#also not pictured: my silly selfie that i took instead of taking a nice old lady up on her offer to take a nice picture of me

[kurt-nightcrawler]

Eye love you

Warren Worthington III x Reader

A/N: this isn’t what I wrote cause I was not feeling great yesterday, this is older. I hope you enjoy it anyway! :)

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.2k

 “I went to the eye doctor today,” You said into the phone. 

“Oh yeah! How’d it go?” Warren asked from the other line. 

You flopped onto your bed. “I’m getting new glasses…”

“Ooo… What do they look like?— Bobby! Get out of my room! I’m on the phone!” You rolled your eyes. “Sorry,” Warren apologized. 

“It’s fine.” You assured him. “They’re brown.” 

“That’s different, your old ones were black.” 

You shifted to lay on your side, “I don’t really like them… Like, I like them, but not that much. They were the best option I had though…” 

“That’s okay. You wear contacts most of the time anyway.”

“Yeah, but when I don’t…”

Warren frowned. He hated seeing or hearing, you upset. “You’re gonna look amazing. You always look good, no matter what… and besides, nothing can be worse than the glasses you had in fourth grade— they were blue and had flowers and were crooked—“

“Hey!” Warren laughed on the other line. “I should have never shown you my elementary school pictures!” 

“But you were so cute as a kid,” He pouted. You scoffed.

“You’re gonna look like… like…”

“You can’t think of any female celebrities with glasses. Can you?” 

Warren could feel your disappointment through the phone. It made him sad. 

“I didn’t fall in love with you cause you had 20/20 vision. Glasses or no glasses, you’re still gonna be you...” 

You didn’t respond. 

“Do they bring out your eyes at least?” He asked with a slight coquettish tone. 

“They bring out the brown in them…” Your eyes were hazel, but the favored heavily on the green side. 

Warren sighed, “Your eyes are so pretty.” 

“Yours are prettier.” His were green as well, but instead of having brown like yours, there was blue. 

“Not true.” 

“Yeah, it is.”

“Hmm… I don’t think so.” 

You rolled your eyes, smiling for the first time during the call, “I have to go. I’ll text you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

-

Two weeks went by and your glasses finally came in. As time passed since you picked them out, you grew on the idea of them, but you weren’t in love. 

However, Warren was right, you weren’t going to be wearing them that much. 

A few days had passed since you got your new glasses. You hadn’t left your home all day. You stayed in your pajamas and got caught up on some housework. 

You took a break, checking your phone out of boredom when you got a text. 

 Warren 

hey baby

Warren

can I come over? I’m bored and the guys are busy :(

(Y/N) 

so I’m a second option, huh? *side-eyes emoji* 

Warren

no!! never!! I miss you anyways

(Y/N) 

it’s been two days… we went to the zoo Tuesday 

Warren

a whole 48 hours apart from you? ew *barfing emoji*

(Y/N)

you should just move in then

Warren

you should move in with me. no one pays rent in the mansion

(Y/N)

I’m not a mutant *clown emoji*

Warren

we can figure that out… 

Warren

anyway... 

Warren

I can bring madagascar 1 & 2 and chipotle

(Y/N)

ugh classics *moaning face emoji*

(Y/N)

can you get me a vanilla coke zero? *two pouting bug-eye emojis*

Warren

of course *red heart emoji* 

Warren

I’ll be over in an hour or so

(Y/N)

okay :)

-

Warren had a key to your place, so he let himself in. 

“Hey babe, I’m here! I also got the third movie from Kurt, and I think the penguins’ spin-off show is on Netflix.” 

You had set up the coffee table so you could eat on the couch without making too much of a mess. 

“Oh my god, it smells so good…” You subtly licked your lips. 

“Hello?... No hug for the delivery man?” Warren joked. 

“Big bird brain, come here.” You kissed his cheek and wrapped your arms around his torso. He set his belongings on the ground so he could reciprocate the hug. 

You picked the bag of food and movies up. Warren gasped a little. 

“What? What’s wrong?” You looked at him, extremely worried. 

“Your glasses! You didn’t tell me they came in.”

“Oh, uh… I just kind of forgot about it…” 

Warren kicked his shoes off and made his way over to the couch with you. “I wish you sent me a selfie. They look great!” 

You deflected the compliment. 

“You look like a sexy librarian—“ You gave Warren a sour look. “Okay, no—“

“I look like a girl who’s been in her pajamas all day and brushed her teeth at 2 pm today.” You said as you put the first movie in. 

Warren shrugged while he dug into his bowl, “Hey, I’ve done worse.” 

You chuckled, joining him on the couch. “of course you have. You’re a dude.”

“Hey!” 

“They hated Jesus cause he told the truth.” You stated, nonchalantly as you started eating. 

“Babe.”

You looked over at Warren, sipping on your soda, “Hmm?” 

“They look really nice. You look great.”

“Thanks…”

“How do you like them?” 

“Better than I did two weeks ago…” You sheepishly admitted. 

“That’s a huge improvement!” 

“Yeah, I guess so.” 

“Hey— I’m gonna prove to you, that you look good in your new glasses. Even if it takes years.”

“Ren, stop it. I was being silly, they’re fine, honestly—“

“No. It upset you. I don’t want you to be insecure about something you can’t control. Something that you need. Babe, you had a panic attack the first time you tried putting in contacts.”

You frowned and stabbed your salad with your fork to try and distract yourself. “I was twelve.” 

“Yeah, but when you told me and just how you didn’t want to be seen as some silly little nerd girl, it made me so sad.”

“I got bullied as a kid. And it wasn’t even the glasses really, I just wanted to fit in and I thought no glasses would help. I didn’t get contacts until high school…” 

“I know… and that’s not fair, you know, trying to hide to fit in with people that really won’t matter in your future…”

You knew he wasn’t just talking about your glasses anymore. He was referencing the scars on his back. The ones he caused as a child, cutting his wings off almost six times a week until his parents caught him and told him to stop. 

“I don’t want you to suffer. That’s all. You’re one of the best people in the world, and I hate seeing you upset.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry…” 

“Don’t apologize. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Sorry—“

Warren kissed your cheek. “It’s okay… Ope.” 

“What?”

He rubbed his finger on your face, “I got some avocado on your cheek. Sorry.” 

“You’re good.” 

Warren smiled. “I love you.” 

He was very casual with it, but somehow managed to never lose any meaning every time he said ‘I love you.’

“I love you too.” 

“Cna I try on your glasses later?”

“No way! You might break them with your big head, plus they’ll make your vision worse over time.” 

“I! I have a big head so I can think about you more!”

You laughed, “War, that didn’t even make any sense…”

“It… wasn’t… supposed too…”

“Mmhmm, alright baby. I’m gonna tell Kurt and Scott you said that next time I see them.”

“Fine, but I have something they don’t.” 

You blinked. “Scott’s dating Jean, and Kurt goes on tinder dates like twice a week…”

“You’re better than Jean.”

“Better not let Jean hear you say that,” You joked. 

“She already knows.” 

“That so?”

“Yep.” 

“Well…” You kissed his cheek, catching him off guard, causing him to blush and get flustered. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah… Of course.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, babe.” 

[maggotzombie]

LIEBE LIESE: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴠɪ - 𝒰𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒

→ CHAPTERS LIST — CHAPTER V: BOYFRIEND MATERIAL WORD COUNT: 3,8k TW: Alcohol, swearing, so much fluff. A/N: GUYS! I’M FINALLY BACK! Posting a new chapter of this fic makes it official. I’m so happy I’m able to update it, you have no idea. Also, so many great plots came into my mind while I was in this forced hiatus. Things will spice up hehehe Okay, now I’ll let you guys read it! :D HEADS UP: Dialogue between “[  ]” is in German.

“SO… THE girl,” Nik starts casually as if he wants nothing.

Oh, yeah... Very smooth, Niki. Very smooth.

He and Simon share a glance when Henry does not reply, eyes fixed on the TV.

“Henry,” Nik calls.

“Yeah?” He replies without prying his eyes off the flat screen, mildly paying attention to his brother.

“The girl,” His brother repeats.

“Hm,” Henry hums, sipping on his bear. “Who?”

“The one you’re seeing,” Simon quips in.

Now they have the actor’s full attention, but he plays it off by keeping his gaze on the TV.

“Woman,” He says, licking his lips. Giving the fact that he has actually dated girls, he feels the need to point it out. “She’s a woman,” He explains.

His brothers share another knowing look.

“So, you’re seeing someone,” Nik remarks with a grin.

Henry hasn’t said anything about Liese to any of his brothers yet. He mentioned, briefly, that he was taking someone out for dinner but that was it. And now interrogation starts, as it seems.

“What’s her name again?” Simon asks.

“I’ve never said her name,” The actor muses, finally looking over at his brothers.

Their interrogation confidence falters slightly as the tactic fails.

“Does she have white hair?” Charlotte inquires all of the sudden, coming from outside.

The man frowns, looking at her. “Yes,” He confirms. “How do you know?”

Charlie calmly reaches down on the back of his shirt. The long white hair strand is a stark contrast to the black fabric and she picks it up gently, bringing it to Henry’s eyesight. Just then he realizes that is the shirt he borrowed her after they’ve met (aka the night he ripped her dress open).

“She has a nice perfume, too,” The woman adds, getting a water bottle from the fridge and walking back out of the door.

With the most confusing expression, Henry pulls the collar up to his nose and sniffs it. Surely enough, there’s a whiff of Liese’s perfume on the fabric – giving the fact that she washed and kept the shirt with her clothes before giving it back to him. Nevertheless, it’s impressive that Charlie could pick that at all.

“How the heck did she smell that?” Henry asks, confused.

Nik and Simon shrug, both of them also impressed by Charlie’s heightened sense. “What’s her name, Henry?” His older brother now asks, joining the conversation.

“Liese,” He replies without any mystery.

“That doesn’t sound British?” Piers says.

“Yeah, her family is German,” The actor explains.

“Oh,” Nik smirks suggestively at Simon and Henry rolls his eyes.

Some cheers come from the TV but it’s long forgotten by now.

“And how old is this woman of yours?” Simon teases and the actor gives him a look, meaning he doesn’t appreciate the joke.

“She’s not mine,” He clarifies. “And, I don’t know…” Henry frowns and nips on his bottom lip thoughtfully. “But she’s a doctor. So, I’m guessing about my age.”

Eyebrows shot up in surprise. “A doctor, huh?” Nik muses.

“Yup. Pediatrician and A&E doctor,” The actor nods.

“She’s a woman, after all,” Simon grants, making a face.

“Are you sure she’s real?” Nik plays along.

Henry flips them off, something he rarely does, which makes all three of them laugh in amusement.

“Seriously,” Nik starts as he stops laughing.

“She is real,” The actor emphasizes.

“Right, Hollywood star,” He shakes his head. “Do you have any photos of her? We need visual confirmation,” Nik says.

A grin spreads on his lips. “I do, actually,” He says, fishing his phone from his pocket. “Just a few, though.”

Simon snatches the phone from his hands and Nik and Piers gather around him to look at it. They quickly locate the woman in a figure-hugging red dress with a generous cleavage amongst random photos and videos of Kal.

“This is her?” Nik looks back at Henry, not believing his eyes. “Wow.”

“Damn, she’s gorgeous,” Simon says, sliding from a smiling photo to one which she gives Henry a much seductive look.

“Is that all of it?” Nik seems disappointed when Kal shows up at the screen again. “Didn’t even have the time to properly access her.”

Piers chuckles. “Knock it off, you two,” He says before looking at Henry. “She’s beautiful, brother.”

“Beautiful? She’s hotter than all of his exes!” Nik declares.

A scowl sets on his face as he takes his phone back. “What are you boys up to?” Kiri comes into the house with the other spouses following behind.

“Still picking on poor Henry?” Charlie inquires.

“The woman he’s dating is amazing,” Nik says to the women, making a gesture to imply Liese’s boobs.

“Oooh,” Victoria says excitedly before Henry could correct his brother. “Show us the photos.”

Once again, a crowd gathers around Henry’s phone to gawk at Liese. And not only the wives, but also his brothers to take a second look at the doctor.

“Only these?” Kiri scoffs after looking at the four photos. “Are you kidding me, Henry?”

“Right?” Nik nods at his sister-in-law.

“I only took her out once, okay? And I didn’t want to spend the entire date on my phone!” The actor tries to defend himself.

“Is she nice?” Charlie asks.

The silly smile is on his face before he can stop it. “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing,” He nods.

“How do you spell ‘Liese’?” Simon asks with furrowed brows while Kiri, Niki, and Vicky look over his shoulders.

Henry’s smile faints. “What are you doing?” He asks suspiciously.

“Trying to find her Instagram,” Nik replies.

“It shouldn’t be hard with her name,” Vicky chimes in, and Kiri nods.

“I don’t know about that,” Henry narrows his eyes. “There’s a lot of people on Instagram…”

“Found it,” Simon interrupts him. “She’s ‘Liese Hartmann’ with an ‘e’ and double ‘n’, right?” He asks just to confirm but the woman in the profile picture is definitely her.

Nik chuckles slightly. “Totally German.”

“What?” The actor frowns, moving to look at his brother’s phone as well. Sure enough, it’s Liese’s profile. “Yeah, that’s her.”

With the confirmation, Simon clicks on her profile and the group of nine adults all gather around the phone screen that has become way too small. There was nothing too revealing nor pretentious – not even a bikini photo sipping on a glass of champagne in a boat. It’s actually the other way around.

There are a lot of children; both from the association and her nieces and nephews. The doctor is either wearing her scrubs or casual clothes, surrounded by said kids, friends, and family. There are a few selfies then and there and some pets. Overall, just what Henry expected to see from knowing her, even if very little.

“She’s thirty-three,” Simon says, tapping on a photo.

Liese has a birthday hat on and she’s holding a cake, blowing the number thirty-three candle on it. Henry knows it was taken in the association given the background, the kids surrounding the doctor once again, and her scrubs.

“That was last year,” Kiri points out the date.

“Well,” His brother shrugs. “I’ll take it.”

“And she’s really pretty,” Vicky remarks.

“Works a lot, though,” Nik says.

Henry shakes his head. “Alright. Are you done?” He asks them.

“She seems good with kids,” Charlie says but her comment doesn’t have the teasing tone like the others.

“Yeah. Are any of these hers?” Vicky looks back at Henry.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “No, most of them are her patients.”

“Even the blonde ones?” Simon asks. “Some of them look a lot like her. Like this little girl,” He shows a photo.

“They’re her nieces and nephews,” Henry replies with a sigh.

“Are you sure?”

“Have you met any of them yet?”

The questions are asked at the same time and the actor frowns, glaring at them.

“Alright. Enough of this,” He shakes his head, taking the last swing of his beer.

“You’re leaving?” Nik asks with a cheeky grin and his wife nudges him to stop.

“Yeah, I have some things to do,” He says, taking Kal’s lead. “Kal!” Henry calls.

“No, Henry, don’t go! I promise they’ll stop,” Charlie says, nudging his brother again to act like a grownup but Nik’s smirk is set to annoy.

“Yes, they’re done,” Piers’ smile turns into a stern look directed towards his brothers and wives, including his own.

“Thanks, sis,” The actor kisses her cheek. “But I do need to go,” He says.

Kal comes into the house trotting with the kids following behind. “Uncle Henry is leaving?” Grace asks with unruly hair for running after the dogs.

“Yeah, he’s gonna see his girlfriend,” Simon replies, picking his daughter up in his arms.

Oh, how badly Henry wants to punch him right now. But the smack he gets from Victoria is satisfying. It looks like she’s okay teasing Henry around the adults, but not in front of the kids.

