#gosh i missed fresh fruit... its so good...

[crypt1d-collective]

cant eat the safe food because of #source trauma i love this so much

[frenchpuppycormier]

fluff 10 and/or 11 + supercorp for the sentence starters pls 💞

"Are we on a date right now?" / "I think I'm in love with you."

—

Saturday signals the best day in Kara's book for one simple reason: the farmers market. It's the perfect place to buy fresh produce directly from the grower at a lower price than those pesky retailers. Not to mention, it's fresher and it's a great way to support local communities.

Kara enjoys it most in the early morning between 8 and 9 when the California heat hasn't bombarded its citizens yet. One of her favorite memories of going to the market was when she first arrived on earth, and Eliza and Alex took her to the one in Midvale. Eliza bought her the sweetest miniature doughnuts which practically melted in her mouth. She's been a huge (understatement of the year) fan ever since.

The farmers market is located 20 blocks from her apartment, just a short jaunt or flight for the hero.

Today she decides to walk and enjoy the nice cool breeze, and the warm sun spilling on her face. She can already hear the acoustics of a folk band covering a Fleetwood Mac song at the end of main street. The leaves are starting to change, indicating the beginning of fall, and the ones already on the ground crunch beneath her feet.

Her reusable cloth bag with the words, "Okey Dokey Artichokey" and a cartoon artichoke with a smiley face and tiny stick arms, is slung over her shoulder. Lena had given it to her as a gag gift, but Kara uses it the most out of all her bags. Any gift from Lena is special and she will always treasure it.

As she rounds the corner to the market, she sneaks another look at her list to remind herself what she needs, when she bumps into someone. Hard. Fortunately, Kara manages to grab the other person's arm before they fall.

"Oh my gosh," Kara cringes. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was—" she interrupts herself when she sees, "Lena?"

"Hey there, slick," Lena laughs and nudges the hand latched on her arm to tangle with her fingers.

Kara responds by swinging their arms back and forth, like what friends do when they haven't seen each other in months. But Kara and Lena just saw each other yesterday. This is normal, right? Kara thinks. The fluttering in my chest is completely common whenever I see my friends....Right?

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Kara speaks before her brain can catch up with her.

Lena's face lights up with a sly grin. "Can't a woman go to the market every once in a while?"

"N-no no, of course you can," Kara laughs awkwardly, "I meant, gosh I'm not sure...I guess I just didn't expect to see you here. You live all the way on the other side of town."

"Relax, love," she chuckles and squeezes her hand and releases it, Kara immediately missing the warmth. "I'm teasing you. But to answer your question, I'm in desperate need of fresh kale, and I heard this particular stand has the best in the city."

Kara feigns gagging and Lena playfully shoves her shoulder. “I still don’t understand how you can eat that stuff.”

“Who knew the green stuff that incapacitates you was kale.”

“More like your eyes,” Kara mumbles.

“What was that?”

Kara’s eyes widen. “N-nothing,” she rubs the back of her neck. “Um, so….do you care if I join you? Wandering aimlessly through the market checking out food stands with my best friend sounds like the perfect way to spend my Saturday morning.”

“I’d love nothing more,” Lena replies, smiling brightly.

—

“Oooh, look! A food truck!” Kara points.

Lena laughs at her zeal. “Let’s see what they have.”

Kara reaches for her hand and twines their fingers together before dragging her toward the truck. Lena’s stomach swoops at the action, but she calms herself down enough so Kara doesn’t notice her rapid heartbeat. Not that she would, considering food is the best distraction when it comes to the blonde.

Little does Lena know that nothing can distract Kara from Lena, especially considering 98% of the time Kara is listening to the constant thumps and quivers of Lena’s heart, but Kara doesn’t say anything.

Kara looks up at the man in the truck and politely rattles off her order, then looks at Lena and asks, “What do you want?”

“Um,” Lena quickly glances at the menu and says, “I’ll have the Avo Smash, please.” She moves to hand the man cash, but Kara stops her and insists she'll pay for it. "My treat."

Once they give their order they move to the side and wait until their names are called.

When they get their food they move to a shady spot on the sidewalk and admire how delicious it looks.

“What’s that?” Kara asks.

“Oh, it’s a piece of toast with smashed avocado, egg, and tomato,” Lena replies, noticing how Kara turns up her nose. Lena rolls her eyes and gestures at her hands, “What’d you get?”

"Uh, only the most scrumptious and melt in your mouth-watering food you can get here," she replies, eyebrows pinched, incredulously. Lena raises her eyebrows in a get-on-with-it kind of way. "French toast bites," Kara finishes, exasperated at Lena's lack of enthusiasm.

"Sweet food for a sweet girl."

Kara's cheeks grow a slight pink. Instead of replying, she dips a piece of her toast in the syrup, and shoves the whole thing in her mouth. Lena simply hums and takes a bit of her own food. Kara smiles like a chipmunk with cheeks full of goodies.

When Lena's finished with her slice of hipster toast, as Kara calls it, a small body runs into her legs from behind. She looks down and finds a small boy with sandy blonde hair and big, blue eyes looking up at her with a toothy grin.

"Hi, there," she smiles at him.

"Henry!" a woman in a flowy maxi dress and brown sandals comes running toward them. She picks him up and gives him a stern look. "I told you not to run off like that!" The woman adjusts him on her hip and shyly realizes she has an audience. "I'm so sorry! He gets too excited about their french toast."

"Oh, no worries," Lena reassures her. She carefully grabs Kara's elbow and says, "This one does too."

Kara acts hurt by placing a hand over her heart. "Well, can you blame me? They're delicious! Aren't they?" she smiles at the boy and waves. He giggles and hides his face in his mother's neck. "Someone's a little shy, huh?"

"He is, isn't he?" the mom kisses his cheek. "I think he has a little crush on you."

"Who, me?" Kara laughs. "No, I think he has eyes for Lena. As most people do." She steps forward and tickles his stomach so he looks at her. Kara holds out her hand for a high five and whispers, "Good choice." He gratefully slaps her hand.

When Kara steps back, Lena is blushing, but rather than call her out on it she ignores it out of respect. Kara smiles at her and Lena smiles back, but then she's suddenly laughing through her nose.

"Darling, you have a little," she gestures at her own face.

"What? I have something on my face?" Kara touches her cheek, but completely misses.

"Here," Lena's fingers tenderly touch the side of her jaw while her thumb swipes her lip. Lena's completely focused on what she's doing, but Kara only has eyes for Lena.

Lena pulls back her hand, thumb now sticky with syrup. Instead of wiping it on the napkin Kara knows Lena has in her bag, she sticks it between her lips and licks it clean.

Kara completely stops breathing.

"How long have you two been together?" a voice snaps her out of her reverie.

Kara gapes at her with wide eyes and stutters, "Um...we, we're uh, just friends."

"Oh," the woman almost looks upset. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to presume. Well, I'll let you get back to your morning." She smiles at them and walks away, leaving a flabbergasted Kara and quiet Lena.

They don't say anything and choose to ignore it while they continue down the street.

—

"Lena, you have to try this," Kara doesn't give her a chance to respond before shoving a spoonful of gelato in Lena's mouth.

Lena gasps and nearly chokes on the ice cold dessert enveloping her tastebuds. She hisses and nods, as she lifts her hand to hastily catch the dribbles of melted chocolate trickling down her chin. Kara winces, "I'm so sorry!"

"No," Lena shakes her head as she swallows, "I just wasn't expecting that."

"Well? How was it?"

"Y'know, I'm not gonna lie...it was pretty fucking delicious."

"Right? Marco really knows his stuff."

"Um," Lena holds her hand out, fingers spread apart to prevent more sticking, and shakes it like she doesn't know what to do.

Kara jumps to action and runs off. She's back in two seconds with a wet wipe and cleans Lena's hand. "Where'd you find that?"

"Don't ask."

"Okay?" Lena laughs breathily. "You're a mystery wrapped inside an enigma, Ms. Danvers."

"I aim to confuse," she jokes.

Lena shakes her head, and eventually says, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Kara smiles at her, their eyes locked onto each other. She's finished cleaning her hand, but rather than letting go, her hand stays curled around Lena's, not wanting to ruin the moment.

—

“Oh Rao, you didn’t,” Kara gasps.

Lena turns around and frowns at her. “What?” Kara gestures to Lena’s bag. Lena looks down and chuckles when she realizes what she’s talking about. “In my defense, I was drunk. You know how my shopping brain acts when I’m drunk; I buy things I don’t need.”

“Hmmm, well maybe your alcohol-addled brain just remembered how funny I thought it was and wanted to impress me,” Kara teases with a twitch of her eyebrow.

“I’m sure that’s exactly what happened,” Lena deadpans. She glanced at the words on her bag again and fondly shakes her head. It reads: Oh Kale Yeah, with a bunch of kale on both sides.

“I think so,” Kara steps closer and smiles.

“Oh, really?” Lena raises her eyebrows.

“Yep,” she ends with an extra pop of the ‘p’ and boops her on the nose.

Lena opens her mouth in surprise, a protest on the tip of her tongue, but a voice interrupts her from in front of them.

“You two are such a lovely couple,” the vendor gushes.

Lena and Kara startle, forgetting they’re standing right in front of a stand selling various vegetables and fruits and jars of honey. Behind the table is an older woman, most likely in her late 70s, with streaks of gray hair, crinkly eyes and facial lines as if she’s smiled her whole life.

“Oh, we’re not—”

“Thank you,” Kara answers, smiling bashfully. She pushes a lock of hair behind her ear and says, “I’ll take one bunch of radishes and one spaghetti squash.”

“Coming right up,” the woman replies.

Kara glances over at Lena and gives her a shy smile, before handing the woman a $10 bill and thanking her. She grabs the veggies and carefully drops them in her bag.

“Thank you two, have a wonderful day.”

“Of course, you too!” Kara places her hand on the small of Lena’s back and guides her forward.

As they make their way to the next stand, Kara laughs, remembering their conversation, “I can’t believe you bought that bag. You’re such a giant dork.”

Lena whips around and eyes Kara curiously. Kara’s hand shifts from her back to loosely rest on her waist. Lena’s eyes are squinting from the bright sun, but Kara can see the speckles of gold in them and thinks she’s never looked more beautiful.

“Are we on a date right now?”

Kara's heart quickens and she opens and closes her mouth a few times, until finally she clears her throat, "Did you want it to be?"

"I thought—”

"Because I do," Kara states. "Want it to be a date. But only if you do, of course. I don't want you to feel pressured or like I forced you to hang out with me," she retracts her hand. "That's the last thing I—”

Lena grabs her hand as she pulls it way, not wanting Kara to close herself off. "Hey, I want this just as much as you do."

"Really?"

Lena lightly presses her thumb into the grooves of Kara's knuckles, and absentmindedly plays with them. She smiles, fully dimpled, and says, "I do. Actually, I uh..." she lowers their connected hands and looks off into the distance, mind seemingly elsewhere.

"What is it?" Kara asks. She playfully shakes their arms back and forth to get her attention.

Lena looks at the ground before completely focusing on Kara and those baby blues she's come to know and love. She takes a deep breath and her voice shakes when she whispers, "I think I'm in love with you..." Lena stumbles and shakes her head, "No—I am in love with you."

Kara inhales sharply and Lena thinks she's made a giant mistake. She starts to turn and do something stupid, like run away, but Kara keeps her hold on her and pulls her forward.

Smiling, Kara slowly inches closer leaving the opportunity for Lena to stop her. When Kara's lips press into hers she welcomes it completely. Kara's hands come up to cup Lena's jaw until she moves one to tangle in her hair.

Kara disconnects from her lips, but stays wrapped up in her, their foreheads touching. "I'm in love with you, too," she whispers against soft lips.

"Good," Lena smiles and kisses her again.

[sparklingchan]

Chapter 3|| Stormbringer- Stray Kids Demigod AU

Pairing : Reader(fem.) X Felix

Word count : 3.3k+

Warnings : A fight scene but it’s just practice XD

Genre : Romance, Demigod AU, fluff, angst.

Description: An unexpected incident brings you closer to Felix, but there’s one person who’s not very excited about this blossoming friendship. 

A/N : Things start getting interesting from here *insert the moon face emoji* Enjoy!

SERIES MASTERLIST ||  Click here for introduction to the story and glossary and here for the Stray Kids demigod diaries!

"A near miss, y/n."  Felix whispers in his deep, raspy voice sending shivers  through your entire body.

You blink awkwardly at him for a few seconds before he gets off of you and offers you his hand to help you stand up.

You hear the Aphrodite girls whispering behind you, giggling.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Your eyes are looking everywhere but at Felix, the heat from your cheeks making your whole face warm.

"It's alright, " he chuckles, "Are you hurt anywhere?" His freckles look even more gorgeous up close, his toothy smiles reminds you of bright skies and beaches and picnics and fresh fruits. And when the warm afternoon sunlight falls on his eyes, his brown orbs turn into a gentler shade of golden. Breathtaking.

"You're beautiful." You blurt out, involuntarily,  loud and clear so everyone hears you. A loud chorus of gasps run throughout the dining hall.

And you decide to run away back to your cabin with the little dignity you had left of yourself.

And there you are, once again thinking back to yesterday's events while polishing your precious arrow heads as you sit on the Zeus cabin's verandah.

You sigh, "It was the Aphrodite effect, right? It has to be!"

You've been pep talking to yourself all morning long, making up excuses for the way you behaved yesterday. You're too embarrassed to face your friends or the other people at camp.

"I mean he is good looking, but why did I say it out loud. Does he have powers? Like that of Hyunjin? Maybe he can charmspeak. Yes! That's probably it!" You mutter to yourself.

(a/n: Charmspeak is a rare type of hypnotic ability that Aphrodite kids possess)

Or perhaps he'd induced a new sense of adoration in you, like how Aphrodite kids usually can. But then again, they cannot actually induce these feelings. They can only manipulate them which means they'd have to exist in the first place.

You put the arrow back into it's case.

"Ugh!" You let out a loud groan, covering your face with your palms.

The image that you'd spent years to portray in front of everyone is all destroyed in the blink of an eye. Now no one's going to respect you as an only child of the Big Three, they're going to see you as a girl who gets smitten easily and not as the headstrong person you always acted like.

All because of that Lee Felix!

(a/n: big three refers to the three major Greek gods namely Poseidon, Zeus and Hades)

You stand up from the floor, not being able to handle the bombardment of thoughts in your mind, and decide that practicing sword fighting is the right thing to now.

So you find yourself making your way from behind the Athena cabin (where you can clearly hear Seungmin and another Athena kid debating over mortal politics) and then through the Jasmine fields that Apollo personally tends to and down the hill to the weapon practice arena.

"Hey, y/n."

Oh no, no no no.

Why is it that when you are trying to avoid a person that exact person is the one who keeps popping up everywhere? Why is it, you tell me, that Lee Felix happens to be in the practice arena just when you arrive there?

The Gods must be having a nice laughter up there, especially your father Zeus.

"H-hey!" You try to reply with fake enthusiasm.

He has his bronze sword in his right hand while he jogs up to you, his messy blonde hair shining like the sun.

"Did you sleep well?"

No, you hadn't.

"Yes, I did." You laugh awkwardly, "Slept wonderfully."

Felix laughs back, eyes hooded with a hint of shyness that hadn't existed till yesterday afternoon.

He tucks his bottom lip in between his teeth, "Hey, um about what you said yesterday-"

"Do you wanna duel with me?"

If you cannot escape him, you might as well divert his attention.

He looks at you like you'd just punched him in the face. His smile threatening to disappear any moment.

And that’s when you realise asking him to duel with you might not have been the brightest ideas, and not to mention how you'd called him beautiful in front a hundred other demigods last afternoon.

"I'd love to!" He replies, with an excited voice, "Swords?"

You open your mouth to reply, but only air slips out so you subtly nod. He doesn't have to know you're a nervous mess that's lowkey about to pass out.

You walk up to the armory and grab the first sword that you lay eyes on. Truth be told, a sword wasn't really the best choice of weapon for you. It's always been a bow and arrow for you. Bows make you feel at control, like you know what you're doing and you'd always been good at archery, without even trying to.

"Do you not have a sword of your own?" Felix asks almost as if reading your mind.

"No, I don't. Actually I'm more of an archer." You admit.

"Ah, of course. I remember how you killed that Cetus in a single shot. I must say, I was very impressed."

Your cheeks heat up at his compliment. It's not like people haven't complimented your archery skills before - they have, in fact they do it all the time yet you wonder why is it so much more meaningful to you when coming from Felix. Has your biggest fear finally come true?

You shake your head mentally, no, it cannot be.

"Thanks. You're not very bad with your sword either."

Felix acknowledges your compliment with a smile. He then stands up straight, the sword in his right and bows gently, a silly smile playing at his lips.

"Oh we're following the courtesies?" You whisper to yourself, copying his actions.

The both of you stand facing each other, a silent understanding flowing between the two of you while you take your dueling positions.

You expect him to attack first but he doesn't; instead he watches you with a smirk, as if trying to make you flustered.

(It was working but you'd rather never say that out loud)

So he attacks first. He aims his sword near your abdomen but you quickly jump to defend yourself, blocking his attack with your sword. The metallic clang of your swords ringing throughout the otherwise quiet arena. He stumbles back, a surprised gasp leaving his lips as your sword brushes swiftly past his neck while he's still catching his breath, barely touching him though. 

Of course, hurting the opponent isn’t the aim here. Disarming them is.

"She's not bad with the sword." He thinks to himself, a little proud.

He then retorts back, swinging his sword right in front of your face, missing by merely an inch.

Your heart does a backflip, both out of excitement and fear.

You don't waste a second, gaining back your balance, thrusting your sword in the space between his arm and abdomen. Your sword clash together as you try to push his sword back with yours, yet this time he resists, putting in all his energy to make you loose your grip on the sword.

And it seems to have worked because the next moment, he sees you losing your strength, your face scrunched in concentration as you let out a few grunts. He takes a single step towards you while applying more force on your sword with his, and there goes your sword, falling onto the ground gracefully, like a martyred soldier.

"Do you accept defeat, miss y/n?" Felix teases through laboured breaths and you only have enough energy to roll your eyes at him, hitting his arm in response.

Felix passes you back your sword, as he walks over to the bench and slumps down.

Your body is too tired to worry about Felix bringing up yesterday's incident, so you follow him and sit by his side. Neither of you say anything, your fanning breaths and thumping hearts and the buzzing of insects are the only sounds in the arena. You'd never experienced this kind of peacefulness in the camp before, at least not unless you were by yourself.

When you recover from your momentary exhaustion, you look over at Felix and softly begin, "I was wondering..."

He glances at you with a smile.

Does he ever stop smiling?

"I was wondering...since Hyunjin already told you about the game, would you like to be my partner for the capture the flag game next week? I usually go with Minho but he's a referee this time." You say.

He is taken aback for a second - mostly because he'd never thought someone as cool as you would ask him to be your partner. Team games are very important in camps and its important  to make sure that the teammates do not turn out to be poor players. It somehow makes Felix very happy that you'd have such faith in him despite having known him for only two days.

He nods, "I'd be honored to do that."

Your heart beats furiously as you suck in a deep breath, "It's a deal then."

Gosh y/n, what has gotten into you!

*

You decide to take the longer route back.

Felix left early after finishing the duel so you spent the next hour practicing Archery alone before deciding to head back to your cabin.

Your thoughts are all over the place as it is, but the quietness of the woods help you to sort things out with yourself. You feel rather uncomfortable, experiencing emotions that you'd not felt in a long time, past insecurities and memories fighting their way back from the dungeons you'd locked them up in. This was ridiculous, wasn't it? How Felix comes out of nowhere and just flips everything up?

The sun rays fall on you from the gaps between the tree branches and as you listen to the birds chirp around you, you start to slowly hum to their tune.

"Wow, who hurt you, y/n?" A male voice calls you from behind, the sound of leaves getting crushed under a pair of hooves indicate the approaching entity.

"No one hurt me, Eden."

Eden is still as handsome as ever, you wonder to yourself everytime you return to the camp, with a sturdy upper body and beautiful grey eyes and two strong goat limbs instead of normal human legs, yet he's so much more alluring than any satyr you'd ever seen. (Then again, maybe you're just biased because he’s also your childhood friend) He flashes you a handsome smile and you immediately pray to the gods that he doesn't see you blush.

(a/n: Satyrs, also known as Fauns by Romans, are creatures with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a goat as well as goat horns, and the pointed ears of a goat. )

"What's up." He stands in front of you and kisses you softly on the head, "I had gone out yesterday so I couldn't come see you. Hope you didn't miss me too much."

You hit his chest, "You're so full of yourself, goat-boy." You continue walking back towards your cabin, Eden following right behind.

"Woahh. Using Minho's nicknames now, are we?" He snickers, "One of the kids told me that you had a little hormonal outburst last afternoon?"

An embarrassed sigh leaves you lips. The camp kids really couldn't miss out on one day of gossip now could they?

"I don't wanna talk about it." You mutter as yesterday's events flash into your mind. Felix, his face, his voice and your words. Oh God.

"Hey, no judgment here, okay? If you like the new Aphrodite boy then I support you. Do you want me to play wingman?"

You turn around and smack his chest once again. "I do not like him." Yet.

"Okay, okay. I get it." His tone falls serious, "Anyway  I heard about Poseidon's trident. It scared me, I won't lie. Something as powerful as that trident has never been forged in a millennia. And I can only imagine how powerful one has to be steal it. Are you sure only nine demigods are enough to find it?"

"It has to be, Eden." You say, "We don't have too many options. It's either this or we all drown and die or get killed by a monster. I'd like to choose the former."

Eden nods at your words, patting your head encouragingly.

You are about to speak up again when your eyes fall on a woman sitting on a log of wood just a few meters ahead of you.

"Is that one of the Aphrodite girls?" You whisper to Eden, only for him to shake his head in response.

The woman sits with her back facing you, a beautiful white dress adorning her small skinny frame and her brown hair tied in a tidy floral braid. Either the woman is a daughter of Aphrodite's or a Nymph, you conclude.

Without thinking much, you approach her, "Um, hello? May I know who you are?"

A startled gasp escapes your mouth when the woman turns around and looks at you with a very familiar smile playing at her lips - you'd grown up seeing that smile on Hyunjin and very recently on Felix. It's the very same smile, a Xerox copy of it.

"Aphrodite?" You mutter and she nods in response.

"Hello, y/n. Mind if I have a word with you?"

*

"So you were out with y/n? Dueling?" Changbin asks for the umpteenth time this morning, his usually playful eyes now focused seriously on Felix's body language.

"Yes, Changbin," Felix groans, lying flat on his fluffy bed, "Can you stop making a big deal out of it?"

Chan chuckles at the conversation, his eyes though focused on the book in front of him but his ears are on his two best friends' conversation. Chan knew Changbin wasn't the kind to trust people easily, especially Zeus' children so it's not surprising of him to be suspicious about you but what does come as a surprise to Chan is how oddly giggly Felix has been since last afternoon. After that awkward encounter with you. Could it be that Felix..?

"Do you like Zeus' daughter?" Changbin asks even before Chan can finish his line of  thought.

Felix's eyes widen, but the tips of his ears are bright red, "Dude I just met her. Can you not act like a love guru out of the blue?"

"Hey, you're the love expert here. Literally. So, I should be expecting a better answer from you, no?"

"No, I do not like her. Okay?" Felix groans, "But she did ask me to be her partner for the game next week and I'm telling you beforehand Seo Changbin, do not say or assume anything that would make her uncomfortable. "

The warning comes off as rather cute to Chan since he’s always seen the Aphrodite kid as his little brother while Changbin finds his words a tad bit alarming. A Zeus kid is not to be trusted this easily.

"Fine." Changbin mutters, his lips pressing into a thoughtful line, "But just be careful because  I - "

"Don't trust the Children of Zeus easily, yeah we know. Come on, Bin. Let him have some fun and make new friends. You should do it, too. We're not on our own anymore." Chan pipes in to save Felix this time and Felix secretly sends a thankful wink to him in return.

"Okay, okay." Changbin gives in.

The door to Felix's room creaks ever so slightly and the three of them turn their heads in anticipation of who it might be.

"Hey. Sorry to disturb you guys but we're being called for dinner." Hyunjin says, still getting used to having three new demigods around in the camp.

Chan closes his book, "Oh, come on, Hyunjin. You're not disturbing us. Come on in."

Felix gets up to greet his half brother with a fist bump and when he stands beside Hyunjin, the two older guys find it hilarious how terribly small he looks. Almost like Hyunjin were his father.

Felix almost as if reads their minds and narrows their eyes at them, "Dinner is ready guys. Can we move?"

"Shortie." Hyunjn whispers incoherently and makes a run towards the door.

"Hey, come back here you piece of -" Felix dashes right after him.

Changbin and Chan chuckle at their tactics, a foreign feeling of calmness settling between them. "This feels like home, Chan. We're finally home." Changbin admits, almost emotionally.

"Yes, Bin." Chan adds, "And I hope we never have to leave again."

