#and a fancy iced coffee which i had whilst reading some more in the park on the way home

[jakeperalta]

I have this whole week off and it will mostly be used for house decorating but I decided to make today my treating myself day and it has felt sooo luxurious

[spacehologramcollection]

Kombat Krew and Summer Headcanons: Part two.

Have some fluffy headcanons, before Smutty Saturday and Smuttier Sunday. I can hear you all, ‘But Smut Goblin, you’ve already written these’ Well, I have more ideas, and my thirst is now unrivaled. So, Summer with the Kombat Kast Part two: Electric fucking Boogaloo. Oh yeah, there’s also smut, I lied, they aren’t just fluffy.  

I know I said I’d have more characters. But this was ten pages. TEN FUCKING PAGES! So, like Part 2.5 is coming up! Enjoy. 

Warnings: Fluff, Smut, Shitposts about Kano. 18+ under the cut. I fixed Sindel and her retcon. I hope.  GIFs do not belong to me. Either found on the Tumblr Gif finder thing, or google. 

Fujin:

·       What fresh fucking hell is this? Short haired Fujin is because he’s sick of this shit. His hair is sticking to his fucking back, he can’t cope with the warmth. So, he cut it. And now he looks like sin incarnate. Fuck yes Fujin.

·       He’s an actual sweetheart when you both go for walks. If it’s too warm and he sees kids trying to fly their kites, he may, just may, summon a breeze. Because he’s actually a giant softie. When you ask him if that was him, he’ll tilt his head and look shocked. Him? Use his powers like that?! He wouldn’t dream… don’t tell Raiden.

·       He loves discovering new mortal customs and culture. Day drinking still confuses him. Why is everyone drinking at 2 in the afternoon? He jokes Bo Rai Cho is having an effect on everyone. He’s not opposed to have a sneaky drink with you as the suns setting though. He does like to have a good time, as we’ve all heard in his intros. You’ve never seen him drunk, you’re pretty sure he can’t get drunk. But he has joked that the Elder Gods must never know, that you’re both drinking wine at 2pm.

·       He’d love visiting winebars on an evening for nice relaxed drinks. Any bar with an outside area, bonus points if it’s got a balcony and a good view… he’d suggest Sky Temple, but relaxed drinks, turn into a bender with Bo Rai Cho. With Bo often suggesting skinny dipping. Raiden has consulted the Elder Gods, ‘Relaxed drinks’ are banned.

·       Long walks. This man has stamina for days. He loves getting out into the middle of bum fuck nowhere and walking. Nature seems to love him and flocks to him. Every. Fucking. Time. You. Sit. Down. You look away, and when you look back, there’s just a fucking rabbit sat near you both. Fujin is feeding it grass. He looks so happy and content.

·        If there’s any music/art/food festivals on, then you’re going, he wants to know more about mortals and their customs. So, any opportunities he’s going to want to take up. Nothing better than him playfully wrapping an arm around you and chuckling when you blush. He’s not that against PDA whilst you’re amongst mortals. He’s sure his brother wouldn’t tease. But Kung Lao would. And he doesn’t fancy a lecture from his brother. It’s not a lecture, but, it’s a lecture.

·       As much as he loves exploring. He’ll also love those lazy warm days. Either sat comfortably close, talking about anything and everything. Or lounging out in the garden or your balcony with him.

·       He’ll always make sure you’re hydrated. Like ‘Y/N, do you need some water? You look dehydrated. Please don’t get dehydrated.’ He’s a bit of a worried mother hen sometimes.

·       He’ll also love watching the sunset, whilst you’re both comfortably laid together. You’re always unsure if the cool evenings breeze is from him or not. You like to think it is.

·       Lots of cute photos. You take loads. He’s so photogenic. He’s always got such a happy genuine smile on his face. He’s got super long arms too, so he can always get the best angle.

·       He secretly loves you both walking together, and you holding onto/your arm linked with his. He loves the way you kind of fall forward when you laugh, placing a hand on his as you do so. He’ll always flash you a half smile.

·       The first time you had sex in the shower was when you were taking a cold shower the try and cool yourself down. He naturally wanted to join you, because this fucking heat can fuck off. Long story short, a bit of teasing, led to him fucking you against the wall of your shower. The shower didn’t cool you down at all. In fact, you were warmer in the shower than out of it.

·       Lazy sex on the sofa too. He loves watching you ride his cock. He loves running his hands up your side, as you slowly ride his cock and savour every moment.

Havik:

·       Is the weather making everyone uncomfortable? He had no idea. He fucking did, because he’s living for the chaos. He’s also used to this weather. Chaosrealm is either baking hot or extremely cold. So, he’s literally chilled with this. Why is everyone panicking? He’s sat there in sunglasses and drinking a Pina Colada. Such a little shit.

·       He’s a hot mess all the time. But summer makes him an even hotter mess. You’ve never seen someone give less of a fuck till you met him. Great thing about Havik, he doesn’t give two fucks about anything. He’s so laidback. You don’t want to go out because it’s too warm? That’s fine. You want to go out and get wine drunk? He’s got two hands to carry two bottles. Whatever you want to do.

·       Relaxed drinks in your garden, he’s burning the food on the grill, your neighbours are telling him to put a shirt on, because you don’t have a fence. Everyone is having a great time.

·       He lives for terrible BBQs. He loves the disappointment more than the food. Your parents aren’t who this fucking behemoth in the most chaotic Hawaiian shirt is. No one is going to tell him his shirt is gawdy, because he’s so fucking tall.

·       He knows all the lyrics to ‘We didn’t start the fire’ which is a skill and slightly concerning.

·       Extremely good at limbo… too good. You’re watching as people’s faces switch from whimsical whimsy to fucking shocked. You’re sure someone was sick. Lives for the chaos.

·       He hates going outside for long periods of time. His face itches and it’s too warm to wear everything normally. Badly. Loves Halloween though, because people always compliment how great his ‘Costume’ and makeup is.

·       You’ve had a few comments on how handsome he is and laid back he is. He doesn’t get the ‘handsome’ thing, he prefers his face, when half of it’s you know, missing.

·       He loves Summer and how warm it is. When you ask why, he admits ‘It’s because Hotaru will be miserable’ And then he’ll smile. Summer is his Christmas. Because Hotaru is miserable.

·       When you can’t sleep, he’s awake, you’re not sure he needs to sleep. But he’s awake. You’ll have long chats, and, you both end up sat on your Livingroom floor, playing trivial pursuit. You’re sort of surprised by how much random knowledge he knows.

·       He’ll go on walks with you. This is where he met his first goose. He fucking loves them. What are these hate filled, angry creatures? Why does he want an army of them? When one hisses at him and falls in the river, he’s so happy. The circle of Chaos goes on.

·       Loves the beach. Because there’s loads of water. He fucking loves it. Ready to jump in as soon as he sees you. Pulls you in and you both swim for ages. He loves watching the waves crash against the shore with you, your head on his shoulder, whilst he draws circles… or squiggles on your leg.

·       Summer sex with him is so easy going. You’re sure you always end up fucking him in your car more than usual. You’re down to fuck on the way back from a day out? Fucking pull over, he’s good to go.

·       Don’t let him drive. He can’t drive.

·       Havik fucks hard and he once broke your headboard with his grip… and two fingers. But that’s fine, he just put them back together all good.

Tomas Vrbada Smoke:

·       He’s not a fan of this shit. He’s not overly bothered about the heat, it’s his hair. It’s sticking to his back and he doesn’t like it. Has asked Bi-Han for a hug. He just wants to feel cold.

·       Queue the manbun. He’s not cutting his hair. He loves it too much. So, hair is up and tied back. Which only elevates his hipster status… and makes him look that little bit hotter. Burns hotter than the weather.

·       He’ll always put on sunscreen. He burns very easily. Way too easily. No tan. Just burns. He does get a slight dusting of freckles over the bridge of his nose. He’s not overly keen on them… but you think their cute. He starts to like them a little bit more when you remark how cute they are… and when you run your finger over them.

·       He’ll love doing something a little adventurous in summer. Which surprises you. He’s normally pretty introverted and wanting to relax and lounge. He’ll love doing something like hiking in the hills or taking long walks along a river. He just lives strolling, hand in hand, if it’s not too warm, and chatting genuine shit.

·       Imagine: Smoke, grey short-sleeved t-shirts, some cropped jeans, a good pair of hiking boots (Probably timberlands, the hipster) and a grey flannel jacket wrapped around his waist. Fucking hell. I need a fan!

·       Cute dates to cafes, where you both either talk about what you’re reading, or you both go to read. Said café dates can also be in the park with a takeaway ice coffee. Smoke is a hipster, fight me on this. You’re both looking up at the sky, laid arm on arm, head to head, whilst watching the clouds go by. You love moments like this and you both feel so content.

·       If you can ride a bike and are into that shit. He wouldn’t be opposed to having a bike ride, either along a canal or river. Somewhere that’s got a nice even off-road trail, with shade, nice scenery and is easy going. He’ll always make sure to pack lots of snacks, water and also sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen. He’ll plan a huge day out for you both, with lots of stops to see sights along the way. It’s all going great until he gets a bug in his mouth. Then he remembers why he hates the outdoors.

·       If gets too warm, you’re both going to the Lin Kuei temple. Smoke doesn’t care. You can live his room. He’s got a kettle and plenty of cup of noodles. Kuai thinks it’s nice that Smokes found someone. Bi-Han teases, because what kind of older brother would he be? Bi-Han totally views Smoke as a younger brother. He comes up with a cute ship name and he makes sure everyone refers to you both by it.

·       Loves the beach. Loves drinking iced tea at the beach. He’s under a big umbrella though. Sat in the shade, sipping his tea, reading his book, looking absolutely fine as fuck. People fall into ditches watching him lounge around. Bi-Han wanted to come with you both. Suns out guns out. He totally throws a bucket of water on him, saying he needs to cool the fuck down. And throws the bucket at him. Only to proceed to fall flat on his face.

·       Relaxed afternoon drinks at some hipster bar. He’s drinking an IPA. He doesn’t give a shit what you think… he really does. But it’s too warm for a hot chocolate.

·       He’s not overly fond of sex if it’s really warm. But saying that, on those cooler evenings, he’ll love just having you ride his cock. It’s soft, gentle, with a lot of touches and caresses. He loves you and loves spending time with you. He’ll also love the sight of your body in the moonlight. That slight summer breeze cooling you both down. The sound of the city below you, drowning out the moans.

Kabal:

·       Pre-Burn Kabal is so hyped for summer. The moment that barometer or the weather says it’s slightly warm. That’s it. He’s wearing cropped shorts, showing off those finely tuned calves, and wearing a vest that may as well not be a vest, because side-boob.

·       He totally as a duck barometer on his desk, that turns yellow when it’s supposed to be warm. ‘Sorry Kano, can’t work, Mr Quack says it’s going to be sunny. You know what that means’ Queue everyone sighing, because they know their in for a month of awful outfits.  

·       You notice he slows down a lot in the summer. ‘Babe, papa is out of shape’ is the most uttered phrase for him. He’s used to the heat, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be speedy. He wants to savour every moment of his favourite season, with his favourite person.

·       He’s a mix of lazy and energised. He’ll want to go for long walks in the park, the woods, the river, the beach. But he’ll also want to lounge around in his underwear, AC on, whilst you both watch shit TV and binge watch bad films.

·       Drives at 2 am in the morning, because he wants a really cold drink, and he knows this place that does really good slurpees. Queue, some very bad summer music. If you have to listen to ‘Steal My Sunshine’ One more fucking time, you’re going to scream. The slurpee is pretty good.

·       He’ll also tease your thighs on the way back home. Which leads to you giving him a blowjob whilst he drives. Which leads to him having to pullover and fuck you in the backseat. Lord have mercy he can’t cope.

·        He’s really good at BBQ you’re so surprised. You both have two people BBQs, you’re both sipping on cocktails, having fun, listening to terrible music. Annoying your neighbours who don’t want to hear his shit music. He’ll love spinning you around and picking you up over his shoulder and carrying you back inside. Just so you can make out on the couch.

·       Prank calling Kano at 2 in the morning. With very unfunny jokes. But it’s funny, because it’s Kano and it’s winding him up.

·       Nothing better than walking into the living room and seeing a near fully naked Kabal on the sofa. Sprawled out, glistening skin, playing on his Playstation. Glasses on and a lazy smile. God.

·       If you wear shorts, he’s going to be very distracted. Loves your ass in them. And will always give it a discreet and cheeky squeeze. He’ll always lean in to whisper and tease you, about what he’s going to do when you both get back.

·       Going to the beach or swimming is always fun. He’ll totally drag you into the pool and splash you.

·       He’s so glad his hair is fairly short. Because who’s got the time in this heat.

·       Cute dates to diners and relaxed drinks on the kitchen floor. Because it’s cool, and you can both eat ice cream from the tub.

·       Post burns everything is different.

·       I still headcanon he’s not a massive fan of his body and his skin is hypersensitive to the heat.

·       He’ll love you rubbing sunscreen affectionately onto his skin, or maybe rubbing a balm to try and ease it. If you’re whispering sweet nothings, or how much you love his body, whilst doing this, it’ll make him so fucking happy. He wants to feel loved.