“Uncle Henry has a girlfriend?” Willian asks with a weird expression.

“Lucy?” Thomas adds, beside his brother.

“NO,” The actor emphasizes quite quickly. “I don’t have a girlfriend,” He says, latching Kal’s lead into his collar. “Uncle Simon is joking.”

“What’s a girlfriend?” Harry asks, frowning in confusion as he looks at his father.

“It’s when…” Thomas starts to explain but Henry cuts him off.

“Nothing you should worry about, mate,” He says, grabbing the boy’s head and leaving a kiss on top of it. “Now give Kal and Uncle Henry a hug because we’re leaving.”

-

After working in the morning, Liese tries to relax and take a nap. But she’s too tired and with a head full to just lay in bed to wait for sleep to come.

Instead, she tries to chill out by studying. Unconventional, but what’s new to the silver-haired doctor.

Just as she’s reviewing her notes from a paper about a study on leukemia treatment, her phone starts to ring. She reaches out to the coffee table and retrieves the device.

A smile tugs on her lips at Henry’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” She smiles at him, answering the FaceTime call.

“Hello, gorgeous,” The actor greets her with his handsome smile. “I didn’t know you wore glasses,” He tilts his head adorably.

“Only for reading when my eyes decide they had enough,” The woman chuckles.

“What are you up to?” Henry asks, biting his bottom lip slightly.

“Studying a bit,” She replies and she can tell she just crushed his plans.

“Oh,” He utters.

Liese chuckles slightly. “Why?”

“Nothing,” The man shakes his head quickly. “Kal and I were just wondering if you wanted to go to the dog park with us. But you’re busy, so it’s okay.”

She laughs with mirth. “Well, tell Kal I’ll be honored to go to the dog park with him,” She says.

Henry’s smile returns to his face. “But what about your studies?” He frowns.

“It’s not like I have a test or something like that,” The woman replies, abandoning the paper on the coffee table. “I’m a doctor, love. I’ll always have to study something,” She explains.

“Okay,” He says hesitantly. “I just don’t want to get in your way.”

“You won’t,” Liese guarantees, walking towards her room. “Can I sleepover?”

“You don’t have to ask. I’ll pick you up in a few,” Henry replies.

She frowns. “Nonsense. The dog park is your neighborhood. I won’t let you drive all the way down to Brixton just to pick me up.”

“But I want to! I don’t like making you take the Tube every time you come to see me,” The man tries.

“You don’t make me, I chose to,” Liese explains. “But I’ll take an Uber if that’ll bring you peace.”

He makes a face. “It doesn’t. It actually makes me more uneasy. Just let me pick you up, please? I swear it’s nothing…” He insists.

“[No! Stop insisting! I might cave if you continue to do this adorable pout,]” The woman replies in German unconsciously.

Henry’s response is a delicious laugh. “Okay, okay,” He says. “I think I might have pissed you off right now but I hope you didn’t just cuss me.”

She chuckles, realizing the switch of the languages. “You didn’t piss me off and I didn’t cuss you,” She clarifies. “But I’ll hang up to get ready because I think Kal might get upset if I make him wait too much.”

“Oh, yes. We don’t want that,” He shakes his head and glances over Kal. “Actually, he’s already too excited. Look.”

The man turns the phone to the dog so they can see each other. A big smile takes over Liese’s face as she sees the large bear sitting expectantly in front of his owner.

“Hey, Kal! How are you doing buddy?” Liese asks and his tail starts wagging immediately at the sound of her voice. “Do you wanna go to the park?”

The well-known question makes the dog stand up in all fours and bark on the phone. Then he tries to sniff and lick the device which makes the woman laugh.

“Alright, buddy. I’ll be right there,” She says to Kal and then Henry turns the phone back to him.

“Wait! I have to ask one little thing,” He says.

Liese nods, biting her lip in concentration. “Shoot.”

“Can I go and pick you up?” A smirk grows on his lips slowly and a laugh reverberates through his chest as she rolls her eyes and ends the call without answering him.

-

“I’m just around the corner,” The woman says immediately after picking up the call.

“So, you’ll be at the door when I get there?” Henry asks.

“Probably,” She replies.

“Okay, then,” He says. “I’m walking towards the door.”

Liese chuckles in amusement as the Uber driver stops in front of Henry’s mews house. She mouths a ‘thank you’ through the rear-view mirror and steps out of the car. When the actor opens the front door, the phone glued to his ear, he makes good use of his quick reflexes to grab the giggly woman jumping to his arms.

His hands keep a strong grip on her things and he chuckles at the pleasant “surprise”. With her arms around his neck, the woman kisses his neck softly before untangling herself from him to give some attention to Kal, who’s barking like crazy. As usual, she greets the excited dog in German without sparing compliments.

Henry closes the front door and puts his phone down, looking back at the gorgeous woman peppering his dog’s face with kisses.

“I had an idea!” Liese says, straighten up to her feet. “How about we make a picnic?” She suggests excitedly.

“A picnic?” He frowns. “Baby, it’s cold outside,” He points out.

Then he realizes: while he’s wearing a T-shirt and warm sweatpants, the doctor is wearing a tank top and shorts.

“Aren’t you cold?” The man asks.

“No, I’m fine,” She shrugs off. “But I guess you’re right,” Liese nods, sounding very disappointed.

“You’re so German,” He says, shaking his head and walking towards her. “If you want to, we can have a picnic.”

Her face lights up in excitement. “Really?” She asks, looking up at him.

“Really,” Henry nods again, smiling at her.

He laughs with mirth when she, once again, jumps to his arms. “[You’re the best,]” She says in German but the actor has a good idea of what it means. “What do you have here?”

Liese moves away from him to check his kitchen, but he grabs her arm before she can go any further. “Hold on,” He says.

The woman looks back at him and he pulls her back. He reaches out to her face and seals their lips together. A small giggle escapes Liese’s mouth when she opens it to let Henry’s tongue get into it. She feels warm and tingly from the kiss and she glues her body to Henry’s, fitting perfectly to his strong and tall build.

“Hey, you,” She says quietly against his lips when they break the kiss.

“This is a proper hello,” Henry pecks her lips.

“I like it,” The woman agrees, clasping her arms around his neck and pulling for another kiss.

The second kiss doesn’t last long as Kal jumps on them, whining. Liese laughs, looking down at the bear. The man groans slightly before looking at Kal too.

“You’re supposed to help me out, pal,” He says.

“He is,” The woman says. “Why do you think I came all the way here from Brixton?” She teases.

“Oh, yeah? You can sleep with him today,” Henry squeezes her waist.

“I will. He sleeps in your bed, anyway,” She winks at him.

“Fuck, that’s right,” He laughs and Liese steals another kiss from him, but Kal paws them. “Alright, buddy.”

Liese orders the man to go get ready while she prepares something for their picnic. She organizes everything she can find into plastic containers and Henry finds a bag to put the food into and a thick blanket. An overly excited Kal gets into his leash and they finally walk out of the house.

The actor doesn’t let Liese carry the bag, so she walks with Kal.

"Did you go to work today?” The man asks casually.

“Yeah, but just for a little bit. One of my kids isn’t doing great, I went to check on him,” Liese replies.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” He sends her a sympathetic look. “Is everything going to be okay?”

She sighs and Kal looks at her worryingly, picking up the shift in her humor. “I don’t know,” The doctor shakes her head. “This disease is really hard to figure out. The immune system can start functioning again or... I don’t know,” She shakes her head again. “How about you? How was your morning?” Liese changes the subject, smiling at him.

Henry doesn’t press on the subject, instead, he smiles as well. “It was good, I had lunch at Nik’s.”

“This sounds nice,” She says, smiling wider. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah, I was having a good time until they started teasing me,” He shrugs off.

“Oh?” Liese looks at him, puzzled.

“Yeah,” Henry scratches his beard in thought. “They’re asking me about you and they’ve found your Instagram profile which I haven’t even seen before,” The man says.

“Really?” She grins at him. “What did they say of me?”

Henry smiles. “I believe the words used were ‘gorgeous” and ‘hot’.”

The woman frowns. “Which photo did they see to call me hot?”

“I may have shown a few from our date?” He replies with a face.

Liese’s eyes widen. “With that dress?” He nods. “Oh my God, Henry! No! They must think I’m such a pretentious posh!” She says, mortified.

He laughs. “Look at you! Speaking British!” He teases.

The woman whines and tries to push him, but Henry doesn’t budge an inch. “I’m serious!”

“You’re great, love. They don’t think that of you,” The man reassures her.

“How do you know that?” She asks with a pout.

Fuck. That’s so adorable. She’s so adorable. I’m so falling for her, Henry thinks.

“They’ve stalked your Instagram,” He starts. “They’re probably doing it again. You’re not posh at all. You’re thoughtful, you care for your patients, and you’re lovely,” The man places an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close.

Liese smiles, looking up at him lovingly. “And gorgeous and hot?” She raises an eyebrow jokingly.

“Well, that’s obvious,” He says.

The woman laughs and leaves a kiss in the corner of his jaw, which gives Henry goosebumps.

At the dog park, they set up their picnic blanket under a tree and Liese leaves the man there to play with Kal. The overly excited dog forgets his size and ends up knocking the doctor on her ass.

Henry quickly gets up, worried about her. “Kal!” He calls with a stern voice. “Are you okay?” He asks, reaching out a hand for Liese.

She giggles in response. “Yeah. I’m okay,” She takes his hand and the actor quickly pulls her up.

With a frown, he looks at his dog. “That wasn’t nice, Kal,” He chides.

“Ah, don’t scold him,” The woman says, dusting off her backside. “He’s just too excited and forgot his size,” She defends the dog, petting his head fondly. “Right, buddy?”

“You’re going to spoil my dog, aren’t you?” Henry asks, watching Kal trots beside her as she walks towards their picnic blanket.

“I’m most definitely will,” Liese nods, sitting down and looking up at him. “Wow, what a sight from down here,” She immediately says.

The actor chuckles and shakes his head, taking a seat by her side.

“Say,” She starts. “What would happen if I were to kiss the famous Superman actor, Henry Cavill, right now?” She teases.

His mouth waters and his pupils dilate immediately. “Guess we’re going to find out,” He says.

Biting her lip, Liese gets closer to him and places a hand on his cheek fondly. The kiss is short and sweet, after all, he’s in the public eye and, although the park is empty, you’ll never know if a paparazzi is lurking around.

The woman keeps her promise to spoil Kal as she gives him all the belly rubs he wants. Henry is mortified when the bear, not so kindly, pushes him away from Liese and takes his place. She simply laughs it off and kisses his pout.

After an hour or so in the park, they decide to head home. The doctor finally feels the tiredness catching up to her but she refuses to yawn while Henry excitedly tells her about a match he's gonna watch at his favorite pub next Friday with some friends.

“So, I was thinking,” Henry starts not even fifteen minutes after they got back to his place. “I know it’s too soon, but we could go out for dinner,” He suggests. “It doesn’t have to be in a fancy place, though,” Henry adds, walking from the kitchen to his living room, where Liese is. “What do you think?”

He stops talking at the sight of the sleeping beauty snuggling with Kal on the sofa.

“I guess we’re gonna order in, then,” The man whispers, grabbing the overthrown blanket on the backrest of the sofa and covering her. “You’re supposed to help me get the girl, not steal her from me, mate,” He says, patting Kal’s head.

-

HENRY CAVILL GETS COZY AND PACKS ON PDA WITH A HOT STRANGER

The 34-year-old Superman actor was seen out and about this afternoon with a mysterious white-haired woman and his dog. The couple shared a hug and a few kisses on a lovely picnic at the park.

While we do not have more information on the lucky lady, we know our beloved British Superman is back on the dating scene. Back in February, Cavill ended his relationship with stuntwoman Lucy Cork after almost a year together.

Check out the photos from the romantic picnic here.

* * *

— CHAPTER VII: BADDEST BITCH

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - London bits

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

< Part 14 | Part 15 London bits | Part 16 >

Disclaimer: some strong language

Author’s note: It was so much fun to do some actual research on Jersey’s history - even though it is only mentioned very briefly in this chapter. 

Word count: 1.265

(Link to my Masterlist)

Dear readers,

One can find and do many things on our Jersey island, its rich soil housing some 107.000 inhabitants. But as it appears, the world has more to offer than multi-horned sheep, lovely beaches and close knitted communities. Today I’m once more writing from the metropolitan city of London, my journey taking me to meet some ex-inhabitants of our beloved Jersey.  

In this “Old Faces goes London”, I’ll be visiting a baker who decided to bring his infamous Jersey-rolls to the great City of London, a linguist who strives to keep Jèrriais (our territories unique Norman dialect) alive and I’ll be having a cup of tea with an exporter of Jersey’s very own apple cider. Yum!

And, as time is ticking I will now bid you all adieu. Or, to keep it in the Jèrriais realms;

À bétôt!

Ali

‘Morning.’ Henry pressed a kiss on my cheek while he brushed past me, his hands busy with making toast while I prepped some lunch boxes. It was 6 AM on a Tuesday and, though I was far from awake, I did admit that I felt quite happy being here, in Henry’s Mews kitchen. 

In the far corner I could hear Kal hogging down some food after an even more ungodly early doggy walk - from which I thankfully had been spared - and before long the kitchen was filled with lovely scents and we were all enjoying our breakfast.

‘Sleep well?’ I said, keeping my voice down as the walls were rather thin. Henry nodded, cup of coffee hovering beneath his nose, cheeks dimpling with a tender smile. ‘Sure did. Though looks like you are STILL sleeping.’ He laughed. ‘Mmm... I’m very much enjoying this dream, thank you very much. So please, allow me.’

‘Then so I will. So what are you up to today?’ He took a hesitant sip of the far too hot drink, scrunching his nose as he nearly burned his tongue, then decided to put it down, his hands instead moving to cut into the toast, his egg all gooey perfection as it oozed out onto the plate. I could see Kal push his head on Henry’s lap, hoping that his puppy eyes were enough of a persuader to earn himself some bacon. But apparently it was just another part of their morning routine, Henry’s hand near automatically running through the Akita’s fur before returning to his breakfast, no bacon bits shared in the process.

Sweet bears. 

‘Going to have an interview with that baker in a little over an hour, then visiting that publisher followed by some work calls. You?’

‘No baker interviews unfortunately,’ He smiled. ‘Just meetings. Meetings, meetings, meetings.’ Henry shrugged, obviously not looking forward to it. ‘Oh..What do you want to do for dinner by the way?’ He inquired.

‘Eh…eat food?’ I grinned, earning an exasperated look from him. ‘Hahah..sorry..but eh..let’s just cook something at home. Shall I cook or..?’

‘Cooking as home is good, sure. And, Ali, honestly..I’m not THAT traditional. Maybe let’s just say that the first person who gets home, cooks? That seems to be more fair.’ He said simply, hogging down onto another huge bite. 

‘Very well then, my fair feminist knight.’ I winked, also cutting into my toast, my nose sniffing happily as the savoury scents drifted into my nostrils. Gosh, how nice it was to be with a man that could cook! 

—

Still somewhat catching my breath from hurrying from meeting to meeting, I sat before one man called Charles Dunham, his golden nameplate shining proudly on his paper-filled mahogany desk. From the moment I had gotten into his office, it became clear that the old, fat cheeked man was most eager to get me on board; a good cup of coffee and some cookies were moved onto the last remaining bit of his space on his overcrowded desk and before I could even take my first sip of the welcome drink, the offer was already on the table.

