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twig-tea · 2 months

Note

With 23.5 finally coming out, the people are rejoicing at finally getting a high profile gl from GMMTV. But there have already been several gls airing this year, including my fav TsukuTabe, that have been flying under the radar with fandom, and in general there are more gls already out there than folks seem to think. I just know you have a list of all the gls we should be watching, please share with the class!

Thank you for the ask! How did you know I had a draft of GL recs to make at some point? [Trick question, I mentioned it to you.]

It may seem like I'm out here hating on GL because i've made a couple of negative reviews of recently airing series recently (Love Senior and Chaser Game W in case you're curious) but I actually have lots of GL that I love and that I wish were better known! Thanks for sending this ask so I am inspired to actually finish it! I've limited myself to series so that I could keep the list and this post to a reasonable length. Where possible I've listed where you can find each of these and included a link. And I've included an 'elevator pitch' summary but I am NOT in marketing for a reason, so please don't roast me too hard for my terrible comparisons. Alright, enough waffling!

Twig's GL Rec List

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat S1 & 2 (Japan, 2022 & 2024, both seasons fansubbed by @furritsubs; if you need help accessing this show feel free to DM me!)

Elevator pitch: Our Dining Table with lesbians and an even slower burn. Watch for beautiful food, acespec rep, mental health and therapy rep

What might turn some off: Extremely low heat, and quite slow-moving; warning for a disordered eating and family trauma plot (v gently handled)

Let's start with the one you've already mentioned. This is a heartwarming slice-of-life slow burn in which an autismspec-coded woman who likes to eat is invited by her neighbour, a femme acespec woman who loves to cook, to come and eat her food. It starts from a very practical place (when you love making food you need someone to help eat it), but their relationship grows as they spend more time together. The story follows them as they both move towards self-actualization in several ways: as a lesbian, as asexual, at work, with their families, with their friends, with each other. This show is so careful to say the important words aloud. And there is so much delicious cooking! Each episode highlights a particular recipe, and the food porn is real. Do not watch while hungry, but definitely watch. The found famiy vibes in this one one are also immaculate.

She Makes My Heart Flutter (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Younger lesbian friend group tries to help out (slightly) older lesbian bar owner with mixed success. I can't think of a good BL equivalent, The Moment Since feels the closest with its similar bartender/patron romance

What might turn some off: Comedic tone; short runtime; struggles with being closeted

This is a gem of a miniseries about a bar owner and an interior designer who smoulder at one another while an intrepid group of younger bar regulars (including the bar owner's neice) meddle. This series is really cute, solid, and full of sapphics! Once again found family vibes are immaculate (you may sense a theme in my faves). Run don't walk.

Fragrance of the First Flower (Taiwan, 2021, GagaOOLala)

Elevator pitch: Right-person-wrong-time/second chance romance; tonally is a little like We Best Love 2: Fighting Mr. 2nd but with an ambiguous ending.

What might turn you off: Medium heat, second chance romance means they break up once, internalized homophobia, adultery/cheating, at one point there's a creepy dude, child with autism (depicted well), ambiguous ending

At its core this is a story of a woman who can't stop getting in the way of her own happiness. This series is a little more sad than the rest of this rec list but I couldn't not include it because this relationship is so poignant. Plus there's a s2 that supposedly is to come out in 2024 so maybe we'll get our happy ending after all?

Love Greater Than or Equal to 70 Degrees C (Korea, 2019, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ingredients but with lesbians staring at one another over beautiful tea pairings! What more could you ask for?

What might turn you off: Low heat; short runtime; ambiguous ending; like Ingredients this is essentially a long ad for the café it's filmed at.

This is a Korean miniseries about passionate tea sommeliers making really fancy tea while staring at one another a LOT. Perfect sapphic representation, 10/10 no notes. This one packs a lot of the drama tropes into its short runtime, so even though it's short it's full of butterfly-inspiring moments.

Sleep With Me (Philippines, 2022, GagaOOLala/iWantTFC/Netflix w/VPN set to Philippines)

Elevator pitch: The Truth About Cats and Dogs but the self esteem issues are handled without catfishing. BL equivalent: Hmmm. Closest I can think of is Gaya Sa Pelikula.

What might turn you off: There's some ableism (treated as such) in this show; Open ending.

Stellar GL between a late night radio DJ and an insomniac who listens to her show. One of the main couple is a wheelchair user and the show tackles ablelism and navigating disability in relationship as well as feelings of inadequacy in a relationship and how that manifests as interpersonal conflict.

Our Relationship Ended Before it Began (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Along the lines of I Cannot Reach You; the show gives both perspectives and they are held back by queer angst.

What might turn you off: No kiss (but they make it very clear both want to kiss), internalized homophobia

Really sweet miniseries about having a crush and being afraid of being hurt so you don't actually make a move. I really like the way the girl who has not dated a girl before defaults to gender roles and it throws the more experienced lesbian lol I also really like the way this show makes clear that both of them are waiting for a kiss, and that if you get in your head about things, it can get in the way of your own happiness!

Pearl Next Door (Philippines, 2020, Youtube)

Elevator Pitch: Gameboys but with lesbian vloggers.

What might turn you off: Love triangle, lots of teasing but low heat in the end, a lot of (good) conversations about mental health issues, ambiguous ending

This is the GL spinoff to Gameboys, starring Pearl from Gameboys. Pearl ends up being fought over by the two gorgeous women in the gif, an old love and a new. I love the queer friendships in this story as much as the relationships. I will say it's an open ending (that felt a bit like the showrunners didn't want to decide between ships) and definitely the love triangle features prominently but even in the face of these aspects that would normally turn me off a series I had a good time. The characters and interpersonal conflicts feel very real, and are allowed to be complex even when the show tone is comedic.

Dear Uranus (Taiwan, 2021, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Schoolgirl ensemble GL; a little like My School President but without the singing.

What might turn you off: Short runtime; ambiguous ending; a little bit of bullying; very standard romance trope execution

The first Taiwanese GL miniseries, this series was produced by a Taiwanese lesbian couple (Rabbit & Wolf)! Lots of excellent drama tropes, and incredibly gorgeous women (I think the entire watching audience fell in love with Erol.

Lily Fever (Korea, 2015, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Complete crack; YYY but with more kissing and frankly an even less coherent story.

What might turn you off: The lack of coherent plot; less a romance and more a very thirsty lesbian kissing everyone she can

This miniseries is utter chaos. Nothing really makes sense, it's all just random excuses to cause very suggestive moments (and kissing) to happen. I love so much how this series depicts women being so absolutely thirsty for one another (and yes that date isn't a typo, this series is ~9 years old). Not an "happy ever after" ending but it really isn't that kind of story.

Chasing Sunsets (Philippines, 2020, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: Ocean Likes Me with lesbians. Resort romance with a mental health twist.

What might turn you off: Some of the mental health stuff gets intense, this was filmed in 2020 so the pandemic features heavily; hopeful but slightly ambiguous ending.

A complex story from the Philippines covering mental health and finding yourself. A woman shows up to a resort and befriends one of the women running the resort. They get closer as they spend time together, and the resort owner realizes something is off. There's also a BL side couple in this series.

Show Me Love (Thai, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator pitch: A little like My Day the series with lesbians, in that they work together and fall in love and it's full of tropes

What might turn you off: The advertising for the Miss Grand competition, there is some bullying and cheating (though way less than I was expecting tbh), not a lot actually happens, the editing gets a bit wonky at the end

This is essentially a massive ad for the Miss Grand Thailand competition; this GL was produced by the same company that produces that competition, and the stars are mostly Miss Grand competitors. The main pairing were shipped in the actual competition, and the company decided to make a GL about them. It's very slow paced and low-stakes, and there are better kisses than I expected considering everything I just said about where this show came from. There are a lot of cute moments!

Girlfriend Project (Korea, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Love Class with lesbians

What might turn you off: One of the leads is kind of mean in that pgitail-pulling way? It ends abruptly (but happily)

This is a short miniseries about two girls paired in a class that are assigned to "date". The chemistry is chemistrying. And there is a kiss (a good kiss, and a tiptoes kiss at that!). This show also has one of my favourite tropes, in which someone who seems like a pushover stands up for themselves and their partner finds it very attractive. For the record, in this show they are watching another GL by the same company, Love Tech.

Lulu (Philippines, 2022, Vivamax/grey)

Elevator Pitch: Present Perfect with lesbians (but with a better ending).

What might turn you off: Depictions of panic attacks, brief depiction of drowning, pandemic lockdowns, illness, exes, waffling, happy but open ending (which I actually liked for this story)

Two women trying to move on from the garbage in their lives meet at the beach of a B&B (where one saves the other from drowning) and become one another's company during their escape and then something more. They both have baggage that seems determined to keep them apart even as they continue to be drawn together. In the end, they decide to stick it out and see where they end up, with no guarantee of happily ever after, which I found very sweet. Requires either a VivaMax account or searching the grey for it, but it's worth the effort (check MyDramaList comments for suggestions on where to find it). Plus one of the leads has a cactus as a pet.

Welcome to the Lesbian Bar (Korea, 2023, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: A little like Fudanshi Bartender but without the fudanshi bartender and all of the bar patrons are lesbians lol

What might turn you off: Short, can get a little bit preachy, abrupt ending

Cute short series with different very stories every episode as different patrons visit the bar. The stories range from women who have been together for awhile, to people meeting from an online app for the first time, to someone visiting a lesbian bar for the first time; and yet the story all weaves together in a way that's satisfying though ends abruptly. Includes some solid marriage equality propaganda.

GAP the Series (Thai, 2022, YouTube)

Elevator Pitch: Kind of the vibes of Together with Me but lesbians and in an office instead of school. Angry boss falls for charming new intern and

What might turn you off: This one is the highest heat of all these recs; homophobia especially amongst family, brief depictions of death by car, brief mentions of suicide, cheating, bullying, abuse of power in the office.

A list would not be complete without this one! Honestly the plot is a bit wobbly but the show is a lot of fun. The girls are very cute, the feelings and tension builds really well between them, the friend group is excellent, and in the special we get a wedding.

---

The rest of these have caveats of one kind or another, but i couldn't leave them off a rec list, so here are the side couples and censored stories that are still worth your time anyway (I might do a separate more detailed post for these, as well as for films, one day if there's interest):

Nevertheless (GL side; Korean, 2021, Netflix) Not sure it's worth watching a whole kdrama for side lesbians? Search soljiwan on youtube. They are great. Even the Netflix account stans them. I watched this (ngl, I watched the SolJiwan cut) as it aired and was constantly braced for it to let us down but it did not! A really good friends-to-lovers story.

Friend Zone 2: Dangerous Area (GL side; Thailand, 2019, YouTube): These sapphics are messy and I love them. Decent conversation about dating someone with mental health issues in this series, and they're one of the only couples in this ensemble to get a happy ending. If you're just watching the lesbian couple (which you can, their story is pretty self-contained) you don't need to have seen s1.

Six Survivors (GL side; Japan, 2022, Viki) This show is a horror comedy and it is SO MUCH FUN. Warning for zombies and blood, but way less than you might think. One of the eponymous 6 survivors is a lesbian who keeps trying to convert them to veganism lol. If you watched Chaser Game W you'll recognize one of the actresses in this, the lead actress is from Kamisama no Ekohiiki, and one of the guys is from the prequel series His as well as I Want to See Only You! And yes there is a kiss. Also a surprising number of Mallrats references. Not for people who can't handle gore or relationships being complicated/not a "true love" story/ambiguous ending.

Kamisama no Ekohiiki (complicated question of is it GL in parts, Japan, 2021, furritsubs once again coming through to save the day) This one is a bit complex because there's bodyswap, but the girl who falls for the bodyswapped boy-in-a-girl's-body is clear that she is only interested in the girl. One of the better bodyswap stories because the bodyswap is not a secret for very long, so instead there's a lot of introspection about what gender means and who/what they are attracted to. Feels wrong to call this GL, necessarily, but it's very queer.

Couple of Mirrors (Censored GL, China, 2021, Viki) Story of a rich girl and her assassin girlfriend. This production did an amazing job getting away with what they could, just don't watch the last five minutes and we've got essentially a happy lesbian family.

Legend of Yunze (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) Very cute very low budget xianxia miniseries with two seasons and a special. The special is set in modern times in a future lifetime so if you want a cute censored-but-clearly-a-soulmate-love-story this is the one for you. Don't be thrown off by the weird cuts/abrupt episode endings, that's in line with cdramas in general.

Led Astray by Love (Censored GL, China, 2021, @douqi7s) A very fun and adorable isekai story in which a modern day girl is transported to a wuxia novel setting and has to figure out how to get home, and gets romanced by the princess along the way.

And a few additional links for people who even more content:

My Indian sapphic webseries rec list

My suggestions for content with toms (Thai category that's similar to but not exactly the same as butch lesbians) in response to this post.

This really good GL MyDramaList list (not made by me!) lists what seems to be everything I've mentioned and about 200 more. Even I haven't seen a few of these!

