#all except the garlic were delicious

[writtenfangirl]

Hungry For You

Another TikTok trend has sparked an idea in me.

Another (short) Charles Leclerc Fanfic

Y/N spooned the food carefully on to the two plates, casting the hidden camera a wide grin as she did so. While the plates were similar in size, one had a significantly larger portion. The grilled chicken on one of the plates was practically the size of her palm, the pesto pasta still steaming as she dumped it on the plate. On her own plate, she placed barely a handful of food, the chicken cut into three small strips and the pasta’s serving size so tiny, not even a small cat would feel full.

“Babe, it’s time to eat!” Y/N called out as she shot her phone another wink. She’s placed the devise inside one of the cups of utensils, hidden away from Charles’ keen eyes. The camera had a full view of the kitchen island, where she and Charles frequently ate their meals when they were alone.

She heard his footsteps bounding towards the kitchen, the door to his gaming room slamming shut behind him.

“I am starving and it smells delicious.” He practically beamed at her as he took his place on the kitchen isle, oblivious to the camera that was filming his every move. “I don’t know how you manage to impress me with your cooking every time, cherie.”

“You haven’t even tasted it yet.”

“It’s pesto. I already know I’ll love it.”

Pesto pasta was one of his favorite dishes and with the aromatic smells of the basil and garlic hanging in the air, Y/N had no doubts about his statement.

She circled around the isle taking her seat next to Charles, placing the plate with the larger portions in front of him and the smaller sized portion in front of her. But Charles paid the food no heed.

He grinned up at her, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for cooking for us, cherie.”

He did this every time she cooked. Thanked her for her efforts and grinned up at her like she hung the moon and starts. And every single time, without fail, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of that smile.

She handed him his utensils, his food finally snagging his attention before his eyes wandered to her plate. He frowned at the sight of it. “Why is your food so little?”

“What do you mean?” She asked innocently as she took the pitcher of water she had set and carefully filling their glass.

“Your food, it is so little.”

“Yeah, this was all we had,” she shrugged. “I forgot to stop by the grocery store this week and this was the last of the chicken and the pasta.” She took her utensils, getting ready to dig in when all of a sudden her plate disappeared. 

“Charles? What are you doing?” Bewildered she watched as her boyfriend dumped the contents of her plate on to his already full one.

“Eat,” he said as he pushed the fully loaded plate in front of her. There was no annoyance in his eyes, no hint of his previous hunger as he looked at her in earnest, waiting for her to dig in.

“Babe, I’m not even really that hungry,” she protested. “Come on, you need to eat.”

“I’m not hungry either,” he shrugged.

Liar. He’d been complaining the whole time she was cooking about how hungry and excited he was to eat. He always got that way after a training session and he’d been training since 9AM. Whatever lunch Charles ate during a training day was usually only enough to get him going and by the time he found his way home, he was always positively starving. And Y/N knew today was no exception.

“Just five minutes ago you said you were starving,” she deadpanned.

“You spent two hours on your feet, cooking. I know how tiring that is. I really am not hungry.”

She rolled her eyes, even as love bloomed at her chest. “You came from training.”

He waved off her concerns. “I promise, I am not hungry. And tomorrow, I will go to the grocery, buy our stuff and cook you a meal.”

It was a true miracle that Y/N didn’t grab her boyfriend right then and there and drag him to the bedroom. How she managed to snag a boyfriend so thoughtful and so selfless was beyond her. “You’re sure you’re not hungry?”

He grinned at her, his voice going deep and husky as his eyes darkened. “I’m hungry for you.” He gave her what he probably thought was sultry wink but that only served to have Y/N howling in laughter.

There was no denying how in love she was with her boyfriend but she had always been immune to his attempts at flirting. His charms would no doubt have worked on other girls but Y/N only found them cute. 

She was shaking her head as she took the other plate and dumped half of the food onto it. She ignored his protesting as she pushed the other plate towards him. She had given him the bigger chunk of chicken and the bigger half of the pasta but the piles of food were still more or less equal to each other. She doubted he even noticed the slight difference, especially since she pushed the other plate far away from him. “If we’re still hungry at the end of the meal, we can go to the cafe down the street.” 

He raised a brow at her, a smirk pulling at his lips. His face was barely an inch away from her, his green eyes practically glittering as he spoke. “Is that your move, cherie? Starving a man so you can take him out on a coffee date?”

She didn’t even try to stop her laughter, not as Charles pulled her chair closer to his own until she was pressed flushed against him. His arm automatically pulled her to him, his own lips pulled into a smile before he lowered himself on to her mouth. Their kiss was sweet, as sweet as this moment was. A moment that Y/N was sure she would never forget.

[lovewsl]

Give up Luce // Lucy bronze x reader

If there was one way you could describe Lucy bronze it would be that shes determined. Lucy gets what she wants and no one can tell her no. Except for you. Lucy would move the earth for you if u told her to. She was smitten. There was one problem, you said no.

There was no way on this earth that you would go out with a teammate. Lucy wanted to change that. She was very determined to get you to say yes to a date. For the past 3 months Lucy had asked you every single day to go on a date with her.

“Lucia Roberta I’m saying this for the last time. No. I won’t go on a date with you.” It was funny at this point and all your teammates knew it, they made jokes and laughed about it to themselves. Lucy just wouldn’t accept no for an answer.

She followed you around at training like a lost puppy. Continuing to ask you out, each time the answer was no. Lucy refused to believe that you weren’t interested.

So a few days after the last time she asked you when you were next at training you agreed to be her partner and eventually when she asked you to go on a date with her you agreed. “If I say yes will you give up Luce” she nodded and smiled “if that’s what you want” you were going on that date just to shut her up. Well that’s what you thought was going to happen.

A few days later there was Lucy outside your apartment with a bouquet of flowers, tulips to be precise, smiling dressed in her best outfit. “Claudia and patri said you liked tulips so I got them for you. They said you weren’t a roses kind of girl so I had to get the ones you liked” she handed them to you “ oh lucy they’re beautiful thank you” her eyes lit up as you took the flowers and kissed her on the cheek.

Putting the tulips in a vase with water before grabbing your bag and walking out with Lucy to whatever location she had chosen for you both.

When you got there it turned out to be a small restaurant down one of the back roads of Barcelona. Simple but cute. The food looked delicious and you were so excited to try it.“Order what u want, it’s on me” Lucy smiled and took u to a small table with a tag that said miss Lucy. “Lucy I can pay for myself” she shakes her head No and hands you a menu.

You order some kind of pasta with cheese sauce and garlic bread while Lucy orders pizza and breadsticks complete with a bottle of white wine to share between you.

After eating and having a little to drink while talking you and Lucy took a walk along the beach and went around the little shops that were still open. “Lucy this was so lovely”

She just smiles as you start to walk back to ur apartment. Something about being with Lucy feels right but you can’t think of what it actually means. You enjoy being with her but you can’t figure out weather you want to be with her or not.

When you get to your apartment you invite Lucy in and have a few drinks which ends up with both of you sleeping in the living room but not before the question lucy has been waiting to ask.

“Would you wanna go out again, maybe as girlfriends?”

“ I’ll have to think about that Luce” you give her a cheeky smile and she shakes her head

Maybe things will be ok with Lucy… maybe you could be together

——————————————————————

This might be part one of a few. Let me know what you think and anything you want me to write x

[freckles-things]

Out of Time // Part 3

Summary: “The Revelation” is followed by a ton of apologies, reassurances, and grovelling. But is that enough for you to decide to stay at the BAU? Or will you leave after all? 

Pairing: BAU!Team x Reader (platonic)

Warnings: feeling left out, feeling unneeded, being excluded, self worth issues

Part 1 / Part 2

---

After the revelation the previous evening you hadn’t done anything but driven home and gone to sleep. You hadn’t been in the frame of mind to deal with it. And frankly, you just didn’t want to. Hotch had promised to hold the position on the team for you. And after everything that had happened, they could damn well wait a few days longer, you decided as you stayed wrapped up in your bedsheets the next morning. Still not feeling ready to deal with the situation. You logically knew that sooner or later you had to. But right now, later looked like the more promising option. So, you stayed at home the entire day, fixing yourself several cups of your favourite drink, watching random TV-Shows, and pointedly not thinking about the entire mess.

You had fully intended to spend the next day in a similar fashion, but you were ever so rudely interrupted by a doorbell ringing. Disgruntled you wrapped yourself out of your blankets and wandered over to the door. You weren’t expecting anyone. Slowly opening the door, you were surprised to see Rossi standing in front of you. He was holding a casserole and gifted you with a small smile.

“Bellissima, it is good to see you. I tried to call to see if you were up for a visitor, but you didn't pick up. So, I thought I’d just come by and see. I also brought lunch, it is my Nona’s famous family recipe for lasagna alla Rossi. If you’re not up to seeing anyone I’ll just leave you the lunch and be on my way”, he shifted a little, unsure if he was welcome or not.

The lasagna smelled delicious and out of all the people that could have dropped by you were glad that it was Rossi. Your heart warmed a little at the thought that he had made food for you especially, and despite all still left you with an opening to decline his visit. You took a few steps back to let him in and lead him towards the little kitchen area in your apartment. You were slightly embarrassed at the state it was in since you had only stacked your dishes on top of each other for the last few days. Neither of you spoke while Rossi busied himself warming up the food, except for his little comment that it would be a crime to warm it up in the microwave, and you tidied up the kitchen area and the blankets in your living room. You set two places at your small dining table and waited for Rossi to finish with the food. It turned out that he also had brought a delicious looking garlic bread to go with it. You decided to pour both of you a glass of red wine, the last bottle you had left.

You had expected the silence between you to be awkward and loaded with things waiting to be said. Surprisingly it wasn’t. It was a comfortable silence that was broken once Rossi brought out two plates with Lasagna and garlic bread. It seemed that you both had silently agreed to talk about the serious topic once lunch had been eaten. And so, both of you tucked in.

“This is by far the best Lasagna I’ve ever eaten, Rossi. I’ll never be able to eat the premade ones ever again” you complimented once you had tasted it. You had barely refrained from embarrassing yourself with a moan at the first taste. It truly was one of the most delicious dishes you’d ever eaten.

“Nona will be glad to hear that”, Rossi chuckled slightly. “She absolutely detests premade pasta dishes.” You couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Your grandma is still alive?”

“Oh yes. Fierce little puffetta, that one. She barely reaches my shoulder, and she can’t walk very well anymore, but I’ve never seen men more afraid that when faced with her wrath.” You couldn’t help but laugh at the childhood stories with his grandma that he told you. Your favourite one was when she’d chased him through the entire town to drag him back home by his ear to apologise to the poor girl he had insulted by accident.

“Well, I know who taught you your manners then”, you winked at him, which made him chuckle.

“Si, Bella. And I can assure you that I still feel like a little boy every time I see her. The last time she admonished me about my shoes. Said that I had all that money and still didn’t know how to shine my shoes properly.”

He told you some more about his Italian family while you both finished your food, and you cleaned the dishes. You insisted since he’d already premade and warmed up the food. You were also very gratified to see his surprised face when you asked him if he wanted an espresso or some other drink with coffee while motioning to your high-end portafilter coffee machine, which you had bought with your very first BAU paycheck. You were a bit of a coffee addict. A few minutes and one espresso and one latte later, the two of you were back in your living room again.

“When you came over yesterday and you complimented the house, I realised that, in all your time on the team, you hadn’t been there before. And while I was preparing the food and wondered why that was the case, I realised that I had never actually invited you. Dolcezza, I am so sorry. I have no excuse, at least no good one, and I am sorry that I have caused you pain.” His face and his voice were solemn but genuine, and you were surprised that he had started your conversation like that. You shrugged slightly, not quite sure how to react to his words.

“It’s fine, I know that none of you wanted to hurt me”, you awkwardly muttered, which caused Rossi to lean forward and encase your hands in his. His calloused fingers gently rubbed warm circles into the back of your hands.

