constantly checked on you to make sure you were alright.

Everyone brought their own dish to the table. Sheriff Stilinski cooked the turkey. Argent, who didn’t seem like the homey cooking type of person to you, made the green bean casserole. Melissa made the macaroni and cheese and the pumpkin pie, which Scott kept raving about. You giggled at Scott’s contribution, which was just throwing the Kings Hawaiian rolls into the oven for a few minutes. He argued that it was more than what Stiles did which was just opening a can of cranberry sauce. You felt bad that you didn’t contribute to the dinner. Normally, your mom did all of the cooking and you just helped, so you didn’t know any actual recipes. Melissa assured you that it was fine. You were a guest and didn’t have to do a thing.

Dinner came and went. Everything was delicious and yes, Scott was right about his mom’s pumpkin pie. You and Scott washed the dishes together, bumping hips and throwing soap bubbles at each other. Scott, Stiles, and you decided you would go to the movies after everything was done. The adults were in the living room making small talk, so there was no point in you three hanging around for that.

Before you left, you went to go grab your coat and Melissa pulled Scott aside.

“I like her,” Melissa whispered to her son.

“Yeah, I do, too,” Scott whispered back looking up the stairs where you just went.

“Then do something about it,” she replied nudging him. “You haven’t dated anyone since Kira.”

“I know,” Scott sighed. “But I told myself I was just going to focus on school.”

“Oh, your grades are fine, Scott. It’s okay to date and fall in love. You can’t force yourself to be single all through college. You deserve to be happy.”

“I am happy, mom,” Scott pointed out.

“I know. But she makes you happy. And if you deny yourself that for some pre-college promise you made to yourself, you’re going to miss out on a good thing. You don’t just invite any girl home for Thanksgiving,” Melissa said then walked back to the living room.

The only decent thing to watch at the theater that wasn’t sold out was The Good Dinosaur, so you all decided on that. Scott sat in the middle of the three of you, holding the popcorn in his lap. Being the baby that you were, you cried as soon as the dad died in the movie and Scott reached over and grabbed your hand. You sniffled in his direction and smiled. He kept his hand there for the rest of the movie never letting go. The words his mom said echoing in his head.

After the movie, Scott drove you all back to his place. Stiles talked about the movie the whole way back and you couldn’t help but laugh. You sat in the passenger seat and Stiles stuck his head through the middle asking your opinion on the movie. When you pulled up to Scott’s house, you and Scott lingered out by the car but Stiles didn’t catch the hint.

“Is it like mandatory for Disney to only have one parent in their movies?”

“I don’t know Stiles,” Scott said annoyed his friend wouldn’t shut up for one minute.

“I mean, I’m sure they can make a good movie without killing off a parent as a plot device.”

“They’ve done it before,” you said sighing but smiling none the less.

“It was still a great movie though,” Stiles said. “I know it will get nominated for an Oscar.”

“I’m sure of it, Stiles,” Scott said attempting to casually nod his head to the door. Stiles stood there in silence while you giggled at Scott’s not so subtle attempt to get you two alone. It finally clicked in Stiles head what Scott was trying to do.

“Ohhh,” he said a little too loudly. He stretched his arms over his head yawning dramatically faking his tiredness. “I think I’m going to go ahead and head inside. Tell my dad it’s time we head home,” he said as he took big steps back heading towards Scott’s home. “It might take us a while to pack up our leftovers. Like ten minutes. Yeah.” Scott shook his head at his best friend watching him step inside the house.

“Sorry about him.”

“Don’t be,” you said. “He’s funny.”

“He talks a little too much sometimes,” Scott said running his hand through the back of his hair.

“I like him though,” you said shrugging. “It was nice to meet your best friend.”

“It was? I was sure he talked your ear off in the car.”

“He did, but I liked getting to see you in your element. School is one thing, but this is different.”

“So you had a good time,” Scott asked.

“Yeah, I did,” you said smiling up at him. “Next year I’ll have to bring you to my home. My mom makes the most incredible dressing. I still haven’t figure out how to make it yet. She literally throws everything in there but the kitchen sink and she doesn’t follow a recipe.”

Scott’s eyes lit up after you mentioned him coming home with you next year. He wasn’t really hearing anything you said about your mom’s dressing. He was just stuck on the idea of you and him together for another holiday.

“Next year,” Scott asked, a little goofy grin on his face.

“Uhh, yeah. I mean, you were nice enough to bring me home. It’s only right that I return the favor,” you replied fiddling with your fingers. Scott didn’t say anything for a moment and it made you nervous. Maybe you had been reading the signs all wrong. Maybe he was just a sweet guy that didn’t want you to be alone on Thanksgiving. “That’s only if you want to of course,” you quickly explained.

Scott sensed your nervousness and hurriedly tried to assure you. “Of course I want too!” He said a little too excitedly for his liking. “I mean, uh, it would be nice to meet your family.”

“It would,” you asked happily.

“Yeah,” Scott spoke softly.

Scott’s gaze dipped to your lips then back up to your eyes. You became even more nervous than before and began twirling your ponytail in between your fingers. Scott stepped closer to you, licking his lips. You eyelids fluttered shut as Scott leaned down to kiss you. At first, Scott only kissed your lips briefly before pulling back. Then you reached up connecting your lips again. The kiss was slow making your heart quicken with every second. Scott wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his warm body. The November night air made you cold, but right now you didn’t care. Your hands slowly came up and rested on Scott’s shoulders.

Right as Scott began to deepen the kiss, the front door opened and Sheriff Stilinski, Stiles, Melissa, and Argent came outside. Neither one of you realized until the Sheriff cleared his throat. You and Scott jumped apart but it was too late. All the adults were just smiling down at the two of you.

“Alright Scotty,” Stiles cheered nodding his head.

Your cheeks grew red as you mumbled an “Oh my God” to Scott and buried your face in your hands. Scott gave his best friend a look and Stiles tried to defend himself.

“Hey, I tried to stall, but they already packed up all the food.”

#Scott McCall #Scott McCall x reader #teen wolf fanfiction #teen wolf fan fiction #teen wolf #Scott McCall imagine

[purplesurveys]

924

Do you have a taste in your mouth right now? What of? Just the faint taste of coffee since I have a cup at the moment but haven’t drunk from it in the last few minutes. Which is your least favourite day of the week? I’ve lost the concept of the days of the week for a few months now, man. Back when we used to do things, though, I hated Sundays as I felt loneliest on that day. It was always an automatic thing too so I had little control over it. If told to clean the house, would you be more inclined to clean one room really well or clean all of the rooms with hardly any effort? Clean all rooms with maximum effort. I’d be really bugged if I didn’t strive to be perfect with the whole place lol. Do you put glue on the object you're sticking down or on the paper? Object, so that the amount of glue I’m putting would be accurate. What was your last dream about? I don’t remember the details anymore but at the very least, I know it was very vivid since I remembered it throughout the morning. I’ve been having very detailed dreams lately – it’s the depression for sure. 

What is your favourite part of the last movie you watched? Haven’t seen a movie in a while but the last thing I watched in full was The Crown; Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret really shone through in the last episode I saw. Have you stuck any stickers to the computer you're using? I put all my stickers onto my laptop case but not the laptop itself. I haven’t had the case on for a while now though, since I’m always just at home now. Do you ever write or talk to yourself in your head when you're bored? Yes or when I’m feeling upset, as long as I’m alone. I’ve found that talking to myself is a healthy way to address and deal with my emotions. What interests you the most about other people? What I find interesting always varies. I have friends who I find interesting for their music tastes; some others for their knowledge of random trivia; some for their jobs, etc. It’s always different. Do you ever take random pictures out of boredom? What of? Not really. If I take photos it’s because I want to remember a moment or because I find something cute or funny. Basically anything that elicits a strong emotion out of me, I’m bound to take a picture of. Do you prefer listening to things through headphones or speakers? Headphones. How many siblings do you have? Do you get on with them? I have two siblings. I only get along with my sister; I have not talked to my brother since last year and have no desire to again. Would you rather live in a log cabin or a brick house? Mmm I’d take the brick house. Log cabin would be nice for a quick getaway, but I wouldn’t want it to be my permanent home. There’s a psychological factor in there and I just think that staying in a log cabin would make me feel suffocated eventually, haha. Do you have a calendar up for this year? I have a ‘Job Applications’ calendar that I’m currently monitoring, and it tracks the applications I’ve sent out to different companies and how long I’ve been waiting for a response from each of them. Really needing some positive vibes and energy since I actually just got my first rejection notice today. Other than that this year has been pretty fucking boring and there’s been little need to keep an active calendar. What was the very first CD you bought? The first CD I remember asking my parents to buy for me was like the High School Musical official soundtrack. I was big on Disney as a kid and wasn’t a big fan of any solo acts or bands up until I was around 10. Do you keep things like old train tickets, etc? Yessssssss. Do you like your smile? Why (not)? I like it; I find my smile friendly and warm. I just hate smiling with my teeth at the present since one of my front teeth protrudes. Can’t wait to get braces again. Would you rather be able to sing or dance? Why? Dance. Dancers are super hot, lmao. What was your favourite colour when you were a kid? Do you still like it? It was purple/violet and it was mostly influenced by my great-grandma who lovedddd the color and had it everywhere in her home. When she passed away, my love for the color slowly faded away and I don’t think too much of it now. Have you ever said 'lol' in real life? Haha yeah sometimes. I pronounce it as ‘lohl’ and never ‘el oh el’ though. Do you like your friend's parents? I like most of their parents, though I’m aware that some have abusive tendencies. Most of the parents are super nice, though. JM’s mom cooked a big lunch for us once and his dad buys like four party-sized boxes of pizza every time we come over, Angela’s parents treat me like their own kid, Gab’s mom constantly tells me she loves me...it’s in the little things. How many times have you moved? I can remember just the two times, but I know that we moved several times more when I was an infant. Have you ever refused to try a certain food? Which? Most stuff with fruits, hah. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, like when a sushi roll has mango or if I’m having banoffee pie, but I almost always refuse a meal with some kind of fruit in it. What's your favourite type of soup? Not really big on soup. I just like miso. Very occasionally I’ll have mushroom soup too. What is your favourite candle scent? I don’t buy candles nor do I know people who regularly get them, so I’m not very familiar with the different scents. Does the sight of blood make you feel ill? In real life, it would. I always have to look away whenever Gabie gets a nosebleed ha. But I have no problem watching bloody wrestling matches and I actually enjoy the bloodier ones. Super weird quirk of mine. What do you call it when you're sick anyways? (Sick, ill, not well, etc) If I’m referring to a fever I call it sick/ill/not feeling well. If I feel like throwing up I say I’m getting dizzy/need to vomit. I’ve never referred to puking as ‘getting sick,’ and it took me a very long time to realize that it was a common American saying, haha. Did you ever really believe in the tooth fairy? I did, and I felt super betrayed when I put my tooth under my pillow only to see it again the next morning. If you had to appear in a movie, which genre would you choose? Coming of age. What do you do with unwanted gifts? I keep them, since I still appreciate the effort of the gift-giver. Are there any clothes you haven't worn in ages, that you've suddenly started wearing again? HAHA yes. There will be rare instances where I get to go out and I always take the time to look stylish as all fuck, even though I’m only running an errand and wearing flashier pieces would be so unnecessary. I just miss dressing up and looking cute, man. Do any keys on your keyboard stick? Like, if they’re sticky? No. Would you rather own a laptop or a computer? Laptop. Love it when things are portable. Do you think you'll look at old photos of yourself and be embarrassed? My teenage years are definitely bad especially with regard to my fashion choices lol, but so are everyone else’s so I’m not super embarrassed. I cringe at the photos but I wouldn’t mind if my friends poked fun at them because chances are I’d join in too. What was the worst hairstyle you ever had? I always hated it whenever my mom took me to the salon to have my hair rebonded. That kind of look has never worked with my face shape and so I usually did everything for my hair to start curling up quicker and go back to its original form. Do you like t-shirts with sayings on them? Why (not)? Not really. It’s just not a personal preference. I like plain or slightly printed pieces. Do you click on the adverts at the side of the screen? No. Have you ever coughed and sneezed at the same time? I’m sure it’s happened before. Are you embarrassed to show people your ID photo? Nah. Whatever dude. Have / would you ever become a cheerleader? I haven’t, but I would have loved to. We don’t have a cheerleading club or varsity in my old school though so I was never able to hone my skills, if ever. What's the longest you've gone without eating? Maybe a little more than 24 hours. What is one of your biggest irrational fears? Commercials airing at night. I find jingles and graphic effects unsettling by a certain hour lol. What comes up when you press Ctrl + V? “I reeeeally miss seeing you and your purple things and seeing you give glares to people who deserve it. what a lodi <333” omg aw. It’s Jane’s birthday today and I copied that bit of my greeting to move it to another paragraph so that my message would flow better. Out of the bands you listen to, were most of them around before or after you were born? After. When did you last jump out of fright? I don’t remember. Are you currently waiting on something? What? For a company to take me in. Does time pass slowly or quickly when you're on the internet? Usually it’s quickly, but now that I feel more and more useless around the house, time’s been more slow and for the first time the distractions of the internet haven’t been working. What about when you're at school / work? Depended on the amount of stuff I had to do and whether I’m enthusiastic about them or not. Does the thought of being pregnant gross you out? The thought of giving birth does, but not pregnancy. What was the last thing you made with your hands? I mean I made myself a cup of coffee tonight, but the coffee mix itself was already pre-packaged. I just mixed it with hot water. Are you good at making shadow puppets? I’d say no. Are you more hungry or thirsty right now? Neither. I’ve been so anxious and depressed these days I’m actually skipping every single meal except dinner, and even then I eat very little. I don’t even do it on purpose; my anxiety has simply stopped me from feeling hungry. No idea what the weighing scale’s gonna tell me the next time I check, sigh. Someone hire me plz. God it really sucks being a fresh grad in this current state of the world. Are you prone to headaches? No. They only come out during hectic schedules and stressful weeks. Do you forget things easily? The little and everyday things, like forgetting my school ID at home or where I placed my keys. But I don’t forget things that are more bigger-picture, like birthdays or faces or memories. Do you enjoy going out to dinner? I enjoy it and I terribly miss being able to do it. Would you ever go on a cruise ship holiday? I would and I have. Lots of fun. Would do again and again. What's your favourite sea animal? Dolphins and whales. Do you get coughs or colds more? Coughs.

#survey #surveys

[scandinaviacroatiaengbergs]

Tuesday night and Wednesday! VOLVO! And then on to Norway, home of a-ha . . .

So, on Tuesday evening, we arrived to the Gothenburg Central Station and right across from it was the Clarion Hotel Post, which had basically a snazzy nightclub right outside and something of a British Royal Mail theme. The hotel was once some big municipal building, maybe their central post office, and it was refurbished into a nice hotel.  This was the night of our trip that was paid for by Volvo, and we would be having dinner in their fine-dining restaurant on Volvo’s dollar, or rather kroner.  We got all check in and then went up to our room.  In the room, some of the structural architectural elements were exposed, like a beam, that went diagonally from the bottom right corner of the room to the upper left corner  . . and  of course our resident monkey had to shimmy up that as fast as he could get to it.  Ugh.  Anyway, Cece has also taken to getting her wiggles out and exercise in whenever she can, and for her, it’s in the form of doing “pirouettes” in any space where there is more than two-square-feet for her to move in.  She puts her arms out, winds up, and then flings her body in a circle.  Anyway, I digress; after Rowan dusted that beam with his body multiple times by sliding down it, we headed out on the streets of Gothenburg for a few-hour walk before our 8:30 dinner reservation (yes, it was a late reservation, but that was per their decision, not ours).

We walked along a river, which had a linear kind of park, and then we wove our way back through a school’s playground (lots of climbing, swinging, balancing ensued) and a shopping district and got to the hotel with a few minutes to spare before dinner.  I will say, Gothenburg (and now Oslo) has a lot of construction going on, like, building construction and road construction.  It was also Pride week in Gothenburg and there were rainbow flags waving everywhere, and there would be at the Volvo HQ the next day too. So, dinner was to be Scandinavian delicacies, and the first course – which Eric and I got, but not the kids, because we didn’t get the pre-set meal for them and rather ordered off the menu, which we’d planned with Volvo European Delivery before we left—was some smoked fish and caviar and creme fraiche and some other little dollops of things.  We are not really “fine dining” people (I always think back and chuckle at the crazy insane fancy meal Cece, Alia, my dad, and I had in Riga, during which they brought my dad’s meat on a tiny little pyre of pine which they lit on fire at the table), but Eric cleaned his plate for that first course and I shared some of the fish with Cece.  Our second course was a white fish in a cream sauce with asparagus and tiny potatoes.  That was delicious.  The final course was dessert and it was super intricate: little gelled tartlets with meringue knots and yuzu sorbet and a few chunks of rhubarb and caramelized white chocolate sprinkles and white chocolate brownies, in three tiny pieces. See, I could barely remember all of the elements. Rowan devoured what was left of Eric’s, and Cece shared mine with me.  The kids main course was actually a mac-n-cheese variant and a side of roasted head-of-cauliflower, which I though was very delicious.  They also got sparking apple juice, which of course they loved. OK, so the next morning, the Volvo driver picked us up at 8:40 and drove us to HQ.  At about 9:20, we had the keys to our new car! It all happened so fast and rather unceremoniously!  I mean, there was some ceremony in walking through these sliding glass doors into a big room with curtains on the walls, where the new car was parked.  Maybe the romance was dimmed a bit by our squawking children.  For some reason, they were kind of at their worst at exactly the wrong time.  We were trying to get all of the info about the new car from the guy who was orienting us to it, and the kids were supposed to be playing just on the other side of the glass doors (we could see them) with Legos, and of course, they mutually decided it was a perfect time to terrorize each other.  Well, never mind, once we got the car all set up and got them somewhat sorted out, we went over for a really quick spin in our new car over to the Volvo Museum, which was really close by but was kind of a struggle to get to because of some super-sizable freeway construction plus a roll-over accident with a semi that closed a roundabout that was crucial to us.  That messed us up on the way back, too.  Anyway, the Volvo Museum was so cool!  The kids kinds of settled down once we were there, checking out all of the amazing old Volvos from through the years, including buses, construction equipment, firetrucks, and even a plane.   We made our way back to the Volvo HQ and were treated to lunch in the little café there.  It was very yummy: smoked salmon, potatoes, meatballs for the kids (which only Cece ate) and some vegetarian pancakes that Eric and I split. After that, it was time for  tour of the factory.  We had to put our cell phones in a locked drawer and don safety glasses and then hop in a multi-car little “train” wagon thing, with the other guests.  We were in the front car, with a very cool woman who was the MC (she is American, from Dallas, but married a Swede, and lives in Sweden, and guides these factory tour for European Delivery guests; she thought our kids were hilarious). The kids were soooooooo engaged by the tour.  It was amazing.  We went into the body shop part, where the metal pieces are  assembled and welded.  Then we went into another building where the other parts are assembled too: doors added on, components inserted, testing done, etc. It really appeared to be a very gender-balanced and age-distributed workplace.  The tour took and hour.  I would love to give more details, and I will when salient aspects pop in my mind, but my brain is tired right now, so this will have to suffice. When we got back to the HQ, we got our phones back and gave the glasses back and got a found out how we could avoid stopping to pay tolls on entering Norway (by doing an EZ-pass kind of thing where it just reads our license plate and charges our credit card).  Then, we re-packed the back of the car, got the kids latched in, and whizzed off on the road to Norway!  The land of a-ha!  My long-time dream!  I was joking that I was sure that as soon as we crossed into Norway, there would be a huge billboard saying, “Welcome to Norway, the Land of A-Ha.”  That wasn’t the case, surprisingly. We used the built-in navigation on our Volvo during our drive – and I have not yet stressed how nice this car is. It is so nice.  I mean, even though in Finland, Sweden, and Norway this car is like the standard one for taxis, it still resonates with me as the nicest ride ever.  But, the reason taxis are luxury cars in Scandinavia is because the industry is, and I quote Eric via an article he read because we were scratching our heads about it, “highly regulated and hideously expensive.”  Anyway, we got to our apartment in Oslo and we then had a struggle to actually get the keys to our Airbnb.  They were supposed to be with the employee working at the corner store, called “Joker,” and we went in, and the guy was like, don’t have ‘em.  He told me I was at the wrong Joker.  So, Eric went back to that one, because it was at the intersection we were told to go to, and the guy rebuffed him again.  So, Eric went a few blocks over to another Joker, and that guy was super nice and was like, nope, you were at the right Joker originally. So, we *all* went back to the original Joker, and lo and behold, the guy finally found the envelope with our names on it.  Then, the apartment building is a four-floor walk-up, which I can hang with since my apartment in the Renaud was too, but in this case, we didn’t have clear information on which apartment was the one we needed to enter.  I looked back at the original Airbnb posting and it said “sunny top floor,” so that answered that question, but there were two apartments!  So, we gambled, picked one, tried the key, and it worked.  Whew. It was super nice (I mean, it *is* super nice, as I am writing this from the extra-long kitchen table in this, indeed, very sunny top-floor apartment). I texted with my friend Ryley a bit, who lived here, and we went out by car to a grocery store near her and then popped by her place for a sec.  She’d made us banana bread and gave us a bottle of wine and my kids were bananas for seeing her kids, and they watched some hilarious puppy videos together while we chatted.  Then, we got back to our place, fed the kids yogurt and banana bread for dinner, and got them down – late again! And, in the next post, I will tell you all about our first day in Oslo when I did not, surprisingly, run into any members of a-ha.