·       Sometimes, the gentle rubs, turn into teasing rubs, and then into needful grabs. Which leads to some pretty intimate and passionate sex. Lots of body worship and lots of caresses.

·       He will want to stay in more in Summer. His skin will feels like it’s on fire and it won’t be comfortable. He will not dress casually in the summer when out in public. But when that confidence returns, he’ll be back to wearing next to nothing on the sofa.

Bi-Han:

·        He can handle this better than Kuai. Or so he says. He hates it really. He fucking hates this warmth and this weather. He wants to be cold. You’ve caught him threatening to climb into the fridge or the chest freezer.

·        Endearing whines from him. He loves the excuse however, that gets to lounge around in next to nothing. Queue you coming back from work to see him on your couch, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Complaining that he’s melting. He knew he was hot, but he didn’t think he was this hot! You hate and love that joke.

·        He’s eaten all your ice cubes, ice cream and ice lollies. He’s trying to cool down, but nothing is working. When you suggest maybe going to back to Arctika, he’s not down for that. He wants to stay here with you… that and going back, would confirm to Kuai that he was right and Bi-Han was wrong. He ain’t having that shit!

·        He’s constantly taking ice cold baths and showers. But nothing is helping. But on the bright side, you’ve got an unlimited supply of ice cubes. He sees yours are melting, boom, have some more.

·        He does manage to lower the temperature of your house, but he really has to focus, and he hates his concentration face. Kuai makes him look really majestic, Bi-Hans looks confused, sad and angry all rolled into one. He ain’t a fan of it.

·        He does love spending time with you though. He’ll love wrapping his arms around you out in public. Barely anyone knows he’s the Grandmaster of The Lin Kuei so why the fuck does it matter?

·        He’ll love going on cute bar dates, he looks pretty fucking FINE in a suit. All dressed up, looking like a whole three course meal. He’ll love sitting on a balcony, with some good food and a few glasses of wine.

·        Ultimate tease. His hands are cooler than any drink, and he’s an obsession with your legs in summer. He’ll love running a hand up and down your thighs, cheekily squeezing your ass in shorts. He’s very discreet, which makes you call him a Ninja, he’ll wrinkle his nose at that. He’s no ninja, he’s just good at been discreet.

·        He’s also a fan of sitting on the kitchen floor because it’s cool. You’re both listening to music in your kitchen, sat on the floor, eating ice cream and drinking frozen drinks.

·        Summer sex for Bi-Han involves a lot of him surprising you with some sweet kisses. Which get heated. Very heated. He’ll end up picking you up, placing you on your kitchen counter and helping you get rid of some layers. The counters cool against your skin, and he’s still pretty cool, so it’s all round refreshing.

·        He loves the beach. Not only because he loves showing off his physique, but you look cute and he likes the thought of the water been cool.

·        Water is saltier than he is. But he doesn’t give a shit. He can swim pretty well, and he’s soon out pretty far. It’s so good to finally be cold.

·        Low-key drags Smoke and Kuai with you both to the beach. Smoke is chilling, vibing with his book and the little sandcastle version of the temple he built. Kuai is fucking miserable.

·        Bi-Han will chuck you into the sea if you ask. If you want to be Yeeted, he will yeet you as far as you want to go. He’ll also playfully push you off the pier and jump in after you.

·        Small kisses in the water, his arms around your waist.

Kuai Liang (Sub Zero):

·        He still hates this. Nothing has changed. Summer can go fuck itself. He handles the complaints better than Bi-Han but he doesn’t handle the heat better. The only upside, he gets to spend some quality time with you. With no Bi-Han interrupting. Because he’s the worst.

·        He still doesn’t let on how bad he’s feeling it. He’s there, stoic, teeth gritted, whilst you’re having lunch. You decide to surprise him with a cold bath, the AC on the lowest setting, and ice in the bath. You leave him a note saying ‘Surprise and enjoy’ he fucking loves you. His heart actually may do a backflip.

·        When you get back, he’s less teeth gritted and more relaxed. He’ll take your hands in his and bring you in for a very soft kiss. You’re in your apartment so no one can see. It’s all cool!

·        He still tries to dress in his Grandmaster gear. He’s trying to remain stoic and trying his hardest to be his usual self. You remind him, that no one but you can see him in your apartment.

·        He will bite the bullet eventually and will shed his upper half of clothes. He’s currently sat in the comfy pair of short joggers you bought him. He’s a Grandmaster but he’s going to melt unless he changes. This is no different than when he’s in his relaxing gear back at the temple.

·        Your neighbours are in for a treat. When he wakes up, does his morning meditation in front of the window… only to realise the curtains and door are open, your neighbours are watering their flowers, and they are just stood there. Staring. Wondering how one man can be so chiselled and fine looking. Que him, leaning over to close the curtains. ‘Y/N. Did you open the curtains whilst I was meditating?’ ‘Yeah, why?’ ‘I don’t think your neighbours appreciate seeing me’ Oh, if only he fucking knew.

·        His bonus for living through his own personal living hell, you’re dressed in your cute summer clothes, and you constantly want to be close to him in your apartment. He does love how close you are to him. He loves when you’re relaxing on the sofa, and your head is on his shoulder. He will watch you from the corner of his eye, a small smile tugging on his lips. Just as his arm snakes around you more.

·        He doesn’t drink a lot. He isn’t against it. But then you introduce him to a Long Island Iced Tea. He can’t taste the tea but it’s pretty nice. He’ll love lounging with you on your balcony, watching as the evenings sky bleeds into the nights sky.

·        He’ll tell you about the constellations as a refreshing breeze washes over you.

·        He’ll love going for walks with you. He loves been out and exploring more of Earth in a more relaxed way. He’s been to many places, but they’ve always been mission related.

·        He may not be able to last long with the heat, but he does love wandering around the Forests and woods. He’ll spout random facts about the wildlife and fauna you pass.

·        Sex with Kuai when it’s warm is often difficult. He’s feeling flustered by the warmth and struggling. You do offer to run him a cold shower. He’ll sit there, asking if you wish to join him. You’re not going to pass that up. It’ll start innocent, with him just holding your body. Musing how he’s missed your touch.

·        A few kisses later and you’ve got him all flustered again. He’s not entirely sure what’s going on, when you slowly sink to your knees and take his cock into your mouth. At first, he’s like ‘Y/N, we can’t do this in the shower’ But, even all of that stoic training can’t help him here. His moans betray him, hands hovering over your hair, before you tangle them for him. This leads to him showing you some of that strength of his and fucking you against the wall of the shower.

·        After, you’re both panting messes, and you hear him chuckle. He comments on how he guesses the weather has bonuses. That’s as horny of a comment you’ll ever get from him.

Kung Lao:

·        He’s actually fine in this heat, why do you ask? Kung Lao can handle heat, who said he couldn’t? Their lying. Okay, they’re not lying. He hates it. He fucking hates it. He’s confused at how Raiden can be stood there, completely unphased, and Fujin can be there with long fucking hair. They are winding him, and he knows it.

·        Liu Kang is fine. But he’s fucking not. Of course, he’s fucking fine with the heat.

·        He does love spending the time with you though. I mean, you look pretty cute in those shorts, and he loves how you smile and your so giddy about going out places.

·        His arrogance will be the death of him. Death will be caused by melting. He won’t admit how much he’s not overly fond of the heat. But when you see him staring into the fridge, you know he’s too warm. You suggest going for a swim and going to the beach.

·        Best idea in the fucking world. He can swim pretty well, so he’s dragging you into the water, before you can even pull off your clothes. He’s like ‘Lets go Y/N. Lets go.’ He’ll splash you, like the dick he is, he can give but can’t take when you splash him back.

·        Will feign falling over, only to have you rush over to him. He’ll then pick you up and spin you around and launch you into the water. You both piss about far too much. Lord Fujin is smiling down, so happy and proud, Lord Raiden is face palming so hard. The Elder Gods couldn’t give a fuck, their too warm as well.

·        He’ll always insist you take photos, bonus if it’s a polaroid so he can take the photos back. He will continuously show Liu Kang, Raiden and Fujin. He acts like the heat wasn’t that bad… Fujin knows the truth but he’s not going to say shit.

·        He’ll love going for small evening walks with you, just as the suns starting to set, you’re both strolling beside a rive. A small breeze is blowing past you. When you’re not looking, he’s thanking Fujin for been a bro and having his back. ‘Thank you…’ ‘What was that Kung Lao?’ ‘Nothing Y/N. You look very pretty. How’s that breeze?’

·        He loves the sunshine though and will want to make the most of going out in it. Que you both spending as much time as possible outside. Whether you’re just lounging, walking or exploring.

Sindel: (The Smut Goblin will do you right, since 11 just retconned you.)

·        Outworld is naturally warmer than Earthrealm. She knows this and understands that it may be hard to cope. She’s there, looking ethereal, not a single hair out of place, barely breaking a sweat. Whilst you’re boiling. She thinks it’s cute.

·        She’ll always shake her head when you deny how warm you are. She’ll make sure you’ve always got fresh water and are kept cool. If it’s warmer than usual, she’ll make sure you’ve got baggy clothes to keep you cool and make sure you’re okay.

·        She’s not mean by any standard, but she will tease you ever so slightly about it. If you’re slightly red from the heat, she will tease you about it. ‘Y/N, blushing to see me already.’ Will tease you discreetly. And she will always remark about how she didn’t know she had this effect on you.

·        She’s discreet. She can’t be embarrassing Kitana like that. She ain’t about that life. Kitana fully supports your relationship. She thinks it’s nice her mother has found someone to spend her life with. Shao Kahn who? Who’s that dick? Never heard of Shags Cars.

·        She’ll personally request you join her when she goes to try and cool down at the warmest part of the day. The pool is surrounded by blooms and lush scenery, scenery you didn’t know existed in Outworld. Because, it does look barren.

·        You’re not arguing that it’s a mirage, until she strips down and asks you to join her. Everything is pleasant and cool. She asks you all about Earthrealm whilst you’re chilling in the cool water.

·        She wants to know more about you and yourself. And what better place than whilst taking a leisurely dip.

·        She’ll love lounging around on one of the balconies in the evening. Wine in hand, whilst you’re leant against her. She’ll plant a gentle kiss on your head, before asking if you’re comfortable. Very caring, because you know, she’s actually a caring person. NetherRealm seemingly forgot this shit. Let me remind them.

·        Sex with Sindel is fucking WILD. She can go from a pillow princess (Queen?) to a fucking dom in seconds. One minute she’s sat on your face, trying to stifle a moan, less anyone hear. The next, she’s got you flipped over, pinned down, whilst she attacks your cunt with her very skilled tongue.

·        You forget about the heat of the day and focus on the heat that’s pooling in your stomach for a few moments. Once you’re spent and wasted, she’ll always remark ‘I told you I could make you forget the heat my dear’

Geras. 

·        For a man that has lived an eternal life and has lived through the heats of many summers. He’s never got to experience them because of ‘Can I see the manager’ Kronika. Fuck her.

·        He can cope with the heat of the day and is pleasantly surprised when there is a refreshing breeze. He’s so happy to be able to enjoy the summer and the sunshine, without the Titan of complaints, bossing him about.

·        He’s blissfully unaware of how mortals struggle with heat.

·        When you go on nice walks, to show him more of Earthrealm, and so you can both take cute photos. He’s walking miles head, happy and curious about everything. ‘Isn’t this nice Y/N. What a refreshing breeze… Y/N?’ Turns around to see you in a puddle on the ground. Que him turning back and picking you back up.

·        He loves experiencing different cultures and will love you exploring different parts of your city and trying new things. Kronika was a bitch and didn’t give him any downtime.

·        He’s loving this new lease on life, the fact he doesn’t have to go on bullshit missions for the Elder God of bullshit and family problems.

·        He’ll love cuddling up with you, whilst you both chat, and he tells you all the stories of his life. You name a time period, and he has lived through and experienced it. Bonus if you’re doing a history degree.

·        ‘Actually, my boyfriend was there and that’s not what happened. Give me my 100% on my test’

·        He’ll be a little confused why you always take photos of him at first. Until you explain you’re creating memories. Then he’ll be constantly posing for your photos with you. He takes the cutest selfies. He’s got such a warm smile and some gorgeous eyes. You’re the envy of all of your friends.

·        When you suggest going to the beach, he’s all for it, he loves the sound of the waves and finds it soothing.

·        He makes the most impressive sandcastles. It puts everyone else’s to shame on the beach. He’s not even trying which is the best part.

·        Geras is a tall guy. So, when he wades out into the ocean, you’re stuck behind in a bit of a shallower end. He wants you to come with him, so you’re getting picked up, and he’s got you on his shoulders. Your toes skimming the waters edge. He loves hearing your laugh, and you swear you hear him chuckle when you fall in.

·        He often remarks how he’s no longer eternally alone. And it makes your heart skip a beat.

·        He loves life in the slow lane, time is no object to him, so why not take things slow?

·        He’ll prefer slow and passionate sex during the warmer months. He knows you’re warm and he wants to make sure you’re okay. So slower and softer sex is on the cards. But if you want him to fuck you rough, then he is down for that, and the man has skill.