My YouTube playlist of sapphic content: This includes anything I stumble across or find in my searches, a lot of music videos and random shorts as well as some microseries and miniseries that I don't consider GL but are WLW/sapphic in addition to true "GL" content. For serialized content, I add just the first ep. A complete mess, but you can trawl through to find stuff to watch, like Hetero!

SOONOTSUE: The same producers of She Makes My Heart Flutter have other short series on their channel worth checking out; if you liked that one, try Out of Breath!

Shakeshoulder: Thai YouTube producers of very pulpy (read: low budget and dramatic plots) shorts

FuFuKnows: This YouTube channel is owned by a gay Taiwanese couple that produces shorts every week, including some with GL mains and sides. These are very low budget but cover a whole swath of queer themes.

@douqi7s is a godsend providing subtitles for all kinds of content, including sapphic shorts and more series than I've listed here. Check their tumblr for links to all of their content; A Practical Guide to Being a Superstar's Assistant has one of the best setups to giving us great moments in the guise of something else so that they get past censorship I've ever seen; I also recommend The Vampires if you're into genre fiction, as well as Legend of Yunqian if you enjoyed the xianxia parts of Legend of Yunze. @wlwcatalogue did an excellent summary of many of the non-wuxia options here.

Quick pitch for the streaming platform GagaOOLala; it's affordable, has a ton of content, including a whack of GLs (originals, license series, and a ton of shorts), and is run by queer people out of Taiwan who care about good quality queer content being made and having an audience, and using the soft power from those successful series to support social change. And if you can't afford a subscription it's worth checking out what they have for free, they open up temporary free access to some things for various events throughout the year.

In searching for gifs for this post I found fellow tumblr user @drowningparty 's WLW compendium list; they've listed more series and films so check it out if you still need more content!

*wipes sweat off brow* that should be enough to be getting on with, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg! If there's something specific you want to see with sapphics let me know and I can tell you if I know it exists. Anyway, I hope this gives you and everyone else a taste of what all is out there! I of course always want more, I am serious about being a sapphic dragon hoarding every crumb i can get my lizardy hands on, but I do think what we have should also be appreciated more. If I missed one of your faves, please tell me!

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dotster001 · 1 year

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Hi i don't know, if your requests are still open, if not you can ignore it or do it whenever you want.

Just readed your prompt, when reader suddenly passes out with Vil, Jamil, Floyd and Rook. I was wondering, if you could write something similar for Malleus, Lilia and maybe the teachers Trein and Crewel?

(I'm happy you enjoyed those! And I hope you like these too!)

Part One Part Three

CW:Burnout (obviously), mental breakdown/trauma in Trein's part, spoilers for Vargas training camp in Trein's part, injury in Crewel's part

A/N: I've said this in my pin post, but I age up characters to actual college age, because I am in college, and didn't realize until a few months in the characters were not. Everyone here is. 18+ If it makes you feel more comfortable, imagine this as a grad school situation.

He's been pouting a lot lately. Which for a normal person wouldn't be a problem, but Mal's pouting usually meant that the weather was bad as well. He was pouty, because whenever you had time in your incredibly busy schedule to see him, you still had to be working on your homework. With everything Crowley had you do for the school, you had to share your "dragon time" with your "homework time". But your boyfriend looked very cute pouty, so part of you wasn't too upset about it.

Until the day you were so busy with something that you hadn't eaten or slept in over 24 hours and just…collapsed during dragon/homework time.

Malleus immediately panics. He assumes you have had a heart attack and died (Mal…college students are unlikely to have heart attacks) Once he finds a pulse, and sees your breathing, he scoops you up and teleports to Lilia faster than he has ever teleported.

He's sobbing as he answers Lilia's questions, not entirely certain that this wasn't something he did. Lilia easily is able to figure out what has happened, and goes to make you some soup for when you wake up. Malleus is too relieved to think about the fact that while Lilia's soup will have loads of protein, it might send you into shock. In the meantime, he puts a cool cloth on your forehead, and caresses your cheek.

After you wake up and barely survive the soup Malleus spoon feeds you he tucks you into his massive comfy bed (you can't tell me he doesn't have the fluffiest comforters) and then…vanishes.

From here on out, everytime you get a task from Crowley, it's already finished by the time you get around to it. It's weird, but it means you have time to keep homework separate from "dragon time". Which makes a certain fae very happy.

Lilia has spent years learning how to care for humans, especially since most of them *cough* Silver *cough cough* Y/N are not good at caring for themselves. While his recipes are terrible, he is right in some ways about making sure to get all your nutrients. While it can feel a little patronizing sometimes, he is right that you need sleep. While he is a little unorthodox in how he has fun, he's right that you need to have leisure time and do things you enjoy.

What you don't know is that behind the scenes Lilia has already been having regular arguments with a certain Crow about your workload. When two fae fight, it's never good, but you don't have to worry about what's going on.

Azul and the tweels get called back home out of nowhere, and now you're in charge of all the paperwork that he is usually in charge of handling, both for the lounge and for the other Housewarden's. Lilia sees less and less of his sweet human, and he's suspicious part of it is because you are avoiding him, knowing full well he would make you take a break.

He has to admit, your avoiding skills are actually pretty good. So he's not actually there when you collapse. And he's furious. Especially when he finds out that Crowley also decided to add his own paperwork to your ever growing pile. He only knows you collapsed when he hears some randos gossiping about how "the prefect collapsed running laps today, and the idiot duo had to walk them to the infirmary." He's immediately flying to the infirmary, powered by his pure rage.

He knows it's not your fault, especially since you have nothing to your name in this world, so it's easy to manipulate you into this position. So he does his best not to take his anger out on you as he watches you sip apple juice that the nurse gave you, while you do your best to keep your eyes open. Once he is certain that the nurse has things under control, he kisses your forehead, and asks you if you want him to bring you anything.

While he's out getting you a treat, he makes a stop at a certain Crow's office. From here on out you don't see a lot of him. You are a little worried that Lilia may have killed him, but everytime you ask him, he giggles and messes up your hair, before telling you how silly that is.

He's harder on you than he is on most of his students, partially so that no one can claim favoritism, partially because you are just so far behind in history (having it not be your history) that he has to give you extra work and lessons to catch you up. But as a trade off, he tries to be a step ahead of Crowley whenever he can. There's little that happens in the school that he's unaware of, so he's usually able to protect you from his foolish boss.

Until you get sent to the training camp with the sports clubs to assist Vargas. He's furious about this last minute decision, that Crowley conveniently forgot to tell him about, and he's even more angry when he later finds out that you were "kidnapped" and then immediately had to fight a creature in the mines.

Naturally, your mental health is not so great after the trip. He's starting to see it on your face when you both hang out, and even if he didn't, your work for his class is deteriorating, if you even turn it in at all.

Then you break down one day when he asks you about it. He can't understand a word you're saying as you sob and yell and shake. But he's pretty sure he has the idea. You've been pushed too far. He sends Lucius to fetch a nurse or counselor , or heck he's sure even Sam would have something to help you relax enough to just breathe. In the meantime, he wraps his arms around you and tries to walk you through breathing exercises, while whispering some praises to you that you can't comprehend in this state, but appreciate all the same.

After someone gives you a potion that helps you relax a little, he leaves you to rest on his office couch with Lucius in charge, and he holds a meeting with the rest of that staff about what's not appropriate to put people through. (Essentially it's Crewel and Trein yelling at Vargas and Crowley about trauma and what their job is supposed to be)

This never happens again. You continue to have extra work from Trein, but he always ensures he makes time to help you, or give you a soothing tea if he thinks you're starting to drop back into the bad mental state. If you do, he holds you close, and says nothing, while allowing you to spill whatever is plaguing you.

Prior to him dating you, you had denied his request many times to financially sponsor you. Now that you were together, it was harder to come up with an excuse for him not to. So he'd purchased Ramshackle and renovated it. He'd taken up the expenses for your schooling and food (after much argument he'd also taken up Grim's) and after several discussions about the future of your relationship, he'd begun helping you through the process of becoming a citizen in a world that had no proof of your existence (a pain and a half, but there was nothing he wouldn't do for his beloved pup). In doing all this, he'd made it very clear to the Headmage that he had no hold over you, and therefore couldn't coerce you into anything.

Divus knew he was a fool for leaving you alone for a week. He had assumed that Crowley had nothing on you anymore, and that he could go help a smaller fashion designer that showed a lot of promise get their career off the ground. At first he was only going to be gone for a week, but it quickly turned into two, then three. He should have recognized the tension in your voice when you'd asked him over the phone when he thought he'd be back.

When he finally returned, he thought he'd surprise you by showing up where he knew you'd be hanging out with your friends. He'd bought a ring for you that he was particularly pleased with, and he wanted you to have it as soon as possible. His plan was dashed as he watched you collapse into Howl, who immediately started to panic.

With a clear voice Divus took over the scene, picking you up and carrying you to his office where he had all manner of potions. As he pressed one to your lips, he noticed a cast on your arm. He'd ask about it later.

When you woke up, you wrapped your arms around him, and whispered how much you missed him. He asked what happened, and you tell him how you broke your arm in yet another overblot incudent, and had been working like crazy for Crowley to pay off the medical expenses.

You've never been scared of your lover. But his eyes were practically glowing with rage, and now you were starting to wonder if you should be scared. Divus does not accept cruelty to animals or humans. And, he keeps his receipts. It's not long before there's a pretty hefty case and Dire is removed as headmage for coercion and endangerment. After that, there aren't any more overblot incidents and the students seem more mentally healthy. How about that?

He decides to wait to give you the ring until you're fully recovered after everything. But he's certain when he asks you the question that comes with it, you'll have an answer he likes. Especially when you nuzzle into him so sweetly while you nap in his office.

....

Tag list-@shytastemakerthing @stygianoir @leonia0 @lleoll

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #malleus x reader #malleus draconia #twst malleus #malleus draconia x reader #malleus #twst lilia #lilia vanrouge x reader #lilia x reader #lilia vanrouge #mozus trein x reader #trein x reader #mozus trein #twst trein #professor trein #twst mozus trein

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nolita-fairytale · 10 months

Text

burn your life down | chef luca x fem!reader | chapter three

summary: while you and luca seek inspiration outside of the kitchen, you finally share a piece of yourself with him.

warnings: fluff, eventual smut, eventual angst not use of y/n, conversations about divorce, second person pov, swearing, danish inaccuracies, very little connection to the world of the bear.

word count: 2.2k

a/n: thank you again for all the shares, reblogs, comments! let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist!

part two | masterlist | part four

It’s been a month or so since Luca’s tasting menu for one, and he’s been nothing but a good thing in your life: a friend, a collaborator, a regular diner who gives fantastic feedback. You’ve become fast friends, and after what he did for you, how could you not? You find yourself spending days off with him at a more frequent pace as of late: enjoying cups of coffee, perusing bookstores, following Luca on bicycle as he shows you the city’s lesser known, yet spectacular bakeries. He gives you a heads up when he can’t make it into the restaurant, but most Saturdays, he continues to make his regular Saturday 7 pm date week after week.

Some days you make him something off-menu – something you’re working on, something you’re recipe testing, a dish you’ve bounced ideas around with him over – and other days he’s eager to try whatever new thing you’ve just added to your menu, insisting for you not to go through the trouble of whipping up anything else. It’s a special relationship – something only food-people can understand – and you’re glad that Luca entered your life.

“Hey, your boyfriend’s here,” Jesper says, interrupting your dinner prep as he grabs your attention.

“My what?” you ask him, with no clue in the world what he’s talking about.

“Luca,” he answers plainly, as you and Mathilde both exchange a look.

“Shut up, Jesper,” you both snap in unison, shooting a glare his way.

You exchange another look with Mathilde, almost as if to say: you good? She nods towards the front of house as if to say: yes, I’ve got this covered.

“Yeah, give me a second and I’ll be right out,” you finally direct towards Jesper, as you put down your knife. You reach a stopping point, wiping your hands on your apron, as you leave behind the Mikkelson twins bickering about what Jesper’s previous comment.

Something about ‘you baby her’ from Jesper and a ‘you’re going to scare her away and this is a good thing, you idiot’ from Mathilde in return. At least that’s what you’re able to make out from your basic Danish language skills (you’re working on it, you swear, and right now you know enough to get by in the kitchen and that’s enough)!

You spot Luca with a package tucked underneath his arm as he leans up against the front door, waiting for you.

“Hi,” you greet him, choosing to ignore the fact that your heart skips a beat as soon as you see him.

“Hey. I was on my way to the post office around the corner. Thought I’d stop in and say hello,” he replies with that ever-charming crooked smile of his.

“No, yeah, I-. I’m glad you did,” you return, unable to hide the smile that spreads across your lips.

You don’t want to make a big deal out of it, especially if this is somehow something you’ve made up entirely in your head, but it seems as if Luca’s found different ways – different excuses – to stop in more and more frequently as of late.

“What’s in the box?” you ask him, curiously, gesturing to the package he holds underneath his arm.

“Remember that American I was telling you about? The one who came to stage?” he asks, looking down for a moment.

“Yeah.”

“His restaurant opening is this week. Wanted to send this off. As a gift.”