“You’re not fine, cara mia. You didn’t know that you were excluded by accident. But even so, it should never have happened at all. We all should have noticed, and we did in some way, but never questioned it. If only one of us had deigned to ask you why you weren’t with us after one of those team outings, all this wouldn’t have happened. But none of us did and the fault lies with us. We’re the best profilers of the country and yet we didn’t even notice we were hurting one of our own.”

“I didn’t want you to notice. I didn’t want anyone to feel bad about it.”

At that Rossi chuckled sadly, scooting a little closer and releasing your hands in order to cup your face.

“But it wasn’t your job to protect us from our own stupid and careless mistakes, Gioia. You had, and still have, every right to feel hurt. The fact that no one of us intended to hurt you doesn’t matter. We did, and you have dealt with it all on your own for a long time. The fact that you didn’t want anyone to know that we had hurt you, so we didn’t feel bad about it, says a lot about your character. As does the fact that we never noticed about ours.” His thumb gently brushed away a tear you hadn’t noticed shedding and his soft eyes never left yours.

“You have helped all of us so much and made a lot of things easier for us with all the little things you did. Sei un raggio di sole, Y/N. But even a ray of sunshine needs to be nourished. We clearly haven’t. And I can understand if you need and want to search for another place where you can find that nourishment, because you deserve it. I would truly miss you terribly, but I want you to fly, passerotta.”

By now tears were streaming down your face, which still was carefully held between his warm hands. You felt pathetic, but you hadn’t noticed how badly you needed to hear someone acknowledge that they made a mistake. Yes, Hotch had said that as well, but it hadn’t really registered then. Deep down you still had felt that it had been your own mistake. That you should have said something or that there was something wrong with you, that you were just unlikable like that.

But Rossi never said anything he didn’t mean. That was his one rule, for which you had always appreciated him. Yes, sometimes that meant hearing the harsh truth in uncomfortable situations. But it also meant that you never had to worry about some hidden meaning or little white lies. And it was the reason that you started to feel like maybe there was a way to work past all this.

Your heart ached at the truth and compassion in his voice and the earnest and determined gaze with which he still gazed at you. Gentle fingers softly caressing your cheek and tucking single strands of hair behind your ear. God, you really didn’t want to lose Rossi in your life. You’d never before had a person of such pure comfort in your life. Even in the past year Rossi had always been the one who had offered you a gentle hug and an open ear if things at work had gotten bad. The pain in your chest grew at the image of a life without him and his steady support and comfort. Just thinking about it had you squeezing your eyes closed and swallowing hard.

“Cara mia…”, you heard his soft voice again and couldn’t help yourself. You blindly threw yourself in his arms, which instantly wrapped around you in a secure hold.

“I don’t want to leave the team”, you muttered between sobs. “I don’t want to lose you.” You buried your face against his neck, hands gripping onto the fabric of his suit. His arms tightened around you and one of his hands came up to cradle your head protectively against his neck, the other one tracing small circles against your waist.

“Oh Y/N…”, he said softly, voice full of emotions. “I don’t want to lose you either, Dolcezza.” Your body trembled in his arms, and he gently swayed the two of you, humming a gentle tune under his breath and softly resting his head atop yours. It was only some time later that you bashfully moved back to your own chair again.

“I think I ruined your suit”, you muttered, feeling bad about the expensive Italian garment. But Rossi just chuckled in response.

“It’s just fabric. You’re more important.” You couldn’t help the small smile appearing on your face at his words. Being vulnerable had never been your strong suit and you felt a little awkward sitting opposite him after your emotional outburst. Rossi however was always one to help in such situations and grinned at you:

“I think after this we both deserve some dessert to make us feel better.”

“You brought dessert?”

“Might have hidden it in your fridge”, he winked and moved to get it and to give you a moment to sort out your face, before coming back with two portions of Tiramisu.

“Also your grandmas’ receipt?”, you asked before trying the first bite, which was absolutely the best bite of Tiramisu you’d ever had.

“No, this one is actually my father’s receipt. He would burn down the kitchen trying to make the lasagna, but when it comes to backing and desserts no one can beat him.” You couldn’t help but laugh at that and continued to enjoy your dessert.

The two of you spent the rest of the evening on your couch, talking and enjoying the rest of the wine you had opened for lunch. Only once it had gotten dark outside did Rossi say his goodbyes and made his way home. You helped him to collect his now clean casseroles as well as his jacket and followed him towards the door. Before he could go though, you felt the need to tell him something.

“Rossi?”, you called after him once he had passed the threshold. He turned around, looking questioningly at you.

“I forgive you”, you said softly, feeling a bit ridiculous to say it. Feeling like the words were too big, because it hadn't been all that bad. But once you saw his shoulders relax and the tension leave his body with an unconscious breath of relief, you knew you’d done the right thing. A gentle smile took over his features.

“Thank you, Gioia.” He pressed a soft kiss against your forehead before moving towards his car. You just nodded and smiled, waving after the retreating vehicle.

---

After your talk with Rossi you had felt better, but you had also realized that you needed to talk with the other team members if you wanted to make a decision. And so you agreed, when two days later Derek texted you and asked if he could come by for lunch. This time your flat was appropriately tidied up and you were freshly showered and felt a lot more prepared to deal with everything.

You still felt nervous and a little apprehensive though. You weren’t sure what to expect, but you resolved to just let the conversation happen and to see where it went. You had just finished setting two places at your dining table, a little déjà vu to Rossi’s visit two days prior, when your doorbell rang. Taking a deep breath you moved towards the door to open it. In front of you stood Derek in casual ware and two huge bags of food in hand.

“Hey Derek! Have you invited anyone else or are you planning on feeding us into a food coma?”, you grinned at him. For a split second he appeared to be surprised by your usual casual greeting, before he grinned back at you and waggled his eyebrows:

“Just you wait until you’ve tried Mama Jones cooking. You’ll complain that I haven’t brought enough.”

You laughed and stepped aside to let him in, relieving him of one of the bags as he walked past you. He toed of his shoes and followed you to your little dining area, where you were already unpacking some of the food, which appeared to be different kinds of barbeque and really did look mouth-watering.

“It does smell really good”, you conceded. “We’ll see if it can keep up with Rossi’s lasagna.”

Derek started unpacking the remaining food from his bag, chuckling at the comment.

“Aha, I’m not the only one that came bearing food. I see how it is.”

“At least you came with a warning and thus have the luxury of a clean flat and a representable me. But I see that Rossi hasn’t sacred you away with exaggerated tales of our meeting”, you jokingly said.

“Nope. Rossi didn’t tell us anything, just that he went to see you. Actually, he might have told Hotch something, but nothing to the rest of the team.” Derek was smiling, but you heard the underlying sense of seriousness that conveyed that they were taking the whole situation to heart. And you felt undoubtedly relieved that Rossi hadn’t said anything. Not that you had really expected him to, but it was good to know either way. You smiled back and went to get some drinks for the two of you, asking Derek what he'd like.

A few minutes later the two of you were eating and thoroughly enjoying the food.

“You weren’t kidding about the food. You need to tell me where I can get this, I don’t think I can live without it in my life anymore.”

“I’d never joke about Mama Jones food, Darlin”, he drawled in an overexaggerated accent which made you laugh.

He told you a bit about his newest project, a lovely old house a short distance from the city, which he was currently deconstructing to turn it into a gem. He was planning on upcycling a lot of the old details and structures but there still was a lot of work left. In exchange you told Derek about your upstairs rooms which you had remodelled on your own. Your bedroom had been done for some time. There was one huge room though, which was the reason a lot of people didn’t want to have the small house since they thought the layout was whacky, which you were currently transforming into your very own library. You were pretty excited about it, since your own In-house library was one of your childhood dreams. You talked about which woods you were going to choose and how to best use the available space. Derek had a few ideas which you happily took into consideration as well as his offer of help once you had decided on your final plan, which you gladly accepted. You were far from helpless and were pretty sure that you could do it on your own, but it would definitely be faster with help, and you were sure that Derek had a few tricks you could learn from.

Afterwards you stacked the dishes in the kitchen and offered Derek some dessert and another drink. You settled on the couch with some self-baked cookies and two coffees just a few minutes later.

“So, onto the heavy conversation then?”, you teased lightly. Scratching his neck awkwardly Derek nodded before sighing quietly.

“I was surprised that you even want to see us if I’m being honest. I had expected this lunch to go a very different way.”

“Yeah, I noticed you were slightly surprised when I didn’t yell at you after opening the door”, you muttered, slight smile still on your lips.

“I was definitely prepared for that. If our roles were reserved, I probably would have.” Derek shifted a little so his body was turned more towards you, leaning forward slightly to be able to look into your eyes more easily.

“I logically know that neither of you intended to hurt me. It doesn’t change that it hurts and that the past year has been less than stellar, but I know that you didn’t do it out of malice”, you softly admitted, shifting your gaze to a point behind Derek.

“That’s the thing though, isn’t it? We might not have intended to hurt you, but we did. Maybe Hotch and Rossi have a little more leeway since they have their offices and don’t always see all that’s going on in the bullpen, but you sat right in the middle of the group and we all didn’t see how we were hurting you. I still can’t believe we never asked you why you weren’t at one of the outings. God, you must have hated us.”

“Not really. I just thought that you all might not like me or maybe did like me but only as a colleague and not as a friend. And you would have had every right to feel like that after all. How could I hate you for that?” Any you meant it, too. Even if the entire situation had not turned out to be some kind of misunderstanding, you could never have hated the team. Yes, the experience would have been miserable and you would have been disappointed, but you don’t think you would have had it in you to actually hate anyone.

Derek’s eyebrows did a complicated thing before settling in a frown.

“You’re way too good for us, Y/N. We’ve all made a mistake, several mistakes. I don’t have any excuse, not that an excuse would make the situation any better, but I am truly sorry. I’ve never meant to hurt you, but I did continuously. I want you to know that you’re a great asset to the team, not just as a colleague but as the person that you are and as a friend and a member of our little family. And I want you to know that you are likeable. You’re the person always brightening things up for us and I don’t think we have appreciated that enough.”

Derek’s voice was soft but you could see in his eyes the pain of the knowledge that he had hurt you. You could also see the affection and earnestness. And wasn’t this just proof of his stupidly big heart? You let his words sink in for a few moments, feeling how your shoulders relaxes and tension left your body. After Rossi’s visit it still was a relieve to hear Derek say something similar. But Derek continued before you could answer.

“I know that this might be a bit much, but you know that Spencer is like a little brother to me. The same goes for you, just as a sister of course. Even though I have enough of them already. Even if you decide that this team isn’t for you anymore that will not change. Do you think you can forgive me?”

A smile slowly spread over your face before you moved to hug Derek, a gesture he gladly returned.

“Apology accepted”, you murmured against his chest, which made him hug you even tighter.

“If anyone ever treats you that way again, even if it’s one of us, call me to hit them over the head.” You had a feeling that he was only half joking but couldn’t help the giggle escaping your lips.

“Sure thing, Big Bro”, you teased lightly. Derek’s hugs were comfortable. Warm and secure and because of his size you felt like you basically disappeared within his arms. You moved back to look at his face.

“Thank you, Derek. I really appreciate it”, you smiled and settled besides him again, a bit closer this time.

“I don’t think I want to leave the team. But I’m not sure yet. I think I just need to talk to everyone before I make the final decision.” Derek wrapped one arm around your shoulder, which prompted you to lean against his strong form.

“I’m not gonna lie and say that I’m not glad to hear that. What would you like to do if you decided against staying, though?” He didn’t sound accusatory or disappointed but curious about your thoughts. You remembered your talk about career prospects after you had first told him that you were leaving and out of all members of the team, Derek had been the one with the best advice. Simply because he really cared about your future.

“There’s a free position at the Counterintelligence Division for the Counterespionage Section that I think might be really interesting as well as a position at the Organized Crime Section. I don’t think I’d want to go back to deal with criminals though if I decided to leave.”

“I can understand that. As interesting as the BAU is, it’s a lot to deal with sometimes. The CE Section would be something else entirely which might be a great challenge for you. I heard that the teams are rather young as well, which might be great to work with.”

You talked about your job prospects outside of the team for a while, bouncing ideas and opinions back and forth. If you were honest to yourself though, it made you feel like leaving the team even less.