[imaginetonyandbucky]

How to get away with Winter (without murder)

Prompt by Anonymous: what if Winter is separated from Bucky and Winter is very protective of Tony, like more so than Bucky, and he baby's the hell out of him so Tony complains to Bucky who just laughs and joins Winter in spoiling Tony to death 

A/N: I wasn’t sure about how much separated are we talking about, so here’s Winter as his own person, but still part of Bucky - hope that’s alright ^^

Written as a sequel to another prompt fic: How to get away with (murder) Tony (AO3), but can be read as a stand-alone fic as there’s just a minor reference to the previous two stories - that’s where the Bucky/Winter/Tony dynamic comes from though ^^ Enjoy! <3

Tony loves Sunday mornings.

If anyone told him a year ago that he would like any morning at all, he’d laugh for days. He’s hated mornings ever since his early MIT days. Partying and school didn’t mix all too well and once he added late night tinkering, mornings became his worst adversaries.

He’s an owl, he thrives in the night. But then there’s Bucky, an absolute morning person if he’s ever met one – and he does keep on meeting Steve heading off to his morning run at 5AM so, yeah.

Where Tony prefers to hide from the offending rays of sunlight, Bucky bathes in them, enjoying the warmth and light. That’s what he figured real fast – the guy is a morning person and despite his codename he’s a summer guy, too. And Tony can work with that, even though the first few times he’s been woken up by a waaaaay too lively supersoldier at six o’clock on a Sunday were bordering on torturous. He used Sundays to reboot and get enough sleep to warrant another week-long sleepless workshop parties.

Now...well, let’s just say he’s not too unhappy with the new Sundays.

Waking up to a kiss and his all-time favorite Bucky-smile is definitely better than waking up at noon – rested, but alone. This waking up scenario is not limited to Sundays only, so now that he thinks about it, Tony just loves mornings these days.

Especially if they’re coupled with Winter-made waffles for breakfast.

The Other-other guy gets to be in control every now and then – under the promise of not killing anyone during the time – and he uses it for two things: cooking and pranking. Since murder is off the menu, he opted for the lesser evil and just pranks whoever he deems deserving of punishment. And it usually ends up being either one of the Birdbrains or Steve. Tony would berate him about it…it if wasn’t so much fun to watch.

It’s a strange symbiosis the three of them have.

He wakes up alone after yesterday’s eventful game night with the team – playing Activities with Steve, who couldn’t pantomime a growing tree even if he tried and Clint, who made everything look like a scene from the Hunger Games, was admittedly a bad idea. So he immediately guesses the sad display of skills forced Winter out to calm down in the kitchen…after setting up more pranks for the boys of course.

Shuffling into the bathroom, he takes a quick shower and blow-dries his hair to at least look a little respectable before heading down to the common floor.

“I’m afraid he likes spicy, hot meals. I have witnessed him emptying an entire bottle of tabasco onto his lasagna.”

Tony halts at the sound of JARVIS’s voice.

“That is…barbaric,” Winter replies through the clanking of glass bottles.

“Indeed. He is however allergic to lactose.”

He silently moves toward the open entrance to the kitchen to further inspect the scene.

(read-more ahead!)

“Mortally allergic?” Winter asks with renewed interest.

“No, of course not. But he gets a very bad case of acne whenever he drinks milk or eats chocolate.”

Winter pauses and then takes out the opened bottle of milk out of the fridge. “This will do.”

“Isn’t it a bit early for pranking?” Tony says, putting his hands on his hips, trying to look stern. Although he has to admit the sight of pre-pubertal looking Clint was way too funny the last time he indulged in dairy.

Winter’s usually passive expression ignites with something close to satisfaction as he smirks at Tony. “It is the perfect time. He must suffer for his absolute incompetence,” he says, deep and threatening.

“Yeah, I figured. Go crazy, soldier,” he waves at him, rolling his eyes. Registering the blissful smell of waffles he moves towards the counter but Winter blocks his way, hand raised in a stopping gesture.

“No,” he simply says and points at the table. “Sit,” he commands, slipping past Tony to pull one of the chairs for him.

Tony chuckles and lets the man help him get seated. Bucky is the same way. Holding the doors open, helping out in the workshop with heavy lifting, serving him food first before serving himself…but Winter positively spoils him lately. It was cute at first - now it keeps on escalating and Tony’s not sure what to do about that bit.

A minute later, he is presented with a hefty portion of waffles with a side of whipped cream, mashed strawberries and a cup of coffee. His favorite combination. Not the healthiest, but he can’t but indulge every once in a while. And Winter had figured out this particular pattern very early on.

“Thank you. It smells…divine,” he winks at him and digs in with the fork the former assassin quickly procures for him. He hums in appreciation the second he tastes the dish and oh to hell with health. This is better than life.

Winter just nods and moves back to his pranking mission. That somehow involves JARVIS now. Given their past, Tony is happy to see them working together if only it wasn’t pranking. He almost feels bad for Clint at the moment…almost. They’re just too good at this. Today it’s pranking Clint and tomorrow they’ll be taking over the world!

He watches them work in silence, as they eventually decide to sabotage Clint’s very own bottle of coke with just enough milk to not be noticeable, but still effective. For some reason, Birdbrain dumps his morning cereal into coca-cola…who does that?! That’s just…bizarre. And those tabasco lasagna, too. He’s got some seriously weird…bird…tastes.

When he’s done with the plate – somehow managing to restrain himself from licking it clean – he tries to get up and at least do the dishes but nope. The Soldier is quicker than lightning. He takes the dirty dishes, drops them off to the washer and refills the almost empty cup of coffee - all in a span of five seconds. “Uhhhh…thanks. Next breakfast is on me,” he jokes, but Winter gives him a dead serious look.

“No.”

He rolls his eyes at his antics again and sits back in the comfy chair. “Fine, you can have breakfast. Lunch is usually Steve’s. So dinner’s on me next,” he decides, but the other man’s expression only intensifies.

“No.”

“I can cook, too, you know?” he folds his hands defensively, starting to feel a little offended. He’s Tony goddamn Stark! He creates new elements every other Tuesday, he can handle a dinner!

“Of course you can,” Winter agrees. “I would not ever doubt that.”

“It’s settled then!” he beams at him, not bothered by the man’s profound frown.

 He forgets all about the tiny dispute - until he wants to cook that dinner one day and finds that Winter is already in the kitchen, hard at work. He dismisses it and tries to go for it the next day but no luck, Winter already has meat in the oven by the time he shuffles out of the workshop.

When he complains about it with his perfected pout of doom to Bucky later, the little shit just laughs. “’S nothing, Tony. He’s just so happy when he can cook for ya, let him be.”

So he lets him. It’s not like Tony actually likes to cook anyway. And if Winter is happy then he’s happy. And Bucky’s definitely happy.

The problem is that Winter doesn’t just stop at food.

Spoiling him rotten with all his favorite dishes all the time is one thing, but then he moves on to his laundry. Like, the whole deal.

He sorts to clothes by color, then starts up the washing machine, then the dryer, then he irons the clothes, folds them or hangs them neatly into the wardrobe and depending on the day of the week, he even prepares Tony’s favorite pieces for him come morning.

Big ongoing project in the workshop? There are sweatpants and the AC/DC Tee waiting for him. Wednesday SI shareholder meeting? No problem, there’s that sleek black suit paired with the white shirt and crimson-gold tie. Evening date with Bucky? Winter’s got that covered as well with the dark jeans and a casual T-shirt + black jacket combo. He even picks his underwear for fuck’s sake! So what if Bucky’s a fan of those tight boxers! Yes he is and yes, Tony’s aware and by proxy Winter must be aware, but it’s too much.

“I’m more than capable of picking my clothing, thank you very much!” he tells him one day, when Winter nearly puts his choice of clothes on for him as well.

“Of course you are,” he answers immediately, with the same frown as before with the cooking and actually looks appalled by the very idea of Tony being incapable of something so simple. Incapable of anything, really.

So he lets it go again. But laundry only seems to be the beginning for Winter.

When he’s got food and laundry handled, he moves on to the workshop. He can’t do Tony’s work for him – thankfully – but that sure as hell doesn’t stop him from helping out any way that he can. Within few hours, he learns all about the tools Tony uses, so whenever he finds himself in need of a hammer or a screwdriver, the tool materializes on his worktable. Without him even saying anything! He gets so good at it he just knows what Tony’s gonna need and brings it over in a second. And because he’s a master multitasker, snacks and drinks materialize on his table just as well.

“The tools are five steps away from the bench. I can just walk over there when I need something,” he tells him, not sure what he’s expecting in terms of answer.

“Of course you can.” Is naturally the response he gets.

“Then why do you keep bringing them to me?” he asks patiently.

“Because I can, too. You focus on your work. It looks important,” he adds and gets back to being the tool-bringer.

Tony gives up and just calls out whatever he needs and Winter happily brings it to him. Bucky, the little shit he still is, comments on it later, saying they have a funky surgeon - assisting nurse thing going on in the workshop. 

And just when he thinks it can’t in any way escalate from there, Winter is ready to prove him wrong. With the smallest and silliest things possible!

Like sneaking out and going grocery shopping so early in the morning the bagels are still hot when him and Bucky are having breakfast. Or washing the Tesla after a particularly dusty night out. Or turning the bots into his personal army and commandeering them to behave well and basically recruiting them in on his mission – and they’re listening to him. Hell, JARVIS is listening to him. And aside from pranking, the AI supports him in all his Tony-spoiling endeavors.

In the end, he does the only thing he can do. Complain to his all too entertained boyfriend.

“I’m so done with your obsessive inner assassin, like…so done!”

“Oh?” Bucky raises an eyebrow, looking at him innocently.

“It was cute at first…sweet even, I’ll admit. Watching him become a master chef, bully JARVIS for recipes, be so damn happy whenever he got complimented on his work. But come on, now! He’s like a fucking Mary Poppins these days, just more like a perfectionist butler from hell! I can’t do anything when he’s around! Other than work and…walk. And I bet he’s already getting an MIT degree so I don’t have to work either! It’s only a matter of time before he’s carrying me around, too!”

“He likes doin’ things for you, s’all.”

“Wh…that’s…great and…lovely. But there’s a line! He’s going to extremes now!”

Bucky pauses for a moment and then chuckles, presumably because of whatever Winter says. “Tony…trust me when I say, that compared to the extremes he was planning to go into before agreeing to stick with house chores, him pranking the Avengers and caring for you is what I’d call mild.”

“Oh really? What was he gonna do? Murder everyone but me and then bathe in their blood?” he scoffs, but Bucky doesn’t look amused.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Even if he wasn’t looking so serious, Tony would believe him. Winter does have a proclivity for murder. “Okay. So maybe him being all…,” he flails about with his hands, “…attentive is not as bad as it could be. But I seriously don’t need to be baby’d like this to know that he likes me! I know it makes him happy but we’d all be happier if he…tuned it down. Just a little bit!” he suggests, immediately raising a defensive hand. He doesn’t want to sound like a jerk…especially not to the two of them. “I’m sure we can find some new, exciting hobby for him that doesn’t involve murder and obsessing over me.”

Bucky takes a moment to have his inner conversation with the Other-other guy and the way he smirks afterwards should have been a warning. “I’m sure we can.”

“Good. That’s…great. Now, where were we?” he returns the smirk and winks, resuming the cuddling on the couch. 

Somewhere in the heat of that late night conversation, Tony must have forgotten one very important fact. He can easily blame it on Bucky and the effect he has on his usual perceptive and top notch brain activity. But even then he should have realized that Winter and Bucky are…on the same wavelength. The HYDRA-made assassin has spent every waking minute in the presence of Bucky and his thoughts for the past two years. No Handlers to torment him, no murder orders to carry out…just him and Bucky. And it’s the latter, that’s behind his de facto rehabilitation…and everything he does or doesn’t do these days.

In other words, the two think very much alike.

And Tony doesn’t get a better example or proof of this theory than during the next few days after their talk. Winter no longer escalates things, but then Bucky comes into the picture. And where Winter draws a line, Bucky takes the reins and continues on for him with just as much determination and twice the subtlety. While being the one thing Winter is not quite yet – tactile.

So Bucky distracts Tony with a kiss, or more kisses or a touch…and then he’s suddenly being spoon-fed breakfast in-between. Or his formerly messy work table is in absolute order and ready to be used again. Or his favorite coffee, that Birdbrain hides at the very top shelf so that Tony has to all but build a chair pyramid in order to reach, is presented to him in one, swift ninja move, while Birdbrain’s favorite cornflakes get superglued to the ceiling – not the box; every single cornflake, one by one.

Or like right now.

One moment he’s having a conversation with Bruce while watching some weirdly accurate movie about Mars and the next, he’s being wrapped in a duvet like a damn burrito and then deposited on the other end of the sofa, away from his now openly grinning science bro.

Bucky plops down next to him, kisses his cheek and turns away to watch the movie with a tiny smile playing on his lips.

He looks down to inspect his now…mummified state of being and opens his mouth to complain.

Before his brain to mouth filter gets to fail, he swallows the complaint, realizing two things in rapid succession worthy of the genius that he is.

It’s actually quite nice and comfy… he had been getting a little cold so sure, duvet burrito, why not.

And more importantly, the last time he complained about being pampered to no end, instead of making Winter go easier on it, Bucky joined in. He even started pranking the team when an opportunity presented itself just as much as the former assassin part of him.

It leads him to a very simple conclusion.

The more he’ll complain to the two of them, the more they’ll pamper him. Because that’s what they are – birds of a feather. Who else would Winter learn everything from anyway? Of course it had to be Bucky. And Bucky surely got some lovely pointers from none other than the meddling overlord himself – JARVIS.

Tony sends a fiery glare to the nearest camera, but by the time he turns to his boyfriend, it’s transformed into a squinty pout. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he accuses him in a quiet, offended voice. “Both of you,” he adds, knowing Winter is definitely tuned in on this.

“Damn straight,” he smiles at him…like he’s the happiest person on the planet.

Oh hell…Tony isn’t one to give up a fight. But he’s kinda okay giving up this one. Because maybe some fights are actually worth giving up, if the result is as great as that smile right there.

“Fine…you win. Pamper me senseless,” he melts into the cushions, pout replaced with a content smile.

“That’s…not a euphemism, right?” Bruce sends them a strange look. “Because if it is, I have some work in the lab I can go get back to if you need to…pamper each other, you know?”

Tony bursts out with laughter at Bruce’s horrified expression and Bucky’s now frozen smile. “Shut up and watch the movie, Brucie-bear,” he rolls his eyes and wiggles his hands out of the duvet. “Now, you scoot over here,” he points at Bucky and then at his lap.

He raises a questioning eyebrow but slides a little closer and lets himself be maneuvered against Tony…who then gains the most perfect access to his hair.

“If you two get to meddle with my underwear, I’ll get to braid your hair,” he explains, running his fingers through the man’s wild locks.

“Hmmm…’s nice. Braid me all you want,” Bucky murmurs back, relaxing in the half-embrace.

“I swear, if those are all euphemisms I am turning green and killing you both,” Bruce groans, glaring at them now.

Tony feels, rather than hears the rumble of quiet laughter that erupts in Bucky’s chest and smiles, combing through his hair soothingly. “Careful now with the murder talk, Bruce. Wouldn’t want to wake up Winter now, would we?”

“I hate you all,” Bruce mumbles, but smiles at them anyway.

“Watch the damn movie, boys,” Tony prompts them and focuses on the simple fish tail braid and the warm, comfortable weight that is Bucky - and Winter against him.

~Fin

#winteriron #tony x bucky #tony stark #bucky barnes #Winter Soldier #fluff #bucky x tony x winter #lantia #prompts

[warmau]

{Special College!AU} Mark Lee

major: children's education 

minor: creative writing 

sports: was invited to the schools hockey team because he’s good on skates, but turns out mark lee isn’t all that good at contact sports (that and taeyong got so worried about him mark just decided to join badminton club instead)

clubs: book review with doyoung - but more than anything he just likes to hear doyoung talk lol, secretly part of a magic the gathering thing but only sometimes,,,,like ,,,,, once a week shh

when mark was applying to colleges, a lot of people were telling him to pursue majors he didn’t really like

“be pre-med!” “do law!” “business is the only place were there’s real money!”

but mark knew what he wanted to do with his life,,,,,he wanted to be a teacher

and even though people would always assume his shy, easily embarrassed attitude around others would be hard to overcome if he was like a highschool teacher or something

mark knew that he could do it - plus he’d always kind of wanted to be a kindergarten teacher,,,,,kids were always just so much more creative and interesting

and one of the things people had told mark since he was pretty young was that he was a natural born role model 

from breaking up arguments between kids on his home block, to encouraging his friends to do their best, just being laidback and so easy to talk to - yet still working his hardest

so why not put that to use,,,,,,sure it might have been corny to say outloud but mark wants to inspire kids and be someone they can really learn from,,,,

even though he’d never admit it aloud because for some reason he’d know someone (johnny) would fake cry and clap about his emotional speech

which sOMEone (johnny) does a lot,,,, like mark will go “if anything, we can all agree on pizza for lunch” and johnny will wipe a fake tear and be like “the hero we always needed,,,,”

mark sometimes wonders why he’s friends with such dramatic people,,,,,,,,actually a lot of people wonder that

because mark is popular, people just see him as this approachable, adorable guy and he totally is

which is why taeyong is always sweating over the fact that mark is TOO nice,,,,,he doesn’t want mark to get in any trouble

ten is always like taeyong please, mark is a grown man he knows-

taeyong: mark - don’t talk to strangers on the internet, mark have you ever heard of catfishing, mark did you know your computer could be HACKED

taeil: someone please distract him ,,,, like sicheng spill some coffee or sneeze on him so he’ll stop

but mark has known his closest friends for the longest, and he’s got this sense of loyalty that’s seriously unbreakable

it’s one of the many things that is so great about him,,,,honestly how can someone be so genuine and nice,,,,,,,

mark’s roommate jaehyun sometimes finds mark sitting up at like 2 am - desk lamp on - scribbling notes down

and he assumes he’s studying or something,,,but mark also has another goal - he wants to write a kids book

although his drawing is sub par,,,,,ideas for the book have always been floating around in his head

and even if it’s 2, 3, 4 am he has to get up and write a good one down

he never shows them to anyone though,,,,because it’s sort of a secret the only person who knows is another bestfriend of his, haechan, whose still in high school

mark would totally pen pal haechan if he went away to college - don’t argue with me on this

as a children’s education major,,,,there’s a program that allows mark to TA in an actual school for a bit - only half a semester but it’s something he’s really looked forward too

there’s two TA’s per class and mark gets assigned to a first grade homeroom

which is where you actually first meet,,,,,

you get there super early, afraid you’ll be even a second late and make a bad impression - the anxiety of working under a teacher you don’t know makes you a little sweaty

and as you slide down the wall outside classroom 127, catching your breathe because you bet you ran here

you look at your phone and sigh,,,,,,,7:05,,,,,you’ve got another 25 minutes

it takes you a while to realize,,,,but there’s someone else in the hall with you. 

across from your room,,,,sits a boy - he looks vaguely familiar but he seems just as nervous as you are

glancing at his watch and tapping his foot, eyes wide with wonder when you finally meet each others glances

embarrassingly, he scrambles up to his feet and so do you 

“h-hi,,, im mark. im with 127,,,,”

he awkwardly stretches his hand out to shake yours and you notice that he avoids direct eye contact again,,,,,,,,it’s kinda cute

you introduce yourself back, telling him you’re with 127 too

there’s a short pause and then he blurts out “do you think the kids will like us?”

out of all the things to be worried about,,,,it’s somehow fitting of mark’s biggest fear to be of his impression left on the kids

something about his question makes you feel ,,,,, like there’s something different about mark

something almost pure,,,,,,

you smile “i hope they do.”

at 7:30, you and mark hear the padding of little feet. the excited voices and sounds that could only mean one thing - class 127 is on its way

the teacher, a kind looking older women, brightens up when she sees you two

quickly, you and mark politely bow and introduce yourselves. she seems so happy to have you two and you mentally high-five yourself in relief

you catch mark’s eye and he pretends to wipe a sweat from his forehead which makes you giggle

as the kids pile into the room, taking their seats the teacher has you and mark write your names on the board

beside yours, you put a smiling face and notice mark pick his chalk back up to add a flower beside his

mark goes first, introducing himself by his full name

one of the kids shouts “mr. lee!!!” and mark almost turns bright red,,,,,,,,making it hard for you to keep a straight face

the introductions go smoothly and the teacher sits you at one table full of kids and mark at another 

the day goes by exceptionally well, all the kids seem fond of you - clinging to your hand and feeling comfortable enough to share favorite toys or books with you

during recess, one of them was feeling tired and had plopped themselves in your lap - which you were fine with,,,until they almost fell asleep

tbh there was only one kid who was a bit rowdy, sometimes too loud and too physical with other kids 

but you could see mark had no trouble handling him

actually,,,,you were kind of shocked to see how diligently mark had committed himself to helping this kid - even on the first day

and when school was over, mark even took the time to wait by the kid till his parents arrived

it had only been the first day and you were already growing attached,,,,,,,,,you knew time would fly with the kids

but for some reason, as you walked to the bust stop to catch it back to campus,,,,,,you could only think about one of two things; all the cute kids or,,,,,,,

mark

the first couple of weeks are a piece of cake really, the teacher was so knowledgeable and sweet plus the kids had accepted you that you couldn’t believe this was a college program

like you were getting credits for this,,,,, you had even told mark at some point  “this makes me want to be a teacher even more!” 