“That’s kind of you.”

He blushes, just for a moment.

“Think we’ve lost touch with the art of a handwritten note. A novelty these days,” he says, with a quick raise of both eyebrows.

“Absolutely. I mean… it worked on me,” you chuckle, immediately regretting what’s come out of your mouth.

You’re not sure why you said it and what exactly it is that worked on you you’re referring to, but it’s too late to take it back.

“Yeah, I’ve got him to thank, really,” he chuckles, almost shyly. Taking a bolder approach as he continues with, “For reminding me to walk the walk. For bringing me to you.”

You pause, your heart catching in your throat. In the event of fight, flight, and freeze, it really feels like you’re choosing ‘freeze’ whenever Luca’s been around.

“I bet you’re a really great teacher,” are the words that fall out of your mouth, immediately regretting them for how silly your response sounds.��

“So was he,” he parries back.

“Sure,” you nod, still reeling from whatever the hell came out of your mouth a moment ago.

Your disconcerting slip-of-the-tongue seems to leave an uncomfortable silence between the two of you, tip-toeing around each other, unsure of who should make the next move.

“Anyways,” Luca clears his throat, collecting himself. “I ehm, gotta get going. Gotta get back to the restaurant here in a few. It was good seeing you today.”

“You too,” is all you reply, frozen and stuck in your own head.

What the hell is wrong with you? You think to yourself as you watch him go.

“Luca, wait,” you say, pushing through the front door to your restaurant as you chase after him.

He turns back towards you, a kind of ‘did I leave something behind?’ look on his face.

“I can’t stop thinking…” you trail off, taking a breath before you continue your sentence, leaving Luca unsure of what you’ll say next.

“...about that dish you’re stuck on. And about what you said.. about finding inspiration. Being open to… you know, what’s out there.”

“Yeah?” he asks, smiling at the thought of you thinking of him.

“Yeah I… I think I have an idea,” you declare boldly.

And it may be a baby step, but it’s a baby step towards him, towards who knows what, towards whatever’s ahead of you.

-------------------------------

You pitch the idea to Luca – to explore different mediums of art as a way of seeking out inspiration (and maybe it’s just another excuse to see him too) – and after a few weeks of busy schedules, covering at the restaurant for coworkers-on-holiday, and lining up days off, you and Luca finally make it happen. It’s been over a year now, since the restaurant opened – and almost two since you came to Copenhagen in pursuit of a dream.

“Wait a second. So you haven’t read Rene Redzepi’s A Work In Progress?” Luca asks incredulously looking for confirmation of the obscene tidbit of information you’ve just revealed to him.

“No,” you admit, guiltily stealing a glance his way.

“My god, it’s fascinating! I’ll have to lend you my copy,” he charges forward, solving the problem at hand without question.

“I’d like that,” you smile, almost to yourself as you think about how much you like being around Luca. “And I’d love to hear about your time at noma – what working under him was like.”

“Uh… that’s maybe a different story for a different time,” he deflects with a chuckle, shooting you a look. “Perhaps after a few pints.”

“Heard,” you nod in understanding, turning to him as the two of you find a good place to post up in the park. You and Luca set your lawn chairs down in Kongens Have, or rather The King’s Garden, right behind a row of other lawn chairs set up that face the tent-covered stage.

“It’s good to see you,” you finally say, really taking him in.

“It’s good to see you too. Sorry it’s just working out now,” Luca apologizes emphatically.

“No, it’s okay! We uh… we’re both busy. We both run restaurants. I mean-, I’m surprised we figured it out in time for the show,” you reply, easily letting him off the hook.

“This is pretty cool,” he says, taking in your surroundings. “First time here?”

“Yeah I-, I didn’t make it when I first moved here… and then this time last year I had just opened the restaurant so… yeah first time. You?”

“Yeah, first time,” he echoes with a reassuring nod.

“Really? I just thought-, well, I thought Copenhagen Jazz Fest was like a huge deal here,” you inquire.

He shrugs, responding with, “I reckon you’re a big jazz fan then, eh?”

“Yeah,” you say.

“Have you always been into it or-?” he questions curiously.

“Uh, no. I… my ex,” you hesitate, figuring you should tell Luca sooner rather than later. “... my ex-husband is a music historian so… I got really into it when we first started seeing each other.

He balks, only for a moment, hoping you don’t notice the strong reaction that briefly flashes across his face.

“You were married?” he asks, barely able to hide the surprise in his voice.

“Yeah,” you admit, nervously.

He waits a beat.

“Do you… want to talk about it?” he asks carefully, with an honesty and genuine curiosity in his voice.

“I-I don’t mind. As long as you don’t-,” you stammer, only a little taken aback by the grace he’s shown you.

“Please,” he encourages, listening carefully. “I like learning about you.”

You freeze for a moment, searching for where to begin, and more than anything, in awe of Luca.

“We met right after I moved back home to Boston – right after I finished school,” you begin, watching him carefully for any kind of reaction.

“And it was good. For a long time. But after a few years of being together, his mom got sick and uh… we both decided that we wanted to move to London so that he could help his sisters take care of her. It was just easier… if we got married… with immigration and stuff.”

“But you loved him?”

“Yes,” you answer. “I think… we knew we wanted to stay together… so we took the leap, unafraid of the fact that everything has its expiration date too. Ours just uh, came a little sooner than we expected.”

“What happened?” Luca asks.

You chuckle dryly, racking your brain for the answer to a question you’ve asked yourself a million times.

“Um… moving back home changed a lot, I think. And we met when we were so young that I don’t think by the time we were caring for a sick parent together, we realized we didn’t really even know who we were anymore,” you explain, putting words to a feeling that’s live in your heart for so long – long enough that you’ve barely shared them with anyone else.

“And… I was living in a whole new country without any kind of familiarity. I was homesick, and all of it – it was just really hard on the both of us,” you think through as you speak.

“I think it just made us realize that we had changed… and that maybe we weren’t the same people who fell in love all those years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Luca apologizes, sending you an empathetic glance.

“It’s okay,” you’re quick to reassure him. “It was tough. Don’t get me wrong. Like… really tough. But nothing… horribly wrong happened. Some people can grow together.” You pause, only for a moment. “We didn’t. We… weren’t those people, I guess. So we grew apart.”

Luca takes a few moments to process what you’ve just told him with a pensive look on his face – and you can’t blame him.

He waits a beat, before returning his gaze to you, a respect for you in his eyes: for your honesty, for your story, for your resilience.

“Are you still in love with him?” he finally asks.

It’s a good question – an interesting one – and even more interesting that he asked in the first place.

“There are parts of me that will always love him,” you share, the vulnerability coming more naturally to you as Luca makes you feel more and more comfortable. “He’ll always be a part of me and… I still keep in touch with his family, you know. They became… my family too.” You pause, knowing that you can say this next part with full conviction:

“But to answer your question, no. I'm not… I’m not in love with him anymore.”

Luca nods slowly, almost as if he’s waiting for you to change your mind – to take it back – to say something that convinces him otherwise. But you don’t, and he’s not sure he’ll be able to help himself from giving in to things he’s been feeling for you.

“I hope you don’t mind that I asked,” Luca finally says.

“No I-,” you begin. “I’m glad you did. It feels nice… having someone ask.”

He smiles, “Like I said. I like learning about you.”

And with that, the two of you settle into your lawn chairs as the performers make their way onto the stage. There’s a shift – within the crowd, between you and Luca – as the musicians take their places, ready to perform. With the first few notes, the tuning of a guitar, a few keys on the piano, you feel yourself relax a little, encompassed by the warmth of the Copenhagen summer night.

It’s almost as if telling Luca, sharing this with him, has lifted a weight off of your shoulders – no longer hanging over your head as you go back and forth of when to tell him, and if you should tell him, and thoughts of ‘why the hell are you worrying about this it’s not like he wants to know’.

Except he did and he does because he wants to know you.

And tonight, because he asked, because he’s proven to be a great listener, and because he looks so damn good doing it, you might just let him.

-------------------------------

a/n: ok how the hell are we feeling now that we know a little more about reader, her past, and why she's been holding back?! i honestly wanted to write a character that felt fresh, and different from me/my make my heart surrender character SO yeah, this where we're at --second chances at love and a story about opening up again -- with more to come.

#chef luca #will poulter #luca the bear #the bear season 2 #the bear headcanon #luca x reader #the bear hulu #the bear fx #the bear fanfiction #chef luca x reader #pastry chef luca #burn your life down

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firelordsfirelady · 18 days

Text

VI. On the Offensive

Author: @firelordsfirelady

Imagine: When Y/N—a princess of one of the Water Tribes—is told she’s leaving her tribe, she never expects that she’s to be betrothed to the Fire Lord’s son, nor was she prepared to be exiled the very day she arrived at the Fire Nation. With her life in the hands of her new fiancée, how will life change for the princess?

Pairing: Zuko x F!Reader

Trigger warnings: arranged marriage, feelings of fear, banishment, mentions of burns/abuse, frustration, violence, betrayal

Word Count: 1360

Destined to be Yin and Yang

I own no rights to Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters/story.

Author’s Notes

The characters as all aged up so Zuko’s banishment happens when he’s 16

Keep in mind I am bringing a unique world with inspiration from ATLA in their characters, some of the events that happen, bending, etc. Not many things may align or occur with what happened in the show. It’s intended that way, so I hope you enjoy it regardless.

See Y/N’s inspiration here.

I emerged from my room a few hours after Zuko left, and I went to lend a hand in the kitchen. Shisam, one of the cooks, immediately took notice of my presence and gave me a huge smile.

“I’m glad to finally see you out, Y/N. I was beginning to worry if you were ever going to come out of that room.” He clapped a hand on my back.

“Plus, we were seriously starting to worry if we were going to get your full-moon cookies.” Zaijim, another one of the cooks, said from the stove, and I laughed.

“Of course you were worried about the cookies.” The two men smiled at me as I grabbed a knife and started to prepare the vegetables for dinner.

After dinner, I helped wash the dishes and, over the next few days, I quickly slipped back into my regular routine.

The full moon was a few days later. This full moon, however, I had decided that I would make the cookie deliveries before I went to practice my waterbending. I delivered my cookies to the crew below deck then made my way to deliver Iroh and Zuko’s cookies. Iroh opened the door when I knocked and smiled when he saw that it was me.

“I was worried that my nephew had broken when you didn’t come out for a couple of days.” The older man said, and I shrugged.

“I won’t lie and say that his words didn’t hurt me, but he did apologize. That I do appreciate.” Iroh nodded.

“Apologies work best when they are sincere.” Iroh started with a bow of his head.

“And the best apologies are served with jasmine tea.” Iroh let out a belly-laugh at my words, and I grinned.

“That you are right about, my dear.” He said jovially before I handed him his plate of cookies. “Ah, thank you. These are some of the best chocolate chip cookies in all the nations.”

“Thanks. It’s my mom’s recipe.” I bowed slightly in respect. “I need to give Zuko his and then—since everyone knows about my waterbending—I shall go practice like I do any other full moon.” Iroh bowed to me as well.

“If Zuko will not say it then I shall—we are lucky to have you accompany us on this mission. Waterbenders are exceptional fighters, and we are lucky to have one on our side.” Iroh’s genuine smile made my cheeks warm as I curtsied to him.

“Thank you, Iroh. Good night.” He gave me a small bow as he closed the door.

“Good night Y/N.” The door shut as I turned around and made my way to Zuko’s door. My fist was raised to knock on the door as it opened to reveal Zuko dressed in all-black robes. His face reflected the same amount of surprise as I felt. My cheeks felt a little warmer than usual as I rocked slightly on my heels.

“I brought you cookies—“

“You made cookies earlier—“

Zuko and I both stopped talking at the same time.

“You go ahead—“ We both said at the same time again.

“Where are you off to?”

“What makes you think I am going somewhere?” Zuko’s voice sounded slightly nervous as I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Why else would you be opening the door at the same time I’m about to knock?” I sarcastically asked. “Unless you were stalking my footsteps and waiting for me to come see you?” I teased and Zuko dropped eye contact as he let out a small laugh. His laugh sent a shockwave through my heart and caused it to start beating faster.

“What makes you think you’re so special for me to do such a thing?” Zuko lightly asked with a small smile on his face.

Is he flirting with me? I shrugged my shoulders and gave him a sly smile.

“I wasn’t the one who used the adjective special.” A laugh left me as Zuko’s eyes widened with surprise. “Unless you have a secret?” I asked in a teasing tone as I raised an eyebrow at the firebender.

“What?” He asked nervously as he looked anywhere but at me. “What on earth could be my secret?” Taking a step forward to close the gap, I looked up at Zuko as I spoke.

“You’ve been watching me waterbend during the full moon.” I smirked victoriously as Zuko’s mask crumbled slightly to show I hit the nail on the head.

“No. There’s no reason why I would do that.” Zuko tried to rebuild the mask of his stoicism, but I had seen enough to know the truth.

“How long have you been watching me waterbend on full moons?” I crossed my arms across my chest as I shifted my weight to my right foot.