·        Geras needs a hug and I think we need to give him one.

[bittersweetmelxdy]

bittersweetmelxdy’s 20th Birthday

Surprise! Today is my 20th birthday, and my present to the rest of you is an extremely self-indulgent set of headcanons for the boys (and Shaw, thank you so much @meowrain​ for your help) celebrating your birthday. I hope you all enjoy it (and don’t criticise me too much for Shaw, it is my first time writing him). Love you all, Hannah x

Core Four + Shaw celebrating MC’s Birthday

Victor:

At first, he was a little confused, Victor was accustomed to celebrating his birthday in true CEO fashion, with a fancy gala, a mass of people only seeking to curry favour with him and a plethora of fancy gifts.  

But when you told him of the low-key birthdays you always had at home with your dad, and Victor could see the shimmer in your eyes, and he was then determined to make this birthday just as special.

You woke up on your birthday to the sound of your phone ringing, blearily you reached out to grasp it just as it stopped ringing, blinking twice to refocus your eyes, and you were surprised to see along with the many well-wishes of your co-workers and friends there were multiple missed calls from your boyfriend, Victor. Just then the phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Dummy answer the door, breakfast is getting cold.” Victor’s voice hazed through the phone.

“...” You looked around confused when you heard the muffled knocks on the door, “Wait, you’re outside my place?”

“Where else would I be, idiot?” Victor’s sharp words contrasted his soft affectionate tone, and you giggled as you tripped your way out of bed and ran towards the door.

Opening the door wide, you revealed you scowling boyfriend, and you threw yourself into him, hands wrapping around his neck, Victor stumbled slightly but managed to catch you whilst not dropping the container in his hand, he loosely wrapped his hands around you, patting your back slightly and pressing a kiss to your temple before whispering a “Happy Birthday” into your ear.

Once he had herded you back into the apartment, he presented you with the food inside the container, which was freshly made pancakes decorated with your favourite toppings. You clapped your hands excitedly and quickly sat down and dug in happily. Victor sat opposite you, watching you with softened eyes, and noticing his gaze you raised your fork towards him to feed him a bite, Victor shook his head good-naturedly and opened his mouth to indulge you. You alternated in feeding yourself and him until you had finished your breakfast.

Whilst you got dressed and showered, Victor cleaned up, and once you were dressed you followed him down to his car, where he drove you to his house. You chattered along the way, between answering calls and texts from family members and co-workers, and Victor simply listened.

You arrived at his house, and to your absolute surprise, Victor had decorated his house for your birthday, the decorations at time mimicked the ones you had made on Victor’s birthday, and you fingered the clumsily made paper chains, tears pricking at your eyes. Victor watched you a tad nervous, trying to mask how much he wanted you to like what he had done in terms of decoration. But when he saw how touched you were, he knocked his knuckle playfully against your temple, as you wiped the tears from your eyes, and he led you into the kitchen.

To imitate a tradition you had with your dad, Victor and you spent the rest of the day making and decorating the birthday cake, whilst Victor’s soft music accompanied the two of you (Victor is a music snob, so he wouldn’t let you have control of the music system). Amidst the serious baking and precise measurements (Victor for some reason, measured not only everything to the exact gram, but also measured the exact positions of each decoration which he checked with a ruler), you had fun sneaking tastes of the batter and the icing, and booping Victor’s nose with a dollop of icing, which to his surprise you then kissed off, relishing in the adorable hue he turned.

Once the cake was finished and you had tidied up, it was nearing dinnertime and Victor parked you at his dining room table, where he then placed his gourmet dinner in front of you, to your surprise as you hadn’t seen the dishes whilst you were in the kitchen.

Victor loved feeding you even more than you loved eating, and once he had finally given you the okay, you dug in munching the many dishes happily, your eyes upturned in joy and cheeks puffed out like a hamster. Victor ate at a steady pace, watching you and proud that you were having fun.

After clearing the table, Victor turned off the main lights, bathing the room in the golden glow of the fairy lights, and Victor then appeared with the cake, the candles flickering daintily, and his soft baritone voice sang ‘Happy Birthday’ as he approached. A couple tears escaped your eyes as you clasped your hands in front of you, closing your eyes tightly to make your wish, and after blowing out the candles, Victor wiped your wet cheeks with his thumb affectionately calling you a “crybaby”.

He cut you a slice of the cake and then spoon-fed you the piece, before offering you his hand, and confused you placed your hand in his and he kissed the back of it, pulling you up into his arms. He then hummed a soft tune and then slow danced with you and the golden glow of the twinkling lights surrounded you.

“Thank you, Victor.” you smiled up at him, “This was a perfect birthday.”

Victor pressed a kiss to your forehead, not pausing in his dancing steps, promising you sincerely, “Every birthday you have from now on, I’ll make as perfect as this one.”

Lucien

Lucien by nature was a very private person, so he had no problem at all when you asked in you could spend your birthday in private. He lived right next door so spending the day with you wasn’t going to be a problem for him, as he could just pop next door.

He simply smiled, ruffling your hair slightly, as he asked you what your favourite memories of your birthday were, and you snuggled into his side as you were lost in the tales of your memories with your late father.  

When the day approached, Lucien told you he’d pick you up, take you out for breakfast and then you’d go out. Lucien had been observing your habits and he knew your favourite fruit (read: MY favourite fruit (sorry if you don’t like them)) was strawberries, and he had planned accordingly.

You woke up excited, smelling the fresh summer breeze and the observing the clear blue skies, and you knew today would be a good day. Lucien waited for you at your front door but looking at your outfit and your bare legs and arms, he made you go back inside to put sunscreen on and to grab a hat.  

Throughout breakfast at a cute café you and Lucien frequented regularly, you tried to probe your boyfriend for answers of where you were going next, but Lucien smiling like a cat who got the cream as his answers danced circles around you.

When you arrived so bit your lip excitedly, grabbing Lucien’s arm tightly, eyes lighting up as you saw the sign detailing your activity for today ‘Strawberry Picking’, an activity you had told Lucien you remembered doing with your Dad once when you were very little.

You loved it! You spent most of your day toteing Lucien down each of the aisles, leaning down and parting the leaves to pick the perfect strawberries. Lucien noticing you went for strawberries that were the largest of the bunch, so he often picked strawberries of that size to give you, but to his surprise whenever he raised a strawberry to give to you, he would turn his head and you were holding a strawberry to his lips for him to taste. He let you feed him strawberries, enjoying the warmth of your actions.

When you had eaten your fill of strawberries, Lucien surprised you once again at the gift store where he bought you a punnet of white strawberries (which you cooed over and hugged him tightly in thanks).

Arriving back at your apartment building, Lucien steered you into his apartment rather than yours, and you smiled seeing the covered cake resting on the coffee table, the room covered in metallic hues of streamers and paper chains. You were led over by Lucien and once you were sat down, he retrieved a box of matches from his kitchen and proceeded to light the candles, whilst his soft rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ floated through the room.

After sharing a piece of cake between you and you settled down to cuddle with Lucien, your voice dropped to a whisper as if it would shatter the atmosphere around the two of you, “Thank you for making my birthday so special”

Lucien pressed a kiss to the top of your head, “Thank you, for filling my world with your colour.”

Kiro:

As Kiro cannot remember his own birthday, he feels it a privilege to celebrate you, and deep down he is a little envious that you had family to return to after the Black Swan experimentation when you both were kids, who could remind you of such mundane details.

Kiro was used to lavish and jam-packed hectic birthdays on his agency assigned birthday, but he loved your birthday, because although you shared the day with millions and millions of people across the world, that day was yours, and wasn’t given to you by anyone else.

Also, if celebrating your birthday in private means Kiro gets to have HIS Miss Chips all to himself for a whole 24 hours, sign him up!

However, Kiro being the extroverted ball of sunshine he is, didn’t let your wish to spend your birthday in private stop him from organising a small intimate party with your closest friends on the day before. He just wanted to see you be loved, okay?

But your actual birthday... that was all for him, he woke you up bright and early... to the sound of the fire alarm ringing in your apartment. You stumbled out of bed, thinking an intruder had gotten in and started a fire (your brain was still addled from the comic you had read last night), and the last thing you expected to see was your superstar boyfriend, wearing a party hat, standing with a sheepish expression on his face as he held a smoking pan in his hand containing a charred blob that you assumed was pancakes, judging from the bowl of leftover batter on the side.

You giggled, opening the windows to release the smoke before turning around and hip-checking him out of the way, and taking over the breakfast making, although Kiro wanted to surprise you with a perfect breakfast-in-bed, he knew that if the two of you actually wanted to EAT breakfast, he should let you help him.

After watching Kiro drown his pancakes in syrup, you joined him on the table with your stack of pancakes decorated with your favourite toppings. You both munched away, when you stopped and asked a little confused.

“Kiro, not that I don’t want you here, but how did you get into my place?” you asked and when Kiro reached into his pocket and dangled your set of spare keys in front of your face, you rolled your eyes playfully knowing he must have swiped them the last time he was in your apartment.

Once you had finished, Kiro dumped the dishes in the sink and then herded you into the bedroom, opening your closet, and rifling through your clothes and drawers, pulling out a cute and fashionable outfit that matched his, when he gave you your first surprise of the day.

Kiro pulled a white hooded jacket out of a bag he had brought with him a jacket that was identical to his albeit in a smaller size, he handed it to you and you noticed that there was stitching on the left side and in cursive it lovingly read ‘Miss Chips’ and looking up you watched as Kiro pointed to his jacket where it said ‘Sunshine’. You reached out to trace the letters, smiling with wet eyes, as you knew Kiro and you could wear the jackets whenever, and not only would your relationship still be lowkey as it was a generic jacket style, but also you both would be connected whenever you were.

Once you were dressed and Kiro pretended to be shot in the heart at the sight of you as you posed dramatically, you then took a cute couple’s picture (with you positioned with your face buried into the crook of his neck, so your identity was hidden), and Kiro led you downstairs where you climbed into his car.

When you had parked outside of the Amusement Park, Kiro fished his disguise out of his glovebox, and after you adjusted it slightly, you then stepped out. You spent the day running around, going on whichever rides took your fancy, Kiro and you taking plenty of pictures to document your time together. You also ate ALL of the overpriced park food (What Savin doesn’t know, won’t hurt him right? Right?)

As the sun began to make its descent towards the horizon, Kiro grabbed your hand and led you towards the Ferries Wheel. You and he settled in and Kiro sat opposite you, his leg bouncing as he watched you stare entranced at the changing hues of the sky. You had plenty of time to watch the sunset, as the Ferris Wheel stopped as each cabin reached the top, and Kiro soon joined you on your side of the cabin, wrapping his arms around your waist and he kissed the crown of your head.

When you reached the top, your breath hitched as a cool sensation graced your neck, you looked down to see that Kiro had placed a dainty necklace around your neck. You spun around, and threw your arms around his neck, and Kiro smiled into your hair before whispering, “Happy Birthday Miss Chips.” adding the final sentence in his mind, ‘And thank you, for being alive.’

Side note: You know he begged the mysterious chef of Souvenir *cough* Victor *cough* to make you a super sugary birthday cake, that he left in you fridge, and whatever time you reached home, you both ate cake (even if it was the early hours of the morning).

Gavin:

Gavin was Stressed, you were the and I mean THE most precious and important person in his life, and when you had put this much responsibility upon him, he was both touched... and terrified.

He was already struggling with the gift he was going to buy you, and now he had to plan your entire birthday as well, MC are you trying to kill him?! He has called everyone for help, your co-workers, your high school friends, he even suffered through a 2 HOUR phone call with Minor, which very quickly derailed from helping Gavin buy his girlfriend a gift to what Minor wanted for his birthday from Gavin (a birthday that is months away).

Sighing as he hung up the phone after Minor’s call, somehow exhausted and needing a bit of a nap, when Eli poked his head into his office at STF.  

“Hey, Gavin?” Eli called.

“Yeah?” Gavin answered tiredly.

Eli came close and placed a neatly wrapped gift box atop his desk, “Can you give this to your girlfriend, I heard it’s her birthday?”  

“You got her something?” Gavin glared at Eli, and in response Eli leaned in closely to Gavin, a teasing glint in his eye.

“Why you didn’t?” Eli teased, but when Gavin stood up as if to punch him, he quickly added, “Kidding.”  

Gavin sighed and collapsed back into his chair kneading his brow, before Eli broached the topic, “Hey, are you struggling to get her something?” at Gavin’s tried nod Eli tapped his chin thinking before offering an honest suggestion, “If you’re having trouble with a gift, why not show her how much you mean to her instead.”

“What?”

“Well, good luck, tell me how it goes.” Eli didn’t help any further and ducked out of the office before Gavin could question him further.

The morning of your birthday, Gavin appeared brandishing the latest popular breakfast that you had mentioned a couple of days ago, and after catching you as you ran into his arms, breathing in the summery scent of your hair as you giggled, and carrying you back into your apartment before dropping you back onto your feet, and nuzzling your nose whilst saying “Happy Birthday, Love.”

After you had eaten and gotten dressed, Gavin dropped you off on Sparky, kissing your forehead in farewell, watching as you disappeared into your company building. Then he sighed, before flipping the kickstand and driving towards the supermarket.