At some point you offered to watch a film and relax a little together, Derek had used up his free day to see you after all. He agreed grinned when you told him that he could decide on the film. You went into the kitchen to prepare some snacks and drinks and to give Derek some time to decide. Once you had positioned popcorn, chips, and beer on the table you settled back on the sofa to see which film he chose, which made you laugh hysterically.

“The Emperor’s New Groove? Seriously Derek?”

“What? It’s a great film!”, he defended but there was a huge smile on his face. You couldn’t very well argue with the reasoning. It was a great film after all. Just not what you had expected him to choose. Still giggling you grabbed one of the blankets and settled against his side, spreading the fabric over the two of you. He grabbed the bowl of snacks and the drinks and positioned them safely on your labs before settling down and wrapping an arm around you. Both of you laughed and commented on the film, munching on the snacks. After the first film followed the second, and you felt yourself grow tired. Snuggling more comfortably into Derek’s side and with his big hand caressing your hair, you felt your eyes slowly close and drifted off into sleep.

The next morning you woke up on your couch, blanket securely wrapped around you and the table cleared off. Instead of the snack bowl and the empty beer bottles there was a plate with a breakfast beagle and a small bowl of fruit as well as a small note in Derek’s handwriting.

“Y/N, I had to leave for work – new case, you know how it is. Can’t let the bossman wait too long and I didn’t want to wake you since you were sleeping so peacefully. Enjoy breakfast, the coffee machine is ready to go as well. Hope to see you soon, Derek x.”

Stepping into the kitchen you couldn’t help but smile. He’d obviously spent some time washing the dishes from yesterday and had selected your most ridiculous mug to position under the coffee machine. You started it and with a filled mug in hand moved back to the couch, enjoying your breakfast and sending a message of thanks to Derek.

---

Your first meet up with Spencer after that fateful dinner was actually instigated by you. No matter what had happened or however complicated the situation was, you missed Spencer. And you were fairly sure that out of all your teammates, he was the one who would take the situation the hardest. After all, he had experienced similar situations all his life. So it was you who texted Spencer and asked if he was up for a coffee at your favourite café. It took him a while to respond and you weren’t sure if it was because the team had a new case or because he was anxious. He did respond with an affirmation though, which was really all that mattered to you right now.

So, after a much-needed day without one of your teammates coming by to apologize, which you had still used to do some serious thinking, you made your way to the café with a renewed sense of purpose. That went out of the window however when you saw Spencer standing in front of the café, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. He had dark circles under his eyes and his face was gaunt, his hair a mess and you were pretty sure that he was even skinnier than before – even though that was hardly possible. You rushed over to him, gently gripping his shoulders.

“Spence! Are you alright? You look ill. Goodness, you should have told me if you weren’t feeling well, we could have rescheduled!” Spencer however was just staring at you, blinking rapidly. You frowned and gently cupped his face.

“Spence?”, you asked again. His eyes focused on your face and his own expression morphed into a confused frown.

“You’re concerned about me? Why?”, his voice was soft as always, but raspy as if he hadn’t spoken in days.

“What do you mean, Spencer? Of course I’m worried about you if you don’t feel well.” Now you were the one being confused. What was going on here?

“But I hurt you.” Everything fell into place the moment he said the words. Spencer was feeling guilty. And, as well known, Spencer wasn’t the best at dealing with feelings and emotions. You studied his face and his form again, noting all the little giveaways of tiredness and exhaustion. You sighed softly and gently cupped his face in your hands, forcing him to look at you.

“Yes, you all did. But You’re my friend Spencer, a very good friend at that and as a friend I do love you. And that love doesn’t just go away because you made a mistake or hurt me in any way. I don’t want to see you ill or not feeling your best in any way.” It took some moments for Spencer to absorb your words, but you absolutely knew when he did because tears threatened to spill. You pulled him into a strong hug, burying your own face against his shoulder.

“I’m glad to see you, Spence. I missed you and your statistics”, you muttered quietly but knew he had heard you when he squeezed you once.

“I missed you, too” he whispered against your neck. Staying like that for some time, you both were smiling once you moved away from each other.

“Coffee?”, you grinned at him.

“Definitely!”, he smiled back and held open the door for you to pass through. You walked to the small table you always took when it was empty. It was a bit more secluded than the rest of them but had a perfect view on the people passing outside. People watching was something both you and Spencer enjoyed, and a little distraction surely wouldn’t go amiss during the following conversation. In the meantime, Spencer went to order your drinks.

Once Spencer had brought over your drinks and was sitting opposite you, you noticed how he started to fidget with the spoon, obviously being anxious about the oncoming conversation.

“So, let’s get over with the bad side of the conversation so we can talk about nicer things”, you wink at him, giving him the opportunity to start. It was obvious that he had thought about everything, and by the looks of it, had forgone sleep in the process.

“I was surprised you reached out after everything”, he stated quietly.

“I thought about the situation for a long time. And I never thought any of you excluded me with malicious intent, to begin with. When Hotch offered to hold the position and after Rossi came over to talk to me, I found that I needed to talk to each of you before making my final decision. Rossi came by without announcing his visit and Derek also didn’t leave me much chance, even though he at least let me know in advance. After a day without anyone of the team I reached out to you because I miss our conversations. And because I want to clear up the situation between us. Because even if I were to decide to leave the team, I don’t want to lose the friendship that we have.” You smiled at him, trying to reassure him that the conversation wouldn’t end in a bad way. Spencer swallowed hard and fidgeted with his spoon for another few moments before taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders.

“I want to apologize. I know that we have been kind of excluding you and I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I don’t have any excuse. I know I haven’t been including you in conversations or inviting you to hang out with us. I know you’re probably feeling left out and like you don’t belong with the team, but I want you to know that’s not how we feel about you at all. You’re a vital part of this team… and our friend group.” You nodded along to his words.

“I think I know that now. Over the last year there were instances when I thought you all hadn’t invited me on purpose. That hurt. And I needed some time to come to terms with the fact that this all was just a big unfortunate misunderstanding which made me feel like a failure and like I wasn’t good enough for almost a year. But I understand that no one of you had any ill intentions. It doesn’t make the past year any better, but I do think we all can work through this if I stay on the team.” Spencer listened intently and slowly nodded carefully.

“I know it hasn’t been easy for you, being left out like that. But I want you to know that I value your contributions as a colleague and I appreciate everything you do as a friend. You did a lot for us. Not just for cases but in the office as well. All the times you brought coffee or breakfast for the team or the one time you made sure each of us had a little something for Valentine's Day last year. I’ll do better, I promise.”

You reached over the table to grasp Spencer’s hand, which had finally stopped playing with the spoon, and squeezed it gently.

“Thank you, Spencer. That means a lot.”

“I just wish that I had noticed earlier.”

“Well, me as well”, you chuckled, throwing him an exaggerated wink which made him smile.

“I felt really guilty when we found out. Still do, to be honest. As I said, I don’t want to excuse my actions or anyone’s really. I just thought you might be a very private person, closed off, just like I was in the beginning. I didn’t want to pressure you into doing something you really didn’t want to do. I feel a bit stupid just having assumed that.”

“It’s alright, Spencer. Well, maybe not alright. But I’m glad that we found out that it was all an unfortunate misunderstanding before the transfer went through. I really do love this team and I would hate to give it up.”

Both of you sipped on your drink for a few minutes, letting everything that had been said sink in properly. Even though you believed what you’d said, that no one of your fellow team members had any ill intentions, it still felt good to hear the apology. You still didn’t want Spencer to run himself in the ground though. So, you grabbed his hand again.

“I do accept your apology, Spencer. And I’m glad that we talked about it. I don’t want you to feel guilty anymore though, alright? Well, maybe a little. But promise me to not lose any sleep over it anymore.” Spencer smiled at you, shrugging a little.

“I’ll try.”

“Well, that’s good enough for now”, you grinned back at him.

“Did you know that prior social neuroscience studies have shown that similar areas in the brain are activated when we experience physical and social pain?”

You arched a playful eyebrow at Spencer’s little fact as if to say “oh, I hadn’t noticed” and couldn’t help but laugh at Spencer’s bashful expression when he noticed what he’d said.

“Well, do you also have a fun fact about Red Velvet Cake, because I’m going to bully you into buying me a slice and another coffee.”

“Of course I do. The recipe was known to the public for revenge. When it first originated, a Lady ate the cake in a restaurant and liked it quite a lot. She asked the restaurant for the recipe but they charged her $100 for it. She became so enraged that she widely spread the recipe as a form of revenge.”

You couldn’t help your laughter as he went to buy you the cake and another drink without even arguing. Of course Spencer would know random facts about cake. And of course Spencer would feel guilty. He was a brilliant man, even though you were sure that even brilliant was an understatement sometimes, and he was the one person on the team that always paid attention to everyone and everything. You were pretty sure that he had beaten himself up over not noticing those past few days. You just hoped that your words had helped a little. Just as his words had soothed an ache inside your heart.

Both of you spent the rest of the afternoon watching the people passing outside the café and trying to make up stories about them. Spencer sent you into hysterics with an elaborate story about an elderly lady dressed in fur, who in his opinion was a foreign spy from western Europe trying to steal the secret cat food recipe so her 37 cats back home would finally be content and not wake her up at 4am anymore.

Feeling more content than you had in the last few days, except maybe for right after you’d eaten Rossi’s Lasagna, you made your way home. Feeling like staying on the team might actually be the right thing to do. You hadn’t lied to Spencer when you’d told him that you felt that you all could work through the issue at hand.

---

In the following two days you met up with both Emily and JJ. Emily had been quite frank as always. She’d asked you why you’d never said anything at all but backtracked pretty fast when she noticed how the question might sound to you.

“I just- I can’t believe the entire team was that stupid. We’re all profilers, the best of the best at that. We should have noticed. We all know the ‘no profiling each other’ rule doesn’t work either way because we subconsciously do so anyways”, she’d explained awkwardly before apologising for the situation at hand.

You were content with that, however. Everyone knew that Emily was a private person, guarding her life and her emotions very well. Often times it was only Hotch who could see though her, but then again Hotch could see through almost everyone.

To say that you had been surprised when Emily suddenly hugged you would be an understatement. Returning the hug, she’d quietly apologized and promise to pay more attention. Only after you had accepted the apology, she’d dragged you to go out and get drinks.

The meeting with JJ had been pretty similar. She’d straight up apologized and promised to do better. She knew the impact feeling unworthy could have first hand, she’d explained hinting at her sister. You both had talked through the situation while Will supplied both of you with non-alcoholic drinks on a semi-regular basis.

You had also briefly talked about what you would do if you were to decide not to stay on the team. JJ had been supportive and offered to introduce you to some of the people working in the other teams if you decided to leave. Due to her time as media liaison, she knew quite a lot people outside the BAU Team.

The meeting had then shifted into a catch up on different topics and you had been supplied several pictures of Henry, who was at a birthday party at the moment. He seemed to be a sweet child if all the pictures were anything to go by. JJ promised to introduce you in the near future. You also found that Will had quite a wicked sense of humour and was great to talk to. Once the serious discussion had been over, he had joined the two of you. You hadn’t really interacted with him before and were happy to find out that he was a great guy. Not that you’d doubted that before.

Garcia was the one person you had dreaded a little. Not because you didn’t want to talk to her or didn’t like her. But because this talk was bound to be the most emotional out of all of them. You decided to stop by her apartment on your way back from another outing, thinking maybe a surprise visit might make things easier. Boy had you been wrong. Waiting for Garcia to open the door after ringing the doorbell, she froze the moment she’d opened the door and realized who was standing in front of her. You were sure she’d tried her best to keep her emotions in check, but she failed miserably.

“Oh God, Y/N?”, she’d greeted you, staring at you like she’d never seen you before. You had smiled at her a little awkwardly and uttered a joking “surprise!”, before she reacted, asking you if she could hug you which you gladly granted. You hadn’t quite expected her to start crying at that. Even though in retrospect you should have. No sooner had some of her tears spilled over did she start to apologise. You let her get everything out before gently asking her to slow down a little.

