#and he makes her arroz con leche all the time and I got to eat it too | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mr-and-mr-diaz · 3 years

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I just. I just thought about Eddie holding baby Jee-Yun? And singing to her while she clutches at his finger with her tiny meaty baby hand??

Maybe Buck freaked out a little because she was being fussy and wouldn't settle, and its probably nothing but hey, who better to call than Eddie, who conveniently has the day off and cuts off Buck's panicked rambling with a soothing;

"Its okay, Buck. Give me ten minutes, okay? You're doing great. She's probably just restless."

Eddie gets there and sends Buck off to cook dinner or shower or take a nap, scooping Jee-Yun out of her travel crib and making sure she's changed, warm, fed and content. And its been so long since Christopher was this tiny, but holding Jee-Yun makes him think back to that tiny, wriggly little bundle in his arms for the first time, back before it all went to shit.

Eddie pacing slowly around the lower loft, singing quietly, tickling her little chin, grinning when she giggles and gurgles at him. And he can see so much of Maddie and Chimney in her already. She's got Maddie's eyes and Chimney's lopsided grin.

(And for a little crack, maybe Buck catches this scene and is so overwhelmed he just blurts out; "put a baby in me!" And Eddie is like; "... What?" 👁👄👁 Which cues a hilariously awkward but heartfelt confession of feelings on both sides.)

Hey hey! So I like I told you I started this a while ago and then got SEVERE AND DEBILITATING writers block, and it sat waiting for new life. And then 5x03 happened, so Hello, new life! I hope you love it!

With You, My Life, I Will Get Married

Warning: mild spoilers for 9-1-1 season 5 episode 3.

Chimney was out searching for Maddie.

After shifts, on weekends, whenever he had a second, he was either spending time with Jee or out searching for her mom.

In times when he was on the search everyone at the 118 was making time to watch Jee Yun. Mrs. Lee was doing what she could, but couldn't always be available, and when that happened, Jee would spend some time at Bobby and Athena's or by Hen and Karen. And when they had too much going on, or when either of the uncles felt like they weren't getting enough time with their beautiful niece, she would spend time at her Uncle Buck's or Uncle Albert's.

Uncle Buck got lucky this time.

Eight hours in and everything had gone wrong. Buck shoulders were damp with spit-up, baby drool, and snot and all Jee seemed capable of doing was crying, crying, crying.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what I did wrong, and, and now--just, Jee, please, it's okay, I'm here--!"

She continued to yell and Buck got more and more panicked. "Your Uncle Albert's gonna be here in like 5 minutes, Jee, okay? And then, maybe, maybe he's better with you? And will make you happy, and then--Oh God, what have I done wrong--"

A knocking at the door sent him back on his feet, swaying toward the loft entrance. It opened before he could get there, however, and he stopped where he was, a furious Jee Yun screaming in his ears as Eddie Diaz, not Albert Han, walked in.

"You look like you're having fun." Eddie's eyebrow was raised and his mouth quirked in a teasing smile.

"Eddie...?" Buck's momentary shock was interrupted as Jee let out another wail. "Um, sorry, this isn't the best time at the moment, but Albert--"

"--has a date tonight and sent me as his relief." Eddie reached out and plucked Jee Yun from Buck's arms. "And you have a date with your shower and a few hours' sleep."

"I--no, it's okay, I know you just got off shift--"

"Buck." Eddie shifted Jee to one arm, and the other rested on Buck's chest, over his pattering heartbeat. He met Buck's eyes, his own calm despite the bundle of adorable chaos still screaming bloody murder into his shoulder. "Go shower."

"...Yeah, okay."

***

She truly was one of the cutest babies, even when she was liable to wake up the neighborhood with her noise, Eddie thought with a smile as he re-seated her over one shoulder and began to firmly but gently tap her back.

"Your Tio Eddie is going to assume this is a gas issue, okay, chiquita? Christopher used to have this all the time, and he would scream and cry." Eddie huffed ruefully. "I was useless at it then, but Shannon showed me what to do." He kept tapping at her back. "Good set of lungs means a healthy baby, good job, Jee. Now, let's see if we can't get this gas out of you so you can calm down and you and your Tio Buck can get some sleep, okay?"

Eddie started circling the room, the sun beginning to set as he heard he shower turn on.

"There you go, see? Your Buck is going to get all showered since you drooled all over him, and then you both can get some sleep, how's that sound?"

He was answered with a burp far louder than Jee's small body should be capable of making. Then a sweet gurgling sound as she nestled her chin into his shoulder.

"There, feel better, mi princesa?" Eddie whispered against her soft, downy hair. "When I was small and got upset, and my parents got annoyed with my sulking, they'd send me to Abuela. And she would sit me down on her lap, just like this," he sat down on Buck's couch, and settled Jee Yun against his broad chest, rubbing her small back with a large warm hand. "And she would hug me until I forgot what I was so upset about. All I could think about was the smell of her perfume and how much I wanted to be like her one day.

"Then Pepa would come out and yell at both of us that it's about damn time we came into the house, dinner doesn't make itself." Eddie laughed at the memory. Jee made a small discontented noise and Eddie stood up again, walking toward the kitchen, where he saw the half-formed works of bottle making on the counter. "Shhh, princesa, Tio Eddie's gonna make you a bottle." With Jee over his shoulder, sounding more and more on the edge of hunger-panic, Eddie quickly assembled a bottle then leaned back against the kitchen island and cradled Jee Yun in his arms, pressing the nipple to her mouth, which she accepted gratefully.

"Better, yeah? Where was I...? Oh." Eddie smiled. "Once we were inside, Pepa, Abuela and I would make arroz con leche. Abuella would wash the rice, Pepa would be tutting the whole time about too much sugar, but she would always wink at me and add just a bit more before the cinnamon." Eddie couldn't help the smile that stole over his face as he remembered Abuela's warm kitchen in her El Paso ranch house before she and Pepa relocated to LA. In winter, the windows would fog over from the heat of whatever was on the stove. When she left, a lot of Eddie's heart left with her.