*

"Aphrodite said what now?"

You sigh, running your index finger mindlessly along the lines of the wooden dinner table.

"She wants us to take the new demigods with us to find Poseidon's trident. Especially Felix." You look at your friends, "And she asked me to specifically visit the island of Sicily when we go on the quest. I asked her why but she said she doesn't know it herself."

Hyunjin grunts, almost irritated, "Y/n, I don't know how much you can trust my mother. She's known to cause drama for her own entertainment. "

Well, you do agree with what Hyunjin says but you cannot deny that Aphrodite didn't seem like she was purposely creating drama this time.

"Listen, y/n, you have to go to The island of Sicily. It will lead you to the trident, trust me." She whispers as if she is afraid of someone overhearing your conversation, "Take Felix with you. You'll need him. He'll need you."

You shudder at the memory of her unusually spooky tone.

"What do you think, dad?" Jisung turns to Apollo who has ever so naturally claimed a spot at your usual dinner table tonight, "Do you think we should let new demigods on a quest?"

"I don't think Aphrodite is playing this time. We should listen to her." He taps his finger against his chin, deep in thought, "We need as many people as we can get."

"Well, yeah. That makes sense." Minho says and you nod, "Yeah, Eden can talk to the three boys. He's always been good at all that."

The lack of protests from your friends indicate their approval and after talking about the quest for a few more minutes, Apollo leaves your table.

"So," Jisung chimes in as soon as his father is out of sight, "Our Y/n has been dueling with Lee Felix?"

You let out an exasperated growl, "Oh God, Jisung! It was just today!"

Jisung snickers and sticks out his tongue, rendering your words useless. Minho raises an eyebrow at your banter while the other boys giggle, "Eden tells me you are already smitten."

Eden! God, that Eden, you mentally vow to punch that smirk off of Eden's face the next time you see him. Why does he keep pushing ridiculous ideas into other people's head!

"I'm not smitten -"

"Who are you talking about?"

Your blood runs dry.

Please tell me Felix didn't just overhear this one conversation which includes me having a crush on him.

"Hey, Lix." Hyunjin laughs, "Took you three long enough to get here  I went to your room like an hour ago."

Felix rubs the back of his neck, guilty, "Changbin spilled water on my favorite sweatshirt. "

A short guy - probably Changbin - slaps Felix's back. "Ouch!"

"Liar!" Felix rolls his eyes, turning to speak with you, "Anyway, y/n, I'm assuming you're the only to not have met my brothers yet."

"Yeah, i think so." You reply with a small smile.

Felix pats the back of the two boys on his right and left respectively. "Chan, Changbin, meet y/n, she's Zeus' daughter and y/n, meet Chan, he's Poseidon's son and Changbin - Ares' son."

Oh wow that is a new combination.

The guy introduced as Chan has a kind smile and messy brown hair while the Changbin dude has jet black hair and very intimidating eyes. He looks up and down your form, as if checking whether you were worth being Felix's friend - vibe checking, if you may.

"Hi, I'm y/n."

With the introductions done and dinner served, your group of old and new friends enjoy this peaceful evening together. The loud laughs and sassy remarks and friendly banters make you feel somewhat calm, but a part of you knows this isn't for long.

It’s like the calm before the storm.

"So, are we meeting for practice tomorrow too?" Felix whispers into your ears when he finds the others too indulged in conversation.

Your heart picks up its pace but you manage to nod with pink cheeks, "Yes. Same time as today."

A few seats away from you, Changbin overhears your conversation and decides that he doesn't really like you.

*

Taglist: @chogiwow​@ctrlaltfangirl​@blueprint-han​@whattaweeb​@bigskzz​@judewalid​@kpopssuregi​@crispy-chan​@cookielino​@rebelspy​@persassystilinski@stayctday​@charlieshelves​

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[yoonsshadow]

Strawberry Kisses ⎯ kth

➺ summary ; He’s the love of your life, especially when he tastes like strawberries.

➺ pairing ; kim taehyung x fem!reader

➺ genres ; romance, slice of life, non idol!au

➺ themes ; fluff

➺ warnings ; seriously this is just tooth-rotting fluff

➺ word count ; 1.2k

➺ note ; this is written for and dedicated to the lovely, the beautiful, the precious Bela, aka @alilbihh​. She has brought so much happiness and comfort into my life just from her writing alone, and she’s also so sweet and kind and ugh. Read every single one of her works, you won’t regret it, I promise.

Dawn slowly melts away; drizzles into a hazy morning of cool air and warm skies. The sun isn’t yet fully risen, its light only barely kissing the overhanging clouds and casting soft shadows, yet it’s enough for your sleepy eyes to be able to trace the silhouettes of the trees from where you stand at your kitchen window.

Skin still warm from the sheets you’ve just left⎯⎯the body you’ve just untangled yourself from⎯⎯you feel the nip of cool air on your bare limbs, draped only in a thin button-down. It belongs to him, soaked in his scent, and falls off your shoulder as you lean closer to the glass to watch as a bird flutters by. It begins to sing, somewhere in the distance, a melody meant only for your ears.

You aren’t startled when arms wrap around your waist, a warm breath ghosting over your bare shoulder as lips hum into your skin. A rough and slow sound, his voice melts into you until you’re shivering within his embrace, and he only holds you tighter.

“You’re up early.” He kisses just behind your ear, sways you softly to a silent tune. “Missed you.”

“Didn’t want to wake you,” you mumble, fingers tracing patterns into his arms and eyes tracing the patterns of the clouds. 

“What’s on your mind?” He still sounds half-asleep, but you know that his question is genuine. He’s told you that one of his favourite places to be is in your mind, no matter how often you assure him that he’s never left it.

“I had a dream about you.” You can recall the bright snippets with ease, feel the way they warm you from the inside out. “Well. More of a memory. I dreamt of the day we met. Do you remember?”

“How could I forget?” The words vibrate through your neck where he’s buried his face, featherlight kisses punctuating every syllable. “That was the best day of my life.”

You want to scoff at the sappiness, but he has showered you with so many similar compliments, sweet and sugary without effort, that you believe him. He has complimented your glow so often that you’ve begun to believe yourself a star.

“Let’s go back to bed,” he says, soft and deep and enticing. You can only hum in response, because the thought of being in your warm bed with your warm boy and a warm heart is enough to have your eyelids drooping again.

Early morning sunlight seeps through your knitted sweater, kissing a warm glow upon your cheeks as you slowly make your way through the bustling markets. You are only new to this town, boxes still unpacked in your tiny apartment, dust collecting on the to-do list that you have yet to touch, but even you know that these weekly markets are filled with life. With love.

Basket hanging loosely in the crook of your elbow, you are unhurried in your wandering, simply taking in the different stalls of foods and treats, the different characters who weave in and out amongst them. This is the third time you have been here, and you are still finding things that you have not noticed before.

And some things that are magnetic in their familiarity.

Never with a list upon arrival, you always leave these markets with a vast array of produce and ingredients to try throughout the week. Mostly, you try to acquire something new each trip, but there is one stall that you always visit without fail, if not for the product, then for the smiling face behind it.

‘Grandma Kim’s Strawberries’ is a hand-painted sign that you gravitate towards without thinking, and by the time you are there, your own smile is stretched across your face.

“Good morning, halmeoni.”

“Oh, Y/N-ssi! So lovely to see you again, beautiful!” Grandma Kim’s smile is so wide and genuine that you find yourself giggling, overcome with happiness simply from seeing her face. “How are you? Are you settling in well?”

“Yes, thank you! I am doing well, but I still have so much to see in this town, but I don’t know where to begin.”

Something sly shadows over Grandma Kim’s smile, and soon she is clapping excitedly. “Oh, well you should have somebody guide you around! In fact, my grandson is very familiar with the town, and I’m sure that he would be able to help you.”

“Oh, thank you, but that isn’t ne-”

“Taehyung-ah! Come here, I want to introduce you to somebody!”

You hadn’t even noticed the person behind Grandma Kim when you had approached, lifting crates of berries and sorting through the boxes. But now, as he turns to face you with a polite smile, you wonder how you could ever ignore such a person.

Goodness gracious, he is handsome.

Grandma Kim waves him forward, smile never leaving. “Y/N, this is Taehyung, my grandson. He doesn’t usually accompany me to the markets, but I needed some extra muscle today. Taehyung-ah, this is Y/N. She just moved here a few weeks ago and is very lovely. She needs somebody to guide her around town.”

Your cheeks grow hot, unable to meet the eyes of the insanely attractive man before you. “Ah, no, halmeoni, it’s okay, I don’t want to be a bother. I’m sure I can find my way around.”

“I don’t mind,” Taehyung says, and you grow briefly light-headed at the depth in his voice. “I’ve lived here my whole life, so I would be honoured to show you around.”

You finally look up, into those dark, brown eyes, and find yourself smiling despite yourself. “Oh, well, okay then. Thank you very much, Taehyung-ssi.”

His smile is broad and boxy, and gosh you love it already.

All the while, Grandma Kim is looking between the two of you, eye filled with stars and a little bit of hope.

You wake up later in the morning, still entangled in the sheets. There is warmth beside you, beneath you, all around you, and you smile into a bare chest when you hear a hum from above.

“Good morning, my love.”

You don’t want to open your eyes⎯⎯don’t want to part with your nostalgic dreams just yet⎯⎯but there’s a hand tracing lines over your back, lips leaving soft kisses against your hairline. So you open your eyes, kiss the chest you’re leaning on, and look up at the man who has consumed your heart whole.

“Morning, baby.” Taehyung smiles sleepily at your reply.

“I brought breakfast.” Without letting you out of his arms, he reaches to the nightstand and reveals a box of fresh strawberries, shiny and red and oh so appealing. “My favourite fruit for my favourite girl.”

“Mm, my favourite too.”

“The fruit, or the boy?”

“Both.”

You eat strawberries this morning, your legs tangled with his as you press the berries to each other’s lips. If you were to squeeze just a little, just a bit, the juices would drool onto your fingers, into your palm. He’d kiss each fingertip before tracing the liquid lines with his tongue.

And as you bring the stems away from between his teeth, he looks at you with those eyes. The ones that say ‘I love you even when you’re sticky with strawberry juice’. So you press another to his smile, squeeze it just a little, just a bit, and kiss the juice from his lips yourself.

[redqueen-hypothesis]

private getaway ➳ victor li (mlqc)

➳ PAIRING: reader x victor li (mlqc)

➳ WORD COUNT: 3665

➳ GENRE: slightly suggestive, fluff

➳ SYNOPSIS: victor abducts you in the name of a holiday and is more nostalgic than you’d expect.

➳ REMARKS: tbh i feel like this was badly written, no smut but we all know victor li wouldn’t just let time alone together go by without doing the dirty. i hope the fluff is enough to make up for it, nonny!! i’m also sorry if you wanted a headcanon and i ended up writing a fic instead. i forgot i can’t write fluff akdjfsdk.

“Are we there yet?”

“No, but we’re almost there.”

That conversation has been repeated for hours now, ever since Victor whisked you away (more like abducted) you from the main entrance of your company building after a long working week and announced that the two of you would be going on a short holiday. Much to your shock, Anna had simply smiled politely at Victor as he bundled you into his car, wishing the two of you an enjoyable vacation and assuring you that your work would be taken care of. It was only later that you discovered that Anna had been roped into Victor’s schemes from the very beginning - the betrayal!

“You’ve said that for a while now.” You mumble, clutching onto Victor’s hand tightly as he leads you down a windy pier. You’re blindfolded with one of your silk scarves, Victor has been careful in ensuring that you haven’t been able to find out the slightest clue about where the two of you are headed. “Are you sure you’re not trying to kidnap me?”

A small snort. “How much money would I earn from doing that? Not enough to make the attempt worth it, I would say.” Victor’s voice is warm and deep, and when you strain your ears just a little, you can hear the sound of waves washing over a beach. Somewhere near the sea, perhaps?

“I’m priceless.” You answer indignantly, pulling at his hand and nearly stumbling when you trip over Victor’s feet. Wood creaks beneath your feet with each step. “I would be worth a lot of money.”

“But I’m the one who’d have to pay if you did get kidnapped.” Victor retorts, and you almost tell Victor he’s actually being romantic... almost. Before the words escape you, however, Victor is suddenly pulling the blindfold off your eyes. “We’re here now.”

When Victor had mentioned that he would be bringing you on a short holiday, you hadn’t expected this.

“Victor, this is... this is amazing!” You gasp, looking over at the view before you. The white sand of the beach runs into crystal clear water that stretches on as far as your eye can see. Connected directly to that strip of untouched beach is he open air villa that the two of you are currently standing in, watching the waves lap gently at the shore. “We’re going to be staying here?”

“No, we’re just passing through - of course we’re staying here, idiot.” Victor answers bluntly from where he’s inspecting the kitchen. It’s luxurious and fully stocked with fresh tropical ingredients, some of which are colorful fruits you’ve never seen before. You hope this means Victor is going to be the one cooking for you. “This place is a holiday beach resort.”

You can’t wait to change into some more comfortable clothes and go splashing in the sea. There’s a small jacuzzi pool carved from shining blue stone attached to the villa that you’re dying to try, but right now the blue of the ocean is much more enticing. It’s been so long since you’ve last seen the ocean for non work related reasons, you think. “This really is the perfect holiday location! And here I thought you didn’t understand the meaning of the word ‘vacation’.”

“My vocabulary is sufficient, thank you very much.” Victor sounds mildly amused as he steps up next to you, one hand shading his eyes from the orange light of the sunset. “I take that you like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” You laugh excitedly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight. Victor lets himself smile at your enthusiasm, if only a little. “It’s a beautiful place, really! Why isn’t it more popular? I don’t see anyone around.”

He turns to look at you with an amused expression, as if the answer is the most obvious thing in the world. “This is a private resort, dummy. Of course there’s no one else here.”

“Private resort?” Just how much money had Victor spent on this so called small holiday? The sounds of dollar bills flying away echo repeatedly in the back of your mind and you almost feel dizzy just trying to imagine how much this must have cost. “Victor, call an ambulance.”

“There aren’t any roads here, dummy, we’re on an island that’s untouched except for this building and the staff quarters nearby. I thought you should have been able to see that.” Victor looks at you like you’re the silly one. “The resort uses private helicopters in case of emergencies. Why, are you feeling unwell?”

“I just might faint under the weight of all this extravagance.” You mumble, but wrap your arms around Victor’s torso and stand on tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. He shivers ever so slightly in your hold. “Thanks, Victor. I appreciate it.”

“You should.” Victor mutters, but there’s no real bite behind it. “Let’s go see the sunset down by the water. I heard it’s a good view.”

>>>

You’ve missed the feeling of having sand between your toes and splashing about in the shallow water near the shore. Swimming pools have nothing on mother nature, you decide, picking up a seashell and admiring its silvery shine.

“Don’t you think it looks like a small fish?” You ask, holding it up for Victor to inspect when he stops next to you, bare feet in the water. He peers at the shell in your hand, looking like a debtor trying to discern the validity of some assets.

“It looks like a shell.”

“You have no creativity. Some things don’t need to be expensive to be pretty.” You huff, pressing the seashell into his hand anyway. His fingers wrap around it, holding it tightly in his palm. He’s about to open his mouth to reply when you tug excitedly at his hand. “Victor, look! The sun is huge!”

Your eyes are wide with wonder as the setting sun touch the horizon. Liquid orange ripples across the water’s surface, setting the sea alight with flames and washing it in a warm glow, until you can’t tell where the sea meets the sky. The corners of his mouth pull up at your tangible happiness, he’d let you see a thousand sunsets more beautiful just to see you smile like this again. “The sun is always the same size, dummy.”

“Yeah, but it looks big now.” You retort, fishing out the camera that you’re wearing on a strap around your neck. “I need to take a picture and upload it on Moments. Gosh, Lucien would definitely love to see something like this.”

The expression Victor eyes you with almost makes you laugh. “The shady scientist?” If you didn’t know him better, you’d think he’s angry, but you know he’s just sulking. You giggle, a little amused at his obvious dislike for the other man, and decide to tease him just a little.

“Hey, don’t call my friend shady! He’s a very renowned neuroscientist and an important consultant for Miracle Finder.” You correct, taking a few snapshots of the sky before you. You’re no photographer, but you know enough from your experience in filming to take a good photo. “Ahh, the pictures look great. Victor, it’s your turn!”

“My turn? What for?” Victor looks mildly confused, but you tug him to the end of the walkway by the hand. There, the sunset glow washes over his face, the soft light diffusing the sharpness in his eyes, the usual cold set of his jaw. “There, just right! Now, smile!”

“Wha-”

Click!

“God, Victor, I said to smile, not look like I handed up a late report.” You laugh, peering at the bummed out expression that you’ve captured with your camera. Victor looks just a little flustered when you raise the camera to him again. “Come on, smile for real this time!”

“I don’t just smile for pictures.”

“But you look handsome when you do.” You tease, and see Victor’s face soften in response to your words. It’s not quite a smile, but it looks warm, almost happy. “Don’t say stupid things.”

Just before you can take the picture, however, there’s a loud flapping sound and you flinch back in surprise at the flurry of wings. When your eyes blink open, you’re greeted with a totally unexpected sight.

A seagull is perched on top of Victor’s head, squawking loudly. Meanwhile, Victor looks like he’s frozen himself in time with his own Evol, lips firmly pressed together in a thin line.

The seagull peers down at him. Victor looks up to meet its eyes. It squawks again and Victor winces.

“Wow, Victor, I didn’t know you brought me here just to introduce me to your mistress.” You can barely keep the giggles out of your voice. The glare that Victor shoots you is positively deadly. “Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not.” You say, but your voice shakes. “You know, I can see why it took such a liking to you. The two of you are very much alike.”

Victor looks bewildered. “What? How am I similar,” he gestures at the bird nesting on his head, “to this thing?”

You only pause for dramatic effect. “You’re both known for shitting on people.”

Victor groans in exasperation at your grin. “I do not shit on people.”

Unable to resist, you turn the camera to him, hands almost shaking uncontrollably with suppressed laughter. Victor’s expression goes flat when he realises what you’re intending to do. “Don’t you dare-”

Click!

“That’s it, get back here.” Victor brushes the seagull off his head and bears down on you, while you shriek with laughter and dash back down the beach as fast as you can. Try as you might, however, Victor’s strides are far wider than yours and in no time at all he’s caught up to you, wrapping his arms around you from behind and lifting you clean off your feet.

“Delete that.” He demands, trying to reach for your camera, but you hold it over your head with both hands, still giggling breathlessly. “No! Do you know how much the paparazzi would pay for a picture like this? I can imagine it on the front pages of the newspapers already, ‘Victor Li finds true soulmate at last’!”

“If they’re smart, they wouldn’t. The LFG has shares in majority of the news outlets in Loveland.” Victor retorts as you wave the camera about. “And so should you, since your company is funded by the LFG as well.”

“You’re too fair to drop us over something like this.” You laugh breathlessly at Victor, who simply sighs. “Don’t think that praising me now is going to get you a bonus. Hand over the camera now, before I make you.”

You arch an eyebrow, still giddy with adrenaline and excitement. You haven’t laughed this much in a long time. “Oh yeah? How are you going to do that?”

“How am I going to do that?” Victor repeats after you, voice suddenly dropping to a husky whisper. You swallow at the near predatory look that flashes in his eyes, hesitating for a moment. “Uhh, I mean you could just ask nicely, and if I were feeling generous, I might give it to-”

Before you can so much as finish your sentence, he’s pulling your head down to meet his lips in a hungry kiss. Your eyes fly wide open with shock before you melt against his mouth, camera long forgotten. His teeth tug at your bottom lip, urging his tongue into your mouth and fingers stroking at the bare skin along your ribs. Gasping at the searing heat of him, you try to break away for air, but Victor’s fingers only slide up the back of your head to press you more firmly against him, unrelenting.

All consuming.

It’s only when you beat against his chest with your fist that he releases you, your lungs heaving for air and mouth drunk on the taste of him. “Just like that,” Victor murmurs, his voice a raspy baritone as he plucks your camera out of your boneless hands. You can’t even find it in you to argue, all the fight sapped out of you. “I’ve missed doing that.”

“What are you-” You gasp as Victor lowers the two of you to the ground. Your back is pressed against the sand of the beach, waves lapping at your feet, but before you can say another word Victor’s mouth is back on yours again, hot and wet and desperate, like he can’t wait another second to taste you. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, drawing him as close as you physically can, the hard planes of his body pressed against yours through the thin fabric of his shirt.

“Mmn...” You breathe against his mouth, legs wrapping around his waist, grinding subtly against the hardness in his shorts. Victor lets out a low sound at that, eyes filled with an emotion that you can only describe as hunger as he hovers over you. Just as he tilts his head down to press kisses down your neck, however, you’re interrupted by a strange grumbling sound.

The two of you still at the sudden noise, and your cheeks burst into flames.

“Pft...” You look up to see Victor trying to stifle his own laughter and scowl, slapping both your hands over his mouth. “Hey! Stop laughing!”

“Let’s head in for some food. I have some new recipes I want to try.” Victor is still wearing a smile and damn, because you won’t even get enough of that expression on him. It softens his face, brings out a gentle light to his eyes that is far too rarely seen, and makes your heart stumble in your chest. Still blushing, you grab his hand and pull him towards the villa so he won’t see the colour on your cheeks.

“Hurry up then, I’m hungry.”

He laughs, a clear, boyish sound that doesn’t suit his business persona at all. “I could tell.”

“Oh, shut it!”

>>>

Dinner is a lavish affair of delectable fruits and local spices that you’ve never tasted before. Victor does something along the lines of a hibachi restaurant, cooking right in front of you and serving the food fresh from the pan. It’s clear he’s been practicing in secret, there’s no hesitation to his movements even with all these foreign ingredients. Your heart warms at the knowledge but keep your mouth shut about it, knowing Victor would be embarrassed if you were to call him out on it.

Gods, you love this man so much.

As the sky falls dark, you sit at the kitchen island in the dim candlelight, washing down your dinner with a tropical fruit juice mix that Victor had blended for you while scrolling through a list of activities available to you here on your phone.

“You decide.” Victor had shrugged simply when you’d asked him about your itinerary. You couldn’t be more excited.

“We could go snorkeling tomorrow, oh, or fishing!” You tell Victor brightly as he washes the dishes at the sink. Hopefully in one of these options, he’ll just have to go shirtless, you hum to yourself contentedly. Best vacation ever. He turns around to raise an eyebrow at you, looking dubious. “I doubt you have enough patience to hold a fishing rod for a few hours.”

“I do too.” You pout, setting down your phone to watch him work. The simple white button down he’s wearing only accentuates the strong lines of his back and the broad shoulders he has. “And besides, it won’t take that long for the fish to bite unless you scare them all away with that glare of yours.”

“Maybe if we throw you in as bait we’d be more successful and catch a big white shark.” Victor flicks you on the nose and you whine, rubbing it ruefully as he keeps the pans on the shelves. “Fine... I’ll think about what to do when tomorrow comes. What do you want to do right now, though?”

Victor ponders this for a moment, leaning against the kitchen island next to you. “Hmm... you brought your bathing suit, am I right?”

“I didn’t know we were going to the beach, wait... this is why you were asking for my measurements awhile back, weren’t you?”

He shrugs, although there’s a playful glint in his eye. “You don’t have any evidence. Either way, there should be a bathing suit in your luggage. Put it on and we can go down to the jacuzzi. Or if you want,” the look in his eyes darken ever so slightly as he looks down at you, tracing your body, “you could always go naked. There’s no one to see... but me.”

“I’m going, I’m going!” You beat a hasty escape for the bathroom before your face can spontaneously combust. “You better not have bought something weird for me!”

As you disappear into the bathroom, Victor lets out a low laugh, running a hand over his face. “Ahh... that silly girl.”

There’s a fond smile on his face.

>>>

You sink into the water with a contented moan. “Ahhh, this feels good.” When you look above, head tilting back to look at the night sky above. The stars twinkle back at you, like handfuls of diamonds scattered across the heavens above. “This has been a great start to my holiday.”

“It takes very little to make you happy.” Victor observes as he steps into the water next to you. He’s dressed in nothing but a pair of black shorts, strong arms and well honed physique exposed for you to appreciate. You grin, lacing your fingers with his and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. “I think I’ve already been given plenty. Thank you for this holiday, Victor.”

“It was nothing, really.” Victor replies, his voice a low rumble in his chest next to you. When you glance up at him, he’s looking at the stars overhead, seemingly lost in thought. “I don’t really enjoy holidays much, except when I visit France, but today with you... wasn’t so bad.”

Victor must be in a nostalgic mood, you think, enjoying the warmth of his body next to yours. The holiday brings that out in him, the fact that there are no paparazzi around and there is no LFG to worry about. You like having him all to yourself.