‘Simply said; we adore your stories. And from a business point of view we see great potential. You have a solid fan base, and we recently released a similar storybook for adults that sold like hot buns on the Sunday market,’ He grinned happily, throwing three cubes of sugar in his coffee and mixing it with a freakishly small spoon. ‘So we are more than glad to develop this project with you.’

I blinked over the rim of the cup of coffee, hot steam raising up from the porcelain. HOLY DAMN! I let out a soft giggle and smiled. ‘My…alright then. I had expected to have to give you my sales pitch and perhaps a kidney or two. I mean, I even made a whole presentation, but this is far better. Thank you so much for your trust and enthusiasm Mr. Dunham, it truly means the world!’ 

Mr. Dunham chuckled. ‘And the world better be ready. How about we start editing a first version in the next few months, fine-tune a few things? Oh, and I did have one small question; are these based on actual people?’

‘Some are inspired by a mix of people I know, though all characters are definitely fictional in nature.’

‘Well, perhaps you COULD add a slight reference to Superman, since he’s from the Islands as well. Our readers would surely love that.’

I felt my stomach somersault again. Oh Mr. Dunham..if only you knew.

‘Haha..well. We might have to look into copyrights there, but it sure is true that we, I, adore our homeland hero.’ I winked.

—

Oh the homeland hero. I did adore him, indeed. In fact I craved him really.

The moment I had gotten back to Jersey I felt like I had left a piece of myself back with Henry. Suddenly the air was bleak and my parents house was not my home anymore, the large but comfortable house feeling like but a shell of what it had been just days earlier. And it got even weirder when I was laying in bed. 

Here I was, alone, my hand outstretched to the spot where he would lay if we would sleep together. I even tried to sniff the pillow he had slept on, to see if any of his scent perhaps lingered there.

It didn’t.

It had been a strangely eventful day today. First the very early flight, a sleepy Henry - quite unique to find in the mornings - driving me to the airport. And then the near desperate hugs and kisses we shared, followed by a restless flight. And then I had to quickly drop off my stuff before heading to another doctors appointment. This time for one of a more invasive nature; a number of physical tests had to be performed so I could enlist for a sperm donor. My plan B. Just in case everything failed with Henry. 

But, in all honesty, it felt more and more like a doom scenario I was increasingly less comfortable with. Did I want to become a single parent, if all of this failed? Was that really my dream? Or was a child just a result of something greater I truly wanted, something I had pushed away and hidden from my still beating heart. Did I actually want something quite different?

Did I want..eh..love, actually?

As I lay there looking at the ceiling, small glow-in-the-dark stars speckling the otherwise dark surface, I came to the bitter tasting realisation that I had not really taken into account that there was suddenly this extra person who had come into the equation. This person I had wild make-out sessions with on my parents couch, as well finding in him the person who offers a listening ear and who would consolidate me and be there during a doctors appointment. 

He cared and was obviously not really wanting to leave. And I, to be even more honest with myself, well, I didn’t want him to leave either. I needed to keep him close and listen to him if I wanted this to last. 

Rolling on my side I picked up my phone. 11.30 PM. He’d probably be sleeping now. I bit my lip and decided to text him, even if he’d only read it in the morning.

“I just tried to sniff the pillow but your scent is gone. I miss you😢”

Quite immediately a message returned. A selfie, taken with a flash in the starkness of a dark bedroom. Henry’s face sulkily grabbing onto a pillow. “That makes two. I miss you three!”

I giggled, silly bear, then imitated his picture, taking one myself, his pillow squeezed tightly in my arm, head resting on top. “Sweet dreams bear. I’ll keep your pillow safe.”

And then a little voice chat message came in, his silky deep voice filling my heart with joy; ‘Sweet dreams Ali.’

Oh sweet were my dreams indeed. 

If only..if only he were here to share them with me. 

--

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[sapphiresea]

The Earp Expo Experience

Wow. The three E’s. This is why I’m never in charge of titling things.

This past weekend, I went to Earp Expo in New Orleans and a couple of people have expressed interest in reading about my experience. Since I’m currently in the middle of the post-con crash, I’m writing about it now to alleviate some of that with memories of how completely amazing it was. Because...it was. The cast, the volunteers, and all the other Earpers made it one of the most special weekends of my entire life.

My Expo began on Thursday, right from the start when I met a couple other Earpers on my flight from Calgary to New Orleans. We knew each other from previous events and the twitter world, but hadn’t actually planned to go in together until it happened. Let me tell you, flights are so much easier when you’ve got someone to share them with –– especially the stopovers! We even met a couple of UK Earpers in the airport in Atlanta who were really great to chat with.

Our evening was spent with a few other Earp friends watching the Raptors game in the hotel bar. Kat even walked by once on her way to another bar and asked how the game was going, and at the end of the night, her and Dom walked by us again on their way in and waved at us. Most of the time, we just spent chatting amongst ourselves, but as the game grew closer, we all started getting into it. Even our bartender started cheering for the Raptors with us, and I don’t think I’ve laughed or cheered so hard in a long time. I’m not usually a sports person, but I was so into it.

The real expo started the next day, though, with registration. I had to get up so early because I was curling my hair and dressing up as Waverly from the Big Gay Dinner episode. I looked cute, though, and I got to spend the time between registration and autographs sitting in a meeting room chatting with people from across the world! Not a bad way to start.

The first thing I did with the start of the programming was to head to the autograph room to see Kat. I had a Bernie tote that my friend Abbie had made holding things to give to people. The line was long, but even the longest lineups were pretty fun because you’re never just standing there in silence. You’re with each other.

I gave Kat a bag of Old Dutch ketchup chips and teased her that she was eating the wrong kind, so I was going to fix that. She admitted she had never tried Old Dutch and said she was so excited to dig into them and thanked me for bringing them all the way from Canada. I also gave her a copy of Portia de Rossi’s Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain because of our previous conversation, which she said she remembered, and said she couldn’t wait to start.

Friday and Saturday, I was asking cast members to sign my final honours thesis. I told them that I had a bit of a tough time getting through university for awhile because I had gotten very ill right in the middle of it, but that now I was going on to grad school. I said I wanted them to sign the thesis because Wynonna Earp had helped to keep me sane through all of it. Particularly to Dom and Kat, I said that meeting them at Emerald City Comic Con had really given me the inspiration I needed to get through to the end and that it had paid off because I had gotten top grades across the faculty and won a couple of awards for it. Their names were all in the acknowledgements as a result, as well as a thank you to the entire Earper family, and that’s where they all signed.

Kat, along with everyone else who signed it (Dom, Melanie, Emily, Dani, and Varun), said she was very proud of me and that I should be very proud of myself for it because it was amazing and congratulated me on all of it. Emily, who signed next, made such a big deal about it. She told me that I was breaking barriers for women in research and that I had an incredible story that she would love to read one day. Dom and Dani echoed Kat’s sentiments. Michael Eklund came over while Dani was signing the thesis, too, and she asked if he had signed it because she couldn’t believe she was signing someone’s thesis. At least I’m unique? And I’ll get to Varun’s response later, when I get to the part where we met, because his was probably the best.

Kat and I took three selfies (even though I’m only posting two here) before I left to see Emily. I also had a photo op from the Calgary Comic Expo for her to sign from last year’s convention. She’s making a pretty ridiculous face in it and when she saw it, she was like, “Oh my god! What am I doing!? I’m so sorry I ruined your photo!” I assured her that actually I just thought it was hilarious and that I love that picture. 

I told her that I was glad to get to meet her now because back then I was still so new to watching that I wasn’t really an Earper yet. I told her that my dad and I started watching because the show was filmed in Calgary and we were both Calgary natives, which really excited her. We talked about the city for a bit and she told me that part of why she had been so jazzed about developing Wynonna Earp was that she could imagine just from reading the comics the potential to film in Calgary. We talked about the city a bit and she later said that since my dad isn’t big on conventions, we should come to set once it starts filming again. I don’t know if she really meant it, but it was so sweet anyway!

I also mentioned with my thesis that I was doing the expo instead of graduation stuff and she congratulated me on graduating. “I feel like I should get you something!” she exclaimed, apologizing for not getting me anything. As if I needed it. Bridget pointed out that she had beads on her table so she picked up a purple string and said, “Oh yeah. I got these for you. I went to Tiffany’s and got these for you,” as she hung them around my neck. The only beads I bothered to bring home from New Orleans. After we took a selfie, she asked if she could hug me, and of course, I said ‘yes.’

Next, I saw Dom. Her table was being a lot more rushed due to long lines, but she was still so sweet and gracious. She said it was really nice to see me again. I gave her a handmade card with a quote on it and a bracelet I hoped she might like, which she thanked me for and said both were beautiful, especially the card. She also asked to see the tattoo I had gotten of her writing from ECCC and smiled at the result. I love this tattoo like a lot. When she got up to take selfies with me, she also gave me a really big hug without me even asking, which was super nice. Kat had done the same, which was also great because I hadn’t gotten the chance to give her a hug at ECCC.

I had a couple photo ops after with Dom, then Dani. Dom’s was pretty quick. I had forgotten props at home for it, so I gave her rainbow sunglasses and we posed with those. Dani, I asked just to make a silly face. She asked for direction and when I had none, she said, “Just any funny face?” and I nodded. When I thanked her for the photo, she said she didn’t think I’d be thanking her once I saw it. But I did see it and I did love it, so I guess she’s wrong hah!

The representation panel separated my photo ops with Dani and Dom from my photo op with Kat. It was really great, but Varun totally made me tear up when he talked about Indian representation on television. I’m going to let the internet cover the panel, though, since I imagine it’ll be on YouTube at some point. My photo with Kat was also kind of dampened by my forgetfulness for props, but I gave her my cell phone and told her to hold it out of reach for me. She didn’t hold it all the way up, though, so I had to crouch a little to make the picture and it kind of looks weird? But I made it a meme anyway. Here’s the original.

Back up to the autograph area, I then went to see Dani. In addition to discussion of my thesis stuff, I also told her I loved Workin’ Moms and that since I’m Canadian, I was all caught up. I told her I watched with my parents, which made her laugh and exclaim, “You watch it with your parents!? Is that awkward? What did they think about the scene where I m*st*rb*te on the couch?” I just said that thankfully, I did watch some episodes without them. She thanked me for my support and I complimented her outfit before moving onto Varun’s table.

Similar to Emily’s table on Friday, Varun’s had a relatively short line but was taking a long time to get through because he was chatting with everyone for so long. When I got up to have my thesis signed, he wasn’t even sitting behind his table. Instead, he was stood leaning against it, and every time someone came up, he would engulf them in a big hug. He looked at me with a big grin and said, “I recognize you!” and I guess I kind of made a confused face because he added, “I think?” and we had an awkward conversation about how I’d never actually met him before. Oops.

The rest of the interaction was far from awkward, though. Varun is extremely personable and kind. He asked me a million questions about my thesis. Actually, most of the cast had questions as to what it was about and how to define words like ‘alexithymia,’ but he was genuinely interested in how I ran the experiment and measured all my variables, what populations I used, etc. We had a long talk about things like physician bias and gender bias in diagnosing disorders among other things. He said psychology has always fascinated him, along with meditation. He finally had to move on to some of the people behind me, but he gave me another big hug. The selfie we took was inspired by the one of Kat and I from ECCC because he saw it as my lock screen when I took my phone out and mimicked it because he liked it.

Although I was done with that for the day, I spent the whole of Friday night with a bunch of different Earpers, at restaurants and bars before taking a haunted tour of the French quarter with a new friend that was really fun. I stayed up way too late again, and thus became the pattern of the weekend. I’m so sleep-deprived, guys. I probably need a 12 year nap.

Saturday was a different beast. I arrived only fifteen minutes early and started with photo ops. A friend and I had a joint Unkillable Gay Squad photo first. Since we’re both academics and geeks, I brought my stats books down and we asked them to pretend we were teaching them stats. I think Dom has the best face out of everyone because it’s the face I get every time I tell someone I’m going into quantitative psychology. Kat was genuinely trying to read the textbook over my shoulder and when we were done, she was like, “Yeah, I understood none of that!"

An incredibly sweet Earper had extra cast photo ops. Since it was one of my best friends’ first convention ever, she gifted to us one of the cast photos. Another friend couldn’t find her party and was bummed to miss her photo ops so we pulled her into ours instead. Our plan for poses didn’t work because some of the cast were in chairs, so we told them just to do whatever pose they wanted. As I walked in, Varun made a point to tell me that he had been trying to explain my thesis to Dom the night before. So that happened. Crazy, honestly, because it means they were talking about me!! Madness.

Following that, a friend and I hopped into Melanie’s autograph line for her first signing session. We were early for it, but there was already a full line and overflow line, so we were the beginning of the second overflow. Everyone wanted to see her at once. I had to laugh, though, because while I was in line, I changed into my Lasagna Del Rey tee and realized that Mel was wearing hers, too. It was a long time before I would get to the front to point it out, but the time went fast enough. My friend and I met a couple other Earpers with Earp playing cards and we played a few rounds of Go Fish followed by Blackjack. We were also all fighting over who could collect the most Wayhaught cards. Good times.

Meeting Melanie was amazing. When she saw my shirt, she leaned back in her chair, putting on an offended face and exclaimed to her handler, “Are you seeing this!?” and proceeded to tease me about it. I had her sign the same photo as Emily and she squinted at her hair like, “What’s with all the flyaways there? Thoughts?” and then was like, “Oh, it’s because I had all my fake Wynonna hair in and was trying to keep it all at bay.” 

When I told her about my thesis, I added, “And just so you know, it’s not a crap thesis either. It tied for the Outstanding Honours Award and I got a certificate of academic excellence from the CPA for it.” Eyes widened and she held up her hand to high-five me and exclaimed, “That’s how we Earp it girl!” So I was pretty proud. 

She then pointed out the matching shirts to everyone again as she got up and whispered in my ear, “Did you know I was going to wear this this morning?” and told me to post the pictures on twitter because her boss needed to see it.

Immediately following Mel’s autograph session was my Earp sisters photo with her and Dom. I gave them big lollipops, which they loved, and as we started, Mel turned me to Dom and said, “She’s from Calgary! Did you know that!?” Dom looked a little confused, to be honest, but she was like, “No, I don’t think I did. The name’s Steph, right?” I nodded and she smiled, but before she could say anything else, Mel was like, “And she only went and wrote a thesis for us!” So maybe my masters should somehow incorporate Wynonna Earp beyond the acknowledgements and dedications. I have no idea how though lol. Also, as I was leaving, she pointed out again to everyone that we were matching.

A combined photo op with Dani and Mel was next. I asked them to recreate the distracted boyfriend meme and Melanie exclaimed, “Yes!” They asked me who each of us should be and I said they could pick whoever they wanted. Mel wanted to be the girl at the front and Dani went through directing the rest of the photo. When we were done, Melanie winked at me and said this was probably the best photo they’d done.

I had to run to an overlapping photo op with Dom and Kat right after that, so I had to change in the lineup back into the Equality shirt beneath my Lasagna Del Rey and put on beads and a hat before getting the rest of the props ready. Pride photos are a lot harder than anticipated! But I love how it turned out, and Kat really dug the tiny glittery rainbow cowboy hats.

I tried to get autographs from Kat and Dom again because I had giveaway items, but they ran too close to the start of Emily’s workshop, so I couldn’t. The workshop was so much fun, though. She asked that there be no recording so that content remains fresh for newcomers at future cons, so I’m not going to talk much about it. All I’m going to say is that it was really interesting and even more funny. Kinda wish she’d come teach my regular classes.

