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nnight-dances · 11 months

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FADE INTO YOU ˚₊☆ ‧₊˚

[a sequel to REPETITION / RARE LOVE]

Mingyu, your best friend turned lover, is possibly the best thing that's happened to you. But as you juggle a rigorous summer internship and pressure from home, you start to spiral. Overworked and isolated, you're spiraling and the cherry on top: you overhear Mingyu say some things that have you convinced he's tired of you. Fighting takes on a different meaning now that you aren't just a couple of besties and heartache is possibly inevitable.

PAIRING: kim mingyu x fem!reader

GENRE: angst, fluff, some suggestive content toward the end

TROPES: unhealthy working habits, miscommunication or rather lack of communication, mean mother, hurt/comfort question mark, you're on your period as well as sick at one point, arguing and conflict :/

WORD COUNT: 6.5k approximately

"So, how's it going with Mingyu?"

"It is…" you trail off as you poke at the discarded pizza crust on your plate, "...going well."

Yunjin's smile retracts at your hesitant pause. "What's wrong?"

"I never said anything was wrong. On the contrary, if you were listening to what I just said–"

"That pause was at least three seconds long. Three seconds, Y/N! That's the first sign!"

You frown, "The first sign of what?"

"A fight. You're fighting with Mingyu, aren't you?"

"I mean, fighting is what we do. Most of our relationship is based on the other's ability to be a witty bastard." You scoff uneasily. "I think we'd be in trouble if we weren't fighting."

"You and I both know that's not what I meant," Yunjin sighs at your antics. "I'm talking about a real fight."

"...No. We're fine, Yunjin, you're worrying over nothing."

Though she drops the topic thereafter, you can tell by the way she bids you goodbye, leaving with a sneaky "make up with Mingyu before it's too late!!!" that she's not convinced. On the ride back home, you stare at your phone as you go over the conversation again and again. Biting your lip, you wonder why Yunjin had been inclined to think that you were fighting with Mingyu in the first place, anyway.

The thought, though not unsurprising, was a little out of place in your head.

Truth be told, all isn't well with you.

You'd been having a couple of rough weeks and it had a lot to do with the fact that you'd chosen to not go back home for the summer, choosing to stay in your college town to pursue an internship there instead. While the internship itself was overwhelming at times, at the end of the day, you felt more fulfilled than ever. However, the consequences of you not visiting your family had you rubbing your temples more often than not every time you fielded a call from one of your parents.

And though you'd told them that the only reason you weren't back home was your internship, there was more to it than that. For one, as much you missed basking in the attention of your parents and showering your sweet dog with love, you also were actively avoiding the suffocation of home: the prying questions about your future career, the insanely invasive relatives who would no doubt leave snide remarks in their wake, and of course, everyone's reactions to your best friend to lovers arc with Kim Mingyu.

You'd been renting a place with Mingyu over these few months because he, too, had decided to stay back to take a summer class and study in advance for some difficult courses next semester. Most days, it was everything you'd wanted: waking up to a warm bed and the sound of Mingyu snoring into your neck, slow breakfasts cooked mostly by Mingyu while you clung to his waist, and long days at the desk in front of your computer. Well, the last part wasn't ideal but every time your supervisor assigned you a new, more advanced task, you couldn't help but feel proud of yourself.

However, some days weren't as dreamy as you'd hoped they would be. To begin with, the past week had you waking up with heavy eyelids, perhaps something to do with the late nights you'd been pulling to finish your work, and an empty bed. Mingyu's class had started meeting earlier thanks to the heat in the afternoons, which meant you were left to fend for yourself during breakfast. Head heavy, you'd drag yourself to eat some sloppy cereal and get to work: somewhat manageable of a day.

But today as you're swirling through your bowl of muesli to pick out some raisins, your phone buzzes on the table. If the sudden sound doesn't startle you, the name on the screen definitely has your heart beating a little bit faster: it's your mother. You're already dreading the conversation.

"Hello?"

"Did you just wake up?" comes your mother's voice, her tone already hostile. Great.

"Um, yeah, I woke up like half an hour ago. Why?"

"...Nothing. It's just I thought you were really busy with classes."

"Mom, I've told you it's not class, it's an internship. Two very different things." You inhale deeply to calm yourself. When she asks you if you've eaten, you tell her you're currently having some muesli. Ignoring the scoff that she lets out, you ask her about her day, a question that she gives her usual vague answer to. You try to engage with her rationally, intent on getting some cordial connection with her.

But honestly, it's no use, your mother's set on picking you apart today and so she does, especially when you let it slide that Mingyu's at class.

"In class? Already? Y/N, you should learn a thing or two from him. Just because you're dating him doesn't mean you can slack off like this, okay? I don't want to see you become lazy over some man. I don't care how rich–"

You cut her off, afraid of what you might have to hear if you didn't. "Mom. I can't believe you're making this a competition! I'm not making an enemy out of my boyfriend because you want me to."

Your stomach lurches at how high-pitched your voice sounds to your own ears, vision blurring somewhere along the way. "Fine. If you're gonna scream at me every time I call you, I might as well stop."

"Mom–" She hangs up before you can say anything else, leaving you staring at the fading screen with her contact photo on it. It was a picture of the two of you, with you grinning as she leaned in to peck your cheek. It was maybe one of your favorite photos, especially when you came to associate it with phone calls with your mother, something that used to be a comfort amidst the chaos of your life. Now, you weren't so sure as you rested your forehead against the wooden table, eyes swimming with unshed tears. You blink them away, swallowing hard against the lump in your throat, because despite everything, you didn't have the time to cry over this.

So slowly, you pick yourself, wiping at your cheeks. You move on in your day, washing your dishes as well as Mingyu's from earlier this morning. You shower, and pat your face with skincare, find a shirt that doesn't remind you of home, and take a seat at your workstation in the living room. Headphones on your ears, the reminder of your fight with your mother slowly fades away as you begin working.

Despite everything, you found yourself thinking later that afternoon as you refilled your water bottle, you were so grateful for Mingyu and the stability that he brought you, whether it be as a friend or as a roommate. It was with this reliance on him that you pushed yourself through the day. So when he came back from class, more sullen than usual, you find yourself instantly unsettled.

"Gyu?" you call out, removing your headphones when the jingling of keys catches your attention. The big guy stoops in the hallway, removing his shoes and outerwear before stepping in. He makes eye contact and the soft smile he shoots you, you can tell, is forced. You're standing up, "Hey, you're late today. Everything okay?"

"Not at all. Prof kept us back late to throw extra credit stuff at us. It's ridiculous but I needed it, so I stayed back." You nod in understanding as you walk to him in the kitchen, watching as he washes his hand and pours himself cold water. "It was worst though, babe, I kept falling asleep."

You match the pout on his lips when he finally meets you at the kitchen counter, hands finding your waist as you press yourself into him. "Hmm, sorry to hear that, Gyu. Did you not sleep much last night?"

"No, it's real weird. I kept waking up in the middle of the night. And every position I slept in was so uncomfortable. Plus, I kept thinking I was gonna wake you up on accident."

"Ha, and since when have you cared about my sleep?" you chuckle into his chest, "Just wake me up next time and we can have hot cocoa or something."

Mingyu hums in appreciation around you, "I'll make you regret that offer tonight."

You hit him when you separate, eyes trailing back to your workspace and Mingyu catches on as his hands tighten around ever so slightly. Eyes desperate, he asks, "You wanna watch a movie tonight? I can order some fried chicken."

You light up momentarily and then are instantly reminded of the deadline that awaits you in a few days. Mingyu notices you stiffen a little and you sigh. "I have that stupid report due on Friday, Gyu," you whine.

"Can't you take a break for a while? You've been working so hard lately." Mingyu brushes your hair back, his thumb rubbing at your jaw gently. "You deserve some time off." When you seem to remain in your rumination period, Mingyu presses a peck on your lips. "Please?"

You groan as you playfully push him away, "God, I hate it when you're physically affectionate as a way to entice me into doing things with you."

"So movie night's on?"

"...Are you ordering the chicken or should I?"

"Hehe, I love you."

"Ew, stop, Gyu, go take a shower!!"

As you steer Mingyu toward your shared bedroom, you make your way back to your desk, invigorated by the promise you've made to Mingyu to finish as much as you can for tonight. The motivation's enough to push you into the zone as you go through your notes and begin typing away.

You don't realize how much time's passed until you feel Mingyu's cold hands press against your collarbones. You jump at the sudden touch but groan in familiarity as fingers gingerly find your scalp before you can scold him for surprising you.

But then you look at the time and curse under your breath, "Fuck, I forgot to order the–"

"It's okay, I ordered fifteen minutes ago. It'll be here in ten."

You kiss Mingyu's knuckle apologetically, "Thanks, babe. I'll let you choose the movie for tonight."

"Really?" he squeals, and you guffaw at the way he flaps his arms around excitedly, making his way to the couch and TV. "Oh my God, this is so sudden. I need to see if they have all the Nancy Meyers movies on Netflix– Or wait, I could pirate it– Or wait, what about our subscription to– Oh no, I forgot to pay the–"

You slowly turn back around as your boyfriend busies himself with picking a movie for the night and your head throbs as you look at your screen, feeling guilty about ditching the work that awaited you. But then, you tune back into the rambling Mingyu in your living room and you can't help but care more about sitting in your boyfriend's arms with fried chicken crumbs all over your lap.

And that's what you find yourself doing half an hour later. It's a little bit concerning how focused on the movie– The Holiday, Mingyu had finally chosen– so much so that you have to keep pushing him to eat as well. At one point he chokes on some chicken and you have to pat his back real hard to make sure he stays alive.

"Are you sure you're trying to keep me alive because–" Cough, "you're going really hard, babe."

You laugh as he returns to normal and push a glass of water toward him, "Of course, big guy, I wouldn't be able to pay rent if you died so keeping you alive makes top 3 on my to-do list."

"Top three? What's more important than keeping me alive?"

"First of all, rude. Second of all – duh, keeping myself alive. That's second on my to-do list."

"Y/N," Mingyu starts warningly, "Please don't tell me number one on your to-do list is to video-record me screaming at that one Youtube video of scary ghost sounds."

"No! Obviously not, Gyu."

"..."

"It was to record you crying over a video of babies saying their first words."

"Aww, come on, Y/N! You know how I feel about that! It's like their lives have begun when they start speaking! They're all alone in this big world!! And don't even get me started when their first words are a parent's name– That's like endgame right there!!!"

Eventually, the two of you manage to get back on track when it came to actually watching the movie – except, you don't. Admittedly, once you've both finished your food and settled in to focus on the television screen, you find your mind wandering. And while once that would've meant something entirely NSFW, thanks to your long hours, you find yourself thinking about work. The work that's sitting right there on your desk that you can see, just sitting there in the darkness, all tangible and full of consequences behind the TV. And once you start thinking, there's no stopping it and before you know it, you're all up in your head.

So much so that you're brought back to earth when Mingyu pauses the movie and stares you donw in silence. It takes you a moment but then you bite your lip as you meet his gaze, feeling like you'd been caught red-handed cheating on him. And well, the way he looked at you in disappointment, you might as well have been.

"Y/N, you've been looking at your desk longingly for the past ten minutes."

You really don't have anything to say for yourself except, "I'm really sorry, Gyu."

He sighs at your quick admission of guilt and you hate the way he peels his arm of your shoulder. "It's okay, if you need to work, you can go work."

"No, but we're watching a movie–"

"There's no point to it if you're distracted."

"I'm sorry, I won't think about work, promise."

"No, no, it's okay, babe," Mingyu reassures you, hand finding your shoulders, rubbing circles into it as you look back at him in dismay, "I'm serious, I don't want to keep you from completing your work. We can finish watching the movie later, alright?"

You deflate a little, "Okay. But I promise I'll make it up to you, okay, Gyu?"

Your boyfriend simply smiles at you and the sight makes you regret ever making him pause the movie when you could've been cuddling into his warmth instead. But he's so sweet when he kisses your cheek, "Don't worry about it, my love."

The next few days find you absolutely swamped because where you'd thought things would get better slowly, they only got worse. Your internship was more stressful than ever as you found yourself going later and later into the night to keep up with the tasks assigned to you. The report was coming along slower than you'd like. But while you could do something about those things, there were things that felt completely out of your reach.

For one, you'd been ignoring your mother's calls, a measure you'd taken to protect your fragile mental state. Each time you'd send her quick but cold text saying something along the lines of I'm too busy to talk right now. You felt bad every time you left her hanging but it was undeniable that you felt slightly less deranged in the monrings without her daily check-in.

But there was also the situation with Mingyu. Ever since movie night, you'd only spent lesser time with him, to the point that even getting to sleep in the same bed at him counted as a win for you. Even when he would come back around lunch but you'd be too busy working to notice and dinners were usually just the two of you talking back and forth about your days.

At dinner, he seemed fine, answering your questions about class enthusiastically and listening to your own responses eagerly. But you'd notice the way he'd be quick to clear the table once you were both done eating, not even taking the chance to ask you to watch a movie or talk more with him. And though it stung right through your heart, the fact that you couldn't afford to take the initiative yourself left you no choice but to watch as he retired to the bedroom for the night.

Which is when you come back from that lunch with Yunjin, your head's reeling. Were Mingyu and you fighting? Could you be? It didn't feel like a fight, it was a lot more nonverbal. More subtle. She'd asked you if things were okay and they weren't, but it's also not like they were terrible. They were just worse than okay.

But Thursday night came around, and you were closer than ever to finish that godforsaken report and head into a much-needed weekend off. Feeling a little cheery in anticipation of all the free time you'd have, you thought you might take a break and ask if Mingyu to get late night ice-cream, an offer you knew he would never turn down.

However, you're about to enter the room where Mingyu's said he's going go "rot while watching life-sucking short-form media content" (his own words from two hours ago) when you hear his low voice, presumably on the phone.

"...yeah, man, I don't know, it's getting pretty bad.."

You freeze instantly, your guts lurching as they tell you this conversation probably has something to do with you. Before you can feel bad about eavesdropping or consider the possibility that you're only projecting, Mingyu goes on–

"Of course I've told her! Or at least, I've tried to tell her. I keep trying to get her to leave the house for something other than grocery runs… but it's no use. I kinda gave up after that." He sighs heavily and you hear the sheets shuffle, probably as he turns to his other side, voice now muffled.

Your fists are at your sides, tight but shaky as you take in what he's saying, both in shock but also in acknowledgment.

"It's hard for me, too, yeah, I guess. I miss her… non-overburdened self. I wish I could end the stress somehow…"

His voice gets harder to hear at that point or maybe you stop listening– it's hard to tell with the flood of thoughts in your head by then. You detach from the bedroom door and your legs drag you to your desk. You feel yourself sit but mentally, you're still outside the room, hearing Mingyu's honest thoughts for the first time in a week. Honestly, you ought to have seen it coming, with your one-track mind and his tendency to keep things to himself.

I kinda gave up after that point… You know he's referring to getting you around to a healthier work schedule and still, you can't help but think of the words more generally. Like, in the context of your relationship and well– it was all dominoes anyway, right? One thing after another. Today, it was you neglecting spending time with Mingyu over your internship, tomorrow, what if he's giving up on you and your inability to prioritize?

You take in a deep breath to steady yourself, feeling your thoughts get out of control. But they don't let up, Mingyu's words ringing in your head loud and clear. He wanted to end the stress– you were causing him stress. You lean into your chair and look up at the ceiling, stomach uneasily swirling.

No, you tell yourself, you couldn't go based off a snippet of a conversation you eavesdropped on. Besides, Mingyu had every right to be tired of your work ethic and there was nothing you could do except try to get better at it. Slowly, you bring yourself to stare at your screen, plans to take an ice-cream break long abandoned.

A small part of you rationalized that it was already past one and starting tomorrow might be a better idea, but the larger and much more emotional part of you could only hear Mingyu's worn-out voice in the deep of night, and you know you can't stop till you're done.

…And that's how it's nearly six in the morning by the time you pick yourself off your chair. Good news: you've finished one of the biggest reports you'd submit during your internship, which meant you could take a few days off. Bad news: working an all-nighter on top of your sleep-deprived state meant you were barely functioning as you hauled yourself to bed.

More bad news: in your delirious state, you don't make it to the bedroom and pass out on the couch.

Three hours later, Mingyu wakes up to a cold pillow next to his and sits up faster than he's ever before, mind racing as he calls out for you. Going to sleep to an empty bed, he was used to, but waking up to one was new for him. Every morning, it was to your peaceful sleeping figure he'd open his eyes to, without a mistake. It was the one constant that he was holding on to every morning. So yeah, he's pretty panicked when he finds you passed out cold on the couch.

He debates why you might've slept on the couch instead of the bed and almost wakes you up because he can't stand the thought that he might've been the reason why. But he stops himself when he hears you snore quietly and instead presses a hand to your cheek lovingly– only to find you burning up.

"Fuck."

