Okay so like are the blue checkmarks like a subscription thing (like you keep them as long as you pay $8+ a month), are they here forever, are they just here until the meme dies? So many questions. Long live b u g g a c h a t ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️

it's a one time payment, and it lasts as long as long as it takes for them to turn into crabs :)

"Hey, hey, what do you think this thing does?" Mallow wondered as he raised the crystal shard towards the sun, allowing it to split the light into enough tiny flecks to drive the whole of Monstro Town absolutely bonkers.

"What it does is annoy me! So give it a rest, capisce?" muttered Bowser. He kept picking at his fingers and grumbling under his breath, no doubt still steaming over the fight that saw his claws so egregiously chipped. "Yo Geno, make sure you write down what that guy did to us in full detail. I wanna remember this for the rematch!"

Geno sat propped upright against a pile of crates. Standing unassisted would be temporarily impossible—or at least difficult for the doll, whose left leg had been ripped off his body close to the hip joint, exposing a bundle of severed copper wires, red and blue, arteries and veins of the body electric. The leg itself laid beside him, its stillness yet possessed with a strange aura of pride, having proved its worth as a crystal-busting cudgel.

"Yeah, sure," he said. Business as usual, he scribbled words into the group's scrapbook but gave no indication towards what, precisely, he was scribbling.

"Make sure you get the part about my claws!"

"Gee, Bowser. How could I possibly forget to mention that you broke a claw on one of Culex's crystals." Geno's statement was suspiciously devoid of the expected question mark.

Rather, he seemed stumped on something, tapping his pen against the paper in anticipation of words late to arrive. Peach leaned over his shoulder and took a peek at what he'd written so far:

...but once again, when defeated, Culex didn't seem to be up to anything overtly evil.

"You're right about that, I guess," she noted. "Seems like all Culex wanted to do was prove himself in a good fight. I hope he got what he wanted."

Geno kept tapping, leaving tiny flecks of blue biro ink in the margins. "Hmm. I don't know. Something about this doesn't sit right with me."

"I think you're overthinking, Geno."

"Not one of my better habits, for sure. Well. Do you think it's enough to simply declare one's intentions as evil?"

"I think actions speak louder than words, if that's what you mean," said Peach. "Like if Bowser over there said he was going to sell his prized golden chain chomp and donate the proceeds to the Mushroom Kingdom community chest. I don't think it would really matter if he framed it as another one of his evil schemes or not. At the end of the day, he still did a good deed."

"What?! Grrahh!" roared the King of Koopas, having caught the conversation by the tail. "Hell're you jawin' about over there? Me, doing a good deed?! Urggh! Bag it, sister!!"

"Just a hypothetical good deed," Peach reassured him sweetly. "I would never suggest such a horrible thing for real, dear."

"Better not! Gonna make me puke! And we haven't even got to the buffet yet!"

Now it was Mallow's turn to settle in next to Geno and leer over his other shoulder.

"Hey, can I write some?" he asked.

"Sure," said Geno, finally giving up on his stalled train of thought and the pen to go with it. It doubled as the ring finger on his left hand—Gaz's doll was full of surprises and school supplies. "What do you think about good and evil, Mallow?"

"Mm. Not much. I like clam strips though!" he replied, already getting right to work and appending a sentence in his loose kid scrawl about that fight's real reward being a trip to the Seaside Smorgasbord, where they will no doubt enjoy a veritable pirate's bounty of king crab legs and fish filets and smoked salmon and fried shrimp and imitation lobster and blooper calamari and the unlimited soup n' salad bar and also those little plates of red (or green) gelatinous cubes with dollops of whipped cream on top.

Dilectio

Summary:  When your boyfriend said he wanted to try something new to make things more interesting, you never thought it would lead to this.

Pairing : Angel! Namjoon x Reader x Demon! Jimin

Genre : Fluff, Crack, Smut

Warnings : Threesome, Demon summoning, Overstimulation, Double penetration, Anal Sex, Choking, Unprotected sex (trap that beach before you tap that beach), Mild swearing

WC : 3.7k

Member : Fluff || @fluffy-fluffu​

A/N : Hope you guys like this one, my second attempt at writing smut dfgbjhc; also this fic is the first part of the group prompt “Hell of a Ride”! More to come!! Another side note: this fic borrows some elements from the show “Supernatural”. And now, happy reading!

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

You sat there watching your two boyfriends bicker back and forth with a fond smile. It was still hard to believe that you somehow got yourself these two amazing men that you could proudly call yours. 

You took another sip of your coffee, eyes never leaving your boyfriends. “Y/N~~ Tell Namjoon hyung crabs are little spawns of satan whose only purpose is to pinch people and cause chaos!” Jimin exclaimed, leaning over the table between you dramatically. 

“Crabs! Are! Best! Friends! They’re cute little babies!” Namjoon fired back, “Y/N what do you think?”

Choking on your coffee from the sudden attention, you sat up straight and put your cup down. Looking between the two sitting in front of you with wide eyes. They stared at you, eyes wide with anticipation at who you’re gonna side with.

“W-what?” you stuttered out. “You haven’t been listening to us have you?” Namjoon asked, amusement dancing in his eyes. You gave him a sheepish smile, rubbing your neck as you said, “Would you be terribly mad if I said no…?” 

Being the impatient brat he is, Jimin whined, before Namjoon could give you a reply. Wiggling in his seat to grab both your attentions, he started, “Yah pay attention to me too~ Stop looking at each other with those lovey dovey eyes when I’m here too.” Jimin huffed, pouting and crossing his arms.

You laughed as Namjoon grabed Jimin’s face and peppered it with kisses all over, Jimin giggling happily. “Yeah Namjoon~ Give our baby all your attention, why are you talking to me hmm?” You teased, causing Jimin to sit up straight and grabbing your hands. 

“Hey! You’re the baby here! I don’t need all the attention, you deserve it. I was just being a brat, don’t be sad” Jimin rambled, eyes wide with panic at the thought that you might misunderstand his actions. You laughed and freed one of your hands from his hold - much to his protest - and ruffled his hair in endearment. “I’m not sad Jimin-ah, I know you’re a brat.” You said with a wink, not being able to keep the teasing smirk off of your lips.

“You’d think Jimin is an innocent little human with how he acts.” Namjoon stated, watching your interaction. Jimin let go of your hand and leaned towards Namjoon, lips almost brushing against each other, “But you know better don’t you Joonie?~” Jimin spoke in a low voice, almost taunting. You could see Namjoon’s eyes darting back and forth between Jimin’s eyes and lips, contemplating if he should lean forward. 

Making up his mind, Namjoon was about to kiss Jimin when the latter moved away, lips tugging up in an innocent smile. “So, about the crabs, what do you think, Y/N?” Jimin spoke, acting as if nothing was wrong.

You glanced at Namjoon to see his face flushed red as he stared at Jimin and you took a sip of your coffee to hide your ever growing smile. “I don’t know Chimmie, you’re the demon here, you’d know what real spawns of satan would be like. So with that in mind, are crabs really it?” You countered, raising an eyebrow at Jimin. 

Jimin rolled his eyes as he leaned into Namjoon, hands going up to circle around the latters neck. “Waaah, what kind of an answer is that?!” Jimin whined. 

“Pretty sure that’s her way of saying she’s on my side babe.” Namjoon chuckled, looking down at the male practically laying on him. 

While those two went back to bickering about crabs you couldn’t help but think back to your first encounter with Jimin.

You had been dating Namjoon for about two years now and it was going great, amazing even. The way he treated you made you feel like a queen and the sex was amazing. But recently, you two had been discussing about spicing things up in the bedroom. You two had thought maybe introducing toys would suffice but even then something felt missing. 

One day during work, you got a text from Namjoon saying he found something that he’d like to try. You had agreed, thinking it was some sort of a toy, or maybe he wanted to explore a new kink. What you hadn’t thought was that your boyfriend would try to summon a demon, as one does apparently. 

So you could imagine the shock you felt when you stepped inside your shared apartment that night to see Namjoon setting up candles around your living room.

“What… are you doing?” You asked cautiously, eyeing the materials on the ground, some candles and a bowl on top of what seemed to be… was that a pentagram? Your eyes widened as you looked back up at Namjoon, question right on the tip of your tongue when Namjoon said, “I was thinking we could try summoning a demon?”

“You… want to summon a demon to spice up our sex life?”

“Yes.”

“...So you want to have a threesome with a demon?”

“...Yes.”

“Riiiight,” you started, looking at your boyfriend, concerned for his mental state now, “You do realise that’s not real right? Even if it were, you'd have to sell your soul or something to the demon?”

“...Yesss…?” Namjoon replied, now looking a little unsure, “But! Never hurts to try right? We could just give it our first born or something and not our soul.”

A whole minute passed as you stared at Namjoon in silence, trying to figure if he was being serious right now. “Namjoon, I love you, but what the fuck are you on about?!”

“What? What’s wrong with giving away our first born? It’s not like we want kids anyway.” Namjoon replied, his voice dying out at the end when he saw the look you were giving him.

You two stared at each other for a moment yet again, trying to decipher what was going on in the other’s mind. 

You were the first to break eye contact as you raised your hand in surrender and moved to go change in your bedroom, calling over your shoulder at Namjoon, “Do whatever you want but I’m not helping.”

-----

Turns out you were helping cause now you sat on the ground with Namjoon, glaring at him while he was smiling at you cheekily. Lights off and candles lit, illuminating the room around you.

“I’m not giving away my first born Kim.”

“But-”

“Kim Namjoon.”

“...Fine.” 

With that you saw your boyfriend sit up straight and start the ritual. He grabbed your hand and closed his eyes - telling you to close yours too - and started chanting.

“...ad ligandum eos pariter eos coram me!” exclaimed Namjoon at the end. You cracked one eye open, breath you didn’t realise you were holding and opened your eyes properly.

Leaning back with your hands supporting you while sitting, you looked at Namjoon who had opened his eyes too, examining the area. “Told you demons aren’t real.” 

You could see Namjoon deflate in disappointment, his lips jutting out in a small pout and you stood up, grabbing his hand to pull him up as you did so. You cupped his face and gave him a small kiss, smiling. “How about we clean up here and then we try something else? I heard edging is pretty fun and I’ll let you choke me tonight.” You offered, trying to make your boyfriend feel better.

Before he could reply, however, a foreign voice spoke up from behind you, “Ooo sounds fun, can I join?” You screamed and jumped into Namjoon, whipping around to see who just said that. 

There sat a man on your couch, silver hair shining under the lights that had suddenly turned on in the room, plump pink lips curved into a sinful smirk. Looking closer, you realised his eyes were pitch black, and he had a purple suit on, a matching shirt underneath. The aura around him mysterious yet tempting.

“Who are you?!” You exclaimed, this can’t be real, he can’t be real. Creatures like demons don’t exist! 

“I’m a demon, you can call me whatever you want, some call me Jimin if you’d like.” The demon, Jimin, replied, hungry eyes trailing down your body.

You stepped away from Namjoon, still holding on to his hand before asking Jimin, “Why are you here?”

“You’re the one who summoned me darling, don’t tell me you forgot already? I know I’m good looking but we haven’t even started~” 

Your eye twitched. He was a cocky one, you’d give him that. 

Jimin stood up gracefully from the couch, moving to take his suit off - it shouldn’t have been as arousing to look at as it was to you - and looked you in your eyes, “So what can I do for you princess? Why was I summoned?’ 

Namjoon spoke up this time, moving towards Jimin, “I summoned you, you’re an incubus I presume?” You were shocked at how steady his voice was, but then again he had it all planned, you thought to yourself. 

“Why yes~ Glad to see you did your research.” Jimin answered cheerfully, it was almost hard to believe he was a creature from hell. Almost. For his eyes had a darkness that would make even the toughest man cower. 

“We want to try something new. Would you like to join us for a threesome?” Namjoon asked, voice never wavering, as if he was discussing about the weather and not inviting a damn demon for a casual fuck.

You gaped at Namjoon and it seemed that Jimin was caught off guard too at Namjoon’s boldness. Jimin cleared his throat and smirked at him, eyes twinkling with amusement, “You’re an interesting little angel Kim Namjoon.”

Your eyes widened even more at that - how was that even possible without your eyes popping out? You didn’t know - as Namjoon stiffened. “What are you talking about.” asked Namjoon but it sounded more like a statement with underlying warnings for something you couldn’t figure out.

Jimin gave Namjoon a once over before he smiled, almost tantalizingly. He cocked his head towards you, eyes never leaving Namjoon before saying, “She doesn’t know, does she?~”

You looked at Namjoon in question, what were they talking about? But Namjoon refused to meet your eyes. “Will you join us or not Jimin?” Namjoon demanded in a low voice, almost growling. 

Jimin’s eye crinkled into crescents as his smile grew mischievously , “Of course, that’s why I’m here, am I not?~”

-----

You moaned out loud as Namjoon pushed his cock into you again, the bruising pace making you lose your mind. “J-joonie too much.” You garbled, body overstimulated and pussy aching from both his and Jimin’s previous ministrations.  

They had taken turns fucking you multiple times, making you cum every time. Your body shook in overstimulation and your mind turned foggy. You felt Jimin move behind, his cock sliding into your asshole in one smooth thrust. You moaned again, whimpering at the feeling of being so full.

“You like that baby? You having both of us deep inside you? I can feel Joonie’s dick in you.” Jimin whispered in your ear, hand moving down to play with your throbbing clit.