Aside from at Dani’s table during her signing, the only time I got to meet Michael Eklund outside of photo ops was actually on the sidewalk outside the hotel. I showed him my shirt and he hugged me. Sadly I was never able to make it to his table because I had booked myself with too little flexibility, and every time he was doing a signing, I was busy. Sad. I hope I get to see him at a future con because he’s super great.

Sunday started early with photo ops again. My first was a cast photo this time – the one that I had purchased for myself. I had a lot of selfie props and handed them out to everyone as I told them that I would be using this in place of a real graduation photo. Someone (I don’t remember which one of them) said that was a great idea and they all agreed. As I was leaving, they all cheered congratulations and clapped for me. I almost died, y’all. It was way better than walking across a stage.

Shortly after, I had another photo op with Kat to make up for the one I didn’t like so much on Friday. It did. She wrapped her arms around me and you can see on my face exactly how pleased I am with myself for asking for prom poses. She also asked to make sure I was happy with the grad photo and was glad to know I loved it. A lot.

I had a meet and greet with Dani Kind next, which was fun. That woman really knows how to make you laugh, even when you’re fsjdkfnkv freezing from air con being way too high. She told us about her campy new horror movie and talked a bit about Workin’ Moms and politics. I didn’t talk a lot except for the Canadian election stuff, but it was still super fun just to listen to her. 

I left to get into line for autographs from Dom for the giveaway, but because she had photo ops to get to, our line was cut off while we were still in overflow. We were given post-it notes with numbers on them to indicate that we would be allowed into her line first later. I hopped into Kat’s instead, but a few minutes later, they did the same for hers, so I went to take a breather with a friend until my last photo op.

My final photo was with Wayhaught and my friend for her first con. We asked them to kiss our cheeks, and I think my face says it all. Amazing. Kat apologized for getting lip gloss on my cheek but it really didn’t even matter. I loved it. 

Using my post-it from earlier, I went to Kat’s line first since her session was supposed to start sooner. Since I had both post-its, I and two others were allowed to jump lines when we were finished instead of getting into overflow. Nice. 

This time, we took our selfies first. When she sat down and looked at the names on the stickies for personalization, she was like, “You’re getting them for someone else?” I replied to tell her a bit about the girls I was having her sign for. She particularly loved that Kylie had decorated her grad cap writing ‘Aphrodite made me do it’ and signed that to her paper. 

I then asked her a bit about her experience going to Ellen Degeneres’ show, since she loves her so much (and so do I!). She got really excited and told me that it was absolutely amazing and hilarious, and that she had won a washing machine. I asked how and she said there was a giveaway and that she had also won a two-year supply of Tide. She had to sell the washing machine, though, since she didn’t live in L.A. at the time. She said if I ever have the chance to see her, that I should definitely go, because it was a real moment of seeing her hero live, adding that whenever she’s upset or depressed, she likes to binge Ellen’s talk show on YouTube or sometimes her comedy, which she also loves. I said I was a big fan of her sitcom, but she admitted she hadn’t seen it yet, and I told her to check it out some time.

Dom was my last stop, so I hopped into her line as told. She was moving a little faster, probably because she’s been so late at all the other cons lately, but was still taking time with everyone. She, too, took the selfie first this time. I told her I was getting these autographs for a giveaway for people who couldn’t be there and she exclaimed, “Oh that’s so nice!” I told her a little about the winners and she was jazzed when I said they were from across the globe (I told her the exact countries but just in case, to protect privacy, I won’t say where here). 

I said that I had a random question and asked about her experience with the Spice Girls musical, since I loved them growing up. She blew out a breath and said that was a really big time for her, and that it taught her a lot, especially being part of a big musical that flopped. But, she said, she did get to sing with them on opening night and meet all of the girls. I said that was really cool and asked who her favorite Spice Girl was. She thought for a moment and said it fluctuated between Scary and Baby. I agreed that Baby was always my favorite and she said that she was definitely the nicest.

Also, while she was signing the second photo, she kind of paused for a second and looked at it and then said, “Oh, I just noticed that.” She pointed to a darker spot in the background of the picture and said she had never noticed it before but that for a second, she thought it was moving and that it was a bug. Then she said that her brain was kind of sdfsdfgdg (honestly, the only way to describe the sound that came out of her mouth is a keysmash) and laughed.

As I left, I told her that I hoped she had a great weekend and she said she hoped the same for me. I left and realized I had dumbly left my water bottle on her table and ran back to get it. I zipped back off so I wouldn’t interrupt the next person’s time, but I saw her turn toward me and laugh, saying, “Great job!” Oops... What is it with teal water bottles always being left behind guys?

I went to the cast panel with a bunch of my friends and I think just about the whole room was in tears by the end of the closing ceremonies. Again, I’ll leave those for YouTube. The best parts are already online, anyway, but it was really cool to see it live.

The con was over, but some Earpers posted later in the night that they were having a viewing party in one of the conference rooms on the second floor, so my friend and I went down to join. It was so much fun watching with other Earpers. We played the pilot and then went down a rabbit hole of Wayhaught, including playing the cheerleading scene on repeat. My favorite quote, though, was when we were watching them kiss in 2x02 at the end, when they’re making up. Someone asked an Earper who was hard of hearing if they could hear and they answered, “No.” She said, “Oh, let me pause and put on subtitles,” and they responded, “I didn’t say I needed to hear it to enjoy it.” Wow. Mood.

Monday morning was check out and Dom was in the lobby. She was on her phone and people were looking but no one was bothering her. I went to the desk to check out and Varun appeared at the desk next to me to check out too. He got to talking to my friend who was with me about my thesis (!?) and when I was done checking out, I joined them. He said he and Dom were about to go on a swamp tour and he had to go but that he hoped to see us again at future cons and that it was nice meeting us. That guy really is the sweetest.

Anyway, now I’m home. And a bit sad. But mostly just overwhelmed for love for this cast and for Earpers. I didn’t put as much in here as I could about the atmosphere of the event. So inclusive and kind. Everywhere I turned, I made a new friend. I was always talking to someone, and often those were people I had never met before. There was so much laughter, so much bonding. So many generous, amazing souls. I can’t wait for EH Con and to see them again. I love this family with all my heart. Any sadness I feel came from a place of great joy, and knowing this community is still out there even if we’re not together is so comforting. I love Earpers with my whole freakin’ heart.

[neondnp]

my ii m&g experience ♥

(long rambling and pic spam ahead)

arriving + waiting in line

prior to and upon arriving at the venue, i was SO incredibly nervous to the point that it nearly overpowered my excitement. my heart had been racing all week and my stomach was in knots. i’d been anticipating this very day for almost a year and i was absolutely terrified that something would go wrong. i kept having thoughts like, “what if there’s a ton of unexpected traffic backed up for hours and i miss the meet and greet?” “what if there’s something wrong with my ticket??” “what if i forget something important and i’m denied access?” “what if i DIE before i get there!?” luckily, none of my delusional fears from my panicked state of mind came true and most of my anxiety disappeared after i was given my wristband.

meeting and conversing with the lovely new friends i made in line put me at enough ease that my ability to comprehend the intense reality of the situation was beginning to vanish. everything was too dreamlike to feel real. was i really mere minutes away from meeting my idols??

suddenly, everyone started screaming. i looked up and saw phil standing at the rail. i nearly had a damn heart attack!! that’s phil! he literally looks like an angel! i heard dan’s voice from the other corner and turned around to see him right above us! that’s dan!! he glows! o m g !! there they are!! in person! holy s*** that’s actually them!!! whatever they said to us either completely went over my head or was entirely forgotten because i don’t recall any of it. this was the most surreal moment of my life.

shoutout to the girl on twitter who filmed some of this and caught my reaction after they waved and left lmao

i guess this is what my mind being completely blown looks like??!?

my adrenaline was through the roof, but i was too stupefied to feel emotional yet. my throat was drying as the line in front of me gradually got shorter. the lack of air conditioning upstairs didn’t help. i was close enough to talk to marianne (a queen, btw) about what i wanted to give them. i had a letter from a friend and two of my ii themed d&p drawings that i made into magnets. she told me she would keep them and give them to dan and phil after the meet and greet. disappointing, but understandable. i wrote my name on the magnets but they won’t have a clue who i am. oh well. here’s what they look like:

before i knew it, it was my turn to meet them. a friend i met in line agreed to film my meet and greet but was too nervous to do so once we approached our turns. although it sucks to not have footage, i fully understand having anxiety. she’s very sweet and i’d never want to cause her any stress.

the actual meeting and greeting:

before i get into the personal details and talk about my interaction with them, i’ll describe their irl voices and appearances. 

i’d say they sound exactly the same in person. they don’t necessarily look any different from how they do in pictures and videos, just more radiant; especially phil. his hair somehow looks even darker irl and there’s an indescribably beautiful contrast between his black hair, vibrant eyes, and pale skin. it makes him look otherworldly. his features are sharp. dan’s stubble is actually quite prominent, even from a distance. his features are soft. there’s not really much else to say about his appearance; he’s just as gorgeous in the flesh as he is on a screen. they were just as tall as i expected them to be so i wasn’t alarmed by their height. it did, however, feel different to look up at them and see them from a new (significantly lower) angle as opposed to seeing them from an eye-level camera angle. the same can be said about viewing them on stage from a close orchestra seat.

now, onto the good part! i wish i could remember more details, but meeting them was such a blur that i didn’t feel like it even happened at all until the next day (more on that later). most of my dreams are more vivid than this memory is. my brain was majorly lagging from the moment i was far enough ahead in line to be off the stairs, and my entire consciousness seemed to exist in some alternate dimension when i walked toward their direction to be greeted. i remember one or both of them saying, “hiii!” and dan saying “thanks for coming to see us!” i remember phil instantly opening his arms and asking if i wanted a hug. i think i said, “hi! yes i do!” i remember it being so much easier to talk to them than i thought it would be. words came naturally despite having very little awareness of what i was saying and—due to being in such a daze—completely forgetting to say any of the important things i’ve always wanted to tell them. they were both so warm, gentle, and welcoming. i was too out of it to realize this at the time, but looking back, they treated me like i was an old friend of theirs; like i was someone who mattered. that warms my heart. they genuinely care about making us feel comfortable and relaxed.

dan did most of the talking. i don’t remember what either of their hugs felt like, but i do remember dan giving me one of his awkward “dan hugs” lol. dan and i were both wearing striped shirts and he said that we were “totally coordinated with our stripes” which made me WAY happier than it should have, but oh man i was BEAMING. “we are!”

when phil asked if i’d like to have something signed, i took out a print of the two portraits i drew of them. “yes, can you sign my art please?” after handing the print to them, dan said, “oh my god did you draw these??” and i responded with something dumb like, “i did! it took me like my entire life but yeah!!” i really wish i could have seen them react to my drawings, but i didn’t think to look at their faces when i showed them. in fact, i’m not even sure if i made eye contact with them at all. they complimented me on my art but i don’t remember what they said. i'm not 100% certain, but i think dan called it incredible.

dan offered to take the selfie so i handed him my phone and we all got close and smiled for the camera. i noticed from other people’s meet and greet pics that phil had a tendency to lean his head in next to fans, but i’d of course forgotten about this detail. i was so weak later on when i saw how close our faces were in the group photo, w o w !! i asked if we could take individual pictures as well and dan said, “of course!”

this is the part i remember the most clearly. taking individual pictures was almost like hugging them again, only better because i was a little more aware—i was almost able to actually process it this time. looking at them you’d expect to feel nothing but firmness and bones, but they’re both delightfully squishy; especially dan. they’re two tall adorable teddy bears. dan fondly said, “thank you philip” when phil took our picture and it was the cutest thing. after the pictures were taken, i thanked them for about the tenth time. i remember saying “thank you” and “thank you so much” to almost everything they said and did. i probably would have thanked them if they accidentally stepped on my foot or dropped my phone. they told me to enjoy the show and i thanked them once more. i wished them a good show and at some point i think i said, “it was really nice meeting you.” we waved and said our goodbyes to each other.

and then it was over.

wait, it’s over. what the hell just happened?

i literally forgot everything on the spot.

everything happened so rapidly and it ended before i had even begun to take any of it in. i really wish i could have absorbed the moment more. i wish i could have said more. this may sound silly, but none of it felt real. it didn’t initially feel like, “aah i just met dan and phil!!” instead, it felt more like, “...did i really meet dan and phil? wouldn’t i have remembered meeting them if it really happened?” i was so disappointed in myself. how was i that spaced out the whole time? i expected a more emotional experience, but it was all so surreal that i wasn’t even in touch with reality, let alone with my emotions. i didn’t know how to react, so i blanked out into a strange semiconscious state and i hated myself for it. 

i went on to realize that meeting them was indeed a very emotional experience; i just needed to fully recover from my daze for it to hit me. while most of my memory is still a blur, several small details came back to me the following day bit by bit. it was enough for me to look back on and miss. it took me days to recall everything i wrote about above. i did cry. i was emotionally impacted, just not right away. it had to catch up with me. meeting them was absolutely amazing. looking at my pictures and signed artwork elates me. i actually met dan and phil!

even though i didn’t say what i wanted to, i’m grateful that i managed to talk to them at all. i was so sure i’d either stumble over my words or end up speaking in my stupid high-pitched nervous voice. i was also afraid i’d cry in front of them and i didn’t. it went smoothly and i survived. i have a few regrets, but i still loved it. i loved them.

i’d do it again in a heartbeat.

yes i was very extra with the editing but these pics mean a lot to me and i wanted them to look the best they could

what i didn’t get to say: 

@danielhowell @amazingphil thank you for inspiring so much creativity, motivation, and passion within me. you guys are the reason i wanted to start drawing again. you’re the reason why i stopped immediately giving up. you’re the reason i’ve met so many spectacular people and became part of such a diverse and extraordinary community. you guys give me a reason to smile. i love you, thank you for everything ♥ - alexis

[lils-writes]

Heart Spotted Ladybugs

Hi! So this is the first time I’m posting something I write, so I hope everyone likes it! It’s an Adrinette reverse crush fic, since I’m a sucker for all that’s reverse crush aus! Also, I wrote Marinette as a brunette, instead of with black or blue hair. Just a heads up.

Feel free to leave a comment :) Thank you and enjoy!

2.4k words

It was a distracting sight. Then again, she was always a distracting sight to him. But she was particularly distracting today, under the afternoon sun, wearing a yellow floral sundress that didn't leave much to the imagination. Not that it was improper or anything! It actually covered her body wonderfully! But it hugged her curves the way a dress should hug a girl's cures, enhancing her beauty more than it probably should. Adrien couldn't help but stare. Anyone would stare if a goddess stood there, in front of them, glowing in sheer beauty.

“Dude, you're staring again.

-But she's so gorgeous…

-I know Alya is a catch.

-I'm talking about Marinette.”

Nino chuckled at the defensiveness of his friend. What was the point of being friend with someone if you can't tease them? And anyways, it was revenge for distractedly almost stepping on his music sheets. But when a man is in love, you can't a snap him out of it.

“You have got it bad, mon ami.

-What?

-Lovebug bit hard, I see.

-What are you talking about?

-Just go talk to her man!”

It wasn't like Adrien to get nervous. Hell! The last time he remembers ever getting nervous, he was 5 and going on on a stage without his parents for the first time. And now that he thinks of it, he wouldn't be able to tell why he was nervous, since he had no lines and played the role of a rock by the river. It was a really stupid play. But for the first time in over 10 years, he felt nervous. Just the thought of talking to the godly beauty made his palms all sweaty and his heart beat faster. He could do that, right? Just converse, like a normal person. Easy. Except he wasn't a normal person. He was a disaster person. And if he had to talk to her, he'd make a fool out of himself and she'd see him as a joke and he'd be depressed for the rest of his life because he was a joke. No point denying it. He was a joke in this world and nothing could change that. End of the story: he was not going to talk to her.