“I have no—“

“Zuko—“ I interrupted him with his first name. “—it’s okay to admit that you’re curious.” I gave him an encouraging smile, but he shifted his weight on his feet. A comfortable silence fell between us for a few seconds before I held the plate out towards Zuko. “I came to bring you some cookies.” Zuko looked down at the plate of the sweet cookies offered by my hand before he looked back up at me. His golden eyes held an unfamiliar emotion in them as he held my gaze.

“Thank you.” He softly said as he grabbed the plate from me.

“You’re welcome.” I gave him a full-blown smile before I turned to walk away.

“I’ve noticed you aren’t too familiar with offensive moves.” Zuko said in a voice barely above a whisper that caused me to pause in my action of walking away.

“What?” I asked at a volume level that matched Zuko’s.

“When you practice I have noticed that you’re unfamiliar with some of the offensive moves.” Zuko elaborated as he looked at the plate of cookies in his hand. I was thankful for the darkened hallways as my cheeks began to burn.

“I was never taught how to fight.” The words left my mouth shyly as I looked at the wall behind Zuko. I took notice of the desk in the distant corner that had a wall filled with roughly sketched pictures of past avatars and other papers with what I could distinguish as notes scribbled on them.

“What?” Zuko’s surprised question caused me to return my attention to the firebender as his facial expression matched the tone of his voice. My shoulders shrugged as I looked at him.

“My father never taught me how to fight.” Embarrassed, I looked down at the soft leather shoes on my feet. “Once we got on the boat, I figured if I absolutely needed it, I should at least try to figure out some moves to defend myself.” Silence once again filled the air between the two of us briefly before Zuko spoke again.

“I don’t know anything about waterbending, but I do know some tips about offensive fighting from my training.” His words made me look up at him as he avoided looking me in the face. “I-I mean that it is important you have some knowledge of how to protect yourself.” I smiled as Zuko stuttered slightly to find the words he wanted to say. “You never know what someone might try in order to stop the war.” My heart skipped a beat in my chest at Zuko’s words.

“Oh yes.” I shook my head in agreement. “We are looking for the Avatar after all. They are the master of all four elements.” A lighthearted chuckle left my lips.

“Would you like to start training tonight?” Zuko asked in what I took to be a hopeful tone, and I felt myself fighting a smile.

“Only if the Prince has time to do so.” I flicked my eyes to the Avatar-themed wall in Zuko’s room. “I don’t want to distract you from your mission.” Zuko’s eyes followed mine to the wall I was looking at before he turned back to look at me.

“Depends on how fast of a learner you are.” Zuko’s cocky smile was returned with one of my own.

“That depends on how well of a teacher you are.”

Tag List @chevysstuffs @puttyly @ginger24880 @night-fall-moon @junieshohoho @0kauy @coolgirl458 @hypnoticbeing @angelruinz @preeyansha @playboygeniusphilanthropist @ssonniiu

#avatar imagine #zuko imagine #zuko x reader #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #destined to be yin and yang

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hendersister · 9 months

Text

our house

summary: when you and steve move in together, your house becomes a regular hangout spot for dustin and his friends.

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!sister reader

title 🎵: our house by madness

You and Steve have started living together. You’re renting a house in Hawkins, not far from your mom and Dustin. You and Steve stayed in town because you wanted to clean up the mess that Vecna made after opening the gates. You both want to be here to help defeat Vecna and close off the gate to the Upside Down once and for all.

The house you're renting is pretty nice. It has 3 bedrooms, including a master bedroom with a private bathroom for you and Steve. You were able to rent the house very cheap because so many people had fled Hawkins after Vecna opened the gate.

Since moving in, Dustin and his friends have started coming over almost on a daily basis. Your house, along with the Wheelers’ basement, has become one of the official hangouts for the party. You and Steve don’t mind. Besides stopping Vecna, another reason you remained in Hawkins was so you could stay close to your friends and family - especially your little brother. You and Steve actually kind of like providing a safe space for the kids to hangout.

Sometimes the kids crash for the night in one of the spare rooms or on the couch. Tonight happens to be one of those nights… Dustin, Erica and Lucas are all staying over. The three kids ended up at your place for different reasons.

Dustin came over because your mom is working the overnight shift and you didn’t want your little brother to spend the night home alone. He’s at your house so often that he basically has his own room already.

Erica showed up unannounced. She got into a stupid fight with her mom and needed some space to cool off. Erica told her parents that she was spending the night at her friend Tina’s but she went over to your house because Tina doesn’t have Duck Hunt.

Lucas asked if he could crash at your place because he was staying late at the hospital to visit Max again and he didn’t want his parents to know. Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair are trying to get Lucas to stop visiting Max all the time. They want him to move on from what happened but he can’t. Lucas loves Max and he will visit her in the hospital every day until she wakes up. So to avoid getting into an argument, Lucas lied to his parents. He told them he was spending the night at Dustin’s. Luckily his parents didn’t question it.

Truth be told, Lucas actually prefers spending time with his friends after visiting Max. You guys know what really happened to her and what’s going on in Hawkins. Lucas loves his parents but sometimes they just don’t understand.

It was a pretty lowkey, quiet night in the Henderson/Harrington household. Erica set the table while you got dinner ready. You made a casserole. The recipe was given to you by Mrs. Wheeler. After dinner, Steve and Dustin cleaned the dishes. You read a book on the couch and Erica played Duck Hunt until Lucas arrived from the hospital. Then you all hung out in the living room and watched a movie that Steve brought home from the video store.

Now it’s getting late. Dustin went to sleep in his room, Erica took the other guest room and Lucas is crashing on the couch. You and Steve are in your room, getting ready for bed.

“Good call getting The Goonies for movie night! I think the kids really loved it,” you smile.

“They better have loved it! It was the last copy at the store. I had to lie to like five different customers that asked about it,” Steve tells you.

“Are you serious?!” you laugh.

Steve nods. You look at your boyfriend with heart eyes.

“That’s actually kinda sweet,” you say softly.

Steve smirks, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah?”

You nod your head, about to reply back, when-

BOOM

Suddenly the entire house starts to violently shake. Earthquakes have been more frequent in Hawkins since Vecna opened the gate, but they are still something that you’re not used to. This is one of the bigger earthquakes you’ve experienced. The force is so strong that you fall to the ground.

“Y/N!”

Steve stumbles to get to you. He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you up to your feet. You stay by his side, clutching onto each other for support.

And then, just as abruptly as it started, the earthquake stops. You and Steve stay silent for a beat, bracing yourselves for any aftershock. The room remains still.

“Is it over?” you ask, uneasy.

“I think so,” Steve cautiously replies under his breath.

You and Steve let go of each other. A million thoughts are racing through your head, but the most important-

“We need to check on the kids,” you say with a quiet urgency in your voice.

“Yeah,” your boyfriend nods in agreement. You both feel like concerned parents right now.

You and Steve leave your room to find Erica standing by her doorway.

“So you all felt that too? I’m not crazy!” Erica exclaims.

Steve sighs, shaking his head. You quickly look Erica up and down to make sure she isn’t injured.

“Are you okay?” you ask.

“I’m fine,” Erica tells you, “But we should probably go check on Lucas downstairs.”

You and your boyfriend exchange eye contact, silently communicating. You already know what the other is thinking. He’ll go downstairs with Erica to make sure Lucas is ok while you check up on your little brother.

“Let’s go,” Steve nods to Erica.

Steve and Erica head towards the stairs and you continue down the hall to Dustin’s room.

KNOCK, KNOCK

“Hey Dusty! Are you alright?”

You wait a beat. No response. You take a deep breath and try again.

KNOCK, KNOCK

“Dustin!”

Still no response. Now you’re worried. You attempt to open the door but it’s stuck.

“Shit!” you curse to yourself.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

“C’mon Dustin! Open the door! Dustin?!”

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

You’re frantically knocking at your brother’s door when Steve comes back upstairs. He can tell something is wrong and rushes over to you.

“Y/N! What’s going on?” your boyfriend asks.

“Dustin isn’t responding,” you anxiously reply.

Steve tries opening the door but it won’t budge.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

“Hey Henderson! C’mon man, open up!”

No response. Steve shrugs.

“All right, that’s it! I’m gonna kick the door open,” he tells you.

Steve takes a deep breath, mentally readying himself to kick down the door, when-

CREAK

The door opens a crack and Dustin squeezes his way out.

“Dustin! Are you okay?!”

You pull your little brother into a big hug.

“You scared the shit out of me, dork!”

Steve lets out a sigh of relief. He stands back to let you have a moment with your brother.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I’m okay. I couldn’t get out because the bureau fell over and is blocking the door,” Dustin explains. He was able to move the bureau over enough to get out of the room but it’s too heavy for him to lift by himself.

“Do you need help moving it out of the way?” Steve offers.

Dustin nods.

Your boyfriend and brother squeeze through the door to get back into Dustin’s room. Together, they lift up the bureau and move it back to where it was before the earthquake hit. After they’re done pushing the bureau out of the way, Steve pats Dustin on the head. He’s just relieved that the kid is alright.

#stranger things #steve harrington #stranger things fanfic #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!sister reader

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iguana-eyanna · 5 months

Text

To Be Something More

Pairing: Shayne Topp x fem!reader

Summary: This isn't your regular movie night with Shayne.

Requested by @winifrede . This was fun to write!

"Pride and Prejudice?"

"No, watched that with Jackie."

"Mr. and Mrs. Smiths?"

"Really?"

"Hey, it's still a good movie."

"Yeah, from old fossils like you"

Shayne gasped dramatically as he grabbed his chest.

"That is just hurtful and you know that."

"Oh please, nothing can penetrate those muscles you have." You said, popping some popcorn in your mouth.

It was your annual movie night with Shayne at your place. (You tease how he has such a small place for a big man and he blushes at times when you call him that.) Now as you scrolled down Netflix, it seemed as if you went through the entire collection of films.

You suddenly get a ping off your phone and you look down at it, chuckling.

"What?" Shayne asks, curiously.

"Ah it's nothing."

"C'mon, I wanna see." Shayne whined.

"Dude, get a grip." You said, pulling your phone away from his view.

Not even a millisecond, Shayne jumped on top of you, trying to reach your phone as he tickled your waist.

"What - the - hell?" You gasped, laughing uncontrollably, feeling as you're losing the gip on your phone.

Shayne finally reached out and finally caught it, staring at your screen.

"Now let's see why you're so secretive."

He inspects and sees that it's a video on YouTube, but specifically a video they just published online for Smosh. Shayne and Damien were supposed to shoot a cooking video and have the Mythical Kitchen Chefs test your food.

Damien got a cold, so you filled in as Shayne's competition. The entire video was just you bickering back and forth about who made better cookies.

"How was filming with the Try Guys baking competitions compared to this?" Shayne asked Josh who was off camera. "Actually, pretty chaotic here than their studio." You laugh as you knead your dough. "Yeah, you viewers are lucky you don't have to be fed up with this guy. When Shayne and I bake, he's so technical with the measurements, that he bought a food scale for my birthday." You said. "So we can both use it!" Shayne yelled out. Shayne looks at the camera, pausing his mixing. "If you saw how she bakes at home, you'd understand my frustration. Look at her now!" Your side of the kitchen was messier compared to Shayne's, making you frustrated. "You know, when the judges eat mine, it'll taste like love. Yours will taste like stale protein shakes." You said as he was also using that as an ingredient. "Oh yeah? Why don't you come over here and prove it." He said, taking a spoon of peanut butter and trying to flick it in your bowl. "No means don’t even try." You said as Shayne tried to sabotage your recipe. "It looks like you could use more - flour." Shayne said, throwing a fistful of all-purpose flour all over your arm. "That's it. No more playing nice." You replied, throwing some marshmallows at him as he tried deflecting it. You two went at it for a couple of minutes till Shayne lifted you in the air and threw you on his shoulder. Both of you were in hysterics.

The editing team had to reduce the food fight to manage the video better, but the full fight was posted later, gaining more traction with viewers. Shayne and you gained a good amount of new followers the following day.

Shayne scrolled down and saw the comments, knitting his eyebrows.

is it me or - no, no one sees this but me? okay 👀

I will go FERRAL if this is platonic because that's just robbing us 😤🫠

I want Shayne to lift me in the air like that 😭🥵

"These comments are very..."

"Colorful? You should see the fan edits."

"You've watched them?" Shayne said looking down at you.

"Yeah, they've been all over my fyp on TikTok."

Shayne chuckles as you later joined in the laughter till it dies.

"Hey, Shayne?"

"Yeah?"

"You're still on top of me."

"Oh, sorry." He quickly said, sitting up.

You shimmy upward and stole your phone back from him.

"C'mon, I think it's more entertaining to watch these compared to whatever's on TV."

So all night, you and Shayne were comparing fan edits on your couch.

"Here, look at this one." Shayne said, lifting his phone to your face. It was the infamous Keanu Reeves TikTok where he's crying while sipping wine and wearing headphones. The caption read 'give up all your money or have Shayne & you as canon'

"Nope, mine's better." You said, showing Shayne a compilation of you two titled 'Shayne Topp Shooting His Shot.'