Whimpering louder, you rested your head against Jimin’s neck, turning to kiss and suck on his neck that would surely leave marks. “Yeah baby, mark me up, let everyone know who I’m with” Jimin hissed.

Your vision blurred, head drowning in euphoria as you came yet again, adding even more slick to the puddle beneath you. You felt like you could pass out right then and there, body exhausted but a particularly hard thrust from Namjoon had you writhing and moaning all over again. 

‘I’m gonna cum babe. Gonna fill you up nice,” Namjoon groaned, gripping your hips and thrusting into you at a faster pace. Jimin moaned and picked his pace up too, both the men now fucking into you in a frantic manner, chasing their high.

You felt Namjoon shudder as his dick throbbed in you before strings of cum shot into you, painting your walls white. Namjoon slowly pulled out, hissing at the sensation as you whimpered, suddenly feeling empty yet so full at the same time. 

Jimmin picked you up once Namjoon moved away and had you kneel, face pushed into the mattress, your ass sticking out. He thrusted harder and faster, one hand moving to choke you lightly. 

You could feel the coil in your stomach tighten again, body filling with the familiar fire that had you feeling like you were about to combust any second.

Jimin thrusted in one last time, pushing as deep as he possibly could before he too came with a loud groan, fingers twitching around your neck, choking you a little tighter.

Jimin cumming inside you and the feeling him choking you had you hurtling down the edge as you came one more time, body feeling as if it was on fire as you gushed out. 

“Fuck baby you squirted all over the place.”  Namjoon groaned, fingers moving to scoop out the leaking cum and shoving it back in again.

Even through your hazy, exhausted mind you felt someone wipe away and clean you as you laid there, barely being able to keep your eyes open. Namjoon settled down beside you, pulling you to his chest. 

You moved your hand back, looking for Jimin, frowning when you didn’t feel him there. You whined as you turned to look for Jimin, only to find him getting ready to leave. 

“Yah Jimin! Stay the night. I want cuddles, don’t even try to run away.” You rambled on, delirious from exhaustion.

Jimin chuckled and looked at Namjoon, an unspoken question in his eyes. Namjoon shrugged and beckoned him forward, wordlessly allowing him to join Namjoon and you on the bed. Jimin smiled and took off his suit, moving to situate himself behind you and moving closer, putting his hands over you and Namjoon, legs tangled together. You sighed happily, cuddling into the two men who stared at you with adoration and endearment in their eyes. 

Before you could fully succumb to sleep however, you heard Jimin say, “What a cute human you have there, hyung.” to which Namjoon replied, “I know.” You made a mental note to ask them how they know each other from before but for now, you finally let sleep take you in its sweet embrace.

-------

You were brought out of your thoughts to Jimin shaking your shoulder lightly, calling your name. “Y/N! Y/N! Hello? Earth to Y/N?”

You pushed his hand off and gave him a sheepish smile, “What’s wrong Chim?” Namjoon sat forward on his seat, concern clear on his face as he said, “You okay babe? You kinda zoned out on us right then.” 

“Yeah what were you thinking about to be so lost in that little head of yours?” Jimin asked, eyes twinkling with innocence that shouldn’t be fair for a demon to have. Your face flushed, mouth opening and closing, trying to get words out but failing every time. “Spit it out darling, we won’t bite~” Jimin urged, pausing for a second before continuing with a smirk, “Unless you want us too of course.”

You smacked Jimin on his head - much to Jimin’s protest for ruining his hair - and huffed, slumping in your seat and pouting. “I was thinking about the first time we met…”

Jimin visibly brightened up at the mention of that day and Namjoon softly smiled, eyes softening. “What a day, huh? Who knew we’d end up here, together after that?” Namjoon asked, reminiscing about the memories fondly. 

“Yeah and who knew you people planned on giving me your firstborn child.” Jimin started with a giggle, not even trying to hide the teasing undertone in his statement, “Can’t believe Namjoon hyung actually convinced you either, he should know that’s not how I work.”

You couldn’t help but glare at Namjoon at that, still a little resentful about getting tricked by Namjoon. Namjoon cooed at you, softly grabbing your hand and bringing it up to his lips to place a kiss. Your cheeks heated up at his actions and Namjoon smiled, dimples now prominent on his cheeks. 

“Stop being so cute, I’m trying to be mad at you.” You grumbled, looking to the side to try and hide the blush on your face. Namjoon chuckled, slowly turning your face towards him and pulling you in for a kiss, leaning over the table slightly. Always being weak for your precious boys, you didn’t hesitate to reciprocate, smiling into the kiss and humming your approval. 

You were about to lean into the kiss more when the waitress came back with your food. You jumped back and away from Namjoon, face flushing even brighter. You could hear the two in front of you laughing while you spared a glance at the waitress, only to see her smiling at you too. 

“Young love, you two remind me of when I was younger, ah the memories.” The elderly lady chuckled before looking towards the two boys and pointing at them, “You two better take care of her! She’s delightful, don’t you dare mess it up!” 

Jimin whined, pouting dramatically, “Waah ajumma~ You’ve known us for so long and you still think we’d do anything to ever lose Y/N-ie here?~ I’m hurt.”

Namjoon shook his head at Jimin’s antic before smiling brightly and saying, “Don’t worry ma’am, we don’t plan to mess it up.”

The waitress laughed along with Namjoon, smiling happily and placed the plates of food down. “Good boys.” She praised before she gave you another smile and walked away.

You sat up straight, taking your food without a word, hoping against all hopes that the two don't tease you again. Realistically speaking, you should’ve realised that wishing something such as that is the same as wishing for a miracle, but then again you are dating two mythical creatures. 

Sadly though, life seemed to hate you because you couldn't eat a single bite of your food before Jimin started teasing you about being this shy and getting flustered so easily. You looked at Namjoon, eyes begging for help but he simply chuckled and dug into his own food, clearly enjoying what was going on. You growled in annoyance at him but your face paled right away, eyes snapping towards Jimin.

“Damn babe, why don’t you growl like that in bed too~ You know I’d let you be on top any day.” Jimin spoke up, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively but all that went in your head was the one time your best friend had joked about pubic hairs having the capability of wiggling and you snorted at the thought. If you had food in your mouth, you were sure you’d be choking right then. 

Jimin raised an eyebrow at your reaction, mouth falling open slightly, “Did you just snort at me? How dare you!” He accused, wiping away imaginary tears dramatically. 

You laughed, hands rising to pat Jimin, “I was just thinking about something Johella told me the last time we spoke to each other.” 

This time, Jimin snorted, “I still don’t get what kind of a name is Johella, like what were their parents thinking back then?”

“I heard their dad wanted to name them Ella but their mom already chose Johnny cause she thought they were going to have a son.” Namjoon spoke up. 

“Dude.. how do you even know that?” You asked, a little concerned as to how he knows this when you have barely ever seen those two interact. “Oh, remember that day when they came over and you were in the shower? We chatted for a bit and they told me.” answered Namjoon, shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly.

“Anyway! What did they tell you sweetheart?” Jimin spoke up, bringing the attention back to you again. You laughed, thinking back to it before starting, “We were just talking about random things and some things led to others and we ended up discussing about sentient foreskin which returned to its original penis but when they bonded back, the foreskin could still talk.” You saw Jimin open his mouth to say something and you raised your hand to motion him to stay quiet and you continued, “So basically while talking about that, Johella said, as I quote, ‘"Nice to meet ya,” the foreskin grins and wiggles his pubic eyebrows.’ and it has been a kind of inside joke for us since then.”

By the time you finished your story, both Namjoon and Jimin were looking at you with wide eyes and eyebrows raised up to their forehead, mild horror clear on their faces. 

“I.. have so many questions but I’m afraid to ask,” Namjoon mumbled, still staring at you. “Well, I’m not. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE DISCUSSING, Y/N?” Jimin exclaimed from beside him.

You laughed even harder at their reaction, stomach in pain and barely able to breath at that point, “Y-you’re the ones who asked!”

“Well I didn’t realise you were such a weirdo!” Jimin replied, “Okay, that’s a lie, you’re my weirdo but why would you ever bring something that up during an anniversary dinner?! This is not what I wanted to talk about during our one year celebration.” Jimin continued, voice rising in pitch, whining a little by the end of his rant.

You laughed even harder, almost falling off of your seat, tears rolling down your cheeks. Jimin turned towards Namjoon and wiggled his eyebrow at him, “Does this bother you as much as it bothers me now?”

“Yes. Stop.” Namjoon replied, moving away from Jimin. Jimin smirked and started flailing his arms around, making sure to not accidentally hit something and wiggling his eyebrows even more, “Good. Suffer with me babe.”

You sat there, tears rolling down your face, cheeks hurting from smiling so hard and stomach in pain from all laughter and you watched the loves of your life mess around. Happiness swelled in your heart and your eyes watered a little more, this time from the sheer adoration you felt towards your two boys and you smiled even more. You realised how truly happy you were, heart thumping loud in your chest as your gaze never left the boys. Namjoon made eye contact with you in the midst of messing around with Jimin and gave you his brilliant smile that could light up a whole room, making your heart beat faster. 

You had your two boys that looked after you and always kept you happy, and you wouldn’t change this for anything in the world. 

A Busy Holiday

This was supposed to follow a prompt, but per usual, I deviated lol. Characters: Chris McKay x Black Female Reader / Also: parents, grandparents, siblings, and best friends. (Note: I gave you the last name “Davis”) Content: Fluff; a little angst?; worry; overthinking; couple issues.  Word Count: 1,659

McKay had been acting strange all week. He’d been avoiding you—responding to texts with single phrases or short sentences; not answering phone calls at all. The two of you were supposed to hang out during the holidays, and you’d spend Christmas Eve with your family, and Christmas Day with his. You wanted to go over your plans, but he just did not seem invested. Sure, he worked at a real estate agency, but surely people weren’t buying houses during the holidays? Or, maybe you were just an idiot who knew nothing about real estate...

Sigh...your parents always warned you about your tendency to jump to conclusions about everything, so you kept your cool. But now, it was two days before Christmas Eve, and you needed to know what was up. So, you called him, and finally, he answered.

“Hey, baby…” he said with a tired voice. “McKay? What the fuck is up?!” “I’m sorry, baby. I’ve been super busy.” “Me too, McKay, but I still make time to call. We’re supposed to be spending Christmas break together. Is that still happening, or no?” “Yes, it’s still happening. We agreed to do what we did last year, right? Christmas Eve with your people, then Christmas Day with mine, then just you and me at the Ramada, right?” “Yeah, but—” “I booked the Ramada in October, remember?” he pressed. You got agitated. “Yes, but McKay, just because we’re an hour away from each other it doesn’t mean we can’t still communicate. These short conversations have me thinking that you’re up to something.” “Up to something like…working? Spending time with my family and friends? Registering for next semester? Not everybody gets to just chill on their breaks...” He had a point with that last statement, but you chose to bypass it. “Am I not family or friends, McKay?” You heard him sigh. “Look, baby. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you Christmas Eve. Early in the morning. Okay?” You rolled your eyes. “Sure. Okay.”

Christmas Eve

McKay texted you the night before, saying that he would be over at ten. Of course, you sent him a dry “K.” in response. But who were you fooling? You got up the next morning, spent an eternity in the shower, slathering soap and body scrub all over your skin and shaving non-existent hair from your legs—just in case. You rubbed coconut oil into your skin, sprayed your Versace crystal on your neck, applied a little face makeup, and slid on some popping red lipstick. Maybe you were tripping…but you were going to make sure McKay got a GOOD look at what he’d been missing out on the last three weeks. 

The doorbell rang at exactly 10:00AM and your dad answered it. “What’s up, Chris?” your dad’s voice boomed throughout the house. “How you doin’, Mr. Davis?” McKay said. You heard the slapping of skin in a dap. Then, the front door closed. You gave yourself another look in the mirror—lifting your boobs in your red T-shirt, rubbing your hands along your thighs, and fluffing out your white cardigan. “I’m doin’, I’m doin’,” your father responded. “She’s in her room.” You yanked your phone off your dresser and jumped onto the bed. Then, you leaned over on your side and thumbed through the phone, pretending to be unmoved by McKay’s impending presence. He walked in with fresh braids, wearing his usual blue hoodie, some jeans, and his blue and white Jordan 11s. In his hands were a bouquet of red roses. “May I come in?” he asked jokingly. You looked up from your phone with an unimpressed look. “Sure.” He shook his head, chuckled to himself, and put the roses on your dresser. Then, he leaned over the bed and gave you a kiss on the lips. You almost fainted at the smell of cologne. “You tryna act like you ain’t happy to see me?” he asked, sitting beside you. You put down your phone and lifted your body to rest against your pillows. “I usually don’t get excited about seeing strangers,” you responded. He rolled his eyes and lean back. “Maaan, come on. Cut that shit out!” he laughed. You buried your face into your knees and laughed, but he wiggled his finger under your chin and tilted your head up. Then, he kissed your lips again.    “I’m sorry, baby. But I promise you, things have just really been busy,” he said. He lowered his head and rubbed your sheets. “And…I guess I have to be honest with you.” “Please do.” “I’ve had some shit going on mentally,” he admitted. Your heart sank. You really could be an asshole. You took his hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry, baby…” “No, don’t be sorry. Nothing bad, for the most part. I’ve just really been in my head about some things...” “But you know you can talk to me about it, right?” you asked. He stared into your eyes and smiled. “Yeah, I know.” He leaned forward to kiss you again, but just as his lips were inches away from yours… “Hey, McKay!” your mother’s voice screeched. You both looked up to see her in the doorway with an ugly Christmas sweater and reindeer ears on. You scoffed and buried your face in your knees again. “Mama, what are you wearing?” “Hey, Mrs. Davis!” “Hey, McKay baby. And what do you mean what am I wearing? It’s Christmas Eve!”