he’d smiled, agreeing and added that if anything - this class was probably the best class you two would ever have

at the end of one day, you and mark had stayed back to clean up and when he’d asked if you were taking the bus back you could feel a small flutter in your heart

“yeah i am, i wanted to go get some dinner to take home and then go back to the dorms to study.”

mark seemed hesitant for a moment, but then you decided it couldn’t hurt to make a first move - “do you want to eat with me and then we’ll catch the bus together?”

mark’s shoulders seemed to relax, he agreed and you guys finished tidying up the room before locking up for the teacher

“im on a budget for dinner though, i hope you’re not like super against fast food,,,,”

you mumbled, walking the streets with mark by your side, backpack slung over one shoulder

“that’s ok, i usually don’t eat dinner anyway. i live off ice-cream and bread my friend taeyong hates it,,,” 

mark chuckles and you shake your head “you gotta eat, keeping up with kids is hard”

mark smiles, following you into the mcdonalds that you find cramped between two cafes

you order a burger meal and mark just gets some fries, you frown and he just shrugs “im serious, i don’t really eat dinner”

you settle into an empty booth and start eating, for while it’s silent till mark asks you cautiously if you can tell him something

you look at him, the fluorescent bright lighting in this place makes it hard not to focus on how cute he is - you can see his smooth his skin is, and how bright and big his eyes are

you swallow and snap out of it, “sure, what is it?”

mark mentions the rowdy child from your class,,,,,he plays nervously with the edge of his ear and goes “do you think he’s ok,,,,,,,sometimes i notice that he’s pretty thin. im worried about how much attention he’s getting at home.”

you maul it over for a bit, leaning back in your seat. it is true,,,he is one of the smaller boys in the class,,,,and sometimes when kids are loud it is a cry for attention,,,,,

“maybe,,,,,but we can’t jump to conclusions. i feel like if something was going on the teacher would have already known,,,,”

mark’s eyes that had clouded over a bit with seriousness brighten when you say that

“i never thought of that, but you’re probably right,,,,,,”

you lean over, stealing a french fry from his tray and mark crinkles his nose “hey!”

you laugh and tell him that when he gets back to his dorm he better have some actual dinner

you and mark part ways on campus,,,you guys still have regular classes on the days when you’re not at the school so you know you won’t see him till you’re back with the first graders

for some weird reason,,,,,even though you just saw him,,,,,you kinda already wanna see him again

when you finally do - you learn that the class is going to be having a fun outing day to the park on friday

you and mark grin at each other, just as happy as the kids are to be getting out of a classroom

that following friday,,,,,,,you come in to see a couple of parents in the room with some kids. one of them is the father of the boy mark was worried about

mark appears at your side and you can see he’s watching him too,,,,,

in reality if something is up, what can you and him - two college students - really do

but at the same time,,,you get the feeling that mark won’t let it go,,,,,,

you want to say something, but you feel a small hand tug on yours and ask if you’ll take them to the bathroom

you look at mark one more time, but with that you have to do your job

the park is fun - the kids are all energetic and you’re pretty sure you and mark have played hide and seek 435342 times

when finally the boy mark was worried about joins in, running right into mark’s hands 

his father is talking to the teacher,,,,,a look of sadness is apparent in his face 

and you look over at mark who frowns

at some point throughout the day, when the kids have settled down for lunch 

mark is seated beside the father and the kid,,,,,,,they’re talking so far away from the group that you can’t hear a thing

but when lunch is over, mark rejoins the group while the father lifts up his son and they walk out of the park

the teacher tells you two they had an emergency, but your eyes flick over to mark who looks more distraught than ever

after a while, the day comes to an end,,,,,you and mark gather all the kids together but the teacher lets you two off early - the parents and her can handle them from here

but you and mark don’t leave the park, instead he calls you over and you sit beside him on one of the swings

the autumn afternoon is chilly, but mark seems so lost in his thoughts that you hope whatever the father of that kid said,,,,,isn’t too bad

“he’s sick.”

mark starts off, the dread in his voice makes you feel just as bad 

“is it really serious?” you ask, already knowing the answer

mark bites his lip, but nods 

you drop your head and whisper that that’s horrible,,,,,

sitting beside each other,,,,you and mark silently think the same thing - no one so young should suffer

but finally, mark gets up as you hear the creak of the swing

he doesn’t say where he wants to go, but just asks “will you come with me?”

it’s already getting dark when you and mark get out of the subway, you’re in the busier part of the city - the streets crowded with people in stores, restaurants, cafes, and arcades 

mark weaves through the crowd easily, but you lose sight of him a couple of times

you don’t want to be separated so at some point you reach out and grab his hand 

mark looks back,,,,,and you’re scared he’ll let go but instead he only squeezes it tight and keeps going

you end up out back of a bustling arcade, there are old claw machines and mark points to one of the toys inside 

“he really likes that cartoon, i want to get him something before the program is over,,,”

mark looks over at you and scratches his neck,,,,, “do you think that’s a bad idea-”

you dig a couple of coins out of your pocket and dump them in the slot with a smile “no. i think it’s great.”

neither you or mark has all that great luck,,,,,tbh you both SUCK at this game 

but neither of you wants to give up,,,,,you can’t,,,,,,,

and finally,,,,,,,you get it - “mark, mark the claw got it mark!!!”

he rushes over, putting his hands over yours on the joystick of the game 

muttering under his breath,,,you two carefully move the claw together till it’s right over the opening and with a press of a button

the toy drops and you and mark break out into celebration

you high-five and then before you know it,,,,you wrap your arms around each other 

and it’s so nice,,,,,mark is the type that pulls you in close and it’s so,,,,,warm

but also short lived because you both push away in embarrassment,,,,

you grab the toy to break the awkwardness and turn to mark “mission complete! 

mark gets both your bags off the floor, slinging them over his shoulder as you two walk back toward the train

when you’re back on campus, mark asks if you’ll keep the toy safe for him till you guys see each other again

you agree and think that this should be the right time to say goodnight,,,but for some reason neither of you do

“c-can i,,,,,,,,,,do something?”

mark stutters,,,,clearing his throat and you look up at him “sure?”

he shifts a bit and adds that he needs you to close your eyes for this

clutching the toy to your chest you do so,,,,waiting

until you feel it, mark’s lips pressed against the side of your cheek

he pulls back and when your eyes flutter open you can see the blush on his cheeks

“was that for helping you win the toy?”

you ask sheepishly and mark nods,,,,but then stops

“it’s also because i ,,,,,,,,like you so,,,,”

you can’t help the smile that grows on your face when he says that,,,but you hide it behind the toy 

“i like you too mark lee,,,,,,,,”

like a puppy, his eyes widen and he stares at you for a second before a goofy grin spreads on his face too

“o-ok awesome,,,well uh,,,,but um,,, good night for now,,,”

you nod “good night mark lee,,,,,,,,”

you want to turn around but then you hear mark’s voice

“i,,,,want to ask you out on a date,,,but i need to think of a good one-”

“this was a good one. i liked this one.”

you say, referring to the time spent today. mark grin’s even larger

“ok,,,,,well then ill plan another one soon.”

you agree and turn to walk toward the dorm,,,,,when you’re at the door you turn to see mark is still there. he waves and you feel your heart flutter again

the last week of your program comes fast,,,it’s emotional because you’ve grown to love all the kids and you know mark has too

even the teacher gets worked up,,,saying you two are one of her best TA duos,,,,,,, “it’s even cuter that you two like each other!” she adds and you and mark almost melt into puddles of blushes

it’s also finally the day mark gives his favorite kid the toy,,,,,,

when he does - the look on the boy’s face is something you can only see on christmas

he practically tackles mark with a huge hug ,,,, the fact that he’s much smaller saves mark

but the scene makes your heart wrench,,,especially when mark promises to come back and visit him and the boy mumbles that he never knows how long he has

you and mark both pass the program with flying colors, you both get pictures with the whole class and with all the kids who run about to hug you two and say goodbye

and it’s heartfelt,,,but it just reminds you and mark why you chose your majors

walking to the bus for the final time, mark takes your hand

which kind of surprises you because,,,,he’s never been big on public pda

“have i ever told you i wanted to write a children’s book?”

mark asks and you gasp because it’s news to you

“about what?”

“i had a lot of different ideas,,,,but i think ive picked one i really like. i want to write a book about a fearless kid, who can overcome anything.”

you stop in front of the bus schedule and you rub mark’s thumb with your own

“do you know the main characters name?”

mark shows a hint of a smile,,,,, “i do.”

the name,,,,,,,,is the same name as the boy from class 127

when you get back to campus, mark shows you some of his other ideas and small sketches that he’s done

“im no artist,,,but im sure i can find someone to help. jaehyun’s pretty good though he won’t admit it.”

you smile,,,,looking through mark’s messy notes and stick figure panels

“i think it’ll be great, mr. lee”

mark scrunches up his face, playfully poking your arm at the nickname you haven’t forgotten from your first day in the TA program

when it comes out that mark is dating you,,,,there are mixed reactions

taeyong has 100 questions for you, yuta is devastated that mark is in a cute relationship first, jaehyun is super happy, ten is a little too happy, johnny goes ‘your growing up, son’ with another fake tear, taeil and sicheng congratulate you and haechan sends mark like 30 texts demanding to konw every last detail of how it happened

at some point you ask mark how he deals with this,,,chaos

but he just whispers “grin and bear it”

you guys stay in contact with the 127 teacher, getting updates about this kids along with cute photos and stuff

you and mark both ask about updates on the boy,,,,who thankfully isn’t doing any worse. apparently everyday he brings the toy you guys got him with him to class

mark turns out to be super low maintenance,,,to a point where people jokingly go “are you dating or just existing next to each other?”

which isn’t ,,,, like a bad thing

you and mark just don’t like to flaunt it with pda, couple items, instagrams full of each others faces

honestly you two keep it comfortable and simple,,,,

your dates are classics like the movie theater, picnics, walks through the city, even just sitting in the library together typing away on your computers or listening to headphones is enough

because what attracts you to mark is his work ethic,,,,and who he is as a person and what he’s passionate about

so you don’t need much,,,you’re just happy being able to support him and see him grow as this amazing person

and mark feels the same way about you

even though he gets cherry red whenever you give compliments or cheers of support,,,,,in his own way he gives you those too

and so what if doyoung is like “mark, take them somewhere exciting. i heard they’re opening a haunted house downtown in time for halloween~~~!!!” 

you and mark would rather chill in his dorm, eating ice-cream out the carton playing video games than getting high blood pressure at a haunted house

(except you totally both go and mark lee gets so scared that when he comes out of there you’re like ‘mark, look some white hairs’ and he’s like honestly i love you but this isn’t funny we almost dIED)

haechan actually really takes a liking to you, because you both - in very loving ways - known how to tease mark lee

although pda isn’t mark’s thing he does like it when you rest your head on his shoulder

you could just be tired in study hall, wearing a sweatshirt and pajama bottoms - curled up at his side or you could be falling asleep on the bus ride home,,,,,,having you close like that makes mark happy 

because he knows you’re safe - and that’s the only thing that matters 

actually,,,,even though couple items make mark cringe a bit, he’d still probably buy you matching hats because when does mark like not wear hats

he’d be like “im going to convince you that hats are the best” and you’ll be like “but hats don’t look good on m-”

mark: “hats make anyone cute, and you’re already cute, they make you double cute ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, don’t tell anyone i just said that”

if mark is eating bread again and taeyong comes around, you always hide it for him and you and mark just smile like angels up at him

and taeyong knOWS something fishy is up but you two are sooooo darn adorable

but also you text mark to eat dinner until he sends you photo-proof he did

“if you write a book and they turn it into like a cute cartoon movie - i want to voice a character”

“i,,,,haven’t even written the book yet,,,,”

“mark lee - i know you’re capable of it and you will do it. just promise me i can voice someone.”

when no ones around mark will kiss you, but it’s always fast and just a little peck

and you have to pull him back in by the collar or something because c’mon no one is watching,,,,,

the amount of times you’ve done something cute like peck his nose and mark has hid himself behind a book is uncountable 

face masks with mark while you’re quizzing each other for tests

jaehyun told you mark sleep talks and once said he’d like to marry you 

and you were like oh and mark was like “jeffery, i will ship you to canada where the moose will get you”

^the most threatening thing mark lee has ever said. probably

you both like cold weather,,,,and tbh am i saying hot-chocolate dates in cozy sweaters ,,,,,,,, hell yES

i think mark tries to hide it,, but he’s just as excited about holiday’s as little kids are hehe

you have this habit that if you’re talking about something and mark scrunches his nose, you scrunch yours 

and he’s like hey!!! that’s my signature face and you’re like you gotta kiss me to get it back!!

(he does kiss you ,,,, after pulling up his hood to hide you two like pleASE mark lee,,,)

sometimes, you and him volunteer together instead of going on dates and johnny is like that’s wild,,,,yall are like mr and mrs obama and mark is like that makes no sense and johnny is just like i love my giving children

you and mark looking at each other like what is happening

skyping mark’s family and everyone keeps wanting to talk to you and mark is like hi hello im here it’s me your son - ok fine i get it my s/o is cuter than me,,,

cuddling!!!! is super rare but also super amazing!!!! and mark is embarrassed for the first 5 minutes but then it’s just holding you close, lazily looking at you scroll through your phone and then mumbling “i love you,,,” into your hair

mark secretly tries to get better at claw machines to impress you on dates to the arcade 

totally tries to be subtle,,,,but you can see from the corner of your eye that he’s staring when you’re just reading or fixing a strand of your hair

tbh mark lee has major heart eyes for you,,,,,,,,,as described by ten

mark actually teaches you to do more chores and you’re like babe,,,,whY and he’s like a messy dorm is horrible we’re basically living in small closets

he’s the kind of boyfriend that just makes you a better person,,,,it’s really refreshing 

you guys have inside jokes and sometimes it’s hard to hide so you have to bury your face in mark’s arm or something to not laugh out loud and sometimes he has to bury his face in your hair

“haechan wants us to take more photos together”

“ok, let’s take one!”

“ok come over he- why are you wearing my maple leaf sweater”

“to show support for my boyfriend :-)”

mark keeps finding little notes in his bags and books from you, reminding him that you love him and he keeps them all in a small tin jar

sometimes he doesn’t know how you’re so cute - it seems impossible

holding hands under the table when you and all of nct is out for lunch???? yes

(does doyoung catch you, but just wink and pretend he didn’t much to mark’s utter embarrassment- also yes)

ten | taeil | johnny | doyoung | jaehyun | taeyong | yuta | bangtan | vixx | monsta x | got7 + kard + amber | seventeen |

#mark scenarios #mark imagines #nct scenarios #nct imagines #mark lee scenarios #mark lee imagines #nct 127 scenario #nct u scenarios #nct dream scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct u imagines #nct dream imagines #nct dream au #nct 127 au #mark lee #nct mark #nct mark scenarios #nct #sfw #college!au #college nct #i like this one actually haah

[jungkookienoona]

The Meme and His Tutor

Part 28: The First Time The Tutor Called Jungkook A Pervert

Co-written with @tragicshadows

Recommended Song: Very Nice by Seventeen

|All Chapters|Masterlist|

Summary:

An awkward dinner date and Jungkook fusses over spilt milk.

Genre: Fluff, comedy

Pairing: Jungkook X Reader (Y/N)

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count:  2986

Length: 28/?

You were sat in front of your mirror doing some final touches to your eye makeup. You weren't much of a fan of it but Jungkook wanted to have a dinner date. So there you were trying to make yourself look a little nicer for 12pm. It was the least you could do since he had followed through on his side of the deal, waking up early to sing you to sleep. The deal had been in place for about 2 weeks at that point.

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you frowned. Maybe your top was a little too low cut. And it appeared to be on the see through side of things. But it would do. It was a Skype dinner date after all.

Your lunch was ready and being kept warm in the kitchen so all you had to do was wait for Jungkook's call.

The Skype notification rang through just as you were running your fingers through your hair so it fell it curls around your face.

You made your way to your kitchen where your laptop was set up. Answering the call you wondered if the screen had frozen as Jungkook seemed to sit unmoving with a hand raised to wave and eyes blown wide.

"Kookie?"

He blinked. Okay...so it wasn't frozen.

"Kookie?!" You said a little louder.

He flinched, dropping his hand as pink began to stain his cheeks.

"Hi, No-ona," He greeted, making you chuckle when his voice cracked.

"Are you okay? I thought you froze on me for a second there."

He cleared his throat, "N-n-noona looks very pretty today... I was awestruck."

You couldn't help the "Really?!" that rushed out of you at his words.

He nodded, "Really! I like the, uh, makeup and your shirt..."

He scratched the back of his neck, eyes downcast as the red in his cheeks deepened.

"Thank you. You look as handsome as always."

He shook his head, "I feel like I've been lazy compared to you. I could've styled my hair the way you like."

"It doesn't matter-"

"It does. I asked you to dinner so I should have made an effort." He glanced off to the side, where you knew his closet was, then back to you. "Can I have five minutes?"

"Kookie-"

"Five minutes!" He pleaded, "I just want to change my shirt and do my hair. I hope you don't mind the sweatpants."

You chuckled, "I'm only going to be seeing your upper half BunBun. Just be comfortable."

He nodded before lowering the screen and disappearing.

Barely a few minutes later he returned in a navy blue shirt and his hair messily parted just the way you liked.

"Sorry! Now we can eat."

You nodded and got out of your seat to grab your pre made lunch. Though it looked more like a dinner meal but he did say it was a dinner date. So you didn't mind having spaghetti for lunch. You would just have a light meal later in the evening. Turning around you found that Jungkook was once again frozen in place.

"Are you okay BunBun? You seem a little off today."

He blinked a few times.

"I-I...uh, I'm fine."

"You sure? If you'd rather we can do this tomorrow."

"N-no, no. Today is perfect." He gave you a smile that was meant to be reassuring but you could see straight through it.

"If you're tired from comeback preparations than we can do this later."

His eyebrows drew together, a killer look thanks to his hair being parted.

"Noona. I'm fine. You're just... You're... wow."

You could feel your lips lift into an involuntary smile as your whole face burned.

"Stop~"

"Pretty Jagi," he mumbled then picked up something off camera. Chopsticks.

You grabbed your fork and gave your lunch a stir.

Brushing your hair behind your ear, you leant forward slightly to help eat the spaghetti with minimal mess. The sound of Jungkook coughing caused you to look up.

"G-G-Geom-eun... (B-b-black)"

You swallowed what you were eating and frowned in concern.

"Are you alright? Did you choke?"

He nodded and pat his chest a couple times.

"It got stuck in my throat." His voice was pitched higher and you paused to make sure he wasn't going to choke again.

He took a sip from a water bottle then picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating.

"What are you eating?"

He paused mid chew, his cheeks puffing out like a hamster's, making you giggle. He quickly finished his mouthful, wiping the edges of his lips with the pad of his thumb.

"Pork cutlet and rice."

"Is it good?" You asked then took another bite of your spaghetti, licking your lips free of sauce.

Despite Jungkook looking like he was listening, the question seemed to fall on deaf ears as he silently watched you.

"Jungkook?"

He jolted, "Huh?"

"Your food. Is it good?"

He nodded slightly but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. You sneaked a glance at the little screen segment that showed you what Jungkook could see. Heat pooled in your cheeks when you saw that he had a perfect view down your top when you leant forward. Which meant he could see your bra.

Your black bra.

You looked back to Jungkook and wondered why you hadn't noticed the way his eyes flickered from your face to your chest every few seconds. Maybe you were becoming even more oblivious to things.

"Make sure to eat up. You need lots of energy."

He gave you a thumbs up with his free hand while filling his cheeks with rice.

You waited until he had a mouthful to lean forward and continue eating. And just like you expected, his gaze dropped.

You snapped upright, "Pervert!"

His eyes blew as wide as his dinner plate having been caught. He stopped chewing and met your gaze, cheeks and ears an even brighter red than before. He hurriedly swallowed.

"I'm not a pervert!"

"I can see you peeking down my top."

He seemingly froze once again.

You purposely crossed your arms knowing it enhanced your cleavage. It was barely a second but you definitely saw his eyes drop.

"You did it again!"

He pouted, "It's not my fault! Your bra is my favourite colour and it looks really good on you!"

You went to argue back but were thrown off by the compliment.

"My white one was in the wash," You mumbled, not knowing how else to respond.

"Oh..."