"They used to sing me the song too, you know?" Jee gurgled around her dinner and Eddie smiled again. "Well, I wasn't planning to sing it, but you drive a hard bargain." Eddie's poked Jee's soft cheek with a finger and began to sing.

Arroz con leche se quiere casar con una viudita de la capital, que sepa tejer, que sepa bordar, que ponga la aguja en su campanal.

(English translation: Rice with milk (rice pudding) Wishes to get married With a little widow from the capital. Who knows how to weave (or knit), Who knows how to embroider, Who puts the church steeple in the bell tower.)

***

Eddie was no American Idol contestant, but his voice was soothing and good. Strong. Listening to him sing from his seat on the stairs, Buck almost felt like he was where Jee currently snuggled, right against Eddie's chest, as his bass voice sung the gentle Spanish lyrics, harmonized by the occasional happy noise from Jee Yun.

Yo soy la viudita la hija del rey. Me quiero casar y no sé con quien. Contigo sí, contigo no, Contigo mi vida me casaré yo.

(English translation: I am the widow The daughter of the king, I want to get married and I don’t know with whom. With you, yes. With you, no. With you, my life, I will get married.)

Buck's head knocked lightly against the banister, body relaxing. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just the softest sweatpants he owned with a towel draped over his shoulders to catch water from the mess of wet curls on his head.

Eddie's so hard on himself all the time. I don't get it. He's such a good dad.

Dazedly, Buck's eyes fixed on Eddie's mouth as he repeated the verses again. Then Eddie sighed.

"Afterward Pepa would ask me who I want to marry and Abuela would laugh at me, and I'd always complain--" Jee gurgled again. "Like that, yes. But honestly, it was nice... Even though between you and me, Pepa can't sing very well at all." Eddie's lips quirked again in a smile. "Kind of like your Uncle Buck."

Buck startled at his name and looked up at Eddie's eyes. They twinkled back at him in the dying last light of the day, Eddie's golden skin lit by the last rays of the sun. Buck felt his face heat with a blush, knew there was nothing to do about it.

"Sorry, I should've--"

"Feel better after your shower?"

Buck sighed and smiled. "Yeah. World's better." He stood, stretching out his long legs as he descended the stairs. It was full dark now, but Buck didn't feel like turning on a light. "I can take her now."

"Nope." Eddie met him midway, hand on Buck's shoulder turning him around. "You're both getting some sleep now." One hand on Buck's shoulder, the other holding a drowsy Jee Yun, Eddie guided him back up the stairs, and pressed Buck down until he was sitting on his bed.

"Eddie, are you sure--"

"Shhh." Eddie deposited Jee into Buck's arms, then sat down behind him. "You can hold her for now." Eddie's hands skimmed up Buck's warm back then pulled the towel off Buck's shoulders, laying it on top of Buck's head, where a corner flopped over his eyes.

"Eddie?"

"Hold still, Buck."

Eddie's strong hands curled into the towel and Buck's hair, rubbing vigorously to get it dry. "Seriously, anyone who has ever seen your hair at work would marvel at how different it looks before you comb and gel all the life out of it." He rubbed vigorously, and Buck felt himself relaxing back against Eddie's chest. Tomorrow, he might look back at this and feel embarrassed. He might have to apologize. Tomorrow, he would go back to hiding how much he felt for the man who was drying his hair, still absent-mindedly humming the Arroz con leche tune under his breath. But for now, Eddie was too near and too warm and too... Eddie. And Buck found that he couldn't deny himself Eddie right now.

Buck cleared his throat and made himself focus on their conversation. "I used to wear my hair naturally, but people said it looked floppy. Made me look like a puppy."

"People are stupid sometimes, Buck. You know this." Eddie's thumb traced the shell of Buck's ear. "And if you think slicking back your hair makes you look less like a puppy, you really shouldn't be bothering." He snickered as Buck tried to shoulder his chest and Jee made a noise of complaint.

"So I just look like a puppy all the time, huh?"

The towel dropped. Eddie's arms came around, holding onto Buck and Jee Yun both. "I think you're a beautiful man, Buck."

The air in Buck's chest hiccupped out of his mouth. His heart picked up speed as the places where Eddie's hands rested on his stomach seemed to heat from within. "Y... Eddie?"

"Shhh. Sleep now. Jee's asleep, but who knows for how long." Eddie's voice was gruff, embarrassed. "I'll just--"

"Stay?" It came out too high, too soft. Buck cleared his throat and tried again. "I mean, if it isn't any trouble, and--"

"I can stay." Eddie's arms tightened around Buck again and he pulled him backwards until Buck could lay out flat on his back, before pressing Buck's head down on his pillow. Then Eddie pulled Jee from Buck's arms and sat back against the headrest, legs folded together, Buck's niece cuddled again against his chest. "Sleep now."

"Okay." There was so much Buck wanted to know. To say. It all got stopped in his throat as fear tamped it all down to squirm in his chest.

"Eddie?" The word found its way out.

"Hm?"

"...Nothing."

A sigh. Then, "Come here."

Buck didn't hesitate, moving his head off the pillow and onto Eddie's lap. Eddie's spare hand found its way back into his curls and tugged lightly before stroking through them, gently, so gently.

"Sleep now."

"Okay. But," Buck's jaw cracked around a large yawn. "Before... you have to know..."

"Hm?"

"You are... so beautiful... Eddie Diaz."

Buck felt Eddie's hand tighten in his hair again, before releasing, fingers wandering down to trace his eyebrows, his nose, his lips.

"Sleep, querido."

As Buck's eyes slipped closed, and awareness almost dropped away, he swore he could feel lips press lightly right above his eye, on his birth mark.

"Contigo mi vida me casaré yo."

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ksyescribe · 4 years

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𝐵𝑜𝑦𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑥 𝑆/𝑂 (𝑖.𝑒. 𝐿𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠) ♡

Featuring: Nishinoya, Tanaka, Bokuto A/N: I started these headcanons a few days back when I was in the middle of a rest/writer slump and just finished them today. They’re hella messy but I really enjoyed writing them and I hope that you guys enjoy reading them :))

Nishinoya

Y’all we’ve known that Noya is a Latin King himself like cmon now? Do y’all see his energy??