Gavin frowned, walking down each aisle slowly, constantly checking his phone, where he had his shopping list, and making sure he picked the best ingredients. He finished, and had just packed the bags in the storage compartment on Sparky, when he realised he had forgotten to get you flowers. Cue him standing in a florist, completely red in the face as he explained to the amused florist what kind of flowers he wanted.  

After leaving the store, the florist wishing him good luck and waving as he left, Gavin made his way up the staircase up to your apartment. After letting himself in, Gavin found a vase for the flowers, scrunching his brows as he read and followed the instructions, arranged them haphazardly in the vase.

After that Gavin took a deep breath, laying the ingredients out on the counter, and then he set out on the daunting task of cooking for you. Gavin had never been more stressed in his life, he didn’t cook on the regular and when you cooked together, he wasn’t anxious as he knew you were always right beside him. But now he was completely on his own (Minor had offered to come and help him, but Gavin would rather not have that extra headache on his hands).

After making dinner he then had to bake, which was honestly just as bad, the cake thankfully turned out fine, but whilst he was decorating he finished but it just didn’t look right (think the bakery AU end card from the anime). But by the time he had finished decorating with a mix of light blue and gold balloons, and a few paper chains, he heard the sound of your key turning in the lock.

You stared wide-eyed at Gavin, your eyes bouncing from decoration to decoration and finally back to your boyfriend, “Gavin?”

“...Surprise.” Gavin said, scratching the back of his neck, nervously.

“You did this for me?” your smile grew, touched.

Gavin led you to the table, pulling out your chair for you and when you were sat down, he then went to the kitchen and presented the food to you, he watched with bated breath for your verdict. Pushing down the tears pricking at your eyes, you complimented Chef Gavin, pointing out your favourites out of the dishes that he had made.

Then Gavin, after gathering the dishes and making sure you remained seated, hurried into the kitchen and then his soft tone began to sing, and you gasped, Gavin carefully carried in the clumsily decorated cake that you could see was even a tad lopsided, and the tears you had kept at bay came flooding out.

Gavin hastily placed the cake on the table and then hovered nervously around you, you reached up and cradled his face, Gavin covering your small hands with his larger ones, watching as you smiled through your tears.

“I know it’s a mess, and it’s not as well-made as-” Gavin began, but you quickly shook your head.

“It’s perfect. Perfect Gavin.” You interrupted, “You did all this for me? Why?”  

“You say that you look after me because you love me...” he reaffirmed and at your nod he continued, “Well, because I love you, I wanted to show you, in the best way I know how.”  

You pulled Gavin close and the two of you rested your foreheads against each other as you calmed down, before Gavin reached back into his back pocket and pulled out a box, and he then clipped a necklace around your neck. Pulling back you lifted it up, the golden gingko leaf catching the light, and the accompanying silver circle pendant, had both your birthdates engraved upon it. 

“Gavin you didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to, because as you told me, the purpose of a birthday is the celebrate the person and show how much you love them.”

Gavin had to brace himself as you threw yourself at him, and for the rest of the day you two cuddled on your sofa, feeding each other bites of the birthday cake, that you could say ‘hand on heart’ was the best birthday cake you had ever tasted.

Shaw:

He teased you so much that because you were now an “old lady, you probably couldn’t handle a party anyway.”

“Shaw I’m only two years older than you!” you had pouted, pushing him as he laughed out loud.

However when you told him about the birthday you spent with your father, he froze completely, although Shaw’s relationship with his father was basically non-existent, he could see how much you treasured the memories you had with yours. So, he agreed (pretending to be reluctant) to spend your birthday with you at home.

However, that being said, he does surprisingly put a lot of thought into celebrating his birthday, after all you are his girl, and being the competitive person he is, there is no way he is going to give you a regular old birthday.

He spends months, planning it, and when he saw one of your favourite artists was holding a small-scale concert in a hole-in-the-wall bar just outside Loveland City, you can bet he stayed up all night to snag two tickets for you.  

However, that doesn’t stop him from pretending he had forgotten your birthday whenever you “casually” brought it up. Your sad puppy-eyes and pout tugging at his heartstrings but he smirked inwardly knowing how much more exciting the reveal would be on your actual birthday.

“You know we’re coming into (zodiac sign) season.”

“Yeah, real interesting isn’t it?”

“...” you huffed and pouted, cheeks puffing out like a hamster.

“You know if the wind changes, you’ll be stuck with that ugly expression on your face.”

“Shaw!”

When your birthday finally arrived, you woke up sighing, answering messages on social media, a little put out that your friends from high school still remembered your birthday, but your boyfriend didn’t, when you heard a knock on the door.

To your surprise, you opened the door to reveal a smirking Shaw, who then he spun you around and herded you into the bedroom, pulling an outfit out of your closet, teasing you on your more girly and frilly articles, and then pointed at the bathroom telling you to “get dressed already” as he waited for you, he threw himself onto your bed to take a quick nap. Re-emerging, you saw him softly breathing, and you felt a little sorry for him as you knew he had just pulled an all-nighter to write his essay, so you gently woke him up, shaking him and calling in a soft tone.  

Waking up Shaw couldn’t help but comment that you “took so long, I fell asleep”, and to be fair he deserved the pillow you smashed into his face.

You were surprised to see that Shaw didn’t have his skateboard with him, and not wanting to give away the surprise he smiled secretively and said you “wouldn’t need it where you were going.” Arriving at the Subway Station Shaw left you at the counter to buy breakfast, whilst he grabbed the tickets, and then he as he walked back, he noticed a couple of guys eyeing you up. As quick as lightning (see what I did there 😉 ), Shaw had an arm locked around your waist, guiding you to the right platform, glaring at the guys as he passed them, throwing in an affectionate “babe” for good measure.

You were bouncing in your seat listening carefully at each stop for the name of the stop and watching Shaw movement’s to hopefully clue you in on what was going on. Finally, Shaw helped you off the train, and it was only when you arrived in the queue you noticed the posters and it all clicked.

“Shaw, you did not.”

“What did you think we were here for, to sightsee?” Ignoring Shaw’s comment, you threw your arms around Shaw’s neck pressing a kiss to his cheek as you giggled excitedly.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” you called, and highs of Shaw’s cheeks pinked, as his hands rested lightly on your back.

To stroke Shaw’s ego even more, you remained starry-eyed throughout the entire concert, dancing and swaying, singing the lyrics at the top of your lungs, whilst Shaw watched you fondly and bemusedly as your dancing was still as awkward as ever, but you looked like you were having the time of your life, and he remembered what captivated him in the first place, your “weirdness” had always been endearing to him.

As you left and made your way home, you continued to chatter to Shaw the whole way, Shaw remained silent but watched each of the minute expression changes you went through. However, when you stepped out of the Subway Station, a deluge fell down, you frowned when Shaw grabbed your hand and pulled you into the rain.

“Shaw, what are you doing?” you called, shielding your eyes from the downpour.

“What I thought you loved this kind of cheesy romance?” he laughed as he led you into a dance, and you frown soon grew into a smile as Shaw danced you through the heavy downpour, soaking your clothes completely, and you looked fondly at your boyfriend, hoping for many more birthdays containing more spontaneous adventures.

[xxsovereignsarayaxx]

Fifty Shades of Mikaelson

Shade 1: Chapter 3

Authors Note: We are now delving into R-rated terms so its time to hang out the banners to say that this is now 18+ fic so kiddos turn away now please.  Word Count: 2390 Warnings: (18+) The odd swear word. Mentions of sexual content. Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x Reader (Reader Insert)

Fifty Shades Tag List: @xxwritemeastoryxx​ @tomarisela​ @akshi8278​​ 

You can catch up on the previous chapters here. Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Arriving back at my apartment I slung my handbag on the sofa and made a beeline for my bedroom. In a mad online shopping binge I had purchased a simple yet elegant and very sexy pale apricot little number. Just covering my knees it showed the right amount of leg, cleavage  and defined all of my curves thanks to the bodycon style of the dress. I would just need to pick out the perfect set of shoes to accompany the dress from my ever-growing shoe collection at the bottom of my closet. 

Opening said closet I moved the large rack of clothes to one side and carefully pulled out my dress for tonight's proceedings. With the dress still on its hanger I slotted it on the door for it to hang as I bent down and opened up the first box of heels. 

Looking up and down at the shoes then the dress I shook my head and closed the lid setting it to the side and picked out another set. Doing this motion a few more times and I ended up settling for a pair of strappy black heels which would give me the extra height boost that I was known for and loved. Finishing my outfit designing session I walked over to where I kept my jewelry, opening the small velvet box I inherited from my grandmother I picked out some crystal earrings, a white watch and diamante choker style necklace. 

Checking my hair and makeup by using the large mirror that was situated in the living room about an hour and forty five minutes later, my makeup looked like it was done by the gods and I was dressed to the nines fluffing my hair just giving that extra bit of volume I heard the doorbell to my apartment go off. Grabbing my jacket and handbag I headed to the door opening it slowly.

“Always enjoy making me wait don’t you love?” Klaus teases.

“And yet you love the chase.” I teased back.

“I must say you look ravishing.” He says in that tone of voice I just love whilst offering me his arm.. 

“You don’t scrub up badly yourself either.” I reply and take his arm and with that we left.

We arrived at the restaurant and were led to our table. Klaus pulls out a chair for me to sit down. 

“I have another proposal for you, love.” Klaus smirks at me, as he takes his seat..  

Resting my head in my hand I flirtishly flutter my long eyelashes at him. “Oh do tell.” I whisper seductively.

“I know you enjoy playing this game of risk we have going on and I wanted to ask if you wanted to take it to the next step?” 

“And what did you have in mind?” I purred. 

“Dominant and Submissive.” Klaus says as he pulls a folded document from the pocket inside his suit jacket and slides it on the table.

Unfolding the document I gave it a glance. “Is this what I think it is?” I teased playfully.

“If you mean a Dominant/Submissive contract then yes.” He replies with a smirk.

“Give it a read when you get home.” He adds. 

A waiter comes and puts down a champagne bucket filled with ice and places champagne flutes in front of each of us, lifts the bottle from the ice pops the cork and fills each glass up around three-quarters full. 

“A toast, here’s to my new business negotiator.” Klaus says raising his glass in the air. 

“Cheers.” We say in unison and clink glasses together.

Shortly after our toast another waiter appeared and took our orders, Klaus ordered a medium rare steak while I ordered a mushroom risotto. Whilst we were waiting for our food we discussed a little business. 

“I will get in touch with the Salvatore office tomorrow to see if we can get a meeting to renegotiate the business deal we had with them previously before your little mishap. And what have we learned about taking representatives out for dinner?” I told him, sipping my drink.

“Not to do such a thing, especially if the boss fancies them.” Klaus replied with a chuckle.

“Exactly. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

The rest of the evening was lovely. Our meals were simply divine and Klaus ended the evening with a walk through the local park nearby from my apartment complex. The fresh air and the cooling temperature was the perfect pairing to this night. As we walked through the park, Klaus draped his overcoat over my shoulders. 

“Seems you can be a gentleman when the time arises.” I teased. 

“Y/N love, you bring out the best in me.” 

“Don’t get sappy on my now Klaus.” I replied and planted a kiss to his cheek, the stubble on his face tickled my lips. 

As the night came to a close Klaus walked me back to my apartment, said our goodbyes, planted the contract firmly in my hands and parted ways. Draping my jacket over the back of the couch I slipped off my shoes and padded to my bedroom. 

Laying on the bed I glanced at the contracts first page.

Contract Made this day _____ of 2020 (‘The Commencement Date’) Between Mr Niklaus Mikaelson of 259 Wellington Road, Richmond Virginia (‘The Dominant’) And  Miss Y/N L/N of 173 of Lambeth Avenue, Richmond Virginia (‘The Submissive’)  BOTH THE PARTIES AGREE AS FOLLOWS 1. The following are the terms of a binding contract between the Dominant and the Submissive.  FUNDAMENTAL TERMS 2.  The fundamental purpose of this contract is to allow both the Dominant and the Submissive to explore his/hers sensuality and her limits safely, with due respect for his/her needs, limits and well-being. 3. Both the Dominant and the Submissive agree and acknowledge that all that occurs under the terms of this agreement will be confidential and subject to the agreed terms and safety measures set out in the contract. (Any additional requirements may be agreed in writing with prior notice.)

I took a breather from reading. It seems that Klaus was serious about this but from looking at it, it seemed to be a general contract agreeing terms and limits. Nothing too difficult. I glanced at the clock seeing the time was close to midnight and settled back continuing to read what I was going to get myself into.   

I went into the office as normal the next morning and arrived before Klaus which was no shocker there, as I made my way to my desk I switched on my computer and headed off to the break room to make myself my usual cup of coffee. Returning with coffee in hand I sat in my chair and loaded up Klaus’ schedule for the day, seeing that he had a reasonable free afternoon I slotted in a meeting appointment at half three. Writing the added change to his day on a postit note I walked into his office and stuck it to his computer monitor and left. After reading through the contract last night it got me thinking about some of the much needed changes and a ‘business meeting’ would be the perfect place to do so.