“Just admit that you like my company.” You laugh, resting your head against his shoulder. The water is pleasantly warm and scented with rose petals, something that you’ve come to realise is his signature touch during your time together. As unromantic as Victor’s mouth is when it isn’t on your body, the rest of him is surprisingly adept and careful when it comes to setting a romantic mood, sparing no expense when it comes to bouquets, scented candles, silk sheets. It’s something that you would never have quite expected from him, and yet it’s part of what makes him so lovably humane.

“Well, I think the fact that I married you says quite enough about that.” Victor snorts. You feel him run a thumb over the wedding band on your ring finger and you grin, lifting it out of the water so that he can see it. “I’m so glad I didn’t swallow it together with your proposal souffle. I might have backed out of marrying you if I had more time to think about it.”

“You must have been in shock when you agreed.” He looks at your joined hands, and suddenly lifts it to his mouth to kiss away the water droplets clinging onto the back of yours possessively. The two of you are already married, and yet it still sends heat burning at your cheeks. “You’re stuck with me now, though. You can’t just break a marriage contract.”

“You mean a wedding vow. You were so handsome on that day I must have forgotten my plan about running away from the altar.” You giggle, and Victor’s eyes soften, scooping up a flower from the water’s surface - a peony, and tucks it behind your ear. “I would have chased after you even if you did.” His eyes sweep over you, painfully tender. “There. Beautiful.”

It’s only then that you realise how close the two of you are, his breath dancing along your cheeks and nose, his cheeks flushed from the warmth of the jacuzzi. He looks so open in that moment, his usual stoic walls down for you to enter and so you do, cupping his face and pulling him in for a kiss.

Victor’s a possessive lover, always has been, and the way he takes your lips for his own is no different. He doesn’t just claim them, he ruins them, tasting your mouth like you’re one of his sweetest deserts, tongue probing every corner and crevice of your mouth so that you know that you belong to him. You sink into his embrace, water swishing around you, and Victor groans, lightly nipping at your bottom lip with his teeth.

“I’m the most fortunate man in the world to have met you.” He says, hoisting you into his lap. In the pool, it takes almost no effort at all, and you’re left straddling his rock hard thighs, bracing your palms on his firm chest. His gaze lands on your bruised, swollen lips, running the pad of his thumb over it gently. “Beautiful.”

“Stop saying cheesy stuff and make love to me.” You laugh, grinding down teasingly on the hardness you can feel against your thigh and your grin widens when Victor lets out a hiss. He pinches your ass in retaliation and you squeal. “Here I was trying to set the mood and you went and ruined it. You had better be prepared for what you’re getting into.”

When he kisses you under the heavens once more, so fiercely it steals your breath away, one last thought crosses your mind before he takes even that away from you: that everything to do with him, you regret none of it at all.

[cosmiclatte28]

Home (Baekhyun x reader)

DOMESTIC FLUFF (?) 

ENJOY! 

The jingling sounds of key and door carefully pushed open resonated through the half lit apartment. Baekhyun locked his door and carefully switched on the light. His foot steps brought him to the living room, which surprisingly was not neat. He flashed an apologizing smile when he saw the scattered books, papers, and highlighters on top of the coffee table and to the girl who fell asleep uncomfortably on the couch. 

A book was covering half of her face; Baekhyun giggled at the sight. He gently placed his gym bag on the other couch, took the book on her face, marked the page with a highlighter and closed it down. He bent to greet her with a kiss and gave a gentle stroke on her shining brown hair. The girl did not move at all, in which Baekhyun deducted she had been too tired this week. He shuffled into the bedroom, took a soft blanket and returned to the sleeping girl. He draped the blanket over her, and left to shower. That girl is Scarlet, the lucky girl who stole Baekhyun's heart and the one he's engaged to.

One of the room that Baekhyun loves other than the bedroom is the bathroom. His marvelous girlfriend amazingly turned this place's dull bathroom into a masterpiece. Baekhyun thanked his hard work which resulted this marble walls and tiles. He thanked his sweats for purchasing him a pulsing bathtub, but mostly, Baekhyun appreciated how his girl did the lights and ambience for this room. The dim relaxing lights and candles never failed in calming his nerves down. The pack of aroma oils she kept on one of the shelves helped Baekhyun breathe even lighter. 

Today he realized, it's not late yet to have a dip. It's only 10 (that's why he knew his girl had been tired, for she usually waited til' morning). Baekhyun opened the faucet, walked to the box of oils and chose his companion for tonight. He decided to go with vanilla and a blue bath bomb. He tossed the bomb when the water's enough and stripped down. In less than a minute, he was groaning from the pulses which hit his tired body and softly moaned from the comfort the oils and bubbles gave him. He closed his eyes for a moment, did some deep breathing, and reopened his eyes.

He scanned the room, his heart warming when he saw the things in this room came in pair. The tooth brush, the towels, and the vanity sets. His eyes traveled one more time to the rack of body wash collections Scarlet owns. He frowned a little when he realized her collections had changed. 

Baekhyun remembered seeing bottles of colorful and super sweet smelling soaps, but now it's replaced with plain bottles. He squinted his eyes and reached for each bottles. Reading off the titles and scents. He frowned when he read "aromatherapy edition". Though he admit the smells are wonderful, he tried to get her message. The bottles were labeled like Sleep, Stress, and Love. He returned them and glanced at the scented candles which Scarlet likes to light when she showers. The fun bakery or fruity smells was replaced too with another Sleep candle. He felt something’s wrong. Quickly he finished his bath, washed, and tugged on his shorts.

He walked out of the steamy shower, bare chested, then tip toed to the dining table. He made himself a glass of warm milk and sat down while looking at his sleeping girlfriend. Scarlet has always been a shining, restless ball of energy, with lots of positivity, just like him. But he was late to realize that she was going through a lot. 

Baekhyun's comeback activities have not allowed him to go home early, except today since two members started to feel sick, nor did it allow him to send texts and sneak calls. He tried to remember when was the last time he checked on Scarlet, and he felt bad when he figured out how much of an uncaring boyfriend he is. He looked at the engagement ring on his left finger and then to Scarlet, played a bit with it, and guilt flooded his body.

When was the last time Baekhyun asked how's she doing? When did he call first or texted first? When did he come home to ask her how her day went? When Baekhyun did accompany her to finish her mountain of home works? When did he really act like her man?

The answer was long time ago. It's always Scarlet who started the conversation, it's always her waiting for him. Scarlet's the one who forced her tired body to stay awake, just to welcome tired Baekhyun home. Scarlet's the one who always asked and listened attentively to how his day happened. She's the one who prepared his bath and bed. 

Every morning they still see each other. Drinking coffees and eating breads, Scarlet usually asked him how his sleep was while packing a lunch for her, and him. Not to forget how she always yawned from staying awake to finish her tasks and woke up early to fetch Baekhyun his breakfast and lunch. 

He felt like a shit, had he ever sit next to Scarlet all night when she typed words into her laptop, while chugging on cups and cups of coffee? Rarely. Yes he tried and failed miserably, but Scarlet never for once put a grudge on this. Baekhyun saw her charged phone on the island. He reached it and opened the lock, swiped until he found the calendar widget. He scanned through it and learned that this month is her final exam weeks; that explains the books and papers. He carefully noted down each day's exam. Baekhyun made a small plan on his mind. A small support which he hoped can help her pass the exams.

After finishing his milk, he walked to Scarlet, picked her up and put her down on their bed. He returned to the living room to pack on her belongings for tomorrow's class and tidied up the couch. After noting the clock, he turned off the lights and joined Scarlet to dream land. Baekhyun counted the hours of sleep, its 23.30, his schedule tomorrow starts at nine, while Scarlet's class starts at eight. He will wake up earlier tomorrow, make her breakfast, and walk her to campus. Baekhyun smiled at himself, then after another kiss he closed his eyes.

The sun rays woke Baekhyun up around 6. He carefully left his bed, washed, and walked to the kitchen. He turned the coffee machine on, heated the water, then prepared two cups. Baekhyun yawned as he checked on their fridge, surprisingly there are eggs, hams, and cheese. He threw his head to the counter and smiled when he saw bread. He noted he has to grab groceries on his way home, this fridge won't refill itself.

Baekhyun finished cooking the second egg, when a fresh showered Scarlet surprised him with a back hug.

"Morning bae, sorry for sleeping deep last night," Scarlet kissed Baekhyun's exposed neck.

"Morning too babe, no problem... I saw your tiring schedules, it's okay to fell asleep. I like it better, for you to stay healthy." Baekhyun said as he plated the egg on top of the bread, then topped it with cheese and ham then bread. He turned the stove off and returned the kiss Scarlet gave.

"Hmm the coffee's ready." Scarlet inhaled the sweet smell of coffee.

Baekhyun grinned, "Just sit down my lady; I'll prepare this for you." Baekhyun poured milk into one coffee. He knew her well!

Scarlet took a snap and updated her Instagram.

"What? I'm just going to post this so your fans can day dream on you."

Baekhyun said nothing to this, he's thankful though that even though some fans hated her in the beginning, by today they shifted to support them and Baekhyun's thankful Scarlet has been strong so far.

"Let's eat. Enjoy your breakfast." Baekhyun smiled.

"Thanks Baekhyun." She smiled and delicately finished her portion.

"How's your sleep?" Baekhyun asked this time, and he did not miss how Scarlet seemed surprised and happy he asked first. Gosh why did he not do this before? Seeing her surprised and happy made him happy too.

"Amazing! I dreamed that a handsome prince came to kiss my nightmares away, oh Baek it feels real," She gazed into the space.

Baekhyun giggled and brought his hand to ruffle her hair.

"How's yours?" Scarlet asked back.

They caught up with one another, exchanged small talks on how the comeback is going, annoyed conversation on Scarlet's never ending tasks, planned about visiting their parents, and many more.

"Come let's get ready. I can walk you to campus today." Baekhyun stood up and collected the dirty plates. He washed them quickly as Scarlet prepared herself.

They're ready. Baekhyun's wearing black and black with a black cap and black masker, on his left shoulder hung Scarlet's school bag, on his right hand the small hand of Scarlet. They walk while enjoying the sun and other couples.

"Baekhyun, I'm sorry if I sound rude.. But can you please return to the pastel and denim looks please? I'm tired of seeing your dark clothes in the laundry." Scarlet spoke.

He did not need to think and nodded, "Sure! I'll dress brighter after this."

Scarlet smiled, "Thanks! It's depressing for me to see your dirty clothes."

Their steps reached the end, Scarlet smiled brightly in front of the campus gate.

"I can take it from here, thanks jagi, good luck with your practice!" Scarlet rose to give a quick peck on his lips and they parted.

That afternoon, practice ended quickly. Baekhyun rushed to the parking lot after changing into a fresh tee.

"Yak, where are you running to?" Chanyeol asked before Baekhyun was gone behind the doors. It is normal for him to rush home, but Chanyeol always asked the details.

"A date probably?" Kyungsoo teased his friend.

"Any special day?" Sehun chimed in too.

"Nah.. I want to go to the market and prepare dinner."

"Wow, did something happen?" Kai asked

"Nothing bad, I just realize I'm not a caring namja..." He blushed

The rest of them laughed it off and just wished him good luck

Baekhyun was thankful today is a Friday and he can leave before 6! Yet he was sure that Scarlet's last class today will end at 6, which gives him enough time to shop and cook.

He rushed to the supermarket nearby the apartment and bought everything needed for dinner and the empty desolate fridge. He restocked the fruits, chocolates, pop corns. He bought home a bouquet of fresh flowers and a letter too.

Once back home, he arranged everything on the refrigerator and began to cook.

Right as he wait for the rice to cook, he arranged the tables and still got time for a quick fresh shower.

Once he he spit the light-blue mouthwash away, the jingles of key made his heart pound.

"Mwoya?" Scarlet gasped in surprise when she was greeted by the dim lit room only from the dining room. She took off her shoes and left her belongings on the sofa. Scarlet stood frozen in front of the dining room.

There stood Baekhyun, all in his boyfriend dreamy look and a bouquet of fresh flowers. Not to mention how perfect his oversized yellow pastel sweater matched his fluffy caramel hair. His eye bags showed naturally how tired he is, no heavy make ups and eye shadows. Just the plain glowing cheeks Scarlet love, to an extend that she will give everything just so his cheeks can glow.

She did not say anything, he was still frozen too, and Scarlet took the moment to melt Baekhyun in her deep meaningful kiss.

"You don't have to do this Baek," she whispered as her lips lingered close to his.

"I wanted to jagiya, here's your flower." He handed her the bouquet.

Scarlet took a deep whiff of the roses and placed it on the vase.

"Wow you cooked dinner!" She giggled as she saw the pile of dirty pans and pots in the sink.

"Don't worry I'll clean them up, before that shall we eat?" He raised his brow.

"One moment!" Scarlet turned to take a quick shower and change her clothes.

She returned only in Baekhyun's oversized baby blue knitted sweater and a messy bun.

"Jja, let's begin" She took her seat and Baekhyun lit the candles.

"I'll bring you to a proper place tomorrow or next week... sorry tonight I rushed.." He shyly said.

"Oh I love this better Baekhyun, anyways your food tastes better than mine! What secrets are you using?" Scarlet ate happily, savoring each spices and sweetness. Baekhyun felt full seeing her this happy. He got it now how mothers felt when their kids finished her meals. It's rewarding.

"Nothing much, I pour my heart into it." He cheekily replied.

Scarlet rolled her eyes on this, "You know what... I owe you something for this perfect surprise. I love you Baekhyun!"

"Well you could thank me with tonight's activity. How long was it again since we did it? Oh damn I've missed your touch." He smirked.

Scarlet's cheeks burned and she finished her glass of water.

"Will you be good for me tonight?" Baekhyun sipped his wine and put on his playful smirk.

Scarlet winked, "We'll see."

[themusicplayedherlife]

Take a Chance (Domesticity)

pairings: steve rogers x reader

word count: 2k+

warnings: fluff, like legitimately pure fluff

a/n: this has been in my drafts for a while now, but I hadn’t felt comfortable posting it until now lol @forevans gave me the idea of writing a chapter that had more to do with steve and reader rather than them and the baby, and hopefully I did this justice ;w; anyway, let me know what you guys think!

summary: steve rogers and you go to the farmer’s market and steve enjoys his time with you.

prev|| all ||next

“Go away.”

He chuckles when you pull the comforter back over your head. “Come on, it’s time to get up. You said you’d come with me.” 

He’s come to learn you’re not much of a morning person since you’ve moved in—waking up late on the weekends and barely waking up on time for the weekdays. He just didn’t know it would be this hard to wake you up. It’s like fighting with a toddler to eat their vegetables. He wonders if Shrimp is going to have your stubbornness or his? Maybe a mix of both? Or right in the middle? 

“This early?” comes your muffled reply from under the blanket. “On a Saturday?”

“Yes,” he says, patting the lump that he hopes is either your leg or your back, if he’s touched you anywhere else, he’s afraid you might rip his arm out of his socket. “Come on. You said you wanted fresh flowers from a local florist, and you agreed when I gave you the details.”

“Is Bucky coming with us?” you ask. “If he is, I’m not going.”

He chuckles, knowing exactly why you’re asking. Any time Bucky comes over to pick him up for their Sunday jogs, you would complain about their combined high energies being too much for you. And Bucky takes full advantage of it, enjoying annoying grumpy you in the mornings, knowing that you wouldn’t give him the same reaction after you're more awake. “He’s not, I promise.”

The lump moves and you drag down the comforter. He’s greeted by your adorable face scrunched up and eyes narrowed in his direction. You’re trying to be intimidating but it’s cuter than anything and he can’t help but chuckle. He doesn’t stop laughing, not when you get up and shoot him another glare over your shoulder, or when you peek your head out of the bathroom to tell him off.

Yeah. He definitely wouldn’t mind if they had your stubbornness.

The morning wind whips around them--it’s full of sweets and fresh flowers, and local cuisines. In the distance, a guitar plays its song, accompanied by a smooth crooning voice. Maybe he should take you after a little bit of shopping to check it out, it'd be a good break.

“How are there so many people here already?” you mumble, maneuvering around the crowds of people picking out fresh produce, a few bartering with the vendors. 

He looks back at you and sees you falling behind, and he can’t have that. He holds his hand out for you to take, and you look up at him, eyeing him warily.

“I’m not going to hold your hand like a child, Steve.”

He wants to protest, remind you that you’ve held hands more than once and you’ve never seem to mind before, but that’d probably spike your need to wave him away. He settles on rolling his eyes and shoving his hand in your direction once more. You stare at it for a moment longer, and finally your fingers smooth over his, and without missing a beat, his fingers slip through yours. 

Your hand is small in his, warm and soft; fingers always seem to rest between his so easily, no fussing or fighting, always natural. 

Tugging you closer with a gentle pull, he leads you over to the general area he knows the florists to usually set up in.

You’re mumbling something under your breath—Spanish, again. He’s definitely going to have to brush up on his high school Spanish. Maybe Bucky and Tony would be willing to take some classes with him, or maybe he can ask your sister or mom to help him? And isn’t there a bookstore around here? He can probably find some language books while you're both here. Getting some toddler books would be nice too.

It’s not hard to find the stall he was looking for—it’s bigger compared to the others, full of varieties and even out of season flowers. He spots the familiar faces of Doreen Green and her mother behind the stall, wrapping up bouquets and greeting customers with their friendly smiles.

“Is that really a squirrel wearing a pink bow and handing out flowers,” he hears you ask, confusion and disbelief laced in your words. 

He follows your line of vision and spots Doreen’s red squirrel handing buyers orange flowers, every single person thanking the little thing and leaving with a wide smile. It’s practically the reason their stall is so popular. “It is,” he confirms. “Her name is Tippy-Toe.”

Without any warning, you’re dragging him over to Tippy Toe, a barely concealed squeal leaving your lips. You’re gushing over the squirrel who seems to be thrilled by your attention, handing you one of the orange flowers. 

Doreen finishes with a customer when she notices him, her brown eyes growing wide. “Mom, Steve’s here with a girl!”

He flushes at the sudden attention from the people around them and Doreen, but he should’ve known this would’ve happened. He just wishes it hadn’t. Thankfully, you’re too busy making cooing noises at Tippy Toe to pay any attention to them.

Her mom pauses in wrapping up a bouquet and hands it off to an employee to make her way over to you and him, a wide smile on her face. “Would you look at that? Stevie! And who is this lovely lady?”

Tippy Toe moves away from you to jump onto Doreen’s arm and climbs up to perch herself onto her shoulder, briefly hiding in her dirty blonde hair before poking out again. 

You snap your gaze to Doreen and her mom and introduce yourself.

“My fiancé,” Steve adds on, ignoring the bewildered stares thrown his way.

Doreen is the first to react, squealing happily and scaring Tippy Toe off her shoulder and back onto the table. “Oh my gosh! Congratulations!”

You clear your throat. “Thank you?”

“Oh! I’m so happy for both of you,” the older woman says, clapping her hands together, “This is such good news! Is this why we haven’t seen much of your mother, Steve?”

He squeezes your hand gently. “Yes, she’s been helping with the wedding and everything.”

“Hey, boss, I brought back some of those shrimp tacos you like so much,” an employee interrupts. “Brought back some veggie tacos for you, Doreen.”

They thank him in unison as the employee places two trays down and away from prying eyes, but it’s too late. You’ve already caught a whiff of them and Steve can practically see you salivating. “Those smell so good.”  

“Oh, would you like one?” Her mom offers, but you shake your head.

“No, no, it’s okay.” You turn to him unsure. “But, uh, do you mind if we get some after this?”

He can’t help but laugh. “Didn’t we just have oatmeal with strawberries?”

“Yeah, but I’m eating for two now, Steve. And Shrimp loves shrimp!” Oh, he knows. He’s already picturing all the weird cravings you’re going to get later in the pregnancy. Shrimp with chocolate? Maybe with mayo? 

A gasp cuts off his laugh, his eyes snapping in the direction of Doreen and her mom.

Doreen leans forward on the table, her eyes wide as she pleads with you and him, “Can I babysit for you guys when the baby is born? I promise you I’m really good with babies! There’s this couple from Harlem who always ask me to babysit their little girl, Dani, and if you guys need references I can totally ask them for one and—“

Her mom guffaws, reeling her back.“Woah, there, Dori, their baby hasn’t even been born yet!”

She takes a deep breath and exhales. “Sorry, just got really excited.”

You giggle, the sound bubbling out of your throat, surprising him. “If we’re ever in need of a babysitter we’ll keep you in mind.”

Doreen flashes you a wide smile and she gasps again. “You guys wanted to buy some flowers, right? What can we get for you?”

It doesn’t take long for them to make your requested bouquet, and when he’s about to pay, they wave him away. “As a congratulatory gift!” They had said, sending you off on your way, but not without another flower from Tippy Toe and a “don’t forget to invite us to the wedding!” from Doreen as you walk away.

“They’re sweet,” you say, lifting the arrangement of flowers to your nose. “Maybe we can hire them for the wedding?”

You say it so quietly that he almost convinces himself he hadn’t heard you correctly. But the quickening of his pulse and your uncharacteristic shy smile is proof that he did. This is probably the first time you’ve taken the initiative to think about something for the wedding without someone asking you to. It’s almost like… like you’re actually looking forward to that day.

You turn to him, eyebrows furrowed and lips down turned. “What?”

His lips curl up and widen as he takes your hand, shaking his head. “Nothing. Come on.”

“Weirdo,” you mumble, but you squeeze his hand and the two of you continue down the rows of stalls.

Arms laden with flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, and sweet honey, you look for a place to sit and eat your tacos. He watches as you hum and eat, a chuckle escaping his lips before he can stop himself. You blink up at him mid bite.

“Sorry, you just make the tacos look appetizing,” he explains.

“They’re pretty good,” you tell him with a shrug; then you’re offering him the taco, one hand pinching the ends of the tortillas together and the other hand under it to stop any of the filling from falling onto the table. “Want a bite?”

Steve blinks and you nudge the taco forward again, enough for him to take a bite of it—the corn tortilla melts in his mouth, the shrimp and cabbage coated in seasoning and some kind of dressing ignite his taste buds—it’s spicy, but not unbearable, just enough to make his tongue tingle pleasantly. “It is pretty good!” He answers your expectant gaze, mouth still full with the bite he took.

“Told you!” You grin triumphantly and pull the taco away to finish it off without much thought.

He doesn’t know why that causes heat to rise to his cheeks or why his heart thumps harshly against his rib cage. He’s seen you share food like this with Vicky and your sister, sometimes even your mom, and Natasha and Wanda. But you’ve never shared food with him like this. So… why?

He doesn’t get to think about it too much with a voice calling his name. “Steve!” 

A familiar face greets him with a smile and a wave, and Steve hops onto his feet excitedly. “Clint! Hey! When did you get back?”

“Hey, man!” Clint greets him. “About two days now!” 

Before they can hug, a Labrador retriever jumps on him with an excited bark.

It takes all of his strength to keep upright. “Lucky! Hey, boy!” It takes a couple of pats and smooches to get Lucky to sit, but then he catches sight of you and tugs Clint forward, surprising both of them.

You’re quick to crouch. “Hey, there,” you coo, running your fingers through Lucky’s fur, and you let out a laugh when he surges forward to lick your cheek.

Clint’s eyes shift from you to him in surprise.

He rubs the back of his neck as you stand. “Uh, Clint, this is my fiancé,” he introduces you and then turns to you who is staring at his friend with curiosity. “This is Clint Barton a friend from college.”

“Nice to meet you,” you greet him politely, offering him your hand, but you’re taken aback when Clint wraps you up in a hug instead.

He grins at the bewildered expression on your face when he releases you. “I’m a hugger,” he explains. “Congrats. I’m invited to the wedding, right?”

“Of course,” he reassures his friend after a nod from you. “Why didn’t you tell us you were back?”

“Was waiting to settle in before I got in contact with everyone.”

“He moved to California after graduation,” he clarifies to you when he sees the confusion on your face.

You tilt your head in response, leaning back down to pet Lucky. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Clint confirms. “Lived in Sacramento for work.”

“Oh,” you perk up. “I’ve been there a couple of times.”

“Really? Did you ever go to…” Steve watches on as you and Clint start naming places from Sacramento, and warmth spreads in his chest seeing you get along so well with another close friend of his. 

As he and Clint catch up, you occasionally pay more attention to Lucky than their conversation. The dog sits at your side cheerfully as you run your fingers through his coat, tongue lolling out of his mouth. You both look pretty content.

Clint grins at him—a wild grin. One he recognizes from their time in college. It usually meant trouble.

“What?” He asks warily.

He only shakes his head, but his grin remains the same. “Nothing. You just look happy.”

Steve relaxes. “Yeah?”

Clint’s eyes narrow fondly, nodding. “Haven’t seen you like that since you volunteered to help design and paint that preschool mural in our third year. Remember that?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, I remember.” How could he forget? He had been excited when the organizer, an old classmate of his, approached him with the offer. It was the last time he got to paint before he met you.

“Have you been painting lately? Or too busy trying to build a sentient robot?”

Steve laughs, his hand falling onto his chest at Clint’s words. “Is that what you think we’re doing?”