You and McKay started the day with some window shopping. You’d both completed your shopping, but it wouldn’t hurt to see what was left on the shelves. Next, you went on a double date with your best friend, Mariah, and her boyfriend, Johari—first some lunch at Panera Bread, then the movies. After that, you hung out at Johari’s apartment, playing board games. McKay insisted on playing Monopoly, the longest damned game in the world; then the two of you had to dash home for dinner with your family. You came home to smooth Christmas jazz playing from the radio, dim lights and candles—very different from the usual festive setup, where The Temptations would be blasting and every single light in the house would be on—with the blinds and curtains opened, too--much to your chagrin.  Both sets of your grandparents were in the living room, and you gave all four of them big hugs, as did McKay. “Babe, I’m going to go change out of this hoodie really quick,” McKay said. “Alright.” McKay returned to the living room in a crisp white Polo, but you noticed he’d changed into Khakis and dress shoes, too—the Polo shirt tucked in like he was going on a job interview. You raised an eyebrow, but figured he just wanted to be respectful. You hung out in the living room with your grandparents, and when the table was set, everyone made their way to the kitchen. Plates were already made with Dad’s famous ribeye steaks, mom’s crab cakes, and green beans. A tray of potatoes—sat in the center of the table with a bowl of sour cream beside it, a stick of butter, and the salt and pepper shakers. “McKay, would you like to say grace?” your dad suggested. Your eyebrows furrowed, because since when? “Um, sure Mr. Davis,” McKay agreed. Everyone bowed their heads. “Dear God, thank you for this day, and thank you for this dinner prepared by family…” Suddenly, the back door opened. You opened one eye to see McKay’s parents and brothers crept into the kitchen. You swung your head up and looked around at everyone and their still-bowed heads. “God, I especially thank you for allowing the Davis family to welcome me with opened arms. And today…” McKay removed his hand from yours, and suddenly, everyone’s head lifted. McKay stepped back and started digging in his pockets. Your hands flew to your mouth. “…I hope you’ll allow me to talk out of their home, with their daughter as my fiancée,” he said, pulling out a tiny box and falling to one knee. You stood frozen with your hands to your mouth and eyes wide. Then, tears started to stream down your face. “I can’t stand you McKay,” you blubbered. “I know,” he laughed. “Y/N Davis, will you marry me?” he opened the box and revealed gold band with a sparkling sapphire jewel in the middle—the exact kind of ring you told him you’d like when you were just two project partners for your Cultural Studies course—discussing marriages and weddings around the world. You shook your head in disbelief and wept. “Of course, I will, McKay. You know I will!” McKay took the ring out of the box and slid it on your finger, and your family—current and future—clapped and cheered. McKay rose to his feet, pulled you in his arms and kissed you on the lips. You rested your chin over his shoulders and spotted Mariah and Johari in the doorway. You let out a scream and a hearty laugh. “I hate y’all!” you shouted. They laughed and walked over to you and surrounded you both in hugs. “Is that why you had me in there playing some damned Monopoly?!” Everyone burst into laughter, and hugs and kisses went around.

During dinner, McKay informed you that he didn’t book the Ramada—but a weekend at a beach house through Noirbnb. You packed some lounging clothes, beach wear, and other necessities, hopped in the car with McKay, and the two of you made your way there. Of course, he teased you about your bratty attitude—and promised some punishment for it later—but the both of you promised to be better at communicating and understanding each other. You arrived at the beach house, owned by a lovely middle-aged couple, and made yourself comfortable. You were too full and tired to do what you both really wanted to do, so instead, the two of you wrapped yourselves in a blanket and sat on the beach, talking beneath the crescent moon, and before an endless ocean.

You Dropped This

Day 4: Free day/Nautical AU Word count: 3465

His eyes mirrored the blue waves of the ocean, he kicked the wet sand beneath his foot. He watched as his footprints dissolved as the tide came and went. The rhythm of the waves as they crashed onto shore filled his eardrums, the cold wind stinging his face and the scent of salt was the only thing he could smell; he always found the sea to be calming. Whenever he felt upset, he would always find himself walking his problems away on the beach, letting the waves erase it just as it would with his footprints on the shore.

Alfred sighed as a relieved grin stretched on his face. He could feel his worries get washed away by the sea, at least, for the meantime. He knew that he can’t run away from the real world forever, so he enjoyed the little time he had away from it. He watched seagulls and pelicans fly above him, he watched a small crab as it made its way into the water, his eyes raked around his surroundings before they fell on an odd sight.

A man sat on the sand just a few yards away from him. He was half-dressed, with only his trunks on. “A swimmer who likes cold waters, probably?” Alfred thought as he slowly approached the man. The man did not notice his presence at first, only when Alfred was a few feet away from him did he realize that he was not alone. The man was alarmed when he realized that a person was approaching him, his hand flew to the furry cloak beside him. He was about to run into the water when he recognized who the man approaching him was. He immediately felt relieved, it was just Alfred. Then panic filled him, it was Alfred!  

“Um, hey bro, you okay?” Alfred asked the stranger on the beach. His lips quivered before answering the American, “I’m…I’m good.” He cleared his throat, “I’m alright.” 

Arthur hoped that he didn’t sound so stupid in front of him. It’s not like Alfred knew him or anything, so why should he feel so self-conscious around him? Oh yeah, because of the fact that he had a huge crush on the American. Also, the fact that he had practically stalked him ever since he first came to the beach. Arthur wasn’t really human, because if he was, then he would’ve already gotten caught in the past. He was a selkie, a creature than can morph into a human being by taking off their seal-skin. The first time he saw Alfred was three years ago. Back then, Arthur had no interest in going on land (except for the thing called ‘tea’. It was the only reason why he even took off his skin in the first place), but when he saw Alfred walking on the beach with a lonely expression, he became curious. It wasn’t the first time he encountered a human, but it was the only time he paid attention to one. 

For three years, he watched Alfred behind beach rocks, from afar, and sometimes as a seal swimming in shallow waters. Each time Alfred came back to that beach, Arthur would always find himself watching him and grow even more curious. He wanted to know his name, who he was, where he came from, what was his favorite type of fish was, and the like.  There was just something curious about the human that he wanted to find out, and before he knew it, he had developed something else other than curiosity for the man.

“I…I should go.” Arthur stood up and briskly walked away before the other man could say anything else. Alfred thought that the man was strange, a little reluctant too, before he noticed the cloak lying on the ground. “Hey!” he yelled, “I think you dropped this!” he raised the furry cloak above his head. Arthur turned around and felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Oh no…” he whispered to himself. Alfred waved the seal-skin around like a flag, he said something else to the selkie, but he barely registered them. 

He has my skin. He is holding my skin in his hands.

Those words were the only things going on through his mind, he slowly walked back to Alfred. He could feel his cheeks burning as he approached the man, his heart hammered in his chest as he stood before the American. “You dropped this.” Alfred said as he handed the selkie his skin. Arthur refused to look at the human, he was embarrassed to the point where he wanted to curl up in a hole and die. He knew what it meant when a human takes the skin of a selkie, if only he wasn’t careless, he wouldn’t have gotten himself betrothed to a human. “Th…thank you.” He stuttered, wondering if he should tell the American what he had done. Alfred flashed him a grin, “You’re welcome dude. That’s some strange towel you have there.” He remarked.

“It’s not…nevermind.” He wrung the skin on his hands, now nervous that the human might think of him as strange. He was quiet until Alfred asked him another question, “So, what brings you here to the harsh beaches of the British Isles?”

“Wh…what?”

“What are you doing here, dude? You a swimmer?”

Arthur’s mind was racing, he couldn’t almost understand the human. He’s quite talented with the human language, but he somehow found himself speechless in front of Alfred. His mouth opened and closed like a fish before he could reply, “Swimming. Yeah, something like that. I swim.”

You’re brilliant, Arthur. Fucking brilliant.

“That’s cool.” Alfred flashed a grin. He was screaming internally behind his smile. This stranger on the beach was the most gorgeous creature he has ever laid his eyes on. He’s seen pretty faces before, but damn; this guy seemed like he was pulled out of a fairytale. There was a peculiar aura surrounding the strange man, he was like a mystery begging to be solved by Alfred.

“What…what about you?” the man stuttered out, “What brings you here to the beach?” 

“Well,” Alfred scratched his head, “I just like to walk my problems off here. The sea makes me calm, and helps me escape from the harsh reality of life.” The selkie only nodded at his statement. The two of them stood awkwardly there for another minute before Arthur gave the human a quick farewell and fled. Alfred tried to call out to him, but he was too far away. He sighed and kicked the sand beneath him.

“Damn, I didn’t even get to catch his name.”

.

A week later, Alfred found himself walking along the beach where he first met the strange man. He couldn’t stop thinking about the weird encounter he had on that beach. He hoped that he could see him again if he went back there, maybe even catch his name and get a date for the weekend.

The cold sea water lapped at his feet as he strolled along the shore, he kept on looking around him to see if he could find the nameless man again.

Seagulls. Sand. Seagulls. Water. Man. Rocks. Seagulls.

His eyes focused on the man sitting on top of the rocks, he recognized him immediately. The familiar mop of blonde hair and soft green eyes that held mysterious beauty wasn’t easy to forget. Alfred practically ran towards the rocks, “Hey!” he shouted, getting the attention of the peculiar man. Arthur stared at the human as he ran across the beach towards him. He didn’t feel scared, but he was a little nervous about the American. He didn’t want him to find out that he was a selkie, he might never return to the beach and probably be scared of him. He’ll try to play it cool and pretend that he is human, if he could do that, then he could marry him.

The thing about selkies is that if their skin is taken from them, they either have to marry their betrothed or die of a curse. He’d rather marry the human, because the curse is the most painful way a selkie could perish. It’s not his fault that things are supposed to be this way, selkies don’t make the rules after all. Alfred stopped by the rocks, he and the selkie stared at each other for a few moments before the American cleared his throat, “I didn’t catch your name, last time we met.”

Arthur’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. He mumbled out a few words, and cleared his throat, “I…My name is Arthur.” He looked away, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks. “Nice to meet you Arthur. I’m Alfred.” The American felt himself blush, he suddenly felt nervous for some reason. The man’s strange beauty was forever burned into his mind, he knew that he had to at least try to talk him up if he wanted to get an easy score, but the words became jumbled in his mouth. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing, or else one thing would lead to another and he might end up never seeing Arthur again. 

“Thank you again for returning my…towel.” The selkie said quietly. Alfred barely heard him over the wind and waves, but he saw gratitude gleaming in Arthur’s eyes. “You’re welcome, dude.” He smiled. Nothing happened for a few minutes, until the selkie jumped off from his rock and strode towards the human. The American was confused for a moment, did he do something wrong that made Arthur upset? Arthur closed the space between them until their noses were almost touching, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at the human.

If only I wasn’t careless…If only I didn’t get to meet him…I wouldn’t be in this mess right now!

Alfred gazed into eyes green like malachite gems, he could feel his heartbeat quicken. “Arthur, wha—?” he never finished what he was going to say because Arthur smashed his lips on the American’s mouth. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds before the selkie pulled away and glared at Alfred, who was still trying to process what just happened. “Damn you!” Arthur hissed, “Damn you for being so nice and kind!”

Alfred frowned, “What? I was just trying to help you. Do you have something against nice people bro?” by then, he wasn’t sure if he should’ve helped him out in the first place. He probably shouldn’t have judged the book by its cover. Arthur let out a groan of frustration, he pinched the bridge of his nose and silently cursed himself.

Hey, what part of “playing it cool” did you not understand? I thought you were smarter than that.

He scolded himself for panicking. Why did he even panic in the first place? Arthur turned scarlet, he wished that whatever deity was out there would strike him down right there and then. “I…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… to do that.” He stammered, “Just forget that I ever did that. Forget you ever met me.” He began to walk away, thinking that maybe dying of a curse isn’t so bad after all. Alfred grabbed his wrist and yanked him back, “Oh, ya ain’t going anywhere until you explain yourself!” The selkie let out a cry, he was face to face with Alfred once again. “Hey, let go of me!” He tried to pull away, but the human’s grip was strong. “Not until you tell me what’s going on!”

“I can’t!”

“Why not?”

“Because…because if I did…” Alfred heard a sob from the selkie, “You’d stop coming back, and…and I wouldn’t be able to…I don’t want to…” Arthur spoke brokenly, tears streamed down his cheeks. Alfred felt guilt climbing up his throat, he loosened his hand on the other’s arm. “Oh, god. I’m…I’m so sorry—!” And in that moment, Arthur took the chance to escape. He ran towards the rocks to retrieve his skin; he didn’t notice Alfred following behind him. Just as he was about to put it on, the human caught up with him and his eyes widened at the sight. “Arthur!” Alfred reached out his hand towards him, but was too late. The last thing the human saw was the tail of a very large seal as it jumped into the cold waters.

.