About thirty minutes later Klaus walked into the office and stood at my desk whilst I was on the phone to Stefan’s assistant Katherine, but she currently put me on hold and I was getting bored and starting to twiddle the phone cord around my finger. 

“Who are you on the phone to?” He asked in a low tone.

“No, hello Y/N you look nice this morning or thank you for last night I had a lovely time?” I said sarcastically, giving him an eye roll.

“Hello Y/N, you look lovely this morning and thank you for last night.” Klaus deadpanned. 

I gave him a smirk. “I’m trying to get a meeting with Stefan and or Damon, but their secretary is currently giving me the run around. She is getting on my last nerve.”

“Oh hello. Yes this is Y/N, still calling from Mikaelson Enterprises.” I replied into the phone trying to hold back the sarcasm. 

“I’m afraid that Stefan can’t make any further meetings for the foreseeable future.” 

And with that the line went dead.

“Son of a bitch!” I yelled, slamming the phone back into the receiver. Huffing and then leaning back in my chair crossing my arms. 

“What did she say?” Klaus asked as he motioned for me to come into his office.

Getting up from my chair I followed him. “Said that Stefan can’t make any future meetings. Katherine Pierce is one fickle bitch, I have no idea how her and Elena are actually related.” 

“Pardon?” Klaus says with an uneasy look on his face.

“Don’t tell me you’ve slept with her too?” I laughed.

“Go on about how her and Elena Gilbert are related.” 

“Ok so Katherine and Elena are twins but their biological mother gave them up as babies. They were both adopted by two different families. But somehow managed to both work for Damon and Stefan. Katherine is Stefan’s assistant whilst Elena is Damon’s.” I explained. 

“You know the ins and outs don’t you?” 

“We secretaries have our own world and we all get along...usually. Anyway you have your scheduled meeting with Elijah in an hour and then I presume you and Kol will be off to the distillery before your appointment at half-past three. So don’t drink too much, you’ll need to be sober to think.” 

“I don’t have any meetings this afterno…” Klaus started but I motioned for him to look at his monitor with my finger.      

“I have a meeting this afternoon.” He stated.

“Oh he reads, you make me so proud.” I said sarcastically. 

The morning had gone without a hitch and Klaus and Kol had indeed left for the distillery and I carried on doing my jobs for the day. And both brothers came back to the office around five minutes before our meeting. 

Klaus swung by my work space. “Can you show the client to the meeting room and I will be along shortly. Just need to go to the little boy's-room love.” 

I nodded. “It’s already set up, enjoy your meeting.” I replied with a sly smile as he already turned his back and headed to the toilets. 

Seeing my opportunity I got up and picked up a folder and headed to the meeting room and took a seat at the head of the table, setting out my contract with the notes I had made along with a pen. 

Klaus walked into the office two minutes later and well the look on his face was a picture worth keeping. “Not the kind of meeting I had in mind love.” 

“What a better way to test drive my new position in the company.” I stated, straightening my posture. 

Clearing his throat Klaus took a seat at the other end of the table, spotting a clean copy of the contract in front of him along with a pen. “So Y/N love, this is your meeting. Proceed when you're ready.”  

“Alright, so page 1. There is a typo mistake in my last name. Please change it.” I said glancing from my notes to Klaus.

Hearing the pen make a note on the page. “An oversight love, I promise.” 

“Next is page 3. The Submissive shall submit to any sexual activity demanded by the Dominant and shall do so without hesitation or argument. Demanded?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes demanded.” He deadpans. 

“Ok, so page 5. Appendix 3. Soft limits.” 

“Following you love.” He says. 

“See anal fisting?” I asked plainly. 

“Yes?” Klaus replied, looking up smirking.

“Strike it out.” I said coldly. 

He let out a huff. “As you wish.” 

“You can cross out vaginal fisting whilst you’re at it.” I told him, eyeing him up and down.

“You positive love?” He asked, playfully.

“Crystal.” 

“And whilst we are on that page. Is the use of sex toys acceptable to the Submissive? Vibrators? Ok. Dildo’s? Fine, but I do prefer the real thing. If you know what I mean. Genital Clamps? Absolutely not, whilst I am all for spicing up my sex life clamps of any sort are not wanted nor appreciated.” 

“Consider it done Y/N love.” Klaus said in a seductive gravely tone. 

Klaus takes a moment and gets up from his seat, he heads to the cupboard in the room and pulls out a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. He pours two glasses and places one in front of me and then returns to his seat. 

“Getting me intoxicated won’t help your case Mr Mikaelson.” I said playfully. 

He takes a sip from the glass. “No harm in one drink Miss L/N.” I said back. 

“I’m impressed how dedicated you are to this meeting.” 

“I handle your business meetings for a living now Klaus you don’t expect me to half arse it do you?” 

“And that is why I have something else for you, you’re free to request it in the new version of the contract or it can be a verbal agreement between us. But how about I’ll pay you double for the three Saturdays you work?” He asked.

“I would say not to mix business and pleasure but it’s a little late for that don’t you? I’ll accept the double pay but let's not put that in writing, don’t want to give your brother or his lawyers the wrong idea.” I replied with a smirk. 

“I assure you neither my brother nor his firm will lay a hand on this contract love.”

“Back to business then. Bondage? I’m ok with rope, leather cuffs and handcuffs are a fan favourite. Lose the tape and definitely the cable ties.” I stated. 

“Not in a d.i.y mood then Y/N?” He teased. 

I rolled my eyes at his comment. 

“Does the Submissive content to accept the following forms of punishment/discipline? Biting? No, what are you an animal?”

He smirked.

“Genital clamps? We discussed this already. Hotwax? No. Ice? Sounds interesting wouldn’t see it as a punishment though. Whipping? Debatable.” I stated, following my finger as it glided down the page and stopped. 

“Spanking? Well as long as I can call you Daddy.” 

[hellomissmabel]

Catch me if you can (900 followers celebration)

MASTERLIST

Part 1: Teach me how to dance with you (800 followers celebration)

Pairing: Steve x reader

Warnings: Fluff!

Word count: 3.309

Summary: Flashback to when you met Steve for the very first time. You and Bucky discuss your pregnancy and Steve is overjoyed because he’s going to be a Dad soon.

A/N: 900 FREAKING FOLLOWERS OMG!

A/N without the caps: This is part two to a very random series of mine. It’s based on the song “Catch me if you can” by Walking On Cars.

Disclaimer: I do not own this pic, credit where credit is due.

Catch me if you can Catch me if you can I just got my head down And I’m a little bit scared tonight I need to run just far enough So I can smile again, smile again So I can smile again

You would think that meeting a superhero would take place in the midst of a heated battle, surrounded by fire and flames whilst your anxiety and arousal shoots through the roof when a certain blond and muscular super soldier with a tricolour shield and a fancy stealth suit comes to your rescue and takes you away from all the mayhem and towards a more private and secure location.

Well, I think somebody has seen one too many action movies because that’s certainly, 100% not the case.

But it’s close enough.

The first time you met Steve Rogers, you were simply reading your book on a bench in Central Park when a man with dark glasses and a baseball cap took a seat next to you. Initially you didn’t think much of it and shuffled a little further away so that your thigh would not graze against his. Completely absorbed in your book, you jumped when the stranger suddenly placed his hand on your knee and you met his baby blues with bewilderment and utter surprise.

“My name is Steve Rogers,” he spoke softly enough for only you to understand, peeking over your shoulder with a jumpy half-smile. “You might also know me as Captain America.”

Oh, you definitely knew who he was right off the bat. It was as if your entire nervous system short circuited the moment you locked eyes. There are no words to describe the exact shade of blue that held you captive during those brief seconds he held your gaze. It’s the kind of blue that you don’t find in the colour spectrum simply because it’s so unique.

“Bad men are looking for me and I need your help,” he stresses with a pertinent insistence as takes your hand in his and intertwines your fingers. “I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

Take me by the hand Take me by the hand But don’t you get too close now Cause I’m a little bit scared of life

You nod furiously with your head, adrenaline surging though your veins. Both of you get up from the bench and he guides you through a thick crowd of people strolling in the afternoon sunlight when all of a sudden you see a horde of men holding guns and making their way towards you. You wanted to panic but Steve tugged on your hand and put his arms around your waist, chaining you to his firm chest with a gentle thud.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he announces with an unabashed voice. He doesn’t even bother asking you the question anymore, his mind in full survival mode.

Steve’s cautious at first but then his lips gingerly connect with yours and he’s lost in your touch. He cradles your face in his hands as your fingers weave their way around his neck, tickling the dirty blond hair peeking from underneath his baseball cap. Somewhere deep inside of you, a fuse lights with an impeccable force. There’s no time to backpedal out of this idea so you might as well make the most of it.

I need someone to try and bring Me back to innocence, innocence Me back to innocence

He opens his mouth the slightest when your tongue brazenly caresses his bottom lip but before Steve has the sense to engage any further, you break apart. The men have walked straight past you and didn’t even blink an eye. “Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable,” Steve shrugs as he looks away shyly.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard,” you chuckle lightly, his luscious eyelashes on full display when you drink in the vicinity of his overwhelming presence as your heartbeat returns to a steady pace.

What happens next is just a series of incoherent, awkward looks shared between you and the blond super soldier, his thumb circling nonsense patterns onto the soft skin of your hand he hasn’t let go of just yet. “So…. Where do you live?,” Steve asks you to break the uneasy silence, shuffling his feet clumsily.

A little caught off guard, you’re not sure if dragging a super soldier towards your small but cosy shared apartment is a good idea. With a wary look, you decide to take your chances, not a fibre in your entire body that’s ready to wake up from this bittersweet daydream. “Not that far actually. A five minute walk.”

Steve’s eyes light up a smidge. “Do you mind if I walk you home?”

Heads up, show down Come home with me Heads up, show down Come home with me

You don’t need to think long about his offer. Not every day you get to play pretend with Steve Rogers and get him to walk you home like the perfect gentleman he is. But then again, he might have an ulterior motive for asking you and just when the coin starts to roll, a loud bang snaps you out of it. Some of the men that are after the Captain have spotted a man quite similar to Steve, same height and built, and have opened fire.

“Oh no, not at all,” you quickly tell him. “If you need a place to lay low for the time being…”

“That would be great,” he speaks in a hushed voice, throwing sideway glances in the general direction of where the gunshots came from, visibly worried for your safety and naturally, his own.

You arrive at your apartment and just as you originally anticipated, you instantly regret the decision of taking none other than Captain America to your little hideout, having forgotten about the decorations that have been adorning your apartment ever since you moved in 5 years ago.

“At least let me explain,” you try tentatively when you see him ogling your abundance of Avengers collectibles.

There’s the Iron Man poster your Dad got you for your 21st birthday that’s hanging proudly above the TV, the Black Widow one in the middle of the kitchen and not to mention the giant replica of Captain America’s shield resting next to the living room couch, right across from the life-size cardboard version of him leaning against the wall.

“My Dad is obsessed with Iron Man,” you clarify timidly. “And then you showed up out of the ice and, well, let’s just say I have a tendency to go overboard when I’m excited. My roommates are the exact same so when we bought this place a couple years ago, we decided we wanted to brighten the place up a bit with our favourite superheroes and bought all the fancy decorations we could find.

Steve shoots you a wide grin yet there’s a tinge of suspicion hiding behind those pearly whites. “And where are your roommates now?”

“Sarah has gone back home for the weekend and Eva is out shopping which, knowing her, can take up pretty much the entire day. We’re good. No fangirling, I promise,” you add with a nervous smile and he noticeably relaxes at your answer, glad he doesn’t have to deal with any overexcited female members of the Captain America fan club fawning over him every few seconds.

You motion for him to take a seat on the couch, subtly removing the cardboard Steve Rogers and repositioning it someplace else where it isn’t staring right back at him. You also attempt to casually make the shield disappear but fail miserably when it clatters to the ground, startling Steve who huffs out a breathy laugh at your silly expression. He must admit you’re quite cute when you look all flustered.

“You know,” he coughs tensely when you’re bustling about in the kitchen, trying to make him a decent cup of coffee. “I’m sorry about… I didn’t mean to blindside you like that. With the kiss, I mean.”

“You have nothing to worry about, I enjoyed it. I’m a complete sucker for 90-year-old virgins from the forties,” you say over the fumbling with the coffee machine before you finally get it to work. But just as the first drops of dark liquid start to fill the cups, the combination of Steve’s uncomfortable silence and the intensity of your honest acknowledgement hits you like a bullet to the brain.

Before you can mentally slap yourself in the face, Steve lets out a bouldering laugh that fills the entire apartment with a warm glow of comfort and ease. The sound is intoxicating and soon you find yourself offering him a radiant smile in return. “I’ll take that as a compliment then,” Steve chuckles, clutching a hand over his heart as he doubles over in laughter once more, the relief rolling off in thick waves.

A curious frown strikes your astounded features. “What that your first kiss since the forties?,” you inquire boldly, shuffling over to the couch and handing him his cup before kicking off your shoes and making yourself comfortable at a respectable distance, making an effort not to invade his personal space by sitting too close because God knows you’ve already crossed enough personal boundaries today.

The mood instantly drops and the room rapidly feels a couple degrees colder. Steve turns his eyes away from your piercing stare. His voice is lower than before when he replies with a husky “Yeah…”

“I just had to ask because you kind of ruined things for me. How am I ever going to find a guy that compares to you?”