“You never know with Tony.”

“I see your point.” Lately Tony has been working on an AI for the office and for home use with more use than SIRI and Alexa, so if he really put the effort in to it, Tony could probably build a sentient robot if he wanted. Thankfully, he won’t. Steve’s eyes once more stray over to you and Lucky, your face practically stuffed into his golden fur as you give him back scratches. His lips twitch. “But yeah, started a project recently.” He wonders if you’re going to like his surprise.

Clint’s watch beeps and Lucky is immediately on alert. “It’s time for us to go.” He stands and Lucky trots to his side obediently. “It was nice seeing you again,” he says to him before turning to you. “And it was nice meeting you.” You smile at him and agree. “Let’s get together soon!” he says, turning his back on you both and calls for Lucky—the two of them jogging back to their home.

He hums. “We should get going too. Unless you want to walk around a bit more?”

You shake your head and smile at him. “I think we have everything we need.”

The two of you walk back to the car, arms full with everything you chose at the market, but he still keeps one hand free to hold yours.

“We should get a dog,” he says absentmindedly, his mind suddenly alight with the image of you and your interactions with Tippy Toe and Lucky. “Adopt one like Clint.”

You laugh, eyeing him. “Is a baby not enough for you?”

He chuckles, swinging your arms back and forth as you walk back to the car. “We don’t need to get a dog now, but maybe later? Once Shrimp is old enough. They could be best friends, look out for one another.”

You purse your lips, thinking it over before your face melts into a smile. “That sounds nice. I’d like that.”

His face mimics yours, and he can feel his lips twitching as they move into a wide grin. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you confirm, squeezing his hand.

[memorylang]

Easter Epilogue in America | #35 | April 2020

Friday, March 6, 2020, I disembarked in North Las Vegas, Nevada, to a home I hadn’t lived in since high school 2015. I’ve been here a couple months now, by time of writing. 

With today’s stories, I bring you from my first days and weeks back in the States through April’s end. I share reverse culture’s shock’s role in my readjustment to Vegas life, as COVID-19 grew across the States. But I’m a hopeful man, so you know my stories end well. 

As a good friend reminded me the night I learned all Peace Corps Volunteers had to go, "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way" (Psalm 37:23). Consider this the epilogue to my very fruitful, memorable, and—dare I write—life-changing adventures. I've no regrets. 

Overture

Week 1 (March 6-12) was a blessing, having just returned to an America vaguely like the one I knew. Gosh, I love fruit. Thankfully, a few friends saw me. 

Then Week 2 (March 13-19) brought big changes and new deadlines. But, meanwhile, Week 3 (March 20-26) began my home improvement operations. The following weekend saw a drive to Reno to see my 19-year-old sister at uni. 

Weeks 4 and 5 (March 27-April 9) saw my 21-year-old sister visit Vegas from LA, starting with the 24th birthday of my older brother and ending after Easter Sunday. 

Week 6 (April 10-16) began with Holy Week, then driving Sister back to LA, followed by the restart to fitness routines. My routines expanded, Week 7 (April 17-23). Week 8 (April 24-30), Dad visited that weekend, so I braved minor puncture wounds from yard work with him plus an excruciating medical procedure. Fitness routines continued, and I shifted my diet from a fruit obsession to increasing my protein intake. 

Week 9 (May 1-7) began by closing loose ends with my Peace Corps stories. I’ve begun next steps while home, as we lead into Mothers’ Day. 

Landing—Returned to Vegas

From tens of thousands of feet in the air, I felt the end of an era. Nine Mongolian months ended. 

The midday we landed, I wanted to get up and leave elsewhere, not to the house in Vegas. 

I’m an English teacher. It’s a school day. I should be teaching. 

My 18-year-old high school senior brother picked me up from the airport. Haha, he said he skipped English class to get me. Dad seemed upset that my bro missed class, but Bro had stable senioritis, with college plans secured. I loved the irony of skipping class to get a teacher. 

Neighborhood in Reverse Culture Shock

A few hours after we came home, I went forth to community walk around the neighborhood, trying to make sense of things. 

“Hello, how are you?” said someone in passing. “Oh, doing great,” I replied in usual fashion. 

Well, I wasn't [doing great]. 

As I walked I weighed how when I used to live in Vegas, in 2015, I was more concerned with, what's the newest game? What's the latest episode? Yet now I feel more detached, less purposeful. I continued on to the park. 

I love the fragrances and fresh air beneath the trees. I lied in the grass. 

In another way, I felt, I only tolerated Vegas. There's more for me out there. There are so many cities and places with people I'd rather see and be with. 

But God is with me here, too. It's the second Friday of Lent. 

School buses drove by as I walked home a couple hours later. Middle schoolers walked and biked my neighborhood. (Was it my neighborhood? I'd hardly reintegrated...) 

Middle schoolers jeered to each other about whatever. Some kids probably had crushes on each other but felt too shy to speak up, uncomfortable with the status quo. I felt like a watcher no longer a participant. Yet I was them, here, 10 years ago. 

I had some dinner then slept shortly after, from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. in our home’s guest bed. There I realized, I might be sleeping here a while. 

Strange Days Ahead

By Saturday morning, my first one waking at home, I still felt I’d feel lonely without my senior cohort if I came back to Mongolia. Thankfully at least a half dozen said they plan to return. And senior cohort members who continued keeping in touch with me were great comforts. I still felt encouraged to apply to be a Resource Volunteer, sometime after conquering my 16-hour jet lag. 

“Frozen II” tracks from the day before looped in my head most mornings. Film themes of change, grief and controlling the few things we can felt uncommonly personal. From Saturday on, I looped English and Chinese tracks from “Frozen II” while coping with being home. One jetlagged 3 a.m. morning, I even transcribed and translated the tracks between languages. 

Later Saturday morning, I walked back to the park. I spotted a tree. So I climbed it. Surprisingly my park had a sturdy one. Who knew? The tree’s been here all the dozen years my family has... 

Atop its branches, I felt I might wake up from a dream and be back in Mongolia the next day. 

I felt still reeling from my bewildering first Peace Corps Week. From seven days ago, I left my Mongolian city, came among nearly 100 fellow Volunteers, joined half on a journey across Europe, then found myself back in Vegas with my four siblings still in school. So mystic. 

American Culture Redux

I’d jot general musings about culture during these first days back in the States. 

We say, “Pardon me,” as though the mere act of engaging a stranger in conversation might offend against a stranger’s time. 

In the West, we highly value possessions, and we treat time itself as something to possess. 

In the States, we travel separately to functions. We might chit chat some before or after. Then we part ways to do whatever we’ve already scheduled. 

I wondered if I should ask to visit people or accompany them. Would that be weird? I felt my integration habits of Peace Corps lingered. But I considered, I still had plenty I could do by myself, like taking time to process my sudden evacuation.

In the States, we decide against reaching out to people. Perhaps we fear simple greetings to friends, with nothing more, might impose on their time. On the flip side, I receive multiple messages per week from Mongolians simply writing to say good morning or hello—so pleasant. I should cherish others’ care, never reject. 

Resettling In

I cut my hand dropping down the tree, so I applied pressure, elevated the wound and headed home to clean and bandage it. I felt weirdly at ease, remembering Peace Corps health trainings. I recalled “Dear Evan Hansen,” too. 

My family was busy with life, so the house felt rather quiet and still most hours. Already, though, I brainstormed ways to keep busy as a Peace Corps Volunteer on admin hold. 

I began by finishing my Peace Corps blog stories. The day after, I’d already have my newest online, “Trilingual Adventures, My First Mongolian Winter | #22 | January 2020.” Coincidentally, that story was my last from before Coronavirus quarantines in Mongolia began. 

Mongolian friends still messaged me every so often. They're so kind. I hoped they wouldn’t lose hope I'll return. [Nine weeks later, they’re still hopeful.] Meanwhile, I still wanted to search for a Vegas Mongolians Facebook group when my jet lag was up and I felt ready to start speaking Mongolian again.

I considered planning a trip to my alma mater in Reno, Nev. for a week later that month, once I settled more into the States’ routines. On the topic of routines, I decided maybe I'd visit church most weekdays to establish some semblance. I'd help my folks as best I could, so I’d still feel like I'm serving somebody. I even thought of getting my 23-year-old brother's bike repaired, to borrow it every so often! 

To end that reflective weekend, later that Saturday, my little brother drove me to the bank to deposit the funds I withdrew earlier that week in Mongolia. Then he treated me to my first American fast-food in a while. I attended Mass for the first time in weeks that evening. On Sunday, I marveled at seeing free to-go boxes, when Dad’s fiancée’s family invited my brother and I to celebrate the oldest daughter’s birthday. I enjoyed my first Thai tea in a long while. 

That week, I frequented daily morning prayer, rosary and Masses at church. Then walked around the community and continued blog tales either from the public library or from a local Starbucks (coincidentally the same one in which Black Friday 2018 I committed to Peace Corps service). On separate days, a couple friends also reconnected with me. I attended Mass seven of eight days this period, returning to Reconciliation that final Saturday and dreaming dreams most every night two weeks thereafter. 

Peace Corps Global Evacuation

Week 2 (March 13-19), my cohort learned we were being reclassified as being Returned Peace Corps Volunteers—as in, we’d officially completed our service. This followed with sudden paperwork, thankfully not due for a few weeks. This led to global headlines of all Peace Corps Volunteers coming home, too.

Between home projects to tidy the house or weed the yard, I joined up with the National Peace Corps Association group writing to our legislators to support Returned Peace Corps Volunteers worldwide. I spent the days preceding the Holy Triduum completing my final paperwork. 

I felt comforted nonetheless Peace Corps Mongolia insisted we could reinstate, assuming Mongolia’s situation resolves within the next year. I felt willing to take that bet. 

COVID-19 Escalates Across the States

My second week, church closed. I still frequented the park but felt amazed to see more people than usual. A couple more friends reconnected. 

A few weeks later, businesses shut down, schools closed, and I felt more adjusted. America was looking like the rest of the world. I trusted Americans generally had a good sense of sanitation practices, so I felt less concerned about establishments open. Mongolia lacked drive-throughs, so businesses there often closed outright. 

But my weekend between Weeks 3 and 4, March 26-28, felt the first time I heard how rapidly COVID-19 escalated in the States. My little brother played podcasts as we drove to deliver supplies to our uni sister sheltering in Reno. From the news, I heard the U.S. now led the world in Coronavirus cases. That sounded bad. I felt especially baffled hearing that Nevada, with a population slightly less than Mongolia’s, topped over 100 times as many cases. I felt more at risk in the States! 

During the trip, I also encountered American jargon, like, “Out of/due to an abundance of caution…,” “social distancing” and “Flatten the curve.” I felt critical of whether many Nevadans really knew what the jargon meant, considering how many cars remained on the road, how close people gathered in parks and how shoppers hardly kept distance. Though, I also recognized that Mongolian media might have used similar stock phrases that I just didn’t know... Nonetheless, Mongolians officials seemed more willing to pause operations to let health workers build capacity, and citizens tended to comply. 

If any last brave friends wanted to see me, the closest we got to physical touch was to raise our feet toward each other and bump our shoes, as bros might fist bump or clasp hands. I commented touching each other’s feet together in Mongolia would’ve been a serious taboo, hehe. Still, I left those as my last in-person meet-ups to #StayHome and limit concerning others.  

Perks of Being American

At home, my time zone matched most friends’ again, which made phone and video calls so feasible. I chatted with whoever reached out or replied to my outreach, which led to lovely chats with relatives, mentors, past classmates, fellow Peace Corps evacuees and more. 

Introverted friends inspired me much when I checked in with them. They joyously shared how much time they’ve had for uninterrupted time to themselves and work from home. Introverts often touch my soul. 

Being an ambivert feels weird for me sometimes, in how I straddle both sides. Extroverts often seem the ones I want, but introverts seem the ones I need. Nowadays, when being extroverted takes the effort, I find inspiration flowing from introverted bliss. 

Community members I met in Mongolia continued keeping in touch with me, which helped me remember and stay close to my prayerful Lenten commitment to consult God on my projects. 

Easter 2020 #WithMe with Family

My fourth week, my 21-year-old sister, the USC junior, flew in to celebrate our older bro’s 24th birthday. She brought her Nintendo Switch, so I soaked up the fun of “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” Nintendo’s “ARMS” demo and Jackbox Games with the family. After unis went online, our older bro transitioned to quarantine with his girlfriend and her sisters, but he still visited to celebrate his birthday with us. 

I also felt joyful during Holy Week when the World Youth Day 2019 Mass soundtrack appeared on Spotify. It was an incredible choral and rhythmic masterpiece I never thought I’d hear again. I recently learned, too, a childhood best friend would receive confirmation this year—magnificent!

As on Sundays, I saw the Lent and Holy Week services on YouTube, between channels like Shalom World with Pope Francis, Ascension Presents with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Word on Fire with Bishop Barron, and Our Lady of Wisdom Newman Center with Fr. Nathan Mamo. A Kansan relative joked how COVID-19’s let us “attend” Mass in our jeans, haha. Dad’s fiancée and I talked about the newfound freedom to just choose any online pastor per week. 

My Easter 2020 apex came Good Friday. I felt moved by the Vatican’s Way of the Cross, which read Italian reflections written by incarcerated and those whose lives they affected or whose lives affect them. They reminded me, for many of us, COVID-19 is nothing compared to the ‘normal’ sufferings of those behind bars, starving for hope. 

Renewed Motivation

After Easter Sunday, my lil’ bro and I returned Sister to L.A., Dad returned to work in northern Nevada, and Older Bro returned to sheltering away. So since the beginning of Easter, April 12, 2020, I’ve spent my days seeking to accelerate into a newer, more stable motivated state. 

I decided first to honor Dad’s suggestion to work-out and, with my lil’ bro’s help, added focused fitness to my days. I borrowed my siblings’ game system and games to finish one I started years ago while on the treadmill. I personally doubled-down on blog stories to get two through a week. And, setting up my new horizon after, I started looking back into language studies. Week 7 (April 17-23) added my return to polyphasic sleep to boost productivity. 

I’m a hopeful man. So some days, especially between 4 and 6 a.m., I draw or write stories about the ideal life I wish I could be living. This helps me delve into where my yearnings really are, mentally. After seeing “The Rise of Skywalker,” I even doodled an Avatar like Rey meditating in the air. Then I try giving my wants back up to God, accepting I can’t have all those things right now. Usually this process illuminates desires I hadn’t acknowledged before. 

I also recognize the steps I can take now to draw me closer to my future desires.

I spend idle thoughts when possible praying for others. I realize with so many people already praying for me, I needn’t worry about myself, since I’m taken care of. Instead, I should think to the ones who do not know the hope I feel. I wish some encounter might intrigue them and offer new peace. Such exercises remind me too of my privileges and help root me in my giving self. 

Ecclesiastical Latin’s been a fun quest toward greater knowledge. It bridges both Mongolian and Spanish grammar, while drawing vocabulary I’ve encountered across English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Mongolian, too. Plus I understand church music better now. It’s a fun journey. I found regarding Church language that Mandarin and Mongolian more frequently transliterated straight from the Latin, where English and Spanish adapted. Fun reading. 

Five Months of Freedom

I read the soonest I might return to Peace Corps service in Mongolia would be October 2020. So, I’ll be here in the Pacific time zone for long, if you want to call someday. I’ve cherished my adventures and look forward to those ahead.

I’m ostensibly home for the summer, so I plan to write at least once monthly a new piece sharing unpublished bits from Mongolia, maybe a few new tales from American life, too. 

Hard to believe after packing my Mongolian apartment, evacuating in our caravan to the capital, saying so-long to many, flying around the world and finally landing in Vegas, I’d finish revising and editing these blog stories #22 through 38. I’d been drafting them for months, weeks and days! At last, we’ve caught up. 

So, as the days come, I’ll rise, read Scriptures, reflect, journal, chat with Asia, take to the treadmill, play some games, see some films or shows, try to eat well, try to work most muscles, try not to strain something, then return to writing, other reading, napping, showering, sorting, teeth-brushing, thinking and marveling. This leaves plenty of time to socialize. And I do miss you, wherever you shelter.

Keep in touch, Friend! 

Up next is a 2020 Mother’s Day reflection. 

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :)

[jaden-joi]

Chapter 3

I pulled up in the uber to my building in Columbus Square. I stepped out and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The company really out did themselves and the pictures did not do this place any justice. It was beautiful and way more than I could really ask for. The building was over 12 floors tall and made of glass with gleaming silver trimming. I gasped as the wash of it all overwhelmed me and I shed at tear. I cant believe that I am really here. People back home would never believe that this is here I live. I gathered my things from the back of the uber and proceeded to my building. The door man at the front desk was dressed in a designer suit with a fresh hair cut. He seemed in his late forties and very serious about his job.  

"hello excuse me? My name is Sloane Taylor I am here to pick up my keys?'

"Good afternoon Miss Taylor we have been expecting your arrival."  

I felt so proper and important for him to address me as Miss Taylor.  

"We just need you to sign this paper stating that you received your key fobs. Thank you and here are your keys ma'am. This one is a fob for you to get onto your floor in the elevator and this one is for your front door. If there is anything that you may need we are here 24 hours."

"thank you, sir I appreciate it." I grabbed my keys and walked to the elevators. The doors slid open, I waved my key fob and the 10th floor lit up. I stepped out of the elevator to walk down to the far corner door. I took a deep breath before I stuck the key into the door and turned it. Walking it was magical like seeing fireworks on the fourth for the first time. I was full of natural light from the floor to ceiling windows and skyline view of the city. I still cant believe this is happening to me. I looked around and all of my boxes were neatly stacked in the corner for me to unpack and my preordered furniture was set up and waiting for me to decorate. I sat my things down and the door and took a look around. A full kitchen with up to date stainless steel appliance's and a upstairs loft to look down on the living room and dining room. I am definitely turn that into an office.  

****************************

I finished my self tour and plopped down on my new contemporary red couch and called my mom.  

She picked up and I have never been more excited to hear her voice.

"hey mom! I made it "

"hey sweetie, how do you like it so far?"

"oh my gosh mommy its beautiful look." I flipped my camera around to show her the living room with the huge windows.  

She gasped in aww and said "wow sloane its beautiful they really set you up nicely."  

"I know mommy its crazy right and they are paying for it like I know the rent here has to be over two thousand dollars a month."  

"yeah if not more. This company is really a big deal huh?'  

"Yeah it’s the biggest on the east coast and mid west."

"when is your first day?"

"I start right away on monday. You know these big new york people are always in a hurry and waste no time."

"you really havent unpacked and enjoyed the place yet." She stated in her concerned mom voice one I knew oh so well.

"my work days in the office aren't long so I will have plenty of time to get adjusted."

"ok as long as you make the time." She smiled looking a bit more settled. We talked for about 30 more minutes. Then I hung up to freshen up and wonder off in the streets to find food.  

******************************

The next morning came like a flash and it was time for my big first day. I changed my outfit six times before I settled on my Banana Republic skinny ankle navy blue pants, my white smocked blouse and Valentino ballet flats that I splurged on with some of my graduation money. I turned my flat irons off after putting a little bend in the top of my hair and brushed down my taper in the back. Even with my outfit changes I had plenty of time to stop for breakfast and a large cup of coffee.  

I walked up to the office on Fashion Avenue and pushed through the revolving glass door. I stopped in the lobby to look at all the men in suits with briefcases and the woman walking with six-inch stilettos clicking on the marble floors. I caught myself before I fell into a deep day dream and ran to catch the elevator before I was late for my first day. I got to my floor and walked up to the front door receptionist.  

Before I could say anything, she said, " Ms. Taylor we have been expecting you, can I show you to your office?"  

I was caught off guard, " How do you know I am Ms. Taylor?"  

"its my job to know who comes in and out of these doors." She said politely and then stood up from behind the big desk.  

"here follow me I am going to show you around. I really hope you like it here. We have all be so excited to have you join the team."  

"thank you, Im glad the company thought of me as a asset to the team."  

"here you are hope it is sufficient for you. You have a meeting in twenty minutes and I am extension *469 on your landline."

"thank you again, and what is your name?"

"its Marla, Marla Holloway." She smiled and walked away back to her desk,

I wanted to do that squealing happy dance I did when I found out about the job but my office doors were see through and I didn’t want to be that weird girl on the first day. I had a new reputation to protect. I set my coffee down on my new desk and got comfortable in my chair. I could totally get used to this treatment. I am the new director of designs and chief manager of social media content with an nearly six figure salary. Who else could say that at twenty three? Well I gathered my paperwork and grabbed my ipad to take notes in my first meeting.

I found the conference room and they set out breakfast pastries and fresh fruit. I sat down and said my hellos to the new faces as we waited for the boss to make her entrance. Geneva Carvey she was the CEO of the company and very hands on in the everyday of the office, kind of like the Miranda Presley in The Devil Wears Prada and im playing Anne Hathaway.  

"Good Morning everyone I hope you are all ready for the week because it is going to be a busy one, she said as she sachet across the room to the head chair at the end of the table.  

"we also have a new member at the table today joining us, please welcome Sloane Taylor to the team."  

They have a small hand clap and I waved shyly back.

"great now that we are all acquainted lets get to business." She went down the list going over details with every one and I just listened jotted down notes on how to present to her and take in her critics. Then I heard my name called. I looked up doe eyed as I realized it was Geneva calling me. "yes ma'am?"  

"We have special request for your work. This is going to be a field scout in the Bronx therefore I am allowing you to take someone with you for assistance. Do you have anyone in mind?"

I don’t really know that many people, however Marla seemed really eager about her job so why not give her a chance. "yea sure how about ummm Marla Holloway? I feel she could help me a lot."

"the front desk receptionist?" She was astounded by my choice.  

"yes ma'am I would like to choose her."  

"very well you are going out first thing tomorrow morning I expect you to get together and work out a strategy." I nodded my head in agreement. We wrapped up the meeting and parted ways to begin our work. I called for Marla to come into my office to tell her the news about our first job. She entered, "you asked to see me Ms. Taylor?"

"yes come in a have a seat please." She looked to be about my age so having her call me Ms. Taylor was so weird. She was a ginger haired girl that reminded me of the little mermaid with her sweet personality.  

"I have a bit of news for you,"  

"oh no im not fired am I?" She looked as if her world was ending at the thought that I may be firing her.

"oh god no, besides that would be a job for HR not me," She sighed in relief as I chuckled.  

"But I am offering for you to assist me on a field job tomorrow in the Bronx would you be interested?" I waited anxiously for her answer.  

"yes of course omg'

"great well we have a lot to go over to get prepared for tomorrow are you ready?" She nodded her head I figured she was lost for words so I just proceeded. I can tell we are going to be a great team.

[strawberry-frosting]

(1) Okay this is gonna be like... LONG XD I gotta tell you everything about this place!!! So we get there and they sell strawberry shortcake, sugared strawberries, and just plain strawberries. We got the shortcake with vanilla ice cream and it was heavenly! So at the counter, theres also other stuff you can get! There was strawberry cookies, strawberry syrup, and strawberry bread to name just a few AND all the berries they grow themselves so they're super fresh!!! -Vanilla

(2) THEN, when you get your cake/berries, you can grab the tray and either sit right outside on some tables OR keep going. If you keep going, there’s a farmers market and then you get to this new part of the place where it’s like you’re inside but you’re still outside because there’s no ceiling. There’s tables spread out and plants everywhere and it felt like you were eating in a secret garden kinda!! They sell the plants and fruit tree starters and stuff in there too!!!

(3) So then!!! After you finish eating, there’s an actual inside part where they sell clothes, mugs, tea, jams, dressings, honey, postcards, and so so so much more. We had to leave fairly soon after we finished eating so I didn’t get to like look at much but I wanted so so so badly to be with you!! I love and miss you and it would’ve been such a good time with you. I could’ve sat there for hours with you… -Vanilla

OMG!! That sounds so wonderful!! Oh my gosh… We need to go together ASAP!! This s the perfect place for me, lol! I love strawberries so much. I am a strawberry, honestly. xD

But oh my gosh… @ whoever is preventing us from spending time together…… PLEASE reconsider!! I’m begging you… I miss my girl SO much. Let us be gay in peace. xD

Seriously though… I need to go here with you so bad. Maybe once we get some money I’ll buy you something ;)

I don’t know if you got our ask (again) but Sage got a job at Dunkin’!(I also said you weren’t blocked. Sage blocked Lee on all our blogs but undid it for me so we could talk. Technically, I did it but they said I could, lol.) I’m so excited. (They are too but I’m the one talking so… yeah, lol) Gosh, I want to spoil you so much!

I miss you so much! I hope we can see each other. I mean I have a very strong feeling that we will. I meant that I hope its sooner rather than later. Although… I guess it wouldn’t matter either way because I would just be happy to see you.

I love you so much! I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!