“God, I’m so sorry. I promised myself not to cry, I don’t want to guilt trip you or anything. Really! I’m just so glad to see you.” You did reassure her that it was alright before both of you settled down to talk about the misunderstandings and everything that had happened.

“I know we were all pretty blind and everything. But I promise that we did want to have you there. I even photoshopped you into some of the pictures we took because it felt like they were missing something without you. The team isn’t really the team without you, Y/N.” And damn, as ridiculous as it sounded, your heart felt warmed at her words. The fact that there were photoshopped pictures of those outings having you in them made it very clear that you had been wanted there. Garcia even showed you a few. And while it hurt a little to see the pictures of your team grinning at the camera without you having been there with them, you were quite impressed by Garcia’s photoshop skills. Not surprised though.

---

After the talk with Garcia you did feel ready to make your final decision. You were pretty sure already but decided to sleep on it another night. Once you had decided you texted Garcia to ask if the team was on a case and were relived to hear that they actually had two off days lined up. Now that you had made up your mind you wanted to inform Hotch as soon as possible.

Hotch had been very sweet those past days, for lack of better words. He had stayed in contact with you, checking up on you and how you were feeling regularly. You’d always informed him if you met up with any member of the team, feeling like he should know that it was part of your decision process. He had been supportive of that, letting you know off days or when the team was on a case so you could plan the meetings as well as possible.

It felt weird to stand in front of his door now, though. You hadn’t been here before and doubted your decision a little. Maybe you should have waited and planned on going to the office to tell him. Now that you were already here though, you felt stupid to just leave again. You could hear a child laughing through the open window, presumably Jack, whom you hadn’t met yet either, as well as Hotch’s deep voice. Taking a deep breath you rang the doorbell, expecting your boss to open the door. In front of you stood a young boy, however. You smiled at him.

“Are you Miss Y/N?”, he asked curiously.

“I am!”, you smiled at him. “I guess you have to be Jack then? How did you know it was me?”

Jack nodded vigorously, leaning closer to you as if to tell you a secret.

“I saw you standing outside and asked Daddy who you were”, he told you very seriously which made you laugh.

“Won’t you let our guest in, buddy?”, you heard Hotch’s voice coming closer. Jack grinned and moved back to let you step in before closing the door.

“Hi Hotch”, you smiled at the man moving towards the two of you. He was wearing casual clothes again which made absolute sense, but you were so used to seeing him wearing suits that you were still taken aback a little. If anyone had asked you three weeks ago if Hotch even owned Jeans, you would have laughed and answered with a very definite no.

“It’s good to see you, Y/N. Do come in. We were just making Breakfast in case you haven’t eaten yet.”

“I haven’t”, you acknowledged and followed him into an open living room.

“Make yourself comfortable. Pancakes are done in a few minutes.” Jack climbed up on the couch to sit beside you once you had settles.

“Daddy makes the best pancakes!”, he informed you happily.

“I see, I am in good hands then!” Jack nodded in agreement before moving on the book sat beside him, which he had apparently discarded to open the door. It was about snakes.

“Did you know that Snakes smell with their tongues?”, Jack asked you suddenly. You nodded in agreement.

“Mhm. Did you know that some Snakes can sense heat which is how they know where their prey is located?” Jack stared at you wide-eyed and shook his head. You gently took the book from him, searching for a side which had a big enough picture of a Pit Viper.

“You see the two small holes in its face? They’re called pits and the snake can use those to sense heat. It’s how they know where to attack in the dark. They can also hear vibrations in their jaw bones. They can’t hear the way we do. They use a bone attached to their jaw called a quadrate to sense vibrations, which is also how they can locate anything that moves.”

Hotch chose that moment to come back with a huge stack of pancakes that he placed on the dinner table which was already set for three people. Seems like you might have stood outside far longer that you thought you had.

“You know a lot about snakes”, he stated while moving around to get some orange juice. Domestic Life definitely suited him.

“I do. I used to have snakes for most my life. They’re pretty cool.”

“Do you still have one?”, Jack asked excitedly which made you laugh.

“I do. I have a small Rosy Boa called Daisy. She’s quite a docile girl. Maybe I can introduce you one day.”

You looked up to find Hotch quietly laughing, raising an eyebrow in question.

“You called your snake Daisy?”

“Sure. I’ve always named my snakes after flowers. Not gonna change that tradition until I run out of names.”

Having won Jack over by simply liking snakes, Breakfast was a lively affair. You knew that Hotch was a good dad, you’d never doubted it. It showed in the way he always made sure to call his son while on cases and the fact that he often felt like he didn’t do enough. It was a little weird to witness the domestic scenes, still. It was a harsh contrast to the person Hotch was at the office. You weren’t about to complain though. It was a refreshing change, and you were glad that Hotch felt comfortable sharing that side of him with you.

It was after Breakfast that Jessica swung by to pick Jack up for a play date with another friend, which later turned out to be Henry. You were pretty sure that it was a spontaneous meet up which Hotch had organised after seeing you standing in front of his door. Before leaving jack came over to give you a hug and say goodbye, but not before telling you that he hoped that you stayed on his dad’s team because you made it better. When you just stared at him confused, he grinned at you.

“Don’t worry, Miss Y/N, Daddy didn’t tell me to say that to you. I just listen when Daddy talks about work and you sound like you made the team a better place. He still has the mug you gave him for his birthday last year (which had a corny joke about grumpy pants on it) and he often said that you brought the team breakfast.”

“Thank you, Jack”, you answered, still stunned. You hadn’t expected a child to be so insightful. Then again it was Hotch’s child, maybe you should have expected it. You settled back on the couch while Hotch saw his son off, taking note of the memorabilia in the room as well as the array of toys and children books.

“So, I take it that you’ve made a final decision?”, Hotch asked as he was moving back towards you, holding two cups of coffee in his hands.

You just nodded and gratefully took the offered mug, turning slightly more towards Hotch who was studying you closely.

“I know that I already said it at Rossi’s, but I’d like to apologize again. We were blind when we absolutely shouldn’t have been. In our job we see how people hurt each other every day, we look for any sings, clues or behaviours that validate our thesis. We should have noticed them in one of our own sooner, even though there shouldn’t have been any reason for you to feel the way you felt, at all. I’m sure that each member of the team has already said it, but there really is no excuse for how we acted.” Hotch’s voice, while barely ever aggressive when not talking to an unsub or a suspect, was positively gentle and soft. No sign of the usually stern edge to his voice, no glare, no frown. By now you were pretty sure that the Hotch at work was just a persona he put on to shield the team from any possible harm.

“I do accept your apology, Hotch. What you said at Rossi’s about me feeling the way I felt about the situation has really helped me deal with the whole process. I felt a little ridiculous at first, but I now can accept that it was a misunderstanding. You’re also right. We all should have noticed sooner and communicated with each other better”, Hotch nodded along, his head tilted in question though, which made you smile. “I say we, because I am aware that I could have said something sooner. Communication is a two-way street after all.” At that Hotch was about to interrupt you, but you gently shushed him by grabbing his hand.

“I know that no one of you had any ill intend. And I am pretty sure that we can all work through the situation at hand. That doesn’t mean I don’t expect a fancy coffee as a welcome when I come back to work next week.” It took him a few moments to process what you had said, but once he did a delighted smile appeared on his face, one which you’d never seen before. You did like it though. Hotch was your Boss, but you would acknowledge that he was indeed attractive any day. The smile made him seem years younger and he was positively glowing, looking more than handsome. You grinned back at him. His hand, that you were still holding, gently squeezed yours and he leaned closer towards you.

“I am really glad to hear that, Y/N. I will personally make sure that any coffee wishes will be fulfilled. It’s the least we can do. The bullpen really hasn’t been the same without you.”

“What do you mean?” You were pretty sure that your impact at work had been minimal at best. After all, the bullpen was loud, noisy and chaotic and you usually didn’t participate in any of the shenanigans.

“Let’s see… Derek has noticed that the spoiled food from the common use kitchen area didn’t magically disappear anymore. He even questioned the cleaning lady about it and asked if that was part of her usual tasks. Which, of course, it wasn’t. Several team members have also found that their favourite coffee creamers aren’t actually part of the company’s provided products. Rossi has found that he doesn’t receive assorted files of interesting crime reports and difficult crossword puzzles anymore and Derek has found that all his mugs don’t just clean themselves. Garcia was very bereft when she found out that no one of the other girls had given her clippings showing the most colourful clothes of the season and the amount of times Emily had a breakdown over her printer not working over the last two weeks is simply astounding. JJ no longer has pre-sorted files on her desk and Reid doesn’t receive random book recommendations or interesting news articles on some obscure scientific subject anymore. And my own piles of cases have mysteriously grown without the workload changing and are no longer sorted. Just as I have found out that I apparently didn’t just forget that I had hung up Jack’s drawings in my office almost all the time when I noticed that I don’t even have the little magnets used for the board. And the only constant that has changed over the past few weeks is you not being in the office, Y/N. So you see, you made quite an impact without anyone, including yourself, noticing. You made the place feel friendlier and just so much warmer, that we all felt quite bereft. Not just because things were suddenly different, but because we saw how much you did for us and how little we gave you in return.”

You couldn’t help but stare at Hotch while he was stating all that in his usual matter of fact kind of way. You were feeling so many emotions at once that it was difficult to grasp one to concentrate on. Your mouth was opening and closing, oddly reminiscent to the situation at Rossi’s dinner. But this time you didn’t feel absolute dread curse through your body, of that you were sure at least. You felt warm and fuzzy and a sense of disbelieve that finally someone had noticed all the small things you did. You had never been the best with showing that you cared, always trying to show it through small acts of service that would make someone else’s day a little brighter or a task a little less daunting.

“I’ve made you cry again”, Hotch muttered softly, pulling you closer towards him. Only then did you notice that you were indeed crying. Twice in a row. In front of your Boss. You couldn’t help yourself though, and moved even closer, wrapping your arms around his waist, and squeezing him.

“Thank you”, you said quietly through your tears.

“Are you thanking me for making you cry?” An incredulous laugh escaped his lips at the situation, and you couldn’t help the smile tugging at your lips.

“I’m thanking you because no one really noticed those things before. Even though the situation might not be ideal, you did notice. It’s always been my way of showing that I care but it usually gets overlocked in everyday life.” You felt how Hotch’s arms pulled you closer towards him before he settled against the back of the couch, one hand running through your hair and the other one rubbing soothing circles on your arm.

“I don’t really think we deserve you, but I’m glad you decided to stay on the team.” His voice was quiet, but he had rested his cheek against your hair, so you could hear him perfectly fine.

”Me as well”, you responded just a quietly. And you really were. You couldn’t wait to start over with everyone and to move on from this whole mess. You felt your body relaxing against Hotch’s warmth, enjoying the feeling of safety and being cared for. It wasn’t exactly what you had expected from Hotch when all of this started, but maybe you shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, he was the one always making little jokes to see other’s smile or offered encouragement and help if anyone on the team needed it – no questions asked. One of his hands moved to cup your cheek, carefully turning your face to look at him.

“I promise that things will change once you’re back. Well do our best to make up for our mistakes and to make sure you’ll always feel like a wanted and needed, valuable member of our team. I promise, I’ll do better.” The last part of the sentence stuck with you. Of course he would feel responsible for the entire situation.

“I know you will, Hotch. I trust you.”

You could feel how his own body relaxed at your words and felt content with the knowledge that you had eased his mind a little. You snuggled back against his side, closing your eyes and taking the feeling of contentment in. His arms wrapped tighter around you and his chin came back to rest on top of your head. Had anyone told you four weeks ago that you would end up on Hotch’s couch and snuggled into his side, you would have laughed at them. Now though, you would hardly trade that place for anything.

---

On your first day back at the BAU everyone was shocked to see you. You had made Hotch promise not to tell them anything. Still, you found a steaming cup your favourite coffee as well as a bagel from your favourite bakery on you desk. Looking up, you smiled at Hotch who had remembered the little demand you had made in jest the other day. What really made your heart melt though was a colourful self-made welcome back card from Jack, which you found once you opened one of your drawers.