Alfred knew what he saw, but he did not want to believe it. He saw Arthur’s pale face before he turned into a seal, and disappear into the ocean. He wanted to believe that he was just hallucinating, that what he saw was some kind of schizophrenic episode. Deep down however, he knew that what his eyes saw was true. He knew that Arthur was real. He did a little bit of research about human-seal creatures and stumbled upon the folktale of the selkie. That’s how he found out what Arthur really was, and why he was so upset at him. He didn’t know back then that taking a selkie’s skin meant that he was proposing to him, now he felt flustered whenever he thought of Arthur.

For the past six months, he had visited the beach where he last saw Arthur but he never saw him there again. He wrote letters and put them inside bottles, then he threw them into the ocean to be dragged away by the currents. A bit cliché, but he had no other way of communicating with the selkie. He waited for his reply patiently.

He visited the beach every day, he would even camp out at night at the beach when the winds were harsh and the temperature was almost freezing. He waited for days, weeks, and months, but he did not waver. It was almost a year since he last saw Arthur, but his memory still felt like it all happened yesterday. Alfred could still hear his voice, he could still picture his eyes, green as ever, his wheaten hair, his cold skin, his warm lips, everything about him that he noticed during the two times they encountered. He wanted to see Arthur, no, he needed to see Arthur. He was ready to wait for a hundred years as long as he saw the one who captured his heart, even if it was just for one last time.

.

A storm was brewing over the ocean, the winds were almost unforgiving that morning. Alfred went to the beach despite the brewing storm, the wind and rain didn’t bother him anyway. The beach was more colorless than usual days, the waves were grey, and the dreary atmosphere made the whole beach feel depressing. He scanned the familiar surroundings, hoping to at least find something different, and something different he found. Bottles littered the shore, most had barnacles and corals growing on them, and they led to the rocks where he last saw him. Alfred ran as fast as his legs could go, the wind and rain stung his face like a million needles but he did not pay attention to the pain. He almost tripped over the bottles and rocks in the sand, he was almost at the rocks.

Please, please, please. Please be here.

He felt disappointed when he only saw more glass bottles, the adrenaline he felt slowly disappeared. 

Maybe I am going nuts. Why did I expect him to come back? He’s just a figment of my imagination, I just made him up.

Alfred fell on his knees.

I just made him up because I wanted to escape reality so bad.

He could see his tears blurring his eyes.

But why does he feel so real?

He let out a cry, and became a sobbing mess. The weather seemed to feel his sadness, the winds picked up and heavy rain fell from the dark clouds. He cried out in frustration, loneliness, and hopelessness. The sea cried with him. He almost missed the soft voice that called out to him.

“Alfred.”

He gasped and searched around him, then his gaze landed on the familiar figure atop the rocks. Arthur gave him a sad smile and jumped off the rock. The American was frozen in place, he was wondering if the cold was making him delirious or that he had finally gone nuts. The selkie slowly approached him, in his hands were some of the hundreds of letters Alfred threw into the sea. The papers were wet and torn, the ink had already smeared some of the words, making them almost unreadable, but Arthur held onto them like a lifeline. "Arthur." the human said breathlessly, he couldn't believe his eyes. After almost a year of yearning and waiting, the moment he longed for was finally here. But he didn't know what to do, all he did was wait and wait, and he didn't know what would happen when they would meet again. 

The selkie stood right in front of him, the sad smile on his lips never leaving his face. Alfred muttered his name once again, he stepped closer until the two were mere inches apart. Arthur looked up to him, "You look tired." he said, placing a hand on the human's cheek. "I'm sorry." he rubbed his hand over the warm skin. "Where...where were you? I waited for you everyday, I wrote you letters—"

"I know. I've read them all." Arthur interrupted.

"Then...then, why? Why did you make me wait? Why didn't you come back—!"

"I was scared, Alfred." The selkie cut him off once again. Alfred couldn't think of anything to say back, so he waited for him to continue. "I was...I was afraid, that you'd reject me. That you'd stop coming back, that you'd never show yourself to me ever again." Arthur confessed, his voice was brittle but his smile never wavered. 

"That's what I have been thinking of everyday, it ate me from the inside." He softly chuckled, "I guess I was wrong. Despite knowing who I really am, you still came back and looked for me, you waited day and night." his grip tightened on the tattered papers in his hands, "I feel terrible. If only I had been more braver, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe, we could've worked." he laughed bitterly. His laughter was interrupted by a sharp pain in his chest, he winced and crumpled to the ground. "Shit, Arthur!" Alfred caught the selkie in his arms, surprised at the touch of his freezing skin. 

"Alfred..." His voice was weak and almost inaudible in the storm, The Curse was slowly killing him from the inside, it was the most painful thing he ever felt. He heaved and sobbed, he curled into Alfred's chest. "Arthur, hey, hey, hey! C'mon, wake up!" he shook the selkie's bare shoulder, his skin was pasty and unaturally pale. The other only moaned in response, he could feel The Curse eating away his insides and skin. The American kept calling Arthur's name, he tried to keep him awake by shaking him occasionally.

The storm raged around them, wind and rain blew against the two of them. The letters in Arthur's hand were long gone, drenched by the rain and blown away by the wind. The selkie only felt numbness below his knees, but he felt Alfred's warm embrace, it felt heavenly. He had so much more to say to the human, but he knew he had little time left. "Alfred..." His voice was almost a whisper, "Yeah? What is it, Arthur?" the other man asked breathlessly, he stroked the selkie's wet hair. 

"Promise me..." He croaked, "Please, promise me."

"Yeah, I promise. What is it that you want me to promise you?"

"When...when I'm reborn. When we meet again...please, marry me." Alfred's eyes widened, before turning soft as he gazed down at Arthur. He nodded, "Yeah," he kissed the selkie's forehead, "I'll wait for that day. And when that day comes, I am going to marry you." 

Arthur's half-opened eyes shone with tears, "I wish we had more time..." he leaned into Alfred, who nodded in agreement. They stayed that way until Arthur was nothing but sea foam. The storm stopped just as he disappeared. Alfred cradled nothing in his arms, but he imagined that the selkie's form was still curled around him. He was wet, cold and lost. What was he supposed to do now? Should he move on?

Maybe. I don't think I would ever forget something like this though. 

He left the rocks, and the beach behind. He stopped waiting by the sea everyday, he stopped writing letters and stopped going to the beach whenever he felt upset. Arthur would cross his mind every now and then, and he would always end up thinking that if he had done things differently, took all the risks and had been more confident, maybe he could've scored an easy date that weekend.

***

I did a few changes to the folktale for the sake of the plot. I kinda rushed this one too, I've been busy the past couple of days. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed the story!

what is YOUR wawa order? will i even know what it is? you've talked about wawa so many times before, i must've erased all prior knowledge you shared with me

omg i miss wawa SO MUCH. i just checked my credit card statement, and i haven’t been since february 28th!!! this is for sure the longest i have gone without wawa in probably about a decade!! anyway, i hope you wanted an extremely detailed description of what i get from wawa, because here we go.

for me, the main draw at wawa is that they will make you a sandwich and you don’t have to talk to anyone, you just go up to a screen and push the buttons and build a sandwich with exactly what you want on it, and only what you want on it, and it’s very satisfying and doesn’t require you feeling awkward for reciting a lot of substitutions to anyone because it all prints on a receipt for them to read.

first: breakfast. i love wawa breakfast. they only serve it until 11, and it’s pretty rare for me to want to go to wawa at that time of day. if they served breakfast all day, i would never eat anything else. my order is pretty basic. i just want a scrambled egg breakfast hoagie on a wheat roll with provolone, black pepper, and sriracha. i don’t normally care for veggies with my eggs, i just want lots of cheese and a little bit of heat. yum!!

and then lunch/dinner, but i don’t think i would ever go to wawa for lunch, that feels weird. that feels like something that requires a special trip, like why am i putting in the effort to leave my house and drive to wawa to get a sandwich in the middle of the day, wawa is for picking up on the way home from work when you are not in the mood to cook, or for stumbling into at like 8pm on the weekend when you’re like “oh shit i forgot to EAT something today” or for stopping at on the way home from the airport or something like that.

anyway, i rotate through three different dinner sandwiches. the one i get the most is: cheese hoagie on a wheat roll, toast the bread ONLY, provolone and swiss. i used to get lettuce, but wawa lettuce is shredded and makes a mess and i usually pushed it all off anyway, so i don’t get lettuce anymore. but i get tomatoes and pickles and black pepper. i used to get honey mustard, then they stopped having that as a choice so i started getting creamy chipotle sauce, but then they started having honey mustard again so now i tend to just pick whichever speaks to me.

sometimes i get egg salad on a wheat roll with provolone, lettuce, tomato, black pepper, that’s it. not toasted, ew.

and then the other sandwich i get sometimes, which was my regular order for very many years, is a cheese hoagie on a white roll (the ONLY time i will ever eat white bread but it is required for this), not toasted, pepper jack and provolone, little bit of oil, little bit of vinegar (extremely important to specify or your bread will get too soggy and be very gross), lettuce, tomato, pickles, oregano.

wawa has a refrigerated display island in the middle of the store with premade items. i usually grab some grapes and cheese and crackers snack packs and tell myself i will keep them in the fridge for later but then consume them immediately like a liar. they used to have a snack pack that was cheese and pear slices and almonds, and i loved that one but i haven’t seen it in a while so i think it’s discontinued. they also have premade salads and sandwiches, none of which i like. there was a caprese sandwich for a while that was mozzarella and tomato on a ciabatta roll with a side of creamy pesto dressing that was sooooooooooooo good, but it’s been discontinued for years, but i still think about it all the time.

there is also a display by the register where they keep premade hot items, and this is where i sometimes grab their extremely trashy mozzarella sticks that are like...if you want a real mozzarella stick and you eat this, you will be disappointed, but sometimes you just really want a spicy congealed wawa mozzarella stick, it is its own thing entirely. this is also where they keep soft pretzels, and i like the ones stuffed with jalapeño cheese.

wawa also makes their own line of bottled beverages, which are usually 2 for $2. my favorite is the tangerine white tea, which is not available at every location, and which will randomly disappear for months or years at a time before resurfacing with no warning.

wawa also has just basic convenience store stuff, including a large selection of herr’s chips, which is a regional snack brand that i like a lot. my favorite flavors are probably honey bbq and creamy ranch & habanero, with sour cream and onion or crabfries as backups. they are usually on sale if you buy two bags but they don’t always have every flavor, so it’s important to have a backup. buying crabfries flavored herr’s potato chips at a wawa is probably the most mid-atlantic experience you could have lol

(crabfries flavor, by the way, contains no crab. they are just covered in old bay, which is often used to season crabs. old bay isn’t even good, i really do not like it, it’s just salt and heat with no subtlety and no depth of flavor, it doesn’t even taste good!!!! fight me, maryland. but it’s so weirdly addictive ahhhh)

i believe i have sufficiently answered this question!

To Go, Please (Thalexios)

This has been a long time coming, but it’s my first foray into an Assassin’s Creed fanfic! This was requested by @deadskeleton95 who wanted some modern thalexios, so I really hope you enjoy! It got a little out of hand, but I tried to stick to the prompt as best as possible! <3 If you have any prompts (even other than Thalexios) message me!

Read on Ao3 as well!

The first time he had come in, Alexios had dropped the bearclaw he was putting on display near the front counter. Both of their eyes, which had previously been locked, immediately followed the trail of the sad little pastry, its almonds wedging loose in some places.

“That’s not an omen, is it?” The man - man, he was Alexios’s age, probably still in college - asked, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. He was the picture of dry humor, but underneath that there was a sincere amusement dancing on the edge of his words. Alexios was just thankful that his cheeks didn’t burn as bright red as the apron Barnabas forced him to wear.

“I’m sorry about that. The tongs…” He snapped the offending instruments for example like a sad little crab, and this time a small smile played out on the customer’s face for a few precious seconds. It was a nice face, Alexios would admit. He was effortlessly beautiful, and you couldn’t deny it. He was like a strong breeze; he just was there, and you knew it.

“They have a mind of their own, I’m sure.”

“Exactly. Anyway… What can I get you?”

“Definitely one of those,” Thaletas pointed to a - fresh - bearclaw, “and a medium of whatever your ‘Spartan Kick’ is.”

“Good luck with that one, friend.” It was by far the strongest coffee they served, almost enough to warrant a warning label in Alexios’ humble opinion. “I’ll make sure to send flowers and a nice letter.”

“I’m more than sure I can handle it.” The customer scoffed, and Alexios didn’t doubt it at all, but the wise, more sensible past of him that his mother had molded him into made him bite his tongue; especially since this was going on much too long even for a “dead” time. Instead he cleared his throat and grabbed a cup.

“Could I have a name for the Spartan Kick?” Alexios picked up a cup and Sharpie marker, subtly clearing his throat.

“Thaletas.”

“Thaletas?”

“It’s T-H-”

Alexios showed him the cup. “Like this?”

Thaletas blinked and read it over. “You got it right on the first try. Thanks for not laughing.”

“Alexios.” Alexios pointed out his nametag. “I completely understand the struggle.”