[thegrassisaalwaysgreener]

Peru- Part 1

              Turning 30 can be quite daunting to some. While I wasn’t totally terrified, I did want to hit one more continent before the big 3-0. My initial goal was all 7 continents by 30, but that darn Antarctica is quite pricey. I “settled” for six and had planned a magical trip to Peru with my fave travel buddy Jill. Since we had planned on trekking the Inca Trail, we had booked the tour part of our trip almost a year in advance. We had done tons of research (mostly Jill to be honest) and we had decided to go with Tucan Travel for their tour. They had great reviews and had tons of options for duration and location of tours. We decided on the 4 day Inca trail along with an amazon jungle trip at the end. We were planning to be away for just under 3 weeks and wanted to pack as much into this trip as possible.           Most people who hear Peru think Machu Picchu, but this country has so much to offer! I have decided to split the blog up into two since writing 3 jam packed weeks all out (and reading it!) is a bit exhausting in one go. This first blog will be all about our trip before Machu Picchu and the second one will be all about our amazing trek in the Valley of the Incas.

Sunday September 22, 2019         Thanks to Air Canada breaking a suitcase of mine, I was able to use a discount to purchase our tickets. We paid around 600$ round trip for the tickets- which was a steal. The price was a steal until I realized the day before our trip that we were flying AC Rouge. Surprisingly, our 8-hour flight was pretty decent. We were in a two seat row and received a hot dinner and snack before landing at about 0100 Peru Time (0200 Toronto time). Monday September 23, 2019         We had booked a flight north to the beach town of Mancora, but that wasn’t leaving until mid-morning. Jill found a great B&B that was only a few kms away from the airport and boasted 24 hour check in with free breakfast. After an extensive customs assessment with fingerprints and photos, we hopped into an Uber and paid about $7.00 to get the B&B Cusing Wasi .The B&B was easy to miss as there were no signs and seemed to be just another gated home in a not so desirable area. Once we confirmed the address and saw some lights turn on, the owner of the B&B greeted us around 0210. The kind faced, Spanish-speaking owner led us to our room that had three beds and a bathroom. While the B&B hallways were fairly busy with people coming and going, it was great to put our feet up and sleep for a few hours.        Breakfast was included and the owners’ wife made us fresh eggs with toast, lunch meat and fruit. After thanking our lovely guests and clearing up our $50 bill, we got back into an Uber to the airport. Our flights with Viva Air from Lima to Mancora had been fairly inexpensive at about $160 each return (more to come about Viva Air…) including “fast lane access” and our checked bags. We made it through security and our check-in in just over an hour. We thought we had plenty of time before boarding, but apparently they start boarding much earlier than at home. We hopped on the bus to the plane and enjoyed our emergency row seats to ourselves for the 2.5 hour flight.        We arrived in Talara mid-morning and grabbed our bags en route to picking the best taxi offer. As with most airports, there were tons of people offering to take us wherever we needed to go. The prices ranged from 100-150 soles (50-60$ can). We paid just over 50 to be driven the hour or so long trip from Talara Airport into Mancora. After the mildly stressful drive, we finally found our street at the very end of the beach strip. The owner of the AirBnb Gilberto, met us at the front gate and escorted us to our beach house. Gilberto lived on the property with his two dogs (Max and Willow) in the largest of the 3 homes. He had two similarly styled set up Airbnbs along with a cute lounge area outside with a swing, some beach chairs and couches. Each of the beach homes had a small sitting area, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom with a deck out front with beautiful ocean views.        We dropped off our stuff in the small sitting area before checking out the rest of the place. The Airbnb was pretty cute and similar to the description. The bedroom had two twin beds with a towel and sheet on it and the bathroom was just what you would need. We changed out of our travel clothes and headed down to the beach for a wander. The beach was quiet and beautiful. We walked along the water towards town, checking out the many hotels/hostels and restaurants on the way. We stopped at La Tranka for our first lunch. La Tranka is one of many restaurants on Mancoras busy main strip. The town of Mancora has a population of just over 10,000 and is a popular beach destination for Peruvians and other South Americans thanks to its beautiful beaches and great surfing. The majority of people that we saw were locals visiting the area for some R&R. We realized at lunch how important Google translate was going to be on this trip as the menu was only in Spanish. We ordered our first Peruvian drinks (that were pretty cheap ranging from 15-20 soles or 5-8$ Canadian) before settling on the “tortillas with shrimp” for Jill and the ceviche and “chicharron” mix for me. After all of the cooking shows I’d watched, I thought I was in for a pork treat with the chicharron. When our meals arrived, we were both very surprised. Jill had ordered a shrimp omelet (not a tortilla) and I had ordered an assortment of fried fish. While both of our meals were delicious, we learned a valuable lesson about translation. My ceviche was huge and filled with white fish, shrimp and squid. The portions were massive and we definitely didn’t finish all of our first true Peruvian meal.       After lunch, we wandered around the town and checked out the market. This market was rather interesting as it was multiple small stalls of individual vendors selling similar things such as fruit, eggs and vegetables along with packaged food. Since we didn’t really need much in terms of food to bring home (and most of it did not look all that appetizing unfortunately), we wandered in and out of the shops and started walking back towards the Airbnb during low tide, checking out all of the happy hour deals. During low tide, we could walk all the way from our Airbnb to the town without any issues on the beach. High tide (about 10 am and 11pm) would prove to be a different issue.       Since it was getting quite cold (way colder than we thought it would get), we grabbed sweaters and scarves to make our way to the Point Hostel who had 2 for 20 soles cocktails and grabbed our first Pisco sour of the trip. Pisco is an Peruvian drink (which we learned so much more about in our Pisco tour) mixed with some sort of citrus juice, sweetner and egg white while watching the beautiful sunset. After our drinks, we walked back home for a good nights rest!

Tuesday September 24, 2019       Gosh it was nice waking up to the sound of the ocean! Since it was high tide, we hopped in a TukTuk type cab to get into town (3-4 soles). We had a lovely breakfast of crepes with coffee and juice for $13 soles a piece at Bananas café before heading over to the Inka Warrior Surf School. We decided to get a surf lesson, as we both are poor surfers and wanted to try again. There are several surf schools in the area and all charge about the same (70 soles each) for a one-hour lesson, wet suit and full day access to the boards. Henry was Jill’s instructor and I had Barrone who were both excellent. We practiced on the sand first before heading into the water around 10 am with many other surfers (or learners). The guys were amazing at telling us when to stand up and made us feel like we could actually surf- spoiler alert, we can’t surf without help.       After our lesson, we were super exhausted, so we hung out for a bit before heading to a local spot for lunch that was suggested to us by our instructors. While it took us a while, we were not disappointed by the ceviche that we had at Logan Furia. This hole in the wall was owned and operated by someone’s Abuela and was clearly a local hang out. Our ceviche was a huge portion of various fish with plantain chips to dip. At 20 soles, we were more than full and headed back to the beach to relax before we gave surfing another shot. We didn’t realized (or at least I didn’t) how much work the instructors actually did for us. While we tried really hard, getting up on the boards was way more challenging than we thought and the waves were getting further and further apart with more choppy waters. Jill called it quits but I was determined to get up. I ended up sitting on my board for longer than I tried to get up and made a new friend in the process. Daniel is an artist from the UK and was travelling around, painting and drawing while exploring South America. We chatted while drifting basically all the way down the beach before realizing we should probably just head in. Jill and I met him for a drink at a hostel/bar on the beach before heading home.       We had planned to head to the lighthouse for sunset so rushed home to shower and dress in warmer clothes. We met Daniel back in town and picked up some wine for our stroll up to the top of the hill where the lighthouse is. The lighthouse has one of the best views (if not the best views) of the town. Jill and I have a pattern of chasing sunsets at lighthouses and did not stray from this pattern. We got a bit lost trying to find the trail and ended up in a lovely gentleman’s back yard. He had no idea what we were looking for (thanks to the language barrier and a poor game of charades) but somehow managed to help us find the proper trail. The sunset at the top of the lighthouse was amazing! We could see the whole town and the ocean looked magical. We enjoyed our wine before walking back down (very carefully as I had already taken one sweet wipe out) into town. Dinner was burgers on the beach at the same spot we had beers at. The server ended up getting our food from other vendors and overcharging us but we enjoyed our time nonetheless.       After dinner we headed to the Wild Rover Hostel, which was part of a chain of “party hostels” in several South American countries. We played some drinking games and enjoyed 2 for 20 soles cocktails for a very extended happy hour. The staff were probably the most intoxicated people there but we had a blast playing drinking games and making new friends. The hostel closed early (at 0100) so with the help of our surf instructors and other new friends, we managed to buy some beers to have on the beach before making our way back home.

Wednesday September 25, 2019         Already it was our last full day in Mancora! We started the day with a delicious, hung over breakfast overlooking the water at Green Eggs and Ham. The weather was just perfect! Since we had already done most of our shopping and town adventuring, we decided to enjoy the beach and lounge around for the day. I laid out on the beach cots with the pups and a random cat and caught up on my reading. That evening, we met some of our new friends for dinner at Tokuyo. This was the most popular sushi restaurant in the town and it did not disappoint. Since we had to be up early, we called it a night and headed home to pack and sleep the rest of our hangovers off. Thursday September 26, 2019           Sadly, we were saying goodbye to our mini beach vacay and our pup friends Willow and Max. After taking a photo in front of the cute Mancora sign, our taxi driver drove us back to the Talara Airport. When we arrived there, we were surprised to notice that it was very quiet. The security guard was confused on why we were there. I attempted to explain that we had a noon Viva Air flight and were there to check in. She explained that there was no such flight and I went into full on panic mode. A word to the wise, if you are ever booking flights in another language, make sure to translate it properly and re-read it multiple times. Viva Air had emailed me a few times asking to change the time of our flight. What I hadn’t realized was that they were also changing the date. I did not read the emails well enough and didn’t realize that they had changed our flight from the 26 to the 27th (the next day). They had given us the option to have our money back at the time of the change but if we agreed to the change, there was nothing they could do. My heart sank when I realized my mistake. We were told that the airport staff would be in at noon and we could speak to them then. This was 2 hours away! We couldn’t do much other than to sit and wait in the airport and read. Jill had used her roam like home (since the wifi at the Airbnb was subpar to say the least) so she was able to see that there were two Latam flights that day back into Lima. Normally, we would’ve just stayed in Talara for a day but we had booked a tour that was leaving early the next morning out of Lima and didn’t want to miss it. The airport staff didn’t arrive until well after 12 but we were able to get on the 1720 Latam flight for about $250 each. While this wasn’t the end of the world, I was super frustrated with myself for not realizing the change and being more organized with this flight (since being organized and anal attentive is one of my strengths in life).       Since we had plenty of time before our flight, we took a 4 soles tuk tuk into the town and went to a locally popular buffet call La Terraza. For $34 soles each, we enjoyed many different dishes including meats, rice noodles and a bizzare potatoe and tuna layered appetizer that we thought was a dessert. This place had great wifi so I was able to contact VivaAir who was not helpful in the slightest and wouldn’t do anything for us. Since there wasn’t much in the area, we went back to the airport and waited for our flight.        The Talara airport is really new, clean and well cooled. There is nowhere to buy anything to eat or drink other than a small cart and there is no wifi. This wasn’t a big deal for us but we had read reviews that there were places to eat and even a lounge (hard no). Our flight back to Lima was breezy, despite never being offered to buy food or water. Latam is a nicer airline than VivaAir with slightly more room in the seats and appeared cleaner.         By the time we got back to Lima, it was just before 7 and we grabbed an Uber from the airport to our hotel- Hotel Las Palmas. We grabbed our free pisco sours (which were horrific) and the only item on the menu at the time- burgers before going to bed early for our next adventure.

Friday September 27, 2019         Peru Hop is one of the smartest tour companies I have ever heard of. It was created by 3 guys who wanted to make travelling safe, cheap and fun throughout Peru/Bolivia. They have so many different packages and options- the possibilities are truly endless. They pick passengers up at a whole bunch of hotels in the big cities and take you to various towns throughout the country in nice coach buses. The tour guides speak a multitude of languages and are very knowledgeable. The tours often stop at not as well-known places and hidden gems. You can choose the length of the tour and when you get on and off if you’d like. We decided, since we didn’t have a ton of time, to do a 3 day planned trip south of Lima to a couple of neat towns. The cost of the trip was about $180 Canadian each, which covered the bus, some of the adventures we did and our shared accommodations.        We were picked up at Hotel Las Palmas bright and early @ 0700 after we had a nice continental breakfast at the hotel. We drove about 2 hours to Mirasur Resort. This was an interesting place that we could great breakfast at, as well as a delicious taste of a Peruvian drink called Emoliente. Emoliente is a sweet infused warm tea and was just the best after the bus ride. We explored the resort that had lots of guinea pigs (which we came to realize are not pets but food) along with some strange kids toys, open areas to do activities and various trees and plants including plantain trees. Jill and I had missed the explanation of the group activity but the basis of it was, whoever’s numbered mini house the guinea pig ran into, won a prize. Somehow, I had ended up with the winning number and won a shot of Pisco… at like 10 am. I felt peer pressured into taking it and almost vomited after but it was all in the name of fun right?! Once everyone had finished their breakfast and bathroom breaks (FYI, in Peru, you cannot put toilet paper down the toilet due to the inability of the plumbing to handle it) we got back on the bus and headed to Chincha. Chincha is a mix of Peruvian and African cultures as there were a large amount of slaves that had been brought over from Africa. We visited the Hacienda San Jose that housed many slaves over the years that slavery was occurring in Peru (a fact I had no idea about and was quite shocked to learn about). While the history of the plantations’ use was quite awful, the grounds were beautiful. We were shown the secret slave tunnels that had been used to hide undocumented slaves and for punishment. They were pretty eerie and made me feel sad about the thousands of slaves who suffered in the small, cramped, damp tunnels. Once out of the tunnels, we had a bit more time to explore the church and beautiful grounds.             We got back into the bus and enjoyed the interesting desert landscapes and beautiful homes with brightly coloured bricks on our way to Paracas. Paracas is a small beach town with a cute boardwalk filled with shops and restaurants. We were staying at Freyles in a 6 person dorm room. This dorm was great with a nice pool area, lots of lounge space and private washrooms in each room.  The only dorm mate that was there was Ryan from Canberra. We reminisced about our time in Australia before wandering around the town.  Jill and I had lunch at one of the spots on the boardwalk that was pretty delicious. Paracas was a bit pricier than Mancora, which is the only place we had really been that we could compare to. I had fish kebabs and fries with a delicious Cusquena beer for 49 soles (still way cheaper than anything at home). We fell upon a big parade that was happening on the main street and wandered around to the Paracas sign (of course). We met back up with Ryan after grabbing some warmer clothes at the hostel and enjoyed a nice sunset overlooking the water and happy hour. While the happy hour deal nor the sunset could compete with Mancora, we enjoyed our evening and wandered around to the party hostel in the town called Kokopelli. There wasn’t much going on at the hostel so we grabbed some beers from the convenience store and played cards on our hostel balcony before bed.

Saturday September 28 , 2019         The continental breakfast at the hostel was similar to most- bread, cereal, meat and cheese- which I was totally ok with. Part of our PeruHop tour included a morning boat ride to the “poor man’s Galapagos” islands called the Ballestas islands. The open-air boat was pretty neat and we learned a lot about the area and the wildlife along with some of the history. We saw TONS of sea lions and penguins but sadly no dolphins. The boat cruise was just over an hour long and we had a little bit of time when we got back to Paracas to grab a smoothie from Fruzion before hopping on the bus.        En route to Huachachina, we stopped at the Paracas National Reserve to take some great photos and enjoy some of the beautiful wildlife, desert and ocean views. We also saw the Pre-Incan desert textiles and learned of their history. The drive from Paracas to Huachachina is about an hour and a half. On the way, Melanie our tour guide gave us some important history and culture about the area. I was most excited about this oasis town because we had heard great things about it and the photos looked amazing.         As we approached the town, we were all floored at how much it looked like the photos. This town was legitimately a desert oasis (hence the nickname-duh). The sand dunes all around the town are massive and the Huachachina Lagoon in the middle, with palm trees all on its borders is spectacular.  We drove into town and learned a bit more about how this desert oasis came to be. The bus dropped us off just outside of the town (2 min walk from the main strip). We were staying at the Wild Rover (same chain as in Mancora), which was the party hostel of the town. The Wild Rover is probably the most interesting hostel we had ever stayed in, and that is saying a lot since we have frequented our fair share of hostels in our travels. It was pretty big with rooms all round a pool/bar area. Our room was right off the main pool area, which I had mild concerns about, especially since the rooms were not to be locked. The room we were in was a 3 bunk bed room with small storage boxes below each bed and a washroom. The wood storage box was long, thin and did not fit our backpacks. We ended up leaving our backpacks in the corner and putting our important stuff in the boxes on the floor (which was super annoying to get to). We each had a wristband with our name and room number on it that acted as our “room keys” and allowed us in and out of the hostel and to charge meals/drinks to our room.        After unpacking, we were headed out and about in the town before the best part of the day- dune buggies and sand boarding! We were meeting the larger group up the road to check in to our tour. The tour groups and leaders were mildly disorganized but the fact that they have so many tours running at the same time and get everyone where they need to be is very impressive. The dune buggies were way cooler than I thought they were going to be! Jill and I had sweet front seats, which allowed us to see the scary twists and steep hills we were going down slightly earlier than everyone else. Our driver drove around the dunes with speed and clear knowledge of them. You could see hilly dunes and buggies in all directions. Our driver stopped 4-5 times so we could sand board down some of the steepest dunes I had ever seen. Jill was far more proficient in standing on the board than I was so I opted to lie down each time, which was almost as terrifying. On our last sand board run of the day- Jill and “Maria” collided due to Maria’s inability to steer. Thankfully, Jill ended up with only a sprained ankle (better than Maria’s broken arm) and a few scrapes. We finished the night off with a beautiful sunset and tons of photos with the dune buggies.        We headed back to the meeting spot, which was halfway up the dunes surrounding the town, and stopped for some more amazing photos. The town looked so neat, nestled in the sand. After hobbling back to the hostel and showers, we met up with some people on our tour and had some dinner and drinks. The hostel was throwing a “full moon party” so we partied all night with our roommates- who ended up being weirdly similar to us (only several years younger). The party was definitely reminiscent of our time in Thailand especially with our buckets filled with booze. I crashed much earlier than the rest of the group but still had a blast.

Sunday September 29,2019       Wild Rover definitely knew how to through a party! We were both feeling less than great in the morning and had to be up slightly early for our pisco tasting and tour. We had a small breakfast before packing up the majority of our things. The group was picked up at the hostel to go just outside of town to El Catador- one of the oldest pisco vineyards in the country. We were taken on a tour of the vineyard and given the history of pisco and how to make it. Pisco is made from grapes in a similar process to wine but after the grapes are fermented, it goes through a distilling process (similar to many other alcohols). Despite being moderately hung over, we sampled pretty well each of the pisco’s El Catador made from the super sweet ones, to the more bitter ones and everything in between. They had a great line of cream piscos that were similar to Bailey’s but with tons of different added flavours such as chocolate and coconut.       After the pisco tour, we hopped back on the bus to Huachachina for the afternoon. Fortunately, we were able to leave most of our stuff at the hostel, as that is where we were being picked up later in the day for our drive back to Lima. Since the town strip was rather small and Jill’s ankle was pretty sore, we found an amazing hostel (Bananas Hostel) to hang out at all afternoon. We had our phones and books and lounged in their hammocks and on their couches that were just off the main path but hidden in trees, flowers and gardens. It was a beautiful spot and a perfect way to end a busy weekend.       The PeruHop Tour was picking us up from the hostel in the early evening but I hadn’t had a chance to get my magnet yet (I collect magnets from each city I travel to) so I walked around the whole town and to the outskirts to find the perfect one and the best fanny pack I could find. I hadn’t brought a purse and was carrying around my backpack most places when a fanny pack would do, so I was stoked to have found the perfect one with a black base and fun colours throughout. The bus back to Lima was about 4 hours without traffic. The tour guide was super sweet and brought bags of popcorn for each of us and put on a classic- Mrs. Doubtfire. We snoozed on and off and were at our hotel in Lima around 2200 that night. We checked into the Hotel Santa Cruz and were thankful to have a quiet private room  (albeit a bit muggy) to get a good night’s rest.

Monday, September 30, 2019         The Hotel Santa Cruz is located in one of the more touristy and nice parts of Lima called Miraflores. It is a short walk to the road that runs along the ocean and is filled with bars, restaurants and shops. I had decided to check out a local Crossfit gym in the area so hopped in an Uber (3.5$) to Latido Crossfit for an 0800 class. I was one of only two people in our class, which was kind of fun. The workout didn’t involve a barbell which made me sad, but I was super excited to get a good workout in and do something I loved doing. Crossfit is such a neat sport and even though I didn’t understand most what the instructor said, I was still able to grasp what we were doing. Movement is universal and I even did some assisted handstand walking for the first time.                                                   After the class, I paid the $20 USD drop in fee and grabbed an Uber back to the hotel. Jill had made her way down for breakfast and we enjoyed the continental breakfast while I ran her through my workout. We got ready for the day and dropped off our laundry to the Laundromat across the street. This was the first time we had really done laundry in the week we were away and were super excited that it was only 6 soles a kg.       Today, we were going to explore downtown Lima. Lima is Peru’s capitol city and is home to over 9 million people. Fun fact- it is the largest city in the dessert after Cairo. I won’t bore you with details of the city’s history (as this blog is already long enough), but there have been many civil and political issues in this city over its centuries since being founded in 1535. Lima has also seen its share of natural disasters including several damaging earthquakes. Our Uber driver told us that many of the streets downtown were closed due to some sort of political issue. We were a bit worried about this since we had been hearing stuff on the news about the President trying to disassemble congress. This wasn’t going to deter us from going to explore Lima’s downtown.         Since Lima is a coastal city with warm air temperatures, the city always seems to have a fog over it, even though it only usually rains about once a month.  Today was no exception. The temperature was mild but the sky was grey and sad (which we would come to associate with Lima). Somehow, we hooked up with a “Lima by Walking” Tour and met our tour Leader Jose at the Plaza Des Armes downtown. He took us on a walking tour of the Plaza Des Armes that included seeing the Changing of the Guard, City Hall, Cathedral, historic fountain and explained what the other important buildings in the square were. We learned a lot about Peru’s political history, especially about many of the issues Lima has had over the years. Jose told us that Lima is considered to be the Food Capitol of South America (this might not be actual fact but Peruvians believe it) due to its vast array of cultural influences for food. Lately, there have been a lot more Asian influences and Chinese/Peruvian fusion restaurants called “Chifas” that are all the rage.      Jose took us around most of the downtown core and taught us about the various areas in Lima. Lima city has 43 districts, each having its own mayor which I thought was kind of interesting. We got to see the Rimac River, which runs through the city but is now empty as it is the dry season. He pointed out a few important places and a main street that we shouldn’t go to as it is more “working class” and have lots of crime including mugging. We enjoyed some chicha (which can be alcohol and non) and is made from grape juice with lime, sugar and a touch of cinnamon. It was pretty tasty but quite sugary for me. Jose said it was almost as sweet as Inca Kola, which is known as the flavor of Peru and is seen being drunk by almost everyone in the country. Allegedly, diabetes and obesity are high in the countries as well (as per Jose).        We finished our tour with some pisco (obviously) after having learned so much about Lima/Peru’s history and all of the politics that have been going on lately. I was really impressed with this tour and would recommend it to anyone. They had several other tours and we were planning to check one of them out when we returned to Lima. Since we had a bit more time in downtown, we took the classic photo in front of the Lima sign and grabbed the most amazing chocolate/caramel stuffed churros of life. We were going to check out the Catacombs and Cathedral but realized they were 10-15 soles per person each to get in. We were also history-ed out by this point. I had also seen the catacombs in Paris and I feel as though once you’ve seen one tunnel of old skulls, you’ve seen them all.      Our Uber back to Miraflores took a bit longer as it was rush hour in Lima- it seemed to always been rush hour though. We grabbed a late lunch at Barra Mar around the corner from our hotel. We share the stuffed avocado and causa (which is the potato and tuna or other fish layered dish) and I had a delicious ceviche bowl. The restaurant was small and everything was written in Spanish but the service and food was great. Our laundry was done by the time we got back, so we paid for it and got ready to start our packing, as we were leaving for Cusco in the am. We met a rep for Tucan Travel in the lobby at 6pm and he went over basic info about the flights and such with us. We were being picked up at the hotel in the am and being brought to the airport for our flight to Cusco and the start of our Inca trail adventure. It was an early to bed after we finalized our packing since 0500 starts to the day are no joke. 

*Below are some of my fave photos from our first week or so in Peru (in no specific order as usual because Tumblr is annoying)

[mumbleybummie-blog]

Via SNS [Part 3]

Kim Yugyeom (Got7) x Reader

Word Count: 2,588

Genre: Fluff

Part 1 / Part 2

With a deep eye roll, Yugyeom got in the busy line and ordered two of the dish they were serving. You were unaware of the actual name of it due to your inadequacy to read the Korean language, but from looking at it you were positive you would like it. It looked like it was some type of fried chicken dish, and there was nothing to dislike about fried chicken. With the food ordered, Yugyeom and you moved off the side to eat your food in relative peace as people bustled around you.