Fuck is right because when you finally come to, around two hours later, your body feels like a rock and not at all in a zen way. More so, in the way that every time you move, a shriek rips itself from your throat. Speaking of your throat, it's literally never been this dry. When you manage to sit up in bed and take a sip of the water that's conveniently placed next to you–

You half-choke on the liquid in your throat as you realize your surroundings. You didn't remember going to bed last night but then you spot the note on your side. It's from Mingyu.

Y/N: YOU WERE PASSED OUT ON THE COUCH LIKE AN IDIOT. YOU ALSO HAVE A FEVER. CAN U EAT THE PORRIDGE IN THE FRIDGE AFTER HEATING IT UP? I WILL BE BACK BY 3, HAVE A STUPID WORKSHEET TO TURN IN TODAY :(

And then, in smaller writing:

we'll talk when i get back, okay?

[PS: please be alive when i come back or trust, i will make u pay rent from your grave]

You laugh at his note, the scrawny letters ever so characteristic of him, but immediately regret it when your headache makes its presence known. You groan as you get out of bed. The morning only seems to get more painful as you nurse your burnout-induced fever. Because the universe has perfectly timed your period to start today. So that's already two kinds of pains you're fighting in bed, when your phone rings a little too loud for your liking.

You don't who else you expect: it's your mother. And this is probably not a good time to hear her voice, not when you weren't on good terms, but the combination of your period and a fever has left you more emotionally vulnerable than ever and you find yourself craving her love.

Except you should've known better because when you answer the phone in a weak voice, muttering a "Hi," she's already snapping at you. "Took you long enough to stop ghosting your own mother!"

"Sorry, Mom, I was just… really busy with work. But I'm–"

"Why do you sound like that?" she sounds concerned and the indication of worry has you feeling a little warm despite everything. So you let it slip that you're sick. And where you'd thought you'd receive consolation and cooing, your mother's only reprimanding you: "Great. Now you've gotten yourself sick. You can't even take yourself, can you? When will you grow up, Y/N?"

You barely hold the sob that escapes your lungs at her harsh criticism and she catches on: "Are you crying? Y/N, you're such a kid–" And that's it, you give up. Silently, you hang up on your mother but instead of watching her contact photo fade, you throw your phone away from you in despair and hear as it lands on the floor with a crash.

And God, everything might've hurt like hell before but now that you're crying, it's so much worse, you think you're going to die. But painful or not, the nasty crying actually feels good when it's out of your system and you think your fever might even be clearing up by the time you hear the front door open, signalling Mingyu's return.

You sit up in bed, tears long wiped and phone recovered from the floor, as Mingyu enters the room with careful steps. When he notices you awake, he relaxes and meets your eyes with a concerned frown.

"Hi, Gyu," you greet him through a small smile.

Mingyu's cautious, more so than you've ever seen him as he regards you from the door of your bedroom: "Hi, babe. Are you feeling better?"

You nod, "Much. Thanks for the porridge. It was disgustingly healing."

Mingyu approaches the bed now, but instead of the quick affection you thought you might receive, he only narrows his eyes at you. Damn it, what was it with your loved ones and just being nice to you for once? (It might have something to do with… like, the consequences of your actions but you don't want to think too hard right now).

"Why…" Mingyu starts and his voice is unfamiliarly grave. You almost shiver because you must've fucked up big-time if Kim Mingyu's bringing up serious talk for the first time in your years-long relationship with him. "Did you sleep on the couch last night?"

You swallow against your throat, dry once again but for different reasons. "Um, funny story, I kinda passed out there last night… or this morning. But!" you quickly supply your mistake with, "I finished my report early so I have all of today and the weekend to just do nothing."

Once again, Mingyu's looking at you, face serious, not even a hint of a smile and Yunjin's words are returning to you. As much as you hate to admit it, maybe you are fighting with Mingyu and fuck, you hate it.

"Are you seriously pretending like everything's okay, Y/N?"

Mingyu's words are like a slap across your face, except instead of sending you flying, you end up returning to his words the night before. It's hard for me, he'd said, and you feel the weight of your selfishness all at once, the doubts you'd gotten yourself sick over invading your mind once again. Your eyes fall to your hands.

"You've been working yourself like a dog, Y/N! And now you're sick! Does that make you happy?"

God, you hate the way he says your name like it's a bad word. Or worse, like you're a stranger. Everything he says is a reminder of the burden you've been to him.

"I'm sorry," your voice is small and you raise your eyes to his– which is a mistake because you catch the hurt look on his face and fuck, you're tearing up. So much for getting it out of your system beforehand. "Fuck, I'm so sorry, Gyu."

Mingyu, on the other hand, is completely taken aback when you start shaking, hot tears streaming down your face rapidly. He'd been upset at your poor health and your mental condition the past few days, but he'd expected you to fight back; to defend your actions and to justify why you did what you did like you usually would. It'd be an intense going back and forth but the two of you would eventually fight it out.

But to see you break like this, fists wrapped tight around each other to the point of white– shit, he hadn't seen this coming.

The thing is you've both been on completely different wavelenghts for a while now. Where you've been plagued with self-doubt and guilt because of work, strained calls with family, and now, your fight with Mingyu; Mingyu's just been lonely. It didn't help that you weren't doing too much except small talk in your free time with him.

"Hey, baby, please, I'm– I didn't mean to make you cry. Please, you'll make yourself more sick."

You look up at him through tears in confusion, voice breaking, "You're… not mad at me?"

Mingyu frowns, "I am. But it doesn't mean I'll watch you cry yourself to death."

"God, I'm sorry, Gyu… I– I overheard you talking on the phone last night."

It takes him a moment to make sense of what you're saying but when his own conversation comes back to him, his heart's squeezing uncomfortably. "You heard me?" He feels guilt, regret, and hurt all at once.

"I'm so sorry, Mingyu, I didn't mean to be such a bad girlfriend– heck, I was such a bad roommate this past week. And I'm sorry I was a burden to you when you have your own problems to deal with–"

Mingyu interrupts you when he crawls upto and places your face in his hands, forcing you to look up at him. His eyes are wide and you can visibly see the tears pricking there as he stares at you. "Y/N, the literal love of my life, what the actual fuck are you saying? You're not a burden to me. And what problems have you burdened with me when we barely talk about anything real these days?"

You purse your lips at the deserved call-out and Mingyu shakes you, "Babe, I wish you were more burdensome. I want to know everything that's worrying you. Please, I can't be there for you if I don't even know what demons you're fighting."

You blink away fresh tears at his genuine words. "I'm… on my period."

"Oh," breathes Mingyu, hands dropping to your shoulders, "Is it your first day?"

"Yes. And I've been fighting with my mom. My whole family maybe. But specifically her."

Mingyu wraps his arms fully around you this time. "God, I'm so sorry, Y/N. I had no idea you were having family problems. Is it because you didn't go back home?" When he feels you slowly nod against him, he says, "That sucks. But did you tell them how hard you've been working at this internship?"

"Mhmm, but my mom still thinks I won't ever be as good as you."

Mingyu pulls away at that, "Me? You talk to your mom about me? Wait, no, I mean, why does she think that?"

You contain a smile, "She knows you have summer school and that you go to class at nine. That's much more admirable than stupid little me who wakes up at eleven and eats cereal for breakfast. And then I went and got sick. So now she also thinks I can't take care of myself."

"...I think she might be right about that last part," Mingyu tells you with a pointed look and you push him away with a broken sigh.

"I know, but you know what really gets my goat, Gyu? That you were dishing about me to someone else instead of calling me out to my face. If I was being a little bitch, I would rather you tell me. I don't want you to bottle it up and end up feeling resentful toward me."

"Hold on a minute, where is this coming from? Who said anything about you being a little bitch? If anything, you were a really massive bitch but only to yourself. I could tell that you felt bad about not spending time with me. But I wasn't ever resentful, I was just… lonely. I meant what I told Shua last night: I just miss you! And doing things with you..."

You scan his face for signs of any dishonesty but it's the same handsome but honest face that stares back at you. You lean into him until your forehead bumps against his chest, partly to feel his warmth again and partly to hide the tears that bubble out again. "Sorry. I was just. I was so scared that you were gonna want to break up with me."

Almost instantaneously, Mingyu's grip is on you, stronger than usual so that it actually hurts as he pulls you away. "What?" he asks in disbelief, "Are you genuinely insane. I'm going to need you to never say those words again. Please. Don't bring the possibility of that into existence or I will have to hurl myself back into my mother's womb."

You find yourself half-laughing and half-crying at his hysteric concern, entertained but also so incredibly relieved that Mingyu hates the thought of leaving you as much you do.

While you don't say anything and simply travel the territory between laughter and tears, Mingyu is genuinely losing it: "No, Y/N, I don't think you understand. That is simply not on the table. We've been dating for like, three months? I have so many things I want to do with you, okay? So if you're having these thoughts, throw them the fuck out because I'm going to actually pass away."

You finally break and shut Mingyu up with a kiss– a real kiss, and only pull away to mumble, "It's been a while, boyfriend. I love you so much it hurts."

You're only a little shocked when Mingyu sniffles, because you'd felt his cheeks dampen halfway through the kiss. His hand finds the back of your neck, keeping your lips a breath away from his. "Stupid girlfriend. Thinks she can play with my feelings and then kiss her way through a sorry." But he kisses you again anyway and you kiss him back with equal passion, convincing him enough to stop his crying.

"God, we must both look like shit right now," you giggle when you pull away, running a finger across his red cheeks. "Sorry I made you cry."

"I love you," Mingyu replies, "And if you ever overwork yourself to the point of sickness again, I will hurt you."

"The way we talk is concerning to me sometimes. It sounds like we're… married or something. As if we're not literal college students. And as if you're not the biggest coward ever."

"Not sure why you felt the need to say that last thing but– Wasn't it Kazuha who said we were like her parents sometimes? We could live-stream our fights and market them as childhood nostalgia for kids around the world."

You can't keep your laughter in at his plan, but hit his arm anyway to let him know where you stood. "Damn it, Kim Mingyu, that's it, I'm going to call Zuha and tell her to block you as soon as she can."

"But before I do that, can we go back to being irresponsible, unmarried young adults in love and order take-out for dinner? Please?"

Mingyu's grinning already, and you want to pick him up and pocket him for how adorable he can be but resort to gazing at him with hearts for eyes as he declares, "Of course, love, what do you wanna eat tonight?"

"You can decide. I'll go wash up in the meantime."

"Wait, I'll come with, I need to shower, too."

Now things start to get better. You settle into a comfortable silence with Mingyu, and as you snuggle next to him, you let the scent of him overwhelm you with a giddy smile. The food in your plate is warm and Mingyu is giggly as you finally finish watching The Holiday, and for once, your period cramps are merciful, for the pain of laughter brewing in your stomach is far more intense.

And the pain of love, as you watch Mingyu put away the leftovers from dinner and clean up the kitchen for the night. You'd volunteered to do the dishes but he simply pushed you into a chair at the kitchen table with a soft sigh and honestly, you're not complaining. He's better at doing them anyway.

In the dim glow of the quiet kitchen light, Mingyu's all soft edges, so careful as he wipes the damp plate you'd shared just a few minutes ago and the look in his eyes is loving when he finally makes his way back to you, asking if you'd like to head to bed now.

For the next few days, it's so easy to forget about time because you find yourself talking it away in Mingyu's arms, fighting the urge to kiss him every time he guffaws at something you say. But you also let him drag you out of the house, a real date in the city, both of you dressed up and blushy under the lamplights as you walk back from dinner.

Wine-drunk, Mingyu stops you outside the front-door to the apartment and leans down to peck your cheek. The modest action has you all flustered and you let out an embarassed huff. "What are you kissing me good-night for?" you ask, more amused than you are confused.

Mingyu's eyes twinkle in response, head clearly wrapped around some new plot. "I said I'd walk you home. This is home. You should head inside first."

You laugh when he stands with his hands politely clasped in front of him, catching on to the bit. Only Kim Mingyu would think to pretend to be a shy first date dropping you off home, as if you hadn't known each other for as long as you'd known to love.

"Ah, I didn't even realize we reached home. Such a shame," you cheekily step closer to him, one hand brushing against his crossed arms, "Do you want to come inside? We can… do things."

Mingyu breaks character with a toothy grin at that, "You're so bad at this!"

"What?" you ask in feigned offense, "I'm inviting you inside!"

"Yeah, but to "do things"? Is that really how you've been flirting with your first dates, babe? Actually, no, don't answer that– Unless? There's no way that works, right? Or do you just charm your way through the awkwardness– No, but that's just–"

"Okay, now you're rambling, big guy," you hook an arm around his and pull him inside after you. "Come on inside, we have things to do."

"Hmm, and these things…" Mingyu hums with an undertone of mischief, his arms sneaking around your waist already, "...they wouldn't include getting naked and um, cuddling?"

"Gross, Gyu! I was offering to watch a movie but– You're such a creepy little pervert– Ha– AGH, Okay, okay, okay, sorry, I'll stop! You can drop the threatening sock now please– NO, DON'T YOU DARE THROW IT AT ME, KIM MINGYU–"

The next day, you're sure to call Yunjin up, who picks up with a heavy groan and before she can curse you out for waking her, you ask her if she wants to get lunch. "Gyu's coming, too, if that's okay?" Yunjin pauses. And then: "Ugh. So you guys finally made up? Thank God. I was getting tired of the passive aggressive texts from Joshua about you and Mingyu. Speaking of which, can I invite Joshua? He'll shut up if he sees you two in love in person."

–

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

i tried to preserve the best friend banter dynamic but given that they were fighting, it was a liltle hard. idk i can't tell if this is any good but it's something! i promise to proof-read later.... probably... anyway, ... thank you for reading and i love reading any feedback slash reviews in the tags so pls do let me know <3 lots of love to my friends and foes!!!! bye.

#mingyu x reader #mingyu x y/n #mingyu x you #mingyu svt #svt x reader #kim mingyu #mingyu fics #kim mingyu x y/n #seventeen fics #seventeen imagine #mingyu imagines #mingyu fluff #mingyu angst #mingyu hurt comfort #svt fluff #seventeen scenarios #seventeen angst #mingyu x you angst

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yandere-sins · 11 months

Text

The Orcas' Tale - Chapter IIII

You guys are really swimming through these polls. Maybe I made it too easy for you, but you got it right again! We are nearing the end, and finally, we make our escape from our captors. Enjoy!

Fandom: Original Content Pairings: Yandere!Orca Mermen x GN!Reader Warnings: Yandere, Monsters, Violence (Fighting and getting attacked), Butchering a fish, Dub-con touches/kisses, Animalistic behavior, Mention of claws/sharp teeth, Hinting at death, Long post

"Human~"

The voice in your head echoed far and clear through your dreams of muddy waters and shadow creatures. It was the only thing able to pull you from those nightmares plaguing you, with its melodic up and down of a whisper, the sound vibrating in your chest as if it were a part of you. Something wrapped around your shin, large and cold, heating up as it made contact with your skin, and you pulled your legs upwards instinctively, trying to flee from the grabby hands, only to get blocked by a large weight pinning you down.

A brief moment of confusion passed your tired mind, your body heavy and rigid from the hard sleep on the stone ledge that, for a moment, you wanted to cry from being awoken much too early to fully rest. Somewhere in your circling thoughts, you must have passed out despite your hesitations to sleep around these intriguing but threatening creatures, too exhausted from everything that happened to you the previous day and the seal fur luring you in like a siren's song.

"Human."

This time, the call had already shattered through your dreams, hooking your conscience and pulling it back to reality. You awoke with crusts gluing your eyelids together, remnants of the salty water you never got to wash off. But when you wanted to reach up, you found your arms pinned to the ground you were lying on, forcing you to open your eyes without the help of a good rub. Your view wasn't great, though, as you were faced with darkness, not even the blue shimmers of light getting beneath the body that was covering you.

There was never a moment without horror when you were around these strange, unpredictable creatures. But the loss of your movement and the weight feeling ever so crushing on top of you certainly put the cherry on top. Your mouth—one of the few things able to move—opened before you could even think about screaming, but just as quickly, it was covered by lips not your own.

You made a pitiful quaking sound as a tongue slipped over yours, straight towards your throat. There was little room to struggle with this huge body on top of you, but you still did your best to flail your arms and legs, only to be shut down by much stronger limbs. Sharp teeth grazed your tongue and lips when you tried to close off the access to your mouth, reminding you of the predicament of their bites, the taste of iron and fish filling your panicked senses.

Until you had to take a breath. You were close to tears when you realized you were suffocating from the kiss, unable to gasp or fill your lungs until desperation forced you to inhale. The other tongue paused, waiting as you took your breath, both of your bodies shuddering as you received the sweet, sweet air you needed. Your eyes had squeezed shut as there was only darkness to see either way, but now that the tension in your body began to fade in confusion, you forced them open.