Anyways he would 1000% have a latina girlfriend like I just KNOW IT IN MY SOUL

You never have to feel embarrassed about your family with him because he’s just as loud as they are!!!

He literally vibes with EVERYONE in your family

The loud ass fuck drunk uncles? He’s vibing

Ladies in the kitchen making the traditional food? Vibing. He even offers to help!!!

Little kids playing the weirdest games with a bunch of chairs at the back of the party? Vibing.

Noya would just fit so perfectly in those loud as hell hispanic parties like I can just imagine him being a visual learner and seeing everyone dance like bachata, salsa, and all the other dances

AND THEN he grabs you and just starts pulling you to the dance floor to dance with him

He’s actually so good??? Like he literally watched for a few minutes and just started moving?? This mans hips? Wow they’re out here swaying from side to side be prepared

Wow I went off on the party but like, Noya would just be so happy to be dating you

He really doesn’t care that you’re a foreigner and what not, he just knows your personality, heart, and whole being are beautiful and that he’s so lucky to have you

I think the whole relationship would be filled with so much happiness and excitement because you’re both learning about each other’s cultures and stuff without even trying

Like you invite him over to meet your family one day and it just happens to be the day your mom is making Pan Dulce and like the most traditional plate of food from your country

And when he sits down to eat he just loves it so much!! Literally will not stop eating, your mom’s about to cry because no one’s ever eaten her food with that much gusto before

Idk bout y’all but my parents love to take pictures from ALL our family trips and we have hats and stuff from all that so pops would probably sit down with noya and show them all of that and noya just loves it!! Like so much his eyes are starry eyes (perhaps what inspires him to travel the world hmmm)

If you have siblings he definitely will play with them when he comes over.

Will probably do that plane thing that adults do where they’re just making the kids fly all around (your siblings love him so much it’s crazy)

Never one for giving too many lessons but if you ask him about something in Japanese culture he’ll probably look a place he can take you to show you more

His favorite times are when you ask about anything food related because it means he can take you on dates to restaurants where he gets to see your reactions

He loves taking you to like the Shonen Jump shops or anything similar because just watching you go through all the parts of the store and seeing all these things catch your attention would make him so soft

Probably grabs your hand and gives you a quick cheek kiss when he’s watching you

Would be 1000% down to go back to your home country

Loves you, your culture, and even tries to learn some Spanish for you

(but his accents so thick you laugh every time he tries to speak, it’s okay you give him a kiss and some sweets from your country as a thank you for trying)

Tanaka

*inhale* THIS MAN BELONGS TO THE HISPANICS I DONT MAKE THE RULES *exhale*

Right so

I don’t even know where to begin with Tanaka because I literally have like 75000 thoughts of him at a bull riding event going through my mind

BUT he’s a soft boy I know for a fact, loud on the outside but very soft.

With Tanaka I do see him wilding out at parties

Like imagine him seeing a pinata for the first time?

Better have a separate pinata for him because he’ll go crazy swinging on that thing

Is even more surprised that there’s candy inside!!!! Like what?? He thought hitting it was super fun but now this?

Loves it, immediately wants to break open another one

But I also see Tanaka being super soft with your family

Like have you seen the manga panel of him floating around in an apron?

Your grandma would probably give him one of her aprons and she’ll be teaching him how to make tortillas in such a soft spanish

And he looks so panicked?? Just glancing at you every single second, trying to figure out if he’s doing it right or not.

Constantly asking you “What is she saying? Am I doin it right? Can you please tell her I’m trying my best?”

God I’m so soft like I just love him so much

Your grandma loves him always rubbing his head and pinching his cheeks

He always blushes super hard when she does that and turns even more red when you tell him that she likes him and calls him “Mijo” now

She actually tells him stories about the olden days back home and Tanaka listens so intently even though he doesn’t understand but then turns to you as you translate the story

Warms up to the affectionate side of hispanic families really quick, like he kisses you on the cheek when he meets your family like second nature. He even did it to you one morning and then got all red when he remembered that they don’t really be doing that shiz in Japan

I feel like Tanaka would really really like the traditions hispanic families do or how much emphasis they put on holidays and family together

Like he’ll probably come over on the 24th for Noche Buena and just loves the atmosphere of the holiday and the connection with family (and of course the food)

It’s a really big contrast to the quieter Christmas his family will be celebrating the next day

Will definitely bring a Japanese Christmas Cake from the fanciest store he can afford as his own gift to the potluck

I know we see Tanaka as wild as hell sometimes but I feel like in a hispanic setting he’ll just go soft, or maybe I’m just soft for him who knows

Bokuto

So for all my POC do y’all know when you’re at the store with your immigrant parents and they see a cute boy and they’re like “You see him, I want you to find someone as handsome as him.” (my mom says this to me literally all the time god damn bro pls im trynna live)

This is what every hispanic mother says when they see Bokuto

All the ladies in your family will literally get FLUSTERED when you bring him home

“Ay Mija he’s so handsome why didn’t you tell us”

(This happened to me once never brought a boy home ever again smh)

Anyways he gets the approval from your male relatives when he helps them lug all the heavy shit they work with with no problem

Like he just grabs something that’s 50 pounds and he’s like , “Yeah where do you guys need this?”

He’s so versatile, like I feel like he can vibe with any setting your family’s at

Loud party type? Vibing. Gossiping in the kitchen with your aunts and cousins? Man’s is INVESTED in the chisme! The guys in your family working on home renovations or on any other project? He’s helping them hands down.

Is the type to eat ALL the food that your family offers him. He will literally have a bite of everything even before you tell him what it is. Your mom is beaming when he eats her Arroz Con Leche

Cannot bake for ANYTHING!!! But he somehow cooks meat perfectly?? I’m so?? He literally cannot make any sweets but if you gave him some slabs of meat or a pork shoulder to roast he has that down perfectly.