"Wow, they said I tried flirting with you 39 times?" Shayne asked.

"That's only from this month's videos." You said.

"Well, you're also flirting back at me." He said, knowing he's just getting under your skin

"Please, you’re the one always stirring the pot.” You said, leaning forward to him as you crossed your arms

“Oh I’ll show you pot stirring” Shayne said in a matter a fact voice, inching closer to your face. You flutter your eyes as his direct his gaze to your lips. And in a moment, Shayne found his hands back to your waist as he kissed you.

Your face began to heat up and your thoughts became haywired. But all you could do is deepen the kiss as you tangled your fingers through his hair. Soon enough, you found yourself climbing on top of his lap as you didn't draw a breath till you pulled away.

You two stare at each other in bewilderment.

"Wow" Shayne whispered.

"You know, you're not as bad of a kisser as I thought you'd be."

"You thought of us kissing?" He asks, softly.

"From time to time. How about you?" You said, not knowing his true feelings.

"I um, I think about us... a lot."

"Really?" Your heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah I mean, you make me laugh the most when we shoot videos and when you're the only one who actually listens to my workout regime-"

"I know how much you like to brag," You said, playfully rolling your eyes.

"-but you take the time to listen. And when we hang out like this, I wouldn't trade it for anything else."

You slowly wrap your hands behind his neck as you look at him lovingly.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"I want us to be something more if you want to."

You nod your head softly as you place your hand on his cheek.

"Wouldn't have anyone else, Shayne."

Shayne gives a breath of release and smiles at you, beaming with so much joy. You two kiss again, later connecting your foreheads together feeling this fluttering sensations you never felt before.

Later, you find yourself in Shayne's arms as you cuddle under a blanket as you watch 10 Things I Hate About You, as you finally get to end your movie night right.

In more ways than you can imagine.

#shayne x you #shayne x reader #shayne topp #shayne topp x reader #shayne topp smosh #smosh fanfic #fanifiction smosh #smosh shayne #smosh pit

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levenlike11 · 10 months

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your lovely usual at the cafe, akaashi keiji came inside as the bell above the door announced his arrival. he kindly smiled at you and took his place in his favorite spot. he always chose that corner away from the windows and the loud chatter in the cafe, where the 3 month old little ginger kitten liked to sleep in his tiny basket. he pet the cat and took out his laptop, putting it on his legs as he was sitting on a soft cushion on the floor next to the cat, making it purr sweetly at the affection.

taking the order list with you, you made your way to him. despite the sound of your footsteps in the silent corner, he didn't hear you until you softly called out his name.

"mr. akaashi?" he turned his back and smiled.

"please, just keiji."

"alright, keiji, welcome back! it's always great to see you here, that little baby misses you." you grinned and he turned back to the cat, picking it up and touching his tiny nose.

"he's growing so fast, he won't be able to fit in my palm in a few weeks." he pouted at the small creature in his hand. he was too cute.

"do you want to order now or should i leave you guys alone?" you gestured to the cat.

"oh yeah, sorry. can i just get the usual americano? hot, please." he uttered looking up at you with a smile as bright as the sun.

"want a dessert with that? i just tried a new cheesecake recipe today!"

"if you did it, then of course i want it. i love trying your stuff." he put the sleepy cat back in his basket which caused it to meow sadly but he had to finish editing this new episode by tonight for the manga magazine.

"thank you! i'll be right back with those!" you went and brought him his coffee and cheesecake, along with an iced drink for yourself.

"i don't understand how you can drink hot coffee in the middle of july." you chuckled as you sat down near him on a different cushion, although they are pretty huge for one person. he is just a regular at the shop after all, you should probably keep your distance in case it disturbs him.

"if you really want me to, remind me to try an iced one next time." he said without turning his head, too concentrated on his work. you sipped some of your own drink as you watched him fix spelling mistakes and add little doodles or words on the pages. he looked too good to be true. how could someone appear so angelic while simply pushing buttons on their keyboard?

you first met akaashi while he was working on the new episode of your new favorite manga that started coming out recently and you couldn't help but ask if he was the writer himself. he told you he was just the editor in the magazine and let you look through the new episode a day early from everyone else, which would probably cost him his job if his boss found out. but he thought of himself as a people reader, and he just felt like he could trust you.

this became a routine for you two for the past 2 months. he would purposely wait to come until your break was nearing so that you could both prepare his drink and sit down with him afterwards. your little secret, the advantage of seeing the episodes early, wasn't one sided. you would make him try new recipes you found or came up with in exchange. it was a win-win situation so he accepted. it meant he could eat delicious treats made by the barista he started to feel flustered around, and you could get honest feedback about your cooking. him being an editor made the honest feedback part much better.

you were deep in thought, the ice in your drink long melted as you stared at him. it probably took a few calls of your name for you to snap out of it, as he seemed both worried and intrigued by your look.

"sorry, i zoned out." he smiled, "it's okay, i was just wondering if there was something on my face i couldn't see. you seemed like you were staring at me." he bit back a grin.

"i was not. your face is completely fine. very fine." you punched yourself mentally after that, but at least you managed to make the man laugh.

oh, his laugh, it made your whole day better. it was a blessing to hear. you knew it was stupid to fall for a customer at your shop who could stop coming anytime and you'd possibly never see him again if he did, but the heart wants what it wants.

"i really like it."

"the coffee or the cheesecake?" you asked, by the looks of it, he seemed to have liked both, as he finished both of them completely.

"both. the cheesecake's really nice. you should try another flavor as well. this'll become a best seller in no time." you smiled in victory, despite trying so many times and even ruining an attempt, you finally made it perfectly.

"thank you, want another slice?" he shook his head.

"need to control the sugar i eat, sorry. or else i get too greedy and empty my candy storage at home." now it was his turn to make you laugh.

"i would love to see you munching on sweets." you giggled, "are you still planning to adopt him next month?" you pointed at the cat.

"yeah, i even bought a bed already. it's too big for him now, but he'll grow into it." he petted the yawning kitten's head.

"i'll miss him after he's gone. he's my favorite too." you smiled sadly, rubbing his stomach and tickling him, which made him shake his butt funnily.

"you could always come visit him at my apartment?" akaashi suggested. seeing the surprised look on your face, he added, "if you want, of course. i could also get a carrier and bring him here with me."

"i wouldn't want you to go through the trouble. i'd like to come visit him, as long as you're comfortable." he smiled, letting go of the breath he was unintentionally holding.

"of course, you can come anytime you want."

he finally pressed send on the email to his boss with the finished manga episode and closed his laptop. "so, it's a date?" he had a little smirk he was trying to hide.

"yeah, it's a date. come back sooner, he'll miss you again." you smiled and he reached out for your hand next to him.

"i will, i'll miss you too." he squeezed your hand a bit and left after turning back to beam at you one last time, leaving you all nervous by yourself with the kitten now up and begging you for food.

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tumbling-rocks-no-danger · 5 months

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I’m glad we all agree that Eddie self-sabotages his relationships when things start feeling too good, right? Great. I’m just here to say that Eddie and Wayne had a very complicated relationship prior to season 4…

We’re talking regular arguments, Eddie being resistant to viewing Wayne as a father figure, refusing affection and not following the few rules that Wayne has. We’re talking Wayne giving into Eddie’s snide remarks and arguing back to him.

This is, of course, not to say that they don’t love each other. Things between them aren’t always tense, and they don’t stay mad for long, and they even have some traditions that they both hold dear. I specifically like the idea of Wayne being the only one who Eddie allows to cut his hair (usually just Wayne insisting on giving Eddie a trim to keep it healthy), and also Wayne cooking family recipes for major holidays that always taste like shit that leads them to just ordering takeout.

After the events of season 4 (when Eddie comes home alive, fuck you duffers), Wayne refuses to allow Eddie out of his sight and Eddie finally accepts affection from Wayne.

#stranger things #eddie munson #wayne munson

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kitashousewife · 1 year

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something sweet

an: heehee i am suuuuuch a baking girly and i LOVE sweets and my sweet samu so i was quite excited for this hehe

pairings: timeskip!osamu x fem!reader

warnings: food mentions, husband samu!!, fluff, pet names, suggestive ending

Osamu walks through the kitchen, flicking lights on as he goes. He got home only a few minutes ago, changing out of his work clothes as quick as he can to get started.

He leans back, a satisfying pop rippling through his spine as the pressure from another busy day at Onigiri Miya fades away. Osamu reaches a cupboard, searching through different odds and ends of battery containers, broken flashlights, and dull pencils until his tired fingers reach the small recipe book underneath it all.

A smile appears on his face as he thinks of every childhood memory involving this book. Many moments of flour being thrown across the countertops, laughing at the crudely drawn gingerbread versions of both boys their Ma would present them, and so many more.

Rough fingertips trace the worn pages, flipping through until he reached the tried and true gingerbread recipe, handwritten by his Ma.

"Hey baby, you're home early," you greet from around the corner, rubbing your tired eyes as enter the kitchen. Osamu's heart swells. He knows you've been working so hard lately. He was quite excited for tonight, and hoped that maybe he could ease the stress a little bit.

"I decided that the snow was a good reason to close up early," he gives you a kiss on the lips, grinning when he feels you about to laugh.

"Good day to be the owner, huh?" you laugh, and Osamu can't help but laugh as well.

Only now do you realize what he's set up in the kitchen. The marble island is covered in different ingredients, measuring cups, cookie cutters, and so many decorations. In his large hands rests a rather dainty book, which you've heard all about.

"Sweetheart, could ya grab me an apron?" Osamu asks, giving you the sweetest smile. You hum, a grin of your own growing when you realize his regular black apron is in the wash.

"Here you go," you hold back a giggle, but your very focused husband doesn't mind. He hums, grabbing the fabric without looking. He slips his head through the halter, grabbing the ties to fasten them expertly around his middle.

Standing in the kitchen is a 6-foot-tall Osamu, donned in a rather frilly apron, trimmed with lace and bright green and red colors. Before he notices, you snap a photo of him holding the recipe book with focus, his other hand on his hip in one of the most festive outfits you've ever seen.

"What's so fun-oh," he stops when he realizes what apron you brought him, and shakes his head when your laugh finally breaks loose. "Ha ha ha, we'll see who's laughing when a certain someone doesn't get to try any of the cookies."

You scoff. "How cruel," you tease, hopping up onto the counter next to the large spread. He fits himself in between your legs, placing both warm palms on either thigh. He leans in, and the smell of his shampoo lingers as he gets closer. Right before he reaches your lips, he stops.

"Could ya soften two sticks of butter, please?"

You smack his arm, the playful gesture earning a giggle from your husband. But you oblige, only because you would love a gingerbread cookie.

Especially made from such a professional.

"Whenever Ma does holiday bakin', she makes a double batch of everythin'," he explains, carefully measuring out the brown sugar before adding it to the bowl. "That way, she can put a couple of each cookie on some plates to give to our friends."

Their Ma is always the most giving. She spares no expense to treat her boys, and now you any chance she gets.

"Besides gingerbread, what do we have on the menu tonight?" You turn over your shoulder, setting the oven temperature while Osamu mixes, since he always forgets.

"Well, I was thinkin' we could do some gingerbread men, some sugar cookies, and maybe some brownies. We could plate em' up and deliver em' tonight, if ya don't mind."

"That sounds lovely. Where do you need me?"

His large, strong arm pulls you in, propping you back up on the counter in your original spot.

"My pretty wife just needs to sit here, cause I got somethin' in store for ya later." he winks and gets back to mixing.

That "somethin'" he mentioned earlier was not what you expected.

"You want me to decorate every cookie?"

"You know I'm not good at it doll! Please," he whines, transferring the last cookies to their cooling racks. He's not wrong. The gingerbread house the two of you made a few days ago isn't going to win any contests.

"Look, I even made things easy for ya," he bribes, pulling out little bowls of candy, frosting filled piping bags, and decorative plates to transport your goodies on. You sigh in defeat, finally getting started.

The two of you work in tandem. You, decorating each gingerbread man with the same sugary grin and buttons, and Osamu, taking the last treats out of the oven and moving the dishes into the sink to be cleaned later.

"Samu, would you put the gingerbread men on the plates with the brownies while I finish up these sugar cookies?"

He hums, placing them quickly to give you enough room for your final creations. And, knowing your husband like you do, you finished an extra sugar cookie just for him.

"Okay, I think we are good to go," you wrap the final plate before grabbing what you can.

"The car is heated up and ready, where shall we go first?"

For the next hour, the two of you drive house to house, leaving treats at each one. The two of you finish at Ma's, where Atsumu happens to be as well.

The four of you spend the majority of your time laughing. Ma, telling stories of the twins at Christmas, both boys laughing and poking fun at each other. Before the two of you leave, Ma gives you both a kiss on the cheek and the warmest hug, thanking you over and over for spoiling her so much.

"I think that's all of 'em right?" Osamu asks before starting the car, looking around the seats to check for any.

"Just these!" you smile, holding up a plate with two gingerbread men on it. "I made them for us as a treat when we finished."

Osamu unwraps the plate, heart growing three times the size when he gets a chance to admire the gingerbread one.