"Mmmm," you moaned as you took your first bite of food.

"Good?" Yugyeom questioned.

"Mmmhmm," you responded, your cheeks full of food.

"Gosh, you are so cute," Yugyeom chuckled.

"Wait, wait..." you mumbled against Yugyeom's lips, pushing him away gently.

He instantly backed away from you. His face coated in concern, "What happened? Did I do something wrong?”"

You shook your head no, "No it is just maybe we should slow it down some," you suggested shyly, ducking your head down unable to meet his eyes especially with him this close.

Yugyeom brought his finger up to your chin and delicately pressed your face upwards so you were looking at him, “It is okay. I understand completely. As long as you are okay, so am I,” he flashed you one of his signature smiles.

“I am okay,” you reassured him showcasing a smile of your own.

“Let’s cuddle then,” Yugyeom suggested pulling you deeper into his hold. Your head settled upon his broad and lean chest. His heartbeat and breathing echoed in your ear. Everything about it was calming, and you could have fallen back asleep if your bladder had not told you it was time to get up. So, after prying Yugyeom's arms from around your waist, he fought your every movement, you headed on into the en suite bathroom. Whilst scrubbing your hands you locked eyes with your reflection in the mirror. There was a smile gracing your face; that seemingly would not disappear. The utter disbelief of everything was difficult to shake. The whole situation was lyric worthy, and you would be marking down every emotion and feeling in your notebook. The minute you got some time to yourself. Inspiration flowed endlessly when it came to Yugyeom, and complaining is not what you are going to do. “God Y/N, when did you turn into such a sap?” you taunted yourself.

Then with one last glimpse at yourself; you were out the door heading back to Yugyeom. As you rounded the corner you found him exactly where you left him, lounging on the bed. Once he saw you in is sight line a grin returned to his lips; delight radiated over all his features.

"So," he said holding out his arms for you to snuggle back into them, "Since we have wasted the day away with sleeping and it is now night time. I was thinking that we could visit on of the many night markets that they have here. You have never been to one right?"

"No, but I have always wanted to go to one," you responded.

"Then it is decided. Let's go. You are going to love it,” Yugyeom said puling you from your once comfortable position.

“Yugie,” you laughed, “I have to change.”

“Fine,” he whined, “then I will just be waiting patiently for you in the living room. Don't take to long. I might miss you too much," and with a parting smile; Yugyeom left you alone in your temporary bedroom.

Quickly, as to not leave Yugyeom waiting for too long, you threw on a pair of your most comfortable jeans and a light long sleeve shirt pairing the whole outfit with sandals. In less than five minutes your were changed, and with a spritz of perfume you were out the door.

"I am ready," you called out as you grabbed your backpack from the chair in the dining area.

"Oh thank god. It took you long enough. I was dying out here," Yugyeom teased.

"Whatever, I don't have time for your dramatics."

Yugyeom tossed his head back and laughed; as soon as you were close enough he snagged your hand and lead you out the door of your hotel suite.

The both of you walked hand in hand down to the lobby and out on to the night cloaked streets. As soon as you were out of the doors the city lights hit you. The lights were shining as bright as stars. The city was still beautiful at night. Yugyeom beamed at you as you took in the city he now called home. After a couple minutes of walking you came across the entrance to the subway system. Yugyeom, still holding your hand, guided you down the stairs and to the ticket machines. After hitting a couple of buttons you each had your ticket and were sitting closely on the slightly packed train. As the train took twists and turns in the underground tunnel, Yugyeom and you carried on a whispered conversation. Until it was time for you to get off.

"Here we are," Yugyeom stated as he stood up from the hard subway seat. He out stretched a hand to help your get up from your own seat. With your hand firmly clasped in his Yugyeom lead you back up the stairs and out onto the street. The lights seemed to shine brighter and the noise of all the people bounced against the tall buildings. You followed beside Yugyeom as he lead your around a couple of street corners, and then you saw it.

The night market was lively and buzzing like a bee hive. There was a ton of action and even more people. The grand amount of lights ricocheted off any reflective surface. The energy was palpable and completely infectious. You could not wait to get in there.

"Come on Yugie. Let's go," you exclaimed.

The smile that had been plastered on his face only got bigger at your enthusiasm. All he could do was be dragged along as you entered the market. The whole thing was overwhelming. There were a thousand different stimuli flooding your senses at once. All the smells from all of the food carts were enticing. The colors of the fresh fruit called out to you. The sound of conversation and cooking bombarded your ears. It was all amazing, and you wanted everything.

"I want it all," you confessed to Yugyeom.

"I will get you anything you want," he responded.

"I can pay for my own stuff," you interjected.

"Just let me treat you. Please," Yugyeom begged.

His cute pout was enough to persuade you to give into him. You nodded your head in response to him. He pressed a kiss to your forehead, and the two of you headed deeper into the market. It was not before long before you found a booth that pulled you in. The smells emanating from it made your mouth water, and you knew you needed it.

"Yugie, I want this," you said stopping in front of the booth that got your attention.

"Whatever you want Y/N."

“I like the sound of that,” you teased.

With a deep eye roll, Yugyeom got in the busy line and ordered two of the dish they were serving. You were unaware of the actual name of it due to your inadequacy to read the Korean language, but from looking at it you were positive you would like it. It looked like it was some type of fried chicken dish, and there was nothing to dislike about fried chicken. With the food ordered, Yugyeom and you moved off the side to eat your food in relative peace as people bustled around you.

"Mmmm," you moaned as you took your first bite of food.

"Good?" Yugyeom questioned.

"Mmmhmm," you responded, your cheeks full of food.

"Gosh, you are so cute," Yugyeom chuckled.

Blush crept onto your cheeks at Yugyeom's words, and you hid your face from him. Embarrassed that he was able to turn you into mush. The two of you were incredibly close, and you wondered when you would stop reacting in such a way. Though you doubt it will ever change. This man had the capability to turn you into sap machine, and you had no control over it.

The two of you devoured the food in a few minutes, and then you were off to scout out more things to try. The next thing that your eye was this booth filled to the brim with fruit. Some of the fruit you knew about, but there were others that you had never seen before in your life. Yanking on Yugyeom’s arm you lead him over to said booth. Yugyeom and you strolled around the booth; him taking the time to teach you about a few of the unfamiliar fruits. Then after a couple of trips around the stand you finally decided on all the fruits you wanted to take home.

The rest of the time at the night market passed in a blur. The two of you ate so much stuff that you were surprised you did not get sick. The food was not the only thing that was enjoyable about the market. Just being able to publicly and physically spend time with Yugyeom was unimaginable. Yugyeom never strayed too far from your side; also he was sure to take as many photos as possible in order to document your time together. While you adventures continued, some part of his body was constantly touching yours. A hand in yours. His arm slung over your shoulder. A hand resting gently on your waist. And you did not hesitate to rest against his side, or lean up to press a kiss to his cheek. The night made you fall deeper for him, and you were doing nothing to stop it.

Long hours later, and hands full of bags, you were back on the subway, your head laying on Yugyeom's shoulder, heading back to the hotel.

"Did you have fun?" Yugyeom asked you.

"Yes," you answered, "Thank you."

"You are welcome, but there is no need to thank me. I am glad you had a good time," Yugyeom said looking down at you.

He lifted his hand to rest against your cheek, slowly dragging his thumb back and forth across your cheek bone. You nuzzled deeper into his touch. His touch was hypnotic that you slowly felt your eyes begin to close. Your exhaustion was working its’ way over you once again, and with the lull of the train, you fell asleep.

"Come on Y/N, our stop is coming up," Yugyeom nudged you awake.

You blinked a couple of times forgetting where you were at. It took a couple of seconds to realize that you were still on the subway. You yawned as the train rocked from side to side. A few moments passed; then your stop came up. Yugyeom held up most of your weight as you shuffled off of the platform and up the stairs.

"You seem to be falling asleep on me a lot," Yugyeom teased.

"Can you blame me. I was on a flight for hours and switched timezones not too long ago. A girl has every right to be tired," you sassed back.

Yugyeom threw up the one hand that was not currently wrapped around you, "I was just teasing."

You rolled your eyes, but the smile that has been on your face since you got off the plane did not diminish. It was not too long that you two were back at your hotel, and then only minutes before you were back in your hotel suite.

"Y/N, I won't be able to stay the night or anything. My manager would kill me if I did not come back tonight," Yugyeom explained, remorse clear on his face.

"That is all right Yugie. I understand. I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me.”

"But, I can stay long enough to tuck you into bed."

“I would love that.”

So, you made your way into your bedroom and grabbed your toiletry bag from your luggage and then headed into the adjoining bathroom. You speedily cleaned your face and brushed your teeth, not wanting to keep Yugyeom for too long. As quick as possible you returned to your bedroom to find Yugyeom laying on your bed. You stood there quietly, watching him play around on his phone. Seconds passed before he turned and noticed your presence.

"What are you doing over there silly?" he asked, sitting up on the bed.

"Nothing. Just admiring the view," you responded.

Your comment had an obvious effect on him because you could see the tips of his ears turn a bright pink.

"Whatever. Come over so I can tuck you in," he demanded.

"Let me change really quick," you said, heading over to your open suitcase.

An uncomfortable look settled over Yugyeom's face. He cleared his throat, "Do you want me to leave?"

You laughed, "No you can stay right there."

After rummaging through almost your whole suitcase you eventually found the item of clothing you were looking for, an over sized t-shirt that you loved. Then with your back turned to Yugyeom you slipped off the top you had on and pulled on the t-shirt. You reached around your back to unhook your bra, removed the straps from over your shoulders, and pulled it out from beneath your shirt. Then you pulled off your jeans, and then turned back around to find Yugyeom's face buried into a pillow.

"You can look now," you called out, making your way over to the bed.

Yugyeom picked up his head and gave you a once over, “My, you look precious."

"Thank you," you laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Yugyeom pouted.

"No reason."

"Well, then I guess I will never compliment you again," he huffed and crossed his arms.

You shook your head in disbelief, "Fine be that way if you want to. I don't care," you joked.

"I don't have time for this. Let's get you to bed," Yugyeom scooted to the edge of the bed and lifted up the blanket, "Okay, get in."

Following his command, you wiggled underneath the duvet. After you were covered up to your chin, Yugyeom leaned over to actually tuck the duvet around your body, from shoulders to toes. A sound of satisfaction left Yugyeom’s mouth once he felt as you were nice and secure in your bed.

"All done," he said happily, “but, now it is time for me to leave."

A frown formed on your lips. You did not want Yugyeom to leave just yet. You wanted to spend every minute you could with him.

"I know you don't want be to leave, and believe me I don't want to either. But I have to. I will be back here as early as I can tomorrow because we have a schedule at night, and I want to be able to spend some time with you before hand. Sound good?"

"Yes, Yugie. It does."

"Good," Yugyeom stated in a hushed tone. Eye contact was held between the two of you, and then Yugyeom was leaning in. He glanced at your lips and back again to your eyes. He seemed to get the answer he was looking for in them because he pressed his lips to yours. The kiss was gentle and soft. It was full of emotions and you felt everything he was putting into it. It only lasted a couple of seconds before Yugyeom pulled back.

"I have to go now," he said a few centimeters from your face.

"Okay," you whispered.

Yugyeom pressed a chaste kiss to lips once more before he was standing up.

"Good night Sunshine. Sleep well."

"Sunshine?" you asked.

"That is the nickname I have been calling you in my mind because you are like sunshine to me," Yugyeom admitted bashfully, rubbing the back of him neck.

"Sunshine. I like it."

With a smile, and a small wave, Yugyeom was gone, and your first day with Yugyeom had come to an end. As you drifted off to sleep your own smile stuck on your face.

A/N: I am sorry that it took me so long to get to this part out, but I hope you all like it! I apologize for any mistakes. Also feel free to send your thoughts and feelings! And let me know if you have any Got7 preferences for me to tackle! xxx

[veealbizo-blog]

“The Innocent Other Woman”

In a far from the city where there is only a white sand and a clear blue water that surrounds the island with greenly forest view and a fresh fruits hanging on top of it. A young man living in a big beautiful house alone, his name is Jason. He likes seeing nature with his two squinty nice eyes. Living alone with no one is around is what he really like, Jason love to swim and dive in a deep blue sea and sometimes he go on fishing with his spacious yacht. One day, when he was about to swim inside the cave, he saw a young woman swimming it’s a cave where tourist often visit and take a dip. The lady is all alone swimming; her name is Trisha a pretty woman who has a perfect body and white skin. She’s a happy go lucky girl. Jason was mesmerized by her beauty and watches her swim. When Trisha caught him sneaking, Jason quickly went out of the cave but the woman call him and ask him “Who are you? Are you one of the tourists?” Jason reply “No, I lived here in this island" the two were staring at each others eyes. And the lady ask him to join her to swim. So they swim together and had a bond a little like they know each other for a long time. Jason ask her number since he was alone in this island. And Trisha didn’t hesitate to give her number, she kissed Jason and went back to her friends place. The night is coming in a very quiet place that only crickets and the wave of the sea are singing. Jason was thinking about the girl he met in the cave. “She’s awesome and witty! I think I like her!” with a smiling face. Suddenly he felt bored, so his thinking about having a party in his house but he has no friends in this island. He try to call Trisha and invite her to come over his place, since there is no restaurants and bars in the island. “Hi Trish is it okay if I invite you for dinner? Your friends can come if they want” the handsome man asked. “Yes! Sure! Where?” the lady quickly replied. The young man was so excited and fetch Trisha. The party started; They had some drinks and food while playing Jason’s playlists everybody got drunk and slept on. Jason and Trisha went outside the house and they go near the sea shore, Jason was making a fire with dried woods while Trisha is staring at him imagining how handsome he is. His face and body is so perfect that every woman could dream, they talk and ask questions to each other. Jason shared about his life. He was already married but separated 3 years ago his wife was in rehab for some medication because of having a psychological disorder. Her wife is a drunkard and into drugs as a result of losing their child. He always dreamed to have a child but circumstances deprived him. Aside from losing their child , he actually don’t have any feelings to his wife Jenny, his father wants their marriage, he was just forced because of business purposes and Jenny took advantage of it. Jason didn’t take all the bad situation, that’s the reason why he broke up with his wife and live his life alone and chose to stay in the island to escape and move on from his dilemma. Trisha felt pity for him. After his sharing, Trisha do the same thing also she shared and talks about her life…Trisha has no parents left her mother died when she was still 14 because of cancer and his father died too because of car accident. She lives on her aunt Maria, who took care of her since her parents died. She loves to travel, exploring and experience new things. The two feel sleepy but had enjoyed their conversation. They went back to the house where Trisha’s friends were there. Trisha wakes them up and says goodbye to Jason but before saying goodbye Jason kissed her on the cheek and said “thank you for the time". Early morning Trisha came to his house but no one is around she explore the house since no one is answering. She saw Jason’s collections; he’s collecting a small toy vintage yacht. While touching it, Jason holds her arm and got surprised that she accidentally fall the toy yacht on the ground. She faced Jason and said “sorry if I entered your house I tried calling you but no one answered “its okay Trish I was at the attic finding some stuff" Jason replied. They were smiling it is like there smile has something to tell about their feelings. Jason immediately grabs her waist and kissed her. Trisha was on shocked but she didn’t hesitate to participate and plays with Jason’s kisses. They’re intimate to each other and had have expressed their feelings. After what happened they fall asleep overnight.

The morning comes out Jason is awake he went to the kitchen to cook some breakfast for Trisha, he’s smiling while cooking maybe he’s imagining of what happened to them last night. When Trisha wake up she can’t find Jason and then she went down to the kitchen and there she saw the man who took her innocence but she did not feel any regret or something; They’re taking breakfast together with such clingy behavior. “The sunshine rise let’s go fishing?” Jason asked Trisha. So they go on fishing riding a yacht the lady enjoyed it and jump to the sea with Jason. They swim and go back to the yacht waiting for a fish to catch. They bond often like every day the lady stayed in Jason’s house because her friends went home to their places. The two were getting attached to each other and fell in love. Jason didn’t think of the consequences they might face when his wife get discharge from the rehabilitation. They just only think about what they feel for each other. The two were really thrilled of their affair. Gloomy afternoon when someone is knocking on the door! Jason! Jason! Open the door let me in! Let’s talk. Jenny show up and was looking for Jason. The guy was surprised! He’s not aware of Jenny’s visit. “Whose knocking at the door?” Trisha asked. “oh god! That’s Jenny! Why she’s here! It’s impossible!” Jason was struggling. “What? Your ex wife? I thought she’s in rehab? And why would I hide?” Trisha angrily replied. “Please, I need you to hide you don’t know her! This is for your own good!” Jason begging. He hide Trisha under the bed. He went down to open the door and talk to Jenny. “Oh! What a surprise! When have you been released? Are you okay now?!” Jason feel tense and worried. Jenny came in and talk to Jason. “Yes! I’m okay now and I’m ready to be your wife again Jason, I will do everything to make it up to you. I’m change woman now" Jenny insisted. “NO, I don’t love you anymore Jenny I hope you’ll understand. Years passed and I moved on already from you and to our child. I’m done! So please leave me alone. You can live with your own and start a new life without me Jenny” Jason suggested. “Oh please! Give me another chance please Jason! Just one chance! We can live here and start a new life my husband. Will make a child and I surely promised to take care of it. What’s wrong with you?” Jenny was begging fearfully. “I need space and time for myself Jenny", the guy replied. Trisha heard them arguing “What the hell am I doing here, this is so wrong!” Trisha felt guilty. The young woman jumped off the ground and sneaking out of Jason’s house. Trisha running away with guilt and felt pity for herself. Jason is trying to call and texted her but she didn’t answer the phone. She go back to her place and leave the island. The poor lady is trying to calm herself and forget what had happened to the island but her mind always reminding her about the guy she felt in love with. Days passed, Trisha woke up and notice that there’s something wrong with her. Because she frequently feel dizziness, sleepy and eat more often, she puke and went to the bathroom. Her phone rings. Jason is calling her! But then she rejected it. Trisha freshen up and went to the pharmacy to buy pregnancy test. She tested it and the result was undeniably she’s pregnant. The young woman felt mixed emotions and don’t know what to do with it. The phone rings, flooded with text messages Jason is trying hard to communicate with her to get back to her. The young man found Trisha’s house so he came and knock the door. “Hello! Is Trisha there? This is Jason!” the lady freak out and sneak on the window.

“Oh gosh! What am I gonna do?” Trisha had mixed feelings. She opened the door and there Jason is standing in front of her. “What are you doing here? How did you find my place?” the lady asked with nervous. I have connections that’s why I found your house. Jason excitingly answered. The guy came inside and they talk. “I just wanted to see you because I miss you so much! I do love you Trisha!.“

The lady was confused if she should tell the truth or not and she started crying. “I know and I’m aware of your situation but I still keep on seeing you and make love with you, and now it happened. I’m pregnant Jason”. Trisha screamingly crying.

“Oh really? Thank god! I’m now a father! Yoo-hoo!” Jason reacts happily overjoyed. But Trisha is doubtful thinking that it is a difficult situation to handle, he still married not yet annulled and his wife wanted him back. The guy hug and kiss her. “Don’t worry my love we can handle this, I will file an annulment since Jenny and I are not living together and were separated for years it would be easy for us. I want to live with you and our child forever.” Jenny get depressed again and begin to hurt herself. She plans for stalking and follow Jason everywhere he go. She appears every place where Jason is. Jenny received an annulment papers and ripped it. Calling Jason often to find out if who is the girl who replaced her.

To the mall where Jason and Trisha were having fun choosing stuff for their coming child. Jenny saw them and confronted them “So you’re the girl! You steal my husband from me! You both will pay for this?” she threatens them. She pulled Trisha’s hair and hurt her! Jason immediately stopped her and grab her arms. “Stop it Jenny! Stop it!” Jason was begging for her and bring her to the parking area. “Leave us alone Jenny! Don’t bother us again or else I will hurt you!” the guy warns her. Jenny cries and plans for revenge.

Trisha was crying while walking . Thinking that he loves her man very much especially her child. “I need to be brave and support my boyfriend, this is just a trial for us. I know things will get better soon" the girl motivates herself. And then Jason went back inside the mall and get Trisha. “Sorry my love, sorry for what she had done to you. Don’t worry I will protect you from her. I’ll promised that to you.“

Before sleeping Jason played Trisha’s tummy and listen to the sounds coming inside he felt so happy and excited to know what the baby would be. “I love you baby” the father talked to the baby as if it’s listening to him.

Early morning Trisha prepared her boyfriend a breakfast in bed. “I’m very excited later my love" Jason excitingly expressed his feeling. Trisha’s OB-Gyn touches her tummy with tool to see the gender of their baby. And it’s a boy! “your baby is a boy Jason! Congratulations to the both of you.“ They happily went home with a smile on their faces.

Jenny was outside there house watching them angrily. “There will always be no happy ending” (evil laugh)

The couple are having their dinner. They’re planning to go to the house of Jason’s parents and after to Trisha’s aunt. They will surprise and tell them about their baby boy.

While washing the plate Trisha is looking at the window. She saw someone outside there house. But then she ignores it. She continued washing the plates. Jason hug her and kissed her on the neck. She felt tickling that’s why she accidentally fell the glass on the ground. “See I told you to stop teasing me love.” They were laughing. Jason picked the pieces of the broken glass and got wounded by the sharp piece of it. He throws the garbage outside there house. He saw someone watching him staring at there house. He can’t see it clearly, only the shadow of that someone. He went back inside and locked the door.

While sleeping the phone rings.. Jason answered it. “Hi Jason this is Mental Hospital. Have you seen Jenny? Is she with you now? She escaped 4days ago. Please let us know if she’s with you already. Jenny is still not okay Jason we need her to come back here". The caller fearfully frightened the guy. Jason feel worried and didn’t wake up Trisha. He went down to get some water.

While drinking, he saw the door was opened already! Jason was starting to get worried and nervous. He went outside but no one is there! He quickly close the door and locked it. When his about to go up, someone beat him on the head with hammer. So he collapsed. The intruder went upstairs and wakes Trisha with hammer touching her face. Trisha screams very hard asking for help! Screaming Jason’s name. “Don’t kill me, I’m pregnant! Have mercy on my child! The killer hit her with hammer 5 times on her head and 8 times on Trisha’s tummy she was bleeding so heavy and died.

“The killer was Jenny, she’s laughing very hard wiping the blood on her face and taste it”.

And the police came after the crime. They caught Jenny and put her back into the mental hospital.

Jason is in the I.C.U recovering from what happened. He got amnesia. And don’t remember anything even his girlfriend and the child.

The poor innocent other woman and her child was resting now and buried beside her parents grave.

—THE END—

#creativewriting #myshortstory #shortstory #englishcreativewriting

[rageprufrock]

Preview: Something Borrowed [Haikyuu! Iwaizumi/Oikawa]

So I’m bored and I thought I’d inflict my WIP on all of you because why not. This is not, I repeat, not going to be 80K. 

Iwaizumi Hajime was born just a month before Tooru, sudden screaming arrivals next door to each other in their cluttered little residential street. For their families, it had made sense to pool childcare, and so since they were the littlest of babies, they've been tucked into cradles and playpens together, fallen asleep with their tiny hands clutched together. "So sweet," Iwa-chan's mother used to say, and Tooru's mom used to tease, "Maybe one day Hajime-kun will have Tooru for his bride." Growing up Tooru used to hear this teasing all the time, but it made perfect sense to him: of course one day when Iwa-chan was older, and Tooru was older, they would put on nice kimonos and get married so that they'd never be apart again, and their parents couldn't separate them just because it was getting dark and it was time for dinner.

***

Iwa-chan's campus and Tokyo Medical University Hospital are both in Shinjuku, so when they'd gone apartment-hunting in the city Iwa-chan had said, "Don't make the commute too awful for me, Shittykawa," and disappeared back into his books. If Tooru had left it to Iwa-chan, they'd probably have ended up in some terrible spot halfway between Shinjuku and Koto, where FC Tokyo practices, and they'd both be miserable.

It's much better this way, with their cute little third-floor walk-up in Takadanobaba on a quiet residential street. There's a row of bicycles out front, and it's a six-minute walk to the station, just a few hops way from Iwa-chan's campus, and a 40 minute ride to Tooru's gym. There's a balcony for their laundry — because Iwa-chan's an old man, and thinks all their clothing smells weird unless it's dried in fresh air — and plenty of sun in for the little greenhouse Tooru's cultivating in the tatami room: a droopy English ivy and a voluble philodendron, a jade plant with chubby fingers and a wispy spider plant, the green cloud of an asparagus fern. Tooru never thought he'd picked up his Okaa-chan's green thumb, but he loves the sight of them: bright green and thriving.