The amber of Nerrocan's eyes seemed almost like a glowing green as it reflected the faint blue lights of the cave plants, allowing their light to overtake the darkness. He allowed you to breathe through him a few more times before he awkwardly kissed you, creating some space between your mouth until only the sounds of sloppy, wet smooches rang out. His gaze fixated somewhere below your own eyes as he licked over your—blunt in comparison—teeth and sucked in your tongue, the feeling of his sharp ones making you flinch in surprise. Feeling your reaction, he pulled away with a jolt, replacing his lips with his hand before you had time to react.

"Don't," he warned, the sound curt and blunt. Not at all melodic like you were used to their voices by now. Don't scream, you figured from his order, and when his eyes moved to the side, so did yours, Nerrocan softening his hand clasped over half of your face so you could turn your head.

Sprawled out to your sides were the other two mermen. You'd never have expected them to sleep so soundly next to you. However, you heard Krill let out whistling snores when he breathed out, and looking at Lyr, a bit of drool dripped from his lips, indicating the two were truly asleep.

"They only just entered deep sleep. We have to be very quiet," Nerrocan whispered, even leaning down to the side of your head to speak into your ear. His closeness brought back the tension, shivers running down your spine. But you nodded into his palm, and he didn't question you before lowering his hand.

"I will take you to the humans."

Your eyes widened in surprise as you listened intently to every word he murmured into your ear. "But…" you mumbled, barely moving your lips. He'd be able to hear you, no matter the volume of your voice. Glancing back over to the other two for a moment, your furrowed your brows as you looked at Nerrocan, finding his gaze to be on them too. For a moment, you thought you saw a flash of sadness cross his features as he looked at his pack, but other than you, he shook off the doubts before leaning down once more.

"Now. Be quiet."

Questions shot into your mind as Nerrocan slowly descended into the pool of water, using all his strength in his arms to temper the movement and slide into the wet soundlessly. Part of you was skeptical as you sat up, watching Nerrocan very openly take precautions from the others, apparently betraying them, considering how careful he was to be secretive. It made little sense for him to act this way, especially considering he was never the most interested in you either. Your questions about the why and how didn't help soothe the doubts that suddenly rose inside you, whether you should trust this guy more than anyone else.

You gulped as he held out his webbed hand towards you, a serious expression on his face while most of his body was already submerged in the water. Waiting for you. Expecting no more delay from you who wanted this in the first place. Nerrocan said nothing while your thoughts were hissed in his voice, an illusion of your own nervous uncertainty. You want this. This might be your only chance.

And the others didn't care.

They didn't need to spit this fact into your face to make it any more true than you already knew it was. Neither Krill nor Lyr cared or wanted to care for what you wanted, and neither of these possibilities was any less hurtful. They might look human (at least for half of their body), but they weren't. And there was no reason for them to help you.

But what reasons did Nerrocan have? Why would he help you and go against their united front? Why go to these lengths for a human he seemed to harbor no sympathy for, either?

You didn't have a choice this time.

Shrugging off the seal fur you used as a blanket, you peered nervously at the sleeping predators of this sea, the two looking almost peaceful, with no worries on their minds. They were different from you, and, looking at Nerrocan, he was different from them too.

On all fours, you crawled slowly, quietly, biting your lip whenever a pebble pressed into your palm or shin to keep yourself quiet, over to him. When you reached out your arm, his wet skin slid along your hand, up your wrist, forearm, to your upper arm, where it wrapped around. Nerrocan lifted himself out of the water while he pulled you towards him, your faces only inches apart when you realized he tilted his head and readied another kiss.

You didn't want that! But he held you steady as he pressed his lips to yours, tongue slipping out to lick over your closed-off mouth, asking for entry. "Air," he breathed, and you scrunched up your face as you realized what he meant. You'd have to dip down into the ocean again. There'd be no saying how long you'd be stuck there if you wanted to try to hold your breath by yourself, so you needed to rely on him. To him, it was just a way of offering you air, but to you, it was much more meaningful. As if he was asking you to trust and allow him to protect you, making you feel vulnerable and gullible. What if his intentions were malicious after all?

"Air!" he reiterated, this time hissing the word in urgency.

Behind you, Krill grumbled as he turned on his side, his arm falling to where you had just laid. If he noticed you gone, he'd probably jolt from his sleep and catch you two trying to escape, neither of you getting out of this situation safely. Nerrocan was strong; you had no doubts. But you knew Krill was older. If it came down to it, it would be strength against experience, and you doubted Krill would be fighting alone. Nerrocan was putting himself against his whole pod, even though you had no idea why. But you, too, had to play your part if he was ready to go this far.

Finding hold on his arm, you reached out to wrap your other arm around his neck. It was much easier to get things over with when you closed your eyes, so you surrendered to the darkness as you pressed your lips to Nerrocan's, allowing him to overtake your mouth once more while his free arm snatched around your midriff. It all went by so fast. Nerrocan lifted you from the ledge and pressed you to his body as his kiss deepened, making you reliant on the air he breathed through his gills as he pulled you into the water.

The harsh cold shocked you, but inside the water, Nerrocan's body was finally warm again, just like the first time he pulled you down under. Strangely enough, this memory resurfaced now, the panic and fear you felt then replaced with a spark of determination and the desperation to escape and trust him. However, this time, Nerrocan let you go as he noticed you voluntarily moving your body toward him instead of putting up a fight. Finding the smallest spot on his torso, you wrapped your legs around it as best as possible, arms holding on to his neck and fingers sinking into his hair as if your life depended on it. He loosened the kiss only once, threatening to drown you, when he gasped as you clawed at his scalp, as you were afraid he might slip from you.

You didn't dare to open your eyes even once as Nerrocan put your bodies into movement, navigating you two through the ocean with strong strokes of his tail. Nerrocan's arm slid over your back, pressing you against him while you kissed for air, making you almost feel… safe. He used the other arm to steer through the waters he swam through vigorously but kept you safely against him at the same time, never again prying your lips apart to make you fearful of the ocean you were in. The longer you were tied to each other's lips, the more natural it became. As if his mouth was the diving gear you needed for air on an expedition. But had you opened your eyes, the only thing you had seen would have been his, as the reflection of the ocean darted by inside them, with no time to awe about the wonders of the sea.

When you two finally breached the surface, your worries melted away in an instant.

You found yourself liberated from the shackles of the ocean, barely feeling the water around you anymore as you pushed yourself away from Nerrocan, breathing in the fresh air as deep as you could. He was surprised for a moment by your sudden, energetic push higher. Still, he quickly adjusted his hold to lift your whole torso out of the water.

After four deliberate, long fills of fresh air, you finally opened your eyes, staring at the twinkling stars above. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the horizon had already colored itself in a warm pink, promising a beautiful day. The water was calm, and when you looked down, all you found was Nerrocan's eyes staring up at you, his head tilted back to reveal a smile playing on his lips.

"You're really taking me back to the humans?" you croaked, suddenly feeling a lump in your throat. This was almost too good to be true. Nerrocan had already brought you back to the surface, a dreadful place had you been here alone, no land in sight for miles and miles. You'd probably never have made it alone, so you were thankful he was with you. But what if he was just playing with your feelings? Showing you your own helplessness?

"I will. I promised. I'll take care of you and protect you."

"But why?"

The question made the lump in your throat swell even more, and you realized it was accompanied by tears shooting into your eyes. Nerrocan was promising you hope, but your heart was already too fearful to allow it. "Why help me? Why go against Krill and Lyr?"

Lowering you a little bit, Nerrocan reached up, swiping a wet thumb over your cheekbone and collecting your tears. You laughed as you were now wetter than from crying, and he did it again as if he didn't understand why the tears wouldn't stop. But when you reached up to press his palm against the side of your face, he stopped, staring at where your skin met his with an intense focus.

"I… don't know," he muttered, squinting his eyes suspiciously. For someone who always seemed very collected, he was much more expressive than you could have hoped for. You felt yourself trust him more when he showed his emotions openly. "I just know I have to bring you back. You want to go back, so that's what I have to do."

"Are you sure? You don't sound sure…"

"I am. I am unsure why I feel this way, but I am sure about what to do. And we must move now, or the others can catch up with us before sunrise."

It wasn't the answer you hoped for, the questions burning in your mind never being solved to your satisfaction. But you swallowed them for the sake of this escape. Nerrocan had proven himself trustworthy, and when you gave him a nod as his go, he pulled your hands from his shoulders where you had supported yourself and slipped underwater again. Only to emerge with his back facing you, directing your arms around his neck again.

"As long as the sun isn't high in the sky yet, we can swim on the surface. But we'll have to go back underwater when it gets dangerous for you. Humans are vulnerable to the sunlight, right?"

"Yes," you confirmed without thinking, slowly hooking your arms around his neck and drawing closer to his body. "Yes, we are."

"You are very fragile," he noted, but there was no bite to his words, and you spotted a smile on his face as you peered around to the front. Next thing you knew, he had ducked his head into the water, pushing his body upwards for you to sit on. Nerrocan didn't need to tell you to wrap your legs around him as best as you could, hands falling to the space between his neck and shoulders before he began to push onwards.

It wasn't easy to hold onto him, but you did your best, feeling like a cartoon character riding an oversized dolphin from the TV shows of your youth. There was some fun to it, but the moment your focus shifted anywhere else than your grip or the even but still fast pace you two had, you were sliding down his body like a slippery eel. Luckily, Nerrocan would always grip your legs in time to steady you until you found your place on top of him again, but you concluded that the trip to where you wanted to go would be an exhausting one.

But at least, now you had a chance to make it.

By the time the sun had already gone down again, you were sore and desperate for a break. You had no idea how you made it through the whole day without a moment of calm since you two began your journey, with no food and only an embarrassing amount of saliva to swallow from Nerrocan to replace your need for water. Talking about water—you were sick of it already, and it had only been one day.

"How long?" you gasped, wiping your face with your hands before planting them into the sand.

"Two more days if we can keep up the pace of today."

Nerrocan eyed you suspiciously as you kneeled on the small island in the middle of the ocean, barely ten steps wide and only sand and stones. There was some fern in the middle of it, but you doubted it was edible. Clutching your stomach, you weren't sure if you were hungry or nauseated from hearing the news about how long you'd still need to endure this kind of travel. You wanted to be better than this, toughen up, and take it as the price you'd have to pay for surviving silently without complaints. Still, at the same time, you couldn't imagine making it through another two days like this.

His eyes fell on your hand on top of your stomach, brows furrowing as he studied your sickly posture. "Wait here," Nerrocan instructed sternly. "Don't go anywhere without me."

You shook your head, waving your hand dismissively. As if there was anywhere you could go other than the other side of this small, sandy beach island. All you wanted to do was sit on steady ground for a while, rest your sore muscles, and dry off your skin. Hopefully, you wouldn't suffer long-term injuries from staying in water for so long. Still, even that was something you considered a minor price to pay for returning to civilization in one piece.

It could have only been a few minutes, your mind almost immediately dozing off when you were left alone on the island before you heard the splashing sound of someone emerging from the water. You jerked awake, disorientated as you looked around, only to see Nerrocan crawling out of the water, a fish hanging from his mouth with blood dripping out of it. Who knew if it was edible, but when Nerrocan held it out to you, your stomach gave a small, pitiful growl, and you sighed at your own needs.

You hesitated to take the fish as it was, complete with head and tail and entrails as you suspected. It also wasn't a species you'd usually enjoy at a restaurant. Nerrocan had bit his marks into the flesh, bleeding it out for you already, but when he noticed your hesitation, he paused, drawing the fish back. You never had the time to fully appreciate the merman, but the moonlight illuminated him like a god. Those trained muscles you had noticed before, moving and flexing as he moved, whether in the water or on land. They were perfectly accustomed to his needs, to whatever he needed to do, even though the bulky tail made for a heavy drag when he pulled himself onto land. His silky hair glowed in the white light, always moving, the long strands falling and curling over his body like waves caressing him. His eyes were razor sharp when he focused, beastly and predatory. But every time he looked at you, his expression relaxed, eyes softening as the tension fleeting. You could never tell what he was thinking, but you didn't mind his staring, his gaze so much more gentle than Krill's when it roamed your body. Around his hips was a leather strap, a net, and a small dagger hanging from it. The latter he pulled out, the blade looking dull and flat like a clam knife.

However, when he cut through the fish with the bare minimum of his strength, you realized it was sharp and ready. You always thought they only used their claws and fangs. However, watching Nerrocan skillfully disembowel and skin the fish was an impressive showcase of his abilities. Using his hand as a plate, he quickly put the dagger back into its sheath before serving the fish to you, not letting it get close to the sand. You inched closer to him to take away the pieces you wanted, one bite turning into two, then three and counting as you realized your body's need for sustenance.

Nerrocan watched you for a while, following your fingers sliding over his palm to pick up the pieces with an odd curiosity before switching to watch you place the food in your mouth and chew as if he had never thought about this way of eating before. But eventually, he wrenched his eyes away, directing his focus back on the sea, and you found him lost in thought when you finally finished your meal.

"I'm sorry," you muttered, suddenly overcome with a lot of guilt as you noticed his keen gaze, watching the waves splash around you. The things you'd have given to walk around in his mind for a while, figure out if he was measuring distance, what he could see in the moonlight, and feel with his tail fin in the water. The urge to study something so similar, yet different, had always been strong in you. But deep in those amber eyes, you could see longing, making you realize those similarities were worthy of your empathy.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, turning his attention back to you and dipping his hands into the water to wash them off now that you had finished.

"For… well… everything. I didn't even leave you any dinner. Not to mention you left your pod because of me… your family. Your brothers."

He was silent as you dropped the heaviness weighing on your heart. There was more you felt guilty for: the fact you made travel harder by being unfit for the terrain or that you had doubted him for the longest time. You didn't even have anything to repay his kindness with, and you didn't think he'd like anything you could give him as repayment when he sat you down at land again.

"My brothers?" Nerrocan mumbled, furrowing his brows and cocking his head.

"Yes, the other two," you clarified, suddenly unsure about your assumption.

"We are not brothers; they are my mother's sister's children. But I am closer in age to them than my actual brothers. Krill taught me what I needed to know for my life in the pod. He made me a fine hunter, but I have long disliked his leadership abilities. He wants to be like his mother, which can be quite restrictive for others. I have sometimes struggled to understand his reckless behavior, and I loathe being blamed for his mistakes. And Lyr is… a problem. We've never gotten along well, but Krill insisted we had to stick together. You don't need to worry about them or me. It is quite normal for males to leave the pod. I'll be fine."

Cousins, you thought. All along, you thought they were close as brothers, especially how orcas usually acted in their pods. Still, you had been wrong about many things. You wouldn't have assumed yourself to be an expert on orcas, much less mermaid orcas, but it seemed you had been misguided about their relationship. You were also surprised to hear his thoughts about them, considering how well-integrated he had been into the pack. It made you remember Krill's words about the others, how he thought Nerrocan had ideas he wouldn't talk about. Hearing them from him now, it made sense he never spoke up against his cousin.

But then again, the bit about males leaving the pod made less sense as you believed the only reason they did it was to mate and then return to their families after all. Maybe it was different for mermaids? Did they stay with their mates? Protect their families?

Questions over questions, and you began to understand that the reason they all made you so nervous was your drive to find answers. But that seemed to be impossible, even at this point. You could ask him, but would it do you any good? All this time, you thought about revealing their identity once you returned to the mainland. To write up research papers and hold conferences about the strange existence of orca mermaids, but now… with how little you actually learned about them, would you have any grounds to stand on? If anyone caught on to the holes in your knowledge, they'd call you a sham and crazy for sure. After all, no one had ever learned about the existence of mermaids so far, other than in fairytales.

"Say…" you started, opening your mouth to at least have some answer, even if they were just for yourself. You picked up one of the stones littering the beach, worrying it in your hand while he watched, minding the edges that protruded sharply from it. You wanted to ask him the bases and maybe what he'd do in the future. Even if he told you not to concern yourself with these worries, they still plagued your mind. Could he even return despite Krill and Lyr knowing what he did, taking you with him? Maybe it was less about the concept of his existence that you wanted to know about, but Nerrocan himself.

However, instead of an answer, Nerrocan suddenly hissed, throwing half of his body in front of you and forcing you to pull in your legs to avoid them getting crushed under his weight. You could see very little with his body in the way, but it was impossible not to notice the tension in his bulking muscles and how he leaned forward, ready to pounce.

"What's… What's going on?" you asked, trying to peer by him, spying through the gap between his body and arm.

"Quiet!" he hissed, but his body only strained further after hearing your voice. He seemed unwell as if something hurt him, but you couldn't see an open wound on his body.

Overcome with your nervousness, you held your breath as you tried to glimpse at what he saw, scanning the relatively calm waters as best as you could for any hint of danger that would justify his reaction. For a long moment, there was nothing, and you felt the tension begin to ease again, deciding to lean back and calm down, when Nerrocan snapped around, pinning you to the ground as he reached for something behind you.