One, who assumes is you, has the icing version of your hair, eyes, and smile, wearing your favorite sweater. The gingerbread version of him is wearing an apron, baseball cap, and has his tongue sticking out.

"Why'd ya make me so goofy?" he fake whines, pointing at the face. You cackle.

"It wasn't to be mean! I was trying to replicate your concentrated face at work!"

He laughs, before leaning over the center console to cup your face, swiping his thumb across your cheek.

"Thanks for all yer help tonight. I know doin' this is silly, but it means a lot to me. I love you," He beams. You lean into his warm palm, grabbing his arm.

"It's not silly, it's sweet," you tap his arm. "And, I love you too."

He pulls you in for a sweet kiss, pulling away to give you a kiss on the nose. The two of you begin your drive home, laughing and listening to the soft hum of the Christmas music on the car radio.

Osamu reaches for his gingerbread self, humming as he takes a bite.

"Just like Ma's," he says between bites, proud of his efforts.

"Why did you eat gingerbread Samu? You didn't want mine?"

He smirks, grabbing your hand and placing a kiss on it as the two of you pull into the driveway.

"I'd rather eat the real you,"

"Samu!"

#heidswinterevent #osamu miya x reader #osamu x reader #miya osamu fluff #osamu miya fluff #haikyuu fluff #hq fluff #osamu x you #miya osamu x you

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cooliofango · 1 year

Text

When You Hold Their Hand Unexpectedly

Linked Universe V. x Gn!Reader

—————

This is part 2!

PART 1 HERE!

PART 3 HERE!

This part includes Wind, Wild, and Twilight!

Slight trigger warning for Wind’s part! Mentions of neglect and death— but it doesn’t go into heavy detail.

Lil shout out to @hylias-gremlin for helping me out with Wind’s part! ;3

—————

Wild

Today was the day Time decided they all needed to restock on supplies. Camp was settled on the outskirts of town, where they could make a count of what they did have. Most went into town to buy things that was needed, though a few went out into the woods to scavenge for food. It would be less rupees to spend if they don’t need to.

Time and Sky went around town for information about the Hyrule they were currently in. They planned to start in a tavern, seeing as it’s usually the best place to investigate when you want to hear about any rumors or info about anything or anyone. It’s common knowledge for most at this point, especially for travelers like you all.

Wind and Hyrule went off to get their water supply refilled. While they can easily stop by lakes and rivers while they travel, carrying their own water supplies helps when there isn’t easily accessible water or if the water near by is salty or contaminated. It also helps for meals for the same reason— though they usually try to avoid meals that include water in the recipe if need be.

Four and Warrior were sent out to find supplies for weapon and armor repair and making. Maybe even a few fresh weapons for a certain someone who broke them more often than not. Some light weight, but durable metal, tools, cloth, and the like was what they looked for.

Twilight and Legend were tasked with finding any wild fruit, herbs, or mushrooms that were edible. This ranged from hylian shrooms, hyrule herbs, and apples. Vegetables were mainly an optional find since it wasn’t very likely to be found in the wild. If they couldn’t find many of any of those items, then they would go into town to buy what they could.

For you and Wild’s search for meat and poultry, it was going well. The both of you had a bit of each now, but it was agreed upon that you should get at least one more kill before heading back to camp. It didn’t matter much which kind of meat this last one had to be as long as it was fresh and edible.

Yes, that does imply that they’ve found rotten meat. This was because of the bears and wolves in the forest that left behind the remains of their prey. It wasn’t hard to tell with the rancid smell lingering in the area the corpse laid. They were, luckily, a good ways away from the rotten meat.

You held your bow tightly within your hands, Wild at your side with a bow of his own as you two crouched in the tall grass to remain hidden. There was bait set in the open area in front of you made of berries and grain mixed into a pulp. The fragrance was strong enough to be smelt from where the two of you hid. An animal was bound to smell it sooner or later. Or do you thought, anyways.

You had been waiting for quite a while. Your joints ached lightly from not moving, but you knew if you moved, it could ruin a chance to get that last piece of meat you and Wild wanted. The most you allowed yourself to do was wiggle your fingers to ease the soreness in them.

Wild remained perfectly still the entire time, of course. As the cook of the group, he is usually the one to make sure they have food made no matter when or how he had to obtain the ingredients. A lot of the time was spent hunting— both before and after you all met if you had to guess— so he had a knack for remaining still for long periods of time.

It was definitely a contrast from what you were used to, so seeing it for the first time was surprising. Seeing him not be so reckless and slightly playful in nature would probably be a bit of an odd sight for anyone in the group to see.

After that first time you hunted with him, it became a regular to take you with him when gathering food. You weren’t completely sure why, but you just assumed that he enjoyed the company and could use the help. It’s partially why you two were paired now. The other part was because Time intentionally put you two together during this group split up.

A loud rustle sounded to the right of you, causing you to break from your thoughts with a jump and a soft gasp. You grabbed onto whatever was closest with your free hand on instinct, but your eyes remained in the direction the sound came from. You didn’t realize the slight distraction you had caused to your companion.

The air was still.

There was more rustling…

…and a rabbit jumped from the bushes. It had light brown fur and low hanging ears. It’s wide eyes looked around, unsuspecting of anything or anyone around it.

You let out a silent sigh, watching as it hopped over to the bait mixture. The rodent bent down towards it. It’s pink nose wiggled as it sniffed the bait, deciding whether or not to eat it.

You felt the hand that didn’t hold the bow lift, causing you to look over confused. In front of you was your hand holding Wild’s from the top, his fingers lightly dangling out of your grip. Wild’s face held a soft pink hue and he allowed his gaze to meet yours. It was a silent ask to let go.

You felt your own face burn hot, swallowing thickly. You made sure to be quiet and careful when letting go of his hand as to not alert their final pray for the day. Wild gave a thankful look while you returned it with an apologetic one.

He sat up a little in place and drew the bow back with an arrow in hand. The bow’s wood creaked quietly, causing the rabbit to sit up with its ears perked. It was too late for it react, however. The whistling of the arrow has already cut through the air and pierced through its body with an almost unnerving thump, a second one following soon after as the rabbit fell to the ground as a corpse.

—————

Wind

The night grew on and almost everyone was silent as they all sat at one of the long tables within the the inn’s dinning hall. They had all came to rest for the night, as well as try to gain information on the land they were currently in. The most lights were snuffed out by now, only leaving a few on to keep it bright enough for the few people that did remain.

“I heard it’s haunted though,” The man at the next table over spoke, his head in one hand and half a glass of alcohol in the other, “because it was built over the ruins of a burnt down manor that stood there centuries ago.”

The group of travelers had their attention on this man for a while now as he spoke of a temple that laid in the forest southwest from the town. Most didn’t seem too fazed by the rumor, having dealt with ghosts on their own occasions. You, however, was not someone who fell into that category.

“How so?” Wind asked curiously on your left, his expression mostly calm, but a bit wary of dealing with apparitions. You knew he’s dealt with ghosts before from his tales of the ghost ship he had been on while at sea— but you could imagine that he didn’t really enjoy the thought of dealing with ghosts again.

“A maiden’s vengeful spirit lives there. She attacks anyone who dares to enter the temple, especially if it’s a man,” he takes a sip of the alcoholic beverage before setting the glass down, “According to rumors, it’s because her lover had left to fight in a war. It left her depressed and she neglected herself because of it. When her lover returned, he didn’t recognize her because of how thin she had gotten. The woman died not long after from the affects the neglect had on her and from grief.”

You swallowed heavily, gripping onto the bench underneath you. “How violent does she get, exactly…?” The nervousness showed in your tone, brows furrowed as you looked at the man who told the story.

He rose a brow at you in question and sat up straight, “Well, from those who returned from the temple alive, it all depends on how deep into the temple you are. It could range from throwing stones at you to activating dangerous traps even if you’re careful to avoid them.”

“Lovely..” Legend quipped sarcastically, slumping his own head into his hand. Everyone had similar thoughts in that moment; they were going to have to prepare for every outcome should they encounter one of these traps first hand. Your grip tightened on your seat.

“Thank you for the information,” Time spoke authoritatively as he stood, handing the drunk man the agreed upon red rupee before turning to the rest of the group, “Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet down here to discuss preparations before we head out to the temple. Be down no later than sunrise.”

Most of the group stood, picking up their things and beginning to head upstairs to their rooms. Time did linger to ask a few more questions to the drunk man wish a hushed voice-- probably about the temple they would enter the next day. You couldn't really hear exactly what he was saying, though. You took in a deep breath as you sat there a moment longer, shoulders slumping.

"(Y-Y/N)?"

You finally notice the voice calling out to you from your side, looking over to it's owner. Wind still sits beside you, blue eyes nearly avoiding your gaze now that you looked over to him. His face and the tips of his ears held a reddened hue and he was hesitant to speak again.

"I mean-- I usually wouldn't mind it all too much," he started with an attempt to pick up his confidence, this being shown in his tone, "b-but it's getting late and we should really get going," as he spoke, your expression grew noticeably confused, in which he showed slight defeat. "Could you let go of my hand please...?" Wind laughed a bit nervously, watching as you looked down at your hand resting on top of his.

Your face now matched his in color.

—————

Twilight

The sounds of the night kept you awake, despite how desperately you tried to get some rest. Your back laid to the majority of the group with a few of the sleeping boys laid in their respective places in front of you. They were so used to sleeping out in the woods that they looked so sound while they snoozed. It made you a bit envious, in all honesty.

The majority of your life was spent in the city where you were always able to have a roof over your head and a mattress to sleep on. The forest’s ground was far from ideal. Your chest deflated in a silent sigh, closing your eyes once again. The best thing you could do, in your opinion, was to continue trying.

You turned over on your other side in an attempt to sleep in a more comfortable position. You gripped the grassy earth beneath you gently with a soft breath of content to leave your lips. Somehow, that was a bit better— if only a little. You relaxed your body against the ground and cleared your mind of any thoughts about the matter. The sooner the better, right?

By the time the sun was peaking through the branches above, you were the last one to wake up. A soft groan escaped your lips, tightening your grip on the grass. The ‘grass’ twitched a little at the movement. The feeling caused your brows to furrow, carefully blinking your tired eyes open. The first thing you saw was your hand gripping onto other, both of your hands lightly digging into the grass.

Your gaze followed the arm, moving past the fur pelt to see the slightly reddened face of Twilight looking back down at you. Catching your gaze with his own, he was quick to avert it. He cleared his throat, “M-Morning, (Y/N)…”

You.. only stared a moment longer as your brain tried to process the situation. With furrowed brows, you slowly sat up and looked back down at your hands. And then back up at him. O h…

With a red hue to grow along your own face, you were quick to move your hand off of his. You turned your head away and instead raised your hand to fix your messy bed head with a frown of embarrassment etched onto your features. “Sorry— sorry..” You coughed awkwardly.

There was a short paused of silence as Twilight contemplated how to respond for a moment before chuckling to himself at the situation before him. “No— don’t worry about it. I, uh… didn’t mind. It was nice to have that little bit of company throughout the night. Besides, it seemed to help you fall asleep.” He shrugged, though his response only made the embarrassment grow in your chest.

“I held your hand the whole night…?” You murmured. “And you knew I was awake?” You tilted your head.

Twilight looked back at you, finally, with a half smile tugging to his face. “Y-yeah,” he held a look of embarrassment as he answered your first question. “And yes— I planned to do something to help, but when you turned over, you seemed to figure out how to fall asleep without realizing.” He laughed a little now that he said that out loud. Even you thought it was a bit funny to hear.

“But uh..” He continued, the bashfulness returning to his expression, “If you have trouble sleeping again, then I’ll be here to help.” You but the inside of your cheek and hesitantly nodded.

“Stop flirting already and come on..!” Time teased lightheartedly, causing the both of you to jump up to your feet in a hurry and finish helping pack to continue your journey.

#linked universe #linked universe x reader #lu x reader #lu wind #lu wild #lu twilight #lu wind x reader #lu wild x reader #lu twilight x reader

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w00dw1tchold · 1 year

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Simple Fuck Around and Find Out Oil

*This is a recipe I created myself with very little research. I plan on developing it more as time goes on but it's brand new for me. I'm not experienced in oils and would love feedback and to hear how others go about making intention oils.

Need:

Rosemary

Nettle Leaves

Olive oil

A jar you can seal

A marker

How to:

Cleanse the items you're using and yourself first. Then start by focusing your energy so you can direct in into the herbs with your set intention. Pour the oil in and make sure to leave some room at the top. You don't want to fill it up to the brim.

Now we're going to tell the herbs what we want them to do. I charged the rosemary with protection and added that first. Next, I charged the nettle with protection and warding and added it in. I made sure to put emphasis on the nettles stinging qualities, specifically asking it to "sting" those who meant me harm. Rosemary is both purifying and protective, which will give the oil a back off vibe.

I did have some trouble focusing my energy tonight, which is why I spoke to the herbs as I added them in and made sure to talk myself through grounding. It's important that you trust yourself here.