There was a beat of awkward silence. He ran a hand through his hair and you had another mouthful of spaghetti. He had been taking a sip of... milk?... but ended up spraying it everywhere when you felt your top get snagged on the table, pulling it down slightly. He wiped the remnants of his drink from his face before quickly cleaning the table. Once done, his free hand went under the table.

You glanced back to the tiny as window on your screen so you could sort your top out then quickly took another bite. If you kept talking it was going to get cold.

"Ah, shit."

Once again, you looked up to make sure he was okay.

"Everything alright there Kookie?"

You noticed that his arm was moving, his hand was doing something under the table.

"I spilt m-m-milk on my nice shirt. I-I-I'm trying to g-g-get it off."

"Milk should be pretty easy to wash out if it's cotton. Silk or satin would be more difficult."

He grunted in agreement and gave up on saving his shirt in favour of using his other hand to grab his chopsticks. He fumbled with them for a second before finally pinching a piece of pork.

You suddenly glanced over your shoulder and remembered the juice you'd left in the fridge. You were feeling a bit thirsty.

Getting out of your seat, you opened your fridge and grabbed a carton of juice. Remembering that your glasses were in the bottom cupboard next to the fridge, you bent down and grabbed one.

A low groan of "Fuck~" came from Jungkook.

"Kookie, you can wash it out. Don't worry about a bit of milk." You said, stealing a quick glance at the screen and seeing him still working to clean it.

He hummed in answer and you sighed. During your visits to Korea you'd learned how he liked to keep himself and his clothes clean. Maybe he really liked that shirt.

With your drink poured, you sat back at the table.

"Were you this bad when Taehyung got ketchup on your white shirt?"

He nodded a yes, eyebrows furrowing as he groaned in frustration.

"You should eat up, BunBun or you'll be eating late and you have to sleep."

He whimpered with a pout and you chuckled before slurping up a healthy spoonful of spaghetti. You needed to hurry and eat yourself or you'd have to reheat it and every one knows reheated pasta isn't as yummy.

You watched as he set aside his chopsticks to re-angle his laptop so that you couldn't see his free hand try to continue to rub out the stain. He picked up a fork instead, seemingly trying to shovel as much food into his mouth as possible. A moan slipped out when he bit into a pork cutlet slice.

You twirled one of your last mouthfuls of spaghetti onto your fork and looked up to watch him.

He was chewing a mouthful and almost panting as he ate. When you said for him to hurry you didn't mean to make him rush and get out of breath.

"Don't eat too fast. You'll give yourself indigestion."

You watched with a curious gaze as he put his fork down and sat back for a break as he chewed. His lips quirked upwards and then he was pointing behind you.

"Noona, what's that?"

You turned with a frown. Your fridge? Was that what he was pointing at? Or maybe your rice maker. Turning back to him, you went to ask him what he was pointing at. But your words caught in your throat when you saw him with his head thrown back, panting and a trickle of sweat beading down his forehead. Even his jawline was on show. Fuck. You sure as hell were lucky because he was beautiful.

He slowly straightened up to look at you, eyes hooded and dark.

"BunBun?"

You heard the sound of ripping and then he was dabbing at his forehead with a wad of tissue.

"Sorry, Jagi. I think someone accidentally turned the heat on."

Your eyes followed a drop run down his neck.

"N-no need to apologize."

He tossed the tissue into the rubbish bin, you remembered being beside his desk, then shifted in his seat, stretching his arms over his head and letting out a deep sigh.

"I think I'm full. Was your spaghetti nice Jagi? It looked yummy."

"It was good! but it'll will never be as good as proper Italian food."

He hummed and dropped his hands to his lap, "Have you ever been to Italy?"

You fiddled with the hem of your top out of awkwardness, "...No... I really want to go someday. See Venice before it sinks."

He smiled, lips spreading wide enough to reveal his dimple, "I'd like to visit Venice too. It looks beautiful."

"Maybe... when I'm done with uni and have a job... we could go together someday..." You mumbled, looking down, somewhat afraid of his reaction.

A heavy silence hung between you two and you started to panic. Had you been too forward?

"That sounds like a plan."

Your head snapped up to find him gazing softly back at you, a small smile lingering on his lips. His hand came up to fiddle with his hair, still smiling, before looking down at his lap and grimacing, making you laugh.

"Trust you to be a meme during a sweet moment."

He chuckled but you didn't fail to notice the light pink dusting his cheeks.

"I thought I was always a meme?"

"You are, but that face you just pulled was particularly memey."

He smirked, "Yeah? Well you're a meme too."

You shrugged.

"I've known for a long time that I'm a derp. In fact I am the self-proclaimed King of Derp."

He broke out into a full belly laugh, throwing his head back against his seat.

"Does that make me your Queen?"

You clapped your hands excitedly, "My Queen of Memes!"

He chuckled, running a hand through his hair, "Traditionally it's the other way round."

With a pout you crossed your arms.

"Fuck tradition."

His eyes crinkled at the corners and suddenly he was slamming a hand down on his desk making his chopsticks rattle against the plate.

"Then fuck tradition! If Noona wants to be a King she can be a King."

"Damn right!" You shouted back before bursting into giggles.

You took a quick sip of your juice.

"And I shall be your beautiful Queen, burdened with the duty of producing an heir, or heirs, to the throne."

And promptly sprayed it everywhere.

Children?! The sound of Jungkook's boyish laugh filled your ears yet you couldn't find it in you to join in.

Swiping a hand across your chin you grimaced at the liquid that dribbled down your laptop screen. Gross.

"Ah, I-I wish I had t-t-that on film-m." He said between giggles, oblivious to your obvious distress.

Finding some tissues, you cleaned up the mess you made. How does someone even respond to that? Exactly what was he implying? There's no way he could've have children on his mind that early into your relationship.

"You can't just say things like that, Kookie!"

He cocked his head in confusion, "Say what? Children?"

"Ye. You may give people the wrong idea, especially now that you're in a relationship."

He remained looking confused.

"If you mention children around cameras or online then the media might pick up on it."

A look of realisation came over his face, "Oh..."

"Maybe just wait a little while before you make jokes about that."

He bit his lip, "How long do I have to wait before I can say I'm the future mother of the Prince of Derp?"

"Uh... maybe later in the relationship-"

"At six months then."

Your brows shot into your hairline.

"I'm too young to be a father!"

He started to laugh, though it sounded more like a cackle.

"A king is never too young."

"I think you've gone delirious. You should go to bed."

He squinted at his screen then pouted, "It's not even that late. A Queen can stay up however long she likes."

You crossed your arms over your chest, smirking when he narrowed his eyes, determined not to glance at your chest.

"Your King is telling you to sleep. Don't you have a schedule tomorrow?"

"...Maybe..."

You sighed, "BunBun~"

"I don't have to leave until 10 in the morning and I want to talk to my girlfriend who I miss so much some more."

As much as you wanted to continue talking to him, you desperately wanted to avoid the subject of children. It was way too soon. You bit your lip in thought, you needed to distract him from talking about it again... The album!

"How's preparing for your new album coming along? Have you come up with a release date yet? It feels like you've been working on it for ever."

He beamed at you, "We're going to start figuring out concepts soon!”

"That's cool! Have you finished recording now?"

"Pretty much. I'm really excited for you to listen, Jagi. I wish I could share some of it with you but it's not allowed."

You nodded, "Fair enough. But I want to listen to your album at the same time as other ARMY."

He nodded, "Once a fangirl always a fangirl."

"Indeed."

You smiled and reached up to grab a little Jungkook acrylic standee from your shelf.  He chuckled when you pretended to kiss it's head. It ended in a sigh, his head tilted and eyes lingering on you with an unreadable look.

"I can't wait to kiss you again."

Your heart fluttered in your chest. The longer the two of you were apart the harder it was to ignore the pang of longing that echoed through you. Even listening to him sing made you miss every part of him from his voice groggily wishing you a good morning to the feeling of his hand in yours. Fuck. Long distance was hard.

"You should visit me here then."

Another sigh.

"I wish I could."

Your stomach dropped. He fiddled with a chopstick.

"You know if I didn't have all these commitments then I would be on the next flight to England."

You nodded, "I know."

A part of you hoped he was joking and that the top secret surprise he refused to tell you about was that he was coming to visit. Despite what he said you wouldn't stop believing in the theory until it was proved wrong.

Conversation continued until Jungkook yawned.

"Why don't you get into bed and I'll sing you to sleep?"

He responded with a tired nod then looked down at his lap, grimacing.

"Let me get changed first."

You washed your dirty dishes while you waited for him, and when he still wasn't back after a few minutes you took your laptop and the remainder of your juice with you into the living room where you could sit comfortably.

He called your name, dragging your attention away from your phone.

"Sorry, I had to put some laundry on...you know, my shirt...and the milk."

"Don't worry, it should come out."

He gave a non-committal hum and carried his laptop over to his bed. The lights were already off apart from his desk one and he slipped between the sheets with a sigh.

"I love you, Noona."

"I love you too, BunBun."

#boop #tmaht #jungkook #jungkooknet #nochunetwork #jeon jungkook #BTS jungkook #jeongguk #jeon jeongguk #jeon jeongkook #jungkook scenario #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fluff #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #bangtan scenario

[darkwing-katy]

Second Chance - Part Eight

Guys, I’m posting this from my new home in Florida! Whoot-whoot!

Thank you so, so much for your patience with me. My life has gotten incredibly hectic, and it’s taken me a while to be able to update. But it’s finally here, chapter eight of Second Chance! It will be a while before chapter nine comes out since I’ve got to unpack and apply for jobs and get settled in here. Thanks to all who have commented on this fic or messaged me--I still jump for joy when I get a notification that someone’s said something about it! Let me know if you want to be tagged in upcoming chapters! Special thanks to @sannvers who is busy with band camp and still managed to edit for me.

Title: Second Chance

Pairing: Eventual Gaston x Fem!Reader

Rating: T

Words: 7,466

Summary: You try to stop Gaston from shooting the Beast and falling to his death, but you arrive too late to save him. As you sit there, sobbing, the Enchantress offers you a second chance to save him.

Tagging: @i-wished-upon-a-star-one-night @with-a-hint-of-pesto-aioli@hobbithorse19@leah5684 @princessbelgoof @captainskyline @theoncergames@geeky-girl-394@were-allstoriesinthe-end084 @brooke-supernatural16@certainasthesvn@jordyhaley @superlokidwholock @smilesnjh @prongspower@bitchingqueenoferebor@scarletdarkholme @hemmingbaes @bae-kage @areuslow@lovelylpevensie@uknwwhttheysayboutthecrzy1s @moonbeams-and-pie @17gnomes-in-a-trenchcoat @superwholockedrosx @panda-reads-stuff @ultimatetrashlord@elenawrit@the7thsilence @blackxthexbeast @rainwing-galaxy @arkhamsnight @imoyu-trashblog @martapetrovic @ciaprincess @juggernaut-jones@fangirlx26@fangirlx26 @epicfallenismine @izzymaria1994 @loveablelulu13 @malfoy-milkovich-royalty @kylorenlover15 @banana-cat @withouthannah @stone0502 @shiroyuki18 @thestrugglesofateenagedirtbag @lainris @banana-cat @samaxraph99 @honey-badger-dont-give-a@daisiesflower @afairytaledreamer @flufycorn384 @lovelyturtle36 @kairi73 @aerondrage @softbcky @pnchingwalls101 @chalatea @crowleysfavoritehuman @afairytaledream @silverwingedfox @asymmetrical-flower-child @my-whataguythat-gaston @elyza-jeanette @migirl323 @soulgirl518 @betterlattethennever @bonemarrow-writes 

Previous Chapter

“I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t let us take a carriage,” Adam grumbled, though he was only half-serious.

“You’re enjoying this just as much as (Y/N) and I are, so stop complaining,” Belle replied, rolling her eyes.

It was a bright morning, with not a cloud in sight. For now, a gentle breeze cooled you, but you knew that come afternoon, it would be quite warm in the direct sunlight. You leaned forward and patted your horse’s neck; you were going at a slow enough pace that you felt comfortable doing such.

The three of you were en route to Villenueve to officially announce the engagement of Prince Adam and Belle, and also to invite the whole town to the wedding celebration. The happy couple had decided they didn’t want to wait too long, so the wedding was to be held in the beginning of August. Today marked the beginning of July, which meant you had a month to plan the festivities.

It was a bit daunting, but considering Adam had dozens of servants, you were fairly certain it could be done. In fact, tonight, you, Belle, and Adam were to have a meeting after dinner to start discussing the details.

You allowed your thoughts to drift to Gaston, whom you’d visited briefly before leaving. He’d been asleep deep enough that your approach hadn’t woken him, and you’d decided to let him continue sleeping. You had left enough food for both breakfast and lunch with him, since you weren’t sure if you would be back at the castle until evening. He hadn’t stirred, not even when you accidentally set the tray down too fast and the plates had clinked together. Macbeth was sitting next to him, a piece of straw marking his place.

Remembering the sight brought a faint smile to your lips, at least, until you thought about his uncharacteristic behavior last night. Your smile faded at the memory of the depressed man who hadn’t even bothered flirting with you. LeFou will have an idea of what to do, I’m sure. Although should I even bother cheering him up? Maybe this is the slap in the face he needs to realize his faults.

“…right, (Y/N)?”

You shook your head and looked at Belle. “What?” you asked.

Belle smiled. “I was just telling Adam about how I thought we should have doves released from behind us once the priest declares us man and wife,” she replied.

You frowned. That didn’t sound like Belle at all. “Really?”

“No!” Belle shook her head at you, her eyebrows creasing as if she was disappointed in you for believing her. “Are you alright? You’ve been awfully quiet this morning.”

“I’m fine.” One of her eyebrows raised in doubt. “Really, I am!”

“Did something happen last night?”

“No! Everything is fine!” you insisted. You met Belle’s eyes with your own in the hopes that she would drop the issue. She squinted a little bit, as if trying to peer past your defensiveness, but you met her gaze steadily. You could handle Gaston; she had a whole wedding to plan.

She blew a tuft of air out her nose and turned back to her fiancé, knowing that you were just as stubborn as she was and that if you didn’t want to answer her properly, you weren’t going to. The small victory made you smile internally, though you were careful to not let it show on your face.

Adam must’ve sensed the rising tension, as he suddenly cut in with a, “I think I’ll ask Lumière to be my best man.”

Both you and Belle smiled at him, the momentary tension dropped. “Oh, he’ll enjoy that,” Belle grinned. “He’ll be singing about it for days before and after the wedding, just to annoy Cogsworth.”

Adam winked. “I’m almost counting on it.”

You imagined the tall man you’d met yesterday dancing around the older servant and laughed, catching the prince’s attention.

“Will you be alright dancing with him for a song or two, (Y/N)?” he asked, turning his blue eyes on you. “Plumette won’t mind.”

“Who’s Plumette?” You remembered hearing her name a few other times, but you’d yet to meet the woman.

He thought for a moment before replying. “You’ve seen the Madame and the Maestro, haven’t you?”

You nodded.

“Plumette is Lumière’s love. She’s one of the maids in the castle, and Lumière is utterly devoted to her.” Adam glanced at Belle as he said that, prompting a soft smile from her. You blushed at his words and actions, feeling once more like you were intruding on a private moment between lovers.

“If she’s his lover, then are you certain that she will be okay with us dancing?” you asked slowly.

Both Adam and Belle nodded. “Oh, yes, I’m positive of it,” he affirmed. “But I will say, Lumière is quite the dancer. Are you up for that?”

You and Belle started laughing at the seriousness on his face. He scrunched up his face in confusion. “Your highness, I enjoy dancing,” you said, still laughing. “I just don’t get the opportunity to dance very often.”

A sudden vision played in your mind’s eye: you, in a cream-colored ballgown, surrounded by many, many other couples in similar colors. Maestro Cadenza sitting at his harpsichord, the beautiful Madame de Garderobe next to him, arms outstretched as she sings a marvelous aria. You with Lumière, smiling at each other; the feeling of floating as you glide around the grand ballroom that you so admired. A bow, another spin, a partner switch. You look into green eyes that smirk at you, matching the expression on your new partner’s lips. Firm hands grasp you, one around your waist, the other holding your hand out as you begin a waltz. The rest of the dancers fade away, leaving only you and Gaston and the music. He’s wearing a red vest over his usual ruffled shirt. His hair is perfectly coiffed into its usual ponytail, a red ribbon tying it back. You let him lead you in the steps, fully trusting that he knows what he’s doing.

The vision vanished as quickly as it had appeared, only lasting a few blissful seconds.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll be happy to have a partner like you,” Adam said, eyes twinkling. You nodded at him, and the conversation turned to food. You paid attention and chimed in when you felt like you had a worthy comment, but for the most part, you let the engaged couple discuss the meal. After all, it was their day.

By the time you all but reached the village, the meal had been decided upon as well as a general idea of decorations. During the last few moments before entering Villenueve, you noticed Adam sitting up even straighter, his casual demeanor still there but somewhat diminished as he made himself more…princely. He looked calm to your eyes as you rode into town, but when Belle put a gentle hand on his arm, you realized he must be nervous. After all, hadn’t you heard yesterday that he’d used to tax the villagers heavily? The poor man probably felt guilty for his pre-curse self’s actions.

A crowd gathered around you three as you went further in. You felt uncomfortable with the amount of attention on you, even though you were certain everyone was watching the royal couple more than you. Why couldn’t we have simply had the town crier announce it? you allowed yourself to wonder as you tried to sit up straighter. It would’ve made this much, much easier.

But you knew part of the reason, at least, was Adam’s guilt. He wanted to show that he was no longer the man who would let a village suffer to pay for his pleasures. He wanted to demonstrate that he was approachable, a prince that they could rely on and trust. It was all an effort to fix his image, although you were also certain that even if the villagers all hated him, he would be content as long as he had Belle’s love.

Would Gaston do the same? He clearly felt some guilt for his actions, based on the conversations you’d had with him. He might not apologize out loud for what he did, but showing remorse counted. Well, in your mind it did, but only because you were sure that his pride would never allow him to fully apologize the way he should. It bothered you, but you shrugged it off. After all, you win some, you lose some.

You scanned the crowd for LeFou but didn’t see him. The three of you continued through the marketplace and stopped at the washing fountain, where you all dismounted. The crowd followed you and stood there, muttering to one another about the reasons why the prince had come to town. Adam sucked in a deep breath as Belle tucked her arm around his. You looked for LeFou again and spotted him in the middle of the villagers, Tom, Dick, and Stanley standing by him. He gave you a small wave that you reciprocated. Suddenly you felt a lot better about everything.

“People of Villenueve, I have a very important announcement to make,” Adam began, his voice silencing the curious murmurs. “I know I haven’t been the best prince in the past, and for that, I am deeply sorry. I promise you, it will never be like that again.” All eyes were on him and Belle. “As part of my amends, I would like to invite you all to a royal ball next month. It’s not just any ball, though.” He looked at Belle, who beamed at him. You heard a couple close to you whispering, but you couldn’t make out their words.

“It will be a ball of celebration—celebration of a curse being broken, celebration of families being reunited, and, most importantly, the celebration of Belle and I’s marriage.”

It felt as if everyone was holding their breath in the seconds that followed his announcement. Then someone began to clap. The lone clapper was soon followed by cheers and shouts and even more clapping as the whole town joined in. Even the Bimbettes and the schoolmaster, who hated Belle, were whooping at the announcement. You grinned; the clapping had started from the part of the crowd you’d seen LeFou in.

You looked back at the engaged couple. Belle was laughing and covering her mouth at the sight before her. You looked closer and saw that her eyes were watering—the town who called her ‘funny’ and practically ostracized her at times was now cheering for her with genuine joy. She didn’t need their acceptance, but you could see that it still meant a lot for her.

You couldn’t deny a perverse sense of pleasure at the scene. You hated it when everyone had made fun of your friend and her kind father (and you, occasionally). Now that she was marrying a prince, they wouldn’t dare speak against her so openly. She wouldn’t have to worry about Maurice being called ‘crazy’ or thrown into an asylum (granted, that was more Gaston’s fault than anyone else’s, but still). She could finally stop worrying about what Villenueve thought of her.

A man—Monsieur Ames, who often sold eggs in the market and flirted with Madame Charee—stepped forward, his arm raised. Adam nodded at him. “Congratulations, your highnesses,” Ames said, bowing to both him and Belle. “I just—did you say we were all invited?”

Belle laughed. “Yes, of course! There’s room for everyone who wants to come,” she replied with a kind smile.

Ames’s dark eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Thank you, your highnesses! Let me know if you need any eggs!” He bowed again and turned to step back into the crowd.

“Actually, we wanted to let everyone know that you are all welcome to participate in our preparations,” Belle added. “We’ll need help to get everything ready on time.”

All of a sudden, everyone began throwing their arms up with shouts of what they could volunteer to the wedding. Some of it was unnecessary, you knew—Belle was planning on working with Garderobe to design her wedding gown, so she wouldn’t need the seamstresses, and you were fairly certain that Lumière would be insulted if someone not of the castle cooked the meal. But there were many offers to help get the grounds ready, and you knew that would be a task that would require lots of teamwork to get done.