You yelped in surprise, your head hitting the sand with a thump, but it was only thanks to Nerrocan pushing you out of under him that you nearly escaped the swiping, clawed hands reaching for you. You dropped the stone in your hand as a sharp pain pushed you into action, forcing you to open your eyes and face the picture unfurling before you. Nerrocan held another face in his hand, his claws digging into the other merman's scalp as you heard a snarky laugh from the grey half-human.

The moonlight made him look brilliant white, but in the shadows of their bodies, you could see the grey coat on him, very different compared to Nerrocan's deep black shade. Even though Nerrocan was a hulking figure even to this merman, the other still came with his own clawed hands that dug into Nerrocan's arm and sharp teeth grinning from beneath Nerrocan's palm. He held the grey merman up in the air as best as he could, preventing the creature from finding hold and crawling but also causing him to put all his weight into clawing at Nerrocan's arm.

"You damn orcas are always so perceptive," the other merman snarled, licking over his lips. "And here I thought we'd have an easy snack."

We? you thought when a sudden jerk went through Nerrocan's body, forcing him to lower the other merman back on the sand while he glanced back over his shoulder. You followed this gaze, only to see another set of webbed and clawed hands wrap around and dig into Nerrocan's tail before starting to pull. Being forced back into the water, Nerrocan gripped the other merman by the neck, dragging him over the sand and stone with him as the three began descending into the wet.

"Stay out of the water!" he yelled, your eyes meeting for a split second, yours blown wide in fear, his sharp and commanding. You weren't sure if it was meant as reassurance that he kept eye contact until he was pulled under; perhaps he was only trying to make sure you wouldn't get involved. More and more water was thrown around as you quickly climbed away from the edge of the island, sitting down on the grassy spot between the ferns. There was so much water being splashed around before the movement suddenly ceased, only to resurface seconds later. You saw tails thrashing against the surface, more light-colored ones than Nerrocan's dark hide, but you weren't able to figure out how many attackers were down there.

It all happened so fast that you didn't even notice you were shaking in fear until you curled your hand into a fist, another sharp pain zapping through you. It felt wrong to look away when Nerrocan was fighting for his—and consequently your—life, but you still glanced down at the cut in your palm, long and bleeding, not having noticed it until then. It must have been the stone that you accidentally clutched when you were attacked, but it seemed like a small thing while there was a fight going on just a few feet from you.

The pain was quickly forgotten when one of the unfamiliar mermen suddenly jumped out of the water, landing on his belly as he lunged at you. Sharp teeth etched into a mad grimace, so much more horrifying than any animal could ever be when it was the face of a human you were staring down. You only got glimpses of your attacker. Of the grey coat and the dorsal fin, which was shorter and sharper than the orcas'. Everything else was similar, though he wasn't as big as Nerrocan or the others, that much you could tell. He looked as if a shark had taken on a half-human form, and from what you heard, this might have been the case.

Your scream fell silent as you forced yourself away as far as you could, water already threatening to envelop you when Nerrocan suddenly pounced from behind the merman, gripping him by his hair and keeping him at bay. His teeth were bared, his eyes so dark you saw no spark of humanness in them. None of them resembled humans at that moment. Nerrocan didn't look at you, even though you couldn't help but watch him, terrified, as he dragged the attacker away from you. Another merman lunged at his tail, and you clearly saw him bite down into Nerrocan as he twisted around to grab that merman, too, letting himself fall back into the water and bringing them both down with him. That bite was not the only wound you noticed in the short time the struggle occurred before you. You saw the scratches on Nerrocan's body, the blood trickling from his shoulder, and the claw marks on his arms.

This fight was raw and brutal and… unfair. Even though he kept them at bay, those two other mermen didn't have wounds deep enough to bleed yet. Orcas were stronger than sharks, but you had never seen a fight between one orca and two sharks before. The outcome wasn't clear this time, but your gut twisted and turned with the realization there was no guarantee Nerrocan would be able to win on his own.

He told you to stay out of the water, to not get unnecessarily close to the danger, but should you just wait and watch as the two attackers ripped your only chance of safety and returning home apart? Nerrocan told you to stay back, and you had already decided to trust him. Would you be a hindrance if you tried to help, or would you give Nerrocan that little window he needed to finish off these two? The only way to distract them was to get into the action, but what if you put yourself into danger—accidentally or not?

There wasn't much time to think of anything else you could do. After all, this fight could end at any second when one of them made a mistake.

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bluelancess · 4 months

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Untouchable | Elriel fic part 1/3

Summary: The inner circle is having one of their usual dinner parties, during which Azriel can't help but shoot death glares to Lucien across the table, Elain is the only one who manages to calm him down.

Tags: secret meetings, forbidden love, secret relationship

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Read on AO3.

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Chapter 1: This is falling in love in the cruelest way

The Townhouse was exceptionally quiet today, the only sound filling its empty walls came from Elain’s soft humming in the kitchen. It was a melody she had heard a couple of days back while strolling along Velaris’ farmer’s market. She thought it was sweet, sounded almost a little magical to her ears, she had stopped on her tracks to give her full attention to the street performers, marveling at the way their expert fingers played the instruments, and at how they could attract a large crowd after only playing a single enchanting note. She was most definitely not doing the song justice, but humming helped her keep her mind away from dangerous black holes that always threatened to swallow her whole, the same way baking and gardening did.

She was adamant on never letting her mind take her away again.

Ever.

Elain put the final touches to the delicious meal she was cooking for dinner, and cleaned the palms of her hands on the front part of her light-blue apron. Roasted rosemary potatoes, grilled chicken with lemon zest, honey and mustard, various vegetables she had seasoned earlier; broccoli, peas, a tomato salad with basil and olive oil.

Cooking kept her busy and occupied most of the time. And it filled her with joy to be able to be helpful in any way she could. Besides, today was one of the Inner Circle’s weekly dinner meeting. Rhysand made it almost mandatory, and considering everyone was busy doing their own thing nowadays, having an afternoon where they could catch up on everything else other than work-related subjects, was a refreshing change.

Elain had dessert finishing baking in the oven, a blueberry crust pie she was going to serve alongside some vanilla ice-cream and whipped cream, when Nuala and Cerridwen entered the kitchen, both walked as silently as a ghost would. It used to perturbe Elain at the beginning, them being so silent, but with time she had gotten used to their presence, their company.

“The table is set,” Nuala said. “We can finish up here.”

“Thank you,” Elain smiled at her, and slowly removed her apron. Cerridwen extended her hand towards her, so Elain could hand her the clothing item covered in flower. “Is Feyre still asleep?”

Nuala nodded softly. “She and the babe, both.”

Elain chewed on her lower lip, concealing the smile that had formed after picturing the image in her head. Feyre lying on her bed, Nyx resting on top on her chest, the tiny wings tucked in, his little chubby hands holding onto Feyre’s gown like he used to do when he slept in that position as if scared Feyre might put him in his crib as soon as he fell asleep.

“I’ll go change,” Elain told them both, “then I can check up on them.”

“We’ll clean up here.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Elain exited the kitchen, and took slow, soft steps towards the stairs. She had already chosen the gown she would wear for dinner. A lavender satiny dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, with hug shoulders, long slit sleeves and a cirde skirt that reached a little under her ankles that flowed when she walked, making her her feel like a real-life fairytale princess. It was her favorite dress as of late. She hadn’t worn it for other people yet, she was waiting for an special occasion.

This seemed like the right time.

Considering Az would be here any minute.

Just thinking about the Shadowsinger brought a wave of unbearable heat cursing through her, warming up her cheeks, her neck, her ears. She needed to learn to control herself, if she wanted whatever was going on between them to remain private.

Any time she stopped to remember they way Az had looked that one night he came knocking on her window at three in the morning, her whole body shivered, the memory carefully stored in a special place in her heart. It had been the night everything shifted, everything changed, for her. For Azriel.

No one knew about it.

No one could.

Elain had been awake twisting and turning on the sheets, as per usual since their moment at the Winter Solstice, that cursed night that some days, the bad days, she wanted to desperately forget. Forget the way he had touched her and made her light up with so much want, so much need… She had never felt so alive before. Only to end with him pushing her away, such a regretful look in his eyes, telling her that it had been a mistake. But then… there were the good days, those days were she thought about him and hoped, prayed to whatever had interest in hearing her pleas, to have a second chance. To ask him all the questions roaming her head. All the doubts eating at her.

She never imagined he was feeling the same way.

But then, as if he were almost as desperate as her, he’d come in the middle of the night, looking like he’d also had been tossing and turning, so many sleepless night catching up to him. She opened the window with her heart on her throat, and he whispered to her to come with him. Only for a moment. He begged with his eyes, a desperation that was so painfully palpable, Elain’s whole chest squeezed at the sight of it.

Breathless, she took his hand that night.

It was the first time he took her flying, just for the fun of it. They had made it a habit now. He would knock on her window, she would open it, and he would scoop her in his arms, kiss her brow and marvel at her laughs when he would take off, holding her close to him, showing her the sky. It was those moments, that made Elain feel like she was actually free.

Elain opened the door to her bedroom, and froze at the threshold, her brown eyes going wide, her traitorous heart beating so fast it reverberated in her ears.

Azriel brought his index fingers to his lips and it was pure luck she didn't scream when she saw him; sprawled on her bed, boots still on, his wings so big they barely fit the mattress. She licked her lower lip, feet glued to the floor. He looked at her like he wanted to eat her alive, and Elain’s cheeks warmed up. He chuckled, darkly, softly and motioned for her to come forward with his hand, she shook her head like she couldn't believe what he was doing.

After taking a deep breath, Elain quickly looked over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. She didn’t have time to give a single step, before Azriel got to his feet, and closed the space between them in two exact and calculated steps.

“You’re insane,” she breathed, lifting her head to look at him in the eyes, he was so tall, it never stoped amazing her, so tall, and so beautiful. Azriel hands went to her cheeks, holding her so gently as if he were scared to hurt her.

“I missed you,” he simply replied, lifting a shoulder, one of his thumbs caressing her lower lip, his face getting nearer to hers, she could almost taste him. After a couple of weeks meeting in secret, delighting herself with his company, Elain had realized that Azriel liked to tease her. So much. He liked to take things so painfully slow, until she was barely breathing and begging him to touch her, to kiss her, to give her everything. “Just thinking about the fact that I have to sit on that dinner table, unable to touch you for hours, was driving me crazy.”

Azriel left a phantom kiss on her right cheekbone, then moved to the bridge of her nose. Elain closed her eyes at the contact, savoring the feel of him. Her hands roaming him from his shoulders, down to the muscles of his chest. She loved the way his Illyrian leathers felt under her fingertips. She dreamed of the day she finally would have the opportunity to peel them off of him.

But she couldn’t. They couldn’t.

Not yet.

It was too risky, everyone would to know they had been together, their scents would mix, there would be no denying it. And although Azriel was usually cocky and confident when it came to the fact the he most definitely would win a blood duel against Lucien, she couldn't even fathom the idea of Az risking his life in that matter for her. Az kept distributing tiny kisses along her face, like he wanted to pain it all with his lips. It was certainly torture having to wait until they were finally free to fall into the lust consuming their bodies, their souls. But she was completely sure it’d be worth the wait.

“So you decided to cheat and get a little taste before dinner?” She asked, and he hummed, as he kissed her eyelids, the tip of her nose, the right corner of her mouth. So soft, so gentle.

“Hmm,” he muttered, “I was actually hoping you wanted to skip dinner altogether.”

“Because that wouldn’t be suspicious.” He kissed the left corner of her mouth now, and a groan left Elain’s throat, Azriel ignored it and moved down to her jaw. “How long have you been here anyway?”

“About half an hour,” he replied, voice low, no more than a rumble, but she heard it perfectly, felt it everywhere. He kissed right under her earlobe and Elain bit her lower lip hard, tying to conceal the moan escaping her. “You smell so good.”

She melted against him the the words, reality crashing into her like a hard wave. Remembering where they were, who that house belonged to.

“Rhys could get home any minute,” she breathed, he groaned at the name of another male leaving her mouth when he was licking up the column of her neck, her hands grasping his uniform as if she needed it to remain standing. Cauldron, he was killing her.

“I don’t care,” Azriel replied, sucking gently at the sensitive, pale skin, his hands angling her head, exposing her neck just the way he wanted, the way he needed. “Maybe I should just leave a mark right here,” he whispered, and gently kissed right under her jaw. “Everyone can come to their own conclusions.”

“You wouldn’t.” She teased him, somehow, for some reason, the idea sparked something in her, something feral. She wanted him to claim her, to show everyone that she was his and he was hers.

That they had chosen one another.

Damn the consequences.

“Someday I will.” He told her, making it sound like a threat. He couldn’t hide the smile of surprise when she let out a breathy moan, as if she could just picture the idea in her head and loved it.

Elain was about to just grab his beautiful face, get on her tippy toes, and steal a long kiss from his lips, when Azriel stepped away from her, so fast she almost lost her balance. A knock on the door had her spine straightening, her heart jumping.

“El, are you there?” Feyre. It was her sister’s voice, still sleepy from the nap she had been taking with Nyx.

She turned around, the door was behind her, she had been pressed against the wood by Azriel's solid body. She swallowed hard, running her fingers through her hair, her face, her neck, she could still feel Azriel lips on her skin, the wet strokes of his tongue, the little painless bites. She was definitely flushed.

She looked over her shoulder, Azriel was nowhere to be seen, but in the corner of the room, right under the door that connected to her dressing room, a little shadow was peaking, sharp like a knife, as if getting ready to attack if she needed it to.

“Elain?” Feyre knocked again, and Elain forced herself to take one, two long breaths before turning the knob and opening the door.

“Sorry,” she told her sister. “I was about to change my clothes. They’re covered in food... you know, from cooking and all that.”

Feyre yawned, her eyes were glassy and her cheeks rosy from sleep, Elain tried to block the view of the inside of her rooms, just to be sure. But Feyre ignored it, putting one of her hands on her sister’s shoulders and going inside, to lay face first on the bed.

“Dinner smells so good,” Feyre murmured. “I’m so hungry the smell woke me up. Also, Nyx started to cry. He was hungry too.”

“You had a good nap?” Elain asked, her voice sounded strange even to herself, but Feyre didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

“Yes, I needed it.” After a beat, Feyre sat on the bed and looked at Elain, the relaxed look on her face from the last couple of seconds going away in a blink. “Actually, I came to talk to you about something.”

Elain took a couple steps towards her sister, sitting beside her on the side of the bed. “What happened?”

“I just spoke with Rhys, mainly to asked him what time he was coming home for dinner, and he mentioned to me Lucien is in the city. He came because he has some reports he need to give Rhys, and …” Feyre grimaced, she looked worried, almost guilty. “I know it makes you uncomfortable, so I told him to not even think about bringing him tonight before asking you.”

Elain couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t breathe.

She hated this. Hated that cursed mating bond so much.

All she wanted was to be free of that male, but it was like he didn’t know when to give up. No matter how many hints she sent his way, or the fact that she made it her mission to stay as far away from him as possible. He wouldn’t budge.

She couldn’t understand how he could continue to pursue her, knowing that it wouldn’t get him anywhere. Lucien couldn’t be so naive to believe she’d change her mind with a couple of expensive gifts and awkward dinner parties where he didn’t even make the effort to see her, understand her.

But, even if she wanted to say no, this wasn’t her house. Not really.

It was her sister’s, and her mate’s. She was living there because they were kind enough to let her. Because they cared about her, yes, but that didn’t mean that sometimes, she wished she could have something that was entirely hers.

Just hers.

“Lucien is your friend, I don’t want you to not invite him because of me,” the words tasted wrong on the mouth, and the shadows slowly started gathering in the corners of the room, like steam from a boiling pot.

“Are you sure?” Feyre’s face changed, glowing, “You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to, I don’t want to ruin your night.”

“You won’t. It’s fine.” She tried to give her sister a smile. The truth was, at this point, after everything Feyre had done for her and their family, Elain was willing to do, to endure, absolutely anything for her sister. It was the least she could do.

No sacrifice seemed great enough. Not after everything Feyre had lost, suffered through for them. For her.

She could be an adult and enjoy one evening with Lucien. Put on a smile, pretend everything was perfect and delicious, and she was happy. Because she was happy. More than ever. She just had to remind herself that once the dinner party was over, and the guests went home, she could return to her little room, and maybe, just maybe, Azriel would be waiting for her.

And if he was, she’d ask him to take her flying.

Feyre threw her arms around her sister and kissed her temple.

“Everyone is getting here in fifteen minutes.” Feyre stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

Elain closed the door as soon as her sister left, and rested her forehead on the cool wood. She felt the spymaster presence at her back, his eyes piercing, his shadows surrounding the four walls of her rooms like he wanted to keep her there, all to himself.

“Did you know he was on the city?” She asked softly, turning around to see him standing right outside her dressing room.

Azriel shook his head.

“Rhys ordered me to take care of other business today,” he replied, his voice lethal, scarred hands curling into tight balls, shoulders tense. She approached him, and softly put the pads on her fingers in his hands, willing them to relax, to open up for her and let her in, hold her.

“It’ll be okay.”