Your mom actually asks him to come over and help her make the Pernil for special occasions because he’s the only one who can manage to make the skin as crisp as he does. The only one who knows how to do it better is your grandma

Will beg for you to bring him stuff back to your home country. He wants it all: souvenirs, shirts, candy, chips. He even tries to give you money but you brush him off.

Of all three of these boys I feel like he’s the most likely to actually go visit your home country with you!! Like he’s so excited to go out there and see the place where your family comes from

When he gets there EVERYONE will love him.

Somehow makes friends with strangers on the street (something that I’ve done irl when I go back home lmaooo)

He wants to try every single food cart around the area.

Falls in love with the people and food of your country. You’ll probably be on your first trip and he’s already asking you when you can go back.

If you ever take him to all the nature filled areas or just like a random river that runs through a certain area he’ll be enamored!

Loves the country, loves the culture, loves you :)

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maidenof-thesea · 4 years

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Snakes & Butterflies | Part XII

Pairing: Jimin x Reader

Genre: Soulmate Au!, Fluff, Angst, Smut (in the future)

Words: 5k (WHEW!)

Warning: minor swearing

Note: Yall I tried posting this earlier but tumblr was not cooperating with me! UGHH! Anyways here’s part 12 for those who have been waiting! This time it’s extra long! I didn’t realize lol. Hope you enjoy <3

Reminder: * conversations in Korean *

Jimin

“I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Y/N stammered, her face flush and she waved her hands nervously. “I just wanted to see how the snake may look since you are a lot older now..”

Wait

“You know what my Mark looked-looks like?” I said feeling my heart drop to my stomach. “I don’t remember showing you my Mark when we were kids..”

“That’s weird,” Y/N said as she tilted her head in contemplation. “Maybe it really was a dream but I could have sworn that you had a snake and Jungkook had a hawk.”

How does she know this?

Ever since I could remember, our parents told us that we were never supposed to reveal our Marks to humans...because they were so completely different from our soulmates. Hoseok and Yoongi hyungs’ Marks don’t match at all..just like mine and hers never matched either. Was I too perhaps having issues with my memory?

“Now that I think about it…” Y/N muttered deep in thought. “I don’t think I’ve seen any of the guys’ Marks…”

Shit

I opened my mouth to say an excuse or anything as to why none of us had shown her our Marks but I only stammered for words. I never really thought as to what we would say, I don’t think any of us have honestly.

“Oh!” Y/N said in realization. “Jungkook mentioned that you guys took a pact. Similar to wearing a purity ring..but like the opposite..”

If it was even possible her face was even more red but this time she looked like she was on the verge of tears from embarrassment. She’s so cute. I go to pat her stroke her cheek but she stops me by grabbing my wrist and she’s refusing to make eye contact. Maybe it's not from embarrassment.

“Y/N, are-”

“I’m gonna take that shower now,” Y/N says abruptly as she hops off the counter and swiftly exits the laundry room, leaving me all alone.

“Similar to a purity ring but like the opposite”

“Why would Jungkook tell her that?!”

But it was true at the time. You were quite busy during college.

“That was probably her first kiss…” I muttered softly to myself as I sat on the couch. I could hear music coming from her room and the sound of running water. “She must think I’m some sort of player or something..”

“Why would she think that?” Seokjin hyung said from the hallway. His arms are full of groceries. I quickly got up to help him. The rest of the guys following him in a line, their arms full of groceries.

“How are you guys back so quick?” I ask, ignoring his question. What time was it? I lost track of time!

“We did online ordering, we just went to pick it up basically,” Taehyung said, wiping his forehead from the sweat. “Man it’s hot.”

“I still don’t think that lady gave us good cabbage,” Hoseok said with a slight frown as he placed the said vegetable on the counter.

“Hyung said it was fine babe,” Yoongi replied. “Trust the chef.”

“Where’s Yuki?” Namjoon muttered already heading to the porch.

“Namjoon!” Seokjin yelled. “Don’t think of escaping! We need to make 3 months worth of kimchi and side dishes! We need everyone to help!”

Namjoon does a 360 spine and heads straight into the kitchen, his expression sheepish. The hyungs start chit chatting and whatnot. I sat down on the couch once more and I found myself listening, water was still running and her music was still playing. I was hoping they would be gone a little longer so I could have a chance to explain myself

“Noona in the shower, hyung?” Jungkook asked, carrying a huge bag of rice without so much as sweating.

“Yes,” I answered feeling my face turn a bit red. “Did you tell her about our pact?”

“Umm..” Jungkook said nervously. “I did...should I not have?”

“Don’t worry,” I sighed, pushing my hair back. “I’m not upset.”

“But?” Jungkook asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

“I just didn’t want her to think I’m a player..”

“Trust me,” Hoseok said from the kitchen. “I’m sure you didn’t made it obvious yesterday.”

Yoongi and the hyungs laugh and I shove my face in the nearest throw pillow, sighing in frustration.

“Did something happen?” Taehyung asks and I could tell he was genuinely curious but his mischievous side was showing once more. “Why are you so worried she thinks you’re a player?”

“Yea,” Seokjin said also. “Why Jimin? And don’t avoid the question again!”

“I-“

We all hear the music turn off and her door open. Yuki darts for the nearest exit and from the expression on Y/N’s face, I could tell she wanted to do the same thing. Her eyes looked a little swollen and her cheeks were flushed. Her lips...were swollen as well.

“Hello Princess,” Hobi said with his signature sunny smile. “Are you ready to make kimchi?”

She smiles and nods and I could tell it’s genuine from the way her eyes spark. Will she ever smile like that for me again?

Taehyung

“Jimin and Y/N have been avoiding each other,” Jungkook says as he fills another bucket with water to soak the napa cabbage.

“It’s more like she’s avoiding him,” I mutter as I wait for him to finish, so I could fill my bucket. Why did we have to make so much kimchi again?

“Oh,” Jungkook says as he glances once more at Y/N, who is cutting the cabbage while Namjoon sprinkles kosher salt and massages it. Jimin, who is on the other side of the island, is helping Seokjin hyung make sigeumchi namul which is blanched spinach that is seasoned later on. Both Yoongi and Hoseok are making kongnamul muchim or seasoned soybean sprouts.