I put the bottle on my windowsill after drawing a pentagram on the lid. (Use whatever protection symbol or sigil you'd like.) Make sure to shake it well on a regular basis. I plan on leaving it out for a full month to let the oil experience the whole moon cycle. I recommend instilling your intention again when you go to shake it. Doing this every day will give it a good kick, but there's no need to stress about it. Tend to it when you can.

After the oil is done "cooking" you can use it in any protection charms or spells you'd like to have a "fuck around and find out" quality. Enjoy!

#witches of tumblr #witchcraft #pagan witch #witchblr #norse witch #chaos magick #baneful magic #protection magic #occult

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archivistofnerddom · 10 months

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Bad Batch Headcanons — Soft Romance and Some Dating Stuff

I can’t get these thoughts out of my head. SFW and safe for all ages. Anyway, here you go:

Hunter

This man is the master of braiding hair. (Have you seen his hair? Of course he is.) Hunter is tactile person, a byproduct of his heightened senses. Braiding your hair (for events, before bed, or whenever) is a quiet thing between you and a little ritual.

Cuddles on a porch swing together in summer time (listening to the cicadas in the trees and watching the sun set) as you unwind from the day.

Enjoying a thunderstorm rolling through while counting the seconds between lightening flash and thunder clap to guess the distance. It’s always a game to see if you can guess the closer distance by counting the seconds versus Hunter using his advanced senses.

Dates at ice cream parlors and cafes are always entertaining. Hunter has opinions on the flavor combinations. (It’s adorable.)

Crosshair

Quietly sitting together in front of the fire in the evening. Maybe you talk, maybe you don’t. Just being together without any pressures is nice. If you wind up slowly snuggling together under a big soft blanket, he doesn’t mind. Crosshair likes having someone around who doesn’t have insane expectations of him.

Charcuterie boards and bottles of wine while you read together or listen to music. Snarking about and commentating on the other’s genre choices inevitably happens. (His humor is dry and very specific.)

Paintball target practice (some punk kids at the local range as “voluntary” targets are optional). You don’t need to be as good as he is with the paintball gun. Just record him gleefully (and mostly playfully) merc-ing his targets and laughing at the reactions.

Concerts and movies in the park are go-to date options. He likes not worrying about high pressure situations. Plus, you both get to people-watch while you’re at it.

Tech

Documentary marathons, book festivals, and museum tours are regular date events. Tech has a pathological need to learn things. He also takes into consideration things you might enjoy as well when planning these outings. (It’s sweet of him, really.)

Hanging out in the driveway while he works on your cars. Making sure your car is running at optimal levels is one of his love languages. You’re there to remind him to eat and/or take a water break on occasion, provide shade, and pass him tools as needed. He likes it when you put together an interesting music or podcast playlist for background noise.

Swing dance classes — a surprise, I know. He knows that dancing is a traditional romantic thing, so he leans into taking classes as a way to romance you. Somehow, swing and its numerous stylistic sub-groupings are right up both your alley. Turns out Tech has a decent sense of rhythm and enjoys using dance and movement as a way of silent communication with you.

Crafting is a team project now. Tech is good at planning the layouts for quilts apparently. He also agrees with you that knitting and crocheting is very meditative and relaxing.

Wrecker

When you bring up cooking and baking together, he is on board. Food and sharing it is one of his big love languages. Wrecker loves being in the kitchen with you, either as your sous chef, cookie decorator, or test taster. Eventually, he starts finding more recipes that you can try together. Building out a binder of recipes you like is a testament of your relationship.

Perfect date night — big picnic spread in an open field at dusk followed by sparklers and fireworks. He loves food and things that go boom. Combining them together makes Wrecker so happy. (That fact that you put them together in one date — that’s the best and biggest declaration of love anyone has anyone has ever given him.)

Hanging on the couch in comfy clothes while playing video games together. Wrecker is the reason the household has a wide selection of thematic oversized adult onesies. Those always get broken out during Mario Kart tournaments or when playing Pokémon or Legend of Zelda together.

Wrecker is a Dungeons and Dragons nerd and a surprisingly good DM. Acting out a story is right up his alley. He gets so happy when you want to learn about the game and join his group.

Echo

Projecting movies into a sheet in the backyard while chilling on cushions and blankets and eating popcorn — simple and low pressure. Sometimes, Echo needs that when his prosthetics are acting up. (He also likes that you always wind up curled up next to him on these nights. It feels nice, no matter whether or not he has his prosthetic limbs on.)

He’s a great pub crawl buddy. Seriously, Echo somehow knows people who work in every bar you walk into, and that is an impressive thing. You get free drinks and fun cocktails wherever you go.

Sunday mornings are for farmers markets. Walking through the stalls, buying fresh bread and produce, and buying assorted other wares is fun. Echo finds your enthusiasm endearing and engaging. (Guess who invested in one of those two-wheeled carts for your haul? This guy.)

Road trips to thermal hot spring baths and a nice little B&B are the go-to romantic weekend trips. Soaking in a hot spring bath does wonders for Echo, especially when he gets to have a hearty dinner with you afterwards.

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whiskey-tango-matcha · 10 months

Text

Patient Zero (m, colds)

I'm trying something a little different on this one - there's no sick character POV, but both Greyson and Elijah are sick. This is written from first Matt (the sous chef) and then Mark's (the floor manager) perspectives. It was a fun little exercise, and I hope you all like it.

Elijah & Greyson both have the flu and blame each other for it. No real plot, just quips and vibes. Enjoy :)

cw: male snz, colds, contagion, coughing, fevers, dizziness...snarkiness... the usual lmao. 3.5k words

Patient Zero

The early hours of the morning were the best the restaurant had to offer. It was summer, but at three in the morning it was cool, quiet, dark, and almost meditative to be in the restaurant alone. I could get used to this, Matt thought, setting his things down on the prep table in the empty kitchen.

Matt almost never worked the AM shift, but it was an event night and event nights always came with an unusual schedule. This particular event was a small business celebrating ten years open, and the two women in charge of the event were lovely but… particular.

Everything had to be just so – which was fine, because they were paying through the nose to buy out the restaurant for the night – and many of their requests were ones that Greyson and Elijah had never heard before.

“They want us to… make their dinner rolls?” Matt had asked when Greyson had showed him the banquet event order he and Elijah had put together. “But we buy the best bread in the city… I mean, isn’t Alicia going to get mad that she’s losing our business for that event?”

“Elijah already talked to Alicia about it; she’s annoyed, but she gets it. These people want everything made in house, and trust me I told them that Alicia makes better bread than I’d ever be able to, but they didn’t care. They’re fuckin’ weird, Matt,” Greyson said, smoothing the piece of paper onto the prep table. “They want us to make them a cake, too. You did a stage at that bakery in Italy a couple summers ago, right?”

That was how Matt had ended up at the restaurant at oh-dark-thirty, using their decrepit Kitchenaid mixer to make some maybe-okay bread and a probably-not-great cake for a group that had no clue what the difference between a pastry chef and a regular one was. At least he’d be able to enjoy the evening off; it was a Saturday, it was summer, and he could already taste the cocktail he’d be sipping while the rest of the team was slaving away.

About three hours into mixing, proofing, and looking up recipes on his phone, Matt heard the back door of the kitchen slam open and then shut. He whipped his head towards the sound – Greyson wasn’t supposed to be in until nine, at the earliest. Who the fuck was here?

“HTSHH-ue! Huh! Hhh… huhITSZHUE!” Matt heard Elijah before he saw him, and winced when he did. Elijah had definitely seemed a little off yesterday, but the rest of the team figured that he was just nervous about this event and how picky the people paying for it were. Matt, at the very least, hadn’t assumed he was -

“HUHHHESTCHUE!” - sick.

“Bless you, Elijah,” Matt called from the prep kitchen. Elijah jumped at the phantom voice and wiped his nose on the back of his hand. He turned the corner to find Matt, covered in flour and frosting, and laughed.

“Thangks,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. “You doing okay with the whole… bread thing?”

Matt shrugged and motioned to the recipe on his phone. “I mean, if this bread recipe is good enough for The Barefoot Contessa, it should be good enough for these people, right?”

Elijah smiled, amused. “Right,” he said, turning to cough away from the prep kitchen entrance. Matt gave him a sympathetic look, and Elijah shrugged.

“You’re here early,” Matt said, scoring the tops of his rolls and covering the baking sheets in plastic for proofing. Elijah gave him a small smile.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he said, sniffling. “Worried about this party tondight, I guess.”

“Mmm,” Matt hummed, noncommittal. Elijah and his boss were two sides of the same stubborn-ass coin, and there was no use reasoning with or forcing confessions of illness out of either of them. The only people they listened to were each other; their relationship was weird, it was codependent, but it worked so Matt didn’t question it. He hoped Greyson would be in soon.

“I’mb going to go work on the mbenus for tondight,” Elijah said, swallowing back a cough. “Holler if you ndeed mbe.”

Matt knew he wouldn’t need Elijah, but he nodded anyway. “Right back at ya.”

***

The sun had finally made its way to the middle of the sky when Greyson burst through the doors of the kitchen, his signature bull-in-a-china-shop style.

“Christ it’s hot out there,” Greyson moaned as he walked into the prep kitchen. Matt had finally finished the three-tiered cake and was working on making fondant letters to adorn the top. He looked up from his work to see his boss perusing the trays of rolls and cake tiers cooling in the prep kitchen’s reach-in refrigerator.

Greyson was looking especially disheveled this morning; he’d let his hair grow all the way to his shoulders this year – everyone on the stupid dating apps loves long hair, is what he’d said to Matt when he mentioned his boss had needed a haircut back in February – and it was pulled back into a messy ponytail today. He was in a cutoff t-shirt and cutoff shorts, flip-flops, and, frankly, looked more ready for a lazy day at the beach than the huge party he’d have to put out in a few hours.

“It’s August,” Matt said in response to Greyson’s gripe. “That’s, like, peak hot. Why are you wearing that?”

His boss turned to face Matt, gave himself a once over, and huffed out a little laugh. “Couldn’t sleep last night, so I ended up walking to a club. Went home with some girl and crashed at her place, passed out, didn’t have time to go back home, so you get flip-flop Greyson. I have a spare set of clothes in the office.”

Matt rolled his eyes, thinking of the conversation he’d had with Elijah earlier; two sides of the same coin.

“You all good on the bread, Master Baker?” Greyson asked, grinning at his own joke. Matt gave a little laugh through his nose.

“All good,” he said. “I just need help with the fucking frosting for this cake, I can’t seem to get it -”

“IGTSHZZ-ue!”

Matt’s head snapped up suddenly; his boss’s face was pressed into his elbow. The sous felt his heart sink. Not both of them.

A sick Elijah was fine. A sick Greyson was slightly more annoying, but also tolerable. But when both of them were sick, it was, to put it lightly, a nightmare.

“Shit, ‘scuse me, sorry, can’t stop fucking sneezing today,” Greyson said, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

“Bless you,” Matt said, accusatory. “are you feeling okay?”

Greyson started to nod, then held up a finger as if to say, ‘hold on’. Matt waited a moment while his boss stood, waiting for another sneeze that didn’t seem to want to come. He let out a shaky breath and shook his head as if to clear it. “I’mb good,” he said, congestion already seeping into his voice. Matt had a sudden memory pop into his head – Greyson offering Elijah a bite of a short rib dish yesterday, then taking a bite himself from the same fork. Goddamn it, Greyson.

“Are you -”

“ITSZH-ue! HTSHH-uh! Fuckin – HGTSHH-ue!” Greyson suddenly collapsed into a volley of sneezes, covered only by a hand. He grimaced at the obvious mess he’d left behind and went to the sink to blow his nose and clean himself up.

“Fuck, Chef,” Matt said while Greyson washed his hands. While, like Elijah, there was no use trying to force a confession out of Greyson, Matt was much closer to the executive chef and couldn’t help accusing him. “Are you serious? This is so not the day for you to be fucking sick.”

“Oh, relax,” Greyson said, rolling his eyes. “I’mb ndot sick, it mbust be allergies or somethiii….INGTSHH-uhh! Fuck mbe,” Greyson moaned, pulling more paper towels out of the dispenser and blowing again.

“It’s not allergies,” Matt said. Greyson raised an eyebrow at his sous.

“Yeah? How do you know that, all-seeing eye?”

As if summoned, Elijah turned the corner into the prep kitchen at that moment. “Grey, good, you’re here,” he said, attempting to clear his throat. “Cand we go over verbiage for the mbenu tondight?”

Greyson pursed his lips and closed his eyes on seeing the GM. Matt’s eyes darted from Elijah to Greyson and back again, wondering how this was going to play out.

“What?” Elijah asked, sniffling.

“You fuckin’ asshole,” Greyson said, giving Elijah a little playful shove. “Why didn’t you tell me yesterday you were fuckin’ sick?��

“I’mb ndot sigck,” Elijah said, pathetically. Matt had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing; Elijah’s eyes were rimmed red, his nose was chapped from blowing, and since he’d walked through the door he hadn’t gone more than five minutes without sneezing. If you looked up ‘sick’ in the dictionary, there he’d be.