“I can’t stand it,” he groaned. “I can’t stand the way he looks at you. The smell—“ Azriel took her hands into his, closing his fingers around hers tight, the muscle on his jaw flexing.

“It’s not easy for me either.”

“Then let’s not go,” he looked at her like he wanted to whisk her away, show her everything, run and run until no one knew who they were. "Let's go somewhere else, just you and me."

“Az…” His name sounded so charged coming from her lips, like a prayer, a promise, the sweetest of secrets, something she only said when it was the two of them, alone. “We can’t.”

He let out a long sigh, and rested his chin on top of her head.

“Don’t ask me to be nice, then,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Good.”

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this is going to be a 3 part little one shot so enjoy <3

#pro elriel #elriel #elain x azriel #pro elain #azriel x elain #acotar #azriel #elain archeron

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comingfromastatechampionasshole · 9 months

Text

Doc's Best In Goddamn Show Montana State Fair Coconut Cream Pie

As promised, the baked good that did the best, I'll release the recipe. This is one of my favorite pies of all time, hewed into a perfect custard-based pie that won me my first Best in Show rosette in nine years. And pies is even a tough category!

The other shocking thing: This is one of the easiest pies I make. It's very much "don't worry about it." It even tastes better if you make everything but the topping the day before serving.

“Doc, why don’t you use cream of coconut for the custard?” Friend, I tried for years to get that to work, only to find out that cream of coconut just does not bake up as nice as milk and cream, so I use a nice extract and toast the coconut to get the flavors.

YOU WILL NEED:

A crust (I presume you can either make or buy a crust. I might even have a recipe here on the blog, I can’t remember)

Pie:

5 eggs

¾ cup caster/baker’s sugar

2 cups of whole milk

½ cup half and half (I believe this is called half cream in the UK)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tsp coconut extract (I like Olivenation or watkins. Also, bear in mind you may need to use more. I do this to taste and the tsp is a guess on my part. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you where to taste in the recipe)

Pinch salt

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Topping:

2 cups heavy cream VERY COLD (can use whipping or double also, but I prefer heavy)

2 tablespoons jello or jello style pudding mix, coconut

Powdered/icing sugar (this will be to taste)

Decoration: Most definitely toasted coconut. I really like Nuts.com’s organic dried coconut chips, but it depends on how flush I’m feeling--I did not use it in this competition. Macadamia nuts are great, dried pineapple, for this competition I used coconut rolls from costco. This is mostly for visual appeal, so be creative.

Toast your coconut: Put the oven at 350F. Put some parchment down on a baking sheet, and then put your sweetened flaked coconut on the sheet. Don’t forget to put in a bit extra for your topping decoration. Toast for about five minutes, it will probably need a stir and watch it closesy--coconut burns easy. When it’s a nice pale golden, pull it and up the temperature of the oven to 375F.

Blind bake your crust. If you haven’t done this before, I think it’s easy but admit maybe not everyone will. Roll your crust out into a pie plate, just like you always would, and then cover the bottom with tin foil, and fill with pie weights or beans, or rice--I’m a big fan of using sugar. Whatever you use. Bake it about 15-17 minutes, it should be lightly brown at the edges. Take out the pie weight you used. Bake it about 5 minutes more, just so the bottom gets very lightly toasted.

Make the filling! Beat your eggs in in a large bowl until they are very well combined but not whipped. Beat in everything but the coconut itself. NOW TASTE IT. Does it taste coconutty enough, or do you want to add a little more extract? Have an easy hand with the stuff, it’s powerful. Mix in the toasted coconut.

Yeah, I’m serious, that was the whole of the filling instructions. I told you this was ridiculously easy.

Bake: Pour your filling (carefully) into the pie crust, and cover the edges of your pie crust so it doesn’t burn (I use tin foil, but they do make fancy pie shields). I like to put it on a jelly roll pan so it’s easier for me to take in and out of the oven. You’re going to bake it at 375F for about 30-40 minutes, but the real test is: if you shake it a little, is it set at the sides but with a little wiggle in the center? That’s when it’s done.

Let it cool totally.

Topping! Beat your cold cream and pudding mix together, adding the powdered sugar slowly. I start with a quarter cup and work my way up until it’s as sweet as I like. I prefer a harder peak for this, but soft peaks are acceptable if you enjoy that more. Decorat with your topping choices!

GO WIN A FUCKIN ROSETTE

Please tell me if you made this! If you found this really helpful and would like to leave me a tip, my ko-fi is here!

#recipes #dessert recipes #pie recipes #baking tips

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krystalskeleton · 1 year

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1992.11.11 – RAW Magazine Interview with Izzy

Music

"Yeah, music is partially my saving grace. It's been part of my life every day of the week since I was a kid. It doesn't have to be a specific type of music, it can be any type because the whole of it takes you away from the mundane, every day sort of thing.

"Being on tour, I find it like a luxury item because when I'm on tour I don't have a big stereo, I have a Sony player that cost 50 bucks, it's mono and it has this tiny speaker. For the first couple of days I only had my walkman which is fine for airplanes, but otherwise they're a drag. I found myself looking in the window of these shops at these stereos and there was this one in Chicago which was four and a half feet long and three feet tall. It was this boom box with neon lights inside it. It was really freaky looking, but I ended up getting this small Sony because it would fit in my bag, it plays cassettes and it records so I can write songs on it too. I find that if I hear a stereo now, even if it's a PA at gigs and they're playing a tape, it's a luxury and I really enjoy it."

Food

"Indian food and pizza are my favourites. I stopped eating meat a few years ago. I don't eat red meat or chicken, but I eat fish. I stopped eating meat shortly after I stopped drinking and using drugs. I think it was a case of wanting to heal myself a little quicker rather than objecting to meat, plus there were some cases on the West Coast where people were dying after they'd eaten bad meat. I'm big on salads. Salads in America are just a couple of bits of dead lettuce, but over here people are a bit more conscientious.

But Indian food and pizza are my favourites and that's why Chicago is like heaven to me because you can get a pizza delivered at 5am and it's damn good pizza. There's a place there called Mama Mia and they deliver all night long. They've got pizzas that are two inches thick with like a cracker crust with fresh tomatoes on top. "

Drink

"I like mango lassi and sweet lassi from Indian restaurants. My second would be fresh squeezed orange juice. Those are the only things I drink. I gave up drinking because I just had enough of waking up in my own vomit and not remembering who I was hanging out with the night before, getting arrested and all that stuff. Waking up in jail, and that sort of thing became old for me and I finally realised that I had to stop this and figure it all out. It wasn't easy and it took a while. I feel a lot better for not doing it."

Hate

"It's destructive in nature. Sometimes you can get angry, but it usually doesn't help fix anything. If I hate something I just get hung up on it and dwell on it. I find it easier to try and dismiss it. Otherwise it's extra baggage to be carrying around. You see hatred every day on the TV and some other places and that's enough for me, I don't need to live with it anymore."

Rock 'N' Roll

"It's that life blood. You can't put your finger on it. For me it's that other thing that only people who listen to it or love it know what it is. To the rest of the world though it probably doesn't mean shit!(laughs)

" The funniest thing I ever heard in Guns N Roses was from this guy in Canada called Gabe. God, he was hilarious! He said he saw something on English TV once that said no matter how many records Elton John sold in 1976, there were still 40 billion Chinese people that don't give a fuck and that rang so true to me- this was back in '86 so I've always kept it in mind. It's true. If you look at the globe and spin it and put your finger wherever it lands there's people there who don't know what Rock 'N' Roll is. For people who do love it, though, it's their whole life. For me it's very special.

" We used to have Rock 'N' Roll bands come to play at our house when I was a real young kid. My dad used to have these parties and me and my brothers were beer runners. The bands were always downstairs and I always hung out with them. When you're a kid and these guys would show to play stuff on the drums, it was great. They'd play stuff like (Credence Clearwater Revival's) 'Proud Mary'. I was lucky 'cos I got to grow up with that. I've been hooked on that ever since."

Drugs

"It's up to each person. It doesn't do any good to tell people not to do it. If people want to do 'em then they're gonna do 'em. All I can say is for myself they stopped being a good thing. It became a complete pain in the ass. It was destroying me as a person and I got to the point where I decided to give up. It wasn't like I didn't know 'cos you go through a peroid where you know you're tearing yourself up. I knew I had to stop or everything was gonna go down the tubes."

Sex

"It's pretty important, but to a lot of people it's hard to understand that it doesn't mean much unless you care about the person you're with. I'm lucky, 'cos I do."

Love

"It's a great thing. Everybody needs it and wants it. Life can be pretty bleak without it. I've got a German shepherd and I've had him since he was a puppy, ya' know. I bought him when he was just a twerp. He's three years old, he's healthy, he's big and he can run 40 miles an hour and he's great. I love my dog!

"I've had a steady girl for a few years and it's a great thing. Love makes life a lot easier."

Work

" I worked in a car wash when I was 15. I worked where the cars come out and you have to dry the cars off. In the winter time with the wind chill it can be 10 or 20 below zero, and that was real work getting up at five or six in the morning. It was cold and you've got these towels that are freezing and you're washing these fuckers off. Music is more something that you love to do so it doesn't seem like work. The thought of having to get a real job is difficult. I was never that good at keeping a straight job and getting enough money to do what I wanted to do. At the same time I had to work as a kid. If you gotta do it you do it.

" I've had different jobs. I worked in pizzerias and I actually enjoyed that. That was one job that didn't feel like work unless there was a gig or concert that I wanted to go to. In that case I'd leave work early anyway. I actually liked cooking pizzas, flipping the dough and stuff was cool.

"If I had to get another real job I would probably work in a pizzeria, or I'd work in the car wash and I'd be on the front end. The front end is where the guys would pump gas and vacuum the cars, and these guys were always the envy of everyone else who had it rough. This was back in the '70s when people would drive around with big joints in their cars. They'd smoke half a joint and leave the rest so that when one guy pulls up with half a joint in his ashtray, what happens to the joint? It ends up in the pocket of the guys who are up front who'd smoke them! I think I'd rather work in a pizza place though where it's warm and there's music."

Photo © Paul Jendrasiak, 1993

#izzy stradlin #izzy #jeff isbell #jeffrey dean isbell #izzy stradlin and the ju ju hounds #gnr #guns n roses #gunsnroses #gunsnfuckinroses #80s rock #rockstars #80s #90s rock

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sass-squat · 1 year

Note

For the Avians you’ve already posted, what are their favorite foods?

AHHH! I'm sorry my friend! I swear I saw this ask the day you sent it I've just been slacking because I started a new file for BOTW. 😅 Anyways! All their favorite foods are all the recipes you can make in BOTW because Wild is the one that mainly makes their food and also because it's easier that way.

Time - Warm Milk Meaty Rice Balls. "The sweet and spicy meat stuffed into these rice balls will keep you full for some time." Time to me just seems like the kind of guy that enjoys food that he can eat with one hand. That on top of the practical element that this food keeps you full for some time just seems like something he would enjoy and prefer to eat while on the road.

Twilight - Pumpkin Stew. "Simply simmer a fortified pumpkin to make this dish. A favorite in Kakariko Village." This man canonically made pumpkin stew in his adventure so this is his favorite food mainly because it reminds him of home and also because it's one of the only foods he is actually able to cook.

Sky - Salmon Risotto. "Restores your health and temporarily increases your maximum hearts. The rice used in this rich risotto permeates the light flavor of the salmon." I don't even have a solid explanation or reason for this one I just feel it in my soul that Sky loves seafood. Turns out there's not a lot of fish when you live in the sky.

Warriors - Carrot Cake. "Even those who don't like carrots tend to enjoy the mild sweetness of this cake." Ironically, I don't think this is Warriors' favorite food because of taste, but more because of the memories he associates it with. I'm a huge supporter of the "Warriors is a Momma's boy" agenda and I headcanon that his mom made carrot cake for his birthday every year when he was young and that's why he still loves it to this day.

Legend - Apple Pie. "The crispy, flaky pie crust and sweet apples are a match made in heaven." Listen, I know the Zelda manga aren't technically canon but neither is this Winged AU so I can believe what I want in my heart. Anyways, in the A Link to the Past manga his whole goal is for his apple orchard to succeed so I'm a firm believer that Legend LOVES anything with apples, but apple pie holds a secret special place in his heart.

Hyrule - Monster Cake Creamy Heart Soup. "Enjoying this sweet soup with another person will bring you both closer together." Hyrule is such a sweetheart with so much love to give you cannot convince me that his favorite food wouldn't be the creamy heart soup. Also the fact that hearty radishes are one of the best ingredients to replenish hearts fits with his whole fairy/healing agenda.

Wild - Wildberry Crepe. "Sweet, tart wildberries are folded into thin, springy dough to make this dessert." Aside from literal rocks, I just feel like this would be his favorite "treat yourself" comfort food. Other than that, I don't really have solid reasoning for this choice other than the fact that I think he deserves to have nice things and also because this is my favorite thing to make in BOTW.

Four - Curry Rice. "A favorite all over Hyrule, this simple dish has a flavor you just won't get tired of." I headcanon that Four is a pretty easy guy to please when it comes to food. He's basically four racoons in a trench coat so it's pretty easy to guarantee that SOME PART of him will like whatever he is eating, though he does tend to favor slightly spicier foods.

Wind - Seafood Meuniere. "Rich butter flanks fresh seafood. The secret ingredient is lots and lots of love." Now go ahead and try to tell me that that description is not something his Grandma would say. Try it I dare you lol. Anyways that phrase combined with the fact that it is a seafood dish just SCREAMS Wind to me.

Anyways, these are all just my personal headcanons! Let me know if you all had any other ideas or headcanons in mind! 😊

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neonponders · 1 year

Text

Part 18 for @wrecked-fuse ‘s pocketverse 🦇

Part 17

( pt. 7′s art 🎩 ) ( pt. 9′s art 👀 ) ( pt. 14′s art 💨 )

~ on ao3 ~

• • •

“Holy shit.”

Billy chuckled around his own bite while their unfinished game of backgammon sat on the coffee table. Steve licked pot pie gravy off his fork while the littles worked on their serving of peas, carrots, and some gravy-soaked crust.

“You weren’t kidding.”

“This is yummy,” small Billy said.

“Thanks for dinnerw, Biwwy,” small Steve seconded.

“Sorry you had to wait till midnight,” he replied, dipping an edge of crust in the gravy. His eyes flicked to Steve’s head perking up, and trying to go back to eating nonchalantly. “What?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you apologize, that’s all.”

“I didn’t realize I’d set a precedent for letting tiny people starve.”

Steve’s eyes rolled onto him. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t have anything to go off of except your free concert arguments with Max.”

“Max is free game because she’s my shithead sister.”

Steve snorted and reached for a napkin. “Whatever. They’re right, this is great, and thank you.”

“You’re only saying that because you think I’m leaving the leftovers.”

Steve froze and Billy bubbled with laughter. Steve made quick work of the lump in his cheek and haggled, “What do I have to do to keep them?”

“Beat me at backgammon, for a start.”

“What else?”

Billy lifted his head, a different smile on his face. “You like it that much?”

“I can follow a recipe, but my specialties are breakfast and improvising, which...is a fifty-fifty chance at being edible but not delicious. This is an actual home cooked meal type thing.”

“Keep talking sweet to me and I might let you keep half of it.”

Steve already had a mouthful of pie filling as he mumbled, “Deal.”

Both of their attentions moved to the littles yawning over their finished crumbs. Steve swallowed and announced, “Our score-keepers need to get to bed.”

Small Steve complained, “ ‘M not sweepy,” even as his eyelids heavily blinked over unfocused eyes.

Large Steve dug through a grocery bag for the extra small cotton swabs and summoned, “Come here.”

Billy watched with silent fascination as the smallest amount of toothpaste got applied to the swabs and Steve held them steady while the littles brushed their teeth. “B, get those back ones.”

His little body released an indignant huff and he made better work of his molars.

Steve topped off their shot glass with water and said as they rinsed, “Good job. I give you two a bath in the morning.”

“Not sweepy,” little Steve declared, but he shook his head with too much gusto and his body swayed with it.

“Then you don’t want a goodnight kiss?”

He gasped and clasped his hands over his tummy, eyes clamped shut as if that might help him stay still for Steve’s kiss atop his head. He got two for his troubles, while little Billy stood in the curve of big Steve’s hand, holding onto his fingers while lips touched his hair twice as well.

“Stevie too?” small Billy asked with heavy eyelids and warm cheeks. Steve crouched low enough for them both to kiss the flat of his cheeks beside his mouth.

Large Billy was not exempt, as three pairs of eyes locked onto him. He wiped his mouth of crumbs and waved a hand under a benign scoff. “Here we go.”

The littles reached up to hold his chin as they kissed the corners of his mouth. He made sure to hold onto little Billy’s headband as he walked away, hair floating free as the band left his skull.

“Nigh’ nigh’, Biwwy. See you tomowwow?”

“Probably. I’ve got a board game to win.”