The team welcomed you back with open arms and hugs, and maybe a few tears on Garcia’s part. You were surprised that you seamlessly fit into the dynamics after everything that had happened. The first few weeks you were cautious, expecting to find out that there were meet ups you hadn’t been invited to or to see random new photos of the group with everyone except for you. It didn’t happen though. Instead you found yourself sitting in-between your colleagues and friends at team dinners in Rossi’s living room or garden every month, as well as some of the weirdest Bars and Clubs you’d ever seen on a semi-regular basis. Every other week you and Rossi met up for private dinners, mostly consisting of his Nonna’s receipts – some of which he’d even taught you. Those nights were a safe-heaven for you, having found a father-like figure in your friend. When there was enough time or pent up frustrations, you found yourself at one of Derek’s construction sides to help him out and learning loads of new things from him. Both of you had constructed the perfect library in your little home in no time, a room Spencer was frequently found in now. Somehow, you weren’t quite sure how it had happened, you found yourself a part of Derek’s and Garcia’s pre-established movie nights as well, finding out that Derek didn’t just like Disney films but was a sucker for Rom-Coms. Emily, JJ and Garcia had also roped you into joining their shopping and spa days. While you could get behind the spa part, shopping really wasn’t something you considered fun. The girls made it bearable though and the promise of after-shopping-drinks kept you joining most of the time. The number of conventions you had visited with Spencer was way too high, but you didn’t really care. Derek was suffering under it, since you also had joined his and Spencer’s film nights. With you in the picture and mostly on Spencer’s side when it came to film choices, his try to teach Spencer pop culture was for naught. Emily, who secretly was a foodie, had introduced you to a ton of new restaurants and dishes as well as renowned night clubs you’d never set a foot in otherwise and jazz bars you adored. You also spent a lot of time with Hotch and Jack, introducing them to Daisy and joining them on day trips to the zoo or the aquarium as well as joining his weekend soccer matches with the rest of the team. Every now and then while on a case, you found yourself enjoying a glass of scotch with Hotch in privacy, talking about Jack or any other subject that came to your minds.

For one miserable year you had felt like you were on a never-ending treasure hunt, searching for a place to call your home. Searching for a place to feel safe and to feel warm. It had been draining to pretend that you belonged within the team, to pretend to like and understand what they were saying. You had asked yourself where you belonged every day. And you finally had found a solid answer.

---

“When you get to a place where you understand that love and belonging, your worthiness, is a birthright and not something you have to earn, anything is possible.” Brene Brown

---

Sei un raggio di sole  – You are a ray of sunshine

Puffetta - Smurfette

Gioia  – joy

passerotto/a – “sparrow”, usually exclusive to girls

Dolcezza - sweetness

caro mio/cara – My Dear

Bellissimo/a - gorgeous

---

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments! I have to admit that you might have made me cry a little with all your kind words and appreciation. Thank you for waiting so patiently for part 3, I know that it took me ages to write… Life just really got in the way of things. I had to shorten it a little and cut the lengthier parts about the meetings with Emily, JJ and Garcia. I might post them as an excerpt one of these days. I really like the parts dealing with Rossi, Derek and Hotch. With the rest I’m a bit unsure, but I didn’t want to keep you waiting. Part 4 is going to be the alternative ending in which the reader leaves the team.

I hope you enjoyed part 3!

----

Taglist (I hope I got everyone that asked to be tagged. If not, please let me know):

@measure-in-pain @yourfavoritefangirl @dollylolitasworld @abbeyskeff @stupidassgryffindor @lovurryy @mojo366 @fruittiest-of-loops @softieekayy @fandomalert31

@the-person-in-the-circle @no-soy-fer @theodorereaken @beeblisss @wishfulwithwine @champagneneen @strangunddurm @crocodilefeet2707 @elleclairez @ilovewomeen

@snakequeen13 @lolilkkk @kuntxrgraudunkelbunt @daddy-jareau @unlikelyfurywolf @adhdannieedison @thelittlecatalex @mess-is-my-aesthetic @superskittles @sj22071s

@elleisalwayssleepy @noisy-head @marauderssimpcuzwhytfnot @shesoperfectt @feltonswifesworld87 @kakashis-formal-simp @yourfavunsub @lokigirlszendaya @sophiaj650 @venomsvl

@himboelover @multi-fandom-imagines @kingjuli3n @maybeblakeley @sayukoi @gojutsu @my-beel @users09 @buckysmainhxe @fandom-has-taken-me-hostage

@heyhowareyaxd @lokisnumber1whore @lightjoh @sebastiansstanswhore @stcrrjoon @shamelessfangirl-3

[haunted-moon]

Long Way Home [Part II]

[Azriel x Reader fanfic]

Synopsis: Y/n is the daughter of a healer in the city of Velaris. After a small incident, she moves to the House of the Wind to work for the High Lord, Rhysand. Everyone in the house seems to welcome her except Azriel, the second in command. Even though he is just blankly polite and does not acknowledge her much, she can't help but fall for him. Does Azriel return her feelings or remain unfeelingly aloof?

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

Read Part 1 here.

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

Part II

I started noticing that I got stared at more than usual whenever I came to visit father. Apparently, he had proudly told everyone who came to be treated that his daughter now studied in the House of the Wind and worked for the High Lord himself. I was happy to see him happy, but at the same time embarrassed when I was in the spotlight of attention. 

In my most recent visit, there were only a few patients to take care of, and none to stay the night in the infirmary room. Father cooked a deliciously smelling vegetable soup with mouth watering garlic bread for dinner. We carried the food along with a bottle of homemade wine to the terrace of our building. We did this often, sitting under the magnificent sky of the City of Starlight. It kind of became our ritual after mother died, where after all the eating and drinking, I'd lie down with my head on father's lap like I used to do as a small child, and he narrated stories of her. 

Our family history was a bit strange. My father was a proud, handsome descendant of the Illyrians, but my mother had been a high fae from the Summer Court. I've heard that most of my ancestors' pairing is similar to that. 

Your mother, she had this alluring green eyes, the colour which you see in the depths of a still pond, never letting go once you are pulled into. I can still see how the soft wind caressed her pinkish hair against her skin. He loved to describe her, and repeated over and over again the story of how they met. 

The story of how she died was only told once, and he never repeated it again. When I had been two years old, mother was pregnant with my sister. There was an internal bleeding which didn't stop, and sadly, both mother and child succumbed to it.

According to one of my neighbours, father was completely devastated after her death. He even stopped selling his services for a while. He didn't talk to anyone and sulked alone, which was completely opposite to his usual extrovert nature. I don't remember any of this, though. Even with sadness in his heart, he never forgot that he had a living daughter and my childhood was full of happy memories. 

Well, mostly. 

That night, he was telling me the story of how he used to paint my mother's toenails with colour when she was pregnant and couldn't do it herself—his personal favourite which I listened to every time like I was hearing it for the first time—when a shadow flew across the starry sky and landed in front of us. 

It was Azriel. 

I pushed myself into a sitting position, squinting at the cloth wrapped parcel which he held in both hands. When my father stood up to greet him, he extended it forward. 

"Greetings, sir. The High Lord and Lady send their compliments," he then turned to me. "Hello, y/n."

I nodded while father conveyed his thanks and accepted the parcel. Azriel was about to leave right then, but father insisted on him having dinner before he did so. He hesitated, his gaze dropping at our empty dining plates and wine bottle, but eventually agreed. They went down the stairs into the warmth of the kitchen and I followed. 

Father was already making cheery conversation, and Azriel joined after a while. They knew some mutual fae and some members of the Illyrian clan, and began having an earnest discussion. 

Azriel was ushered to sit while I set the table and father heated up the food. He always made extra portions because someone could unexpectedly stopped by for a chat and had to be welcomed with delicious food every time. While Azriel ate and they talked, I silently listened from a chair nearby. I felt the familiar squeezing ache in my chest as I watched them, because I could tell that Azriel was not humouring my father out of mere politeness and genuinely wanted to converse. He was never like that with me in the few months I've spent in the House. 

I felt prickling behind my eyes, and I excused myself to my room before it turned into tears. Once underneath my warm covers, I let the tears fall and fell into a tired slumber. 

I was jerked back into consciousness when I heard the sound of my bedroom door being opened. My eyes were swollen shut from all the crying and I had to fight to open them a bit and see who came in. 

It was father. He sat on the side of my bed and gently caressed my hair, noticing that I was awake. 

"Azriel left just now. We talked for a long time."

I closed my eyes and sighed, trying very hard not to cry again. "Hmm."

"Has he hurt you?" He asked, his voice low.

I blinked open my eyes in confusion. "Who?"

"Azriel."

I scoffed and shook my head. "I don't even know him that well to be hurt, papa."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's why you cried yourself to sleep, huh?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, not answering. He knew everything anyway.

He stood up and fetched a cold compress for my eyes. I felt fresh tears threatening to spill, and pushed the compress deeper onto my eyelids. 

"Does he have a mate already?"

"No. It doesn't matter. They'll feel the bond towards each other soon, anyway. The High Lady's sister might be the one."

"I see."

He was silent for a while. The swelling eased down and I could open my eyes wider. When the compress wasn't so cold anymore, I put it on the nightstand and wriggled back to a comfortable position. Father gently patted my head in a rhythm to help me sleep. 

"You'll find a deserving mate too, don't worry," he whispered. "A heart has to eventually find its home."

─•~❉᯽❉~•─

Read Part 3 here.

This fanfic can also be found in Wattpad, along with other exclusive parts like playlists and pictures. Here's the link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/358573037-long-way-home

Happy reading! <3

[topgun-imagines]

Wine and Roses

Requested: yes

Summary: You and your husband celebrate your 5th wedding anniversary.

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings: none.

Note: Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day!

Pairings: Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky x fem!reader

The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon when the timer on the oven went off. You set your book down onto the coffee table before moving into the kitchen. You were cooking dinner for yourself and your husband, seeing that your anniversary was tonight. It was your five-year anniversary and it was safe to say that you were counting down the seconds until Tom was home. He hated the fact that he had to work today, but you knew that his work was important. You always made sure that your husband knew just how much you loved and appreciated him. With one last check of the clock, you grinned. He should be home in the next five minutes or so. 

You pulled the tray of garlic bread from the oven and set it on the corkboard that you had set on the counter. There was a pot of pasta on the stovetop along with a saucepan of a delicious red sauce. Quickly, you mixed up a caesar salad and set it in the center of the table. Once that was finished you set up the rest of the table, placing two glasses on it last. With a smile, you moved back into the living room. 

Picking up your book, you continued on reading. You waited for your husband to walk through the door for the next few minutes, routinely glancing up to check. When it was almost ten minutes past when he normally arrived home, you began to wonder where he was. You weren’t worried per se, you were just curious as to where he was. He mentioned this morning before he left for work that he was going to be home as soon as he could. With a shrug, you continued reading. You were sure that he would be home soon. 

A few more minutes had passed and you were just turning the last page of the chapter when you heard the door creak open. A large smile grew on your face as you tossed the book onto the couch. Leaping up, you quickly made your way to the front door. 

Ice had barely set down the items in his hands before you were jumping into his arms, yours winding around his neck. Your head rested in the crook of his neck. Ice held the backs of your thighs as he moved the two of you to the living room. With a soft kiss pressed to the crown of your head, Ice promised that he would be back in a second before he disappeared around the corner. Moments later he returned with both of his hands hiding behind his back. 

Ice shot you one of his million-dollar smiles before he pulled the small bouquet of white roses from behind his back. You smiled softly at the sight. All of the flowers at your wedding had been on the lighter side. Both you and your husband had decided that the traditional dark red roses were overrated. So instead, he always made sure to get you a different color of roses. This year, for your fifth wedding anniversary, he had gotten you a beautiful bouquet of white roses and baby’s breath. 

He pulled his other hand from behind his back to reveal a bottle of wine. Tom was never really much of a wine drinker, but he figured that for this special occasion, he could make an exception. The wine was one of your favorites, the same one that you and Tom had drunk at your wedding. Happy tears rose in your eyes at the fact that Ice had remembered such a small detail. 