“There is no way I’m going anywhere near her!

-Well, then have fun standing here all alone. I have to talk to Alya anyways.”

Before Adrien could put in another word, Nino walked away, slowly approaching the two girls. They were giggling together, Marinette looking prettier than ever. And for some reason, Adrien’s legs were bringing him closer to his friends, even if he said he wouldn’t. Curse his growing desire to be near the brunette.

Nino was already chatting away with the girls when Adrien found the courage to really get near. Marinette was still glowing, her hand trying to hide her pretty smile as she laughed. And damn was it mesmerizing. But he had to stop. Adrien had to stop! He was a boy hopelessly in love, but he had to calm himself down. It wasn't like he had never been near her. He could act normal. Just be cool.

“Anyways, not to be rude, but I have to borrow Alya for a bit, if you don't mind. School is still a thing, even if it is almost done.

-Right, we have a project to finish for tomorrow. We’ll hang out later, alright Mari?”

The brunette nodded and waved as Alya and Nino walked away. Wait. Nino and Alya were walking away. That meant that- oh crap. Adrien was left alone with Marinette. Oh no. He was going to die now, isn’t he? He could feel his face heat up as the girl’s blue eyes found themselves on him. His palms got sweated again as her lips formed a small smile. What wouldn't he do to get a chance to kiss them. No! Bad!

“Well, I’m guessing you also have work to do. Especially with your dad’s fashion show next week. I’ll let you go back home and rest and do homework. Call me if you need help with anything! I’ll just be working on a few commissions I got.”

And just like that, her smile was gone as her heels turned, exposing her bare back. Her skin seemed so silky soft and… Adrien, snap out of it! She was just a friend. That's all. She couldn't be anything more than that!

“Unless you’d like to hang out?”

Adrien was 16. He was a 16 year old boy. And his voice was deepening. It really was! But puberty betrayed him in that moment and he squeaked a yes to Marinette’s offer. And she probably thought he was stupid as she giggled at the answer. Of course she thought he was ridiculous! He was a nervous wreck and squeaked at her! How stupid sounding could he get? He was doomed with bad luck, wasn't he?

“Well, we could go to the parc, but given your allergy to feathers, I doubt you want to go to a pigeon infested parc. Would you prefer going back to my place? I know you love my papa’s croissants.”

She was smiling so softly at him, he could feel his heartbeat doubling in speed. Ok, all he had to do was agree. Her big aqua blue eyes were waiting for his answer. Deep breath…

“Yeah, sure, that sounds like an awesome plan.”

Jackpot! He said something normal! If he could keep this up, things would go smoothly. And now that he had done it once, he could keep the flow going.

The Dupain-Cheng bakery was thankfully only a few blocks away. The two conversed properly, with no awkwardness, until they were spotted by a couple of girls who just had to get a picture with Adrien. Politely, Adrien took the selfie, faking a smile. But the fake smile became genuine when he noticed Marinette chuckling at the fangirls. Man was she a cutie.

As soon as that was over, the pair headed into the bakery before anyone else could ask for an autograph or a selfie. As much as Adrien loved being famous and bringing a smile on the face of his fans, he sometimes really wished he were a normal kid. Maybe then would he be able to just accept that he had a massive crush on Marinette and find the courage to ask her out? But with his current life, he refused to do so. He couldn't impose this kind of life on Marinette. If ever she did feel the same way about him…

“Hi papa! I hope you don't mind that I invited Adrien over! It’s just that Alya and Nino are working on a school project together, which left Adrien and I alone. So I told myself that we could keep each other company, since I know how boring it could get to be all by yourself. And at the Agreste, it’s not even like here where there’s the bakery that could keep me busy. Also, his father is less loving than you and maman.”

That last sentence was almost a whisper between the father and daughter. Adrien knew that it was true, but it still stung. His father was sort of a cold man, but he still loved his son. He was just still grieving the loss of his wife. That was all. That's why he was distant. It was normal. Soon, he’d be back to being a somewhat affectionate man, showing love to his only son.

“Of course, ma chérie! You can bring friends over whenever you want! Just no funny business.

-Papa!”

The brunette blushed at the remark of her father. Tom simply laughed at the colored cheeks of his daughter. The man handed the boy a plate of warm croissants and waved the two off. Marinette stomped up the stairs, visibly pouting. Even when mad she was beautiful. But maybe instead of staring at her, Adrien should look where he was putting his feet, as he almost fell, missing a step on his way up to Marinette’s room.

“I’m ok! I’m ok! Don’t worry! The croissants are also alright!”

Perhaps shouting was not the best idea. Maybe it made him sound stupid. But then again, he always looked foolish around Marinette. And as always, she chuckled, helping him by taking the plate away from him. That was a good idea. That way, he wouldn't be able to drop the food that way.

It had been awhile Adrien hadn't been in the girl’s room. And it was the first time he was there without Nino or Alya or anything kind of school project. Now, he really got the chance to look around. The walls were painted a nice shade of pink, not too overwhelming, but were mostly covered with sketches and notes. He never noticed until now that her bed was nowhere in sight, being over their heads. It was a cozy room and an efficient little work area. It was cute, like Marinette. Her personality was really reflected into the decoration.

“Sorry for the mess. I wasn't expecting any guest. Well, make yourself comfortable. I’ll just clean a little, if you don't mind. Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed by the mess.

-It’s fine! And I can help, if you want!

-You want… to help me clean?

-I mean, at my house, I have a maid to do that. I don't have time to clean my room.

-Lucky.

-I think I rather do it myself. I always lose stuff when she cleans. So please let me help?”

Marinette finally gave in. Adrien grinned, picking up fabric from the ground. Maybe it could be a way of feeling like a normal kid. And at the same time, it made the princess smile which was everything he could hope for. Her smile was the most beautiful thing in the world and he would go to the moon and back if it would ensure her smile.

Minutes passed in silence. Marinette went back and forth, trying her best to pick up as much as she could in the smallest amount of time possible. Adrien, however, was taking his time. He inspected every piece of stray fabric he found, wondering what Marinette made out it. From the scraps, it was hard to tell. He knew that their classmates enjoyed her designs and often commissioned her to make pieces of clothing or costumes, but he never thought about the amount of time and attention she actually put into her creations. And honestly, he found it silly, since he knew very well how time consuming the process of creation was, his father being a renowned fashion designer and all. Adrien Agreste was the heir to a fashion empire and never did he think of how time consuming it was to create sketches and the actual project. Actually, Adrien never tried to sketch or build clothing in his life. He only modeled. And here was his crush, doing everything he should be learning to do. Man was he fool.

“How are you holding up, Adrien?

-Just fine! I was looking at the fabric, that's all.”

Automatically, he held up the piece of fabric he had in his hand. He didn't think much of it until he saw Marinette’s crimson face. The fabric itself wasn't weird. It was a red silk. But for some reason, the brunette snatched it out of his hands and stuffed it into her pocket, her blush not calming itself.

“You ok, Marinette?

-Just fine! I think the room is clean enough. How about we play something? A racing game?

-What was that fabric?

-Just scraps, nothing.

-Can I see it?

-No?”

Adrien insisted, now genuinely curious about what she was hiding. But Marinette was stubborn, so it wasn't easy to persuade her to show him. Thankfully, after a lot of insisting, Adrien finally managed to get a crack at Marinette who defeatedly pulled out the silk. Her face match the fabric’s color.

“I made myself pajamas out of it, but it’s pretty childish.”

The fabric in question was red, like Adrien had seen before, but it was speckled with ladybug designs. And not just any kind of ladybug! No no, the ladybugs in questions were spotted with hearts. The design was adorable, and just the thought of Marinette wearing such a cute fabric made Adrien’s mind go crazy.

“Please don't laugh!

-Can I commission you?

-What?

-Can you make me something? Of course, I'll pay you and all!

-You want me to make you something?

-Yes please!”

Both were surprised by the request. Marinette, since she never expected to be commissioned by someone whose father is literally a fashion god, and Adrien, since he had no idea what he was doing. It was a shock to both. But Adrien got this far, he was not ready to back out any time soon.

“Yeah, I was hoping you could make me a set of pyjamas with this fabric.”

And with a sheepish smile, he held up the piece of heart spotted ladybug fabric. Marinette stared at him for a moment, unsure what to respond. But that was ok, since Adrien wasn't done.

“You see, I don't find it childish at all. I actually love this fabric and would love to have a pair of pyjamas made of them. So if you’re willing, I’d love for you to make them for me. And I don't expect any kind of friend discount. I expect the full price for this piece.”

Marinette was still quiet. Did he break her? Oh god, please! He couldn't have broken the one person he really liked! And, and- and she was laughing. Oh. She was laughing. She was laughing! And smiling! And nodding! She was agreeing to make him his request! Oh goodness! She was willing to make him the pyjamas!

“Alright Adrien. But on one condition: next time we have a pyjama party, you have to wear them. We can be matching!”

Adrien grinned at the idea. It was a wonderful idea, really, so he agreed full heartedly. He could be matching to the love of his life. And he could see her smile and laugh, and that was all he really wanted in life. As long as she was happy, he was happy.

“Deal, Marinette.”

[bumblingtravels]

3. Paris

There and Back Again… an Interrailing Story

8 cities, 6 countries, 4 weeks, 2 rainbows, 1 camera

PART ONE — Paris

May 29th, 2018

Well… what a day. The summary of said day is definitely: rain, bombs, thinking, rain. Really that about sums it up, don’t know if I even have to write this entry, but I suppose it gives me something to do while I wait for the pasta to boil. So here we go… section one: rain.

After waking up to our alarms and promptly deciding ‘fuck it Morpheus take me’, we managed to leave the apartment at a reasonable time, definitely compared with the 16:00s of Edinburgh, though thats another story for another time. In juxtaposed dresses and corresponding white cardigans we left the apartment and immediately opened our umbrellas - seems last nights thunderstorm wasn’t done with us yet. Managing to buy the right RER train ticket this time, we made our way to Saint Michel’s Notre Dame.

We emerged from the underground towards the surface of Paris for our first day in the City of Love, and of course… because life hates me like that, it was pissing it down. We managed to snap a few snaps of Notre Dame and the Seine River before, belly rumblings reminded us that humans tend to need to eat. Our noble quest for sustenance took us down quaint little market streets, boasting a never ending supply of restaurants; a surprise number of which were Greek but none a simply good old-fashioned french bakery.

Continuing on our quest (I’m warning you it’s about the length of the second Lord of the Rings movie… extended edition), we were quickly put on alert by thresher amount of police riot vans and general police presence. Shrugging it off as a potential quirk - you know, Paris: bakeries, Mona Lisa, frog legs, Eiffel Tower and police vans - we continued in the direction of ‘that-a-way’. As with Egg Man yesterday, a spotting of a Deliveroo driver kicked our student instincts into gear; and after a quick search (on the ready installed app) we headed in the direction of Smith’s bakery, but not before a quick stroll through a park with bicycles strategically placed to create the best aesthetic.

Smith’s bakery itself was an adorable slice of flour heaven and we came out bearing one cheese and ham toastie, one baguette sandwich and two eclairs (chocolate and caramel for precise recollection). Deciding it best to find a nice park somewhere and eat our breakfast-cum-lunch, we headed in the direction of Luxembourg gardens.

Now, here’s the thing. Macron? Apparently not a nice guy. Remember that police presence I was talking about? Yeah, apparently ‘bad president + police riot vans = protest’. Our first view of Luxembourg was through the clouded view of tear gas and smoke bombs interspersed with hi-vis vests of police and to the cadence of protest. Not exactly a situation ripe for two young girls from Cheshire. we aimed to skirt around the protest - our travel insurance doesn’t cover political uprising I don’t think, although I always did fancy myself an Enjolras. As we got closer the smoke bomb warning *bangs* caused us to back track and head away. No harm, no foul as we found a cute little bench to eat our Smith’s bakery delicacies.

Side-note: those eclairs where amazing and Tescos seriously needs to step up its eclair game.

We plotted a route to the Museum D’Orsay and detoured quickly though a cute photography market and exhibition. Along the way, we purchased our snow globe and shot glass collectibles before continuing ‘on to Art’. This particular museum’s lines were ridiculously long and so, deciding that life is too short we instead plotted a course for one of my main picks: Rodin’s Museum.

Rodin’s museum ended up being a sculpture garden and all it took was a trip to the toilet to bring the sun back in full force (rip Meg’s shoulders). Getting in for free (all EU students) was a lovely bonus that you Brits will regret after Brexit. First stopping the aptly named sculptor garden: The Thinker.

Created by Rodin, The Thinker is a mighty big old geezer sitting on a rock in his birthday suit having a good old think in a pose recreated by me every time I have a shit. This work of art was the first test to the previously mocked selfie stick to varying degrees of success. Regardless of our white-girl selfie skills, the sculpture itself is breathtaking and the first thing on this trip to be ticked off the bucket list. After a quick snap of our rainbows, and several ‘thinking’ puns later, we continued on our way. 

The whole gardens are beautiful: sculptures scattered around, a beautiful fountain and capped by the Thinker and the Gates of Hell on either side. The Gates of Hell being another highlight for me and a breathtaking piece of art.

Leaving the sculptures, Hades’ world and thinking puns behind, we spotted the Eiffel Tower and decided ‘yep’. A quick detour saw us walking past the Grand Plais and the snazziest bride you have ever seen.

 We also undertook a pilgrimage of sorts for Meg as we visited The Flame of Liberty, erected in honour of Princess Diana above the tunnel where she died.

Tourist worthy pictures were taken on the bridge opposite the Eiffel Tower (complete with our bee rainbows pictures of course), before we ventured over to Paris’ crowning jewel. Countless lyrics have been waxed poetical and thousands of yarns spun about this iconic sight so I’ll keep my descriptors short and silly say my first thought: ‘didn’t realise it was brown’.

A quick bench stop outside the tower saw us realising it was 7pm and we should probably start hustling. After waiting for 30minutes at a public restroom, that cleaned itself after every use - a good idea but not exactly economical or environmental - we went to one train station to find it closed so ventured to the next. After a quick stop to get some postcards - 10 for €2 don’t mind if I do - we got on our double decker metro and headed home. A shower each and two heaped bowls of pesto pasta saw us flopped down like beached seals. So here we are 22,604 steps and 14.4km later, bone-tried and in need of a nap. I’ve rambled on and on and it’s time to embrace Morpheus so I shall wish you goodnight.

— Mira Sophia

[finiarels]

The Beat of Her Heart - Epilogue

End of the year’s holiday special. The story consists of 5 parts + 1 epilogue.