Steve chirped, “Oh? We’re done here?”

Billy narrowed his eyes at him in a skeptical glare. “You two make sure he doesn’t change anything. ‘Kay?”

“ ‘Kay!” they echoed.

“See you tomorrow!” little Steve yelled as he ran to their shoebox room.

“G’nigh’, Stevie,” little Billy said.

“Goodnight, B. Sweet Dreams,” big Steve returned and gave the littles an extra tuck into their beds before taking his and Billy’s plates to the kitchen sink.

Billy followed him and leaned against the counter. “Not to get sappy, but they really love you.”

Steve smiled as the dishes filled up with soapy water. Then he turned the faucet off to let them soak. “They’re good little guys. So we’ll settle the leftovers dispute tomorrow?”

His features sank a little as he watched Billy already strolling toward the front doors. “I’ll know if you cheat, pretty boy.”

“I don’t need to cheat. The pie is mine.”

Billy threw an amused smirk over his shoulder, and heard Steve lock the doors as he went to his car.

Brushing their teeth is an ordeal, echoed in his head as he started his car and reversed out of the driveway -

Like a flinch, he checked his shirt pocket and found it empty. Billy shook his head and pushed the cassette tape sticking out of his radio back in. The music only provided a backdrop for his thoughts, though, particularly the wonder at how far Steve was willing to trouble himself to take care of these tiny people.

Even a tiny Billy Hargrove.

Billy made the decision before he was really conscious of it, but as he turned onto Curly Lane and cruised into the trailer park, he stuck to it. If anyone could use some kush, it was Steve. It’d be a good way to spend the rest of the pot pie, too, underneath a haze of sour smoke.

The noise of his car usually announced his presence enough, so the loud stumbling inside the double-wide came as a surprise after he knocked on the door. It was a good habit to stand away from the front door, especially an outward-opening one that Eddie burst open. “Oh. Hargrove. What’s uh.”

“Up?” he responded, deadpan.

Eddie’s head tilted with an annoyed, but patient frown. “What brings you to my castle? The usual?”

“Yeah, unless you’ve found something special.”

“Not the special you like,” he refused on his way back inside. Billy caught the door and let himself into the living room-kitchen area. The floor creaked underneath him, but all houses did in one way or another -

Something audibly fell on the other side of the trailer, presumably in Eddie’s room. He locked eyes with Billy where he had a kitchen scale on the counter. Why he kept his supply in the main part of the house instead of the den of his room, Billy didn’t know, and didn’t particularly care. But he offered, “Do you need to check that?”

“No, I’ve got enough shit in there to cushion anything precious that falls - ”

A distinct, metallic twang pierced the air, and without another word, Eddie marched to the back of the trailer. Billy might not have been bothered, if whispers were actually silent, which they very often were not.

“Hey, Munson,” he called down the short hallway.

“YeahjustgivemeaSECOND!”

Billy rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. If this took too long, it was hardly going to be worth it. “Do you have a stray cat in there, or something?”

Eddie emerged in his customary flurry of long curls and flapping denim vest. “Yeah, a real rascal. Your usual is my usual.”

Billy pulled out some dollar bills and held them at the ready while Eddie finished using the scale and slid the dried crumbled over the edge to land in a baggie.

An electronic burp moved through the air like an amp being turned on. Eddie froze. His eyes flicked up to Billy’s, who crooned, “Smart cat.”

He zipped up the baggie and quickly traded the money in Billy’s hand. “Awesome. Now if that’ll be all - whatwhatwhatwhat are you doing?”

Billy strolled down the hallway toward the bedrooms. Eddie might’ve had a similar height as him, but Billy’s structure made Eddie mold himself against the wall in an effort to block him from his bedroom. “I’m flattered, Hargrove, but customers have to buy me dinner first.”

Eddie’s customer service smile evaporated as Billy gripped his vest and shirt and moved him aside. To his credit, Eddie looked mean when he was mad.

“I’m not here to judge your taste in girls, Munson, but I am making sure there’s some honor amongst criminals.”

His eyes widened over sputtering words. “What the hell is that s’pposed to mean? Don’t take me as some kind of - heyheyhey!”

Billy’s grip on the doorknob beat his and Eddie swung into his room with the door. It would’ve been funny, and it was, but Billy’s eyes froze on the small body hanging off of the guitar mounted on the wall. For not the first time, and what he annoyingly suspected to not be the last, Billy felt a creepy crawly feeling move across his spine. “You’ve got to be joking.”

Eddie sprang up in his face. “Look, man, I know this is weird and I’m not inclined to try and talk anybody out of a bad trip. I’m only mildly hurt that you bought some unreliable shrooms from somebody else - ”

“I’m not an artist, I don’t take hallucinogenics,” Billy snapped. “Where the hell did you find another tiny?”

Eddie’s mouth opened to keep talking, but then snapped shut over puckered lips like he intended to whistle. “Wait. Another? What do you mean, another?”

#harringrove #wrecked-fuse #neonponders #pocketverse #pocket!au #like magnets

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ciaossu-imagines · 1 year

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Love autumn but don't know which character to choose so prompt 15 but for anyone you think likes and/or has the strongest opinions about autumn please?

I’m with you on the loving autumn! Everything about it makes me so happy! I went with Poe from Blush Blush for this, because we all know this cute little emo-boy has all the feelings about autumn in general and spooky season in particular, so I hope you’ll enjoy the headcanons!

WOULD YOU RATHER?

Go apple picking V.S. Go on a hay ride

It would really depend, honestly. Is the hayride one of those haunted hayrides? Because if it is, Poe is really picking that option in a heartbeat, as he loves anything like that. But if it’s just a regular old hayride, he’s going to pass. Too peopley and little kiddish and he’d much rather go apple picking, if only because he enjoys eating the apples afterwards.

Scary V.S. Sweet

Scary all the way, one hundred percent. Poe is in love with everything macabre and dark and spooky, from books to movies to just the general aesthetic, no matter what the season is. He really does keep his Halloween spirit all year long.

Sweaters V.S. Boots

Oh fuck, that is like asking him if he’d rather cut off his left arm or his right arm! It’s an impossible choice for him because he’s equally attached to both things. He really can’t live without his boots. They’re comfy and broken in just right and he wears them every day, but he’s also a big fan of sweaters and layers because he tends to get cold easily and almost all his outfits in the autumn features sweaters of various types.

Halloween V.S. Thanksgiving

Duh! It’s Halloween all the way. There’s simply no other holiday worth celebrating, in Poe’s opinion…except maybe his birthday. It’s pretty cool when people remember and celebrate his birthday, though it’s even better if they remember and celebrate his unbirthdays too.

Bake Pie V.S. Bake Cookies

Controversial hot take on Poe’s part?? Pie sucks and isn’t even worthy to be called dessert – it’s just hot mushy fruit on top of usually dry crust. He’s team cookies all the way, particularly gingersnaps or molasses cookies, something slightly spicy on his tongue that pairs well with a hot mug of tea or coffee.

Rain V.S. Fog

Oh, this is another really hard one for him, because he’s a sucker for a great thunder and lightning storm, simply for the ambience and general aesthetic, but he doesn’t drive and the fog is easier to walk in, while still maintaining that great, gloomy aesthetic that he really loves.

Black Cats V.S. Owls

Owls are going to win out, simply because after spending some time as a bird, Poe feels he really needs to support his avian brethren.

Ghosts V.S. Wizards

As if it’s even a contest? While stories with wizards in them can be cool, Poe is more of a horror geek than a fantasy nerd and ghosts win out for him every day, especially if the ghosts in question are creepy and scary or delightfully tragic.

Harry Potter V.S. Halloweentown

Another hot take from Poe? Harry Potter isn’t a Halloween movie. It only had like, one scene that took place at Halloween but other than that, it’s just a fantasy movie. It’s a good fantasy movie, don’t get him wrong, but there’s nothing seasonal about it! Give him something at least related to Halloween, like Halloweentown is, even if the movie is a little juvenile for his liking (or so he says, though he really does enjoy it more than he’d care to admit).

Go Hiking V.S. Sleep in

Poe has troubles sleeping a lot of the time and does have some struggle with insomnia, so he’s going to pick sleeping in just because he needs the extra hours of sleep to catch up on the massive amount of sleep deficit he’s built up over the years.

Cinnamon V.S. Nutmeg

I think he’s leaning more towards nutmeg, though he does generally like both spices. A cinnamon stick in a cup of hot apple cider is great, but he eats more things that have nutmeg in them and it kind of wins because he prefers the smell of it slightly more.

Reading V.S. Writing

What fresh hell is this question??! Poe couldn’t choose. Like, his brain would break even attempting to choose between the two because they’re both necessary to him. He can’t survive without writing, whether it be in his journal or sitting down and trying to compose a new poem. But at the same time, to be a good writer, you must first be a reader and he does tend to read a lot, getting through at least a book a week that isn’t school assigned.

Hot Chocolate V.S. Tea

I think Poe leans more towards tea, especially black teas with added flavourings to them, like a nice London Fog or even just something as simple as a vanilla chai tea. He tends to drink them more towards the evening, when he’s kind of already overloaded on coffee but still wants a nice warm drink.

Live in a Cabin In a Forest V.S. Have it be fall 24/7

Both options really do hold some appeal to him, since becoming a tortured reclusive artist is among his dreams, but he wouldn’t be able to pass up the opportunity to make it fall all the time, because it’s got the best weather in his opinion and that would mean that Halloween would come about more often and he’s very much okay with that.

Candy Apples V.S. Caramel Apples

Neither. He loves apples, but just apples. He doesn’t want added sweetness to them and finds both caramel and candy apples hurt his teeth trying to bite them.

Blankets V.S. Pillows

Pillows. If need be, you can always layer jackets or clothing over you to keep warm but Poe’s tried using his jacket as a pillow once and it really isn’t as comfortable as his actual pillows, which he spent much more on than he would care to admit.

Roasted marshmallows V.S. Roasted Chestnuts

I don’t honestly think Poe has ever had a roasted chestnut, so he’d probably go more for those just to figure out what they taste like, since he’s heard about them in so many songs and such.

Coffee V.S. Apple Cider

Coffee is essential to life. Or at least Poe’s life. As previously mentioned, he really is always a little tired and never gets enough sleep, so caffeine has become a mainstay in his diet and he drinks way more coffee than a person really should.

Red Leaves V.S. Orange Leaves

Poe will think that the blending and juxtaposition of all the different coloured leaves in the fall is really what makes them really stand out and look as beautiful as they do, so he wouldn’t want to pick one or the other.

Braids V.S. Bows

If it’s on someone else, it’s going to be braids, especially if they’ve gone all fancy with their braids. On him? Neither please.

Scented Candles V.S. The Smell of Fresh Baked Goods

I do think that he’s going to go more for scented candles, simply because, no matter if he was full before, the smell of fresh baked goods always makes him instantly hungry again and he doesn’t want to be walking around constantly hungry. He tends to go for more spicy or earthy scents in the candles, like ‘pumpkin pie’ scented candles, cinnamon scented candles, or evergreen or cashmere scented candles.

Carve Pumpkins V.S. Make Pumpkin Pie

Because of his opinions on pies, he’s of course going to want to carve pumpkins. He really works hard to figure out a really scary design and he’ll put a lot of effort into his pumpkin, but someone else has to scoop out the pumpkin guts, because there’s something about the texture of them that makes him a little bit queasy.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes V.S. Chai Tea Lattes

Can he have both? It’s the only time he allows himself to be a basic bitch, when pumpkin spice lattes come out because he does find them really delicious but he’s also such a huge fan of any tea based latte.

Coats V.S. Oversized Sweaters

Poe kind of leans more towards oversized sweaters, but only if the weather allows for it. If the weather is really crisp, he’s wearing both, just to stay warm. He definitely has circulation issues he really should get checked out.

Beanies V.S. Berets

Neither. Despite getting cold easily, Poe will not wear a hat. There’s just something about hats that he really doesn’t like, whether it’s how they look on him or how they feel on his head or how his hair ends up afterwards but there is something. So he just generally avoids wearing any sort of hat. He can more easily see the appeal of an artistically tilted beret though.

Candy Corn V.S. Peanut Butter Cups

Candy corn is just brightly coloured Styrofoam and nobody will ever convince Poe otherwise. It does not taste good…so why can’t he stop eating it? Seriously, if there’s a bowl of it around, he ends up eating it handful after handful, despite complaining about how gross it tastes. It’s a problem.

S'mores V.S. Apple Crisp

I think Cole would lean more towards s’mores, mostly because apple crisp to him is very much the same thing as pie and falls under that same category of just hot, mushy fruit. Overall though, he’s also not a huge fan of s’mores, because of how messy they are to eat and how sticky his hands are afterwards.

Jump In a Pile of Leaves V.S. Swing on a Tire Swing

Swinging on a tire swing is more a summertime thing to Cole, for some reason he can’t fully explain, so it’s no wonder that he’s picking the more autumny feeling option and jumping into those leaf piles…or he is if he’s not the one who has to rake the leaves up in the first place or afterwards.

Corn Maze V.S. Haunted House

Okay, but there are not enough words in the human language to explain just how very, very, VERY much Poe desires to live in a haunted house. It is such a huge dream of his and it would make him so happy to spend any amount of time in any haunted house, even just a touristy one set up for the season, because it’s like living little sneak previews of that dream.

Bob For Apples V.S. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

He’s definitely visiting a pumpkin patch at least once, if not twice, during the autumn because Poe loves jack o’lanterns and, as previously mentioned, he puts a lot of work into churning out some really spooky looking ones.

Whipped Cream on Hot Chocolate V.S. Marshmallows on Hot Chocolate

Neither. I really don’t see Poe as drinking hot chocolate. It’s simply not his hot drink of choice.

#mini event asks #blush blush #headcanons #poe blush blush

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lovetransaction · 1 year

Note

Happy DFF Maggie!! I know Mary comes back at some point in the later seasons, and there’s plenty of fics about her finding out about samdean. BUT, I want to know how she’d react to johndean!

omg what an amazing question and i love thinking about their marriage so much so this was especially tailored for ME XD

I think Mary would resist it for a while, longer than she would samdean (because to me the Campbells are way incestuous and she makes allowances for a) cousins and b) situations where no children will be the result, but she has exceedingly complex feelings about parent/child).

When it got down to the point where she couldn't deny it anymore, she'd be furious. Not only is this a betrayal of her memories of John, her sweet dumb-boy besotted husband, but she's horrified that he'd do that to Dean and it would resurrect absolutely every single thing John did wrong in their marriage, the quarrels and his insistence on owning every single bit of her when she needed her own space, and his passive-aggressive way of putting distance between them to punish her for not cooperating with his desire for codependence.

--and on top of that she's mad at Dean, which means she's mad at herself, because of Samuel. And Mary's worked long and hard to shut all those feelings away so now the only person she can direct that anger at is Dean, which she technically knows is a shit thing to do because if there's a victim here, it's Dean. But he doesn't see it that way, and Mary hates being called a victim too but she knows how messy it was between her and her dad and that she still cared for Samuel just like Dean still cares for John, and she starts withdrawing. Spending more time with Sam instead of Dean so she doesn't have to think about if she married a man just like her father. Or if she can pin all of this solely onto Azazel. Or if Dean inherited only the worst and sickest parts of her.

Possibly what she's avoiding hardest (which Sam points out one day because they only knew each other as adults and so he has zero compunctions saying this since he doesn't have the sanctity of childhood memories hampering him), is that both Mary and Dean love John to an incoherent degree and always will. So ultimately, at this point when they're all drenched in each others' blood, what's the use of denying that love? They're a family and if Sam's learned anything, it's that this family devours itself because it doesn't know how else to express that love. He's just the only one who's okay with that now. Maybe Mom should get on his level.

Mary's like well I'm not crazy about this new tone of yours (heh) but he has a point. They're not like other families and never have been, never even had the option. She tells Sam she'll try and smooth the waters with Dean (for his sake, anyhow; she's fine! she can cope! she doesn't need to look at her feelings nope no way). She asks Dean to show her how to make the soup that John liked to make. He's surprised, but what's he gonna do, stay mad at her? He's Dean. He says it goes great with pb&j with the crusts cut off. They eat the soup and it has too much pepper and it hurts like hell, but it's good.

#asktransaction #mary winchester #wincest #dadfucker friday #dean winchester #sam winchester #johndean #we're in love with defeat

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viejonardo · 29 days

Note

Whoops ignore my last ask. Phone was malfunctioning and sent it prematurely.

Anyways. I bought mini mango cheesecake for $3.50 from a bunch of high schoolers doing a fund raising thing and as expected, it's nothing to write home about. The cheese layer part of the cheesecake itself barely had a taste plus it was thinner than the crust part. Most of what I could taste was the super sweet mango topping and the crust so it was kinda eh. For its price though, it's better than I expected.