Your husband grinned at your expression, chuckling quietly when you launched yourself into his arms once more. You pulled back and smiled up at him with watery eyes. He brushed your tears away with the pad of his thumb. With one last gentle smile, Ice handed you the flowers and grabbed your free hand, leading you to the kitchen. You followed behind him with a giddy smile on your face. 

When you reached the kitchen, Ice dropped your hand, allowing you to find a vase for the flowers, his hands settled on your hips as you filled it with water. Once the flowers were in, you placed them on the table, slightly off to the side to ensure that you would still be able to see your husband. Ice grabbed a corkscrew before the pair of you moved toward the table. Sitting down, you watched as your husband opened the bottle before pouring some into your glasses. With a large, loving grin, Ice reached across the table and held your hand in his as you began eating. 

The meal passed quickly, both you and Ice sharing quiet conversation in between bites. That was one of the things you loved about your husband. What many people interpreted as stone-cold silence you really knew was one of his ways of showing affection. He was an excellent listener. And while many people thought that his looks were filled with nothing but judgment, you knew that he was simply scanning and observing the room. Another thing that he was great at. But you also knew that some of his looks could hold a great amount of judgment. Those were typically reserved for Maverick. 

Once you had finished your meal, you smiled at our husband mischievously. He only quirked an eyebrow, watching you as you moved toward the fridge. You kept your back to him as you pulled something out. “Close your eyes,” You instructed quietly. He obeyed with a small smile. When you were sure that his eyes were closed and he couldn’t see anything, you moved back over to him and placed the object in front of him. After taking your seat across from him, you spoke once more. “Okay, you can open them.” You watched as his eyes fluttered open, landing on you before drifting down to the object in front of him. The grin on his face was one of the largest that you had seen in a long time. 

Sitting in front of him was a near-perfect replica of your wedding cake, only on a cupcake. It had beautiful light blue roses piped onto the top of a thin layer of white fondant. You had spent hours making sure that the frosting was perfectly done and the light blue flowers were placed in just the right spot. At one point, Carole had even come over to help with the decorating. He looked up at you and you could suddenly see the tears lining his lashes. You knew that Ice wasn't a big crier “Thank you, baby.” He whispered with a smile, reaching across the table to grab your hand in his. 

You offered him a smile in return, squeezing his hand three times softly. He returned the gesture almost immediately. His thumb rubbed over the back of your hand softly, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. “Happy anniversary,'' You murmured. Ice offered you another dazzling smile before releasing your hand and picking up his cupcake. The two of you dug into them, each humming contently at the taste. As you finished your last bite, you glanced up at your husband, only to find him already looking at you. There was a fond smile on his face and a soft look in his eyes. One that you would never get tired of seeing. “I love you, Tom.” You spoke quietly. Your hand found his once more. 

Your husband stood from the table suddenly, bringing you with him. He tugged you closer to him, causing you to land in his arms. The side of your head rested against his chest, right over his heartbeat, as he began swaying the two of you around the room. Regardless of the lack of music, it was one of the most romantic moments of your life. “I love you too, honey.” He whispered, his lips resting against the crown of your head as you danced. You only smiled into the soft fabric of his shirt. It was when he began humming the song for your first dance that you teared up, hiding your face in his chest as you shed happy tears. Safe to say, you were looking forward to spending many more years with your husband. You wouldn’t trade moments like this for the world.

a/n: Hope you enjoyed! Thank you all for reading and Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day. Requests are open.

[chicky-sammich]

Sunday-March 26-2023

The last day of my recent gorge

I had been stuffing myself all weekend full of absurd amounts of fat and calories. It had been days since my belly wasn’t almost fully bloated, and the constant churning of my belly was something I had become accustomed to.

I woke up early around 6am for work, and my belly was still bloated from the bombardment of food I’d eaten the days prior. Somehow I was hungry, but didn’t have the time to eat, so I put on my uniform and drove to work. The whole way, my shirt felt tighter than usual, and I could see the outline of my belly the entire time.

The work day was fairly normal, except for the multiple glances from customers towards my protruding belly. By the earliest time I could take my lunch break, I leapt at the opportunity. I quickly made a double chicken and fajita quesadilla with a large sour cream, then sat and ate in my car

As fast as I could, I gobbled down the cheesy, creamy goodness, letting sour cream drip down my chin. The whole thing was gone in 5 minutes, just in time to be back at work.

For the rest of the work day, I could feel the quesadilla bubbling in my gut. I was insanely bloated and gassy, and was soooooo turned on from how much my belly sloshed as I worked.

Once work was done I was absolutely starving again. I was invited to Cracker Barrel by some coworkers and just had to take advantage. I ordered a huge plate of country fried chicken and gravy with macaroni and cheese and hash brown casserole.

They watched as I devoured the entire plate, leaving myself so stuffed I had to waddle out of the restaurant. Everyone stared as I went, and it only fueled my gluttony. After sitting in the car for almost an hour rubbing my poor tummy, I went home. I should have been done at this point, but my gluttony got ahold of me.

Laying in bed, all I wanted was my engorged belly to be even larger, and in a gluttonous, horny haze, I ordered a pizza. I waited in anticipation for it to arrive, and somehow my tummy began to rumble for the delectable fatty feast. When the pizza arrived, I immediately grabbed it, and started to dig in.

Slice after slice was forced into my poor aching belly. It was so delicious and hurt so good. I could feel my stomach expanding like a balloon full of liquid concrete, pushing out further and further. Cheese and sauce covered my face but I didn’t care. I dipped ever piece in ranch and garlic butter, making sure to cover every inch. I ate and ate until finally the pizza was gone. I sat on the couch, cradling my engorged aching gut. I listened to the violent roar of my belly as it hopelessly tried to digest the days food. I was finally content.

I sat on the couch for a while longer until I could feel my eyelids start to droop. The effects of the food coma were coming. I slowly pushed myself off the couch and waddled to my bed, exhaustedly falling into it. My belly rose above me like a mountain of pink flesh. I could feel it pulsate with every heartbeat and raise up farther with every breathe.

Finally, resting my arms atop my massive tank of a gut, I fell asleep, dreaming of being even bigger the next day.

Thank you guys for reading! I’ll be posting some pics from after the stuffing soon!

[thebisexualdogdad]

Can I request fluff Donna Troy x Male reader. When Donna has a rough day and when she came home, reader has already make they favorite dinner. The appartement has only candle light on. And after they are cuddling and fall asleep on the couch?

Donna Tory x GN!reader

You had gotten a heads up text from Dick that Donna had a rough day with the Titans so you make a quick trip to the market wanting to go all out to try to cheer her up.

She returns home to a dark apartment, about to flip the lights on when she notices a faint glow coming from the dining room.

"Y/N?" She calls out.

"In here," you reply from the kitchen.

She walks towards the sound of your voice and finds the dining room lit with candles as you place the last of the food you cooked on the table.

"What's going on?" She asks.

"Dick told me you had a hard day so for dinner I made your favorite, fettuccine Alfredo with garlic bread and sautéed vegetables on the side and don't forget the chocolate mousse for dessert," you tell her, kissing her cheek and pulling the chair out for her.

"You made all this?" She smiles, taking her seat.

"Everything except the mousse, you remember what happened last time I tried baking," you chuckle sitting next to her.

"I will never forget the cupcake incident, we were finding flour in the kitchen for weeks," she laughs.

While you two eat Donna tells you about her day and how Dawn had to stitch her up in multiple places after a nasty fight with Chesire and her claws.

Her mood instantly lifted being with you and it didn't hurt having such a delicious meal in front of her.

Every plate is empty by the time you guys are done eating, leftovers were not a common thing in your home especially when it came to dessert.

Donna hugs you from behind, resting her head on your shoulder while you wash dishes.

"You sure you don't want me to help? You cooked dinner all by yourself the least I can do is clean some dishes," she says.

"I got this, go find a movie for us to watch. I'll join you in a few minutes," you smile.

Donna gently kisses your shoulder, heading to the couch and blowing the candles out on her way before turning the TV on.

Five minutes later the dishes are done and you plop down onto the couch next to Donna, "so what are we watching?"

"Bad moms," she says pressing play, "this movie never fails to make me laugh."

"Good choice," you reply, putting your arm around her and bringing her in close.

You settle into a comfortable position to cuddle and laugh plenty while watching the movie.

Eventually you notice Donna has stopped laughing so you look down to see that she's fast asleep.

You turn the movie off, grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch and throwing it over you guys.

When Donna wakes in the morning she's wrapped in your arms, pleasantly warm from the blanket laying over her and the frustrations of the day before completely forgotten.

[balkanradfem]

On garden and winter food

I've decided to go and take inventory of all of my canned good, to figure out what kind of stash do I have for this winter, and to know how quickly am I allowed to go thru it. Half an hour of counting and sorting in my basement informed me I had 37 jars of salty-sour types of preserves, and 32 jars of sweet preserves. This is more sweet stuff than I've had in the past, but not nearly enough of salty-sour. 'What was I thinking?' I said to myself, and then I remembered, no, it's not for a lack of planning, I was sick the whole summer, I've done all canning I possibly could. The lesson was just not to get covid in the summer.

Still, I was worried it wouldn't be enough to get me thru the winter, and, since I've been so sick and neglecting my garden, it wasn't going to start producing a lot of new food anytime soon. Not going to the garden for so long really affected its production.

I later remembered, that I forgot to count all of the non-canned stash. I've put extra effort in dried food this year, I have over 10 jars of dried goods (tomatoes, zuchinni, mushrooms, roots, fruit), and there are many meals that can be made out of that. I also have plenty of potatoes, my two big bags of walnuts, many squashes, lots of garlic, and, the ability to still forage for apples and wild edibles.

Usually at this time I would be getting lots of carrots and broccoli from the garden, and some kale, but since it wasn't all planted in time, I have none of that. What I do have is black radish (or turnip, I'm not sure if it's black radish or black turnip. It's white on the inside, and big), celery, parsley, chives, cabbage savoy (not very big), swiss chard, green onions. Which is not a whole lot, but it's a valuable source of fresh produce. I also could possibly locate the jerusalem artichoke planted somewhere in the field, I love eating them during the winter.

I've had to face my own food issues, and that is that I'm incredibly stubborn not to buy anything that I can make myself, and also lazy to make it myself after I don't buy it. For instance, I could make a meal from pasta and a sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes, but I refuse to buy pasta, and I'm never starting the food making process until I'm hungry. So I end up never making it. The entire ordeal can be avoided if I reserved one day, to make a big batch of homemade pasta, have it dry, and then I could make tons of meals from dried good and pasta! Like pasta with mushroom sauce, pasta with zuchinni sauce, cabbage and pasta, pasta salad, those are things I would definitely eat!

In this spirit, I did gather my enegry and made a big thing of pasta, occupying the entire kitchen while it was drying for the whole day. Then I stuffed it all into a large jar, and now I have a big decorative jar with pasta sticking out, and it looks so pretty, now I just never want to eat it. Nobody has yet figured out that it's pasta in the jar, everyone thinks it's some decorative plants in there. It's understandable, since I'm known to put plants in jars for decoration.

I also have some new exciting preserves that I made for the first time this year! My first innovation was related to the pears; we have a pear tree close to the building, but it produces extremely tough and difficult to eat types of pears, everyone just ignores it. Except me, I scurry around it and scramble to collect all of the pears and then I cook them into a compot, feeling like an evil mastermind for figuring out how to eat them. Eventually, I got tired of the compot, and then I figured I could try making a pear-sauce, like an applesauce, but with pears. I wasn't sure if it was gonna go well, because they were so tough and not very sweet, but the result was absolutely fantastic; it's smooth and delicious and sweet. I love this more than I love applesauce. Pleased with my pear-related success.

I also made a spicy jam, made out of blackberries, grapes and plums, and then I added a few hot peppers in. I did this because every single winter I am longing for sweet-spicy mix, and I felt that I would want to eat it. And I was right, when my sinuses started to act up, I was grateful to have a spicy preserve that could make them clear up. I actually think it could be spicier next year.