It was meant as a joke but once the words are out there you instantly regret speaking with your heart on your sleeve because damn, did you mean every word of it. It’s not a light topic or an easy conversation and the ache in your heart grows for him because you can relate, you can relate so much.

“A beautiful dame like yourself surely has no trouble finding a fella she likes?”

It’s not as much a question as it is a statement, one of insecurity because Steve obviously isn’t used to a woman complimenting him on his kissing abilities and secondly, it’s also a statement of disbelief because in his eyes, you are such a breath-taking specimen, which is why he sat down next to you in the first place.

Deciding you’ve already embarrassed yourself enough that it simply cannot get any worse, you decide to see how much you can push your own limits, throwing something extremely personal into the conversation, one you have no idea where it will lead to.

“This was my first kiss as well,” you disclose gingerly.

Steve’s mouth opens and then closes because honestly, he has no idea how to react to your confession. Just as he had mustered up the courage to ask you if he can kiss you again, your cell phone beeps and you see you’ve just received a message from your Greek roommate, Eva, telling you she couldn’t find what she’s looking for, that’s she frustrated and hungry and on her way down.

Sighing in both disappointment and relief, you close your eyes and pinch the bridge of your nose trying to gently break it to the blond Avenger that his time is up. Steve immediately gets the message and without much further ado, he states it’s time for him to take his leave.

Heads up, show down Come home with me Cause I’m a little bit scared I’m a little bit scared tonight

“Hey,” Steve’s fingers lace around your wrist before you can open the door to let him out. “It was really nice meeting you. Under different circumstances, I would most definitely ask you out.”

To say you were shocked by his abrupt declaration is an understatement. “Under different circumstances, I don’t think we would’ve ever met.”

Steve releases a shaky breath, carding his fingers through his tousled blond locks before adjusting his baseball cap. He knows you’re probably right. “If I never see you again,” he continues with a heavy heart, “Remember that there’s someone out there thinking about you.”

“Steve…,” you whisper kindly before he pulls you in for a chaste kiss. It’s short and sweet and doesn’t last long but it’s long enough to have your heart plummet into the floor beneath your feet in disenchantment when Steve eventually breaks away.

Under different circumstances your heart would break for this man, but there never was anything between you two so there’s no reason for you to be upset. The same, however, applies to Steve. You’ve given him a taste of what it feels like to be a simple man with a girlfriend and a nice apartment. You’ve given him a feeling of the thing he wants most.

“You haven’t even told me your name yet,” Steve mutters with a shy, lopsided grin.

“Y/N. It’s Y/N.”

He caresses your cheek with his thumb, pressing a light kiss to your forehead. “Thank you, Y/N.” and with that he’s out the door and towards his next adventure.

Catch me if you can Catch me if you can A stranger walks beside you And we’re just lovers for the night

“I’m not going to deny it, we’re in a really bad place right now.” You hang your head in defeat, dropping your eyes to ground-level as you continue to toy with the tea bag in your empty cup. “I’ve still got 4 months left and I sense Steve’s anxiety is growing.”

“You’ve already made it this far. That’s a big achievement, Y/N,” Bucky guarantees you, distracting your thoughts with a quiet kiss to your temple. Whatever they may say about this man you do not care about, because all there is to know is this: Bucky Barnes is not a villain, he is your best friend and your boyfriend’s best friend. He is your support system and that’s that.

“Thanks, Buck,” you whisper into his chest, wishing to dissolve into the fabric of his red Henley.

“Y/N,” he says softly, shedding himself of his brotherly persona as his tone transforms into one of deep concern. “You do know I’m not buying it, don’t you?”

You feign innocence, plastering a fake smile on your broken façade. “I don’t know what you mean, Buck.”

 “Y/N,” he repeats your name more sternly, “Talk to someone, Y/N,” Bucky advises with a gentle look in his river blue eyes. “Please. If not for yourself, then do it for Steve and if that doesn’t work, do it for baby Steve.”

This struck a sensitive chord and you sense yourself crumbling down on the inside, your outside staying somewhat neutral by Bucky’s words of advice. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for that,” you shrug.

“You might not be an Avenger in title or a Rogers in name, but you are one of us. You are brave and frankly, the most beautiful of all of us. You outmatch Tony and Bruce in wits, Wanda and Natasha in looks and you know how to scare the living shit out of Sam and Clint, which I think is the greatest accomplishment ever. There’s not a doubt that you and Steve will get through this.”

Cocking your head to the side to look into Bucky’s eyes as you speak, you can feel the anguish ebbing away. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” And with that you pull Bucky into another big bear hug.

And when the sun comes up you wake and just And leave it there, leave it there Yeah we can leave it there

You are a flawed person and life reminds you of that on a daily basis. It gets harder and harder for you to live, reality forcing you to switch to a fight or flight module as the breath is ripped from your throat every time you try to make it work. You want to be cleansed of all feelings, you just want to be in love with Steve and not have to worry about anything else, about the consequences your actions bring forth and the desire that has been burnt by the fire and drowned by the rain.

You and Steve can talk for hours on end, laying side by side in the bed. His fingers will skim the exposed length of your arm and you will smile at the tickling sensation, carding your hands through his damp, dirty blond hair and resting your lips on his temple. He closes his eyes when your soft skin connects, his breathing levelling out. The bedsheets will smell exactly like him but their scent will slowly fade like the heartbeat of your unborn baby is destined to do. Yet if there’s anything, anything at all that will prevent the inevitable, you’d go to the end of the earth to make it happen.

You will tell him how much you love him and as you blink away the tears, Steve’s heart will sing a dark, impure falsetto trying to make you understand you’re his one and only. He will try to dodge the bullet but you won’t let him, your introverted nature gaining the upper hand, talking sugar-coated lies in the sweetest of voices. Because that’s what it takes to protect yourself from more pain, another loss, another heartbreak. Another death.

But that’s not what happens.

Take me by the hand Take me by the hand But please don’t want to know me Cause I’m a little bit scared of life

The months go by slowly and you’re left dangling on a thin thread, the regular check-ups with Bruce and Tony only getting more and more frequent as your physique can no longer support the changes your body is undergoing. Not yet bed-ridden but struggling with your health, you attempt to enjoy the little cocoon Steve has constructed for the three of you. His hands are splayed out on your stomach as the baby kicks for the very first time, your giggles amplifying the teardrops spilling from his eyes and dripping onto your naked skin. Steve then leans in to rest his ear on your soft baby hump, cooing his little wonder with a silly, high-pitched voice.

“You know there’s a bet going on,” Steve chuckles quietly, returning his attention back to you as he continues rubbing circles onto your bare belly. Your fingertips wipe away the drops from his cheeks, smiling sweetly at the blond super soldier. “Sam thinks it’s going to be a boy and so does Nat and Bucky. Wanda, Tony and Clint are going for a girl. Thor is even convinced you’re harbouring twins in here,” he jokes as his lips caressing your swollen form.

Steve props himself up on his elbows next to you and as you lift your head to give him a chaste peck on the lips, he laughs tenderly into the kiss. Leaning your forehead against his, you cup Steve’s face in your hands. “I want a boy,” you confess shyly.

“I’ve always wanted a son,” Steve replies lovingly, “But I honestly don’t care whether it’s a boy or a girl. This little bundle of joy is a miracle, our miracle.”

He captivates you with his lips and you merge into his body, you and Steve and the baby becoming one entity. You let go and for one flawless minute there’s nothing else but the feeling of Steve’s loving, plump lips on yours. “You’re still one very talented kisser, mister Rogers,” you joke whilst nudging his nose with the tip of your finger.

“Practice makes perfect,” he replies with a cheeky smile. “You were my first kiss and I’m pretty sure you’ll be my last, Y/N.”

And from the bull is all you need To know, so play pretend, play pretend Oh won’t you play pretend?

Tagging: the ever-wonderful @beccaanne814-blog @avengerofyourheart @a-little-hell-to-raise @unpredictable-firecracker @marvelingatthewonder  @mrshopkirk @hardcorehippos @iiharu-kunii @knittingknerdy @winterwolf57 @winterboobaer @shamvictoria11 @thedragonblood @hymnofthevalkyries @feelmyroarrrr @justareader @ourpeachskies @austinamelio @romanovoff @4theluvofall @seeyainanotherlifebrotha @mehrmonga @themcuhasruinedme@theoneandonlysaucymo @hymnofthevalkyries @kit-kat-coffeeworld @nenyakj @amrita31199 @justareader​

[htravels]

07. (b) Banff

Day 15. Banff 

Weather - well below freezing

The alarm rang out at 04:30. For the slightest of moments I considered rolling over and going back to sleep. The haze of sleep lifted and I remembered what we had planned today. Excitement replaced drowsiness and we jumped out of bed.

A regimented 15 minutes and we had our hiking boots strapped on and in the car, rolling out of Banff and retracing our way north. Still under the cover of darkness, we took the Lake Louise turnoff, soon followed by the Lake Moraine road. At just after 05:30, we were relieved to find the road open. The guidebook, hiking forums and visitor information had all told us we’d need to arrive early to snag a coveted car space in the Moraine Lake carpark. People just days before had lamented arriving at 06:00 to find the carpark full and road closed, forcing them back to the Lake Louise overflow carpark and needing to catch a shuttle that commences at 09:00.

With our 05:45 arrival, and a brisk -5 degrees Celsius outside, we found ourselves a car park and set up camp, reclining the seats for a snooze until 07:00, followed by a pre-packed brekkie. At 07:15 it was just light enough outside to make out the path to the lake. There was already a crowd building at the foot of the lake, people perched with their telescopic lenses in hope of getting the perfect sunrise snap. We watched the lake change hues from grey to blue as daylight edged its way through the cloud cover.

We started our walk up the mountains to the north of the lake, keen to get ahead of the crowd that would soon be following. Very quickly we reached steep switchbacks and our leg muscles ached in the cold, whilst our lungs started to puff. Occasionally you would catch a glimpse of the blue lake below and it would stop you in your tracks. By the time we reached the first fork in the trail there was snow on the ground and ice under foot. We veered right, upward towards the Larch Valley which was lined with Larch trees whose needles turn amber in the autumn. It started to snow. How beautiful. The novelty started to wear off as the snow became thicker and the wind stronger, but I could see blue sky ahead, so we pressed on. Eventually we walked our way out of the blizzard, to find a lovely day on the other side, and the most stunning view back over the valley filled with autumn colour.

There was now thick snow underfoot and we were very grateful for our shoe upgrade. It must have been cold because we got to a lake that had frozen over. Stu thew a stone and it just skidded across the top. The falls of water leading to it had frozen into icicles too. On we walked, to the base of Sentinal Pass. It was only just over a kilometre of walking and 150 m vertical to reach the top of the Pass between two of the peaks and the guidebook had lured us here with  the promise of amazing views. We could see two people ahead of us, making their way slowly up, albeit with poles - but this assured us it was possible. On we went. By the first switchback we realised that the snow on the path was much heavier than we had realised; the path was much steeper; and it was far far colder than we were prepared for. It was time for a pragmatic decision. “Fuck it, let’s go to Consolation Lakes instead”. We made our way carefully back down with our cleats on our boots gripping the snow. We made our way back through the valley, which now was full of people posing for their photos for the socials, and cockily pranced past those in sand shoes slipping and sliding their way down on the ice.

Back at the car park we returned to the car to defrost slightly and get feeling back in our fingers and had a snack. Once we’d warmed up enough, we headed back out, this time turning east from Moraine lake and heading out about 3km to Consolation Lakes. Turned out our consolation prize was a pretty good one. The forest suddenly cleared away and we found ourselves climbing amongst big rocks like steeping stones to the foot of the lake. It’s amazing how quickly the geography seems to change.

On our way back we circled around to a viewpoint over the lake - getting to see it now in it’s full day-time glory (although the sunrise was pretty special). A 17km round trip and a great attempt at mountain climbing.

We drove back to Banff along the Highway 1A, which is an alternate road to the fenced highway, and usually offers good wildlife sightings. Unfortunately we didn’t even see a mouse.

Later that afternoon we hit up the Hotel Lounge where they had a Gin tasting - with Gin that is made at the Banff distillery and apparently the only one located in a National Park in the world. We both thoroughly enjoyed the gin, and were slightly disappointed to hear it was only for sale at the duty free in Calgary (and not Vancouver!). For dinner we ate at Saltlik, recommended by the guidebook and which offered a great steak, potato gratin and some fancy maple Brussel sprouts.

Step Count - 27,758

KMs Driven - 144km

Wildlife - None :(

Trip Advisor Review of the Day - Saltlik - “Worst steak sandwhich of my entire existence on earth” - (M3147FFmikea, Burlington, Canada)

“Stringy, chewy unidentifiable with strong rosemary flavour. Truly disgusting. Other menu items may have been tolerable.” 

1 out of 5 stars.

Day 16. Banff

Weather - overcast but nice

After yesterday’s early start we awoke at much more relaxed hours. We wandered around town for a bit, grabbed a coffee at Little Wild (which had a reputation for the best coffee in town being made by Aussie Jules) and re-checked the trail conditions with the visitors centre. Back at the hotel we returned to the guest lounge and spent an hour or so getting ducks in a row, momentarily returning to the demands of real life mixed in with some monopoly deal.