Thaletas smiled again - a real smile, the corners of his eyes just barely starting to crinkle - and Alexios knew immediately he wanted to make it happen again.

~~~~~

Thaletas would show up regularly over the next few weeks, always on Tuesday around quarter to 11am, but aside from very small things Alexios could learn from conversations and typical details, he knew next to nothing.

“You’re disgusting.” Kassandra remarked one day as Thaletas left, and no Alexios did not almost spill a bag of flour before he turned to glare in reproach at his older sister in reproach. She had apparently been in line behind Thaletas and just moved like a damn shadow since she had eluded the sight of everyone until right about now.

“Don’t you have off today?” He remarked in way of a greeting or acknowledgement of her previous statement.

“Yeah, and I’m here for three strawberry filled donuts with powder and a large espresso. But besides that…” She dramatically over emphasized the point and leaned against the counter to look over at her brother, “Who was that you were chatting up a storm with?”

“We were not ‘chatting up a storm’, I was asking about his exercise routine, how much he pressed.”

“And if he would be able to press you, obviously.” She was unphased as Alexios almost slammed the little wax paper bag down in front of her. Why was it so damn dead in the store now?

“Shut your dirty mouth. You want to say that a little louder? Can you just… Just not? He’s a customer.”

“Alexios, I saw the way you were looking at him. Little brother, that’s the same way you used to look at that cute boy who wanted to be a doctor. What was his name, Ly- Lyakon, wasn’t it?”

“You’re not helping my case.”

“And I’m not trying to. Just relax a little bit, okay? And because I’m such an am-a-zing big sister, I’ll give you a tip.” She leaned in conspiratorially as Alexios handed her the coffee and whispered. “Make the first move.”

“Impossible.”

“Boys almost never make them. You do it? Get his reaction. Catch him off guard. And before I lose my mind get his number. Okay?” She stared at him long and hard before he sighed and nodded once. She smirked and left with an extra two dollars in the tip jar, and Alexios felt like hitting his head against the oven door. Although he knew she was right. And though he would never admit it… She did give him an idea.

~~~~~

The next time Thaletas came in, Alexios chickened out. The time after that, though, he took the time and did something worthwhile when the opportunity presented itself.

“Do you know a Brasidas?”

“Brasidas?” Alexios looked up from where he was brewing the beans for Thaletas’ drink. It was becoming a tradition of a sort where if it wasn’t too busy and if Barnabas' good eye was turned away, they would talk a bit. Thankfully, most times seemed to be like that. “There’s one. He’s an old friend of my mother.”

“He’s my coach, actually. At my college.” And oh, everything made sense at that point. He commuted, he had later classes, things were beginning to snap into place. “He was actually the one to recommend The Adrestia to me. Said you and your sister worked here and it was really nice.”

“We do. Kassandra is a little like a cat, though. She comes and goes as she pleases unless she requires food.” Alexios gestured in a joking manner before putting the top on the coffee and handing it over. This was it, and he put on a winning grin with the just right wink to go along with his words. “Did he say much else about me? Something about my winning good looks, perhaps?”

Immediately he felt every internal part of him cringe at his delivery, even though theoretically it should’ve worked. It wasn’t disrespectful, wasn’t rude, but it was just… bad. And he knew it.

But amazingly, instead of walking out then and there, or laughing in Alexios’ face, Thaletas simply just… said nothing. The freckles on his face grew more pronounced, even, as he started to blush. It was fascinating, a beautiful shade on his olive skin. His eyes darted away for a second and he didn’t reach out for the offered coffee for a second.

“No, he- He didn’t say that.”

“So… You’re saying I’m ugly?”

“Not at all!” He said it loud enough that a few eyes darted over and this time Alexios could feel himself heat up a bit. There was a somewhat awkward cough from behind Alexios and he felt a light pat on his shoulder.

“Do you need to take a little break?” Barnabas asked and this time the cringe was reflected on Alexios face and in his wince as he shook his head.

“No thanks. Have a good day, Thaletas.”

“You as well, Alexios.” The other man got out before grabbing his coffee and bag and making the beeline out the door, the bell hanging above tinkling its small goodbye. Alexios gave out a mix of a sigh and a groan and allowed his head to gently connect with the cash register in front of him.