Overall, I'd rate it 5.5/10 only because it's cheap, otherwise, it's a 4 for me.

huh. mango and cheesecake sounds. weird?

you always hear strawberries or chocolate. MAYBE peanut butter. but mango??

why did i never think of this. it’s insane. it just might work. i’m getting mikey on this asap

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ghostinthelibrarywrites · 2 years

Note

WIP ask game, what does FTH stand for?

FTH stands for Fandom Trumps Hate! It's a Geraskier modern with magic AU featuring a werewolf!Jaskier who gets stuck in his wolf form under mysterious circumstances. Geralt, his roommate and best friend who has been in love with him for the better part of a decade, has to race to turn Jaskier back into a human before he's stuck in his wolf form forever. It will be out sometime before December 31st, though I'm not sure exactly when.

Snippet under the cut!

"We got a call that you were menacing people on Hierarch Boulevard."

The werewolf's eyebrows draw together. "Look, I know my cover of 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' wasn't my best work, but calling it menacing seems overblown."

“Hm.”

“First of all.” The kid raises his piece of pizza as if making a point. “You’ll notice that I was playing my guitar. That’s impossible to do in my wolf form. I’ve tried. Second of all, we’re two weeks from a full moon. Even a baby werewolf probably won’t lose control this time of month. I’m twenty. I’ve been able to control my shift since I was eight. Third, if I was going to go berserk, I wouldn’t do it in my favorite busking spot. I have a rapport with all the local business owners and mauling people is bad for business.”

“Then why would someone call and report you?”

The werewolf lets out a laugh that doesn’t sound particularly humorous. “My guess is that it was that fuck Duke Beauclaire. He’s my girlfriend’s other boyfriend. We’ve never gotten along and lately he seems to have a bug up his butt, thinking Anna likes me more than him. Which she probably does, but he has a trust fund, which more than makes up for the lack of personality and the terrible taste in clothes."

“Hm,” Geralt says again, because he really doesn’t know what to say.

“So.” The werewolf grabs a fifth slice of pizza. “What’s it like, being a witcher?”

“Not sure yet,” Geralt says mildly. “Only got my certification six months ago.”

“Is it true that you’re like a super soldier?”

“I don’t know about that.” Geralt shrugs.

“I mean, they did something to you.” The werewolf gestures at his face with a pizza crust. “Unless you were born with golden, slit-pupiled eyes?”

“I wasn’t. My eyes were green.” Geralt isn’t sure why he says that, but the words just come out.

“Fascinating.” The werewolf wipes his mouth on his sleeve. “So, am I your first werewolf?”

“No.”

“Did you buy the last one pizza?”

“No, I killed her.”

The werewolf’s heartbeat picks up and his eyes flick towards the door. “Ah.”

Geralt grimaces. “She had killed one person and was an active danger to three others. I had no choice.”

And he still threw up afterwards.

The werewolf smells afraid and Geralt hates that. The hardest thing about waking up after the Trials was suddenly being able to smell how scared everyone was of him. He tries to sound gentle, or as gentle as he can sound with his fucked up, gravelly voice, as he says, “Look, I’m not going to kill you. From what I can tell, the most monstrous thing about you is your taste in pizza toppings.”

The werewolf’s relief morphs into outrage, his mouth dropping open to reveal a ball of chewed up cheese, bread, and meat. “What in Melitele’s name is wrong with my taste in pizza toppings?”

“Pineapple and pepperoni?”

“The sweetness of the pineapple and the spiciness of the pepperoni—”

“No.”

“Just try it.” The werewolf shoves the tray of pizza at him. “It will change your life.”

“Hm.”

Ask me about my WIPs!

#the witcher #geraskier #ask games #ghost's writing

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godesssiri · 1 year

Text

I have grown up with a City and Guild of London qualified chef as a stepdad and he doesn't trust my cooking. As a result I'm not terribly secure about my cooking abilities but y'know what? I AM a good cook when I try (I'm just not usually trying). I just made a meal that he devoured and kept going on about how good it was. So I thought I would give a few tips for the non-confident cook especially since we're in a time of year when a lot of people are entertaining.

Infused oils and salts can take your cooking from Meh to Whoa. The meal I just made was roast leg of lamb, I coated the whole thing with a thin film of truffle infused olive oil and sprinkled it with rosemary salt. It's super easy to make your own infused oils, throw some herbs in the oil, seal it up and leave it in a dark place for a few weeks. Salts are even easier, dried herbs go in a blender until they're powder and mix them into equal parts salt, you can also put the salt in the blender and you end up with a much finer salt which you can dust on things for a flavor zing. I made the rosemary salt after I had to prune my rosemary plant (added to any dish that has any kind of tomato sauce it is out of this world).

A small amount of quality flavoring ingredients gives a massive boost. Yes truffle oil isn't cheap but I'll get dozens of meals from the small bottle I treated myself to. Parmesan can cost big bucks but you only need a little of the good stuff. It's worth it to spend a bit on something that's going to pack a flavor punch especially when your purchase is going to go a long way. I have fed my stepdad box mac'n'cheese and he wasn't be able to tell because I added blue cheese and some very good bacon and then a panko crust on top.

Acquire a meat thermometer, I got mine at the thrift store for a buck. Perfect roast meat every time. The lamb I did tonight was incredibly tender because I stuck the thermometer in there and whipped it out of the oven as soon as it hit the line that says 'lamb'. Never again have pink roast chicken and always have perfectly pink roast beef. The thermometer completely takes the guess work out of cooking meat.

You don't need to get fancy with vegetables. Really. I did roast potato and sweet potato, I cut them into chunks and threw them in the pan with the lamb when it was about half done, I tossed them in the juices from the lamb and let the truffle and rosemary flavor them, I turned them a few times so they got nicely caramelized. I did zucchini and asparagus to go with the meal. I cut it up into roughly equal sized pieces, threw it all in a microwave safe bowl, added about half and inch of water, covered it with cling wrap and stuck it in the microwave for 10 minutes. Depending on your microwave and the amount of vege you're cooking you might want to have it in for longer or shorter. Start out at 5 minutes then do 2-3 minute bursts until you're happy with the color/tenderness. Because there was so much flavor in the meat and roast vege, the greens only needed salt and pepper. Don't fuss with your vege, either let them take on the flavors of the rest of the dish like I did with the root vege or leave them plain like I did with the greens. You don't need to bend over backwards to make veges taste good, they already do, you just need to make sure they're not over or under cooked and that's just a matter of keeping an eye on them and testing when you think they're done.

Use bought sauces. If you're not confident you can make a fantastic gravy or sauce then just use stuff from a packet and add to it a little. I made packet gravy and added some of the juice from the roasting pan and my fussy stepdad complimented me on it. If you're doing a cheese sauce, use packet stuff and add a bit of grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of paprika. I decant mint sauce from the packaging into my own pretty bottle and everyone assumes I made it.

Don't try to do too many dishes. That's where you're gonna stuff up. Have your star of the show with 1 or 2 sides at most. If you're also doing a sauce then keep it simple and use a packet one as I said above or only do 1 side if you're making the sauce yourself. If you're also doing a desert then go for one you can prepare ahead of time. Yes it is possible for some people to do a load of sides and sauces and desert and have everything come out perfect but if you are not a confident cook then don't overburden yourself.

You don't need to cook/bake desserts, there are some fantastic recipes that are just a matter of assembling. My mother makes an amazing one in a cocktail glass, bought cheesecake mix, crushed honeycomb, and caramel sauce. I make one with ginger cookies soaked in pineapple juice, then arranged in a log with the cookies glued together with whipped cream and the whole thing slathered with more whipped cream. Assembled deserts are easy, can usually either be prepared hours or even a day earlier, or can be put together in 10 minutes after the main is finished, and can be presented in impressive ways. Look for deserts that don't require actual cooking, just put ingredient a with ingredient b and top with ingredient c.

Go forth and impress your guests.

#adulting #life advice

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emilianospizza2 · 25 days

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6 Delicious Stromboli Variations to Try

While pizza is a big deal in Italian food, Stromboli is like a hidden treasure that's just as awesome. It started in the United States, inspired by the Italian Stromboli, which got its name from Stromboli Island in Sicily. Imagine a rolled-up pizza filled with meats, cheeses, and veggies – that's Stromboli for you! It's super flexible, so you can make it just how you like it.

Stromboli is a bit like a pizza burrito. You can stuff it with whatever you fancy – from pepperoni and sausage to spinach and mushrooms. It's like a tasty surprise waiting to be unwrapped! And the best part? It's easy to make and even easier to devour. So, let's dive into the delicious world of Stromboli!

1. Classic Comfort: Plain Stromboli

First up, let's talk about Plain Stromboli. It's like the OG of Stromboli, keeping things simple yet super tasty. Picture this: gooey mozzarella cheese, savory pepperoni or salami, and tangy tomato sauce, all snugly wrapped in soft pizza dough. It's the kind of dish that everyone loves because it's just so darn good and easy to enjoy.

2. Bold and Flavorful: Chicken Stromboli

Next up, let's talk about Chicken Stromboli. It's like the bold cousin of Plain Stromboli, bringing some extra flavor to the table. Imagine juicy pieces of chicken mixed with cooked onions, bell peppers, and lots of melted cheese, all wrapped in a golden-brown crust. It's a filling meal that's full of yummy flavors that stand out.

3. Steak Sensation: Steak Stromboli

Now, let's talk about Steak Stromboli. If you love meaty meals, this one's for you. Imagine tender slices of steak mixed with sweet onions, mushrooms, and melted provolone cheese, all wrapped up in a tasty crust. It's a mouthwatering treat that's full of flavor and texture. Each bite feels like a cozy night in for meat lovers.

4. Veggie Delight: Vegetarian Stromboli

Let's talk about Vegetarian Stromboli. It's perfect for those who don't eat meat but still want loads of flavor. Think fresh spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes cooked just right. Add in creamy ricotta cheese and mozzarella, and you've got a filling that's not only tasty but also colorful and satisfying.

5. Mushroom Madness: Mushroom Stromboli

If you're crazy about mushrooms, this one's a winner. Imagine earthy mushrooms like portobello or cremini, cooked with garlic and onions until they're golden brown. Then, mix them up with some cheese and fresh herbs for a filling that even the fussiest eaters will love.

6. Authentic Italian Flavors: Italian Stromboli

Let's talk about Italian Stromboli, the real deal. It's a nod to its Italian roots and is packed with classic flavors. Picture this: Italian meats like prosciutto and soppressata, along with cheeses like provolone. Add in some tangy peppers and olives, all wrapped in a crispy crust. Every bite feels like a trip to Italy.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1: Can I make Stromboli ahead of time?

A1: Yes, Stromboli can be assembled ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. This makes it a convenient option for meal prep or entertaining guests.

Q2: Can I freeze Stromboli?

A2: Absolutely! Once baked, allow the Stromboli to cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before placing it in the freezer. To reheat, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake in a preheated oven until warmed through.

Q3: Can I customize the fillings in Stromboli?

A3: Absolutely! One of the best things about Stromboli is its versatility. Feel free to experiment with different meats, cheeses, and vegetables to create your unique flavor combinations.

Q4: How do I achieve a crispy crust on my Stromboli?

A4: To achieve a crispy crust, brush the top of the Stromboli with beaten egg or melted butter before baking. This will give it a golden-brown finish that’s both crunchy and delicious.

Q5: Can I make Stromboli dough from scratch?

A5: Yes, you can make Stromboli dough from scratch using simple ingredients like flour, yeast, water, salt, and olive oil. Homemade dough adds an extra layer of flavor and authenticity to your Stromboli creation.

Conclusion

So, there you have it – six irresistible Stromboli variations to elevate your pizza night to new heights. Whether you’re a meat lover, a veggie enthusiast, or somewhere in between, there’s a Stromboli recipe to suit every taste and preference. So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and get ready to enjoy a slice of Italian-inspired heaven!

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henneseyhoe · 2 months

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Country Lovin’| Trial And Error.

1 2

✮✮✮✮

“…And what is this supposed to be?” Sorie asked, watching her father present some kind of pie to her. The crust was burnt, and it looked like the filling had been mixed incorrectly. Whatever fruit that was in there was definitely not mushed down all the way, a few visible clumps rising on the top.

“It’s a pie, girl!” He spoke confidently, as if that was the correct answer.

She stared in silence, forcing a smile on her face. “Right…well, the important part is you tried your best, daddy” She took the “pie” and turned on her heels towards the trash, looking back at him one last time with a toothy smile before dropping the plate of sweet in the trash. He sighs, taking off his cowboy hat and scratching his head.

“Did you even look at a recipe?”

He shrugs then leans on the island in the middle of the floor, watching her attempt to start on pies that were actually edible.

“I thought I could remember something off the top of my head like you”

“Well, unlike me, you haven’t been cooking for years. It’s time to wrap it up, daddy” Looking through all the cabinets, Sorie sucks her teeth before whipping her head back towards her father, squinting.

“…did you use all peaches?!” He looked upon her with a ‘sorry’ expression then put his hat over his face to avoid her disapproving stare. “Six peaches, daddy?! You wasted six peaches!”

“Trial and error!”

“Error and error! The pie was nasty!” She scoffed harshly, taking the hand towel that hung onto the fridges door and throwing it at him. He catches it in his hand and tosses it to the side. “I’m sorry!” He apologizes, but all she could think about is how six goddamn peaches went to waste. She could only hope the trees still had other ripened ones, or else she’d have to find something else to make in such short notice with a market being too far out to get other peaches, which wouldn’t be as sweet.

“If your mother wasn’t the way she is now, she’d drag you by that shirt and make you BUILD those peaches you wasted. I need you to stay OUT of my kitchen, do you hear me?” The man’s eyebrows raise as he sets his hat back on his head. “YOUR kitchen? I built this house” She grabbed up two sweetgrass baskets from out of the near pantry, setting cloth on the inside of both of them as he went on. “And if I don’t cook, you starve. So yes, MY kitchen” She says, ignoring his argument.

“I’m going out to replace those precious peaches, thanks to you. So you have a nice day, Mr.Buck” She retorted, walking towards the door with her things. He brushed the steaming girl off with a wave of his hand, allowing her to leave with no smart come back

✮✮✮✮

The day was hot and muggy like any other summer day near the water, which is where Trevante lived closest to. Trevante lived on his grandfathers land, just like Sorie, in his own house behind the one he grew up in. The house wasn’t huge, but it definitely had some size to it for only one person to live there. Sorie was always a tad bit jealous because his daddy was quick to gather his boys and build him his own place to stay once he turned 18, Sorie’s own father helping at one point, but she was stuck in one house because he didn’t think she needed another place to call her own. Another house for what? She had a bed and room all to herself. And a job? Hell no! She could sell whatever that grew from the fertilized land her ancestors once used. That’s what her father would say when she hinted at having anything of her own.

Walking up onto the beautifully painted wrap around porch, Sorie knocked on the screen door in front of her and waited patiently for an answer. A whole minute of contemplation passed by before she knocked again, one hand starting to fan herself as the sun changed positions, shining directly on the side of her face.

“Tre!” She called out once.

“Trevante!!” Then twice.

“Open up! I know you in there, boy!” Suddenly the door swung open in her face, leaving Sorie leaning back before it could smack into her body.

“You got some nerve knocking on my door like that, like you put this muhfucka on the hinges” Trevante grumbled, erupting from the house with slight attitude.

Sorie gave him a mug. A grump he was when left alone for too long.

“Well, my daddy did so-“

“And I fixed it from what he did in 1840, or whenever the fossil you call a dad did it”

She squints. “You make me regret wanting to ask you for help”

He raises a brow at her. “You? Need help? From me? I thought I was all muscle, pretty girl” he smirks and leans against his doorframe, crossing his arms.

Sorie blushes. As if he wasn’t just ticked off a few seconds ago, he was now softening her up. Something he was too good at. Sorie felt a swirl of warmth in her stomach from his pet name, but for once she felt she hid the expression well, keeping her face neutral for the sake of her mission and not being stuck here going back and forth with him.

“Exactly! and you are for the most part. That’s why I need you!” Her eyes formed a squint as her high cheekbones raised with a smile. “Now, c’mon!” She attempted to pull him out of the doorway, but it was like trying to move a fully grown stallion.

‘Dayum!’ She frowned, letting go of his arm. He was stubborn, that was obvious. His body definitely matched his attitude too and he gained satisfaction knowing he wasn’t easily moved. Physically at least.

“Lemme think” he ‘thought’ for a second before flashing a childish Colgate white smile at her.

“Nah” He attempted to close the door, but she had already put her leg in the way just in case he would do that, the bright idea coming to her just in the lick of time. He sucks his teeth, opening the door to allow her leg freedom again. “It’s my off day. You know my old man gon’ work me like a race horse tomorrow”

“I’ll just convince him to give you another break!”

He sighs. “Sorie…you know how he is when shit ain’t done how he want it. I ain’t gon’ have time to hear his mouth if I’m tired”

She pouts, poking her bottom lip out. “Pretty please? It won’t be long. I’ll love you forever and ever” she pleaded while rocking back and forth on her feet, the man tucking his hands in his pockets. The only other thing sitting with the butterflies in her stomach were her nerves twisting and turning. Not only praying he’d say yes and that’d there’d still be enough fruit to capture, but praying he didn’t see the way her eyes traveled up his muscular arms before they made it to his own eyes.