Just after 2 PM, we managed to remove ourselves from what had become a very comfortable position in the hotel lounge, again laced on our boots and walked our way out of town, across the Bow River and around to the west side (or back) of Banff’s Sulphur Mountain. Here we started the ascent of the mountain, which was just over 5.5kms and approximately 850m vertical. My oh my did the calves burn! Despite snow either side of the track, the trail was wide and relatively clear. We’d read a few things online that this was a better hike than attacking Mt Sulphur from the front - positives included less tourists, less icy trails, a wider track (being an old fire access road) and better views. This sure didn’t disappoint - we had to stop and take it all in a few times, sometimes getting lost in trying to reach the top, before one of us would exclaim ‘wow’ and we’d take in the view off thousands of trees across multiple mountains and yep, more lakes and rivers. We must have only crossed 3 or 4 other hikers, so our ‘bear alertness’ was on high - particularly as we’d been told Banff was grizzly country. Fortunately there were no encounters of the bear variety, just a pika, which is a small marsupial which lives in rocky mountains (and we think was the foundation for Pikachu of Pokemon fame).

We reached the summit of Mt Sulphur at approx. 4:30pm and climbed along a boardwalk to the Mt Sulphur Observatory, which sits at 2,270m. The Observatory was built in 1902 to provide shelter and a place to observe weather patterns, and it provided a stellar view over Banff and the Bow River beyond. After a few quick photos and moments admiring how high we’d climbed, we scurried into the large, tourist-riddled building to try and warm up.

Inside, we found the SkyBistro, where we managed to snag a couple of seats at the bar. We felt this appropriate given it was a rather well-to-do sort of a place, where the clientele had Louis Vuitton handbags and Canada Goose jackets draped over their shoulders, who had ridden the gondola up the mountain, whilst we were both wiping sweat from our brows and sporting hiking kit. First thing Stu wanted, was a hot chocolate with schnapps - apparently this is ‘Apres Ski’. However without schnapps, the friendly bartender Rob from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, fixed us up a hot chocolate with Baileys + a splash of maple whiskey. Fair to say these went down like a treat! We were warm and a bit more content so we thought we’d try a gin cocktail, made with larch syrup and larch bitters (which was made from the bark of the Larch trees which we’d seen on our hike yesterday); accompanied by some delicious snacks. We bided our time until 7 PM - at which point the gondola becomes gratis - and these savvy little hikers enjoyed the descent down the mountain in style. (For reference a return trip on the gondola is $70 per person...I’d hike and drink gin any day)

Our ride down the mountain was with a Canadian woman of Ugandan heritage, who came to Canada as a refugee in her teens, was recently retired after 45 years of nursing, and was going through the Rockies as one of her ‘bucket list’ items. Stu and I both left the gondola in awe of this woman, whose daughter was an international migration lawyer, having studied at Harvard and Cambridge - and marvelled at how much this woman accomplished in her life, and how happy we were both were for her that she was now being able to enjoy some things for herself.

Exhausted and not particularly in the mood for another restaurant (but still hungry), we grabbed a pizza from the well-known Bear Street Tavern, ducked back to our room, devoured some pizza and hit the hay ahead of another earlier start in the morning.

Step Count - 20,650

Wildlife - 1 pika

Trip Advisor Review of the Day - Little Wild - Surfshark, Alberta, Canada

“Staff are unfriendly and don’t make very good coffee”

We went here last week and the chubby lady was rude and not at all a good service type personality. I won’t return. Coffee was not enjoyable either! There are many coffee and pastry options in Banff! 

2 of out 5 stars.

[helpfulmum]

I have never been away on holiday without my children before, but when I got the chance to travel to Tenerife with Laura and Lisa thanks to Clickstay, I was ready to give it a go. The opportunity came at the end of the summer, when the B&B had been ridiculously busy, and I needed a break. I knew we weren't going on a family holiday this year, but I also knew I was badly in need of a break, so I jumped at the chance. I flew out to Tenerife on the 13th of October and stayed for a week in Villa 2 at El Barranco resort in Amarilla Golf. The resort will be fully open at the end of 2019 and is a site which was dormant for nearly twenty years, but for the past year the restoration has started in earnest. In this post I shall concentrate on the accommodation and location, but next week I shall post about all the incredible things there are to do in the south of Tenerife for families, as we did so much it would be difficult to fit it all into one blog post.    The villa sleeps six people and was set up with three double beds when we arrived, although we were advised the beds can be split so that children can sleep in separate beds rather than having to share. The villa was clean and well furnished, with two bathrooms, a master ensuite which was a very good size, and a smaller shower room with a toilet and basin too. Unfortunately when one of the girls used the shower in the smaller bathroom, it totally flooded the bathroom, as the shower curtain wasn't long enough to reach the shower tray. This was inconvenient, but we all just used the master bathroom instead, as that had a shower above the bath. The kitchen was well-equipped and had everything we could possibly need for our stay, including a washing machine, which is a huge bonus when you are travelling with children. The fridge is a fantastic size, and a freezer is brilliant to have too, so you have somewhere to store the ice-creams! It was a really good sized kitchen, and I love the breakfast bar too. It's great to know that when you go abroad you will have all the comforts of home. We were provided with tea, coffee, sugar, milk and orange juice on arrival and there is a supermarket two minutes walk from the villa where you can stock up on any supplies you might need. There was a dining area for six people, which to be honest we didn't use during our stay, opting to eat outside or at the more informal breakfast bar. If I were travelling with my children, then the dining area would definitely have been used more regularly though. The living area was a really great size, with plenty of space for a family to sit. There was also a TV with Satellite channels, so all the usual UK ones, although we didn't actually turn this on during our stay! As I arrived first, I cheekily nabbed the master bedroom with the ensuite! My bed was incredibly comfortable, with a memory foam mattress. Unfortunately, during our stay the air conditioning units did not work. There are units in the main living area and two of the three bedrooms. We did report on the first day that they were faulty, and were advised someone would come and look at them, but no-one was able to examine them whilst we were there. It did make the villa rather hot, but I managed to get them on to a fan setting so that at least they blew some air around, even if they couldn't cool it. One thing which did help with sleeping at night was the shutters which come down on each window, which basically blackout the whole room. These are perfect if you are travelling with children who prefer to sleep in the dark without being woken up too early. From the terrace of the villa you can see the sea, which is a fabulous view to have. You are also raised up, with the swimming pools of the complex below you. Although the villa is in a complex, it never felt over-looked, and was a very private space for us. The whole complex is gated, and there are security staff there, so you do feel very safe on site. The resort currently has two swimming pools, but this will increase to six, and include a pool bar too.  The resort is about five minutes walk to the sea, and fifteen to twenty minutes from the marina. In the marina it's possible to ride on a pirate ship or even go in a submarine to explore the bottom of the ocean more in my next blog post). There are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby and all the ones we ate in had children's menus too. There is a bar on side called The Terrace Bar, which has regular entertainment, and activities for children too. We ate cheesy chips there one evening to kill off a hangover and they were absolutely delicious. They do have a full menu there too. There is also an Italian restaurant on site, which I didn't eat in, but Lisa and Laura both said it was absolutely fantastic, and their pictures look amazing. The area of Amarilla Golf is home to the Amarilla Golf Course, which hosted a round of the PGA European Championship in 1990. It's a seriously beautiful course, and looks pretty challenging too. It features long par fours, and short par threes, including one hole with no fairway, you simply tee off over the sea to a green on the other side! The best thing about golf in Tenerife is the weather, it's very rare that a round will get called off due to the weather. We explored the course on golf buggies one afternoon, and it's a huge course. We ate in the restaurant at the golf course and it was one of the best burgers I have ever tasted! From a a personal point of view, it was a totally new experience being on holiday without my husband or my children. I thought that I would miss them all more than I did, but I was so busy that I honestly didn't have much time to miss them. I had a wonderful week, read three books and had some time to just relax and enjoy being me. It's important to take time out from work/mum life and this was a welcome break to me. It helped that I had Laura and Lisa with me and we let our hair down a few nights, just don't mention the caramel vodka shots! There are some stunning beaches nearby. El Medano is a beautiful town, filled with kite surfers, tiny boutique shops and wonderful Tapas restaurants. The indigenous cacti and plants are beautiful and I was amazed by the prickly pears as I don't think I have ever seen them growing wild before. There were also lots of lizards and the most amazing array of fish in the sea! El Barranco is only fifteen minutes away from Siam Park, the World's number one waterpark (there will be more in my next post), which is definitely worth a visit if you are travelling with children (or even without) it was so much fun! Huge thanks to Clickstay for the opportunity of this press trip. Massive thanks to Hollie from El Barranco for making us all feel like part of the family. Also thank you to Lisa and Laura for being wonderful travel buddies. It was a pleasure to spend time with you both and get to know you better. Tenerife was a huge surprise to me. I have to admit I expected it to be full of stag and hen trips, and I hadn't anticipated the sheer beauty of the island or how much there is for children to do there. I mean, there's even an active volcano, which doesn't get much more exciting. We will definitely be back to visit again, and I can't wait to bring the children with me! If you fancy your own trip, then you can bag a £50 discount with this code: TenerifeTrio which is valid on a minimum booking price of £500 or more. Disclosure: We were provided with accommodation in Tenerife for the purpose of this post and my honest opinion on the villa. All opinions are my own. HelpfulMum

http://www.helpfulmum.com/2018/10/seven-days-in-tenerife-clickstay-villa.html

[michaelgeorgeblog]

Brit Detained in a American Psychiatric Hospital: The Daily Routine

Having mental health crisis whilst living my dream. Why me?

February 2017 marked the beginning of my mental health crisis. I was living my dream of studying in California, whilst also living my best life. I was taking road trips in a muscle car, experiencing the wonders of Dolores Park (have a google) and spending time with people who left an imprint on my heart, forever.

I was confused as to why I was having a mental health crisis. I did not even want to accept it or seek help; why was I feeling this way? It made no sense – I was literally living my dream.

14 months later, I realised a somewhat sobering truth. Whilst going to America, I was running away to intellectual freedom, hippies and a fresh start in life. Subconsciously, it was a hard truth realising that this fresh start was only temporary, I would be moving back to my old life, which, deep-down, I knew was a fragile house of cards that could not take the wind any longer.

Let me start by saying this, I loved my time in California and would not change it for the world. It gave me new hope, aspirations and this experience forced me to begin reconfiguring my behaviours, relations and gave me a vital reference point in realising the right way I should be treated and treat others. This mental health crisis was bound to happen at some point, if it started in the UK, I’m not sure I would have had the insight, friend support and courage to come out on the other side.

I will write more about my mental health experiences, looking at comparisons between being a student in the UK and US as time goes on. I am starting by getting something off my chest, something which, being unexpressed, has been plaguing me for a while.

My detention in an American Psychiatric Hospital on two occasions.

I will not go into the process of getting admitted, that is a whole different story, involving  a hospital gown, taking off all my clothes to be searched and overcoming great fear.

The severity of my mental ailments was minimal in the US compared to the UK. I was not suicidal per se, rather, I had undergone a series of minor self-harm and minor overdose as I was desperate to seek help, but was not brave enough to do it initially. I needed physical signs and manifestations to prove to myself that I was mentally ill, otherwise I felt unjustified seeking help.

A big difference between the UK and US (beyond people firing guns, building walls and a ridiculously high drinking age) is that healthcare is private. Thankfully, I had “Platinum” (Very bougie) health insurance. In the UK, services need to be rationalised as it is public funded. In this sense, the US system has no in-between. It is hospital or nothing. I had the insurance to pay the bills (without which would be in the range of $60,000) and the seemingly only option to the Doctors was to detain me under a 5150 hold (72-hour involuntary psychiatric detention). It is ironic that this hold was placed on me, especially as I voluntarily went to seek help myself.

My experience of the mental health hospital, as much as I hated it at the time, did help me out a lot. It gave me an intensive level of care, support and ultimately, time to rest that I would not have got in the UK (more on how hard it is to get help in the UK in later posts). It kept me going and made it possible for me to complete my year and move onto other things.

As a grown adult, especially one abroad who is in denial of the severity of their mental health, it was a shocking experience. Seeing as I come from the perspective of an outsider, I would like to start by outlining the daily routine in this hospital. I will share more stories as my reflections grow and I find peace in being able to talk about them.

What does an American Adult Psychiatric Care Home look like?

I am first going to write about the setup of the unit. It is difficult to fully imagine what a mental health unit looks like, with lots of stigma and stereotypes fueling what it is. I will say this, do not underestimated how my ‘Platinum’ health insurance dictated my experience. I stayed in a private hospital, designed to fulfil my needs without resource restrictions as the healthcare conglomerates enjoy having free reign to charge an insurance plan as much as possible.

People without insurance go to a State County Hospital. Given the lack of investment the American welfare system gives, I dread to think what the experience must be like there. I assume this is where all the stereotypes of men in white suits, cell doors and strait jackets come from.

My unit was very different from this experience. A mental health ‘unit’ is what the name suggests – a singular closed off space, self-sufficient with no access from outside world.