“Do you think he made a move?” I asked and Jungkook almost got whiplash from how fast he turned. “What’s with that reaction?”

“Do you think hyung would do that?” Jungkook said, his eyes unreadable. Not really answering my question.

This kid...does he really have feelings for her?

“Isn’t that part of the plan?” I ask nonchalantly, carefully watching Jungkook’s expression. “I mean I know none of us care that she’s human..but the council won’t be as forgiving. Nonetheless we still want a happy ending for them right?”

“Yea,” Jungkook sighed and grabbed my bucket to fill it. “I guess I’m just worried about how she would react...this whole time she thought-she never imagined having a Soul-”

“YAH!” Jin yelled, making all of us jump. “Does it take two of you to fill buckets with water?”

“Sorry!” Both of us answer and I immediately head back with one of the buckets, almost tipping the bucket in my haste. Y/N sees this and her eyes widen in surprise.

“Careful!” She says running towards me. She quickly grabs the bucket and we both maneuver it to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry Noona,” I say with a lopsided grin. “I didn’t mean to almost wet the floor.”

“What?” She replies. “Oh! I don’t care about the floor, you could have slipped if it spilled! You’re okay right?”

Instead of replying I simply nod, I really didn’t know how to reply honestly. Her eyes were filled with concern and honesty. I’ll admit a part of me felt pleased that she was concerned, almost like a doting mother. She smiles in return and quickly heads to Jungkook, warning him not to fill the bucket too much. Unable to help myself, I smile to myself biting my lip in the process. When I look up, Jimin is staring at me with a piercing gaze, almost as if to say ‘what are you so happy about?’. I shrug and it seems to annoy him even more.

“Hyung,” Yoongi asks, mixing the sprouts in a ceramic bowl. “Why are we making so much again? I mean I know there’s eight of us, but it’s not like we’re gonna eat Korean food all the time.”

“I’m making some for Y/N too,” Seokjin replies. “She’ll have plenty after we leave.”

“W-What?” Jimin stutters and almost loses his footing. “Leave?”

Both Jungkook and Y/N walk back in and both of their smiles disappear quickly after hearing Jimin’s panicked tone. Jimin’s face turns white and he looks back down at the bowl of spinach in front of him.

“Just thinking about the end of our vacation makes me sad!” Hoseok sighs and he wipes a non-existent tear from his eye. “You’ll miss me right Y/N?!”

He runs to her and rubs his cheek against hers. She laughs and pats his head, cooing in the process. I glance at Jungkook who is staring in concern at Jimin, who seems to have regained his composure. Yoongi pats his back to comfort him.

“Let’s not think about the end,” Namjoon says as he places the cabbage to soak in the water. “Let’s enjoy what we have in this moment.”

“Yea!” I say cheerfully. “Hyung are we gonna make jap chae too?”

“Oh!” Y/N exclaims, her eyes lighting up. “I want to learn how to make those glass noodles! Jennie never got her mom’s recipe for me..”

We all laughed at her eager expression and her and Jin hyung came to an agreement to exchange recipes. Hyung was curious about how to make tamales and posole. After a couple of hours, Jin and Y/N had successfully made not only jap chae but also Korean macaroni salad.

“All this is gonna take time to ferment..” Jimin mutters rubbing his stomach. He must be hungry. “What are we gonna eat for lunch?”

“How about Noona’s famous pasta?” Jungkook suggested with his dimple smile. Jimin looked hopeful at Y/N and she nodded and proceeded to pick up the dirty mixing bowls, Jimin and Jin proceeded to help her but she shooed then away.

“Rosa is on her way,” she explains. “I told her to come a little late because we tend to clean at this time.”

“Plus,” Y/N said, clasping her hands and pulling her phone out. “And I quote, ‘Tell those boys that if they don’t give me their dirty laundry to wash, that I won’t show the handsome one how to make flan or arroz con leche’”

“YAH!” Jin yells with a bit of blush. “Bring hyung your laundry! I need those recipes!”

And just about all of us scramble up the stairs, racing to our rooms, not one of us wanting to get between Jin hyung and his recipes.

After making the creamy alfredo sauce from scratch, I was about to put the pasta to boil just as Rosa made her way into the house. Both Jungkook and Jin are following her like ducklings. Jungkook was smiling his signature dimple smile and Jin was slightly pouting. What was this tactic called again? Ago? Ego?

“Aegyo?” I questioned myself. Both Jungkook and Jin both glanced at me with the same expression: shut up!. I chuckled and threw my arms up in the air. “¡Doña Rosa! ¡Ya llegaste! ¿Como estás?” (“Madam Rosa! You’re here! How are you?”).

“Bién míja.” Rosa replies with a slight chuckle, fully aware of what we were all doing. “¿Estás concinando?” (“I’m good my daughter. Are you cooking?”).

“¡Sí!” I say with a smile as she pats me on the head. “¡Estoy concinando pasta!” (Yes! I’m cooking pasta!”).

“¿Me puedes salvar un plato para mi?” (“Could you save a plate for me?”).

“Claro que sí Doña.” I reply and she smiles and puts on gloves to start washing dishes. (”Of course Madam”).

Both Jungkook and Jin’s eyes were wide in surprise. Jungkook was stammering and Jin’s mouth was open wide in shock.

“N-noona you can speak Spanish?” Jungkook asked. “Why don’t you speak it more often?”

“I am half latinx Jungkook from my Mom’s side,” I answered, sticking my tongue out and he smiled a sheepish smile.

“What was that?” Jin said curiously. “Was that a latinx version of aegyo?”

“Something of the sort..” I say with a slight smirk.

“What did you say to her to get her to smile?” Jin said with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Listen closely my padawan,” I said, causing Jungkook to laugh and Jin to be confused. “Latinx women love to be called ‘Doña’ which is basically equivalent to ‘Madam’ or ‘lady boss’.”