“It’ll work out, boy, don’t worry.” Barnabas offered in way of support, fucking mystic as always, and Alexios didn’t even have it in him to roll his eyes as usual. He wasn’t even about to find a way to plot the death of his older sister the next time she came waltzing in here. He just wanted the week to be over. And he didn’t want next Tuesday to roll around at all.

~~~~~

Next Tuesday rolled around, and he didn’t see Thaletas at all until the very end of the day. 11am had come and gone with his heart in his throat and fresh food waiting; heavens knew he was the one of the only people as well who ordered their death trap of a Spartan Kick, so that was all ready to be brewed. But he didn’t show up the whole day. And Alexios tried not to let that get him down, he really didn’t. He just baked donuts, made coffee, smiled, nodded, and confirmed.

The sun was almost completely set and his shift was within the last hour when the bell sounded again and Alexios found it in him to get to the front counter to give a greeting and take the order. The sight in front of him made it die on his lips, another word taking its place with more disbelief than he was going for.

“Thaletas?”

“Alexios. I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier, it… There was traffic. And I was waiting outside until it wasn’t so busy. I didn’t want to…” His hand swirled a little as he searched for the words. “Embarrass you.”

“Oh.” Alexios’ heart sunk. “You won’t embarrass me, Thaletas. Really. You did nothing, I should apologize for last week, it was unprofessional-”

“I do think you’re good looking.” Thaletas cut him off quietly. “Stunningly so. I did when I first walked in. And I think you are a very wonderful man.” Then here he took a breath, willing Alexios to be quiet; not that Alexios could say anything if he wanted to. “It’s why I simply wanted to give you this.” He dug in his pocket and took out a pen before swiping a nearby napkin and scribbling something on it. He slid it across the counter for Alexios, and finally Alexios saw in all its glory that it was Thaletas’ number. “Are you able to meet after your shift? Or sometime this week?”

“I get out in less than an hour.” This time Alexios couldn’t help a smile, and he saw another real one mirrored on Thaletas’ face as well. “Are you able to wait that long?”

“Am I able to get a small wedge of cake while I wait, then? Maybe on the house?” He asked, a fake hopeful look on his face that had Alexios’ shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Maybe next time.”

And there were plenty of "next times" after that night.

---

I hope you enjoy! If you do I have a Masterpost here and more ideas for writings and prompts here, so feel free to request!  If you’d like to support me, I have a ko-fi here! Safety and peace!

Drabble: A Criminal's Best Asset is His Lie-ability (baon)

Summary:   The scariest statement in the English language?Stretch has money on 'we need to talk'.

Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Domestic, Fluff, Sweet Boys

Notes: Anyone else need some fluff today? Yeah? Awesome.

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

Read it on AO3

or

Read it Here!

~~*~~

One of the nice things about not having a 9 to 5, was that any given day could be a day off. That his chosen one was Saturday was coincidence, really, and Stretch was enjoying it with as much laziness as he could muster.

Which meant he was currently lounging in a deck chair with a piece of reflective cardboard, working on his tan which was a hilarious joke, thank you. It was well into the chucklicious stage when a shadow interrupted his basking. Stretch slit open his sockets and through his sunglasses, he could see Edge looking down on him with a Very Serious Expression ™.

“hey, babe,” Stretch put down his reflector and reached out for his drink to lift it in a mock toast, ice cubes clinking merrily.

"We need to talk."

Well, that sounded sufficiently ominous. Stretch set aside his piña colada, plucking free the paper umbrella as something to fidget with while trying not to look too anxious. Edge seemed awfully damn serious for a Saturday morning and Stretch couldn’t think of anything he’d done lately to warrant that kind of expression. Or at least nothing he would have been caught at so quickly.

Edge opened his mouth, shut it, opened in again, took a moment to rub his forehead and let out a long suffering sigh, and then finally he said, "I want to ask for an explanation, I do, but I'd like to start with saying that I completely and irrefutably forbid you from robbing a bank."

Oh. That. "look, it’s not like that, babe."

"--because we hardly need the money and even if we did, turning to a life of crime isn't a valid choice, and honestly, love, you’d be a terrible cat burglar, you trip going up the stairs every other day—"

"hey!"

“—besides, if your teammates get detained, you won't even be able to drive the escape car—"

“okay, you have me on that one.”

"--and if, heaven help us, my brother got involved, it would almost certainly end with a multi-state manhunt, possibly international, and someone would be hurt or killed, and—

“edge!” Stretch said loudly when he finally paused for a breath. “babe, i’m not actually robbing a bank.”

“Ah. That’s…good to hear.” But yeah, that was enough lingering doubt to spread on a suspicion sandwich, with a smidgen of hope for garnish. It probably would have been insulting, but— “Perhaps you can explain this then?”

Edge held up what he had in his hand and, yeah, that was a little awkward. Blueprints, alarm system schematics, and a notebook that had ‘Bank Robbery’ written at the top with doodles down the margins of bags with money signs on them.

Yeah, he was having a hard time faulting Edge for his trust issues on this one.

Stretch tried to hold back the grin, he really did. Tried to think of hurt puppies and dropped birthday cakes and lonely lovers standing with flowers in the rain. But the pained, earnest look on Edge’s face as he stood there trying to convince him not to devote his life to crime was too much.

It started with a little smile, one that strained at feeble hold of his restraint and grew, swelling into a giggle and finally broke through with a roar of helpless laughter. Stretch fell back on the chair, giggling madly, and it was only when he could see honest irritation starting to spark in Edge’s eye lights that he sat up, wiping at his damp sockets.

“babe,” Stretch said patiently, and he could do fuck all about the quiver of laughter lingering in his voice, but hey, it was the effort that counted. “it’s a game.”

“A game,” Edge repeated slowly.

“yeah, a game! like a board game? it’s called ‘heist’, me and andy have been playing it over skype.”

The relief that passed across Edge’s face at learning he wasn’t going to have to live his life on the run like a Monster-version of Bonnie and Clyde was kind of fucking adorable. Shame it didn’t last. That reserve that Stretch hated so much dropped down over his face like a curtain, show’s over, no encore.

“I’m sorry,” Edge said, stiffly, and fuck. He knew his baby entirely too well. Anyone else might doubt his sincerity or think he was a prick, but Stretch knew him. Edge wasn’t much for role-playing games but if this was Monopoly, he was heading straight for embarrassed without passing Go or collecting two hundred bucks.

“hey,” Stretch said softly. He hooked his forefingers into Edge’s belt loops, tugging him forward until Stretch was craning his neck to look up at him. “we’re cool, mama bear. if you didn’t worry, then i’d end up worrying about you, and that’d worry you, which is a never-ending cycle we probably shouldn’t start up.”

That curtain of reserve wavered, blowing back enough for Stretch to see the shame and uncertainty hiding behind it. “I shouldn’t have assumed—”

“shoulda, woulda, coulda, babe. and let’s be real, here, if my bro saw that shit? he would’ve tied me to a chair before settling on a chat.”

Yeah, mentioning his bro and his smothering tendencies was a good way to get a scoff and a roll of eye lights out of Edge. “I might have tried that myself, but I know full well you have a book on magic and knot-tying in the living room.”

“aww, you ruined my surprise.” Stretch let his hands slide down Edge’s femurs, watching the crackle of interest in his eye lights turn to surprise as Stretch abruptly shifted to push hard on the backs of his knees, sending Edge nearly sprawling into his lap. “ah, there we are. hi.”

“Hi,” Edge said dryly. But he only wriggled a little to get comfortable, for once not crabbing that he was too heavy for Stretch. Instead, Edge took advantage of their equal height to take a kiss that didn’t make him crane his neck one way or the other.

He tasted like love and apology and Stretch only sighed and accepted it. He also made a mental note to tell Andy that they were starting a new game called ‘Heist’, because if Edge found out he’d planned all that out as a mental exercise in a moment of manic boredom, he was probably gonna be sleeping on the couch for a week, possibly longer.

And maybe he should go ahead and burn the notes, because he’d never actually planned to rob a bank, of course fucking not, but if Red caught a gander at it…? Yeah, maybe that was a limb he shouldn’t go out on. Better safe than sorry and all that shit.

In the meantime, he had a husband to reassure that he wasn’t about to squeeze into leather pants and a mask to hit up the local credit unions with a freeze ray or something.

Now that was a job he could handle, no international manhunts required.

-finis-

Bittersweet meetings PT4

Summary:

Jasper and Connie discuss what transpired and touch on Connies biggest flaw.

Jasper and Peri stood waiting for anyone to talk and explain what happened. Jasper patience ran out first.

“No one gonna speak.  You're crying with a busted lip Lapis, Connie cheek is whelped red and her hair is out of place;  tea is spilled, all the laptops knocked over and table out of place.”

Peridot followed after while picking up the laptops and getting her and Jasper a seat.

“Not to mention Lapis wants to bite your head off and Connie looks like she’s between being completely done and wanting to run you through with a fencing sword. So what happened?”

Silence was the only thing in the room. Jasper and Peridot looked at the two glaring girls waiting for anything. Connie folded her arms under her chest and leaned back into the door in defiance. Lapis scoffed and muttered something lowly. She got the room attention.

“What did you say Laps?” Peridot looked expectantly at the secretary.

lapis looked and saw three pair of eyes waiting..The black pair not as eagerly as the other two.

“Connie's a lying bitch”

The vice and the treasurer looked floored at the statement. They turned their head when they heard a very cool and lifeless chuckle from the door..

“Ohh-ho-ho..I’m gonna beat your ass.You ungrateful  little-”

as Connie stalk towards the bluenette, Jasper lifted her up over shoulder and escorted  her out if the room closing the door behind them all while ignoring the swears and insults the two were throwing at each other.

Jasper took her two rooms down; the computer room and placed her down on the table. Connie fummed as she crossed her ams and legs; muttering, what Jasper assumed were curses, in tamil. Jasper looked down at the president with a slight smile a thought to her head.

“Connie.”

“…”

“Cooonnnie”

“Uhhmm”

“CONNIECONNIECONNIE”

“ARGGGHHHHH WHAT!?”

Jasper smirked at the red faced girl, who gave her a sarcastic one in returned… it dissolved to a slightly more real one after a few moments, she was still enraged. but not at her vice.

“So, wanna tell me why you two are at war?”

Connie growled before sighing and scratching the back of her head.” No, but i'm tired of being on this subject, so...Lapis..Something happened and she blames me.”

“Are you to blame?”

“Did you really just ask that?! How can I be blame for something I just found out about!? That why she been riding me all day and been temperamental these last few days.”

Jasper place her hands up at Connie's outburst as she nodded in agreement. The secretary  has been moody and easier to set off than usual. “Look, not accusing you or anything, but I don't know what happened?”

Connie was about to scream, when she took a deep breath into her chest and held it for a few moment before releasing.” Lapis blames me for her confession falling through.”

“Confession to whom?”

“Who you think?”

Jasper to blink thrice at the spontaneity of her statement and the languid tone. “Ok..wait…”With her eyes close and a small grinding of her teeth, Jasper tried to understand what she was told and why it happened. It didn't take her long as she  came up with only sensible conclusion. “Really..Steven?”

Connie nodded, blowing some air into her own hair, before laying down on the chair, knocking her feet back.. “Stupid right?”

Jasper laid next to the president  looking up at the ceiling. “Don't know yet. How about detail report?”

Connie, with a kiss of her teeth and exhausted  groan, told Jasper all that happened between Lapis and her. Jasper for the most, part kept silent and listened with an unbiased ear as  the president explained and even vented a bit. minutes passed before Connie ended, silence seeping into the room.

“Was I wrong at all?”

Jasper sighed  taking in the info before answering “Well, no...But you know Lapis enough to know that she act on emotion-”

“Wha-”

“ That isn't an excuse for her behavior or actions towards you. Just stating the obvious...That being said..She did hit some points about you and Steven’s relationship.”

Connie scoffed “Friendship, and what points?”

Jasper smirked “Relationship. She's right about how you two can be off in your own world, even when we're all together.”

Connie didn't say anything at first,but release a sigh in acceptance. “Well he's my-”

“Nope, I'M your best friend. We knew each other longer than anyone else, so don’t try it Nini.” She gave her oldest friend a small tap with her arm eliciting a giggle from the president.

“Well if you’re gonna pull seniority..I guess so, Jealous.” Jasper nodded, a small deep chuckle escaping from the large teen. She took a deep breath before turning towards connie. “Lapis is right though..It's vastly different, the relationship between you two. There’s a certain depth to it.“

“I...I won’t deny that, but why is that a problem? It’s not like I am stopping him from dating anyone. Part of the reason I began the charade with Jeff up was for her to take a chance and confess to him.”

“We’re gonna get back to that but first...What was the other?” Jasper arched an eyebrow. ” Better question, Why are you even going out with him in the first place.”

“Oh that, he asked me to play like were in a real life relationship. Needed experience for his romcom..he’s a method actor/director.”

Jasper squinted her eyes before rubbing her brows. “Well, hope he’s crediting you.”

“He better win at sundance for all the heck this caused”

“Hey, you agreed madam president.” Jasper couldn’t stop her laugh as she watch connie pout.”You’re responsible too, Nini. You wasn’t as authentically affectionate as you would be with Steven, but you were convincing. You allowed yourself to be seen together enough.”

“Hmm, you didn’t seemed convinced,Jas.”

“ I’ve been on road trips and vacation with you and Steven.”

“Hmm, you have. What about it?”

Jasper gave Connie a knowing smirk who looked back questioning “What Jasper?”

“Would you had been happy if he kissed Lapis back?”

Connie shrugged. “If he did, that means he liked her right. Why would my thoughts matter?”

“ Well, he has said on occasion that finds her and Peri attractive.”

Connie scoffed and turned away from her friend. “Good for him, tell Lapis and Peri that, make their day.”

“...You wouldn’t.”

Connie took a glared deep at Jasper, fist tightened. “What?”

“You wouldn't be happy with them getting together.. You would accept and support it, but you wouldn’t be ok...Actually you wouldn’t be ok with anyone being with Steven. You’re subtle in your instinctive possessiveness.”

“I am not possessive!”

“Last year when we went to the beach and that girl...Aqua, was trying to talk to him, you lured him over saying you need his help with choosing a bikini... The lone male among a group of nine.”

“I needed a male perspective.”

“Is that why you chose that pink one with yellow stars.”

“Standing by my statement.”

“ Uh..Huh, and the suntan lotion.”

“I couldn’t reach.”

“Your stomach? I’ve seen  this body contort, twist, crab walk, and touch the soles of your feet while standing. You were being territorial."

“I was being..protective as I would for any of my friends. We didn’t know her from Adam and Eve and I was right to be. Didn’t she turned out to be a swindler; to think she wanted to use my Biscuit to get closer to the headmasters so she can have an easier time in school.”

“True..but you still are a wee possessive..I mean ‘My Biscuit’?”

“I said what I said... Still protective.”

“As a wife to a husband.”

Connie groaned, face marooned with heat  as she tried to stop the smile from her face, looking up before turning looking at her friend.

“Guess that make you guys our children then, since we usually have to play mediator.”

Jasper snorted “What a dysfunctional family, a dollar brand brady bunch...I’m telling Pearl and Amethyst you called them kids, by the by.”

“Traitor, respect your momma.”

“This family is a nightmare”

The two glared at each other before breaking into howls of laughter. The two calmed down after a few minutes, settling in silence.

“I admit, if someone we don’t know just, up and began a relationship with Steven or anyone of us from our group; I would have some reservations. Lapis though, she isn’t just anyone. She’s one us, she deserves to be happy.”

Jasper groaned. “Sure, I get that but Lapis and Steven is better as a friendship. As a couple..

There’d be an imbalance. He'd become more of her crutch than a partner. It wouldn't last.”

“hmmm..”

“Not that it matters giving that he rejected her

for you, apparently.”

Connie turned away to hide the blush on her face and breath deep to calm her rapid heartbeat.

“It's ok to feel relieved or even happy, you know.”

Connie gave her vice a small glare only to get a slightly accusatory grin back. “Really, about what happened between Lapis and Steven?”

“No, about what didn't happen, you still have a chance.”

“That's a very selfish view, Jaz.”

“Well, that’s right up your alley, Nini.”

Connie jaw dropped at Jasper certitude tone.

“I'll stand by you to the sun goes cold Nini, but you are selfish. You and Steven both.”

Connie gave her a look of pure scandal and a bit of hurt. “How am I selfish? I didn't steal her confession or anything. Hell, I tried to comfort her when I saw they were having a problem. So please tell me how am I selfish, cause from my view, that’s quite selfless.”

Jasper closed her eyes as she spoke with an cool tone. “Exactly, you are so selfless that it; more than rarely, become selfishness and causes problems. ”

“What?!”

“Think about it. You selflessly get yourself in a fake relationship and didn't tell no one.”

“Well, he came for help, I couldn't just let the guy down. He even went to the CG's claiming to have a crush..and at the time he thought as well, what was I supposed  to do?”

“Say no! You didn't have to agree to any of it. ”

“Come on, it must've took him some guts to did what he did...and besides it gave Lapis the courage to confess.”

Jasper growled at her faux nonchalant attitude she looked at her with a pointed glare. “That's another thing. She doesn't need your help, not like that. You shouldn't have to pretend to bow out,  just so she can gain a damn spine.”

Connie glared back. “I didn't bow out cause there's nothing to bow out from. Lapis confessed because of whatever reason. I have nothing to do with it.”

“Oh Bull! You know as well as I do, Lapis would never had confessed, otherwise. She only confessed because she felt that the biggest obstacle was gone. Didn't take in the fact that Steven has his heart set on you.”

Connie black eyes had a slightly dazed glare to them as she looked at a the slightly regretful Jasper. The tone Jasper said that was too definitive and filled with resolution, it couldn't  be ignored.