Greyson had no such tact and barked out a laugh in his boss’s face. “Yeah?” he asked, slapping a hand on Elijah’s forehead. The GM shook him off, but the damage was done. “You’re burning up,” Greyson said, his voice accusatory. Elijah flipped him the bird.

“I’mb ndot burning up, it’s just hot in the office,” Elijah said, taking a step back and crossing his arms. “Also, why the fuck are you dressed like you’re in a ndineties beach dramba?”

“I’m about to go change, but nice attempt at changing the subject,” Greyson said, leaning against the wall. “Seriously, have you taken anything?”

Elijah rolled his eyes, but nodded. “Just drop it,” Elijah said, his voice deadpan. “Why are you being such a dick about it, andyway? It’s ndot like -”

“HGTSH! HTSH! Huh… hh…”

“Oh, mbother fuck -”

“HUHESSTZCHUE!” Greyson doubled over to sneeze into his elbow, cutting his boss off not once, but twice. He gave Elijah a knowing glance over the crook of his arm and sniffled.

Elijah sighed, a congested, tired sound. “I… bless you,” he said.

“Thangks,” Greyson said, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. “Patient zero.”

“Fuck off,” Elijah said, shoving the chef. “Cand you please combe help mbe with these stupid mbenus?”

Greyson nodded, then turned back to Matt. “You said you’re all good, yeah?” he asked. Matt hadn’t; he needed help with the frosting, and wanted to make sure Greyson was okay with the way the rolls were proofing. But he nodded anyway; no use trying to separate the two of them while they were mid-squabble.

“I’m good,” Matt said. “I’ll come get you in a bit.”

Greyson nodded, then followed behind Elijah, muttering something about a plague rat. Matt could hear the slap Elijah bestowed upon him from across the kitchen.

***

Mark hated these types of events.

When he was younger, Mark had been a banquet captain for a hotel; a job he’d rather forget on most days. The nights were long, the people were always entirely too drunk, and although the pay was good, he dreaded every single shift.

Elijah had decided when the year began that Elliot’s had a goal of doing one full buyout banquet a month, a decision that made Mark’s heart sink, though he’d never let that on to his boss. Instead, he’d told Elijah all about his past banquet experience, showed the GM how to make a proper BEO, and volunteered to captain the events that his boss booked. He hated banquets, but he did love this tiny restaurant; he loved his staff and he loved his bosses and he wanted to make working there enjoyable for everyone.

Putting on a good face didn’t mean he hated it any less.

Mark yanked open the kitchen doors at noon the day of the event – an event he knew from the very moment of its booking was going to be a nightmare – and tried to get his game face on. He was going to be there until two in the morning, he was going to get his ass handed to him by some overinflated MLM Boss Babe, he was going to have to move the tables a hundred times… Mark shook his head to clear it. Becoming hyper-focused on how much this evening was going to suck wasn’t doing him any favors, that much he knew.

“Hey, Mark,” Matt said from the prep kitchen to his left. Mark stopped in his tracks and waved at the sous chef.

“Hi, Matt,” he said, smiling. “I thought you were supposed to be out of here by now? Didn’t you come in at like four in the morning?”

“Three,” Matt corrected, pulling a hand down his face in obvious exhaustion. “I’m trying to get out of here, but…” he trailed off, looking behind Mark in anticipation. Mark furrowed his brow and turned – nothing there.

“But…?” he prompted. Matt sighed.

“Greyson’s… on one,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “I can’t for the fuckin’ life of me get him to come back here.”

Mark chuckled. “When isn’t he on one?” he asked. Matt let loose a dark laugh as well. “What’s his problem?”

“HHUTSZHH-ue!”

Mark cocked his head towards the sound that came from the office in the front of the kitchen. Then, slowly, he turned back to Matt. “He’s not…”

“Both of them,” Matt answered, resting his head in his hand, an elbow propped on the prep table. “I thought maybe it wasn’t so bad when they came in this morning, but…”

“HGTSHH-uhh! Huh -”

“HTZSCHUE!”

First Elijah. Then Greyson. Rinse, repeat.

“Goddamn it,” Mark muttered. “Okay. I’ll go do damage control and send Greyson back here to check you out so you can go.”

Matt nodded. “Thanks, man,” he said, picking up a Sharpie and labeling a pan wrapped in plastic. Mark gave a nod back, and headed to the front of the kitchen.

Greyson and Elijah were both seated in the office, twin tissues held to their faces. Elijah was coughing like a man who’d just escaped a house fire, while Greyson seemed stuck in a sort of pre-sneeze torture. It would’ve been almost funny, if it weren’t so pathetic.

“Um,” Mark said, knocking on the open door and catching both his bosses off-guard. “Hey. Everything, uh… okay in here?”

Greyson let out a shaky, unresolved breath. “Yeah. All good. Hi,” he said, his voice low and stuffed-up. He hit Elijah in the arm, motioned up to Mark, and said, “Where are your mbanners?”

Elijah rolled his eyes and took a sip from a water cup of questionable age. “Hey, Mbark,” he said. The GM’s voice was nearly gone, and sounded raw, like his throat was on fire.

“You guys look great,” Mark joked, prompting a bark of a laugh from Greyson and a dead-eyed look from Elijah. “How the hell did you both manage to get sick overnight?”

“Well, sombeone was getti’g sick yesterday and didn’t tell mbe,” Greyson said, flashing a pointed look Elijah’s way. Elijah turned to the chef and placed his head in his hand; apparently, Mark was no longer invited to this conversation.

“You kndow what I was thinking,” Elijah said, his voice going out on the final syllable. He cleared his throat before continuing. “I was thinking, how do you kndow it was mbe who got you sick? Mbaybe you’re just projecting because you’re patient zero.”

“Elijah, I kndow you have a fever but let’s try to rembain in reality, shall we? You’re obviously patient zero because I was finde last ndight. You, on the other hand, were texti’g mbe ‘oh, mby allergies are so bad, I don’t know what’s bloomi’g but it -’ IGTSZZHUE! ETSHCHUE! Oh, fuckigg finally,” Greyson groaned, yanking more tissues from the box placed squarely between the two of them and blowing. Elijah coughed out a laugh.

“You were sayi’g?” he asked, smug. Greyson rolled his eyes from behind a tissue.

“Fugck off,” he said, turning back toward Mark, who assumed he’d been forgotten completely. “Did you ndeed sombething, Mbark?”

Mark nodded. “Yeah,” he said, “Matt said he needed to check out with you, Chef?”

“Oh, fugck I totally forgot Mbatt got here in the mbiddle of the ndight,” Greyson said, pushing himself to his feet too quickly. He caught hold of the desk, swaying slightly, and closed his eyes.

Elijah raised his eyebrows at Greyson, who got himself back together after a moment. “You gonnda mbake it?” he asked as the chef slowly opened his eyes. Greyson sneered.

“Screw you, Elijah, this shit is your fault,” he said, pushing his hair off of his sweaty forehead.

Elijah looked to Mark. “Cand you please tell me what kind of fever he’s sporting?” he asked. Mark set his jaw; he really didn’t want to get in the middle of this whole thing… but Elijah was his direct report. He didn’t have much choice; without warning the chef first, Mark placed a hand on Greyson’s forehead.

Greyson pulled away as quick as he could. “Back off,” he snarled, pushing past Mark to relieve Matt in the back kitchen. Mark shrank back as the chef breezed by; he really could be scary when he wanted to be.

“Sorry,” Elijah said when Greyson was out of earshot. “He shouldn’t be such an ass to you.”

Mark shrugged. “I get it. It sucks working when you don’t feel well. He definitely has a fever,” the floor manager said. Elijah nodded and Mark gave him a pointed look. “You look like you do, too.”

Elijah gave a little half-shrug back. “Ndothing I haven’t worked through before,” he said. “Huhh...HGTSHH-ue! Huh! ETSHZHUE!” The GM wrenched away from Mark to sneeze painfully towards the door. Mark flinched in sympathy.

“Bless,” he said. “So… how are we going to handle tonight?”

Elijah turned sluggishly back towards Mark and sniffled, an unproductive, squelching sound. “You tell mbe,” he said, his voice all but gone, “captaind.”

Fuck.

***

“You do it.”

“No fuckin’ way. This is on you, dude. I’m one foot out the door.”

“Matt, you’ve been saying that since two PM and now it’s ten. Clearly you’re not one foot out the door.”

Matt shot Mark a look, but he couldn’t deny the truth in his statement. But how the fuck could he have left earlier? When Greyson had come to the back kitchen to dismiss him hours before, the chef had nearly passed out just from the walk. He never would’ve said that he needed Matt to stay; he wasn’t that kind of guy. He was the guy who worked until he literally passed out without even asking for a hand to grab before he fell. Both he and Elijah were.

So, without being asked, Matt stayed for the event. He prepped with the line cooks, while Mark helped the servers prepare the dining room, and both of them attempted to corral their bosses into resting in the office.

“Are you sure you don’t ndeed mbe to at least sear off the short ribs?” Greyson had asked, white-knuckling the prep table that Matt was working at. “Seriously, Mbatt, you don’t have to do everythigg.”

“I don’t need you to sear the short ribs,” Matt said, gently guiding his boss back to a chair. “Please. Just sit down, it hurts me to watch you… breathe.”

“Mbark, at least let mbe fold ndapkins for your or something,” Elijah had insisted, swaying in the middle of the dining room. Mark had to nearly run to keep his boss from face-planting at the host stand.

“Lij, we have an army on,” Mark said. “Go rest, please. We’ll need you for service.”

The two ill men had eventually given up on asking to help their counterparts. The staff, a truly well-oiled machine, had worked around them, narrowly avoiding being coughed or sneezed on, until the event started.

Once the hosts of the event arrived, Greyson and Elijah pulled themselves together enough to at least look like figureheads. Greyson hoarsely shouted orders in the kitchen, while Elijah helped the servers organize their tables and schmoozed the hosts. Against all odds, it had gone smoothly, and once the food was out both Elijah and Greyson stumbled back into the office, sunk down into the waiting tablecloth nest, and passed out.

Which led them to now.

“I don’t want to wake them, dude,” Matt said. “They’re so mean when they’re sick.”

“Well obviously I don’t want to wake them, either,” Mark countered. “But one of us has to do it, the hosts aren’t going to leave till they can say goodb -”

“HGTSHH!” Greyson woke himself with a massive sneeze, which shook Elijah awake.

“Fuck, mbust you be so goddamn loud?” Elijah asked, his voice cracking. Greyson flashed him an annoyed look.

“Oh, mby sincere apologies, ndext time I have an uncontrollable bodily functiond occur I’ll mbake sure to think about your combfort beforehand,” he said, pushing his hair into a small bun on the back of his head.

“Mbuch appreciated,” Elijah said, slowly sitting up. The two of them turned, almost simultaneously, to the younger men standing at the door. “...yes?” Elijah asked.

Matt elbowed Mark, who gave him a fleeting dirty look. “Um,” Mark said, “the, uh, hosts wanted to say goodbye to you guys if you’re… up for it.”

Elijah nodded, but Greyson was the first to push himself to a standing position. “Just stay there, old mban, you’re sicker than mbe and obviously worse at keeping your germbs to yourself.” Greyson pushed past Mark and Matt, placing a hand on his sous chef’s shoulder before exiting the kitchen.

“Thangk you for stayi’g,” he said. “Ndow go hombe before I kick you out.”

Matt smiled a bit. “Yes, Chef,” he said. “Um… feel better.”

Greyson nodded and disappeared through the doors to the dining room. When Mark turned away from the swinging doors, Elijah was also standing.

“You go, too, Mbark,” he said, straightening his glasses and smoothing his sleep-wrinkled shirt as best he could. “We ndeed both of you well rested for the rest of the week. Great job tondi- IGTSZH-uhh! Snrf.” Elijah didn’t bother finishing his sentence, just smiled at Mark and rubbed his chapped nose.

“Bless,” Mark said, “and thank you. It did go well, didn’t it?”

“Well as it could’ve,” Elijah said, one hand on the swinging door. “Ndight,” he said, and followed behind Greyson.

Matt and Mark exchanged a knowing look when both their bosses exited the kitchen.

“We totally ran a restaurant today,” Matt said, a smile creeping onto his lips. Mark laughed.

“Yeah,” he said, “we kind of did, didn’t we?”

The moment of elation sat between them like a birthday balloon, bright and taut enough to pop, until they heard a massive, “HGTSHHZUE!” from the dining room, followed by coughing, followed by motherly-sounding tutting from the hosts of the event.

“Let’s get out of here,” Mark said, and Matt nodded.

“Before they change their minds,” he said.

The two of them rushed out the back of the kitchen into the late-summer-evening heat. “Hey,” Mark said, before they went their separate ways. “I know you’ve had a long day, but would you like to go get a drink with me?”

Matt smiled, and turned toward the other man. “Yeah,” he said, “yeah, I definitely would.”

#snz #sickfic #snzfic #coldfic #snez #snzblr #male cold #male snz #contagion #whiskeyswriting #coughing #vertigo #feverfic #fever

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