I'll find out this winter, if I prefer eating the preserves or using the dry goods for recipes, drying is definitely easier and takes less effort, but it should be eaten before February, when the bugs eggs will start to activate inside, making it way less appealing. So that's where the canned goods come into play, they are completely protected from being eaten or spoiled. Hopefully next summer, I'll be healthy and better at getting more canning done.

[colormepurplex2]

Kaleidoscope | Blue

↳ Musician!Namjoon x Artist!Reader ⤜ Neighbors, Mutual Pining, Artist Muse ⤜ Rating: MA | fluff, eventual smut ⤜ WC: 1,100 + text image ⚠️ Crass language, mutual pining, personal thoughts about a stranger, flirting, endearingly awkward exchange, kissing

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Before you left the park two days ago, you gave Namjoon your number, and he texted you almost immediately. You’ve barely put your phone down since. It buzzes again where it sits on your bathroom counter, alerting you to another text. Tapping the screen, you see Namjoon’s reply.

Dinner is going to be takeaway from a restaurant that a friend of his owns. The garlic butter seared steaks, roasted broccolini, and rice pilaf with strawberry cheesecake for dessert will be arriving promptly at six-thirty. That means you have roughly fifteen minutes to finish getting ready and grab the cerulean-colored bottle of Mia Dolcea Moscato D’Asti from your fridge before crossing the hall.

You want to dress comfortably since you’re only going to be going next door, but you also want to look nice for Namjoon. There’s a giddy feeling associated with putting on a pretty dress for someone, so you slip into the short black cocktail dress tucked into the back of your closet for just such occasions—not that you’ve worn it many times before. No, this is the first time you’ve felt like this in a while. It’s nice.

The bottle of wine is cold in your fingers, but the contrasting chill helps to center your thoughts and ground you. Butterflies simmer in your belly, and you can’t get the smile that seems to be permanently on your face lately off. You knock on his door, toes wiggling in your navy ballet flats that match the teardrop-shaped sapphire around your neck and small studs in your ears.

Blue isn’t the typical color of romance. You know that, but there’s something about the oceanic hue and how it compliments your skin tone that makes you feel alluring and seductive.

Namjoon looks excellent, with a bright smile on his face when he opens the door and ushers you inside. His apartment mirrors yours, except it is filled with more sleek, dark colors. Where your living room is sparsely furnished in light, creamy colors with only small personal touches in decoration, his furniture is all black leather with steel accents and frames, and there is art covering nearly every open inch of space on the walls, which are a dark royal blue from what you can see.

“Beautiful,” Namjoon comments, making you feel that sweeping sense of giddiness again. You can feel his eyes lingering on your face as you look around his place. “Dinner will be here shortly. Can I take that for you?” He gestures at the wine in your hand.

You let him take the bottle. “It’s sweet. I hope that’s okay,” you say, to which he gives a sound of approval that sounds far more erotic than it has a right to.

“Would you like some now while we wait?” When you nod, he grabs two glasses from a cabinet and a wine opener. You smile, hoping the fruity liquid might help settle the flutter in your belly.

The chilled wine is crisp, coating your tongue in light bubbles that pop and zing as you take a sip. A minute later, dinner arrives, pulling you both from the pleasant small talk you were having while he set out plates and utensils. With the steaming clamshells of food arrayed in the middle of the table, you settle across from Namjoon, and the room fills with the soft sounds of enjoyment. The meal is delicious, and dessert is decadent, pairing perfectly with the second glass of wine Namjoon pours you.

You fall into a comfortable exchange, sharing private and intimate details about your life with him. He’s equally as open with you, giving you tiny morsels and grains of himself to mull over later. Then, moving to the couch, you get to the deeper level of sharing: art and music. You hand him your phone, letting him browse through your album, where you keep all snapshots of your work, while he puts on his first EP for you to listen to.

The softer tones of his music surprise you. When he said rap, you had assumed it would be something akin to what you’d hear on the radio, but it’s a pleasant surprise. There is still a rhythm to it that denotes the meter of rap, but it’s closer to spoken word tugging at your heart and soul than a heavy bass line thumping in your ears.

Namjoon has many facets—nuances not masked in subterfuge that make you eager to seek out the next one. You’re aware of every inch where your body touches his, his thigh against yours, his arm thrown over the back of the couch. You can feel the heat from him radiating against your side, urging you to press closer and indulge in that comfort. 

“You’re an inspiration,” you tell him, meaning that in more ways than one. Namjoon might have driven you to create art, but his music elicits a response of self-love and motivation, too.

“Thank you,” he says shyly. The demur way he lowers his eyes and his lashes fan across his cheeks has you acting impulsively. You turn toward him, reaching up and gently cupping his face to guide his lips to yours.

He kisses the way he raps, lips moving in sensual forms and tongue teasing a hidden meaning. You let him invade you, consume you, provide you with more to add to your private, self-indulgent musings—the perfect way to end the night.

As you part ways at your door, you’re more than convinced now that blue is a romantic color. How your pulse hammers under the delicate chain holding the sapphire at your neck and the blue-bottled wine has your senses piqued and full of hedonistic pleasures—blue is just right.

You catch one last glimpse of Namjoon before he disappears back into his apartment. The press of his lips against yours lingers like a phantom lover left behind to remind you of the man across the hall—as if you could forget.

With a soft smile on your face and eyes lidded with warm contentment, you approach your canvas. The cobalt blue paint is cold as you squeeze the tube directly into your palm. Balling your hand into a fist, you spread the color along your fingers and let it squish between them.

Using a delicate touch, you press the flat of your hand at the top left corner of the canvas, and as you take a step toward your bathroom to go clean up, you let your hand slide down in a light caress, webbing the dark pigment like a lover’s embrace over the red, orange, yellow, and green.

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◅ Back to Main Master List   ©️ 2023-09-11 ColorMePurplex2

[quotidian-oblivion]

Green Leafy Croutons

The title's clickbait, it's just salad and bread. But with a ✨twist✨.

TW: raw chicken, knives, eggs, human blood

I'm gonna try out the recipe i had mentioned in chapter 2 of Break Down. My parents put this rule that me and the oldest sibling after me have to cook lunch and dinner ourselves on the weekends so after much toiling, i remembered that i had a recipe in one of my fics. So I decided to try it out. Except, i'm gonna change up some ingredients cuz they're not available and turn this into a salad with a side of toasted bread rather than a legit sandwich.

Here's the extract from the fic:

He was flashed back to a morning when Alfred was on a vacation and Jason and Tim were alone in the manor with Bruce. Since Bruce couldn’t cook to save his life, it was up to Jason and Tim to make breakfast. Alfred had said that he trusted Jason with his kitchen before he left. Tim hadn’t known what that meant, but he soon found out when Jason set out ingredients and started ordering Tim around on what to do. Within a short while, three halloumi cheese, salad, avocado, salami, and rye bread sandwiches with cream cheese and scrambled eggs were sitting on the table. It was Jason’s own recipe. And it was delicious.

So, Tim grabbed the ingredients from what he could remember and brought them back to Dick’s apartment. Setting them out, he got to work. He cooked the halloumi on the pan, chopped the tomatoes, parsley, and onions, mashed the avocado, cracked the eggs and mixed them with salt and a bit of chili. After the cheese was a light brown color, he set them aside on a plate and warmed the bread on the pan with the heat off. With all the mis en place done, he started assembling the sandwiches.

Dick, somehow, slept through the whole thing. Either he was knocked out, or he was really tired. Tim was slightly relieved that he wasn’t awake though. It meant that he had some more time to ponder things alone with no distractions.

He ate his sandwich and chewed in contempt, recalling the memory of when he made this with Jason.

I'm making this in bulk for like around 6 ppl with various different likes and dislikes btw so keep that in mind. Now let's move on to the mis en place!

Ingredients:

Tomatoes

Onions

Lettuce/parsely

Chicken

Halloumi cheese/Bri cheese

Bread

Avocado

Cream cheese (optional)

Chili

Salt

Pepper

Lemon

Oil

Ginger garlic paste/chopped garlic

That's all I can think of for now. A note on measurements: don't ask me. Heck if i know. As Jason said, "The thing about original recipes is that you measure things with your heart. You have a meeting with your soul then take it to your brain and let your hands do the work." Wise words indeed. I admire the person who came up with them.

On with the cooking!

A note on the chicken: Am I totally winging the cutting the chicken part while having 0% real experience in cutting chicken before? Totally.

Alr i asked my parents and my dad said to cut it into long french fry-like strips cuz that's what salads have and-

Yeah that's totally french fry-like

Anyway, we're done

Oil in pan and heat up ft. my messy stove that hasn't been cleaned for 30172496 years.

Ginger garlic paste. If you dont have that, then chopped garlic.

Salt, chili, black pepper, ginger garlic paste

Put chicken in pan. Careful of oil splashes. That shit be flying.

Now add the stuff i told you before. Some GG paste, some black pepper, some salt, some chili. My desi instincts are telling me to put more chili. Oops.

Now you mix-

Wait.

Hold up.

*narrows eyes* This be looking a little too WHITE. Imma add more chili.

Might add more pepper and salt along with it.

Now you mix again and-

It still be looking a little white but eh. It'll sort itself out later. Hopefully.

Now put a lid on it and put it on low flame and wait till the water evaporates.

Till then, you can clear up the mess you made while in your hurry to get stuff. I need to pray Maghrib. But you can get started on the next step (if indeed you are following along and actually making this with me. If you're here for entertainment, that's cool too, you cna have the leftovers /j)

Alright, I'm back. I checked on the chicken and eyvfrbkead it's still WHITE. It's the water and ik the spices will absorb into the meat eventually, but i couldn't smell it all that strongly... so i added more salt and chili.

If the chicken ends up making my family visit the hospital to get a tongue and throat transplant, then it's not my fault. It's its own fault for not looking like the color of my skin.

Moving on! (Unlike your criminal past- jk jk. I swear it's a joke)

Time for choppy choppy.

I like to use a cerated knife. Don't ask my why. I just do. It's easier for me.

You then dice the tomatoes into small cubes. But i... did not.

Despite my height, i cannot chop tomatoes into short pieces. I cannot cop tomatoes period. Why? Because i don't usually cook.

Alright, i do cook but only occasionally cuz being a high school student and the oldest daughter in an ambitious and studious desi family means that you don't have time for a lot of things and therefor you become a dissapointment.

At least I know how to make biryani ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Time to stir and check on the chicen!

Look... i dont know whether that's good or bad, but i'm just gonna let it be for now.

Now... time for the most dangerous part of the recipe.

Onions.

I've peeled the onion and my eyes are already burning with the pain and sorrow of a million ogres.

Is it just me or is this onion be looking a little fishy?

I just checked the chicken again and a bit of it got stuck at the bottom oopsie. A reminder to stir your chicken, kids. May your chicken be forever stirred.

My chicken's looking like this:

And it's looking rightfully white on the inside (like me) so i'm just gonna switch off the stove and put the lid back on and let it cook on the switched off stove.

Back to onions! *sobs*

I don't need much onion so this will do. Excuse me while i go cool-dry my eyes.

Hmmm... i might need more tomatoes...

Oh well, i'll figure it out later!

Green leafy

You can use parsely too but my mom said that our family doesnt like the taste of parsely so i'm using lettuce instead.

I freaking love green leafy. Look at that lustrous green.

Aaaaaaaaand now you chopchopchopchopchop-

FUCK- I CUT MYSELF

NEED TO GET THE BLOOD AWAY FROM THE GREENSSSS.

FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK-

Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt that much.

Look at that little poozer.

My dad told me to put my hand up and let it dry before i put a band aid on so i'm gonna have to pause for a while. I'm so glad the chicken was done before this. Take care of yourselves, guys. Don't be me.

Now to reread the chapter while I wait.

My dad put a band aid now! I went around and showed the cut to my whole family. My li'l sisters were like "show me show me!" cuz those gremlins don't like being left out. My mom started scolding me (lightly) about being careful. My dad was the total opposite, telling me to put my hand up, get the band aid, etc. Anyways, back to chopping.