“So respect?” Jin asked with a tilt of his chin. “I guess I understand that…”

“Plus you have to be cute,” I reply with a smirk. Jin gasps dramatically and Jungkook almost rolls on the floor with laughter. Then Jin grabbed the nearest towel to whack me with, making me run out into the living room, with him right on my heels. “Yoongi save me!”

“Wha-” Yoongi says sleepily. “You’re on your own Princess!”

“Wah!”

“Come here and admit I’m cute!” Jin says climbing over Yoongi and the couch.

“Listen!” I say hiding around Namjoon who was reading something on his phone. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for!”

“You can’t hypnotize him Y/N-ie,” Hobi says from the ottoman clutching a plush pillow to hide himself. “Trust me I’ve tried!”

“Once someone calls hyung ugly,” Namjoon whispers. “He won’t stop until you admit he’s not.”

“ADMIT IT!” Jin yelled.

“But I didn’t call you ugly!” I yell desperately, jumping over the couch almost tripping over Yoongi. “I just said you weren’t cute!”

“THAT’S THE SAME THING!”

“Oh god this is almost as bad as when Jin and Taehyung were arguing over who was more handsome..” Yoongi whispered to Hobi who nodded in agreement. Just then both Taehyung and Jimin-a shirtless Jimin- came in through the porch, Jin taking full advantage of me being distracted threw the towel straight at me.

“JIMIN!” I yell as I run to him for security instinctively. “Save me!”

Without hesitation, Jimin met me halfway and stood in front of me protectively.

“W-what are you doing hyung?” Jimin says with slight fear in his voice. “We could hear you from outside..”

“She said I’m not cute!” Jin explains trying to reach around him.

“But you aren’t cute hyung.” Jimin says.

And almost everyone in the room was quiet and Jin looked as red as a tomato. The only sound we could hear was Rosa humming as she swept the kitchen.

“Do you want to die?” Jin said quietly. I had no idea what he said but I felt Jimin’s heartbeat increase. Jin took one step closer and I heard Jimin gulp. From the shadow I could tell Jin raised his hand-

“Oppa!” I say clutching Jimin’s arms, who froze. “You’re too handsome! You ooze sex appeal! I mean ‘cute’ doesn’t define you! You’re more than that!”

Once again the room went quiet. Jimin was as still as a board but I could hear his breath. He was breathing deeply as if he was angry, but before I could ask, Jin’s attitude was completely different.

“That is very true!” Jin laughed obnoxiously. Clearly what I said was going straight to his head. He was completely unaware of everyone rolling their eyes. “I am very handsome!”

“Yes hyung you are,” Namjoon said sitting next to Yoongi. And they all began to talk like normal, leaving me and Jimin to gather our bearings. Once I unclutched my hands from his arms, I realized that what I was actually clutching a tattoo sleeve cover. Jimin then turns around and looks at me with unreadable eyes. I gulp nervously and attempt to walk away but he catches me by the collar of my shirt.

“Did you get my text?” Jimin whispers. I look at him in confusion and he sighs.

“Sorry I left my phone in the kitchen..”

“It’s okay,” Jimin says with a smile that makes my heart skip a beat. “I’m hungry, can I have some pasta?”

“Yea,” I say, not being able to meet his eyes. “Do you want shrimp or broccoli?”

“Shrimp!” He says excitedly and almost as if it’s natural for him he clutches my hand and leads me to the dining room.

“¡Míja!” Rosa says from the kitchen. “The pasta is ready!”

“Coming!” I reply. “I’ll be back with a plate for you.”

“Me too Noona!” Taehyung and Jungkook both yell sitting down at the table.

Jimin

“Yah,” I say with annoyance. “Can’t you guys eat later, I’m trying to talk to her here.”

“Ah,” Namjoon says entering the dining room as well. “Sorry I’m hungry too..”

“Oooh is Jimin trying to have alone time with Y/N?” Hobi says tugging a disgruntled Yoongi into the room as well.

“Jimin,” Jin says seriously. “Don’t yell at her too much, it’s not her fault she finds me attractive!”

I glare at him while everyone else rolls their eyes and yet again he is oblivious to his own obnoxious self. Y/N then enters the room balancing two bowls in her hands. I get up to help but Jungkook beats me to it and places the two bowls in the middle of the table.

“I’m gonna get some paper plates,” she says. “Oh and I also made a quick salad earlier and I didn’t have time to bake garlic bread but I have some Hawaiian rolls if-”

“That’s fine babe,” I say following her into the kitchen, ignoring the way Jungkook’s eyes widened. I grabbed the plates from her and she quickly grabbed the bowl of salad and packet of hawaiian sweet rolls. Once she places the stuff on the table, I quickly grab her and make her sit next to my chair.

“But the dri-”

“I got it,” I say smiling. For some reason her catering to the guys is pissing me off. I grabbed the lemonade and water bottle. Rosa is now in the living room vacuuming. I wave hello and she smiles and waves back. I see that Y/N placed a plate aside for her.

“I love her pasta,” Rosa says. “My son loves it too…”

“Oh,” I said. Her son? “It’s that good?”

“Yep,” she sighs. “One year he only wanted to eat her pasta, nothing else. Kids huh?”

I nod in agreement and bow to her in goodbye. Silently relieved that it was kid and not some other punk. By the time I got back everyone had started eating without me.

“This is delicious Y/N!” Hobi says and Yoongi nods in agreement. “Best pasta ever!”

She smiles and grabs a plate to serve some shrimp pasta, then she places a roll on the plate as I sit next to her. With a slight blush, she passed me the plate and I felt a little pleased that she served me herself.

“Do you want water or lemonade?” She whispers and I quickly look at her, but she isn’t looking in my direction. “Hm?”

“Water,” I reply and she serves me a cup and hands it to me. Before she could serve herself, I grab the bowl of broccoli pasta out of Namjoon’s hands and put a big portion on the plate. “Here, you like broccoli right?”

“Yes,” She replies with a blush. “Thank you.”

“Here!” Jungkook says, causing us both to jump. “You like lemonade right Noona?”

This little shit.