“What exactly do I get outta this?” He asks, tilting his head. Sorie knew better than to just say anything, she might not be able to follow through. Then again what else could she offer other than food and a good laugh or two? What else did she have? She often asks herself that.

Smiling, she perks up and feels hopeful.“Good eats and a kiss on the cheek” She bats her eyelashes, the man nodding. “Okay. Why not one on the lips?”

Her body stutters almost. “Wha- Trevante..” She warns, her blush almost revealing itself under her poker face just from that little comment. She was one more flirtatious moment away from cracking if she wasn’t already doing so. Her skin blazed just from being near him, she thought the suns shine ain’t have shit on him.

“Ouuu, the government? I’m in trouble?”

“Tre, cut it out! Why you always gotta do this?”

He shrugs with that same devilish smile. “Can you help or not?” She shifts her weight on her other leg, a hand sassily placed on her hip. He rolls his eyes and he sighs, opening the door fully to reveal himself. He wore overalls, the top halfway off his body with a crisp white beater underneath. “Whatchu need specifically? And it bet not be that damn washing machine again”

“Nope! Something fun” she holds up the baskets, smiling.

✮✮✮✮

“A little to the left!” She shouts, trying to make sure she didn’t fall off of this man’s shoulders and embarrass herself, possibly breaking a bone. It was a long way down too.

“Not your left, my left!”

“We got the same left!”

“Then stop going right and go to OUR left, negro! Cmon, we learned left and right in pre-k!” They bickered, both of them agitated with completely different things. “Why couldn’t you get peaches from the bottom? the tree ain’t that damn tall either!”

“Why ain’t you get a ladder? And the peaches up here are much sweeter”

“How you know?” He raised a brow.

Sorie paused, not having a legitimate answer, but instead blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“My grandma said!” Everybody believed grandma, she was rarely wrong.

“Really?”

“…yes! I know, now stop moving!” she instructs, trying to shake the shivers going up her spine and throbbing in her core. Anytime he’d go forward, she felt her clothed mound brush against his neck, causing her to subtly shutter in her movements. That may have been the cause for more attitude, upset she couldn’t just grind on him like the perv she felt like in this moment.

He huffs and Sorie’s fruit picking paused as she looks down at him. “What? I’m heavy or somethin’?” She asks, just now starting to feel a little insecure. She hadn’t thought about how much weight was on him till now, and it had her wanting to jump down from the height herself. She wasn’t a bad weight, but she definitely wasn’t skinny either. She knew she had a stomach, thighs, ass, and stretch marks to go with it all. She was very well fed, and looked good too, but that didn’t stop certain insecurities from sickening her appetite to love herself to the fullest.

“I can get off if you wa-“

“Nah. Trust me, I’ve tossed and turned heavier” He comments, slickly turning his head and playfully biting the girls inner thigh, making her suck in a great amount of air from the bite alone. Her mind only just now also registered the nasty comment. “You kiss your mother with that mouth?” He doesn’t respond, keeping a smirk on his face.

Tapping his shoulder for him to let her down, he carefully lowers himself to a bended knee so she could stand on her own. Once she makes it down, she straightens out her dress and grabs the basket of peaches they had collected. “Look at that…we did good!” She smiles proud at their work.

“We got a few extras too”

Trevante nods, standing fully. Now holding a small yellow dandelion in his hand, most of all his attention was suddenly stolen from Sorie. She had noticed he had a little thing for flowers since they were little. Sometimes when they were playing together, he’d pick one he liked and give it to her, offering friendship after roughhousing in the field of grass all day. She had guessed he liked that one. Trevante looked to her and stuck it behind her ear so the face of the flower would be sticking out. As plain of a flower as it was, he still held appreciation.

“You are so corny” She spoke, as if her cheeks wouldn’t be red by now if her skin wasn’t so melanated. He shrugs uncaringly and grabs one of the baskets of peaches before walking passed her. “Pretty flower for a pretty girl, right?”

Sorie smiles, her shy dimples becoming prominent as she picks up her basket too, walking with him. “The prettiest?” She eggs on, making him smile at the sudden cockiness.

“Of them all. I heard men cry about the beauty she holds. When she was born, the heavens stormed for weeks because Aphrodite was jealous of how gorgeous she was” He speaks with his tone of voice confident like it was true, making Sorie erupt into giggles.

“So what happened when you were born?” She asks, the man beginning to chuckle, knowing he was about to say something foolish just to make her laugh again. “Hades melted and Hermes legs broke into bits”

“What?!” She continues to laugh, forgetting how obnoxious her laugh actually was.

“Tre, please. His legs? You are not that damn fast”

Their pace slowed until both stopped dead in their tracks, looking at one another. Almost like they telepathically spoke to each other, challenging themselves.

Suddenly, Sorie hit the ground running, leaving her shoes and basket full of goods behind in the grass. Trevante, being the competitive man he was, did the same. He took it as a bet more than a challenge.

As they ran, memories of the familiar surroundings began flooding his head. They passed by the old rickety shed they use to play house in, then the junk yard where they use to go to chill and listen to music when school got stressful. This whole running thing alone reminded him of a time when they were kids, when he would chase after her tail all day and evening until they were called back home and got to repeat the next day. Usually Trevante would be the one to run off first, leaving his little cowboy hat he loved so much behind in a pit of bloomed flowers while Sorie chased after him till he got tired and slowed down, giving her the leverage to catch him. Back then, Sorie was fast, but not faster than Trevante. Now it seemed like the script was flipped, Sorie running like she had something to prove. Maybe she did.

She ran fast, but she looked delicate, majestic almost. Her curls were blowing away from her face and her dress was lifting ever so slightly over her bottom with the help of the wind and every step she took. Trevante was enamored with the sight, so much so that he decided to enjoy his time behind her, looking with no shame. But of course time was once again against him and one miss footing sent Sorie rolling downhill, literally.

She tucked her arms over her face to protect herself from any scratches as she rolled until she found herself in sand, getting back on her feet. Any normal person would have stopped there, but no, the part in her head where she should have realized it wasn’t a game anymore didn’t turn on in time, and by then, she was already running on creaking planks and tripping herself up once again into the lake.

Trevante basically watched the entire thing from the hill, not thinking she would keep going, but he stood corrected. A gear kicked up inside him once he knew things had gotten serious and he ran down to the lake at full speed. He took a deep breath right before jumping in the water himself to help the foolish girl stay afloat.

She knew how to swim, but in the moment she was so shocked with herself that she even came this far out or even slipped into the water like that. Trevante held onto her waist and helped her climb onto the platform before pulling himself up once he was sure she was completely secured.

She hunched over on her knees and coughed up water, not even caring that her eyes were burning like an open fire. She didn’t know if it was from the water or her eyeliner anyway. Trevante begins to pat her back as the coughing prolongs, her lungs screaming for a breath of fresh air.

“You okay?” He asks, rubbing her back in circular motions. She nods, holding her hand up to him to show she was okay while finishing with one big cough. Trevante had calmed himself, and was now holding in laughter for her sake, but he couldn’t help it while watching her push her hair out of her sight.

She sat on the wooden planks awkwardly, loose-ish curls from her once perfect afro drenched and sticking to her heated face as she blinked away with a blank stare, not one confident thought in that pretty little head of hers. She almost settles on wallowing in her embarrassment, but he had already saw the entire situation unfold in real time, and even intervened himself, so that was no use.

“…you want some tea?” She asks after a prominent silence from her, hoping her offer would wipe away any memory of what just happened.

He chuckles, brushing wet leaves off of her thighs.

“Country ass. Yes, I want some tea”

✮✮✮✮

Sorie finished stuffing his clothes into the dryer after getting herself cleaned up and changed, also supplying him with clothes she had snuck out of her father’s room. It was a simple shirt and a pair of jeans, but it’d keep him warm after jumping into ice cold water.

“You sure you’re really okay though? I don’t want you drowning in your sleep or nothing” Trevante jokes, sitting at the kitchens island. Sorie glares at him as she turns the stove on and sets the kettle down on the hot burner. “You think you’re so funny. I should have let you freeze in them cold ass clothes”

He laughs harder, the whole scene replaying in his mind. “There was so much water in my shoe, I thought I’d never stop dripping”

Sorie couldn’t help but laugh with him, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms with a slight pout.

“Cheer up, at least you won the race…for once” He mumbles standing up from the stool and walking out of the kitchen into the living area. “Boy, please! I’ve beat you many times!”

“In a lucid dream, maybe!” He shouts.

He always found himself roaming when he was at her house. It wasn’t cause he was nosy or anything, he just found things interesting.

Picking up a bible that laid on a small table, he opens it up and begins reading a random scripture. Was he religious? not really, but the bible had some damn good stories. Things that he could relate to present time problems and issues that the world still couldn’t rid themselves of no matter how long ago they started.

“…A-..Are those my pants?” He hears from behind him, startling his presence enough to slam the Bible shut as if he was reading something dirty. Turning, his eyes meets Buck’s skeptical ones.

“Uhh…Nah” He responds, shaking his head. Staring for a moment, Buck hums softly and grabs up a box of things from the floor before walking back outside to tend to whatever he had been working on at the moment.

Suddenly Trevante hears a loud cackle from the kitchen, Sorie watching him through archway from the dining table. “I swear I didn’t hear him come in here. Almost gave me a damn heart attack” He sets the Bible down and holds his chest, sighing.

The sound of her laughing calmed his nerves with the speed of light, giving him another reason to smile. He watched as she sifted through a box of various teas while her giggles calmed, trying to find a today’s flavor. She’d pick a perfect one, one that suited both their moods. He admired how attentive she was and how much attention she paid to the simple details. His heart melted when she asked which tea he preferred. She cared what he liked and he liked that she cared. There weren’t many people he knew that did care in general.

And she was cute while doing it. The way her brows would furrow as she thought to herself, playing her childish go to eeny-meeny-miny-moe game to decipher on things. How she’d actually audibly hum and pucker those pretty glossed up lips.

Walking back into the kitchen with another book in hand, Trevante tries his best to think of anything other than her, afraid he’d get a headache from only her being on his mind. How could she be on his mind so heavy when only feet away?

Sorie dipped the tea bag into the steaming hot water, watching a pink tint bleed over the water satisfyingly. Closing the pot and turning to face her untold love, she smiled softly. He paced the kitchen, circling the dining table and all with his head in a random book, his eyes following every word. He was intrigued. From the looks of what Sorie could see, it was a book on self discovery and ridding yourself of spiritual and generational baggage. Nothing too deep, but surface level at least. Most likely something she had brought into the house.

Her tummy swirled again as she turned to take the hot kettle off of the stove as it made continuous high pitched squeals. ‘If he likes that, imagine if he gets to chapter 10’ She thought with a smile, getting excited just thinking about if she had someone else to talk to about those topics.

She knew he’d listen even if he didn’t know about half of what the hell she was talking about. He always listened if he himself wasn’t doing the talking.

Gosh, he was something else to her. He was all she dreamed about these days, but who wouldn’t dream about that smile? Or those muscles? She began to think. He did just hold her on his shoulders like nothing, and the smell of him lingered on her clothing when they were together, it kept her sniffing her shirt through the day. She was upset that she had to wash it off her dress when it got wet. He was truly something. Truthful like a real man, and he had heart, even with the little he shows on the days they were paired since becoming adults. He never promised anything unless he was really gonna do it, he took his word seriously. And goddamn the man was just sooooo hot.

Hot.

Tsssss.

Like she had been snapped back to reality, Sorie felt the stinging of her hand set in, her eyes widening and flickering down only to realize she hadn’t moved an inch from the stove with that same old kettle in her hand. The handle of it being so hot that the heat went through the thin mitten she wore to protect her from the same injury she was currently experiencing. She let out a high pitched, yet short scream of panic and pain while setting the kettle back down on the stove to avoid just dropping it, but still tea spilled a sizzled away on the hot surface. Trevante’s attention immediately left the book he halfway read and attached itself to her at the sound of the squeal.

Sorie quickly threw the mitten off of her left hand and paced towards the sink, switching on the water and putting her tingling hand under it. Trevante followed after her in just as much of a hurry, if not more, wondering what exactly she had done this time to make her drop everything like that.

“You good? What happened?” He asked frantically, searching for a context clue until he found it right on her hand. He sighs and shakes his head, reaching over and turning the water from warm to cool.

“Nah, you need cold water for that, baby. warmth just gon’ trap the heat and make it hurt worse” he spoke softly, steadying her shaking hand under the faucet while rubbing her back.

Sorie almost called out to jesus. If the dramatics and shock from the slight burn didn’t get to her first, she could died right then and there. “Thank you” She mumbled and he nods, looking down at her. She wouldn’t dare meet his gaze, scared that this moment would make either her dreams or fears for them come to fruition, and either or were big steps. His body closed in against her side, the soothing motions of his hand on her back slowing but her heart beat speeding up.

“I-I think I have bandages in my bedroom”

✮✮✮✮

Trevante wrapped her hand up as Sorie covered her watering eyes, scared she’d see something gory. “Is it bad?” She asks and Tre chuckles. “No. The worse thing you’ll get is a blister, but we took real good care of it as soon as it happened, so I doubt that’ll happen either. You can open your eyes now” He reassured and finishes wrapping her, Sorie uncovering her eyes at the last second. “It still stings a little. How’d you know what to do?”

“Plenty of injuries working on shit with my dad. My mom taught me a lot whenever I got hurt, like how to care for myself and others in situations, simple shit like that” He shrugs. Sorie smiles. “Thank you for helping me with two embarrassing moments today, doctor”

He chuckles. “This wasn’t embarrassing, simple mistake” He walks out of her bathroom and into her room, looking around.

“Oh! So the first thing was embarrassing to you?”

“I didn’t mention it, did I?” He begins to laugh, making her playfully kick his leg. “Shut up!”

“You have not changed this room a bit. it’s like a sixteen year old still lives here” He picks up a teddy bear off of her bed. Ouch. She forgot how blunt he could be too. Mentioning that made her realize how sadly true it was. Her bedroom hadn’t changed much. Of course some things were put up, like useless toys and hobbies she grew out of, but other than that it was mostly the same.

“I’m working on doing something new…” She lied. She was embarrassed and hadn’t noticed how childish some aspects of her room was. Maybe a new paint job would help but she wasn’t about to sit and beg her father to start a project with her that he would take ten years to finish.

“Look forward to seeing that” He chuckles as he makes his way towards the back of the room. Sorie clears her throat, unable to find a proper response that wouldn’t embarrass her further. Opening a closed door, Trevante peaks his head in, seeing nothing but sewing materials, half done dresses and manikins.

“Damn, I didn’t know you had all this back here—“

“WAIT, NO!”

Trevante immediately stops in his tracks, just one foot in Sorie’s art room before he notices that the floors were beyond damaged. The wood was soaked and on the verge of caving in due to a tropical storm that had struck months ago, leaving Sorie’s roof slightly leaking and her floors creaking and falling apart. The previous rain that week didn’t help. It was a safety hazard for anybody to be in there at this point.

“What the hell?” Tre slowly takes his foot off of the floorboard, backing up to take a look at it. “Yeah…it’s been like that for some time now. My daddy don’t ever remember about the shit I ask him to do so…yeah” She explains, annoyance lacing her voice. It was the reason she blocked the room off and was forced to sew outside instead.

Tre sighs and shakes his head, shutting the door. Noticing her mood shift, he moves to change the subject, walking into the hallway to retrieve his dried clothes. “You free tomorrow?”

She sucks her teeth and replies sassily. “Are you? Thought you were gonna be tired”

“You said you’d talk to my pops. You do that. Now answer my question” He responded with just as much sass, purposely imitating her. She cracks a smile. “…yeah, I’m free. Why?”

“I want you to come with me to this trail ride thing. Nothing too big, at this club slash bar slash outside thing.”

Her smile grew bigger, one of her hands playing with the hem of her shirt.

“Are you asking me on a date?”

Trevante thought for a moment before turning, walking down the hall toward the front door. “If you wanna call it that” He replied with a smooth cadence, making Sorie roll her eyes.

“What if I don’t?” She asks while following him, attempting to ruin the cockiness before it had even appeared.

“Then don’t call it that”

There was silence with both of them as they exit the house and walk into the yard, neither of them wanting to seem too much of something.

“You don’t gotta go if you don’t want to. I just wanna see you have some fun outside of your little farm” He speaks again. Sorie chuckles, genuinely thinking on it. “…I’ll keep you posted”

“Cool. Don’t think too long, aight?”

She nods and smiles.

“I gotchu, Tre”

Smirking, he nods. “Issa date then”

He finally leaves and heads down the road to his humble home. A warm feeling settled in his stomach, and it wasn’t just the freshly dried clothes he held against him.

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