Doneeee! It was a little hard with the band aid on, but i did it! We did it, we did it, we did it. Yay! Lo hicimos. We did it! And good news, the lettuce is cannibal-free.

Fre shavacado.

My mom cut it for me ^_^

Time to serial-kill.

We serial-killed the heck out of that one, guys. Good job. I'm proud of you.

Time to break some humpty-dumpties (humpty-dumptys?)

We're gonna use the same pan (kadai) we used for the chicken because we hate washing dishes.

QUICK! MIX BEFORE YOU MESS IT UP! MIX MIX MIX MIX MIXMIXMIXMIXMIXMIX

I'm gonna have to leave you on a cliffhanger here cuz i'm allowed only 30 images on a post :(

Catch ya in part 2!

Part 2

Break Down ch: 2

[impish-crow]

[TRANSLATION] DIG-ROCK HOUND ROAR vol. 1 - Track 05

Track 5: A matter of course

Shion: (sighs) What am I doing? I've been rolling around in Sogo's room for how long? Darn it… Boasting that living alone is no big deal, and here I am. Even spouting useless words to Yankee… In the end, if I don't rely on someone, I can't go on, and I can't even play the piano at all… Seriously, I feel like I have no worth. (Door opens) Sogo: I’m back. Shion: Sogo-san? Oh he’s back? Sogo: Are you up, Shion? Shion: ..Welcome back. Sogo Oh…! Your complexion has improved quite a bit. Shion: These days, I've been sleeping really well. Sogo: That's a relief. Oh, I'm going to make some food, so come out later and let's eat together.

**

Sogo: Oh, you’re here, Shion. Yes. …? …?! Toya: What's with that expresShion? Shion: Toya-san…?! Toya: Is it inconvenient for me to be here? Shion: No…! I mean, not at all… Toya: Don't just stand there; sit down quickly. Shion: …Yes. Toya: ..Shion. Shion: ?! Yes? Toya: Where are your glasses? Shion Huh? Oh, I left them by the pillow,. Toya: …Hm. In this distance, can you see my fingers properly? Shion: The shape is roughly discernible. Toya: You manage to walk around the house with that eyesight? Shion: Roughly, by feeling… Toya: How's your condition? Shion: Well… now it's quite… what should I say… Toya: …You. Can't you talk a bit more normally? Shion …! I'm sorry… Sogo : Alright! It's done! How about it? Looks delicious? Toya: Pretending to be so skilled just by stir-frying some vegetables. Sogo: Look carefully. Today, I added pork and eggs along with garlic chives and mung bean sprouts. And speaking of that, try stir-frying vegetables at least once by yourself. Shion, this guy here~ If I left him alone, he will forget to eat, so I have to forcibly bring him here sometimes. Shion: Yes… Toya: I didn’t forget it. It'sjust about a priorities. Sogo: Put the priority of meals above work… Ah, you can start eating first! the rice is not fully cooked. It should be ready in about 5 minutes. Toya: So, until when are you going to stick around Sogo's place? Shion: I'm sorry… Toya: That's not an answer. Shion: I'm sorry… Toya … I want to practice as soon a possible.. Shion: I'm truly sorry… Well, um… Toya: When do you think you can play? A week? Or maybe a month? Shion: Huh? A month… but… Toya: I made a song considering your piano. It can’t be complete without you. If you say you can't do it, I have no choice but to wait until you say you can. Shion: Toya-san… Toya: Recording without hearing the finished sound is out of the question. It was a rush during ROAR because if we missed it, we might not catch Hibiki, but that's an exception. I won't do it again. Sogo: That’s what he said…because Toya insisted, we had a hard time for a whole day. Even though the schedule was already confirmed… Toya: What he decide to do without talking to me is none of my business.. Originally, it was Haru-chan idea to include Shion. He should take some responsibility. Shion: Kasuga-san recommended me? Toya: Yes, he brought your demo, insisting to add a keyboard to create a different characteristic from other rock bands. He was incredibly persistent. Sogo: But ultimately, Toya made the final deciShion, right? Toya: Of course. If the results didn't seem promising, even if he insisted that much, I would have rejected it. So, Shion, what's the problem now? Your physical condition? Or is it something about your household situation? Shion: Excuse me… Can I continue playing Toya-san's song in the future? Toya: If you utter such sleep-talking-like words, I might want fire you right now.. Shion: I don't want that!! Toya: When can you play? Shion: I can play today or tomorrow! Toya: I don't want to entrust a precious new song to a pianist who took a 3-day break. Can you adjust it within a week? Shion: I can do it! Shoma: Excuse me-! Sogo: Oh, Shoma. How was it? Shoma: It's perfect! …Wait, Toya, were you here too? Such a rare view.

Toya: …I’m going home. Shoma: Oh, is that so? Hey, megane. I'll give you this. Shion: …? A key? Shoma: Your house key. A new one made by Haru-chan. Shion: Huh?! Shoma: I convinced your mom! Haruto only has the spare key. Now you can go home, right? Shion: You… just decided on your own! And how did you…?! Shoma: Got it. If anything troublesome happens later, just hand it over to Haru-chan!. …Listen well. All you need to do is play the keyboard without bothering with this and that. I'm telling you, if I don't continue with the HOUND ROAR for at least six months, I have no face to show to the Sogo-san who recommended me. Got it? If you're being a hindrance, I'll kick you out?! Sogo: Is the reason Shoma continues with HOUND ROAR because of me? Shoma: That's the main reason! Toya: More importantly, why six months? Shoma: I've never stayed in the same band for more than six months, so I'm aiming for the longest record! Toya: Seriously, I'm getting sick of this… I regret asking. Shoma: It's about making an effort. Be grateful and said Thank you. Sogo: Oh, the rice is ready. Toya: Well then, I'm going back to work. Sogo: Hold on, hold on, what about the food?! Toya: I don’t need it. I'll eat something outside. Sogo: …Sigh. I insisted on making the rice because he likes Japanese cuisine. Can't be helped. Shion, Shoma, take responsibility and eat Toya's portion too. Shoma: Yes! Why are you crying, darn megane. Shion: I’m not crying! Shoma: Oh~ is that so? Shion: …Thanks for this. Shoma: No biggies. More importantly, you, don't quit playing the keys. Shion: I won't quit, fool. Shoma: Ah, that's right!

(phone ringing)

Hibiki: Toya, did you encourage Shion well? Toya: I said what needed to be said. I don't know if the encouragement worked. Hibiki: I said it yesterday too, but if Shion quit. I'll quit HOUND ROAR as well. Toya: Since you said that, I intentionally went to Sogo's place. Even so, well, you attitude has changed quite a bit. Hibiki: …What do you mean? Toya: The way you speaks sounds you don't want to quit HOUND ROAR. Hibiki: What's with that tone after bringing me here forcibly? And just so you know, I'm not hiding about my dad. It's the other side that's keeping things hidden. Toya: That might be the case. However, you don't want to be interrogated either, do you? Hibiki: Of course. Your approach is genuinely annoying. Throwing a fit at people, and even naming the band HOUND ROAR, it implies that you've investigated various things about me, right? Toya: That’s right, Because I want you no matter what. Hibiki: It's really the worst. At best, becoming desperate for something that makes noise, getting manipulated, and why does everyone not realize it's foolish? Even Shion, suffering so much, it's because of music. Toya; Then, will you quit HOUND ROAR right now? Hibiki: I won’t do as you want again, Once I started, it's meaningless unless I can perfectly achieve it to the point of destroying that person. Besides, I'm currently unemployed, so unless I save enough to live a carefree life for a while, even if I want to quit, I can't. It's all your fault for bringing up Akane's name. It triggered me instantly. Toya: Your pretentious tone, no matter how many times I hear it, it's tiring. Hibiki: Me too, Toya. Your attempt to evade the straightforward talk is exhausting and annoying to listen to. …And yes, I almost forgot to mention, Mitsuru was really worried. Toya: Why.. are you and Mitsuru..? Hibiki: While it's a bit much for me to butt into someone else's family matters, couldn't you at least contact him? If you don’t hate Mitsuru. Well then. Toya: That guy…

(footstep sounds)

Toya: It would be easy if I could hate him.

[pocket-size-cthulhu]

Hey you. Yes you. Do you have a love/hate relationship with vegetables. Do you kind of secretly wish you could still live on chicken nuggets and mac and cheese like when you were a kid. Are you an optimistic vegetable buyer who ends up with a lot of veggies you don't know what to do with.

I have a resippy for you. It is called

✨ orange sauce ✨

It's an all-veggies, accidentally-vegan, super-versatile, weirdly delicious, extremely forgiving, easy/hands-off sauce recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (I usually use about 8 Roma ones)

Bell pepper (I usually use one large or two small ones)

Onion (I usually use one medium one or half a large one)

1 head garlic

1-2 jalapenos or your fave hot pepper (optional)

Olive oil

Salt

Lemon juice

MSG (optional)

Cayenne pepper (optional)

It sounds like a lot but it's not that bad.

You can also add other veggies to this if you want. What's getting squishy and sad in the fridge? Throw it in.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to about 425°f

Cut up your veggies except the garlic in large, rough pieces and place on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper if you want to save yourself a mess)

Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt. Give those veggies a lil massage ✨

Chop the top of the garlic off and drizzle it with salt and olive oil too

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until everything is very soft. Optionally finish with 2-3 minutes of broiling to get some crispy edges 🤌

Dump all but the garlic into a blender, including the jüice

When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze it so the soft cloves slide out; pick out any loose skins; and add garlic to the blender

🌪️ blend it up 🌪️

While it's blending, slowly drizzle in some olive oil to thicken. (You can skip this if you'd rather eat this as a delicious smooth veggie soup! You could eat it as is or even add broth or cream or something...)

Taste for seasoning. You'll probably want to add salt, you'll def want to add MSG if you have it, and you can add cayenne if it's not spicy enough for you. Finish with a splash of lemon juice to taste.

Tada! You now have a beautiful batch of orange sauce. What to do with it? You can use it as a pasta sauce, a dip for crackers or bread or other veggies or your chicken nuggets, a spread for sandwiches...

The recipe is super forgiving and it's mostly in the seasoning step. I just keep fiddling with the seasonings until I have no choice but to admit it's freaking delicious.

Personally I make pasta with it because with a sprinkle of Parmesan, it's almost at the level of comfort food as mac and cheese for me 🥰

[catboycooks]

✨the classic✨

This is a meal I make frequently, consisting of sautéed salmon, couscous or rice, and a roasted vegetable, usually asparagus or Brussels sprouts. It is easy (30 minute weeknight dinner babeeeey) and absolutely delicious (salmon!!!) although not the cheapest (salmon : ( ). The asparagus is my moms recipe as well and is so good that whenever there were jokes in kids shows about how asparagus was yucky I didn’t understand.

I just make the couscous by package directions but under the cut is how you make the rest of it

Salmon

-1 skinless salmon small fillet per person youre serving

-olive oil

-kosher salt

-black pepper

-garlic power

-paprika

1. Heat up your pan to medium heat

2. Mix together kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika in a container, this is Daddy’s Special Spice Mix*

3. Coat the salmon fillets in the spice mix.

4. Put some olive oil in the pan. Make sure it’s shimmering then add the salmon.

5. Cook the salmon for 5-6 minutes on each side. Don’t touch the salmon while it’s cooking except to flip. It will get a nice crispy browned crust.

6. Take it off the heat and eat it

Asparagus

-1 bunch asparagus

-olive oil

-kosher salt

1. Heat up your oven broiler. You want it to heat about 10 minutes.

2. Wash the asparagus and snap off the ends. Put some parchment paper on a baking pan and arrange the asparagus in one layer on it.

3. Cover the asparagus in olive oil and toss til everything is coated. Add as much kosher salt as you’d like and toss again.

4. Broil for 10-12 minutes. Remove and eat.

If you put the asparagus in at the same time you put the salmon in they should be done at the same time. I recommend doing this highly.

*called this bc my dad told me how to make it. Put this on like. Any meat you’re going to sauté. I have a little container of it made at all times.