“Thanks Kookie,” She replies with a smile. There it is again. That smile.

“Do you still like avocado with hawaiian rolls?” I ask and she glances at me in surprise.

“You remembered that?” she asks with an embarrassed smile. “Yea I do.”

“Do you want me to go get some avocado?” I ask and she waves her hand and tries to stop me from getting up. Namjoon tugs me down also.

“It isn’t a competition,” He says and Y/N glances at me in confusion and I smile and gesture for her to eat and she does. “You don’t need to compete when it’s clear you already won.”

I gulp and nod. He’s right, technically I already won. She’s mine. She’s mine right? I look at her and I can’t help the feeling of peace that overtakes my being at seeing her eat. The way she twirls the pasta onto her fork, they way her throat moves as she swallows. On second thought, I think I was feeling everything but peace at this moment.

Jin pulls out a bottle of wine that both Yoongi and Jungkook are excited for. Y/N gulps nervously and I grab her hand under the table and I feel her relax. She then accepts the glass of wine from Jin and sips curiously. Her face scrunches and she shakes her head. I laughed at her expression along with my brothers who were also watching intently. But slowly throughout dinner, her glass of wine was slowly becoming empty and she was laughing along with Jin and Taehyung’s antics. Once more the feeling of peace overcame me. This must be what Jungkook was feeling. The feeling of home.

“Y/N,” Taehyung asks, his cheeks flushed. “Who was your first love?”

A little taken aback by his question, Y/N stammers cutely and looks everywhere but me. Cute.

“Yea,” I say playfully. “Who was your first love?”

“Why do you guys want to know?” I say feeling a slight buzz from the wine. Knowing full well I’m slightly tipsy, these guys are fully taking advantage of my state.

“It’s a simple question!” Taehyung defends himself. “Fine! I’ll tell you who my first love was!”

“Oh this is gonna be interesting,” Jin says with a slight chuckle.

“My first love was a manga character!” Taehyung says and almost everyone laughs “Hey don’t laugh at me! I’m serious!”

“Which manga character?” Jungkook asks.

“Sakura!” Taehyung says cutely. “She was soo cute!”

“Oh my god,” Jimin says. “From Naruto?”

Taehyung then cheers and flashes us his box-like smile. Then he turns to me and gestures for me to go next. If we’re talking manga characters…

“Kazehaya Shouta,” I reply with a content sigh. And almost all of the guys stayed quiet and were confused.

“That’s really specific..” Jimin mutters from next to me. His expression is solemn. “I don’t remember anyone by that name..how about you Jungkook?”

“Neither do I hyung,” Jungkook replies. “Who is this Kazehaya guy Noona?”

“Are you serious?” I asked with a giggle and almost all of them were really confused. Only Namjoon seemed to be deep in thought. “You guys don’t know Kazehaya-kun?”

“OH!” Namjoon says in surprise. “From Kimi Ni Todoke?”

“Yes!” I say excitedly. “I thought we were talking about manga characters so he’s the first that came to my mind!”

“What anime is this?” Taehyung asks in confusion. “A romance one? Cuz I swear I’ve seen all of them!”

“It’s called From Me to You,” I reply. “I watch that anime and read that manga every year and I still love it!”

“So this Kazehaya guy is the main character?” Jimin asks and he looks somewhat relieved but also a tad bit annoyed.

“Yes!” I giggle. “His characteristics were so good, he was so pure..”

“I don’t think Taehyung meant man-” Yoongi laughs.

“Y/n?” Rosa says with a small smile. “I just finished cleaning the rooms, do you mind putting the clothes to dry for me?”

“Of course!” I say getting up quick, only to lose my footing. Jimin reaches over my chair and grabs me by the waist and forces me to sit down.

“I’ll do it,” he says with a small smile. “Thank you Rosa!”

All the others also thank her and Jin walks her out and thanks her for her recipes that she wrote down for him. My phone then pings a message from Kakaotalk and Jimin’s name is on my screen.

Jimin [7:32pm]: hey can we talk?

Jimin [9:04pm]: meet me at the beach in 5.

Jimin [9:04pm]: bring a jacket.

I gulp nervously. Of course he wants to talk, we kissed and everything. I asked about his Mark, and it was clear that he didn’t want to show me, then I remembered Jungkook mentioning the pact but really I was just conflicted about how I felt.

Then I should just tell him how I feel..everything…

The rest of the guys are watching Family Guy in the living room, so I take my chance to dash in my room to find a jacket. Yuki stares at me from my bed that has a fresh set of sheets and comforter. I rub her head and she starts to purr.

“Yuki?” Jungkook calls for her and I hear the bag of treats shake and she quickly darts out of the room. I remembered that Jungkook wanted to teach her some tricks.

“Teach her how to sit!” Taehyung says.

“No,” Namjoon says “how about a handshake?”

And they continue discussing different tricks and this is my chance to dart out but as soon as I step into the kitchen to use the back door, Yoongi and Hobi both appraise me with knowing eyes.

“I thought you guys were watching Family Guy?”

“Jin told us to wash dishes,” Hobi asks with a smirk. “Going somewhere princess?”

“I wonder where Jimin disappeared to?” Yoongi asks Hobi too with amusement in his tone. I rolled my eyes and opened the back door and they both whistled and laughed. Once I’m outside, the ocean breeze is quite cold for the summer, but it feels good. I head to the path that leads to the beach and my phone buzzes, the security app detecting my movement. I duck once I hit the bay windows and I laugh at myself. Why am I hiding?

Because you want to be alone with him

I stop once I realize that is exactly what I wanted. I wanted no interruptions, no Jungkook or Taehyung for that matter. Feeling my heart pound in my chest, I gulp nervously and continue down the sand path towards the beach. There Jimin is once again, shirtless but wearing tattoo sleeve cover and once again I stop in my tracks. I look down at my simple outfit and I start to feel self conscious. How does he look so majestic just standing under the moonlight? It's not fair. I feel like this moment should be preserved. I take out my phone and I take a photo of him...feeling a little guilty for not asking for permission.