“That..was not for me to say...You didn't-”

“Is that true?”

Jasper looked at the president, who despite  being red faced with embarrassment, kept her stare locked. “Tell me, please?”

“Ah..What does it matter? You don't feel the same right?”

“He's my best friend...My Biscuit and I'm aware  that he's considered to be attractive to others within reason-

“Stop! How do you feel about Steven?You!.. how do Connie Maheswaran feel about Steven Universe?”

Connie felt her eyes watered as she bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling and her heart wrenched. She knew damn well what her feeling for her best friend was. Jasper looked at her sadly, as Connie basically crumbled in front of her. The president gasped slightly as she felt her vice held her to her chest.

“Stop feeling so guilty for loving someone who loves you back, stupid selfishly selfless girl.”

Member | namjoon x reader -- fluff

Words | 2.2K

Warnings | none

Summary | a beach day with namjoon takes an unexpected turn

“I’ll take one scoop of mint chocolate chip and one scoop of double chocolate fudge, please!” The shop worker behind the counter nods at your request and begins to dig out generous scoops to place in the giant waffle cone in his other hand. You watch a second worker take Namjoon’s order behind you and a few minutes later you have both received your cones and paid, leaving a handful of coins in the tip jar on your way out.

Without voicing any specific plans, the two of you let your feet lead you down the narrow concrete path that winds around the small shop and leads back out towards the beach.

You settle into a comfortable pace as the path gradually turns to sand beneath your feet and leads you closer to the water’s edge. You are both occupied with the urgent task of licking at the ice cream threatening to melt over the cones’ edges, so no words are exchanged for several minutes. There is just the sound of the water crashing onto the shore, playing over your bare feet only to retreat a moment later, and the calls of seagulls in the distance.

This side of the beach is relatively clear; only a handful of people walk along the shore or sit on blankets scattered about the sand. It’s practically barren in comparison to the swimming area, which teems with hundreds of people hoping to enjoy the holiday weekend on the water.

Eventually, you and Namjoon both reach a point where your ice cream is stable enough to survive the pauses necessary to hold a conversation, and the two of you take the opportunity to chat. The unusually hot weather of the past few weeks, the recent antics of your friends, your plans for dinner--the topics come and go like the breeze off the water. With each passing minute you feel the stress of everyday life melting away like the ice cream in your hands. The constant go-go of the past few weeks seems a lifetime away when you hear the sound of Namjoon’s occasional laughter and feel the warm sand under your feet.

Namjoon is in the middle of describing the shell of the hermit crab he discovered earlier in the afternoon when a very sudden, very loud scream from a child startles you both into silence and draws your attention to the scene behind you.

It appears that the child, who is clutching their small boogie board to their chest like their life depends on it, is extremely reluctant to leave the beach. The father just watches the child with calm, tired eyes while another child runs up and clings to his arm. You see the father say something to the yelling child that seems to calm them instantly, and a moment later the child skips behind the rest of the family as they head for the parking lot.

Namjoon chuckles as he turns back around to face you, “How much do you want to bet that the dad just bribed that kid with ice--” he doesn’t finish the sentence and you finally look away from the backs of the retreating family to meet his stare, wincing a bit at the intensity of the sunlight shining behind him.

When your eyes meet he raises a hand to his mouth and giggles happily; his eyes crinkle with his amusement.

“What is it?” you ask, not understanding the look he is giving you. Some curious mix of fondness, teasing, and something else you can’t quite name.

In place of a verbal response, Namjoon just reaches out and brushes his forefinger lightly over the tip of your nose; when he pulls it back, he shows you the smear of mint ice cream and raises a brow. “Should I go back and get you a bib?”

“Oh, give me a break.” you roll your eyes, but there’s no real annoyance behind the action--only a touch of embarrassment to cover up the warm fluttering in your chest at the sight of Namjoon smiling so brightly with his windswept hair and glittering eyes. “How many times have I had to wipe ice cream off your face...and your clothes, and your hair, and y--”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” he surrenders, giving a fuller laugh this time that shakes his shoulders. “Sorry, you just looked so adorable with that little bit of ice cream on your nose, I couldn’t help teasing you a little bit.”

You take a bite out of your waffle cone to cover up how much you balk at Namjoon calling you ‘adorable’ when he looks like sunshine incarnate right beside you.

You take an even bigger bite out of the cone when you see Namjoon casually lick away the ice cream on his finger before continuing his talk about the hermit crab like nothing had ever interrupted him in the first place.

You don’t know why you’re so flustered by the small action. Your relationship with Namjoon is more than friendly--though, it’s not quite to the point where you have anything to call him other than a good friend--so this is hardly the first time the two of you have toyed with the concept of flirting, but there’s something about the look on his face when he did it that has your heart doing somersaults in your chest.

You suddenly realize that he has stopped speaking and is looking at you expectantly. You scramble to try and recall what he last said, but you were too caught up in your own thoughts to remember and you are left staring at him with an apologetic wince.

In those few moments of silent eye contact, you are struck again by how absolutely gorgeous Namjoon is.

The sun had started to sink lower in the sky during your walk and it now sits low on the horizon, casting a warm golden hue onto Namjoon’s skin. His eyes--which look at you so openly and earnestly that it’s hard to look away--catch the fading light in a way that turns them a warm shade of amber. His mouth is curved into a half-smile, left over from the cute grin that showed up when he started talking about the hermit crab. Your heart does a funny twist at the sight of it all and a sudden, impulsive idea begins to form.

“Sorry,” you begin, “I didn’t hear the question. I was distracted by the stuff on your face.” You make a big show of staring at his cheek and laughing.

His eyes immediately grow wide, forgetting his still unanswered question. “There’s something on my face?” he sounds shocked at the news. “Where is it?”

You take a small breath in to keep from losing your resolve and step forward, reaching up like you’re going to brush something off his cheek, but instead you quickly lift your ice cream cone to his face and tap him gently, leaving a small streak of mint across his cheekbone. “Right there.” you tell him, leaping away immediately with a peal of laughter to avoid the arm that flings out to catch you when he realizes what you’ve done.

“Y/N!” he yells, his initial look of surprise and betrayal turning now to exasperation and laughter. “Get back here and wipe this off!”

You show him an exaggerated pout before slowly walking back to his side. You pause to look at him, cradling your chin in the space between your thumb and forefinger. “Hmm, I don’t know, I think you look better this way.”

He cocks an eyebrow at you, “Oh, really? Then maybe you’d like to be matching?” he says with an intimidating raise of his own, now dripping, ice cream cone.

You take a step back, raising your hands defensively, “Hey, now, let’s not do anything drastic.”

He levels you with a deadpan stare, pointing to his mint stained cheek.

“Fine, fine.” you giggle, admitting your defeat.

You take a step forward and lift yourself onto your tip-toes, reaching out carefully to hold onto his shoulder to brace yourself, and then--quickly before you can chicken out--you place a kiss his cheek, wiping the ice cream away with a brush of your lips.

“There,” you say when your feet are safely planted back on the ground, “all gone.” Your tone is casual, a total contrast to the now frantic beating of your heart and the stream of incredulous thoughts running through your head yelling, “WHAT DID YOU JUST DO.”

To his credit, Namjoon recovers quickly from his look of dumbfounded shock and his mouth trips over a flustered “thank you.”

Deciding that you are too embarrassed to face him and the consequences of your spur-of-the-moment actions, you turn quickly on your heel and continue walking down the shoreline. You busy yourself with rushing to finish off the ice cream that is running over with sticky drips of mint and chocolate as a result of your neglect.

“Hey, Y/N, wait!” you hear Namjoon call out behind you. You turn just enough to see him jogging to catch up.

You wince a bit when he catches up to you and rush to explain your actions, “Joon, I’m sorry about that, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and--”

“It’s okay.”

“--I really didn’t think it though and--wait what?” you ask. Your delayed reaction to his words makes him laugh and you feel your cheeks growing warm.

“I said, it’s okay.” Namjoon says, smiling gently at you. It’s then that you notice the light dusting of pink on his sun-kissed cheeks.

“Are you-- I mean...really?” you struggle to find words, too flustered by this turn of events to be fully coherent.

He just laughs once and nods quickly. His eyes are bright with excitement. “Yes, really.” He hesitates for just a moment. “As long as you let me pay you back.”

“What do you m--” but then Namjoon is leaning in impossibly close and you can’t find the words to finish your question. Your mind has suddenly been wiped of anything that isn’t Namjoon.

When his lips meet yours in a gentle kiss that tastes of his cotton candy ice cream, you find yourself wondering if you’re still passed out asleep under your beach umbrella, because surely this must be a dream.

He pulls back a moment later but remains standing close. He smiles at the shocked look you give him. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now, but could never find the right time.”

The implications of that statement, the idea that Namjoon had been thinking about you--thinking about kissing you--take a moment to sink in, but when they do...oh boy do you feel your face burn hotter than the sunburn on your back.

After standing there in a heavy silence, Namjoon suddenly looks a bit nervous. “Um--” he scratches at the side of his neck, “was...was that okay?”

He watches you with careful eyes, looking like he is preparing for a scolding. This look is what finally kicks your mind back into gear and you form your first coherent post-kiss thought.

“Yes!” you almost shout the reply, which startles both of you. You try again, this time using your inside voice. “Yes, yes, Namjoon, that was--” you can’t seem to find the words to describe just what that was. Instead, you rush to wrap your arms around him in a tight hug, abandoning the last bit of your cone in the sand for the seagulls.

“It was more than okay.” you mumble into the fabric of his shirt. It takes a moment, but you soon feel him relax in your hold and return the hug, holding you tight.

“That’s a relief, I thought you were going to hit me for a second.” Namjoon jokes. You scoff and pull away just enough to gently slap his arm. He grins, “Kidding, kidding.” He runs a hand up and down your arm a few times, pulling you closer for just a second before letting go of you completely.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s get to the ledge before the sun sets completely.” He reaches out his hand and you take it, lacing your fingers together in the process.

The two of you continue your walk like that, hands linked and shoulders occasionally bumping, until you reach your original destination: a small outcrop of rocks where it’s popular to sit and watch the sunset.

The two of you rush to find a spot before the last bit of the sun can completely slip below the water on the horizon. When you finally settle down, you are cuddled up against Namjoon’s side and his arm hangs around your shoulders. His body is warm, a welcome contrast to the cool breeze coming off the water.

This sudden shift in your dynamic will need some deeper thought at some point, but for now you are content with how easy it is to lean into his side and smile up at him when he points out a pair of seagulls fighting over a discarded churro. It’s different, but it feels right, like this is how things were always supposed to be.

When your attention finally returns to the view, you find that the sun has burned the sky, turning it deep shades of purple and orange that grow darker with each passing second. The sight is breathtaking and--sitting there with your arms around Namjoon’s waist, the gentle breeze playing with your hair, and the soothing sounds of the water--you can’t think of anywhere in the world you would rather be.

masterlist

Floral Shirt Dress (Similar)

In July’s round up post, I spoke about feeling under the weather and how I hope August would be a better month.   Sadly, this didn’t happen and I continued to feel ill.

August has been filled with blood tests, scans and doctors appointments. It has been plagued with health scares as abnormal changes were found on my cervix and multiple tests ensued.   Thankfully, the changes are likely scarring from a previous surgery but the worry and anxiety between the changes being found and the biopsy results were terrifying.   I couldn’t help but sit and think: ‘What have I done wrong?’.   I’m plagued with illness, and surely a neurological condition is enough for one person!

ASOS Curve Farleigh Jeans – Monki T-Shirt – Reebok Classics – Fiorelli Bag (similar)

The relief that came with getting the all clear was tremendous and turned the end of an awful month into such a brighter affair – especially with a long weekend in Devon which is quickly becoming my heart!

The month wasn’t all doom and gloom though.  And there was plenty of time spent with friends, family and loved ones.

  Countryfile Live

The start of the month saw hubby and I heading off to Countryfile Live, a huge country fayre full of craft stands, food courts, educational areas and exhibits.

I could have spent hours in the conservation area which was full of activities for kids (overgrown in my case) to learn about bugs, wildlife, planting trees, and protecting our natural countryside.   Perhaps next year I can borrow a child so I have a legit reason to spend the entire day there.

Pink Biker Jacket (similar)

I was skeptical how much I would enjoy the day; I grew up on a farm and I’m more than use to country shows and failed to see how this one could be different.   I was very wrong as it is so much more interactive than so many I have been to before – there are chances to learn for all ages, there are photography exhibits, a dog arena full of the most adorable pooches, a chainsaw championship stage (this was pretty awesome), and food.   Oh gosh, there was a fantastic amount of food and we completely gorged on Argentinian BBQ that was oh-so-delicious.

I would definitely head to Countryfile live again next year, especially as it is just down the road!

ASOS Curve Original Mom Jeans – White Body (similar) – Reebok Classics – Fiorelli Bag (similar)

  Winchester

Winchester is one of my favourite places to go for a day out.   The town tries to keep aesthetically in line with its medieval roots and so even the McDonalds has wooden signage that adds to the quintessentially, old English feel to the place.

I love wandering around the Cathedral, cobbled streets and town hall and took my Mum and her Boyfriend there for a day out when they came to stay.

Coffee Lab – Winchester

We attended the Chilli and Cheese festival but it was pretty rubbish, more chilli than cheese, and not really worth the money.   I won’t be going again.

Despite the disappointment of the festival, the day was thoroughly enjoyable with a little bit of shopping, some food, coffee, and lots of wandering.

ASOS Curve ‘Sculpt Me’ Jeans – New Look Floral Print Top – Metallic Sandals (similar)

  Dartmouth Regatta

ASOS Curve Original Mom Jeans – New Look Floral Print Top – New Look Biker Jacket – Metallic Sandals (similar)

The bank holiday weekend was spent celebrating my clear test results down in Devon.  The Royal Regatta was on in Dartmouth which meant both sides of the river were in full festival mode.  The gorgeous weather meant the streets were lined with revellers and the whole place felt vibrant and alive.

I love Devon anyway, I’m more myself when by the coast.   More relaxed with less headaches.   I think the sea air really does have restorative powers.

The final night of the Regatta meant live bands in the street, prosecco in plastic glasses, getting stuck in over sized deck chairs, and oooh-ing over all the fireworks.  It also meant spending quality time with these beautiful ones …

  Brixham and Beaches

Under Armour Leggings – Oversized White Tee

The rest of the weekend was spent walking to dog friendly beaches and attempting to get Fergus to go in the sea.  He loves swimming and murky, muddy waters at home.   But the waves in the sea scare him so he’ll rarely go in without us.

I always do loads of walking in Devon but the hills are always a killer.   I’m so used to the flat fields of Oxford after being here for 5 year.    I really need to move back to somewhere with landscape soon.

ASOS Curve Original Mom Jeans – Monki Statement Tee – Reebok Classics

Another thing I love about Devon (and perhaps I should write a travel post about all the amazing things to do there) is the Seafood.   Brixham is known for its Seafood and this trip had me tucking into a massive bowl of muscles, crab claws, and crevettes before wandering along the breakwater to gaze out at sea.

The weather helped, of course, but even in bad weather, Devon is a place that have become so close to my heart.

ASOS Curve Original Mom Jeans – Burgundy Shirt (similar) – Wacoal Embrace Under Slip – Metallic Sandals (similar) – Fiorelli Bag (similar)

  September should be a good month.  I have so much coming up that will also, hopefully, mean some variation in outfits other than jeans for you.

The start of September will see The Curve Fashion Festival where I’ll be hanging out with some amazing blogging pals who I haven’t seen in far too long.   Th middle of the month will see a trip to Berlin for work and the end will be spent in Granada for a city break with my best friend.

I cannot wait to share it with you all but if you want to follow in real time you can follow my Instagram where I share most of my pictures long before they hit the blog!

C x

  August: Not What I Expected Floral Shirt Dress (Similar) In July's round up post, I spoke about feeling under the weather and how I hope August would be a better month.  

What in the World is going on!!

I thought about it a lot, should I write on this topic or not. Will anybody be interested in reading it. Then I realised it doesn't matter if anyone reads it or not, these blogs help me to write and share my thoughts and that's what is more important to me. This is a heavy topic to share and a little grim as well. All is not well and right now it's not a pleasant scenario in the world. And by no means everything can be discussed in one blog.

From climate change to forest fires. From unrest between different groups of people to almost war like situations between countries. If I start discussing about each of the above topics even a book won't be enough and I will have to write volumes of books. Which I don't think we all have patience or time for, at least as of now.