This is very much true, the space consisted of one large sized common area. Beneath the orange-tinted warm lights, there were rather comfy chairs placed around the area (with arm rests on each side to stop patients entering each other’s personal space). The nurses, to which there were about 4 (roughly three to each patient), would be sat in these chairs, watching, listening and documenting everything that is going on. This would be done through some sort of portable computer on wheels, which they would move round to check your file, document your behaviours and record medication.

In this room there were two payphones (free to use). We had our mobile phones confiscated off us, I had to write down my friend’s names on a piece of paper to call. During activity hours and night time, the phones would be locked. It was a constant battle to leave the session promptly, to ensure you were the first to get to the phone. Talking time was limited to around 15 minutes, to ensure others could use the phones.

This rectangular space had doors leading to the patient rooms from it. My insurance enabled me to share a room with another patient. It was very basic, windows that could not open, blue bedding and constant room searches (we could not keep anything in there!). There was an en-suite in this room, with a cushioned half-door to give privacy, but this enables quick access by nurses. The shower had no heat setting, it just produced warm water and we were given shower products that we could use: shower gel, toothbrush, toothpaste and soap. I also had to walk around wearing these hospital/slipper socks.

There were two rooms for our daily one to one appointments with our psychiatrist leading off from the main area. This main area also had a locked room which only nurses could have access to, the medication room (where everything is stored and brought up from the pharmacy by what appears to be some fancy machine). There was also the nursing station, which was again, a space we had no access to: this is where the nurses talked, kept belongings, kept track of patients and also observed.

The staff all had very unique functions. One member of staff, who would rotate shifts, would be present 24 hours to solely check that we were still present every 15 mins. Someone every 15 minutes would check me off a list being marked as present, even when I was sleeping at night.

The only other remaining room was the day room – a drab, small space where we would do our daily activities (usually partially drugged up) and would try and find something to do for leisure. It had a window, where, to much sadness, I could see the Berkeley bell tower – so in sight but so seemingly far away in the distance.

In this room there were pre-designated board games, a TV (which could only be on at certain times), the snack cupboard (which would be locked/unlocked by nurse at pre-designated ‘snack times’) and felt tips. It was grey, drab and had those large chairs.

This is also where I would eat my breakfast, lunch and dinner. In a prison esque style, our food, with names on, would be delivered in brown trays. We had to have our dietary requirements and food approved by our Psychiatrist, including whether we could drink caffeinate drinks (I was allowed one cup of caffeinated coffee a day).

I stayed in this environment twice, against my will (although I sought help), for 5 day stretches.

 The Daily Routine: Rules, snack time, medication and lonely containment.

 8:00 am: Wake up

We all had to be awake by this point, the nurses and support workers would wake us up if we stayed asleep. There was nothing more thrilling than waking up after a long day at ER, to be greeted by a Support Therapist asking me to engage in our session later involving drawing pictures about the beach.

The nurses would come around, check our vital signs (blood pressure, pulse etc). We then would pick up our breakfast trays an indulge in all-you-can drink decaffeinated coffee or crap American black tea (what even is Lipton?)

At around 8:30 am the nurses would give us our medication. I tried to avoid it as much as possible, but started taking whatever I could to escape reality as I did not want to be in the realms of conscious thought in this environment. If anyone reading likes to engage in prescribed substance abuse, maybe an American Psychiatric Hospital would be your dream choice of holiday.

9:00am: Rules and intro session.

This was the same, every single day. The support working would begin by going through an elongated list of extreme rules (which I will come onto in another post). He would then lay out our day and what activities were planned. It was incredibly boring to have to repeatedly listen to this regimented routine, this whole process took about 30 minutes.

We would then do some ice breaker (fun fun fun). I’d have to write on a piece of paper my goal for the day, my mood and anything I’m thinking. We would then read it out. Unbeknownst to me, this would be recorded and would go on our medical chart: with nurses, psychiatrist, social worker (I still find it kind of ironic that this exists in a private system) and whoever involved has access to. I learnt to be careful about what to say as I did not want to give them reason to make my stay longer than needed (hospital probably just wanted the insurance monies).

9:45am: Snack time

Nurse, with a feeding time at the zoo attitude, would open up the ‘snack’ cupboard. This was limited to ready salted crisps, Oreos, some fruit bars, cheese, crackers and various juices.

10:00 Session 1 (Anything from art, pretending to be a tree [yoga], trying to find problems in my life that weren’t there and meditation)

11:00 Snacktime

11:30: Guided Walk outside of Hospital

You could spend 15 minutes going on a walk around the circumfrance of hospital, with a support worker to make sure you do not run away. This can only happen if you are there on a voluntary basis and your ‘insurance’ agrees (I actually do not know how this costs money)

12:00 Lunch

Delivered only in the finest quality tray

13:00- 14:00 Visting Hours

Friends could come visit for an hour. They had to be searched, lock away their phones, wear nothing that I could hang myself with etc. Nurses monitored conversations. I was sad after one conversation (not related to my friends at all) and the nurse threatened to stop my visitation.

14:00 – 15:00 Session 2

15:00: Snack Time

15:45: Nurse Changeover

Make sure your requests for help in a very expensive private mental health hospital are timed as the nurses become moody and self-righteous to not help during the changeover.

16:00 Afternoon session

16:45 Reflection on day

17:00 Dinner

18:00-19:00 Visitation

20:00 End of Day

21:00 Night Medication, bed.

21:00: Nurses randomly taking blood whilst sleeping, people watching you and all phones closed.

During the day our Psychiatrist would pop in to see us: this time varied (it was also annoying on the day of release as you were waiting around for them to sign off!) We would also see a Social Worker (again, as a foreign national, no idea why I had one) and check in with our nurse now and then (more on the attitudes of them later)

I hope you found this enlightening. Like I said, I loved my time in the States and would not change it for the world. I will post more about my hospitalisations, comparisons between the UK and US mental health as time progresses.

Please like my page to keep up to date!

 Michael

[ginobsessions]

Just in case any of you failed to notice my shameless bragging and photo tagging, last month Hubby and I spent a week in New York.  It was an insanely amazing holiday and, despite how busy we were and full on it was, I did actually come back home feeling relaxed!

Whilst there we went to some awesome bars and I had some cracking cocktails so I figured I should share my secrets with you all just in case you are heading that way, because I’d hate for you to miss out!

Firstly I have to mention Breuckelen Distilling, who began crafting gin and whiskey in 2010.  We spent a fab afternoon at the distillery with Master Distiller Brad and if you get the opportunity to try this gin then you simply must.  Breuckelen Distilling’s Glorious Gin most certainly lives up to it’s name, sweet, creamy and smooth, with herbaceous tones, a hint of grapefruit and a subtle edge of ginger.  To find out more about Brad and his distillery you can read my previous article “Breukelen Distilling and their Glorious Gin.”

Now onto the bars…

Drinking gin in NYC was an interesting experience, which made me realise just how much of a drinking problem passion we have in the UK for our top tipple.  We are utterly spoilt with literally hundreds of different flavours of tonics and mixers.  It wasn’t until I visited New York that I realised just how spoilt we are. Fever-Tree famously say…

…and this is where I feel New York hasn’t quite caught up on the gin craze.  For example, we ordered two Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gins at a bar, great gin!  Gunpowder is one of my absolute favourites, I love it with Franklin and Sons Natural Light Tonic or Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic.  It tastes to me like refreshers, the pink grapefruit is amazing and these tonics do everything to really show off the botanicals.  However, Hubby and I took one sip…gave each other that look…”This isn’t nice.  How can this not be nice?”  I honestly felt my heart fall into my shoes and am pretty sure I could see the bottle looking at me from it’s shelf and crying.  If I could have adopted that poor, poor bottle of gin right there and then I would have, it’s life would have been so happy with me.  Frolicking in fridges filled with deliciously, delectable, delightful mixers.  So this, my lovelies, is my warning to you for New York gin drinking.

Check the mixer or stick to the cocktails!!!

Lesson learned, we switched to cocktails and proceeded to have a very merry time.  So here are some of my favourite gin treats from our week in New York…we only just scraped the surface though and are already planning our next trip!

Friend of a Farmer

Our first morning in New York was spent with my wonderful cousin, who took us out to see some sights, and insisted that we go for brunch.  Brunch to me means food and booze, what’s not to love about that suggestion.  After a little walk we found ourselves at Friend of a Farmer in Gramercy Park.  Friend of a Farmer has been a family owned business since 1986 and prides itself in being “a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement.”  The restaurant itself is reminiscent of a rabbit warren, with narrow winding corridors leading to pockets of space filled with country kitchen furniture and decor.  Holiday rules stipulate that morning drinking is not only completely acceptable, but is in fact a necessity, so I started with a cocktail, The Farmer’s Daughter.  A tasty mix of Warwick gin, fresh cranberry & muddled basil, rosemary infused simple syrup and sparkling wine, which I must confess, went down a little too easily.  Their brunch menu was mouthwateringly magnificent and our eyes were possibly bigger than our bellies when ordering, thankfully we have the whole of New York available to us to walk off the calories later.

  Bubby’s

On our first full on out and about walking day in New York, we headed to the High Line, which from 1934 to 1980 was an elevated railway line that connected the rail yards of mid-town Manhattan to an industrial district along the lower West Side of Manhattan.  It has now been converted to an elevated park.  A definite must see if you’re visiting.  After walking the full length, we were rather chilly and had worked up a bit of a thirst.  We stumbled upon this little place called Bubby’s, which caught our eye because bubby is our cutsie couple, sickeningly sweet, pet name for each other, (permission to vomit granted.)  I was thrilled to find some delicious looking cocktails and The Honey Bizz definitely hit the spot for me, ESP Noho Gin, lemon and honey garnished with a cinnamon stick.  Although we didn’t eat there, the menu looked great and the food being brought out smelt delicious.

  PDT

PDT stands for Please Don’t Tell, (so ssshhhhhh) and is incredible.  A secret little speakeasy accessed via Crif Dogs in the East Village.  Arriving at the hotdog joint you would be none the wiser.  There is a small phone booth located on the left hand side, pop in, dial a number on the pay phone and an unseen door suddenly opens to reveal a concealed gem.  Please Don’t Tell is quite remarkable, with a fantastic range of spirits including a brilliant selection of gin.  We started off with a couple of Four Pillars, which were thankfully made with decent tonic, and threw us back to our honeymoon a couple of years ago.  We then moved onto the cocktails.  The bartenders here were completely on point, and exceptionally attentive.  There was a great selection of drinks on the menu, but we went a little off piste, told them the type of drinks we enjoyed, the flavours we liked and they created the most delicious cocktails for us.  Don’t ask me what our cocktails were called, because I don’t have a clue…but my oh my, they were stunning!  I would highly recommend booking if you fancy visiting PDT, apparently we were very lucky to get a walk-in.  Oh, and if you fancy some food…you can just order at the bar and have food popped through from Crif’s next door.

  Bathtub Gin

Accessed through the back wall of the Stone Street Coffee Company shop, Bathtub Gin is located at 132 9th Ave between 18th St and 19th St.  We were really confused when we arrived here and it took us a while to figure out how to get into the place, but once in, oh my days this place was utterly jaw dropping.  A well stocked bar area with some stools and small booths as you enter, followed by a dining area a little further back.  Dimly lit and amazingly furnished, this place really does throw you straight back to the 1920s.  As we went on Valentines day, and once again hadn’t booked, we were pretty lucky to get in and get seats.  (This was more because of two lovely chaps who offered us theirs as it was valentines day!)  So, the drinks were insane and the barmen just wonderful.  I started off with an El Goucho, which was created, so he told me, by the Argentinian bartender who was serving us.  A combination of Aviation gin, yellow chartreuse, house made mate syrup, fresh lemon, grapefruit bitters and fresh mint, shaken and served in a tall glass.  I then moved on to The Musket followed by a couple of Negronis, then who knows…I lost track, but I did get to lounge in a beautiful copper bathtub while I was having a drink.  Bathtub Gin is definitely a place you have to visit and I would absolutely advise making a reservation.  Particularly if you want to go to one of their Burlesque Shows, which happen on a Tuesday and Sunday…gutted that we missed out on that.

      Rainbow Room Bar 65

For our final night in New York Hubby and I headed to see a show on Broadway, then acted on a top tip from one of our friends back home.  Already adorned in our best dress, we headed to the Rockefeller Centre and up, up UP to Rainbow Room Bar 65.  We were shown to our little table for two, handed our menus and left to take it all in.  The bar has three windowed walls which allows an unspoilt view of the Empire State Building and the rest Manhattan sprawled and illuminated below.  The sight is breathtaking and quite humbling, a sudden realisation of just how small we really are.  Filled with awe it was time for our final New York drinks.  Hubby went for the Brooklyn while I chose the Astoria, Queen’s Courage Gin, Carpano Bianco and orange bitters, stirred with ice, then strained into a martini glass and garnished with a thin slice of lemon peel.  The perfect end to an amazing getaway.

…and now I promise I’m done with my holiday gloating, well, until next time that is!

New York New York Just in case any of you failed to notice my shameless bragging and photo tagging, last month Hubby and I spent a week in New York.