Sunday mornings are Tooru's favorite: he doesn't have practice, and Iwa-chan takes the morning off from studying. They go to the grocery stores early, and after they get home Iwa-chan cooks lunch and Tooru fusses over their little garden, and they have just enough time to watch a dumb movie and fall asleep under the kotastu before the alarm goes off telling Iwa-chan to go meet his study group at the library.

It's not the easy everyday togetherness of their childhood, but it's not the awful loneliness of Tooru's first year in Tokyo, either, when he'd been on the development team and Iwa-chan had been back in Sendai taking a ronin year to study for his entrance exams. Tooru had lived in a dismal little studio apartment with a leaking sink and lied about eating combini food all the time, and he used to cry on the walk home from the gym because he missed his house and his mom and his Iwa-chan so badly.

"Oi, Trash-kawa, you're probably scaring the locals," Iwa-chan used to yell at him over the phone, but his voice had sounded as awful and tired as Tooru felt.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he had lied, and scrubbed at his face with the cuffs of his team jacket on the street, at the Family Mart, walking into his shabby little building with its dark and dusty hallways. "Oikawa-san is as sparkling as ever."

The day Iwa-chan had texted, Tokyo Medical, and followed up with, do you wanna be roommates or are you attached to that shithole I had to drive you back to last month? Tooru had screamed in dizzying, embarrassing joy at the combini checkout line and been forced to abandon all his purchases to run out — immediately — into the night and call Iwa-chan to scream in dizzying, embarrassing joy right in his ear.

And even though the days are still tough and the nights are still long, Tooru gets to come home to the sound of the TV chattering on low, Iwa-chan moving around their apartment, the green bobbing leaves of their plants.

***

Sometimes Tooru forgets how strange it must be, on the outside looking on them.

Even now, it's still rare to see an alpha and an omega living together without wedding rings and family registries getting involved, and Iwa-chan gets a lot of dirty looks from old biddies in the neighborhood when they realize that nice young married couple in the building next door isn't married at all. (Another reason it was lucky Tooru had done the apartment hunting: there was no way Iwa-chan would have been brazen enough to ignore the landlady's poorly concealed disapproval when she'd seen the application papers for her new tenants.) People must think, "oh, those young people, where are their morals? living in sin before marriage?" and, "how irresponsible, they'll just get carried away during a heat or a rut, and have to make it official anyway — why delay?"

But the truth isn't anything like that at all: they sleep in separate rooms, and they've only ever kissed once. They were 8, and Tooru had a meltdown because he'd seen a cute omega girl from the other side of the neighborhood hold Iwa-chan's hand for almost 15 seconds before Iwa-chan had pulled away. Even now, a full two decades later, Tooru can remember his panicked fury, the way he'd felt his tiny heart going nuclear in his chest until Iwa-chan had said, "Ugh," and kissed him, rough and impatient and with a loud smack, right on the lips. He'd demanded, "Are you happy now?" but he'd been blushing as he'd said it, and Tooru had been so shocked he'd gone mute, been quiet all afternoon, holding Iwa-chan's hand and feeling unaccountably shy, trailing him home.

Tooru remembers overhearing one of his mother's friends laughing, "Gosh, Tooru-kun and Hajime-kun are just a foregone conclusion, aren't they?" and his mother answering:

"A little, but it's so sweet — and it's good to know someone will be taking care of him."

For years, Tooru had clutched that close to the heart, waiting for the foregone conclusion to arrive. But his first heat came and went — leaving behind all kinds of horrible new rules: no more sleepovers, no visiting during his time of the month — and then high school came and went, and there were no conclusions to be had. And after a while even Tooru had to admit that maybe everybody had been wrong; he tried not to think about it too much because it hurt the way his knee does: a chronic ache, something they can't fix, that he's learned to cope with since there aren't any other options.

But sometimes, when he's out and about, someone they know only a little will say, "How's your husband doing?" and Tooru will flash them his biggest, brightest smile and say, "Still busy — first-year interns, you know!"

It's sort of pathetic and exactly the kind of underhanded thing Iwa-chan would give him grief over, but that's why it's staying Tooru's secret, and not Iwa-chan's business at all.

***

Anyway, the point is they were fine, just fine, until Iwa-chan's dad got involved.

***

Tooru doesn't like it, but Iwa-chan's family likes to call during Sunday morning grocery runs. He knows it's mean, because obviously Auntie Iwaizumi misses her son, too, but honestly Oikawa has Iwa-chan all to himself for maybe 12 waking hours a week. But sometimes, it's nice, too, hearing Iwa-chan's side of the conversation as they buy cabbage and carrots, pick through the shitake mushrooms and try to remember if there's any red miso left.

"Ah," Iwa-chan says, when they're buying negi.

"No," Iwa-chan says, when they're looking at all the fruit, so expensive it makes Tooru's toes curl, even though the strawberries look amazing: dark red like rubies and gleaming.

"It's fine," Iwa-chan says, and it takes Tooru a minute to realize it's directed at him, and then Iwa-chan's grabbing a box of strawberries and putting it in their basket, even though it's going to cost an arm and a leg. "Ah — nothing. Just Oikawa was looking at fruit — no, we're fine. Kaa-san, we have enough money."

Tooru leans over Iwa-chan's shoulder so he can sing-song, "Don't worry, Auntie! I'm a very reliable breadwinner!"

Iwa-chan puts a hand in Tooru's face in shoves him away — rude, and says, "Ah? Otou-san? What is it?"

Tooru touches Iwa-chan on the hip, points down the aisle, and Iwa-chan nods before turning back to the phone call, mumbling, "Um — I think so, why?" Tooru goes to buy milk bread and Iwa-chan's awful dried fish strips, in the orange plastic bag, more dish detergent, and Iwa-chan's drying, horrible bar soap he likes. He buys more houjicha, a new thermos to replace the one that's been leaking all over Iwa-chan's books for a week, and he elbows past a bunch of neighborhood homemakers to grab two dozen vitamin jelly packs on buy two get two free sale. By the time he meets Iwa-chan in the dairy aisle, his arms are full, and normally this would be when Iwa-chan would sigh and say, "You always get too much stuff in one trip," except today he's just holding a carton of milk staring like an idiot into the refrigeration case, slack-jawed.

"But —Otou-san," Iwa-chan is saying, and Tooru stops at the end of the aisle, worried.

In Iwa-chan's second year of medical school Uncle Iwaizumi had gone to the hospital with chest pains. It had turned out all right, but he still remembers getting that awful phone call at 2 a.m. from Auntie because Iwa-chan was so tired he'd slept through six calls from home, having to wake him — the awful drive back to Miyagi, the dingy yellow tiles of the hospital hallway. He'd missed practice for two days, running errands and helping his Okaa-chan cook. Iwa-chan doesn't cry — he always says that's Tooru's job because he's awful like that — but he'd cried that first night in the hospital: from relief that it was just a small heart attack, from worry, and Tooru remembers sitting hand in hand with Iwa-chan in the hospital hallway, pretending not to see anything.

"I just — ! It's completely — ! Fine," Iwa-chan snarls and hangs up the phone, and Tooru snaps into action when he sees the way Iwa-chan's gorilla-fist is squeezing the carton in a way that means imminent milk explosion on aisle seven.

"Iwa-chan," Tooru hisses, dumping his armful into their shopping basket and peeling Iwa-chan's fingers off of the milk. "Let go!"

The milk actually has cartoonish finger wrinkles on it, and Tooru puts it in their cart because there's brazen and then there's being rude to people who aren't Iwa-chan, and starts steering them out of the grocery store.

"Well?" he asks, once they're in line to and pay and the vein in Iwa-chan's forehead looks less like it's going to explode. "What was that about? Is Uncle okay?"

The vein throbs again. "He's fine," Iwa-chan growls, and mumbles, "Sorry," to the poor checkout boy — a tiny omega probably no older than 18 — who'd visibly flinched.

"Ignore him, he's just cranky," Tooru sweeps in to say, flashing the kid a million-watt grin and nudging Iwa-chan out of the way. Iwa-chan had had one last growth spurt at the very end of high school, and closed the height difference between them, which was firstly infuriating for Tooru, and secondly problematic for the poor people who had to interact with Iwa-chan regularly, since now he was even taller, built like a brick house, and had the kind of face that left you instantly afraid you were going to get your ass kicked. One day, he was going to be a terrifying doctor.

They manage to make it out of the grocery store, their breath clouding and a shiver stealing through him, and Tooru trots up next to Iwa-chan, their arms pressed together. Tooru can feel how tense Iwa-chan's muscles are, through his jacket, the hunch of his shoulders, and he wonders what Uncle said, if Auntie's okay. If Iwa-chan says Tooru talks too much, then Tooru thinks it's fair to say that Iwa-chan talks too little: everything he thinks and feels compressed into some angry fist in his throat — and then it's Tooru's job to dig and dig and dig until he figures it out so he can fix it.

"So Uncle is okay," Tooru says, waving at a little alpha girl who lives nearby: she has two long braids and a transparently adorable crush on Tooru, based on the blushing. "Is Auntie okay?"

"Leave it alone, Shittykawa," Iwa-chan grunts, hangs a left down their little street.

Tooru shakes his head. "No, nope," he declares. "It would be irresponsible — you almost went Incredible Hulk on our grocery store dairy aisle."

"Fine," Iwa-chan mutters. "They're both dead. They called me from beyond the grave."

"You're awful," Tooru says, stomping his foot, leaning against Iwa-chan's shoulder hard as he checks the mailbox: bills, magazines, a letter from the bank. He presses his forehead into the familiar broadness of Iwa-chan's back and says, quiet, "I care about them, too, you know."

Iwa-chan freezes for a beat at the mailbox, his entire body tensed, and it's a long time before he lets out a sigh — exhausted, and says, "Yeah — come on. Let's go inside first."

***

Iwa-chan's never just been Tooru's childhood friend; it's easier to explain it that way, but it's never been completely honest. They were always too close; they didn't split off for their own interests, their own more-appropriate friends as they grew older. They had clung, stubbornly and against all odds, to one another through three different schools and multiple decades.

"Don't you ever wonder if there's someone you're missing out on?" Tooru's sister used to ask him, when she'd bring Takeru home and their parents were off spoiling their first grandchild.

"No," Tooru had told her, unshakeable then and unshakeable now with certainty. "There's no one better in this world than Iwa-chan."

She'd flushed, despairing, embarrassed for him, and said, "I can't believe you two."

"I believe us," Tooru had said, stubborn, and he meant it then as he means it now.

Maybe he's being an idiot; maybe the whispers in high school had been right. Tooru's not immune to doubt. But somewhere deep, he doesn't think he's wrong — to believe, to wait, to trust that Iwa-chan understands.

***

Except evidently Iwa-chan did not understand.

"God, don't cry," Iwa-chan groans.

"I'm not crying!" Tooru cries, dragging the cuffs of his hoodie — of Iwa-chan's hoodie up to scrub at his face.

"It's just coffee," Iwa-chan says, and to be fair he looks almost as upset about it as Tooru feels, which solves exactly zero problems and makes Tooru feel no better at all. Iwa-chan sighs and reaches over, saying, "Come on, Oikawa — "

"No!" Tooru yells, twisting away because if Iwa-chan gets one of his massive, heavy paws on him Tooru knows he's weak and pathetic and will just let himself get dragged into Iwa-chan's annoyingly chiseled chest and be petted into consolation. "No way! Don't you dare, you — you — you person who goes on omiais."

It's genuinely upsetting that Tooru is 184 cm and a professional athlete and Iwa-chan studies 25 hours a day, and somehow is still strong enough to grab Tooru by the elbow and haul him close, across the length of the sofa until Tooru's pressed up against — he knew it! — Iwa-chan's chest.

"God damn it, Shittykawa," Iwa-chan snaps, angry and embarrassed and a little upset the way he always gets a little upset when he makes Tooru cry. "It's not an omiai."

Tooru's not strong enough to break the grip of Iwa-chan's gorilla hands, so he doesn't bother trying, just pushes to keep as much space between them as possible because his stupid lizard brain has been trained since birth to roll over at the smell of Iwa-chan's skin, and right now, he wants to be angry.

"You're going out with some slutty, stupid, husband-hunting omega — "

"If anybody said that about you I'd punch them," Iwa-chan cuts in.

" — extra slutty, extra stupid, extra husband-hunting omega," Tooru says, getting shriller with every syllable, "and you are going to wear a suit, and it's the suit I made you buy and you are absolutely the worst and — "

"It's just coffee," Iwa-chan yells. "And I'm only going because Otou-san's boss asked, okay? It doesn't mean anything!"

Tooru had spent days picking out the single tie he has managed to compel Iwa-chan into owning; he cannot believe someone else is going to reap the fruits of his tender labor. He can't believe Uncle Iwaizumi would betray him this way, after how when they were 12 Uncle Iwaizumi said, "Tooru-kun, you'll have to be patient with our Hajime, he's not very affectionate," and Tooru had said, "Don't worry, I'll wear him down." The traitor.

"What do you mean it means nothing?" Tooru says, and he's crying again, Iwa-chan's angry face going blurry and his contacts feeling weird in his eyes. "This skank — "

"Oh my God," Iwa-chan sighs.

" — probably saw that picture of you Makki took without your shirt on and decided she was going to become some hunky doctor's wife," Tooru wails, and he is completely aware of how crazy he sounds and how ridiculous this is but he's so upset because this is Sunday, and Sunday's are supposed to be nice, and instead this Sunday is the worst. This Sunday will leave a psychic scar on all other Sundays, because probably Iwa-chan will meet this shitty omega girl and decide, "this is fine," and marry her after spending 25 years scent-bonded to Tooru and what if Tooru gets suicidally drunk at their wedding and sleeps with Ushijima.

Iwa-chan sighs again, like he's the one hard done by here, unbelievable, and tugs and tugs at Tooru until he gives in, until Tooru is pressing his face into Iwa-chan's collarbone and fisting his hands into Iwa-chan's shirt. Iwa-chan smells like clean, dark earth on a summer night, a little bit like the ocean, the green bass notes of grass — like something that belongs to Tooru.

"It really is just coffee," Iwa-chan says, gruff and low and into Tooru's hair, running a hand down his back. "And Otou-san already knows that — he knows, okay? He only asked me to go because his boss asked for a favor. Nothing's going to happen, okay?"

Tooru squeezes his eyes shut, curls in more closely to the reassuring, familiar shape of Iwa-chan's body. "I hope she's ugly."

"Such an asshole," Iwa-chan mutters.

"I hope you hate every second of it," Tooru goes on. He sounds muffled and nasal from crying and he means it, every word. "I hope it ruins coffee for you forever."

They spend the rest of the afternoon on the couch watching endless episodes of Unsolved Mysteries. Iwa-chan falls asleep an hour in, and Tooru lets himself press an ear to his chest, listen to the steady, reassuring thud of Iwa-chan's heartbeat, fist his hand in Iwa-chan's shirt.

You're mine, Tooru thinks, his eyes hot and his throat aching and something wild and instinctive sharpening its claws in his belly. I'm not giving you up to anybody.

***

[scarymon-blog1]

Teddiursa & Ursaring

If it finds honey its crescent mark glows. It always licks its paws because they are soaked with honey.

In its territory, it leaves scratches on trees that bear delicious berries or fruit.

     “Darren! Stop!”

     You skid to a halt to see your friend, Jeff, running toward you up the hill with your dates, Chelsea and Tori, following close behind. Apparently the fresh air had just gotten to you and invigorated you with a new energy which caused you to burst into a sprint up the hill.

     “You were about to run right past the campsite!” Jeff panted as the three caught up to you, “I thought you had looked at the map before we left!”

     “I did! I was just excited! It’s beautiful out here. I want to take it all in,” you explain.

     “Okay, Shakespeare,” Chelsea grins as she shoves you, teasingly, “Let’s get you to work so you don’t run off again!” She tosses a bag to you and it hits you in the chest pretty hard. You let out an *OOMPF*, but you catch it. “Help me set up this tent,” she tells you, “The other two can set up their own tent.” You open the bag and dozens of rods, stakes, and flaps of nylon spill onto the ground around you. This is going to take a while…

     You can see the orange glow of the sunset through the trees as you kick back and relax in a lawn chair by the fire. You all had finally gotten the tents set up and were ready to relax. You’ve got a big day ahead of you and you’ll need all the rest you can get. You notice the fire starting to die out. Tori gets up, “I’ll go find some more firewood before it gets too dark,” she says.

     “No, it’s fine. You sit down, Tori, I’ll go get some,” you hop up and head toward the darkening forest, “Be back in a bit!”

     You look around and realize there isn’t really any wood close to the campsite so you begin to venture further out to more thickly wooded areas. As you stroll you can’t help but notice just how amazing the scenery in this area is. The orange and purple burning through the trees, glowing on every branch, every flower, every leaf, is simply stunning, but it’s quickly fading. Your step quickens. You don’t want to be stuck out in the woods when it’s completely dark out; you’ve got to find this firewood before night falls. Finally, you begin to see some broken and dead scraps of wood on the ground. You bend down to pick up some bigger branches that had fallen next to a large tree. As you’re collecting the wood, you notice something weird about the tree in your periphery. Long, deep scratches run down the length of the tree like the claws of some prehistoric lizard had grazed it in passing. Bear, you think, that’s got to be it. You collect the firewood a bit more quickly then stand up and start to head back to camp as the last drops of sunlight sink below the horizon.

     “Hey! You’re back!” Chelsea shouts as you walk into camp, “We missed you! Well...at least I did,” she glances over at Tori and Jeff who are “romantically” snuggling together on the other side of the fire. “They’ve been making out for like ten minutes straight,” she makes a vomiting noise.

     “Hey! We aren’t making out!” Tori, momentarily distracted, snaps at her, “We’re just...enjoying…the evening.”

     “Mhm, suuure,” Chelsea grins and beckons you over, “Come sit with me, mountain man.” You throw some wood on the fire and put the rest next to the tent, then turn back to the angel awaiting you in the giant lawn chair. You sit down and she rests her head on your arm, wraps her arms around it, and lets out a satisfied sigh. You put your arm around her and pull her close. It’s a nice, mild night; perfect weather for camping. “Did you see any potential adventures out there tonight, Dare?” Chelsea asks as she looks up at you.

     “Not much, really, but it was getting pretty dark by the time I actually found the firewood,” you tell her. Then you remember the claw-marks, “I did notice something weird though. There was this tree with what looked like claw marks running down the trunk. Do you remember reading anything about bears in this area?”

     “Bears? No, I didn’t see anything about bears online. Raccoons, skunks, opossums, squirrels, deer, but no bears that I remember reading about,” she responds.

     “Huh,” you shrug, “Maybe I’ll check it out tomorrow.” Suddenly the fire fizzles out.

     “Aaaaaalright love bugs, it’s time for bed,” Jeff’s voice says in the dark, “We’ve got a lot of exploring to do tomorrow. Gotta rest up!” You feel Chelsea yawn as she says, “Yeah, it was a long drive up here. I need my beauty sleep.” You can’t see her in the dark, but you know she’s winking at you.

     “What are you talking about ‘beauty sleep’?” You look gorgeous in this light!” you tease.

     “Hey!” she punches you in the arm playfully.

     “Okay, okay, break it up,” Tori says, exasperated, through the darkness, “Girls get the big tent!”

     “No way, babe, we’re sharing!” Jeff complains.

     “Um, think again babe,” she retorts, “Girls in one tent, guys in another. You’ll just have to build a pillow wall between you and Darren so you don’t accidentally touch each other...sissies.”

     “We’re gonna build a pillow wall and we’re gonna make the girls pay for it! It’s gonna be YUUUUGE!” Jeff does his best Donald Trump impression.

     “Oh, gosh. Can we please go to bed already?” you laugh and head toward your tent.

     “Ready for a night with Mr. President?” Jeff follows you to the tent and slaps your butt, “A little bing, a little bong?”

     “Nasty, bro,” you slug him in the arm, “You couldn’t pay me to spend a night with that wrinkly carrot.” You unzip the tent and crawl in. Jeff comes in and zips the tent back up. You get situated and lay down. Jeff builds a nice little wall between you with clothes and pillows and then does the same.

     “Goodnight, my little mountain man!” Chelsea calls from the next tent.

     “Goodnight!” you call back.

     “Goodnight, Mr. President!” Tori jokes.

     “Goodnight, my first lady!” Jeff says, Trump-like.

     The sounds of the forest are soothing. You hear the chirp of the peeper frogs echoing through the trees and the occasional hoot of an owl. Something rustles in the trees above you and some leaves fall onto the top of the tent. You open your eyes and see the bright crescent moon through the mesh of the tent roof. It’s gorgeous. Big, white, unencumbered by the city lights back home. This weekend is proving to be a much needed getaway for you. City life is fine, but this is where you belong: in nature.

     “Wake up! Breakfast is getting cold!”

     You groan and rub your eyes. You look at your phone. Six A.M. Perfect. You sit up and look over at Jeff drooling all over himself. Thank goodness for this pillow wall. I might’ve drowned without it. You throw on a fresh shirt, unzip the tent, and step out into the morning sunlight. You stretch and then head toward the fire pit where Tori and Chelsea are preparing breakfast for the four of you. You sit down at the picnic table.

     “Sleep well?” Chelsea asks as she sits next to you and gives your back a quick rub.

     “Let me just say, thank goodness for that pillow wall,” you reply.

     “That bad, huh?” she laughs. Tori sets a plate down on the picnic table in front of you and another in front of Chelsea.

     “Jeff! Get up!” she yells. You hear a sluggish moan. The three of you laugh as you hear some struggling from within the tent. Then the delicious aroma of the breakfast prepared by the girls hits you hard. Bacon, eggs, bread and jelly, sausage and gravy, orange juice. You dig in.

     “This is the tastiest breakfast I’ve ever eaten in the woods,” you say through bitefuls of bacon and eggs, “You girls have really outdone yourselves!”

     “Ugggghhhh,” Jeff’s up. He lumbers over to the table and plops down, “What time is it?” he whines.

     “It’s breakfast time, babe,” Tori informs him, “Now eat up!” she sets a plate down in front of him. Once he gets a whiff of it he instantly perks up and starts eating.

     “I think I wanna go look around that tree today,” you say to Chelsea.

     “What tree?” Tori asks as she finally sits down with her plate of food.

     “Darren found some strange scratch marks on a tree when he was collecting firewood last night,” Chelsea explained, “We’re gonna go check it out today to see if we can figure out what made them.”

     “Why would you want to follow scratch-marks? Where there are scratch-marks, there are claws,” Jeff says, matter-of-factly.

     “Nothing online said anything about any big predators,” Tori pipes up, “I’ll go with you.”

     “What? Babe, why?” Jeff complains, “I thought we were gonna go swimming,” he says through clenched teeth.

     “Oh come on, Jeff, it’ll be an adventure! There’ll be time for swimming later,” Tori says, “We have all day, it won’t take twelve hours to check out a clawed up tree.”

     “Fiiiine,” Jeff sighs, “I guess I’ll go, but I’m taking you swimming tonight whether we find a big, nasty predator or not.”

     “Here it is,” you put your hand on the tree you found last night and run your fingers down the terrifying scratch-marks.

     “Wow, these are much scarier than I imagined,” Chelsea says in wonder, “You didn’t tell me they’d be scary, Dare.”

     “It was hard to see in the dark so I couldn’t accurately gauge the scariness factor,” you say, jokingly.

     “Dude, those are HUGE...I mean, YUGE,” Jeff says, slightly nervously.

     “Seriously? I didn’t plan on spending the weekend with Mr. Trump, try to cool it, dude,” Tori teases as she shoves Jeff lightly. You stand up and walk in the opposite direction of the campsite. “Where are you going?” Tori asks.

     “I’m gonna see if I can find where these marks came from!” you call back to the other three, “You can come along if you want or not. I’ll find my way back to camp if you guys don’t wanna come with me!”

     “What is that?” Tori asks, in wonder, “It looks like gold!”

     “I think it’s honey!” Chelsea says, excitedly, “We should collect some! It’ll be so good!” Jeff had decided not to come on your little excursion, but the girls were more adventurous. He was gonna miss out on quite a treat! Chelsea reached out her hand and scooped up a little bit off of yet another clawed up tree. Once that golden goodness hit her taste buds she melted. You and Tori knew you needed some. You both reach out and take a scoop. You bring it to your lips and take a taste. The explosion of incredible sweetness makes you moan and go slightly limp. It’s like Heaven. The most amazingly beautiful taste to ever cross your lips.

     “Oh my GOSH,” Tori says, honey dripping out of her mouth a bit, “That’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

     “I know, right?” Chelsea exclaims. You’re too busy reaching for more to even respond to them.

     “Wait, Darren,” Tori grabs your arm, “I’ve got a bottle, let’s collect some and take it back to camp with us. Jeff would be devastated if we didn’t share with him.”

     “Okay, okay,” you pull your hand away, downhearted. You help the girls scoop the honey into the bottle.

     “Alright, I think we’ve got enough, let’s head back,” Chelsea says as she stands up. Tori screws the cap back onto her bottle. You stand and lick the traces of honey off your fingers.