Main Pairing: Shiraishi Mai X Wakatsuki Yumi

[read on JPH!P]

Shiraishi Mai smiled as she put down a small sized box on to the floor, tugging the silver ribbon that it has to make sure that it was wrapped perfectly before taking a step back, eyes happily looking at the collection of gifts in front of her where each has a distinct size and colour to add to the festive atmosphere of the room. Carefully, she makes it way closer to the tree in the middle of the gifts, making sure that she didn’t accidentally step on it. She observed several little frames in hands, each having different pictures of her and people that she loves. After inspecting the thin glowing wire of the tree, she started to hook the frames on the branch one by one. The first one is a silly picture of her with her two siblings, they were sleeping on the car seat, not knowing that she had taken a selfie with them as a background. The second one is a much older picture, it was a picture of the whole family when the youngest of them was born. She was only 8 years old, cheerfully cradling her new baby sister as her other sister looking at them in jealousy. How other people’s focus were directed to the baby instead of her was a bother to her. Even to this date, those two siblings of hers bickers a lot. But Shiraishi knows that both of them love each other so much. Shiraishi eyes wander around the ornaments that were already decorating the tree as her hands moved a little bit up, stopping when she noticed a picture that was hooked by someone else. On the frame was a picture of a group of girls in a high school uniform, the huge gate of universal studios expands in the background. There was 4 of them, standing side by side shoulder to shoulder, Fukagawa and Hashimoto in the opposite sides, herself and Sakurai in the middle. Shiraishi was grinning as she looks up to the sky, while Sakurai is smiling, eyes looking at her. Even Hashimoto, who most of the times looks composed and collected in that picture was laughing merrily, so does Fukagawa who do the peace sign to the camera. “Ah- you can take that picture off. Geez, Momoko can’t even select pictures properly,” a sound of complaint pull Shiraishi back from her wandering mind. She shook her head, sighing a little as she finally let her hand to leave the frame, “no need to, it’s a nice picture, I like it. It was an important moment, the first time Maimai met Nanamin and me. As for Reika, while it’s kind of sad I cherish every moment we had together, so I don’t want to forget every single bit of it. Also, don’t be so hard on Momoko.” “Do as you wish,” the girl shrugged as if she doesn’t even care from the first place. The older girl expression softens, she remembers something that the other girl has mentioned earlier. “Erika, is your girlfriend coming tonight?” “Not a girlfriend, she’s just someone that I date on Tuesday and Friday,” The second child in the family corrected. “She will probably come closer to dinner time though. She mentioned having to work today.” “The Tuesday and Friday girl, noted,” Shiraishi nodded. “What’s her name again? Sorry, it’s kind of hard to keep track of your girl’s names.” “Nakamoto Himeka.” “I’ll keep that in mind. Is this girl the one who studies Biochemistry as well?” “Nope, that’s Ranze-chan. Hime-tan, isn’t even going to university, she works part-time in café and seven eleven, an aspiring singer but hasn’t even score any contracts yet” Shiraishi raised her eyebrows, noticing something from the description, “she sounds different than your usual type. I wonder why you hasn’t mention her before, you are usually chatty about your collection of girls.” “Tch- that’s because she’s not worth mentioning. But well whatever she will join us tonight.” “All I’m saying is that it’s okay if she turns out to be the one. I believe mama and papa will agree with me too.” Shiraishi Erika squinted her eyes, “geez, thanks for the unnecessary support, onee-chan.” The older one laughed, turning her head back to the tree in front of her, taking a few seconds to find the space that she needed to hook the last picture in her hand. Her younger sister took a step forward to inspect the picture in the closer distance, “that’s a cute one.” Shiraishi Mai took a few steps back until she’s standing just next to the younger girl. Taking another glance to the one last frame that she just hung. It was a picture of her from the last Christmas, she was standing in modern looking living room while holding up a few stems of plant on top of her, her girlfriend giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Yes, it was-” Ding!!!! The sound of bell interrupt her from finishing her sentence, shortly it is followed by a rush of footsteps from the upper floor, which most likely comes from the youngest Shiraishi rushing to open the door. Erika walked over to the sofa in the room, picking up the television remote from the table as she let herself fallen to the comfort of the cushion. “NEE-CHAAAAAN, NANAMIN AND MAIMAI ARE HERE!” her youngest sister shouted. Shiraishi shouted their whereabouts in return. Patiently waiting in the room as it took them a few seconds to navigate their way from the front door to the living room. Mai has a really big smile when they entered the room, giving Fukagawa a warm hug and Hashimoto a series of combined hands movement, high five, and fist bump. “A secret handshake? Seriously? What are you 8?” Another person comes into the room, wearing simple jeans and black shirt, unlike the other two guest who had dressed up more nicely for the occasion. “I hope you don’t mind Asuka tagging along,” Hashimoto said with a bit of apologetic tone. “Of course, I don’t. The whole Hashimoto is already like a family to us,” Mai shook her head. “It’s been a while, Asuka-chan, what have you been up to?” “Nothing much, boarding school is more or less the same boring shit every day. Oh, but lately it comes with zero roomie and friends. Cool, right?” she sarcastically answered, surprising most of the people in the room. “Asuka!” Hashimoto reprimands her but her younger sister just shrugged in ignorance, taking a seat next to Erika and started to converse with the other girl in a low volume. “Wow, that is something,” the oldest Shiraishi remarked, trying hard not to steal another look to the younger Hashimoto. “What was it all about?” “They caught her selling sake and cigarettes to other students.” Before Shiraishi Mai could form a proper answer, her youngest sister who’s been staying quiet speak up, “that’s so cool, she must have earnt a lot from that.” “Momoko, that’s totally not cool. I hope you don’t get any ideas just because mama has been restricting your pocket money.” Shiraishi Momoko looks a bit disappointed, but thankfully, decided not to say no more and fill the last space left on the sofa instead. The oldest of the siblings sighed, suddenly feeling tired from the whole ordeal. “Okay, I need to start preparing the food. Would totally love to get some other hands to help me too,” she announced. “Oh, Nanamin and I are totally up for it,” Fukagawa responded, hands dragging the other girl and started walking to the kitchen before Hashimoto could even give her consent. In the end, it’s more towards Fukagawa helping her to prepare the food with an addition of Momoko helping to serve them on the long dining table. Hashimoto who looks like she’s still in a bit of a sour mood calmly sits on the kitchen counter, playing with her phone and tried to converse with them every now and then. “So, how’s Waka? I suppose she is also coming tonight? Considering that you spent Christmas eve at with her family last year,” Hashimoto asked when she noticed the lack of her best friend’s girlfriend presence in the house. “Yes, she will,” Shiraishi pour the soup from a pot into a bowl. “She’s uncharacteristically late though.” “Zukki lined me earlier, she said that they got held up by the traffic. But they are on their way here from the cemetery,” her youngest sister surprisingly answered, taking the filled bowl carefully to the dining table. Mai’s eyebrows furrowed, “did Mizuki-chan mentioned who was it that they visited?” Momoko just shrugged once she reached the kitchen again, “nope. Do you want me to ask?” Before Mai could give any answer, came the sound of the house gate sliding close, “don’t need, that must be them. Could you open the door, Momoko?” The young girl has already run from the kitchen before Shiraishi could even finish voicing her request, earning a chuckle out of Fukagawa, “Momoko-chan is so cute.” “Definitely! I would swap her with Asuka anytime,” Hashimoto butted in, still sounding a bit bitter when she mentioned her own sister name. “Nanamin, you really need to stop being angry at Asuka-chan. I’m sure that she has learnt her lesson,” Fukagawa tried to calm her down. “Maimai is right, you know? It’s not like we didn’t do anything bad when we were at her age,” Shiraishi weighted in, putting on a mitt so both of her hands will be safe from getting burned by taking out the tray in the oven. Hashimoto didn’t say anything else after that, neither the other two girls in the room as they are busy with the task in their hand. Shiraishi could feel someone shadowing her as she puts down a tray baked turkey on the counter. An arm circling her waist from behind, pulling her closer. She smiled widely as she felt a kiss landed on the side of her cheek, all the annoyance she had for her being late has vanish instantly. “Sorry for being late.” Shiraishi Mai spun on her heels, pressing their lips together as if that’s a proper answer for the apology. “Woa, hold on you two, just give me a warning. I don’t feel like seeing someone but my girlfriend undressing,” Hashimoto remarked to Shiraishi annoyance. “My house. My rules,” Shiraishi stuck out her tongue before pulling Wakatsuki into a heated kiss just to prove her points. The guest rolled her eyes just as childishly as the owner of the house, earning a slight chuckle from the one who has just arrived. Wakatsuki loosen her embrace on her girlfriend, walking to where Hashimoto is sitting to give her a quick hug. “It’s been a while, Nanamin.” Hashimoto smiled as she broke the hug, “yeah, you are not even leading the company yet you are already so busy, Waka.” Wakatsuki chuckled as she moved to the other girl in the room, pulling her into the same friendly hug.   “Can I see the ring? I have only seen it in pictures, you know?” She requested after they broke the hug, which Fukagawa does cheerfully, showing the girl the well-adorned gem on her right ring finger. Wakatsuki inspect it with an adoration, “this looks even more amazing in person. You have a good taste, Nanamin. And congrats for the two of you, I’m looking forward to the wedding invitation.” Hashimoto smiled upon the compliment, feeling proud of herself. “Thank you, Waka. And yes, you are totally on the guest list, I can’t say the same for Maiyan though. She’s been ignoring me a lot lately so maybe she would be too busy for that. I suggest you better start to find a replacement partner for that day.” Shiraishi inhaled exasperatedly, “you called me when I was having an important meeting.” “Hey! I was trying to help you to get out from those outside work hours meetings, you should be thanking me.” “It’s true though. Mai-chan has been so busy lately. Even I can’t get a hold of her sometimes,” Wakatsuki confirms. “Fine, fine. I apologize, it's been hectic in the office lately. With my father passing down the torch and all” the girl finally surrendered with a reason, waiting for Momoko to come back and help her to bring the dishes to the dining table again, but yet the young girl doesn’t seem like coming. “Where is Momoko? She volunteered to help me but she’s not even here.” Wakatsuki took the dishes in her hands, “she is probably caught up in whatever it is that she was discussing with Mizuki. Let me help you.” “Ah- right, thanks. Just serve them on the table.” They finished serving everything not long after that. Leaving the oldest Shiraishi a sense of accomplishment as it is the first Christmas Dinner that she prepared without any help from her mother- who is currently in a romantic vacation with her father. Well, Shiraishi thinks that she did managed very well by herself, in front of them are a mix of their own country cuisines as well as western delicacies to feast on. And seeing by how each of them seems to enjoy it as the light conversation rolls proven her success even more. Since the girl that Erika invited came just before they started eating, the conversation on the dining table mainly rotates around the newcomer. The older Shiraishi realises that having everyone attention was a bit hard on that girl at first, but she quickly relaxed and started to talk more. Well, her sister wasn’t lying when she said that Nakamoto isn’t pursuing any formal education after finishing high school, which can be concerning. However, when they finally finished the dinner, she sung a little bit as Erika plays the piano then Shiraishi realises that the girl has potential so at least the dream isn’t so far-fetched. Hashimoto and Fukagawa along with Asuka left the house about an hour after the dinner finished. They were actually planning to spend more time with them, but sadly Fukagawa got an emergency call from the hospital causing them to apologetically have to depart early. As the house’s help will come to do the dishes a bit later in the night, Mai was able to relax, quietly humming along to the notes that come from the piano that her sister is playing, head rested on Wakatsuki’s shoulder. She could hear the hushed giggled coming from the younger Wakatsuki who is chatting excitedly near the Christmas tree with her sister, probably sharing the school gossips as Mizuki was a recent graduate of the school where Momoko go to. “So Momoko said that you were visiting the cemetery earlier today. Can I know who was it?” Shiraishi started the conversation. “Sakurai Reika-san,” Wakatsuki truthfully answered with a sad smile. “I had something to tell her.” Shiraishi nodded, feeling grateful for the honesty and gives the girl a kiss on the cheek, “you can ask me to come with you the next time.” A few weeks ago Wakatsuki had asked her about the whereabouts of her past fiance grave, but she didn't say anything after that. So it's not that much of a surprise that she decided to visit the girl. Wakatsuki nodded, nuzzling her face into the crook of Shiraishi’s neck, “will do.” “Good,” Shiraishi smiled, “now I think you should open those gifts.” Wakatsuki chuckled, her hand reaching for the smallest gift she got for the day. It was an envelope with only her name written on it. Carefully, Wakatsuki tore it off. “You got me a new set of drum?” Her girlfriend eyes widened as she read the card that was inside the envelope. Shiraishi Mai raised her eyebrows, “I’m pretty sure nothing in there that says that the sender is me.” Wakatsuki rolled her eyes, “I know your hand writing, there’s no mistaking it.” “No freaking way, I wrote that with my left hand, you know?” The girl chuckled before leaning in to give her a kiss, “I still can tell that it’s yours. Remember when your right shoulder was dislocated so you had to write with left hand?” “That was a long time ago. Damn, you are so attentive its kind of hot,” Mai breathed out before pulling the girl into a kiss once more. “Thank you for the gift. I love it,” Wakatsuki whispered, earning another kiss from the other girl. “Okay, I suggest we should move this into your room before we disturb the youngsters here.” To Shiraishi’s gratefulness, her girlfriend helped her to carry some of the gifts to her room, if Shiraishi had to do it alone she would have to do it in two rounds instead of one. She eyed them curiously as Wakatsuki carefully placed them in the corner of the room. Shiraishi took one envelop that lays on the top of the boxes, her smallest gift for the day that comes from her parents. She had sort of expected to find a plane ticket or something similar inside, but turns out it was something different. She stared on the cards that came from the envelope, couldn’t understand the meaning of the gifts. Wakatsuki gently embrace her from behind, taking a peek of the cards in curiosity, “is it a Shiraishi family thing to give envelope containing business cards for gift? Like how you gave me the card of a drum store.” “Well it’s definitely easier than buying the real thing. Just give them the number of the seller and arrange everything so the bill will go to the sender,” Shiraishi laughed. “But still, my parents might have accidentally given me someone else’s gift. I mean, I totally don’t need any kind of kitchen furnishing and interior decoration.” Wakatsuki eyes widened, pulling back suddenly to grab the tiniest box among the gift, “let’s just keep them aside for now. I would like you to open the one from me.” Shiraishi raised her eyebrows, but decided to go along with it, placing down the cards on the desk before starting to unwrap the gift’s red coloured wrapping, revealing the small velvety box inside. Gently she pried open the box, finding a set of keys inside. “Do you remember that once we passed a housing area just next to our park and you said that living there must be wonderful? I purchased a town house just across the park,” Wakatsuki gives her a smile.  “Shiraishi Mai, would you like to live with me?” “You remembered…” Shiraishi gleamed, a big smile decorates her beautiful face. “And yes of course I would love to move in with you.” In happiness Wakatsuki pulled her into a heated kiss. She started to talk excitedly once her lips left hers, “you will love it. The master bedroom has a garden view. There are also 3 other rooms, I’m thinking to use two of them for a separate working area for us, and the last one for a guest room.” “Sounds perfect.” Shiraishi cupped the girl cheek, leaning in once more to steal another kiss, “now, can I have my girlfriend under my sheet as a second gift for the day?” “Demanding a second gift just shortly after opening the most expensive gift I have given to anyone. What a greedy person~” Wakatsuki laughs at her own joke, letting her girlfriend pull her into the bed.

~ Fin ~

[dancekickboxcardio]

Hmmmm... 🤔 How do you this?

I decided to write 🖊 my execution of today’s work out 💪🏾 🏃🏼‍♀️ routine. I have been up pretty early and I have not completed my nights 🌃 rest 😌 . Yes, I am going back to bed 🛌 . Surprise 😮, I have no bad hips. I was holding on to the grab bars treadmill. It was a difficult adjustment coming from a three day 📆 sit. I was dragging my feet and a touch lazy. But I did what I need to do to establish a tone. I measured myself. Ah, 📏I should totally do the body stats thing and I don’t mean just weight. The size and proportion. Thick legs 🦵🏾.