You caught another glimpse of LeFou in the crowd, and this time, he made eye contact with you. The both of you smiled, and he pointed towards the tavern. “Meet there?” he mouthed—or maybe he said it, but it wasn’t like you’d be able to hear him. You gave a nod of affirmation, hoping that he’d understand it might be a while. With a grin, he spun around and headed in that direction.

You sighed. You were eager to talk to him, but first things first. You returned your gaze to Adam and Belle, who were already talking to villagers about what they could do to help. Oh, yes, it was definitely going to be a while.

You slumped down into a chair and let your head slide to the table. Lefou laughed. “Long day?”

“You have no idea,” you mumbled against the rough wood. He laughed again, and you slowly lifted your head up. “And they’re still at it. I have no clue how they do it.” You’d talked to maybe a third of the villagers before eating lunch with Maurice, then you’d left Belle and Adam to continue talking to the villagers on their own while you met LeFou. Their patience and politeness had no end, it seemed.

Then again, Belle would probably say the same about you if she knew the depth of your interactions with Gaston.

Before you could bring up the captain, Stanley, followed closely by Tom and Dick, walked up to your table. He had two mugs in hand, as did Tom (or was it Dick? You never could tell them apart). “Brought you another drink,” he said easily, setting both mugs down. “There’s one for you, too, mademoiselle,” he added, sliding one mug to you.

At first you were confused by his actions, but then you saw that Tom (at least, you’d decided you were calling him Tom) also had two mugs of ale, one of which he gave to Stanley. “Thanks,” you said, grinning at the man. A little beer would be nice right now. I’ve earned it, you thought, grabbing the handle and taking a gulp. The bitter liquid made you splutter; you didn’t drink often, and you were unused to it. The men chuckled at your reaction, but you could tell it wasn’t out of meanness. With watering eyes, you choked down the drink and gave them a smile that probably looked more like a grimace.

“Maybe next time you shouldn’t take such a big gulp,” Dick said helpfully.

“Yeah, good idea,” you muttered, pushing the mug away from your body. After shaking your head, you sat up to better face them all. “So…erm…” Well, this was awkward. How on earth were you supposed to ask LeFou about Gaston with them around? “How are you?”

Great, (Y/N). Engage them in conversation. That’s the way to get LeFou by himself.

“Good,” Tom replied. Dick shrugged in agreement.

Stanley’s eyes flicked to LeFou and back. “Good,” he agreed quietly.

You opened your mouth again, but before you could ask another generic question, LeFou leaned forward and spoke: “We’ve been asking around about Gaston,” he said in a low tone.

You flinched at Gaston’s name. Wait, did he tell them the truth? you wondered, feeling suddenly nervous. You’d trusted the shorter man—surely he wouldn’t betray your trust like that!

“Yeah, LeFou mentioned that you were helping him plan the funeral, so we helped him ask people to attend,” Dick said after taking a gulp of beer.

You felt a wave of relief at his words. LeFou hadn’t told them the truth. The secret was safe (for now, the dark voice in your mind muttered). “How did that go?”

From the looks of the four men in front of you, not well. “It seems that most of the townspeople are still mad about the whole storming the castle and unwittingly leading them to destroy their loved ones,” LeFou explained.

You winced. Well, when you put it that way…I can’t really blame them. “Fair enough. And that’s everyone, you said?”

“Pretty much,” said Tom.

“Except maybe a few,” Stanley indicated the table.

Dick waved a finger. “And a few that are not currently present.”

“Such as Jean and Ames and Stanley’s sisters—” continued Tom.

“Sisters?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“You know, the triplets?” Tom looked at you like he was genuinely surprised you didn’t know.

“Wait, the Bimb—the triplets?” you exclaimed in disbelief. You looked at Stanley, who lifted his mug in acknowledgement. “Those girls are your sisters?”

“Yes, they are,” he sighed and took a drink.

Well, there’s something you don’t find out every day. “Well…it’s good that not everyone hates him,” you said, more to yourself than to the rest of the table.

“Not that it matters,” interrupted Dick, “since he’s dead.”

“To Gaston!” declared Tom, who’d somehow almost finished his mug and lifted it up. Dick and Stanley echoed him also raising their mugs for a drink.

You felt warmth creep up your neck at their sadness. You knew it was for the best that they didn’t know of his survival right now, but you still felt guilty that they were mourning their friend.

LeFou sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I need some air,” he mumbled, playing along with the dampened mood. You took that as your cue and stood.

“I’ll come with you. I need to go back to the castle soon, anyway.”

“Will you be alright?” Stanley asked the stout man as he rose from his chair.

LeFou patted Stanley’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Thanks.” He smiled at him, and for a moment, you felt like you were missing something between them. You gave yourself a mental shrug, chalking it up to their friendship. After all, you and Belle could sometimes speak without words.

“Goodbye,” you told them, giving a small wave. They all raised their mugs in farewell of you and LeFou, and you both made your way outside.

“Sorry about that,” LeFou said once you’d exited the tavern. “I wasn’t sure how long you’d take, and they’ve been staying close to me ever since Gaston’s…death.” He sighed.

You shook your head. “No, you don’t need to apologize. It’s good that they care enough about you to be concerned.” You automatically started walking towards Belle’s home, but LeFou pointed in a different direction.

“May I?” he asked, clearly having a place for you to talk in mind.

“Of course.”

You walked in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. “So, uh…how is our friend?” You could hear his eagerness at news. You felt a soft smile forming on your lips. LeFou truly was a good man.

You sighed, letting the smile drop. “Well, it’s odd,” you began, stepping around a mud puddle, “but he’s…different, I think.”

“Oh?”

“Was he ever depressed with you?”

LeFou stopped in his tracks. “Depressed?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

You nodded. “Yes. Depressed.”

“How so?”

He resumed walking, and you saw that you were going to a part of town you’d never really gone to before. The shops were sparse, instead replaced by a few small homes. Ahead of you was another archway that led out of Villenueve to the woods. Where are we going? “Well, Adam proposed to Belle yesterday evening, and apparently he saw it from the cell, and when I visited him last night, he was, I don’t know…sad. He kept going on and on about how he’d thought Belle was the one for him and how ‘of course, she’d marry him’—‘him’ meaning the prince—and he was much more introspective than I’ve ever seen him.”

The wind blew gently, rustling the leaves of the trees. You caught a glimpse of something in the woods. Is that a house?

“Has he been sleeping?” LeFou asked, almost sharply, like he was more concerned than you’d expected him to be.

“I would assume so,” you replied, frowning as you tried to recall if Gaston had seemed like he was getting enough sleep. “He was when I brought him food this morning.”

LeFou let out a short whoosh of air. “Good,” he muttered.

You raised an eyebrow. “Why?” You were now almost certain that you could see a house in the woods. It was close enough to easily walk to and from town, but far enough that it earned a bit of comforting isolation.

“He has a history of not getting enough sleep,” came the shorter man’s hesitant reply.

“What?”

LeFou sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “We were in the war together, you know? We fought and survived, but it was hard on him. He had nightmares about it almost every night for the first few months back.”

“I thought he loved the war? He told me it was glorious and fun.” You could make out the outline of the house and wondered if it was perhaps were LeFou lived.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have nightmares. You can love something and still be afraid of it.”

I suppose.

LeFou continued. “That’s how he was with it. I followed him back here after it ended, and he let me move into his home with him. That’s how I know about the nightmares. That’s also where his mood swings come from, I’m almost positive of it.” He stopped, and you wondered if he was done with his statement. “Did he talk to you about it at all? The war?”

Alright, maybe he wasn’t done. “A little. We were up late one night and he told he about being chased for three days.” That was the first night he asked me to stay.

“That was a hard three days…but he never once lost his grip, you know? He was always in control, always in command, even without sleep.” LeFou’s voice had taken on a wistful tone, like he was mentally reliving those days. “He was amazing.”

You felt yourself blushing at his reverence. You knew that LeFou loved the man, but it almost felt like you were intruding on his memories.  

A comfortable silence fell between you two as you made your way to the small cottage. LeFou, ever the gentleman, opened the door for you and let you enter first. It was a bit dim inside as the sun was slowly setting and most of the windows faced the east rather than the west, but you could make out a few details: there was a black bearskin on the floor, a lavish wooden armchair sitting in front of an unlit fireplace, a simple table with benches, and there were odd shapes on the wall around the fireplace. As you observed your new surroundings, LeFou walked to the other side of the house and pulled back a piece of cloth that covered a few of the west-facing windows, illuminating everything. You saw that the odd shapes were simply animal heads—a buck rested directly above the fireplace, a smaller bear head to the left of it and a boar head to the right.

My God, there’s a lot of antlers here, you thought. Antlers crisscrossed over each other on the mantle, there were antlers hung on the wall, antlers inside a large wooden tub on another table. There was a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling—well, you say chandelier, but it was made of, of course, antlers and probably other bones.

“Yeah, Gaston really loves using antlers in his decorating,” LeFou explained, joining you and offering a cup of water. You took the offered drink and nodded, eyes wide at the overabundance of antlers.

“So I noticed.” There were also furs abound, most likely from all of the animals he’d hunted. There were also a few pillows, some of which had simple embroidery and others which had more elaborate designs. There was a large trunk against one corner of the wall, no doubt filled with more furs and blankets for the cold winters. “Did you make the pillows?”

LeFou scoffed. “I wish. No, those were all done by Gaston’s mother, the Madame Legume.” One in particular caught your eye—a faded red pillow with a black fleur-de-lis encircled by cream deer antlers. It was odd to see a fleur-de-lis here, since they were only for royalty to use in designs. Along the edges of the pillow were cream swirls and lines. “That one’s his favorite, too,” LeFou said quietly, following your line of sight.

“It’s not what I’d have expected from his mother,” you replied. “Did he ever talk to you about her?”

LeFou shrugged and motioned for you to sit in one of the chairs. “Not really,” he said, taking a seat next to you. “He doesn’t like talking about his family.”

“He told me his mother died in childbirth and that his father was a hunter, but that was about it. I got the impression that he and the Monsieur Legume didn’t get along.” You set your cup on the table and leaned back against the chair.

“I’m surprised he even told you that much.” The shorter man leaned back as well, his fingers dancing across the armrests. “He told me bits and pieces of his childhood when I served under him, usually when he was drunk. Then, when we came here and he invited me to move in with him, he revealed a little more.” He exhaled deeply and glanced at you. “I think his father blamed him for the death of his mother. A few times when he got really, really drunk, he rambled about never being good enough, never living up to her. For a while I thought he meant a woman that he’d loved and lost somehow, but then I realized it was his mother.”

You sat in silence, absorbing all of this information as he spoke. That sounds horrible. At least Papa never said anything of the sort to me.

“I think that’s why he’s so…himself, you know? He always wants attention because he never got it from someone he cared about.”

“He’s still trying to prove himself,” you murmured, not intending to interrupt LeFou but doing it nonetheless.

His brow furrowed. “What was that?”

You pursed your lips, trying to find the right words before elaborating. “If his father always told him he wasn’t good enough, maybe he was constantly doing things in order to prove himself. That’s why he became the best hunter. That’s why he joined the war. It might even be why he protected the town from those invaders years ago. He’s got a hero complex, but it’s not borne out of narcissism, however he may act like it is. It’s out of a desire to show that he is good enough.” And that in itself is sad. It doesn’t excuse his actions, but it explains them. All of the pieces of the puzzle that was Gaston were slowly falling into place the more you learned about him.

You could almost picture a young Gaston trying to earn his father’s favor by rallying up the villagers against the Portuguese. Afterwards, he might’ve gone up to the elder Legume and announced that he’d defended Villenueve, and the older man would’ve ‘hmmph’ed in response. So what could he do? A few years later, when the war presents the ultimate opportunity to prove his worth, naturally, he would join.

He said his father died during the war, though. So that means he must’ve come home, ready and eager to be commended at last for his status as Captain, and learned that he was dead, along with any chance of redeeming himself in his father’s eyes. Merde, that’s awful.

You suddenly wanted to embrace Gaston, and unlike previously, it wasn’t due to your crush. You sympathized with him.

“You said no one seems too upset about his ‘death’, right?” you asked, frowning.

LeFou shook his head. “Most of the villagers are still angry at him.”

You sighed. “Can’t say I blame them. He was horrible that night.” You sank your head into your hands. “What are we going to do? How are we going to let everyone know he’s still alive if they hate him?”

“If we could convince everyone else to give him a second chance, then the wedding would be a perfect time to announce his survival.”

“But what good will it do if everyone decides to riot against him?”

“Would they?”

“I don’t know!” You lifted your head and slammed your arms against the table. “Maybe that’s a worst-case scenario, maybe it’s not, but it doesn’t make a difference because I’m going to have to tell him that the people he wanted to adore him actually despise him!”

LeFou winced at your violent reaction. “That’s not gonna be fun at all,” he muttered.

“No, it’s not!” You inhaled and exhaled, trying to expel your frustration. It didn’t work, and you looked at a window to calm yourself down.

The sun had begun its descent, giving the outside a gold hue. You’d spent more time here than you’d meant to, and now you had to go back to the castle to give Gaston dinner. And possibly tell him about how many people hated him. And then plan a wedding.

“You seem frustrated. Are you okay, (Y/N)?” LeFou asked, concerned.

You considered faking a smile, then realized that he was too shrewd to let that fool him. “No,” you admitted. “It’s just…sometimes it’s hard, doing all this.” You returned your eyes to him, secretly appreciating the way he was leaning forwards, showing his genuinely concern for you. “It helps that you and Belle and the Prince know, but there’s just all this responsibility on me to take care of him and I wouldn’t change it for the world (Use it wisely echoed Agathe’s voice in your mind, conjuring up a mental picture of golden haze) but sometimes it’s just so damn hard.” Your voice cracked at the end of your rant, and you felt tears prick the corners of your eyes.

“Take deep breaths,” LeFou said gently, using his hands to illustrate inhaling and exhaling. You followed his movements, breathing in and out for a few minutes until you felt better. Once you let out a deep sigh, he took your hand in his. “It’s going to be alright, (Y/N). You did a good thing, and you did it for the right reasons. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, but if you can convince an Enchantress to turn back time, then I think you can handle this.” He grinned at you. “You’re strong and smart, and if anyone can figure this out, it’s you. And I mean, I’ll help. And so will Belle!”

You felt yourself smiling at him, and this time, it wasn’t forced. “Thanks, LeFou. You’re amazing, you know?”

He laughed. “I try.”

You laughed, too, and sighed again. “I need to go. But thank you for everything—you’re right, we’ll figure this out.” You scooted your chair back and stood, stretching. “I’ll see you around, okay? And you’re always welcome to come to the castle and visit, even if you don’t want to visit him yet.”

“Thanks, (Y/N).”

You waved goodbye to him and opened the door. The outside air was still warm, but it was pleasant. Perfect weather for a slow evening ride back to the castle.

If you rode slowly enough, you could use the time to mull on your conversation with LeFou. He’d given you a lot to think about.

You took your time going up the steps to the cell. Not because you were reluctant—rather, you were eager to see Gaston—but because you were still mulling. You felt certain in your conclusions about the captain; they made a lot of sense in regards to his personality and actions.

I don’t know if I could ever ask him, though. Would he even trust me with that kind of intimate knowledge? He only told LeFou when he was drunk, and LeFou’s his best friend. Still…I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like growing up. No wonder he craved attention from the villagers.

Gaston didn’t acknowledge you when you entered the cell. He was once again leaning against the wall of the open door, but he didn’t ooze charisma the way he normally did. If anything, you felt as if he was angry: his entire body seemed stiff, and when you walked over to be across from him, you saw his mouth twitch.

“I see you’ve finally deigned to visit. Apparently I’m not worthy of your presence anymore,” he said, venom lacing his words.

You flinched at the harshness of his tone. Where the hell is this coming from? “I’m sorry?” was all you could think to say as you slid down the wall to the ground.

He let loose a sardonic chuckle. “It’s been a whole day, a whole day of me sitting in this godforsaken prison, with naught to keep me company save for this book.” He picked up the copy of MacBeth and waved it at you before throwing it across the cell. You flinched again. “What am I to you, (Y/N)? A pet? A toy? Someone to talk to at your own whims when you don’t feel like talking to Belle?”

You frowned. This was a much different Gaston than you’d seen last night. Last night he’d been quiet, melancholy. Tonight, he was on the offensive, attacking you viciously with words.

Your lack of response only spurred him on. “Nothing to say? Of course. You only care about conversation when you’re in control of it.” He sneered at you. “Typical.”

All of your confusion suddenly flared into anger. “Excuse me? That’s not the case at all! You steer the conversation just as much as I do!”

“Is that what you think? I know how you work. You lure me with acts of concern and compassion—you pretend to care about my injuries, then you act as if we’re friends, and then you vanish!”

“Gaston!” you exclaimed, feeling heat surge up your cheeks and down your neck. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He slammed his hand onto the floor, making you jump. “Don’t try to deny it, woman,” he growled.

You blinked, then felt your own face form into a snarl. “What the hell is wrong with you tonight? Why are you acting like this?” Without thinking about it, you stood, needing to be taller than him.

“Oh, don’t pretend like you actually care!” he scoffed, jumping to his feet as well.

“I do care!”

“And why would you?” he shouted, gesturing to himself. “Why would you care about me?”

You threw your arms up in disbelief. “Because that’s what friends do! They care about each other! They express concern when one of them is acting like an ass!”

“We are not friends, (Y/N).”

Those five words cut into your heart, as did his green eyes, glaring at you. You tried to think of something to say, anything at all that could hurt him as much as he’d just now hurt you. Nothing came to mind, leaving you standing there, fuming. As you stood there, mouth agape, you began to notice things about Gaston: the dark bruises under his eyes, the way his hair had gotten unusually tangled, the fact that he seemed almost jittery as he glared at you; his fingers twitched against his legs, and he was swaying where he stood. It was barely noticeable, but it was there.

Something’s wrong.

As upset as you still were, you forced yourself to swallow your anger. “Gaston, what is wrong?” you asked softly, hoping that maybe a quieter tone would calm him down. “You haven’t been yourself since last night.” Instinct told you to take a slow step towards him, so you did. “I just want to know why.”

His eyes darted from your face to your feet and back to your face, but he didn’t say anything.

You continued. “Even if you don’t think of me as a friend, I think of you as one. And as your friend, I’m worried about you.”

Gaston wouldn’t look at you. He stood there, no longer glaring, but his fingers were still dancing along his calves. They alternated between tapping and curling up on themselves, almost as if he was making a fist and then abruptly deciding not to. “We’re not friends,” he repeated, this time in a low voice that lacked the previous harshness.

“Yes, we are,” you replied. You cautiously reached for his arm. When your hand grazed him, he flinched, but he made no move to stop you. “What’s wrong?”

He tossed his head, but it was slow. Finally, he sighed. “I’m tired.”

You gently tugged down on his arm. He followed your cue and sat, with you sitting next to him. It was as if the fight had disappeared from him. “Why are you tired?”

“Because I haven’t slept,” he mumbled.

“What?” you couldn’t help but demand. He leaned his head back against the stone wall. “But you were sleeping this morning!”

“I was trying to sleep, but it wasn’t working.” Gaston sighed and placed his hands in his lap. “I couldn’t do it.”

You frowned. “Why not?”

He sighed again. “Nightmares.”

You felt the minnow of fear swim into your stomach. LeFou had mentioned this. “How long have you been having them?”

“Since the night I told you about the war.”

The minnow doubled in size and you realized just how long ago that had been. “Gaston, that was three nights ago. Are you saying you haven’t slept in three days?”

He grimaced. “That sounds about right. Feels longer, though, but that might just be me.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He hesitated, then sighed again. “Can you just…stay and talk?” He sounded so defeated, so vulnerable. And he was looking at you with those eyes, pleading with you to just stay with him.

How could you refuse? “Of course,” you whispered. He patted your thigh, but it didn’t feel like he was trying to flirt. It felt like camaraderie, like he was relieved that you weren’t leaving him yet again. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Anything,” he muttered, closing his eyes and leaning his head back once more. “Just hearing another voice helps.”

“Alright. Well…once, when I was about six or seven, my cousin Amèlie convinced me to sneak into her stables and ride my aunt’s horse bareback. I’d never ridden a horse before, so you can imagine how well that went.” You didn’t know where to go from there; it felt too stiff of a conversation. “Umm…I used to love pretending I was a pirate queen. My father didn’t think it appropriate for a good Christian girl, but my mother would indulge my imagination. She would find sticks or brooms and we would pretend they were swords clanging together.” This story felt a little less awkward. “Sometimes she would hide things around the house and make a little map for me. It wasn’t anything too difficult, of course. At first they were drawings that told me where to go. Then, when I began learning to read, she would write destinations that I could sound out. As I got older, she began writing little clues that I’d have to solve, and while I would search through the house Papa would sit at the table and watch. Sometimes he would roll his eyes, sometimes he would smile.” You grinned at the memories of the game. “Once or twice, Mama managed to convince him to play along. He would be the King, kidnapped by some nefarious enemies, and I, the Pirate Queen, would be the only one who dared to save him.” You paused for a moment before continuing. “I guess it didn’t occur to me that had a pirate actually rescued the King, then she would still be hanged, regardless of her good deeds.”

Gaston snorted, and you took that to be a good sign.