     The camp is in shambles. Food is thrown everywhere. All of your bags have been rooted through and their contents tossed aside. Jeff is asleep in a hammock next to the tents.

     “JEFF, WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK HAPPENED HERE?!” Tori yells, “Did you do this?!” Jeff starts, awakened by her outburst and proceeds to get tangled in his hammock.

     “What? What’s happening?” he finally gets control of his hammock and jumps out, “What did you guys do to this place?” he asks, the effects of a midday nap still lingering in his voice.

     “We just got here,” Tori shot back, “How could you have not noticed this? You were here the whole time!”

     “Some kind of animal must’ve done it,” Chelsea says. She’s kneeling by a cooler. “There are little scratch marks on the cooler lid.”

     “Raccoons?” you inquire, “Or maybe a skunk?”

     “Nah, those are both nocturnal,” Chelsea thinks a bit, “Maybe squirrels?”

     “They’d have to be some pretty coordinated squirrels,” Tori says irritatedly, “They pulled everything out of every bag!”

     “Well I guess we’ll just have to salvage what we can and make the best of it,” you say, “And maybe next time we’ll try staying awake when we watch the campsite alone.” You shoot a glare at Jeff.

     “Hey! I did my best! It’s just so peaceful out here!”

     “Yeah, yeah,” Tori rolls her eyes, “Just start picking up this mess.”

     The fire is crackling. You’re all quietly eating your plain hotdogs with no buns, ranch dip, and Cheetos. That’s all that you could scrounge up from the food raid earlier.

     “This. is. Delicious,” Tori says sarcastically, “You’ll have to cook for us again, Jeff.”

     “Oh come on,” Jeff whines, “It’s been hours and you can’t drop it?”

     “I’m sorry, I was just looking forward to having a hotdog on a bun with, I don’t know, at least one condiment,” she snaps. You and Chelsea both sigh.

     “Let’s just drop it and enjoy the evening,” Chelsea says, trying to ease the tension, “It’s a nice night and we’re together, what more could we ask for? Plus we can have some honey for dessert.” She takes a little scoop of it from the bottle on the picnic table and eats it. You and the other two take a turn as well. You set your plate down and get up to go sit in the big lawn chair by the fire. Chelsea gets up and joins you. “I hope they cheer up before tomorrow,” she whispers to you. She snuggles up close to you and squeezes you in a hug. “It’s no fun when they fight.”

     “Yeah, I know, but at least we’ve got each other,” you say, reassuringly, “It’ll be alright.”

     “I know,” she sighs, “I know.”

     “Goodnight, everyone,” Chelsea yawns, “I’m going to bed.” She creeps off to her tent.

     “Me too,” Jeff stands up and says.

     “I guess I’d better go too,” Tori says. She stands up and walks over to the tent and crawls in, “Goodnight, all.”

     “I’ll put the fire out when I come to bed,” you say, “I’m staying up for a bit longer.”

     “Alright, man,” Jeff says, “Goodnight.”

     “Goodnight.” You look up at the crescent moon shining bright in the pitch black sky through the big tree above you. It’s just as breathtaking as the previous night. You lean back in your chair and gaze down at the dying light of the fire. I hope our little visitors don’t show up tonight while we sleep. I wouldn’t want another mess in the morning. You stand up, ready to head to bed when you see Tori’s water bottle. You remember the mouthwatering taste of its contents. You tiptoe over to the picnic table where the bottle sits and grab it. You open it up and see the golden sweetness glistening in the dim firelight. You pour some out into your hand and eat. It’s just as good as earlier. You put the bottle up to your mouth and tip it back. The smooth, sweet honey slowly glides into your mouth and down your throat. You drink all of it. Oh no… They’re not gonna be happy when they find out I ate all the honey…. We can go get more in the morning, you think to yourself. You pour some water on the fire and head toward the tent where Jeff lies snoring slightly. You unzip the tent and climb in, exhausted after a long day. You zip up the tent and then lie down next to the pillow wall and look up at the crescent moon through the mesh roof of the tent one last time. Still beautiful.

     Something rustles. You roll over onto your back. You hear it again. You slowly open your eyes and see the crescent moon glowing brightly in the night sky. You hear rustling again and some leaves fall from the tree above your tent and land on the roof. Must be those dang squirrels, you think. You continue to look at the moon for a minute more when something weird happens. Another moon appears. There are two crescent moons above your tent. What the heck? You sit up. The two moons are moving slightly. You unzip the tent and climb out to see what’s going on. Looking up at the sky you see nothing but the big full moon through the trees. Wait, I thought it was a crescent moon. You scratch your head in confusion. Something weird is going on. You hear a rustling again behind you and turn around quickly. A slight breeze had blown the open tent flap a bit while you were investigating. I must be imagining things. You head back toward the tent and climb in, zipping the flap behind you.

      You lay down, but you can’t seem to fall asleep. You look up at the sky through the mesh roof again and see the full moon glowing back at you through the big tree that towers above your tent. You let out a sigh that turns into a yawn. Suddenly, mid-yawn, you hear a strange sound coming from within your tent near Jeff. It sounds like tiny forks scraping at a tough piece of meat. It’s eerie. You fumble quietly with your left hand to find you cell phone to use for a light when you feel something touch your other hand. It’s warm and sticky. You quickly pull your hand away as you find your cell phone. Panicked, you turn on the flashlight on your phone and shine it in Jeff’s direction. He appears to be asleep except for an odd, rhythmic motion coming from under his blankets. You’re afraid to see what’s underneath. Even being trapped in a tent with a squirrel would not be fun. You gently grab the end of his blanket and lightly tug to try and see what kind of woodland creature has made its way into your tent. The motion stops. You continue to tug until you see a bit of brown fur and a faint white glow. Something lets a quiet growl out and you pull your hand back in fear. The motion under the covers continues. You swallow your fear and throw Jeff’s blanket off of him quickly. Underneath the blanket are two small bear-like creatures with glowing crescents on their foreheads. They stop tearing at Jeff’s stomach and turn to look back at you. Jeff is motionless. His stomach is torn to bits with a grotesquely beautiful mixture of blood and honey seeping out of it. The bears’ paws are covered in the deathly mixture. The two snarl at you and then start to scurry toward you under the pillow wall. You flail and swing your arms at them, hoping to incapacitate one or both. You hear a yelp as your fist makes contact with something hard. It’s a skull. The little bear falls to ground and doesn’t move. The second one bites into your leg. You yell out in pain and kick it away. You hear a dull thud as it hits the ground.

     “CHELSEA! TORI!” you scream, “HELP! HELP, IT’S JEFF!” No reply. Nothing. Just the light breathing of the two baby bears. “Please...Chelsea…” you sob. You unzip the tent flap and crawl out, then zip it up again trapping the little bears. You stumble and fall over yourself as you make your way to the girls’ tent. You pull out your phone and turn on the flashlight. The girls’ tent is completely destroyed. The fabric is shredded and the poles are bent and broken. You fall to your knees as you notice the golden-red mixture dripping from all corners of the tent.

     “Chelsea…” you whisper between sobs. What could have done this?

     *UUUUUURRRS*

      You hear a deep, throaty, rumbling growl from behind you. You can barely move, but you turn around to see a great, bipedal bear-like creature standing nearly seven feet tall, at least, with a glowing ring on its torso standing over you. Blood and honey drips from its vicious forepaws. 

     The bear swipes its huge forepaw at you and strikes your face. You fall to the ground, stunned. You watch as the bear lumbers over to your tent and tears through the fabric and gently picks up the two smaller bears and cradles them close to its chest. Something drips into your eyes and mouth. The bear must’ve left some honey on your face when it hit you. The warm, sticky liquid flows into your mouth. It’s delicious, so sweet. The last thing you remember as you watch the three bears wander off into the darkness is the sweet taste of honey. Or is it blood?

(image source - http://ninja-jamal.deviantart.com/art/Wild-Ursaring-and-Teddiursa-227431543)

[peacefulheartfarm]

Why We Drink Raw Milk

  The consumption of dairy products has been a mainstay for as long as mankind has been able to capture and milk animals of all kinds. Sheep, goats, cows, bison, water buffalo, donkeys and horses. All are still milked to this day. There may be others. These are the ones of which I am aware. I want to talk about this tradition that has helped our species thrive and develop over the centuries and millennia. 

But first, I want to take that blessed moment to say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to you veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the homestead every week. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on in our neck of the woods this week.

Today’s Show

Homestead Life Updates

Why We Drink Raw Milk

Traditional Kefir Recipe

Homestead Life Updates

Oh my gosh, is it hot where you are? Whew!! We’ve been experiencing a real heat wave here. Temperatures that are normal for late July and August. Thank goodness that we will be back to normal for next week. Highs in the high 70’s and low 80’s. Today is great. The 90-degree days drained the energy right out of me. I expect that in the middle of summer. But come on, it’s still 3 weeks until the summer solstice.

Garden and Orchard

Speaking of draining energy. The garden is burning up. Well is would be if we weren’t diligently watering every day. The orchard too. And the weeds are still progressively taking over. This time of year I’m really pressed for time. Milking twice a day. Making cheese. Going to the Farmer’s Market and on and on. As I’ve said before, the garden gets pushed down the list of priorities.

This too shall change in the future. It takes a lot to get a business off the ground. Once we are more established, we can let up a little bit, I think.

Creamery

A little progress has been made on the creamery. It is still creeping along compared to the plan that Scott originally made, but it is what it is and we persevere. It’s the journey that is important. It’s the system that we are setting in place that is important. Goals come and go, but the system remains.

Animals

We still have a couple of baby bulls for sale. If you are looking to improve the beef and dairy genetics of your herd, the Normande cow is a good bet. Visit our website at www.peacefulheartfarm.com and go to the contact page and let us know of your interest. We also have a 1-year-old and a proven 2-year-old bull that are available. As we move to AI for our very small herd, we no longer need bulls. One less thing to keep up with.

We have our ground beef on sale $6.00 for one pound, $250 for 50 pounds and $500 for 100 pounds. We also have a few – very few – lambs available. Again, go to the website and let us know of your interest in a whole or half lamb. $380 for a whole lamb and $200 for a half. www.peacefulheartfarm.com

Alright that’s it for homestead updates. Let’s get on to the topic at hand.

Why We Drink Raw Milk

I’m going to talk about why we consume dairy products; the benefits. Our dairy products come straight from our grass-fed cows with no alteration from their live state. It’s all about the nutrition. Traditional foods raised using traditional methods produces that traditional robust health of days gone by. I’ll get to the specific health benefits in a moment.

If you’ve been told that drinking raw milk is dangerous, you’ll be surprised to know that you’ve been misled.  The truth about raw milk? An extensive look into research and claims made by the FDA and CDC related to raw milk being dangerous have been found to be completely unwarranted. It actually benefits your body in many ways, and although it might have earned a reputation among some for being dangerous, you shouldn’t miss out on all this amazing superfood has to offer because raw milk benefits are truly impressive.

What is “raw milk” exactly? It’s milk that comes from grass-fed cows, is unpasteurized and unhomogenized. This means raw milk contains all of its natural enzymes, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals — making it what many refer to as a “complete food.” Eggs fall into the “complete food” category also. Everything needed for growth and health is contained in the package. No need for sterilization or added sugar.

But can’t raw milk cause problems due to the risk of consuming bacteria? The risk of this happening is very, very low. In fact, according to medical researcher Dr. Ted Beals, M.D., you are 35,000 times more likely to get sick from other foods than you are from raw milk. Reference in the show notes. You can get sick from consuming any food. Your risk of illness from raw milk is quite small. The CDC reports that there are an estimated 48 million foodborne illnesses diagnosed each year. Yes, your heard that right. 48 million. Of these 48 million illnesses, only about 42 (about 0.0005 percent!) each year are due to consumption of fresh, unprocessed (raw) milk.

Dr. Chris Kesser did a thorough investigation to get the true impact of raw milk illness and death (as the CDC makes it sound inevitable). He found that your chances of becoming hospitalized from a bacterial illness caused by raw milk is three times less than your chance of dying in a plane crash.

The statistics indicate that most accusations and concerns over raw milk have been overstated, and because of that its health benefits remain underrated. Raw milk benefits are numerous and can help address a large number of nutritional deficiencies that millions of people, especially those eating the standard American diet, are currently experiencing. For instance, raw milk benefits allergies and skin, all while containing beneficial nutrients available in a living product.

Five Benefits of Raw Milk

1. Reduces Allergies

Studies now suggest that children who drink raw milk are 50 percent less likely to develop allergies and 41 percent less likely to develop asthma compared to children who don’t. A study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology involved 8,000 children with various diets, and one of the conclusions that researchers made was that by drinking raw milk, children experienced “naturally immunizing” effects.

As documented on the Real Milk.com website, many other studies carried out over the past century have shown that raw milk benefits and supports children’s growth and development in other ways too. Examples are: increased immunity against infections, dental health boosted and support for skeletal growth. Again, reference in the show notes.

You might be wondering: How can raw milk reduce allergies, and isn’t dairy tied to high rates of intolerance or sensitivities? Nutrients like probiotics, vitamin D and immunoglobulins (antibodies) found in raw milk naturally boost the immune system and reduce the risk of allergies in both children and adults. Enzymes found in raw milk help with digestion but are often reduced or destroyed during pasteurization. Without those enzymes, lactose intolerance is much more likely.

2. Helps Improve Skin Health

Dairy might have a bad reputation when it comes to causing or worsening acne and skin inflammation, but this is far from the case with raw milk. As I’ve said, the benefits of raw milk are numerous, but surprisingly one of the most common reasons that people consume it is to benefit their skin. The success stories of people consuming raw milk to improve conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and acne are very widely reported.

Raw milk benefits the skin for the following reasons:

It contains healthy fats: Because raw milk contains large amounts of healthy saturated fats and omega-3 fats, it supports skin hydration. 

It supplies probiotics: Probiotics in raw milk can kill off or balance bad bacteria in your gut, which can dramatically affect the health of your skin. Research shows that inflammation and unbalanced gut flora contribute to skin issues such as acne and eczema.

3. Helps Prevent Nutrient Deficiencies 

According to the USDA, nearly 300 calories a day in the average American’s diet (out of a total 2,076 calories) can be attributed to added sugars or sweeteners. In comparison, nutrient-rich foods like raw dairy, fruits and vegetables only contribute about 424 calories.

One serving of raw milk contains about 400 milligrams of calcium, 50 milligrams of magnesium and 500 milligrams of potassium. These minerals are vitally important for cellular function, hydration, building bone density, blood circulation, detoxification, muscle health and metabolism.

4. Can Be Used to Make Probiotic Foods

Probiotics are microorganisms that line your gut and support nutrient absorption. They also help protect you from foreign invaders like E. coli and parasites. The best way to include probiotics in your diet is to get them in their most natural state, which includes raw milk products, such as cheese, kefir and yogurt. Real, raw and organic probiotic yogurt, cheeses and kefir have been consumed by some of the healthiest populations living around the world for thousands of years. Some disorders probiotic foods are known to help with include:

Diarrhea

Inflammatory bowel disease

Irritable bowel syndrome

Skin infections

Weakened immune system

Urinary track infections

Vaginal yeast infection

5. Doesn’t Contain Added Sugar or Synthetic Ingredients

In addition to pasteurization, conventional milk also usually undergoes a homogenization process. Homogenization is a high-pressure process that breaks down fat into tiny particles — however, fat subjected to high heat and pressure becomes oxidized and rancid. Many low-fat dairy products also have thickening agents added to make up for lost texture. Raw milk needs no added thickeners or shelf-stabilizers and also doesn’t contain added sugar or flavors.

Most foods have some levels of natural sugar, including raw dairy, which has the type called lactose. The natural sugar in dairy is balanced with other nutrients and therefore not a concern (even healthy for you in moderation).

Raw Milk Nutrition Facts

Raw milk is truly one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world and has a nutritional profile unlike any other food. I understand if you’ve been cautious in the past about drinking raw milk because of all the negative media it might have earned. Let me help ease your mind. As a species we have been drinking this luscious, delectable beverage for thousands upon thousands of years. Today more and more people are drinking raw milk. We are slowly getting back to wholesome, unadulterated food that has served us for millennia. Over 10 million Americans now drink raw milk on a regular basis. They do so because of the benefits which include:

Healthier skin, hair and nails

Nutrient absorption

Stronger immune system

Reduced allergies

Increased bone density

Neurological support

Weight loss

Help building lean muscle mass

Better digestion

What exactly makes raw milk such an incredible superfood? Let’s take a look at its unique nutritional profile, and it will become clear.

Raw Milk Benefits: Nutritional Profile of Raw Milk

Fat-Soluble Vitamins A, D and K2

Because raw milk comes from cows or goats grazing on grass, research studies have shown that it contains a higher level of heart-healthy, fat-soluble vitamins than milk that comes from factory-farm cows. These vitamins support the brain and nervous system and are crucial for development, focus and brain function. Fat-soluble vitamins also support bone density and help naturally balance hormones.

Short Chain Fatty Acids, CLA and Omega-3s

In addition to being high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, raw milk from grass-fed animals is a rich source of butyrate, a short chain fatty acid that’s widely known to control health issues related to inflammation, slow metabolism and stress resistance. Additionally, raw, grass-fed milk is packed with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which according to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has been tied to cancer prevention, healthier cholesterol levels and can even help reduce body fat.

Essential Minerals and Electrolytes: Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium

Raw milk is one of the highest sources of minerals and electrolytes, of which many people need more.

Whey Protein and Immunoglobulins

By far, the best-tasting curds and whey protein come from our raw milk. CHEESE. Also, whey protein is fantastic for anyone who’s looking to burn fat and build or retain lean muscle. Whey is high in the following enzymes: alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin.

Probiotics: Kefir, Cheese and Yogurt

Probiotics are only found in small amounts in raw milk, but when you ferment raw milk to make foods like kefir, yogurt or cheese, the good bacteria dramatically increase. In fact, there are no other foods in the world as naturally high in probiotics as cultured dairy products.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to raw milk benefits.

Raw Milk Benefits vs. Conventional Milk

Let’s compare. Dairy products have gotten a bad rap over the years, but this is actually mostly due to the pasteurization process. When milk is pasteurized, it destroys many of the nutrients that make raw milk beneficial. Why is pasteurization even performed in the first place then? Because it exposes milk to very high temperatures, it can also kill harmful bacteria that are possibly able to make their way into the milk. However, as I mentioned before, it’s very rare for these types of bacteria to be found in milk to begin with. There are other options to ensure the bad bacteria doesn’t get into the milk in the first place.

Key nutrients and enzymes are greatly reduced during the pasteurization process. If you consider the fact that many of these nutrients are not only reduced, but altered from their original states, you can understand that some of these nutrients are completely unavailable for your body to use and can be very difficult to digest for many people.

Allergies and lactose intolerance are higher with pasteurization as well. Another major negative of pasteurization is that it destroys the digestive enzymes needed to break down and absorb certain nutrients. In the previously mentioned study, researchers found lactase (the enzyme in dairy) levels are greatly reduced with pasteurization, which is one explanation as to why so many people are lactose-intolerant. A survey conducted by the Weston A. Price Foundation found that of 700 families interviewed, amazingly about 80 percent of those diagnosed with lactose intolerance stopped having symptoms when they switched to raw milk.

Raw Milk Nutrients

To put things into perspective, according to medical studies, the following nutrients in raw milk are 100% fully active and during pasteurization they are altered or destroyed:

Vitamin A, 35% reduction; Vitamin C, 25-77% reduction; Vitamin E, 14% reduction; Iron 66% reduction; Zinc, 70% reduction; B-Complex Vitamins, 38% reduction; Calcium, 21% reduction; Enzymes, 100% destroyed; Immunoglobulins, damaged; Whey Protein, denatured.

Again, all of these nutrients are 100% active in raw, unpasteurized milk. Pasteurized milk is a lesser product. As I mentioned earlier, they end up adding stuff to a product that was perfect before pasteurization – unless contaminated by careless practices.

Our Herd Share Program

Want to have the freedom to consume raw milk? Join our herd share program. Own part of our cow herd and enjoy the benefits that we do every day. During the summer we have fresh milk, yogurt, butter and sometimes a bit of cream, while in the winter we have aged cheese and more butter.

The way it works is that you buy into our herd of dairy cows. We will care for them for you and we will gather the milk benefits for you. We will even process those benefits into fermented products such as yogurt and cheese. For a full share in the herd it is $60.00. A half share is $30.00 and you can also choose multiple shares. One and a half is $90. Two is $120.00 and so on. Once you own part of the herd, you simply pay us a maintenance and service/processing fee on a monthly basis. A full share is $44.00 per month, a half is $22.00 per month, 1 and a half is $66.00 per month, 2 shares is $88.00 per month and so on.

What you can expect to receive from your cows is milk, yogurt, cheese, and sometimes butter and cream. Every week I will let you know what is available and you choose how you want to receive it. Choose 1 item from the full share list or two items from the half share list.

We milk the cows seasonally which means your cows will provide you with milk and yogurt from the first week of May through the last week of October on a weekly basis. For the other six months we will continue to store and manage your cheese and butter. You can pick up your share twice monthly at the Farmer’s Market in Wytheville or from the farm.

That’s it. For more information, go to www.peacefulheartfarm.com/virginia-herd-shares. And feel free to call or email me with your questions.

How to Make Traditional Kefir

Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. The drink originated in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Russia, where it is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep milk with kefir grains. These instructions will be for cow’s milk kefir.

Milk kefir is not only easy to make, it is a delicious, probiotic-rich, versatile beverage your whole family can enjoy. This recipe uses the direct starter culture. You will not have to maintain kefir grains. Perhaps you can learn that a little later.

What You Need

Equipment:

Glass or plastic container

Plastic, wood, or stainless-steel stirring utensil

Coffee filter or cloth

Rubber band to secure the cover

Ingredients:

1-quart raw cow milk (Needs to be very fresh. Don’t wait as the competition between beneficial bacteria is quite fierce. 😊)

1-packet of Direct-Set Kefir Starter Culture (Google it to find a source you like. Remember “starter” culture, not kefir grains.)

What To Do

Pour 1-quart milk into a glass or plastic container

If milk is refrigerated liquid, heat to room temperature or 70º-75ºF

Add 1 packet kefir starter culture and stir gently until the culture is fully dissolved.

Cover the container with a coffee filter or cloth, secured with a rubber band, and place in a warm spot, 72º-74ºF, for 12-16 hours.

Cover finished kefir with a tight lid and store in the refrigerator.

The culturing process is complete when the milk thickens to the consistency of buttermilk or heavy cream.

Notes:

RECULTURING THE KEFIR

Kefir made with a direct-set style starter culture can often be re-cultured anywhere from 2 to 7 times. The exact number of successive batches will depend on the freshness of the kefir and hygienic practices employed. Be sure to re-culture within 7 days. Longer periods between batches may not result in successful batches.

Pour 1-quart milk into a glass or plastic container

If using a refrigerated kefir, heat to room temperature or 70º-75ºF

Add ¼ cup prepared kefir from the previous batch and stir gently.

Cover the container with a coffee filter or cloth, secured with a rubber band, and place in a warm spot, 72º-74ºF, for 12-16 hours.

Cover finished kefir with a tight lid and store in the refrigerator.

You now have a healthy probiotic drink. Enjoy!

Final Thoughts

The homestead keeps on keeping on. Things are moving so quickly these days. There are not enough hours in the day to do all the tasks that need doing. Every once in a while, we stop and “smell the roses” so-to-speak. It’s up to us to make that happen. When you have your own homestead, you are fully in charge of your life. It’s a wonderful thing.

We love our milk. It is produced from cows that have been grass-fed and raised in humane conditions. We drink our milk unpasteurized and it retains all of its natural nutrients and benefits.

Raw milk benefits include improved immunity, healthier skin, reduced allergies, healthier growth and development, lower risk for nutrient deficiencies, and much more. Your mileage may vary.

Real milk has been consumed safely for many centuries. We have a limited number of herd shares available. If you want the benefits I’ve described here, see me at the Wytheville Farmer’s Market or come to the farm during our store hours and talk with me about your needs and the needs of your family. 

You can use your wonderful milk to make that kefir and provide even more healthy benefits to your family.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I’m here to help you “taste the traditional touch.”

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

References

Ted Beals

CDC: Raw Milk Questions and Answers

Raw Milk Reality: Is Raw Milk Dangerous?

The protective effect of farm milk consumption on childhood asthma and atopy: The GABRIELA study

NIH: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of pasteurization on milk vitamins, and evidence for raw milk consumption and other health-related outcomes.

ABSTRACTS ON THE EFFECT OF PASTEURIZATION ON THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF MILK

What's in Raw Milk?

Influence of thermal and other manufacturing stresses on retinol isomerization in milk and dairy products.

ORG: Conjugated Linoleic Acid

Effect of processing on contents and relationships of mineral elements of milk

Recipe Link

Traditional Kefir

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