I got to catch up with some of my gym 🏃🏼‍♀️ 💪🏾 friends. I asked them about their plans for the holiday 🎄. It’s still two weeks off and yet it is fast 💨 approaching. I am waiting for the week to move along so I have my allowance 💵. I am bad. Vie, can you focus your attention on other stuff. But I love ❤️ shoes, make up 💄, clothes 👗, bag 💼. The sad 😢 part is I am getting essentials. They don’t have to be expensive 💲💲💲💲💲 and I am aware of that. But you have to realize great function when you see one. You totally can realize and be like the price you pay is commensurates the product that you are getting. Even then, I don’t pay retail. However, let’s face it. High end Lululemon is not going to put it on sale 🏷 and really it is a novelty item that I need now. I know I am annoying 😒 . It’s more than durable. Like many things I would like to be reminded that life must be enjoyed 😊 slow. Relish the time spent working on self. How many people do you thing have that? Develop not on the constraints society tells you. You dictate your terms (because you can). Merry Christmas 🎁. I have my water 💦 bottle but I got distracted to making my espresso ☕️ . Someone is training Jajamoose to have yogurt 🍦. I was having my early breakfast 🥞 snack. He loves 💕 it and he’ll be in your face at every turn.

I am not turning on podcast 🎙. But I am painting my nails 💅🏾. I would like to provide my commentaries on pictures 📸 . Artsy farsy. But that defeats the purpose of impressions right. Let’s break it down segment by.

I had a morning ☀️ similar to today. I was up at 600a and couldn’t go back to bed easily. I got up had a yogurt 🍦 and my espresso to jump start my system. I sat in my chaise 🛋 studying 🤓 👩🏼‍💻 American Constitution. I finished the four week lectures which is the equivalent of 1/8 of a semester’s course work. Maybe even less. But the condense materials 📑are nevertheless robust. I am getting a certificate 📜 . I love ❤️ collecting tokens ✨ of accomplishments apart from lipsticks 💄, blushes and eyeliners 👛.

He is sticking with me this morning. It must be the yogurt 🍦. Although he has been extra sweet 😻 lately. Then, I see him bossing his older bro’s around 😆.

I need to change my sheets.

I don’t seem to like the chicken 🍗 that I made. It needs more salt and I would love ❤️ the crispy coating. But I am eating 🍽. I’m not going to throw it away. I saw that duck 🦆 and turkey 🦃 were on sale in the grocery 🛒. But I calculated the cost of an entire weight of meat 🥩 it’s a lot. I chose not to have a gourmet meal 👩🏼‍🍳. I can almost taste 😋 the orange 🍊 glaze. I was prepped early. My Mom interrupted my sleep 😴 for a schedule 🗓 change. It was resolved. I had lunch 🍴 early and at 600p, yes I was hungry 😋 for dinner in my cool down stretches 🙆🏼‍♀️ .

Police 🚔 was in as I walked. He opened the door 🚪. I wanted to see if it was the same officer who took my report. I said hi 👋🏾 to Joe who checked me in. I smiled at the Frozen display. “Let it go. Let it go.” ❄️ I missed K. There was a new gal at the desk. I haven’t started my work out 💪🏾 🏃🏼‍♀️ and my hair is already disheveled. I looked 👀 sweaty 🥵 exhausted too. I sat in the sauna 🧖🏼‍♀️ to literally warm up my muscles. I wanted to take a picture where I was sitting and put the bag 💼 I have my eyes 👀 on. Just being silly 🙃.

I went upstairs and I didn’t take a shot of the inbody. I saw Molly and commented on having cookies 🍪. I wanted to tell her that I had some graham crackers covered in white chocolate 🍫. I tried a little bit restrained. Then, I saw Lane. I didn’t recognize him because he was in regular clothes and he was as I told him going out wild 🌲. I discovered that he was going to California for a competition. I went deep. I was like, “ have a passion for something.” Somehow I was able to complain about my tote 👜 that smelled 👃🏾 like hospital 🏥 after I smelled tea 🍵 on it last week 🗓. I don’t remem the transition. But I bid him good luck 🍀. “California. California. California.” 🎶 OC theme song. Obsessive Compulsive. Speaking of which I forgot to sanitize my mat. Freak out. It’/ cold and flu season and my nose is always running. I feel ok this morning. Thank God. Imma do moderate. No, like what I was randomly 💭 thinking in the treadmill, 90 minutes sustained cardio ❤️. Did I tell you guys how bad I was. My body was behind. Out of condition after not being in the health club for 3 days. As a result it has a steep slope. I mean mentally I wasn’t there. I wasn’t up for it and I didn’t want to weather. It was easy peasy lemon 🍋 squeezy. I decided to do the usual, make it harder but with assist. My hands 🤚🏾 where on the grab bars the entire time.

I actually decided to do moderate Tuesday. I usually charge hard esp that I am well-rested and have the energies ⚡️. I decided to warm up slow and conserve what I have to finish the week. I am not looking at it day by day. I see it in the entirety and make some sort of ways to make sure I completed ✔️ another straight 5 days of 7. Day 2 today. I wasn’t able to fill up all the blanks in my worksheet 🗒because I had no pen 🖊 in the café. I thought 💭 I kept one in my 🎒 backpack. I did back. I am not as sore. I still feel my back legs 🦵🏾 taut. I am thinking 🤔 perhaps it wasn’t the personal training session on the area. It Cardioing the Right way 👟 . My legs are now actually doing the work no hands on the bars. I wished I had a journal 📓. It would be nice not to be laser focus. Be distracted, disorderly and doing output instead on focusing input. Everybody was very aware at how they relate to the space. They were all in attention. Well others stiffer than others. But I smiled 😃 a lot. Ian was there. For some reason he came off strict and nasty mean yesterday. Just yesterday. Impatient? He’s usually the funny 😆 approachable easy going one. I love 💗 the new book 📚. I wanted to take notes on the further reads at the back book 📖 cover. But it was a mind blowing 🤯 topic. I am so eager to follow along. I had bits and pieces. I think 🤔 the Outrace area is pretty cool 😎. There was a girl she hung in one of the grab bars. I was always bad at monkey 🐒 bars. I wondered to myself why I chose the band instead of the TRX things. It came first to me and also I had to make sure I am not whooped the next day. I was ill-at-ease with my forms. Vie, that’s the idea 💡 . I have to make sure I am doing it correctly. I keep on checking my behind and make sure I am not displaying my old Victoria’s Secrets and my moon 🌝 buns.

Ugh 😑, it doesn’t always have to be the same way. Life is not in a well-controlled cog. At least for me. I keep running to the bathroom. Vie, more than the liquids and some fear at the back of your mind your belly. Yeah, I know. At least I get to freshen up and reapply make up. There was this guy who made eye contact with me and lingered. Yeah, I was malicious. Defense. Defense. 👏🏾 I put some lotion 🧴 as my lack of gloves 🧤 makes my hands dry sensitive. Also, the towels are softer and easier on the skin. Yeah, I noticed. Mariah explained to me that they have new towels and soap 🧼. Since we are at it, my water 💦 from the tap taste like peppery. I was like, is it coming from what I ate like lingering taste 😛. Weirdo. That’s my name for Mark Consuelo. I hope 🤞🏾 he doesn’t think me mean and rude and insulting. I am not catcalling him at all. Yeah. Yeah. I am just being nice.

I didn’t get a shot of my area. It was too busy at least to my perception. A lot is going on. Hysterical 😩. Vie, cool 😎 cub. I should take off my headphones 🎧 to stress 😬 me out tension. I like my listening 👂🏾 pleasure. But ok. I’ll work with on earpiece today for the heck. The suave guy waved at me and I was wondering why so I said hi 👋🏾 back. It was at the hallway. He checked in my Dad one weekend. I should have asked for his name for appreciation. I wasn’t in the tally mood because nothing was going right. I had no pen 🖊 to complete my fitness log, the Internet 🌐 is slow, I want to get to the sauna 🧖🏼‍♀️. Did I smell Eucky? It wasn’t pronounced. I wasn’t in a hurry. I had plenty of time ⏱. I ran into my Mom in the bathroom before Dance Jams 💃🏼. I met her in the classroom. I found out the name of my Korean friend and wondered if I am saying it right. I took it easy like I told Shelly. She was at it yesterday. Angie is fun 🎊. I was enjoying 😊 myself like everybody else. You don’t realize that her exercises are high in intensity. Oooh 😯, that last song 🎼 my thighs are on fire 🔥. I was thinking 💭 to hold on, “Strong legs.” I think I saw L’Tan. I was trying to get a leaving selfie 🤳🏾. I thought 💭 I look 👀 a lot like holding it in 😂. Head shake.

I was hungry 😋 before going to bed 🛏 at 1200a. I had fruits 🍍 and it didn’t cut it. What happened to intermittent fasting. But I am feeling the need to eat 🥙. The better part is it’s not sugar. Ooooh, 😮 I want those caramel cookies 🍪 . I also saw essential oils for the total health and wellness practitioner 🙏🏾. What the heck— Hip-pish-ster 👓.

[battle-goats]

Chocobo Hats and Fish Cake

It’s Noctis’s first birthday without his father.

Written for Noctis’s birthday this year, even though it’s a day late.

In a perfect world, Noctis would have spent his twenty-first birthday standing before an altar and stuttering through his wedding vows as the world watched.  In any world, it’s the first birthday he has to go without his father.

When he woke up, it was trapped in a pile of his friends.  The four of them had long given up the pretense of giving each other space and instead chose to sleep in a pile in the middle of their tent.  Noctis let himself drift off to sleep again, and didn’t stir as the other awoke for the day.

When he finally did wake up, it was to Ignis shaking his shoulder.

“Iggy?” he asked, his voice still groggy with sleep.

“It’s time to get up and eat, your Highness.  We’ve some things to do today,” Ignis said.  Noctis nodded and he sat up.  Ignis stepped out of the tent and left Noctis to get up.  Noctis stretched and quickly changed into his fatigues.

He stepped out into a muggy Duscaen morning.  Ignis shoved a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs and bacon into his hands.

“Eat quickly, please, we’ve a long drive ahead of us, today,” he said.  Noctis nodded and slumped into his chair to eat.  Around him, the others were packing up camp and taking things back to the car.  Noctis finished eating and handed his dishes off to Ignis who rushed off to wash them.  In the meantime, he helped Gladio collapse their tent.

They were packed up and seated in the car.  

“So, back to Hammerhead, right?” Noctis asked.

“Hammerhead first, then we have a second destination after,” Ignis said.  The engine roared to life and he pulled out of the parking spot.

Noctis found himself dozing through much of the drive, feeling tired and lethargic despite having gotten the most sleep out of the four of them.  It wasn’t until he pulled out his phone to play King’s Knight when he realized why he had been feeling off all day.

The lock screen prominently displayed the date and time.

“Oh,” he breathed.

“What is it?” Gladio asked.

“I-I forgot today’s my birthday,” he said.  He saw Ignis’s eyes flick over the rearview mirror to look at him, and Prompto had gone stiff in the front seat.  He already knew what they were all thinking, because they all knew how he had celebrated his birthday nearly every single year.

Once a year, his father would cancel all his meetings and shove all his responsibilities onto his advisers, and would take Noctis out on a day trip outside Insomnia.  They had never gone far.  They would spend the day off of the Lucinian Sound shore, just north of Keycatrich.  Until that ill-fated trip to Tenebrae, it had been the only place he had ever been outside of Insomnia.

Noctis ignored the King’s Knight icon on his home screen and instead pulled up his camera roll.  His phone had a good three year’s worth of birthday pictures.  He scrolled through them, smiling fondly, though the pain in his chest tightened at the sight of his father, looking as carefree as he could possibly be with a war banging on his doorstep, and a semi-sentient rock draining his life force.

Noctis’s twentieth birthday had them camping out for the night at a haven, a cake baked by Ignis oh so carefully packed away so it wouldn’t be ruined by bumpy roads, and freshly caught grilled fish for dinner.

Despite the scowl on Noctis’s face in the photo, he remembered still feeling fond of the silly party hat his father had shoved on his head while Cor snapped pictures.  There were a few photos of Noctis standing on the rocks, fishing rod in hand.  There was a selfie of his father and Cor, both sipping cheap Lucian beer, wearing party hats.  He scrolled down to his nineteenth birthday, and found photos of them all sitting around the fire.  Clarus was with them that year, looking serious and severe with his own party hat.  The hats were a tradition, started when Noctis was four.  He remembered Cor putting one on his head, and then he insisted that everyone else wear them.  They were a requirement at every single birthday, no matter how old he got, or how much he thought he was too cool for them.

For the first time since Insomnia fell, he felt tears prick his eyes.  Noctis set his phone down and resolutely looked out across the landscape so no one could see the upset on his face.  The woods of Duscae gave way to the dusty plains of Leide, and they pulled into Hammerhead an hour later.

Noctis steeled himself for unwanted social interaction with Cindy and Takka.  He got dragged into a conversation with Cindy regarding the Regalia while Prompto awkwardly hovered nearby.  He caught Ignis and Gladio with their heads bent together, deep in some kind of conversation.  Before he could escape Cindy, Ignis wandered off towards Takka’s diner.  Noctis finally escaped Cindy’s enthusiastic clutches and headed for the diner to deliver the bean shipment Takka had asked them to pick up.

As he entered the diner, Ignis stepped out, and he looked oddly pleased.  Noctis greeted Takka and handed off the beans after a short conversation.  Noctis stepped out and felt absolutely drained.  He had barely spoken to anyone all day, and yet he felt like he had had his fill of social interaction.  He just wanted to curl up in the back seat and sleep.

With their one errand for the day done, Noctis sat in the car and quickly fell asleep.  He woke up briefly with the other three joined him and Ignis started the car, but he didn’t ask where they were headed next.  

Noctis awoke with a jolt when the car transitioned from paved to dirt road.  He looked up blearily.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“We’re passing the Hunter HQ towards Keycatrich,” Ignis answered.  Noctis didn’t say anything as they drove on by.  He leaned back and sighed.

He shut his eyes again, not really watching the world go by.  He could hardly consider this to be his worst birthday ever - even if in comparison to the twenty before it, it was.  But at least he wasn’t dead.

The Regalia slowed to a stop and he took a moment to really take in the scenery.  They had parked on a cliff, overlooking the Lucinian Sound.  He knew this place.  He had seen it, once a year, nearly every year since he was four.  He clambered out of the car and stood at the edge of the cliff to taken in the sight of the cold, dark water.

It was windier here than in Cape Caem, and the waters darker.  With how far north it was, it was much chillier, even in the middle of the afternoon.

He turned around to see the others unloading the car, preparing to carry it all down the pathway to the haven located closer to the water.  Gladio had all four chairs clutched in one arm, while the other carried two of their duffel bags.  Ignis had the cooking gear, and Prompto carried the tent, and the other two duffel bags.

“Guys, I - what?”

“I contacted the Marshal for the coordinates to this location.  We thought a continuation of the tradition was in order,” Ignis said.  Prompto nodded along.  Noctis felt like he wanted to cry again.

“Okay.” he said.  He lead the way down the somewhat narrow path to the rocky sand below.  The haven was set against the cliff, away from the high tide line.  There was also a good fishing spot in the shallows, not too far away, either.

They quickly set up camp, and Ignis shooed Noctis towards the fishing spot with orders to relax and catch them dinner.

Noctis got comfortable and set to work with the fishing.  Prompto kept him company with quiet chatter, and the sound of his camera shutter.

“This place is really nice.  It’s a bit cold, though,” he said. Noctis hummed.  The waters north of Lucis had always been that way.