“Mama is the one I got my imagination from. She always wanted to be a writer, but that’s not something that her parents thought proper, so she was never allowed to publish. Nor would she be able to, if she’d been allowed, I don’t think. I think I told you that she taught me to read. ‘Reading is living a thousand other lives,’ she once told me. ‘Lives that you’d never be able to experience any other way.’ Her favorite book is The Adventures of Arabella, which she gave to me before I moved here. It’s my favorite, too.”

“I see.”

As you continued to share tales of your life, you noticed that Gaston made fewer and fewer noises to indicate that he was listening, although he did eat some of the food you’d brought. It seemed that having someone to listen to was exactly what he needed in order to relax. You wondered if LeFou had done this for him before—stayed up late just talking.

A thought occurred to you as you ended your latest story. “Gaston?” you asked.

“Mmm?”

“You threw a dagger at me yesterday afternoon.”

“Yes?”

“You told me you haven’t slept in three nights, correct?”

“I suppose.”

“You threw a dagger at me when you hadn’t slept in two days?”

He flashed you a grin, that grin you felt like you hadn’t seen in days, and shrugged. “I never miss my target. I should think you should be impressed.”

“Impressed? How about I stay awake for two days and throw a sharp, pointy thing at you? Then we’ll see who’s impressed!”

You gave him a light punch to the shoulder, which earned an exaggerated ‘Ow’ from the man, but both of you were smiling. “I could teach you, if you want,” he offered.

“Deal.”

Then he did something unexpected: he leaned his head on your shoulder. You blushed at the action, although you knew he was doing more because he was so tired than for any other reason. Or so you think. Maybe it’s because he wants a pillow, maybe it’s because he likes you, that taunting voice whispered in your head.

“You can keep talking,” he mumbled.

You leaned your head forward a bit to see that he’d closed his eyes again. “How about I read?”

“Mmm.”

You took that to be his approval, so you shifted forwards to reach for the book. Your movement made him lift his head (was he pouting or were you imagining that?), but the moment you’d grabbed the book and sat back against the wall, he replaced it. You smiled to yourself and opened the book to where he’d marked his last stopping point.

“Scene six. Forres. The palace. Enter Lennox and another lord. Lennox speaks: ‘My former speeches have but hit your thoughts, which can interpret further, only, I say, things have been strangely borne…”

As you read aloud to Gaston, you yourself started to feel a little tired. But you’d promised that you would stay, so you ignored your own feelings and kept reading. By the time Lady MacDuff and her son had encountered the murderers looking for Lord MacDuff, Gaston was snoring softly. You yawned; it had been a few hours since you’d come up, and now it was late at night.

You glanced at the sleeping Gaston, his head still resting on your shoulder. In order to make himself more comfortable while you read, he’d scooted closer so that your shoulders were touching. His body radiated warmth in the coolness of the cell, and you were glad of it. The blanket was crumpled up within arm’s length of you, so you grabbed it and spread it across both yours and his legs. Then you marked where you thought he’d fallen asleep at and continued reading the book to yourself. Without realizing it, you felt yourself drifting off, the words on the pages blurring together so that you had to reread a few sentences over and over again.

Malcolm: Well, more anon—comes the King forth, I pray you?

Doctor: Ay, sir, there are a crew of wretched souls That stay his cure: their malady convinces The great assay of art; but at his touch— Such sanctity hath heaven given his hand They presently amend

…they presently amend…

…they presently…

…amend….

#second chance #gaston #gaston x reader #gaston imagine #kate writes #beauty and the beast #batb

[nominalbutler]

Sebaciel Week, Day 1 (late) – Food

(Several days late now, this is an excerpt from my ongoing modern AU ft. lots of domestic sebaciel and many OOC moments for fluff’s sake) 

…

“I haven’t eaten all day.”

It was an innocent comment, just something Ciel realized and mentioned off-handedly as he climbed out of the front seat of Sebastian’s Gran Coupe, though he regretted opening his mouth once he caught a glimpse of the other man’s expression.

“Are you hungry?” Sebastian asked, almost eagerly. “I can fix you something.”

Of course he could, Ciel thought. Sebastian loved to cook, especially for Ciel – the kid ate with such gusto, scarfing down plate after plate, sometimes forgoing the fork and knife set out for him in favor of fingers and tearing teeth. As he cleaned up the drops of sauce and stray bits of carbs that Ciel would leave in his wake, Sebastian had to admire the body’s metabolism; Ciel never seemed to gain any weight, matter how much rich food and dessert he consumed.

Shrugging, Ciel pushed the car door shut and headed for the house, unlocking the back door with Sebastian’s set of keys. Sebastian followed, and Ciel could already see the culinary cogs turning, illuminating Sebastian’s normally somber mahogany eyes. Half heartedly, he kicked the door open wide enough for Sebastian to sidle into the kitchen behind him with his groceries. The reusable canvas bags were already piled up in the backseat when Sebastian picked Ciel up from work, and the young man had no idea what to expect for that night.

Barely through the doorway, and Sebastian was already brainstorming ideas for their dinner as he followed Ciel into the kitchen. The younger of the two settled in to listen to them all, a mildly disinterested expression in his face. Sebastian suggested a pesto risotto, of course made with with fresh basil from his garden, with roasted chicken and vegetables; crab-stuffed mushrooms with whole roasted cauliflower and whipped goat cheese; chorizo-stuffed chicken maybe, with spiced braised lentils and tomatoes; brown butter shrimp with parmesan basil corn orzo; that one-pot ranch chicken and rice dish that he knew Ciel liked.

This is how it always was. Whenever Ciel was over, Sebastian insisted on cooking – breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, and some snacks in between. Actually, Sebastian insisted on cooking all the time, even when it was just him, alone in his tiny house in the middle of nowhere. Ciel had never seen a carry-out container in the fridge or in the trash; no pre-prepared or processed foods in the pantry; definitely nothing that could be made in a microwave. Ciel once called him a low-rent Hannibal Lecter, minus the cannibalism and rabid manipulation. Before he met Sebastian, the majority of Ciel’s meals came from a box or a drive-thru. It was easy and cheap, and he had to wonder, didn’t Sebastian ever get tired of this whole rigmarole?

“I don’t care,” Ciel said abruptly, cutting Sebastian off before he descended too far down the oubliette. “Why can’t we just like order a pizza or something?”

"I don’t think any place would deliver all the way out here,” Sebastian answered. Ciel shook his head and wandered into the living room, kicking off his unflattering black sneakers with the regulation non-slip soles and slumping down heavily on the couch. “I can make a dough in like, ten minutes though, if you want to help me fix one,” the older man offered, sticking his head into the room to gauge Ciel’s reaction.

"No, that’s not what I meant,” came the exasperated response, followed by a frustrated sigh, two beautiful blue eyes rolling in annoyance as Ciel muttered, “Whatever.” Sebastian raised one fine eyebrow as an inquisition, and Ciel sank further into the couch. “It’s fine,” he insisted, reaching for the television remote with a resigned look on his face. “Make whatever you want. You know I’ll eat it.”

Sebastian frowned, but simply nodded and turned back to the kitchen, ruminating on Ciel’s mood as he finished putting away his groceries. He knew that Ciel was not used to being waited on hand and foot, though the kid had adapted to the lifestyle quite well in the past few months. He never hesitated to tell Sebastian what he wanted to eat, what he was in the mood for. And when he wasn’t sure, Sebastian was all too happy to sit back and rattle off dish after dish until something piqued the insatiable young man’s interest. Ciel always seemed to enjoy sitting at the counter, drinking a beer or a cocktail Sebastian had prepared, and watching his partner cook for him while they shared stories from the day. The junk food that Sebastian had bought at Ciel’s request went untouched in the cupboards for weeks – who needs Doritos and microwaveable mac and cheese when you have your own personal chef?

Suddenly struck with an ingenious thought, Sebastian slunk away silently to the garage, where a second refrigerator stood, fully stocked with drinks and frozen goods. Digging to the bottom of the freezer, he was relieved to find a frosty DiGiorno pizza that had been in there for God knows how long, but hey – it’s frozen, right? And with so many preservatives, it would never expire. With a satisfied smile on his face, Sebastian returned to the house with the cold pizza package in one hand, a six-pack of Ciel’s favorite beer in the other. While the oven warmed up, he quickly set to whipping up something sweet to follow. Dessert had always been his specialty. He used the unopened package of Oreos in the cupboard to make a crust, and fixed a divinely sweet no-bake cheesecake while the pizza cooked, grease sizzling and pepperonis sweating in the oven.

"Wanna watch a movie or something?” Sebastian asked as he re-entered the living room, handing a bottle of beer and a frosted glass out to Ciel.

"What about dinner?”

"I figured we could eat out here tonight, if that’s okay with you.” Sebastian brought out a bottle of wine for himself, taking a whiff of the fine ruby liquid before pouring a generous amount into a long-stemmed glass.

"Fine with me,” Ciel replied. “What are we having?” His magnetic blue eyes widened, and then softened when Sebastian retired to the kitchen for a third time and returned with the still-steaming pizza on a large ceramic serving platter. “Did you make this?” He asked as Sebastian hands him a napkin and a paper plate.

"Nope.”

Ciel smiled and shook his head in a reluctant sort of way. Sebastian was good, he had to admit. He didn’t need a three-course meal every night, or fresh-squeezed orange juice with his French toast in the morning – that wasn’t why he was seeing Sebastian. The man’s talent in the kitchen was merely an added bonus, much like his talent in the bedroom.

The room was peacefully silent for a moment, save for the subtle sounds of mastication and the clink of the round pizza cutter on the plate. “It doesn’t matter to me what we eat,” Ciel explained as he reached for another serving, picking a piece of sliced pepperoni off and popping it in his mouth. “Just that we’re eating it together, you know? You don’t have to go all out for me all the time; I’m fine with whatever.”

"Okay, I understand,” Sebastian replied. “I’ll try not to go overboard in the kitchen anymore.”

"Well, I never said that,” Ciel warbled through a mouthful of cheese and pepperoni and sausage. “Go crazy if you want, you just don’t have to do it every night, okay? Listen, I like when you cook for me, but it’s not a big deal if you don’t. Like this,” he nodded to the pizza in front of them, his now empty glass and the bottle of wine Sebastian had brought out, the spy action-thriller playing on the TV, “this was perfect.”

Sebastian smiled. “I’m glad you liked it. I guess I just get… I don’t know, excited whenever you’re over, and I want to treat you to something nice…”

"Yeah, you always act like its some big special occasion!” Ciel protested.

"To me, it is,” Sebastian shrugged. “But I get what you’re saying. Next time, we’ll eat out. We can bring the leftovers home and have them for lunch the next day. How does that sound?” He leaned over and planted a cute little kiss on Ciel’s cheek, which inevitably made the boy scoff and roll his eyes.

"Yeah, that sounds good,” he replied, returning Sebastian’s gesture with a kiss on the lips. He didn’t need to be spoiled, he didn’t need to be doted on; he just needed Sebastian, and the sooner this guy figured that out, the better. “You made dessert for tonight though, right?”

Sebastian laughed and kissed Ciel again. “Oh baby boy, of course I did.”

#sebacielweek #sc #my stuff #j writes

[fatlier1-blog]

Everything a Paralympic Gold Medalist Does (and Eats) in a Week to Stay Fit

Sweat Diaries

Paralympic athlete Michelle Konkoly shares her Sweat Diary.

A class at The Bar Method. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

Welcome to Sweat Diaries, Be Well Philly’s look at the time, energy, and money people invest in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle in Philly. For each Sweat Diary, we ask one Philadelphian to spend a week tracking everything they eat, all the exercise they get, and the money they spend on both. Want to submit a Sweat Diary? Email [email protected] with details.

Who: Michelle Konkoly (@michellekonkoly), 26, from Midtown Village

What I do: Second year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

What role healthy living plays in my life: Healthy living means taking care of my body by buying, preparing, and eating nourishing foods; getting plenty of sleep; and keeping my body strong, flexible, and conditioned by doing a diverse array of exercises. In 2011, I suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury that left me with a spine and heel fusion, and permanent weakness in my legs.  Since my injury, I have learned never to take anything my body can do for granted — I had to start from scratch to learn to walk again, and lost 30 pounds of muscle during my recovery.  After re-learning how to walk, I got involved in the Paralympics and won two gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in sprint freestyle swimming events at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics! I’m proud of my muscle because I know how far I had to come to get where I am today.  Now, I’m focusing primarily on school, but I still go to swim meets when I can.

Health memberships: I purchased the “New Client Special” at Bar Method Rittenhouse, which 30 days unlimited for $99. I also have a membership at the Jefferson Recreation & Fitness Center, which was included with tuition.

Monday

Michelle Konkoly trains in the Jefferson pool. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

7:10 a.m. — Alarm goes off, and I wake up and am out the door within five minutes to head to the pool at Jefferson. Fortunately, it’s only a three-minute walk!

7:30 a.m. — Swim at the Jefferson pool.  It’s a 20-yard pool, which is shorter than most pools, but we make it work!  One of my classmates swims with me and we do a tough 4000 yard aerobic workout. I swim faster than when we did the set last week so I am pumped!

8:45 a.m. — Showered, I walk back home and take my corgi, Ollie, out for a walk.

9:40 a.m. — Walk back to Jefferson’s campus for class and stop at dry cleaners on the way.

10 a.m. — Small group class. I eat my breakfast of papaya, pineapple, Greek yogurt, and chia seeds with a homemade latte (two shots and soymilk).  Someone brought in Isgro’s cannolis so I have to eat half of a cannoli as well!

11 a.m. — Facilitate a group for the first year medical students, and have another cup of coffee. Swimming in the morning makes you a special kind of tired.

12 p.m. — Walk to the University Health Center to get the PPD shot I need for volunteering. While I’m waiting, I snack on two leftover paleo chocolate chip cookies I made over the weekend.

2 p.m. — I finally get home, and eat lunch of a kale salad with avocado, carrots, tomatoes, and homemade carrot ginger dressing, plus slice of whole grain bread and some chocolate-covered almonds.

3 p.m. — I head to the Jefferson Library to overview the material for the week. I have three clementines and half a bottle of kombucha I got from the new Sprouts Market last week.

5:45 p.m. — I get home and walk Ollie to Washington Square Park. I finish an almost-empty bag of Skinny Pop kettle corn before I head to barre.

6:45 p.m. — Barre class at Bar Method Rittenhouse.

8 p.m. — Barre doesn’t make me nearly as hungry as swimming, but I’m still excited for my dinner that I prepped yesterday: sushi bowls!  I top some sushi rice with calamari salad my roommate didn’t want, plus some broccoli, edamame, pickled ginger, and nori strips. I also have some almonds and dates.

9 p.m. — Ok, the hunger caught up with me.  I go a little overboard on after dinner snacks tonight and have a sundae of tahini squares with an Enlightened fudgesicle, half a banana and coconut whip, and a slice of chocolate pumpkin bread. I went on a baking spree over the weekend and now have all these goodies sitting around tempting me.

10:30 p.m. — Finish studying and head to bed.

Daily total: $0

Tuesday

Weight lifting to work on fast-twitch muscles. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

8:14 a.m. — Woke up without an alarm. I try to give myself one day a week to sleep in. Once out of bed, I take Ollie for a walk and then eat half a banana and half a slice of chocolate pumpkin bread.

9:15 a.m. — At the Jefferson gym, and I do a one-hour lift, focusing on upper body explosiveness. I have a swim meet coming up in December, and since I swim sprint freestyle, power and fast-twitch muscle work is so important!

10:30 a.m. — Come home, shower, and make a latte to drink as I listen to this morning’s recorded lectures.

A smoothie bowl for lunch. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

12:15 p.m. – Make a smoothie bowl for lunch! I’m obsessed with my Vitamix blender. I make a smoothie out of frozen bananas, peaches, and spinach, almond milk, and Orgain vegan peanut butter protein powder, topped with homemade granola, cacao nibs, chia seeds, coconut, and fruit.  I finish off lunch with some chocolate covered almonds and salted almonds.

1 p.m. — I spend most of the afternoon continuing to work though this morning’s lecture material on dermatology. I walk into to Walgreens as a study break and buy tweezers and a pack of gum ($5.20).

2:45 p.m. — Finish the Sprouts kombucha, along with some more tahini bars (they’re so good!) and some fresh pineapple.

5 p.m. — I get ready for a Jefferson Gala event tonight at the Philadelphia 201 Hotel.  I Uber over with some friends and the venue is gorgeous!

Cake for dessert. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

6 p.m. — At the reception, I have three pieces sushi and a glass of Champagne. For dinner, we’re served bread and salad, and I request the vegetarian entrée of risotto, carrots, and broccoli rabe. I’m not strictly vegetarian, but try to eat less meat whenever possible! Dessert is a beautiful chocolate mousse cake with fresh berries.

9:30 p.m. — Uber back home and walk the dog. I’m craving something crunchy, so I grab a few handfuls of Special K out of the box before getting into bed.

11 p.m. — Bed!

Daily total: $5.20

Wednesday

Michelle Konkoly has an unlimited membership at The Bar Method. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

7:10 a.m. — Alarm goes off and I’m off to the pool.

7:30 a.m. — Swim a 3200-yard workout by myself. Today I used parachutes that are tied to my waist to add extra resistance. It’s tough but really helps me increase my sprint speed and power. I shower at the pool and then come home to walk Ollie.

10 a.m. — Grab my backpack and head to class.  I eat my yogurt with fruit and chia seeds and a latte — I make this breakfast the night before so I can just grab it and go.

12 p.m. — Class ends and I come home. I’ll never get over how hungry swimming makes me in comparison to other workouts!  I grab a couple almonds and pieces of caramel corn before taking Ollie out.

12:45 p.m. — Lunch is a bowl of kale, sushi rice, tofu, carrots, broccoli, and pickled ginger, plus a bit of spicy mayo on top! I also have an apple from when I went apple picking with my mom and sister last week.

2 p.m. — I head to the library and have three clementines as a snack.

3 p.m. — Every Wednesday we have “Cookie Hour” with the applicants interviewing at Jefferson. Current students can come to mingle and of course grab a cookie! Today they have strawberries and mini cheesecakes too, so during my break from the library I head over and have one of each!

5 p.m. — Come back home and have a snack before walking Ollie: a small bowl of Special K with cashew milk and freeze-dried strawberries and almonds.

6:45 p.m. — Barre at The Bar Method. It’s been fun to have the flexibility to try new workouts, rather than having to focus 100% on swimming, like I was during the time leading up to Rio.

Homemade sushi for dinner. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

8 p.m. — Finally time for dinner! I use my sushi bowl meal prep ingredients to make two homemade rolls and have a glass of wine with them.

9 p.m. — As I’m sending emails and studying, I make a bag of light natural popcorn and mix in a few pieces of caramel corn.

10 p.m. — We still have Halloween candy lying around, so I have a couple pieces (Reese’s are my favorite!) before walking Ollie and heading to bed.

Daily total: $0

Thursday

Enlightened ice cream from Sprouts. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

7:10 a.m. — Alarm goes off and I snoozed it for eight minutes.  I almost never hit snooze, but I knew no one was joining me for my swim this morning, so I wouldn’t be holding anyone up if I was a few minutes late!

7:35 a.m. — Swim a 2,900-yard workout.  It’s certainly on the shorter end, yardage wise, but today I used a bungee tether that attaches me to the wall so I can swim continuously against the resistance for the length of my 50 free race (about 30 seconds).  It’s a great way to simulate an Olympic length (50m) pool in our 20 yard pool!  The tether is no joke — my arms are always burning by the end!

9 a.m. — Showered and walked home, then walked Ollie.

9:35 a.m. — Made my favorite smoothie bowl again.

10 a.m. — Head back to campus for class, and drink my latte.  One of my classmates brought in candy, so I have two mini Kit Kats.

12 p.m. — Come back home and have a piece of chocolate pumpkin bread with pumpkin butter while watching lectures.

12:30 p.m. — Eat half of a GIANT apple, plus a kati roll from Masala Kitchen — one of my friends had some extras after an event.

2:30 p.m. — Spend most of the afternoon studying at home, and eat the other half of the giant apple.

4:15 p.m. — Have a pre-dinner snack of bowl of Special K with half a banana, freeze dried strawberries, dates, golden raisins, and soy milk. I also have a cup of pineapple spirulina kombucha.

6:15 p.m. — I take Ollie on a long walk, then have dinner: a kale salad with the rest of my sushi rice, tofu, bit of edamame, and a quarter avocado, plus a bowl of defrosted frozen mangoes, strawberries, and pineapple with coconut flakes.

7 p.m. — I have another event for the first-year med students on campus, so I walk back over. For some reason there’s so much candy around this week!  I have two mini packs of gummy worms as I catch up with my friends at the event.

8:30 p.m. — Come back home and have a true dessert: chocolate! I love Enlightened ice cream, and found a new flavor — black cherry chocolate chip — at Sprouts last week. I eat the whole pint happily as I’m studying, along with a piece of chocolate and two more tahini squares.

10:30 p.m. — Bed!

Daily total: $0

Friday

Spaghetti squash pasta for dinner. Photograph courtesy Michelle Konkoly.

6:38 a.m. — Alarm goes off and I grab a squeezable applesauce packet to eat on my walk to barre.