So I thought in today's blog I will keep it general and will not discuss any issue in deep. Discussion about each topic I will leave it for my next blogs which I hope will find some readers.

Let us start with the simple question what is going on and how did we reach here? Why there is so much unrest and impatience in the world today? Why have we become so weak that we don't hear reasonings and with the slightest differences in opinion we are ready to put on a fight? Some are fighting amongst each other and for most of us these things are just too complicated to make any sense.

Before you go ahead and read I would like to clarify that I am not a religious person and I don't affiliate to any group or ethnicity. These thoughts are mine and mine only. And seriously I don't care if anyone gets offended, it will only prove my point further that these days people do tend to have thin skin.

If you ask me to simply put it in one line, I would say that Humans have become so weak, selfish and self centred now that anything which they don't agree with they will discard or destroy it without even giving a second thought. If they want something they would go to any extent to acquire it. Well that's two lines but you get my point.

Now to say that selfishness has come to the Human world in recent times would be a wrong statement. Wanting more for yourself regardless of others getting harmed, this nature was there since the dawn of Humanity. Yes restlessness and deliberate lack of understanding is somewhat new comparatively. In earlier stage of humans we use to fight for the best piece of meat, best peice of land to grow crops and fight for the prettiest women(well this still goes on). Those were good days when people were somewhat naive and these dangerous attributes were just making there ways in our lives. Things only got worse from there with the rise of population, everything got augmented. Now to say Human beings are the most selfish animal in the world won't be wrong at all. We are the most deceptive, cruel and intolerant breed ever to exist on the face of Earth.

At present some of the major incidents which are rattling the world are; unnecessary unrest in India, war situation between America and Iran, online influence and trollings, climate change/forest fires and finally income inequality. There are many more things happening in the world but these are the ones which almost everyone is aware of. Each of the above events are unique in their own way and deserve a separate individual blog, which they will get.

Now a days we as a society have become very judgemental about things and we jump to conclusions pretty fast without grasping the basic concept of things. Have you ever thought why do we refer the olden days as innocent times. Because before the technology was so advance, before when people were not so well connected online, before when not everything was available to us with just a swipe of a finger people use to talk to each other more, they were not exposed to all the fake news and propaganda floating around. We used to trust each other more. To tell you the truth for me today are the innocent times where people can be easily fooled and deceived with just a message on their phones. We are not smart anymore. We have left our brains and logic defenseless from the outside influence. Now it is only about how easily we can access to everything without leaving our safety zone, our homes. From needle to a car we can get everything online without moving our butts. If anything we have become it's lazy, selfish, uncertain and just plain stupid.

Don't get me wrong, fake news and propagandas have existed for a long time. But those days we used to talk to people and do some sort of research as that was the only option to get more first hand information. Now it is just there on our phones. With no credibility at all anyone can post or share anything. The amount of information which is accessible to us is so damn much and so frequently shown that we just don't care to check the source or its authenticity anymore. It's like Relentless Marketing where internet marketing specialists, website designers and developers create online marketing campaigns and websites to get great return on investment for their clients or products by influencing the consumer. The only difference being that instead of selling a product people sell misinformation. Sadly we are surrounded by unnecessary information which in return makes it difficult to focus on the right ones. And lets not forget that negative stories get more traction than the good ones. Unknowingly our brains have developed a habit of ignoring facts and truth because too much is available too easily. In the process of filtering huge amount of information we tend to ignore some true facts and news as well. People are unconsciously implementing this weird online behaviour in their daily lives. Think about it, why these days we get upset so easily? Why we have become so impatient? Why we judge everything so fast? Because nowadays people are applying the habit of filtering and ignoring information to their liking and comfort in real life as well. Our attention span is decreasing from generation to generation.

The uncontrollable itch of acceptance in the society has become more important than to do the right thing. Just like sheeps we are following what the society is doing. But I think it is an insult to the sheep if I compare people to them. Because unlike sheeps we are not bound to our lack of reasoning. Humans have the capability to think and to question, thanks to the evolution and Charles Darwin. But most of the time we ignore our instincts in favour of other people's opinion.

So how can we solve this? What can be done so that this planet and it's living creatures can be spared from the stupidity of humans? Well I am a realistic person. I don't sugarcoat or tell nice things just to make someone feel good when I know it won't help in any way. So to tell you the truth Humanity is doomed and because we are a selfish breed of animal, we will take down the planet earth with us. We have created irreparable differences between us which can't be resolved. Humans are too divided; religiously, economically, socially and ideologically. Even if solve one of these issues the other problems will overcome that triumph and destroy it once more. All these issues are like crabs in a bucket where every crab is trying to get out of it but then there is always another crab pulling its leg. These differences can't be resolved even if our very existence is threatened. Now even if aliens attack earth we will not be able to defend because we will get busy arguing amongst each other as to who will take the charge. Sorry to burst your bubble but like I mentioned in the beginning of the blog it is a grim story.

There is a bronze lining though(silver lining would be too optimistic). We are incapable of solving differences as a group or a society, that's established. But as individuals we can do our part. As an individual let's not get influenced easily, lets start reasoning, lets start questioning the information which is served to us, lets be more emotionally available, lets be more passionate and the most important thing, let's be more environmentally conscious.

As a human society we are incapable of resolving all our issues but we do need a planet where we can fight our battles, where we can curse each other, where we can troll someone online, where we can show hatred. Lets face it, we have to save the earth so that we can live to fight another damn day.

Bites with Blondie: Denver’s Slice of Hawaiian Paradise

I have a confession to make.

I hope you will still love me after this revelation.

I hate snow. I hate winter. That’s right, HATE. But it doesn’t end there.

I’ve only skied once in my lifetime, when I was eight, only to fly down the hill and run straight into the shed holding the man who operated the ski lift. To say I’m NOT a snow bunny is the most accurate statement to date, and quite obvious if you meet me in person.

After living in Florida (as a kid and again in college), I am more of a palm tree-obsessing, sandy-beach-laying, sunshine-chasing kind of girl. So the snow currently falling is unnerving. I’m well aware that I live in a climate that snows and that it will only continue for the next few months, but I can’t help but imagine myself in the lushly green terrain, light blue waters, and warm breezes of paradise.

I’m talking about a place where the cocktails flow like wine. Where bikini-clad women instinctively flock to the white sand beaches to soak up all the sun. That’s right, I’m talking about a little place called Hawaii. Oahu to be exact.

My husband and I spent 10 glorious days on the beaches of Oahu for our honeymoon, and both fell in love with the relaxed culture, laid-back atmosphere and vibrant flavors of food. We indulged in countless cocktails, ate copious amounts of crab cakes and freshly caught poké and experienced the Hawaiian classics—like mac salad and Dole whip.

After 10 full days though, I was ready to sleep in my own bed, see my family and cuddle with my kitties. I’ll admit I was a little bummed to return to our landlocked state…simply for the lack of poké.

However, in the past two years, America’s poké obsession has become real. This raw, sushi-grade fish has made its way from the island of Hawaii to the mainland and stolen the hearts of many—myself included. Although poké remains a traditional Hawaiian sensation, the trend is growing at a rapid pace. Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and our landlocked city of Denver are some of the only stateside cities where poké has become a popular staple in dining.

Thankfully now, I can taste the unique and fresh flavors of Hawaii in my own backyard, and so can you! Here are six popular joints’ taking our poké  cravings to the next level—without the seven-hour flight to Hawaii.

Named by Buzzfeed as THE restaurant to try in Colorado, Turtle Boat brings the traditional elements but presents their own take on Colorado poké. This small yet popular place on South Broadway introduces a simple menu with unlimited toppings and sustainably-sourced seafood for a healthy and indulgent meal! With the opportunity to build your own bowl with over 14 different proteins (like trout, salmon, octopus, cuttlefish and Hawaiian Kanpachi) to choose from, staff recommends making a different choice than traditional Ahi Tuna. Their commitment to fresh and delicious eats is obviously a local’s favorite, and it’s easy to see why this place has become so popular!

Poké Concept is the true definition of fast casual dining. With locations all across the metro, this unique spot on the poké map checks all the boxes. Online ordering, quick pick-up or delivery through GrubHub, and overflowing poké bowls are their specialty. While the menu is extensive, the pre-made signature bowls are available for those of us who have a hard time building our own bowl. Whether you fancy a classic taste (traditional poké and salmon) or prefer something more unique (spicy crab salad or Hawaiian spam), this place has got you covered, with a massive portion. Come hungry!

On a mission to provide the best service and taste, Rocky Fin Poké Bar employs only the best staff to create the poké bowl of choice. By purposely not pre-marinating their Ahi Tuna, the poké  masters create a fresh taste of the ocean with a modern and unique twist. The menu and process of indulging is simple—choose a base (usually rice or spring mix), choose a protein, choose your toppings, choose your sauces and choose any add-on. This new(ish) addition to Colfax creates all the buzz and has made a great addition to the poké craze in Denver.

Featuring an Asian-inspired chef, Komotodo Sushi Burrito brings together the traditional sushi elements and modern poké flavors like you have never seen before. This fast-casual eatery prepares each order in the form of a burrito—much like a sushi hand roll—but bigger! While the menu is small, it features premade burritos sure to entice any palate! From fresh ahi, salmon and marinated steak (for those non-seafood lovers) to specials daily and a full bar, this place is unique to Denver, and a local’s favorite.

For a more traditional Hawaiian experience, Adrift Tiki Bar salutes all diners by bringing delicious hand-crafted cocktails and island-inspired dishes in a traditional tiki setting. In addition to its vast island and poké menu, Adrift hosts an all-you-can-eat Luau dinner on the last Sunday of every month. My husband and I recently took part in this event with another couple, and we found ourselves right back in Hawaii. It features a buffet of sticky coconut rice, classic slaw and pickled cucumbers, cold mac salad and freshly baked Hawaiian rolls, served with spit-fired glazed pork, guava BBQ ribs and curry chicken! In addition to the Polynesian performing dancers, the space exudes island vibes, creating the most special atmosphere!

In June 2016, Louie and Regan Colburn opened Ohana Island Kitchen–a tribute to Louie’s Japanese/Hawaiian upbringing. Ohana Island Kitchen, although small in size (a small walk-up in LoHi), is the embodiment of long-held Hawaiian beliefs, creating and serving food made with love and the treasured Aloha spirit. With a delicious menu centered on various styles of poké, this one-of-a-kind establishment also features classic Hawaiian staples like Spam musubi, guava cake and pork sliders with crunchy homemade slaw! The refreshing and vibrant flavors and colors provide the perfect Hawaiian backdrop. Be sure to wash the meal down with canned Hawaiian juice or a refreshing blended Kona Coffee!

Forget the plane tickets and cramped seating, and treat yo’self to a taste of paradise!

Now, is it lunch time yet?

from Blog https://ondenver.com/bites-with-blondie-denvers-slice-of-hawaiian-paradise/

Alright so today was pretty good. Good start to the year I suppose. I woke up at 2:48, I think, probably because I was up later than usual last night. I had thought yesterday it would be a good day to get bagels, so my sister and I went to do that. She got a bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a roll that I had a bite of and was amazing lol, and we got a dozen bagels and brought them home because New York bagels = 😍😍 and eternal happiness. Chicago has one place that produces like, mediocre New York level bagels, and it's specifically called NYC bagel deli lol. Nowhere else can even compare sadly. But anyway. Went home and chilled out for a little while, then helped my mom cook dinner since she's still no feeling too well. We had spaghetti and various fish dishes, like flounder, scallops, and some shrimp cake things (like crab cakes but with shrimp). So that was pretty good. After dinner my brother, my sister, and I watched Central Intelligence, which was a fairly amusing movie if not somewhat odd lol. It wasn't like, brilliant or anything, but it was funny enough. The plot is just sort of ridiculous, but I suppose that could be said about most comedies. As I mentioned earlier, somewhere between all this I checked my grades to find my evidence grade got posted, which was an A, so I was happy to see that. I wasn't sure about how I did because it was all multiple choice, and I knew objectively I probably did fairly well but that doesn't matter as much as how everyone else in the class did comparatively, and that's just like raw scores, I don't have the advantage of knowing I'm a strong essay writer or such. So I wouldn't have been all that surprised if I got an A- or B+, but I definitely felt that an A was within my grasp and I'm glad to see it happened. So now I'm just waited on crim pro and juvenile justice. Like I said earlier, I'm fairly confident I'll get an A in juvenile justice given that my final was twice as long as everyone else's, weighing it at 12 pages compared to several other people's 6. And it was all essay based and I know I'm a good essay writer, so I would be surprised if I get anything below an A there. Crim pro is a little more tricky, I felt I did fairly well on the final but now that I got an A in evidence I don't want to get my hopes up too much so I'm trying to think that I may end up with an A-, but I was definitely more confident in my performance on my crim pro final than I was on my evidence final, so that's a good sign. A good portion of it was essay based too, and I know I knocked those essays out of the park based on the cases I was able to tie in and use for the analysis, even though it was a complex problem I'm pretty sure I got all the ones she was looking for, be it regarding air surveillance, curtilage of the home (yes that's a thing) or GPS tracking of cars. So I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much there, but it would be really cool to end up with 3 A's and an A- for the semester (plus field placement, but that's just pass/fail). I'm pretty sure that would get me from the top 15% of the class to the top 10% of the class, which would make me happier not for any real material reason, but just because I like being smart and knowing I'm doing well in school and am at the top of the class. There's also the possibility that I may CALI one of the classes, which would be really cool cuz I could put that on my resume and shit and people get really impressed by that stuff. So yeah. I'm trying to be patient in waiting for my last two grades, although I must've checked it like 5 times again today. The deadline is January 5th, so hopefully they'll be coming in in the next few days. I would just feel really accomplished if I improved my grades and GPA this semester while I was also doing a million other things and just being incredibly busy pretty much always. But yeah, that was good. So anyway, after the movie I stuck around the back room and finished the last two episodes of Luke Cage that I had to watch. I have somewhat mixed feelings on the ultimate ending, even if we know it's only temporary because he has to be back sooner or later for the defenders series. I kept laughing whenever Claire was like "I know a really good lawyer" because I would definitely pay to see Matt Murdock represent Luke Cage in court. That sounds like a fun show to me. But anyway. Overall I liked the first season a lot. I loved how much like Jessica Jones it wasn't so superhero based as much as it was gritty real life, although I would argue that JJ still had a somewhat fantasy based villain in Kilgrave whereas Luke Cage just literally was facing off the gangs. I enjoyed the commentary going on of a hero being "a black man in a hoodie" and what kind of statement they were making there, one that I feel definitely needs to be made. I also enjoyed the religious and biblical references interspersed throughout, if only because I could actually understand them lol. Idk if that's based in the comics, although if they kept his origin story for his name that would've had a biblical basis. I thought it was really interesting how they wove that in there throughout, very well done. I appreciate Claire Temple oh so very much, and I was definitely cheering for her every time she was on screen because she has proven she is every bit as much of a hero as those with superpowers that she's worked with now, and I just so love her character and her relationship with Luke here. I also liked Misty a lot, I thought her portrayal of fighting for her neighborhood while trying to work through the system to be quite intriguing, and I think they touched on a lot of important issues there that have been a source of great frustration for many in law enforcement who sincerely want to help but find themselves bound by the system instead. So yeah, it definitely made a number of social statements I thought were very important, and I liked it a lot. When I was done with that I went back into the den and hung out for a little while while my dad and brother watched the office, which is always pretty amusing. And yeah, that was my day. Pretty good overall I'd say. One week left of break then it's back to classes, and I'm not sure how I feel about that quite yet. We'll see. Tomorrow should be fun, doing a couple little things that could be cool. So hopefully that will be good. Until then though, goodnight babes. Hope you had a lovely start to 2017.