“My dad would bring me here every year for my birthday.  The only time he didn’t, was for my ninth.  I still wasn’t strong enough for the trip, so we settled for a little garden party at the Citadel.  I was disappointed, since we only come out here once a year.  But when I got a little older, I understood.  The walk down here would have been impossible for me, then.

He reeled a small fish and tossed it back into the water.  It wasn’t nearly large enough for them to eat.  He cast his line again, and heard the click of Prompto’s camera shutter.  He was feeling tired again.  Tired of people, of being surrounded.  He wanted a moment to himself.

“Prompto, could you give me a hand please?” Ignis called from the haven.  Noctis felt his shoulders relax.  Ignis had always been good at sensing his moods.  Even at ridiculous distances.

“Sure thing!  I’ll leave you to it, buddy,” Prompto said.  Noctis didn’t turn around, just nodded and stared out over the water.  Now that Prompto wasn’t hovering, and fidgeting, the fish weren’t being scared off.  Noctis reeled in a big one almost immediately.  He managed to get it into the bucket of water with only some flailing.  

He sat and re-spooled his line, listening to the water crash against the rocks.  It was comforting in it’s own way.  This spot brought back far more memories than he cared to deal with, but he didn’t mind.  Noctis still remembered being a tiny four year old, his dad sitting at his back, his large, worn hands guiding him into his first cast.  Helping him hold the little child-sized rod.  He only caught one fish that day.  A tiny thing his dad had tossed back into the water.

“When we come back, that fish will be too big for your little line, but I’m sure one day, you’ll be able to reel in a big one,” he had said.  Noctis had been disappointed, but he had seen his father’s fishing rod.  While he could lift it, he knew that any fish it could hook would just drag him into the water.  His dad had only ruffled his hair and carried him back to the haven where a small candle lit cake waited.  Dad and Cor had sung him a very off-key rendition of the birthday song.  He had fallen asleep on the car ride back to the Citadel.  To his young mind, it had been the best birthday ever.

Noctis blinked when his lure bobbed and the line started to run.  He got to work,  and pretended the stinging in his eyes and the wetness on his face was just ocean water.

It didn’t take long to have five decently sized fish in his bucket.  And it was more than early enough still for Ignis to have time to prep them into something delicious.  He had been so focused on the fish and his memories that he hadn’t even noticed that streamers and fairy lights had been strung up around the camp.  The lights were being powered by a small generator.  It definitely wasn’t theirs.

“Wow, guys, this is incredible!” he said.  The somber mood he’d been feeling much of the day lifted just a bit. “Where did you get the generator.”

“We borrowed it from Cindy,” Prompto said.  He snapped a photo of Noctis as Gladio came up behind him and put a party hat on his.  

“Rented, more like,” Ignis muttered.  He slid a hat onto his own head as Gladio and Prompto did the same thing.  The hats were chocobo themed.  Definitely Prompto’s doing.

“Come on, we gotta get a picture of all of us in our hats,” Prompto said.  He beckoned Gladio and Ignis closer.  The four of them crowded together and Prompto snapped the selfie.  Once that was done, Ignis relieved Noctis of the fish and set to work preparing it.  Gladio steered Noct into his seat around a low table, probably also “borrowed” from Cindy.  There was a deck of cards sitting on it.

“Ready to get your ass kicked, birthday boy?” Gladio asked.

“You sure it isn’t the other way around?” Noctis replied.  He sat down and their hands were dealt.  They played until Ignis announced dinner, and revealed a beautifully poached fish with roasted potatoes and vegetables.  And there was nary a green on Noctis’s plate.

“Consider this my gift to you, your highness,” Ignis said.  Noctis smiled with a soft laugh.  They ate their dinner, enjoying every bite.  In Noctis’s opinion, this was easily Ignis’s best camp meal yet.

When they finished, Ignis collected the dishes and dumped them in the basin he kept for washing up.

“Are you ready for dessert, Noct?” he asked.  Noctis felt comfortably full already, but the possibility of dessert was tempting.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said.

“Gladio, clear the table, please,” Ignis said.  Gladio gathered up the playing cards and slid the deck into its box.  He tossed it through the open flap of their tent where it landed against his duffel bag.  Ignis brought over a platter and set it on the table.  Sitting in the center was a frosted cake in the shape of a fish.

Noctis couldn’t help himself and started laughing.  It was so ridiculous and silly.  Here they all were, grown men, wearing chocobo themed party hats, and about to cut into a chocolate frosted cake shaped like a fish.  When he calmed, Ignis had placed a trio of candles in the center and lit them.

“If you’ve calmed down, I believe it’s time for the birthday song,” Ignis said.  Though he didn’t look particularly excited to sing.

“You don’t have to.  I know Gladio sounds like a dying coeurl when he sings,” Noctis said.  They ignored Gladio’s indignant protest.

“Nevertheless, as we are observing tradition, a poorly sung birthday song is a must,” Ignis said.  He pushed up his glasses and gave Prompto and Gladio a look.  The three moved so that they were on one side of the cake, and Noctis was on the other.

And then, they sang.

All things considered, it wasn’t the worst Noctis had ever heard.  Prompto and Ignis could actually carry a tune, and Gladio’s deep voice was more of a pleasant rumble.  As soon as the song ended, Noctis leaned forward and blew out the candles.

“Happy birthday, buddy,” Prompto said as he flung an arm around Noctis’s shoulders.

“Yeah, happy birthday,” Gladio chuckled.  He nudged Noctis on the shoulder and watched the pair nearly stumble over.  Ignis cut into the cake and served them each a piece.

They dug into the cake, and Noctis couldn’t stop the noise he let out of his throat at how good it was.

“I gotta say, Iggy, you’ve really outdone yourself today,” Noctis told him.  He could swear Ignis was blushing just a little.

“It is my pleasure, your highness.”

Noctis had only one bite left of his cake when he paused.  While most of the day had left him feeling oddly empty, it was only now that a feeling of contentment washed over him.  His father might be gone, and his country ripped out from under him, but in that point in time, he was content.

“Guys, I - just, thank you, so much.”

He felt the prick of tears in his eyes again.  He hastily wiped them away and forced the last bite of cake into his mouth to avoid saying anything else.

When they bedded down for the night, Noctis sound himself squished between Gladio and Prompto, who both ran warm, while Ignis’s arm was thrown across Prompto and his hand rested on Noctis’s ribs.  Surrounded by the warmth and love of his friends, and the sound of the sea, and with new memories of one of his favorite places on Eos, he fell into the best sleep he had had in a long time.

[livingthervdream]

Yellowstone Day 2

Sleeping in again, I could really get used to this. Today our plan is to head to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We round up in the car and head off. As we leave our campsite, we see a buffalo just sitting chillaxin about 30-50 feet from a person’s tent. Crazy!

We start driving into the park and the kids begin to get restless. Kids are seated 3 across the middle row of the suburban we rented. GB didn’t want to put the back row up and have the haste of Andrew getting in and out. Well with 3 of them that close in proximity to one another things are bound to happen. He touched me, she looked at me, really bad knock knock jokes…you get the picture. GB and I finally have to put the hammer down to stop. Libby responds “I’m just going to look at the fu$&*+%# trees”. The whole car gets quiet. Ali asks “ what did you say Libby?” And clear as day she says “I’m just going to look at the fu$&*+%# trees”. Andrew and Ali start to laugh. I look st GB in disbelief but trying to belt out a big laugh. Now for those of you who don’t know, GB lays out some choice words every now and then…I just turn and look at him…now you really need to stop swearing. He has been sending me Facebook posts about how people who swear are smarter than others…well then our 3 almost 4 y/o must be Einstein! We explain to Libby that we don’t say that word and she quietly said “ok” and hopefully that is the end of it. I really don’t want to get the phone call from school as she starts 4K next year talking about her choice of words she uses during class😳

We spot elk and of course buffalo along the way, which now I feel we are pros at but alas no grizzlies yet😞. We arrive at the Grand Canyon and honest to God the parking lot for the Grand Canyon is smaller than a McDonald’s! We drove around in circles for about 15 minutes before some started backing out of their spot for us to take. As we approach the Canyon, we can hear the roar of the waterfalls which of course calls for picture taking! It is so crazy how diverse the different regions are in Yellowstone. The Grand Canyon is massive (I’ve never seen the Real Grand Canyon…so I consider this massive). The colors are unreal and the depth of the Canyon is just beyond words. We found a family to take our picture and laughed because his camera was about two times the size of mine and probably twice as expensive. GB explained that this was our first really nice camera and don’t make fun of us. The man and his family just laughed and said “you have to start somewhere right?!” We have now gotten in the habit of taking a smiling picture and a silly crazy picture with the kids along with selfies of each of us with them. Funny how habits just start like that. After the Grand Canyon, we stopped in Canyon Village for lunch and of course more souvenir shopping. I had a huckleberry soda which I guess is popular around these parts. I think there is a reference some where to Teddy Roosevelt but I am too lazy to switch over to google to check it out 😜. I ate a 1/3 lb bison/elk burger which was delicious. A little bit more dense than a burger and not as greasy, yummy all the same! Libby scarfed down her PB and J as if we have never fed her. The couple next to us just eyed her in disbelief. The couple also showed up with refillable cups that apparently if you bring them they will refill for free after you purchase the cup. In eavesdropping to the conversation they were having with the wait staff, apparently that cup is about 15 years old! Way to get your money’s worth out of that cup folks! Our waiter was from Tulsa OK. I told him how I had worked at St. Francis (otherwise known as the pink hospital). He then proceeded to tell me that is where his Grandma died. Wow buddy...way to kill the mood! I apologized and tried to change the subject. GB likes to bring up "Atomic Burrito" which is a Mexican place in Tulsa that GB and I loved to go to while I worked in Tulsa. Sad news for those of you who now want to go there...our waiter informed us that it closed down!!!😳. He said there is a new place there now and he was part owner. He said the food was good but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. Oh well! Just a little sad that the Atomic Burrito is no longer there...but what a name right?! It really draws you in so if anyone out there is up for running a business, grab that name!!! Talking to the waiter and just enjoying Yellowstone got GB thinking and hence our retirement plan was born. Our new plan is to buy and RV and come out to Yellowstone. I would work on site as an employee and we would be able to camp out on the grounds. GB would work from the RV via satellite as wifi's are nonexistent. I would either work at one of the shops or I am also thinking I can start studying now to become a park ranger!!! That way by the time I retire I will be knowledgeable in all things Yellowstone and forestry stuff. We also saw there are people called Campground Hosts. GB and I dubbed them almost the RA of the campground. I always wanted to be an RA because I had amazing ones (name drop JenRA!). They basically drive around the site in a golf cart making sure no shenanigans are going on, help with traffic, monitor wildlife aka visiting elk and buffalo and just help out as needed. They then park their RV on the campsite and have a little American flag by their camper along with a carved wooden sign that says "Campground Host." If I was feeling adventurous I could make little outdoor tags for new campers to hang on their campsite number just like RAs did for our door decals on holidays and birthdays! I then mentioned to GB that what if the kids wanted to visit us in the summer when they are off from school...to which GB answers..."tough luck!" My he moves on so quickly. My plan is to do a little research once I get home to see what this all entails...I am super excited to bad I have to wait 15 years or so till Libby's in college...but hey it's good to have goals!! Ok...back to the trip! After lunch we head out for the Lamar valley to scope out some animals. We did make a pit stop at the mud volcano which was also super cool. Andrew got a kick out of it...GB was not too fond of the smell. We got some pics and walked around. Kids again stayed close by (awesome) and definitely became familiar with the sign that read "danger, thermal area ahead." We trekked up to the north east corner of Yellowstone and the Lamar Valley seeing lots of Elk and bison. We then got to a crossing point: continue on the Lamar Valley and turn around or head to the Mammoth Hot Springs to do a loop we had not done before. We had heard that you would be able to go swimming and we had our swim gear in the car...so...Mammoth Hot Springs it is! Mammoth Hot Springs is in the north east corner of Yellowstone. We made the drive seeing more animals and finally approached the hot springs. The rock formations are a bright white color due to (don't quote me) but the chemicals from the hot springs eroding on the stone. This one was a hike up. We hadn't done much hiking with Libby but we thought we could tackle this one. Lots of walking and stairs but the older two were pretty excited so off we went. By 1/4 of the way through Libby was done. She complained for pretty much 90% of the hike up and down. I tried to distract her the best I could and there were moments she was great but most of the time she was just tired and hot. A couple tantrums happened and a couple "pretend leave behinds" were performed by me and she would come running up saying she was sorry but still she would just revert back to her "I am tired of walking and my legs don't want to walk anymore." As we made the loop back around and were nearing our car, there happened to be a family that was behind us for the last half of the hike down. I then said to Libby "Was that really bad?" to which she said "No, not bad at all Momma!" The family behind us just laughed! We got back in the car and the kids settled down with snacks and cold drinks as we made the trek back to the campsite. On the way back, we got stopped by construction. We are sitting there just gabbing when we noticed people were getting out of their cars and looking into the valley next to us taking pictures. GB noticed it first "look Bears!" The whole car got excited. Sure enough there was a momma grizzly and her baby just foraging through the grass I would say 50 yards away and walking closer. I grab my camera and start sitting on the window to get a closer look...no way I am getting out of the car...that's a freaking momma bear...I needed the safety of my car. But here goes waking up, what had to be 12 y/o girl with a camera trying to get up close for a shot. She was way braver than me that's for sure! I went camera crazy taking pics as they got closer. We were stopped because it was a one lane road in front of us and they were letting on coming traffic trough so we had plenty of time. I felt scared for the construction worker who had to stand near the edge waving traffic through and at the same time reprimand people who were getting too close for their safety. It was then our turn to go through but I kept snapping photos as we got closer. Super exciting!!! We finally got to see a bear! Now I know I can go to Milwaukee Zoo and see bears anytime but it is just so much different seeing them on their turf...super cool! We made it back to our campsite and all the kids were famished...I mean it had been 1.5 hours since the last time they ate!!! We are literally starving them!!! Well now it was my turn to cook and we were having pizza pudgie pies for dinner! It took 1 practice attempt (one side got completely charred) but after that it went decent. The kids liked the change from hot dogs and spaghettios and I liked that I was able to cook a little instead of GB. It also involved easy clean up which I also was a big fan of. Don't get me wrong, I love when GB fires up with skillet and Le Crueset pans (yes that is what we use for camping cooking) but they are just a pain to wash in general and on top of having a super small sink it makes the task doubly challenging. We roasted some marshmallows but unfortunately the mosquitoes were so bad we had to call it in early so we wouldn't get eaten alive. We had bug spray but GB didn't want the kids getting in his bed if they had spray on them...there's the germaphobe I know and love! Ali and I enjoyed a nice walk at dusk through the open field near our site. We got some beautiful pics of the night sky and a couple selfies of us gorgeous gals with the gorgeous backdrop. It was kind of nice having quiet time with just me and Al. I usually have the littlest attached at my hip so we don't get a whole lot of alone time. This was perfect! We headed back to the RV and got ready for bed. It was our last night in Yellowstone. Everyone talked about what they liked the best...all 3 said the bears! GB and I enjoyed as much as we could outside with the mosquitoes before we just had to come in. Our last night in Yellowstone...2 days went by fast. There was so much more to see but we were limited by the youngest with regard to hiking and climbing. I think we did the best we could do for us and hat I am happy with. We saw so much and did so much that I really can't complain at all. The weather has been absolutely perfect with not a raindrop to be found and only clear skies above us. GB did it right in planning this trip and who knows when we will be back. The sure thing is we WILL be back! Good night Yellowstone!