7 a.m. — Barre. It’s great to get my workout out of the way so early on Friday. I always feel like my posture is so great after barre, too!

8 a.m. — I walk Ollie and make my smoothie bowl. Today I use up some frozen strawberries instead of peaches, and get in some last minute studying as I eat it.

9 a.m. — We have short quizzes every Friday — this week was all about various skin conditions.

10 a.m. — Head back home and have two and a half slices of chocolate pumpkin bread with pumpkin butter as I do some chores and cleaning in my apartment.

11:30 a.m. — I make a homemade iced latte, and have a ThinkThin protein bar and a mini Rice Krispie treat as I do laundry.  I’m heading out of town for a wedding this weekend so I’m trying to get ahead on my normal weekend chores!

12:15 p.m. — I walk Ollie to Washington Square Park and call my dad to catch up as we walk.

1 p.m. — I get a pedicure and gel manicure in preparation for the wedding ($42 with a coupon).

2:30 p.m. — When I get back home, I have a little bit of leftover tofu with a quarter avocado, kale, and edamame, plus the rest of the pineapple spirulina kombucha.  I also finish up the final crumbs of a container of homemade granola, mixed with cacao nibs and golden raisins.

4 p.m. — I spend the afternoon prepping my study schedule for our exam week next week, and have a tiny apple and half a container of Greek yogurt with cinnamon and chia seeds.

6:45 p.m. — I start making dinner, which is really meal prepping for next week! I have four little breadsticks and a bit of olive tapenade while I roast a spaghetti squash.  I make a chickpea/nutritional yeast “cheese sauce” for the squash, and mix it all together with some sun dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives.  I also roast up some leftover veggies from a veggie tray.

7:30 p.m. — I pour myself a glass of white wine as I eat my spaghetti squash creation. The sauce turned out so creamy!

8:30 p.m. — My roommate offers me some of the red wine she brought back from Italy, so of course I have to try it.

9:30 p.m. — I finish up packing for the wedding and have an Enlightened fudgesicle and three pieces of candy for dessert.

10 p.m. — Bed! I have an early train to DC tomorrow, so I’m calling it a night!

Daily total: $42

Weekly Totals

Money spent: $47.20

Swim workouts: 3

Barre classes: 3

Strength workouts: 1

Smoothie bowls: 3

Glasses of kombucha: 4

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Source: https://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2018/11/29/michelle-konkoly-swimmer-food-diary/

[debbiehross]

The Sporades - From Skopelos to Athens

June 20th

Skopelos is famous for being the island where the musical Mama Mia was filmed in 2008. Although much of the film was set in neighbouring Skiathos, California, and on a set in the UK, the Islanders are very happy to ignore that little fact, and there are many Mama Mia tours, bars and tavernas here.

Skopelos - A Mama Mia bay - love the lushness of the landscape here.

We were guilty of breaking into Abba songs at the least provocation.  It must have been in the air – and we started planning a little video of Abba faves, that we were going to film as we scaled to the top of the mountain where the tiny church sits. A bit like a remake ?!

Entering Loutraki with the town of Glossa above.

The Port town of Loutraki is situated on the NorWestern end of Skopelos.  We spent a night here, after a full day of sunning, swimming, paddle boarding and singing Abba songs.

The erosion around the coastline is quite noticeable, and Kosta showed us where an entire village had fallen into the sea a few hundred years ago just near the entrance to Loutraki. 

The old town of Glossa sits safely high upon the hill above the harbour and we were told it was well worth the climb/ride to enjoy the view.  During the middle ages these islands were easy prey for pirates.  The inhabitants moved inland to fortified villages, and this is why many of the old towns are high up on the hillsides. (The port areas being more recently occupied in the 19th century).

Vicki and I trying out the E-bikes on the wharf.

Having only two E-Bikes, 5 of us walked and 2 e-biked, swapping half way. It was a steep climb, and Leslee and I waited at one corner for the walkers to appear. Thankfully so did a taxi, and Dimitri the driver took the overheated and exhausted climbers to the Taverna at the top.

The taverna perched above the port. Glorious views.

After a delicious meal while we soaked up the view, we handed the waitress a card and asked her to call Dimitri the taxi driver for us  – She smiled and nodded, then turned around and yelled out loudly “Dimeeeeetriiii”!!!.  We all burst into laughter as Dimitri’s head popped around the corner.  It wasn’t the same Dimitri – but never mind – getting back to the boat was an easier ride down the hill and we were tired and replete.

Chris and John returning to the boat on the bikes.

Our plans to film an ascent to the Mama Mia church were dashed when Captain Kosta informed us of the huge climb it would be, and that there was no bay to comfortably anchor in, and that it would be a lot of motoring to the Northern tip of the island.  Ok – we get it – no stars to be born today.

Instead we spent the morning in a beautiful bay on the southern end of the island (where a beach scene from the movie had been shot), called Kastraini.  A gorgeous pebble beach, surrounded by lush green trees. I can picture the exact scene from the movie.  And I now have a wooden bowl full of different coloured marble stones as a centerpiece on the coffee table to remind me of this idyllic spot.

Later that afternoon we motored to Stafilos Beach.  Yet another bay with the most incredibly clear deep water.  More of the same, which we never tire of as the beaches and bays all have their own unique character.  And we love spotting the beautiful villas set above the water, some with the most divine gardens.

Approaching Skopelos Port from the sea was a beautiful sight.  The town was a wash with the evening light, rising up from the harbour - an amphitheater of white and terracotta.  We decided an early morning exploratory walk would be a must-do.

G & T’s before heading ashore.

It was dinner ashore again.  We set off to find a good restaurant (which we did – in a beautiful garden setting further into town).  As always the shops were a huge distraction on the way, crammed with gorgeous things. We gals are enjoying buying linen garments that are made here in Greece and Italy at a fraction of what we would be paying at home.  It’s just too tempting.  Leslee is great to shop with and manages to hunt out little gems from every store.

Our walk the next morning was full of photo opportunities.  Everywhere you looked there was another image to capture.  Here are a few...

Yay - The full team!

Leaving Skopelos Port.

We stocked up on more supplies here in Skopelos before heading out of the port to spend the day at a little beach on Alonnisos Island .  The team are now becoming very proficient at paddle boarding and it’s a great form of exercise if you paddle hard, with tummy muscles pulled in. Uggggh!  Vicky even trying headstands on the board –  smarty pants!

 Go Vicky ! - Hold the board steady Alan!

Very Cool Aunty Leslee!!

Later we headed in to a tiny bay on the island of Peristeri called Vasiliko.  It faces Alonnisos, and an old Goat herders’ house sits alone in the bay. We stern lined to the old concrete wharf there.  No one was in the house, but a few goats clambered around outside.  An oily calm night  - not a breathe of wind.  

 Vicky having her morning swim - creating ripples.

As it was nearing the weekend, it was necessary for us to start heading South away from the Sporades so as to be in Athens on Alimos Marina for Sunday night. The Clarkes had an early morning flight on Monday, and John and Vicky were leaving in the afternoon for Santorini.  So our team motored South in the morning, spending the day swimming at Skantzoura Island which marked the half way point to Skiros island.  

Hesham managed to catch a fish that resembled a cod, and another octopus.  He again prepared his Stefado for lunch, with calamari and salad. Delicious.

 The further south we went, the more arid the landscape became.  Gone were the lush green tree covered hills of the Sporades. We were now heading into Cyclades territory.

 In the late afternoon we pulled into the island of Skiross.  To the port of Linaria, and another gorgeous hillside town to explore.  This time we took two taxis, as it was a good 10 kms away on the other side of the island.

The cars can only drive as far as a small square, so we walked the rest of the way. Up, up, and around, and up some more, and along small winding narrow streets, until we found a tiny taverna perched above a street looking out to the sea.  Yay.  It looked deserted – but we stumbled in, got a table at the edge (as no one was there) and ended up having the best meal we’d had to date. Little plates of deliciousness. The place did end up becoming full of people later on.  We’d just managed to time it right.

Thirsty hungry work all that walking !

Saturday morning saw us motoring off fairly early as it would be a long stretch to get to Kea for the night.

We stopped for lunch and a swim at Kalamos beach.  We were at the beginning of a heat wave, with tempreratures predicted to reach into the late 30”s and into the 40 ‘s.  

A beautiful still day for paddle boarding and swimming.  Vicky appeared back from her SUP paddle with a magnificent piece of wearable art around her neck.  She’d found it lying on the shore perfecty formed into a lei by the tides. Natures very own recycled art piece.

Well we thought it was very chic! 

Once in the little port of Kea called Vourkari, the pre-race nerves started to set in (Americas Cup nerves that is).  The races began at 8pm Greek time - much more civilized than our poor friends in NZ who had to get up very early to watch).  We ate dinner on board – which was delivered to us by a local taverna owner – a friend of Kosta’s.

Look how nervous we all looked .... so anxious.  (we needn't have been!)

What a race.  We are all so excited.  We won one and Oracle won one! Uggggh. The nerves.

We crossed the road to a little bar and had a celebratory drink.  Team NZ are looking great!  We’re feeling quietly optimistic.

Leslee and Chris - love this pic!

Sunday morning we taxied up to the town of Ioulis for breakfast and a walk around.  This little island has a huge history dating back to Neolithic times, and still has some remains from this era – c4000BC.  

Fab place for break, and above was the view!

Vicky and i with yellow wall.

Lit a candle in a tiny little church for our loved ones past and present. Tears.

This little island of kea played a strategic part in the the first world war.  I’ve included an extract taken from “West Aegean” by Rod & Lucinda Heikell :

“ The Wreck of HMHS Britannic – A few miles NW of Ay Nikoloas lies the wreck of the sister ship to the Titanic.  She sank following an explosion on 21st November 1916.  She was on duty as a hospital ship heading up to Limnos to evacuate some 3,600 soldiers from the disastrous Gallipoli campaign of the first world war. The ship is thought to have hit a mine, and sank within an hour of the explosion, but of the 1,100 odd on board all but 30 survived. With the fishermen of Kea first on the scene to help.  One survivor thought to be a nurse, was Violet Jessop, who was also on board the Titanic on that fateful first voyage four years earlier.” .... What are the odds??

The Temple of Poseidon. 

Before heading into Athens for the night, we stopped at the huge bay of Sounion, with the Temple of Poseidon looming over us. Quite magnificent. The temple was built in 444BC.

Captain Kosta - very happy to see that his son (Adam) , who is Captain on this huge super yacht, had pulled in nest to us! (Ha - So thats why we were berthed in Alimos!?!)

Once in the Alimos Marina – we again planned the evening around watching the Cup races.  On board that night we watched the next two wins (One to go) – we were so thrilled.  Went to a huge restaurant/bar for our final dinner together as a group.  It was starting to sink in that we may just be going to take the cup back.  All very excited.  

Do we look excited or what!

Monday morning was a time of farewells, laundry, filling up with water and diesel. The Clarkes caught an early flight back home to NZ.  They had come all that way for a 10 day holiday with us.  So much fun.  Vicky and John went into Athens for the day before catching a ferry to Santorini, while we took Leslee into Glyfada for a shop and to show her the “Ponsonby” of Athens.

That night - The final race – it was just Chris, Leslee and I watching.  We got a distressed Whats-App call from Vicki who was trying to get cover on Santorini with no luck.  So we did a video call with me holding the phone to the TV for the entire race so they could see and hear it all – it worked .

AND WE WON!!!!!!! What an amazing result. Brilliant. So proud of Team NZ.

[beyonceispregnantwithtwinsbtw]

Beyonce is pregnant. Grammy’s aftermath

A Beyonce pregnancy story

Grammy’s aftermath- 5 months.

It was three weeks after the Grammys. Lemonade lost Album of the Year to Adele. Beyonce was as shocked as everyone else, Adele included. Beyonce went into a depression like a state after the lost. All her hard work for nothing. All Bey does nowadays is sulk in her bedroom eating whatever her chef makes her. She was also eating for two so she had to increase her food intake. 3 weeks of no exercise and eating mammoth amounts of food can do to one's body, that and two growing babies.

Beyonce awoke from her dream, it was about her and Blue playing dress up and throwing a tea party for Blue's stuffed animals. Smiling, Beyonce rolls over to her side, grabs the on to the night stand, lifts herself up so her legs were on the floor while she sits on the bed. Looking down, it's very obvious to the eye Beyonce has grown a lot since the Grammys. Five months pregnant with twins is a lot of work. Again, Bey grabs on the nightstand and lifts herself off the bed. A little wobbly at first but she's okay. A hand pressed against her back as she heads to the bathroom to pee. She has now taken on a slight waddle. After peeing she gets up, washes her hands, and calls down to the chef to make her new favorite breakfast; 3 large eggs, scrambled. 4 sausages, 2 strawberry jam toasts, and a handful of cheddar cheese on top of the eggs. Her belly grumbles at the thought. She's hungry.

"Calm down little ones. Food will be ready soon." Beyonce says as she pats her tummy. Looking in the mirror she can see her belly button close to popping out. This pregnancy with the twins was different from the pregnancy with Blue. She had an insatiable amount of hunger. Beyonce was eating, in the morning, noon, and especially during the night. Rubbing her belly she waddles over to her closet. She throws on a Givenchy t-shirt with some Ivy Park sweats. She could feel the waistline tugging her hips. Bey heads to the kitchen, holding on to the railing for extra support while heading down the stairs.  She sits down as her chef,  Andrea, hands her food along with a big glass of chocolate almond milk and some hot sauce. Thanks, Beyonce barely whispers before indulging in her food. The smooth eggs and hot sauce with a little burning sensation go down her throat. Creamy almond milk and toast is the best combination of her morning sweet tooth. Italian sausages are just the perfect touch to this little breakfast. Bey scarfs it down in less than 7 minutes. Wiping her mouth, she tells Andrea once again thank you before heading into the living room to lounge around before mama Tina arrives. They were planning her Coachella outfit for next month. She would be almost seven months by then. Her tummy will be huge. Bored, Bey turns on the TV and watches some news. As the weather man tells the forecast her babies start kicking. The best feeling in the world. Tina sends a text saying she's here. Struggling to get up, Beyonce gets onto her feet and waddles to the door.            

"Hey baby girl. How are you and your babies doing?" Tina laughed as she brushed by Bey with a box. "Whats that?" Beyonce confused on why her mother has a box from her favorite bakery. "Oh, I brought it for you. I know it's your favorite since you became pregnant." Tina pats the tummy and opens the box to her amusement it was a 3 layered chocolate cake, buttercream filled layers, raspberries along the top with a chocolate mirror glaze. Oh, My god, that looks stunning. Beyonce thinks and they head into the kitchen with Tina telling  Andrea to cut her and Bey large slices.

"So Jay coming back from New York in 2 weeks correct?" Tina asks as  Andrea sets down the two slices. "Mmmhmm. Yes.. I believe." Bey blubbers out as she takes a bite out the cake. So damn good. Tina and Bey talk about the Coachella outfit and visuals that they plan to have happened. Tina going on about something Solange has told her but Beyonce doesn't care that much. On her fourth slice of cake and she's devouring it.  All she wants to do is eat slice after slice after slice. She loves this moist cake and so does the babies. Keep on moving and kicking.

"Woah, look at them dancing in there." Joked Tina as she put both hands on the sides of Beyonce's belly. Smiling at her mother agreeing. Her phone rings getting a notification reminding Bey she has her 20-week appointment in 5 days.  Tina picks up the phone. "Want me to attend the doctor's appointment with you." "Yeah, I wouldn't mind. Jay in New York I would like some company." Bey said as she was about finished with the last slice, her mother staring. "What?" "Oh, nothing. Just watching you eat your cake. Is it good? Do you want my piece? Here sweetie. You are eating for three now." Tina says putting her plate in front of Bey's and getting up and throwing away the now emptied cake box. Beyonce now eating her sixth large slice. She could her the elastic waistband getting tighter around her belly.

It was three-thirty Beyonce and Tina having a late lunch. Tina a spinach strawberry balsamic salad while the chef cooked up a double cheeseburger with loaded fries and a vanilla milkshake for Beyonce. Tina talking to Bey about some ideas she just thought of they hear the front door open and in comes Blue and her nanny.  "Mommy, Nana." Yelled Blue running into the arms of her Nana before giving her mommy a kiss and a hug.  Taking a fry Blue and her nanny goes to her room and does some reading her teacher assigned. "Well, I better be going see you three in 5 days. I need to go home to my man now."Tina says before helping Bey off the couch giving a kiss on the cheek and her belly along rub she picks up her purse and yells to Blue remind her how much she loves her and heads out the door. Bey follows and locks the door and carefully waddles her way to the stairs. Clinching on the rails before climbing the stair. Reaching a landing she stops. Breathes in and out. The bigger she gets the harder it is to control her breathing.  Stopping into her room to use the bathroom and request tonight's dinner. A steak with some crawfish, mac and cheese, with a side of grits. Grilled chicken with some roasted vegs for Blue. She heads into Blues room and dismisses the nanny and helps Blue with her reading before dinner. After the big meal, Bey puts Blue to sleep and crawls into bed herself.

* 5 days later. Doctors appointment.

Beyonce and Tina were in her glam room getting ready. Tina getting her hair into nice loose curls while Bey was munching on some cookies her mom brought over while her hair was getting straighten. A lot has changed in 5 days. The twins have now grown ever so slightly making Beyonce have a now prominent waddle. The outfit she is wearing is also showing off her now fuller figure. Her white low cut top with her boobs hanging out and her black jeans together by an elastic hairband trick. She refuses to wear maturity jeans just yet. Last night on a video call with Jay he commented on her appearance that made her slightly insecure. She knows he wasn't serious but she somewhat took it to heart.  

"Really now. Tell Blue that I'm proud of her knowing her times two's." "Yes. She won't stop talkin- Oh. Hush you two. I'm telling daddy something. Looking down and her stomach, Jay could see her second chin forming. "Woah Bey. Not only are you growing two babies you also growing two chins." Beyonce staring at him. Tears welling up. Her hormones acting all over the place. "Bey- wait. I didn't mean to-" "It's okay. I'm tired anyways. Bye baby." She kisses the screen before ending the call.

Finished with her cookies and hair. Bey gets up and heads to the shoe closet and picks her footwear for the day. Waiting for Tina to get finished she sits with her tummy in between her legs. Rubbing it and feeling the babies move. Tina now finished both her and Bey head down the step and get into the car waiting for them outside to taking them to their appointment.

Waddling into the office Beyonce already has a nurse waiting to take her blood pressure and weight. After getting her blood pressure she steps onto the scale. 169lbs it reads. What the. Did I gain that much? Maybe Jay was right. I need to stop this excessive gorging. She waddled into her room and waited for her doctor. Upset. All she can think about is the all the weight she gained. "Sweetheart. It's okay. You are pregnant. Gaining weight is natural. You are carrying twins anyways." Tina said touching Bey's knee.  The door opened and in walked her doctor. Smiling at both Bey and Tina.

"Well hello. How is your day? Can you lay down onto your back for me." He says instructs her to do so as he sets up the machine and the jelly. "So your blood pressure is normal but I do want to talk about your weight. It says you weigh 169." Looking at her chart to make sure. "Your pre-pregnancy weight was 135. Yes?" Looking at Beyonce to make sure that info is correct. Nodding her head. "You gained over 30 pounds and you're only 20 weeks. I'm worried. I don't want you to gain that much weight considering it could damage your health and cause complications during labor. Watch more carefully what you eat okay." He informs Bey and squirts the cold jelly on her stomach. Moving around the stick as Bey watches in awe of her two babies moving around. "Both baby A and baby B are growing right on schedule." The doctor smiles as he wipes off the remaining Jelly. He then asked if Bey or Tina had any questions. Tina wondering with Coachella approaching should she be dancing the way Beyonce does. "Use common sense. Take it easy out there and don't be doing moves that you know you shouldn't be doing at 7 months pregnant." "Well thank you for everything. Do I get pictures of the babies?" Asks Beyonce. He hands her the pictures and leaves the room. "You're going to give me one right?" Tina says as she helps Beyonce off the table and keeps her stable when her feet touches the ground. Waddling out of the office and back into the car to their way home. She is thinking about what her doctor and mother said about her weight. She is feeding 3 people with what she indulges and she should not feel ashamed about that. Her babies were healthy and that's what mattered the most.

Once home she kisses her mother goodbye and heads straight for the kitchen. After waddling all day today she deserves a nice lunch. Orders  Andrea to cook up some shrimp and grits, a cheese souffle, and a side of fried plantains. She is treating herself with this pregnancy

*SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? ALSO BEY IS HAVING TWINSSSSS. GET HUGE BEY. GIVE ADELE A RUN FOR HER MONEY

Wattpad: beyonceispregnantI will update on there too. Please follow. If you have ideas send them this way.

#beyonce #beyonce grammys #grammys #beyhive #beyonce pregnant #beyonce pregnancy announcement #pregnant #pregnancy #tina knowles #blue ivy #jay z #beyonce fanfic #beyfan

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The (Quarantine) Dinner & A Movie Guide added to Google Docs

The (Quarantine) Dinner & A Movie Guide

Dinner and a movie is a timeless combination. And while you can’t exactly leave your house at the moment, you don’t really have to - there’s plenty to watch at home, and even more to order for delivery or takeout (how’s that for optimism?). So we’re here to make sure you’re doing dinner and a movie right. Below, you’ll find our picks for great delivery, and which classic movie you should pair it with. We’ll be updating regularly, but for now, here are 16 combinations to keep your quarantine nights feeling fun, and hopefully, just a bit more normal.

Looking for something local? Check out The LA Neighborhood Delivery & Takeout Directory. Feel like making a meal? Order a DIY Meal Kit. Maybe breakfast or brunch? 22 Restaurants Delivering Breakfast In LA. Want something sweet? Get Dessert Delivered. Craving a specific cuisine? We’ve got guides to Thai and Italian takeout and delivery. Oh, and a Pizza Delivery Guide, too. Looking to make your birthday a celebration, even in isolation? Where To Get Takeout & Delivery If It’s Your Birthday. If you want delivery or takeout for a specific mood, read our guide to LA’s Delivery & Takeout Options For Every Situation. For restaurants offering delivery and takeout for the first time - or serving new specials - check out our guide to LA Restaurants With New Takeout & Delivery Options. And if you’re in serious need of a re-stock, we’ve got an Alcohol Delivery & Pick-Up Guide and a guide to LA Restaurants Selling Groceries And Produce.

THE SPOTS  Masa of Echo Park Bakery & Cafe $ $ $ $ Pizza ,  Italian  in  Echo Park $$$$ 1800 W Sunset Blvd 8.2 /10

Movie Pairing: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (Netflix)

“As a Chicagoland native, I know that few movies are dearer to the people of The Windy City than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. So lean into that fact and order delivery from Masa while you watch. The family-owned restaurant in Echo Park is run by Illinois natives and their buttery, perfectly constructed deep-dish pizza is proof. I tend to go for The Traditional (sweet sausage and mushroom), because that’s what I grew up eating, but you can’t really go wrong with any of the pies. Just be sure to throw in a manchego salad and bread pudding as well. Then sit back, embrace your food coma, and gaze in stunned amazement at how well this film holds up.” - BC

 Destroyer $ $ $ $ American  in  Culver City $$$$ 3578 Hayden Ave 8.6 /10

Movie Pairing: Blade Runner (Netflix)

“Despite the fact that Blade Runner is set in ‘Los Angeles, November 2019,’ we still don’t have flying cars or replicants (unless you count the Kardashians). And while you could mourn society’s decided lack of technological progress, I’ve got a better idea: An order from Destroyer, the futuristic Culver City spot that actually feels like it could be in Ridley Scott’s film. They’re offering their breakfast and lunch menu for takeout or delivery from 9am-3pm (plus a marketplace of goods and sundries available until 8pm), which means you can enjoy dishes raw oatmeal with a vanilla disk or rice porridge with chicken while you attempt to figure out if Deckard was a robot or not.” - JM

 Clark Street Bread $ $ $ $ Cafe/Bakery  in  Downtown LA $$$$ 317 S Broadway 7.5 /10

Movie Paring: Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (Hulu)

“Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is a cinematic masterpiece. I cried while watching it the first time in theaters (remember when we could do that?), and I cried again while watching it the other night, all alone in my apartment. I also found myself wondering, “Why was that scene of her eating the bread so damn satisfying?” The closest I’ve gotten to experiencing that uncomplicated bliss is at Clark Street Bakery. Their takeaway counter is open for pick-up and delivery, and has everything you need for watching a French love story, like buttery kouign-amann pastries, rows of crusty bread loaves, and most importantly, their Nordic breakfast plate - a massive platter that comes with a sourdough roll, Comté cheese, ham, butter, jam, and a hardboiled egg.” - KH

 Marvin $ $ $ $ American  in  Beverly Grove $$$$ 8114 Beverly Blvd 8.2 /10

Movie Pairing: The Favourite (Hulu)

“The Favourite is all about satisfying appetites. The ones in the movie are a bit more illicit than truffles and butter (although Olivia Colman’s Queen Anne does have a soft spot for rich desserts), but Marvin’s fantastic French-ish food makes me feel like an indulgent 18th century royal. They’re offering $75 dinners for two, which change nightly, but have recently included fettucini with black truffles, beef bourguignon pot pie, and rigatoni Bolognese. Be sure to order a few bottles of Burgundy, so you can get appropriately as drunk as the three fantastic leads in the film. For menus and ordering info, check out their Instagram.” - BK

 Wally's Beverly Hills $ $ $ $ Wine Bar  in  Beverly Hills $$$$ 447 N. Canon Drive 7.3 /10

Movie Pairing: The First Wives Club (Netflix)

“Don’t fact-check me on this, but I’m pretty sure there’s a law saying you can’t watch The First Wives Club without drinking your weight in wine in the process. So, make sure you secure a delivery from Wally’s. The Beverly Hills wine bar has one of the largest (and best) wine stocks in the city, plus solid snacks like flatbreads, truffle popcorn, and charcuterie boards to keep from getting too drunk. Not that Goldie, Bette, and Diane would judge you for it - I just want to make sure you make it to the end for the dance number.” - BC

 Fish King Seafood $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  Seafood ,  Hawaiian  in  Glendale $$$$ 722 N Glendale Ave 8.1 /10

Movie Pairing: Moana (Disney+)

“I’ve been feeling increasingly like Moana lately, trapped on an island (my house), not allowed to leave. Unlike this Disney heroine, I’m not going to get in a boat to find Dwayne Johnson and defeat an angry Polynesian god. But like her - I assume, since she was on a boat for a while - I want to eat some extremely fresh fish during this movie. Fish King, the Hawaiian-ish spot in Glendale, is the ideal place for it. In addition to serving Hawaiian-style poke, they’ve also got a great fried fish sandwich, grilled fish plates involving everything from bonito to mahi mahi, and clam chowder, all available for takeout and delivery. For more info, call [phone].” - BK

 Steep $$$$ 970 N Broadway

Movie Pairing: Get Out (Prime)

“Yes, the takeaway from Get Out is that being a person of color in America oftentimes feels like being in a horror movie. I get that. I think it’s genius. I would have given Jordan Peele the Best Original Screenplay Oscar a second time if I could. So when Catherine Keener sends Daniel Kaluuya to the Sunken Place with a cup of tea, the correct response probably isn’t “When was the last time I had a good cup?” But if you’re like me, place an order at Steep. This modern tea house in Chinatown serves a variety of loose-leaf teas like green tangerine pu-erh, shan lin xi oolong, and spring snail green tea, as well as pre-made versions of their blacks, greens, and oolongs for those who don’t have a strainer. If you’re hungry, they also have Taiwanese dishes to go, like braised pork rice with a marinated egg and pork butter with beef broth. Order directly from their website for delivery and takeout.” - KH

 All Time $ $ $ $ American  in  Los Feliz $$$$ 2040 Hillhurst Ave 8.9 /10

Movie Pairing: Midsommar (Prime)

“It might not include any psychedelic mushrooms, and it definitely doesn’t include a bear, but if you’re looking to recreate the bacchanal brutality of Midsommar, a Market Box from All Time is the way to go. The contents change often, but you can expect bright and bountiful amounts of fresh fruits and veggies, all of which would look great in your May Queen crown. They’ve also got wellness brew kits (perfect for when you want to put someone under your spell!) and meals like veggie lasagna and cottage pies, plus deluxe options like a food and wine Survival Kit, which costs $500. And while that might seem like a lot, remember, your village only celebrates this festival once every 90 years.” - JM

 MiniBar $ $ $ $ Hollywood $$$$ 6141 Franklin Ave

Movie Pairing: A Simple Favor (Hulu)

“If the original trailer featuring seven different scenes involving martinis wasn’t a big enough hint for you, I’ll spell it out - A Simple Favor is essentially a community PSA for the iconic cocktail, and as viewers, it’s imperative we play our part. Sure, you could attempt to make a bad version at home, but what fun is that when MiniBar is offering entire JUGS of dirty martinis for $50? The answer is no fun, especially considering the tiny bar in Franklin Village makes one of our favorite versions in town. Available for both takeout and delivery, 10am-6pm, via the new LA Bodega On Wheels, or by calling [phone].” - BC

 Broad Street Oyster Co. $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood  in  Malibu $$$$ 23359 Pacific Coast Hwy 8.6 /10

Movie Pairing: Moonrise Kingdom (Prime)

“I grew up in a coastal New England town that looks suspiciously like the one in Moonrise Kingdom, and eating at Broad Street Oyster feels a bit like going home for me. The hot lobster roll should be your order here, along with some fantastic popcorn shrimp, oysters, and the Beach Burger. Plus, I’m pretty sure the restaurant was decorated with discarded set pieces from the movie. Broad Street is available for pick-up and delivery. Check out their Instagram for more information.” - BK

Azay $ $ $ $ Japanese ,  French  in  Little Tokyo $$$$ 226 E 1st St Not

Rated

Yet

Movie Pairing: Tampopo (iTunes)

“Heartwarming, absurdist, and filled with food shots that rival Chef’s Table, Tampopo just might be one of the greatest films ever made about food. And while it would have been easy to pick any one of LA’s great ramen spots to pair with a viewing, I’d choose to watch it while eating one of the many home-style Japanese dishes from Azay, like a breakfast set made with broiled fish, bowls of unagi, or their daily bento box. Or try the omurice, a simple staple that’s featured in one of my favorite scenes, where a gooey, runny omelet is folded over a bed of fried rice then drizzled in ketchup - which, surprisingly, is only the second-best scene in this movie that involves an egg. Check their Instagram, call [phone], or email [email protected] to place a takeout order.” - KH

 Osteria La Buca $ $ $ $ Italian  in  Hancock Park ,  Hollywood ,  Larchmont $$$$ 5210 Melrose Ave 8.2 /10

Movie Pairing: Goodfellas (Netflix)

“Interested in constantly reminding your younger brother to ‘Keep an eye on the sauce’ while you alternately attempt to unload some unlicensed handguns, snort drugs, and dodge a DEA helicopter? Osteria La Buca’s new All Day Menu is for you. They’ve got family-style portions of spaghetti pomodoro, rigatoni Bolognese, and chicken parm that’ll feed up to six, plus house sauces and pastas, all available for takeout or delivery. Even if you don’t have an evening of illegal activities planned, an order from Osteria is still a great idea - and if you blast Harry Nilsson’s ‘Jump Into The Fire’ while you’re picking up your food, you’ll literally be a Goodfella.” - JM

 Birdie G’s $ $ $ $ American  in  Santa Monica $$$$ 2421 Michigan Ave 8.4 /10

Movie Pairing: Christmas Vacation (Hulu)

“A Christmas movie? In the spring? Welcome to life in the quarantine, baby. Though the original Vacation is probably the best of the series, Christmas Vacation boasts a cornucopia of iconic moments that defined my childhood: A cat getting electrocuted, a rabid squirrel terrorizing the house, and Cousin Eddie kindly telling the neighbors that ‘The sh*tter’s full.’ And there isn’t a better way to watch this masterpiece than with a holiday meal of your own from Birdie G’s. The Santa Monica comfort food spot has a delivery menu filled with everything from matzo ball soup to noodle kugel to whole chicken in a tropical sauce - the latter of which pairs poetically with the Griswold’s incinerated turkey.” - BC

Highland Park Brewery $ $ $ $ Highland Park $$$$ 5127 York Blvd

Movie Pairing: The World’s End (Prime)

“Every time I see this movie about a fantastically epic pub crawl, it makes me want to crack a beer. Or, as the plot gets crazier and crazier, like 17 of them. Fortunately, Highland Park Brewery has their beer pick-up system down pat, and even delivers to most areas of the Eastside - check out their Instagram for more details. So I highly recommend stocking up on some insanely fresh beer (I went last week and got some four-packs that had literally been canned that day) - go for the Hello, LA (a clear, pine-forward West Coast IPA) and the America’s Preference, a crisp, dry, extremely drinkable pils.” - BK

 Gigi's Bakery & Cafe $ $ $ $ Cafe/Bakery ,  Cuban  in  Historic Filipinotown $$$$ 2200 W Temple St Not

Rated

Yet

Movie Pairing: The Devil Wears Prada (Prime)

“Maybe it’s the excessively appetizing frying sounds the foley artist scrounged up, or the ‘$8 worth of Jarlsberg’ he claims it contains, but when Andy’s ‘chef’ boyfriend (I use quotations here because he has an awful lot of free time at night for someone who claims to be in the restaurant industry) whips up a grilled cheese for her in their New York apartment, two things become abundantly clear: I’ve never made a grilled cheese like that in my entire life, and I need to be eating one, like, right now. But Gigi’s can actually do you one better - not only does this Cuban bakery sell one of the most perfectly pressed Cubanos known to man, but they also serve a variety of pastries like pastelitos de guayaba queso (guava cheese strudels) and their famous potato ball - all of which are still available to-go. Find more info on their website.” - KH

 Dudley Market $ $ $ $ American ,  Seafood  in  Venice $$$$ 9 Dudley Ave 8.5 /10

Movie Pairing: The Lighthouse (iTunes)

“If you’ve got a roommate, chances are, you’re already feeling like Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse, so you might as well lean into it and order dinner from Dudley Market in Venice. Even though their dining room is closed, they’re still putting their fishing boat to good use, and every day they’re offering fresh-caught fish (whole or filleted) for takeout and limited delivery. Call [phone] or DM them on Instagram to see they’ve got today. To-go wine is also 30%-50% off, so you and your roommate can have drunken brawls while you cook - unfortunately, Dudley doesn’t sell lobster, which means no one will get to shout ‘You’re fond of me lobster!’ before invoking Neptune’s fury.” - JM

via The Infatuation Feed https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/dinner-and-a-movie-delivery-la Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://trello.com/userhuongsen

Created April 9, 2020 at 03:13AM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

[travellingwithleoandzoe-blog]

#7 Antigua & Lake Atitlán, Guatemala 

Waving goodbye to Costa Rica was tough. Time had felt like it had been put on fast-forward. Guatemala, our next destination, had for so long sat on a distant horizon, yet with a screech and bump we were touching down in Guatemala City. With two weeks ahead of us, we knew we wouldn’t have the luxury of a lot of time, nor a car for added freedom, but we joined the backpacker trail ready and open for a new experience. The arrival into the country’s capital was a stark reminder of some of the safety concerns occurring in Central America’s most populous country. Security guards armed with pump action shotguns loomed in the shady doorways of shops and restaurants. It was a different feel to anything we’d experienced in Costa Rica, but that not to say it was all negative. The culture is rich, and you get a sense for it in an instance. Bold colours, traditional clothing, and grand old colonial buildings. The streets hum. Each corner overflows with steaming food vendors selling a range of culinary delights. Meshed into the mayhem are tell tale signs of a heavy alliance with the U.S. as we observed many a familiar logo dissecting through the bustling city. While the capital no doubt has many neighbourhoods worth exploring, pressed for time, we made our way on a direct path towards the town of Antigua for our first two nights.

The rip-roaring drive to our hostel, the Earth Lodge, lasted almost two hours. Once dropped off we stretched our legs and made our way down a long footpath towards the reception, as vehicle access to the door was impossible. It was one of the few places we’d pre-booked while being back in the UK, and for good reason. The lodge is part hostel and part avocado farm. It’s located in the mountains 6,000 feet above Antigua, and our room for the next two days was a tree house overlooking it all. If the views spanning across multiple volcanoes weren’t impressive enough, the place also boasts a number of amenities, from freshly cooked meals every evening, a new yoga studio, and an expansive open outside area with accompanying slack line, football goal, and sauna. What more could we need? We savoured a few cold brews to the sunset, before settling into some dinner time chat with fellow lodgers.

The view from the tree house was a memorable wake up call the next morning. Curtains have been purposely excluded from the room. However, appreciation soon became overshadowed by a wave of nausea for myself. What at first felt like a bad hangover soon materialised into something worse. We both knew getting sick was inevitable at some point during our trip, and here was round one. The day was a write off. Left bed bound for 24 hours, aside from getting up to be sick out of the tree house window on occasion. There are worse places to projectile vomit from I suppose. For Zoe, yoga was on the cards and a relaxed day in the fresh, open surroundings.

We departed the next morning regretting that we could not stay longer. We’re getting used to the coming and going nature of travelling, but this occasion felt particularly difficult. Our tight timings meant we couldn’t afford to stay another day. We instead made our way into Antigua town to catch a shuttle bus to Lake Atitlan. The lake was a destination high up on our priorities. Known for its tranquillity, spectacular sunrises, volcano hikes, and its characterful surrounding towns, there are endless things to do. We entered the largest town, and gateway to the lake, Panajachel, just before dusk. We squeezed through an entourage of locals who encircled our mini bus the moment it parked up. A bit of pre-visit research meant we knew to head straight to the pier and board a public boat, known as a lancha. Once the boat was filled, we parted ways to the nearby town of Santa Cruz, admiring the breathtaking views as we skipped along the glistening water.

Santa Cruz is one of the quieter Mayan towns on the island. It’s only accessible by boat and sits up on a steep hill away from the water. It’s home to only 3,000 or so inhabitants. It’s popular within backpacker circles due to one of the longest standing hostels on the lake, the La Iguana Perdida. Set up by a English woman who stumbled across the land when visiting to dive in the lake three decades ago, the hostel is now truly embedded into the lakeside and the local community. Exhausted from our journey, we took things easy on our first night, making friends with an American lady called Felicia, who gave us a ton of useful tips for van living in prep for our visit to the States.

We were keen to stroll to the neighbouring town of Jaibalito the next day. The path leading around the lake perimeter from Santa Cruz was not extensive. Every step was pleasant. The sight of the towering Atitlán & San Pedro volcanoes was ever present in the distance. We were accompanied on the trek by the hostel’s dog, Bolto, who led the way like our tour guide. Once we arrived into Jaibilito we bumped into a familiar face in Felicia who joined us for a spot of lunch. Bolto also came along and guarded our table. After a well spent afternoon, we spent the evening watching the clouds assemble in the distance. The day closed with a moody and powerful lightening show.

Our final full day on the lake was all about visiting more of the lakeside towns. Central to our itinerary was a lunch destination that sounded more like something you’d find on Lake Como than on a lake in the middle of Guatemala. El Artisano is a reservation only joint, and we teamed up with a few others from the hostel to book a table. The main draw was a cheese platter of twenty-odd different fromages made throughout Guatemala. All available at a fraction of the price you’d find back in Europe. Before heading straight to this mouth watering prospect, we first ventured to the town of San Marcos. The narrow path from the pier is covered in a flowery archway and the walls are adorned in street art. The village exudes a new age, artsy, hippy feel to it. It was a place we wish we’d stayed at. We settled on a coffee stop off, and wondered to an impressive hostel where we experienced the lakeside from new vantage point. The water at San Marcos is the cleanest on the lake, and we happily killed time watching a dog swim in circles chasing its owner.

The first stomach rumble of the day signalled it was time to move on for lunch. We flagged down a tuk tuk with a fellow Brit and rattled along the pot holed plagued road to the neighbouring town of San Juan. The meal lived up to all expectations. The selection of cheeses was remarkable and expertly listed by the head chef. We proceeded to work our way through the platter piece-by-piece like a board game, starting with mild creamier types, and snaking our way through to the stronger, more pungent stuff. We washed it down with few glasses of crisp South American wine, and left with that familiar fuzzy feeling that can only come from combining cheese and wine.

Our final stop off before heading home was the town of San Pedro. Known to be the liveliest towns on the lake. We arrived at a limbo time of 4 pm. Not too much was going on, so we roamed the quaint little streets and walked off our indulgent lunch before catching the last boat back. As we zipped along the laguna from San Pedro, we took in some final awe inspiring views in the late afternoon light, pinching ourselves that a place like this exists. The journey allowed us to get up close to some of the towering cliff faces, offering the opportunity snoop at the many impressive mansions nestled into the rock face. If you took a snapshot of such sights and asked someone to guess where it was in the world its doubtful anyone would guess Guatemala.

The lake never ceased to impress us throughout our time there. However, right now it’s facing many modern day problems that sound all to familiar. Since the 1950s, over population and growing tourism have placed a strain on the quality of the water. Levels of intoxicants are now at the worst in the lake’s history, and this is altering natural algae cycles, creating explosions in Cyanobacteria. In turn this is having a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of local indigenous communities who rely on the lake for food and drinking water. The lack of a water treatment center, since it was destroyed by hurricane Stan back in 2005 only exacerbates the issue. Awareness of such a merky reality is on the rise. Many local Mayan communities and long standing charities based around the basin are driving change at this critical period. A movement called Atitlán Sano is applying pressure and holding the ten municipalities to account for previous negligence. We can only hope that the combined efforts of such a movement succeed to preserve one of the most spectacular bodies of water in Central America.

We squeezed in one delicious Guatemalan coffee on our final morning, before listening out for the boat captain calls for “Pana Pana Pana!” Back at the lakes gateway, we boarded a bus back to Antigua. This time around we’d have a few days to explore the actual town with a bit more purpose. We also intended to use it as a hub to tackle a two day volcano hike in light of us not doing anything strenuous while being on the lake. Lake Atitlán was a dreamy introduction to Guatemala. We felt recharged and refreshed, ready for the road ahead.

#guatemala