“Can I take a picture of you too?” Jimin says, looking over his shoulder with a slight smirk. I feel my face turn white in horror at being caught. “It’s okay I don’t mind.”

“I’m sorry I should have asked first,” I said with a slight blush, hoping that it was too dark for him to notice.

“I guess we’re even,” he says ruffling his hair. “I didn’t quite ask you for permission to kiss you earlier..”

“Oh…” I say lamely.

“I really am sorry…” Jimin says not meeting my eyes. Who do I feel like he wasn’t quite honest about that? “I can’t promise it won’t happen again though…”

“What?” I said in shock. “Jimin-”

“I know you think I’m a player because of the pact and with what happened with Melanie,” Jimin continues. “I’m not going to lie to you that I do have that reputation but-”

“Jimin,” I interrupt him and I step closer. “It’s okay… I don’t care about all that.. I mean I’m not one to judge, I don’t know your circumstances and it’s your life, as long as you're safe and happy..I’m okay with it.”

“But?”

“There’s no but..”

“You walked away from me earlier Y/N,” Jimin sighs, also stepping closer. “There is a but.”

“It’s embarrassing..” I say covering my face. “Because I know you aren’t like that…at least I hope you won’t be like that to me…”

“Like what?” Jimin says grabbing my arms from my face, and pulling my chin to meet his gaze.

“I’m not okay with being another conquest,” I whisper, feeling tears pool in my eyes. I hear his slight gasp and I see his mouth open but I continue. “But I can’t ask you to take me seriously, it wouldn’t be fair to your Soulmate. I don’t have the right...I’m just a childhood friend even if you were my first love..”

“What?”

SHIT

I felt my legs become wobbly but almost as if I was possessed, my voice came out strong.

“You were my first love,” I say meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to be just a summer fling, although everything feels intense with you, I probably wouldn’t be able to say no if that’s what you wanted.”

Jimin stares at my face intensely and I feel my heartbeat through my ears. Why isn’t he saying anything? Was I misreading him? Does he really only just want a physical relationship? Am I emotionally ready for something like that? Let’s be honest though...if that’s what he wanted..all he wanted from me, I would do it even if it would bring me a world of hurt later on..I know I would regret it if I didn’t.

“Okay.” Jimin says with a brilliant smile. “I want to be with you Y/N.”

It was at that moment my legs gave out and I let out a wavering breath, as if I was holding it all day. I probably was. Jimin crouches in front of me and caresses my cheek. It felt like fire followed his ministrations.

“Can I kiss you?”

“You don’t have to ask.”

And for the second time that day, our lips met once more and like the waves behind us, they moved in sync, almost as if they were meant to. Hours...days could have passed us but all that mattered was the man clutching my face with tears running down his cheeks.

I knew that one day he would find his Soulmate and it hurts whenever I think of that but I couldn’t let him pass me by. For once in my life, I felt greedy. I wanted this man, all of him even if he isn’t mine.

Prev | Next | Masterlist

#jimin #jimin x reader #my work #reader insert #bts #bts angst #bts fluff #bts soulmate au #soulmate au #soulmate!au #bts smut #park jimin #jimin smut #namjoon #hoseok x yoongi #jungkook #taehyung #kim seokjin

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ironwoman18 · 4 years

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Double Dates part 2

Chapter 2: The Ratatouille Challenge

Luke retuned home after came back from a case. He was tired and just wanted to sleep.

When he opened the door, there was Penelope cooking in his kitchen. Sergio on his couch and Roxie looking at Penelope from her bed.

"H...hey Penelope" he said walking in. She has a pink pajamas on.

She turned visibly surprised "Luke? I thought you could come tomorrow?"

"We found a good lead to catch the unsub early and we decided to come today. Why are you here?" He lifted his eyebrow and he put his gun in his save box.

"Well, there's a broken pipe in my apartment, and here was the only place I can go so..."

"Oh..." Said Luke and walked to her, he leaned in and kissed her softly "it's ok you can stay here as long as you want" he smiled and she smiled back.

"I'm making dinner. Veggie tacos" she smiled big showing him the pan with some vegetables.

"That looks great" he kissed her head and walked to his bedroom to change. He put on a short and a tank top then walked back to the kitchen "you can sleep in my bed, I will go to the couch"

"Oh... No I don't want to bother you" she said worry.

"I could never let you sleep in a couch so don't you dare to start an argument, am I clear?" She nodded "good let's eat" she grabbed a tortilla and filled it with vegetables and poured some sause and handed it to Luke then she made some more tacos and both walked to eat it and talked while do it.

"So what do you and Max planned for Reid and me?" He smirked at her.

She got excited "well we found a restaurant that hosted cook-offs, where couples feud cooking dishes, the judges picked two food dishes and the couples has to cook the one they gave them"

"Oh my... I just know how to make pasta with cheese. I suck cooking nena"

"Fear not chéri. I will do it" she smiled and kissed his cheek. He laughed.

"Ok I will trust you" he stood up and held the dishes and glasses then went to wash them.

Meanwhile Penelope looked at him from the table. She never dated someone like Luke. He was so different from any other boyfriend she had. Shane was an idiot and he was more into be better than her, not into make her happy; Kevin was so sweet and she shared so much with him, but he was so insecure and not very athletic; and then Sam... Sam was not proactive or with crazy ideas, he was so sweet and kind but she needed someone different.

Luke is athletic, like Morgan; he was sweet and kind, she loved the little cat he gave her after a case; he was proactive and protective, the dates he planned were so perfect, she melted with every detail he planned.

And according to Phil or Lisa he was not like this, he was not sweet or caring, but with her he was different, and so was her with him.

At first she was mean because she missed her chocolate thunder but then he won a place in her heart and she was mean as a secret flirting way.

"Penelope?... Earth calling Penelope..." She shakes her head and looked at him "are you alright?"

"Oh yeah newbie I'm alright" she said playfully the nickname she gave him. He rolled his eyes but smiled.

"She will keep calling me newbie, Roxie" he laughed.

"Did someone ever tell you that you act like Kristoff talking to her?"

Luke laughed as he finished to wash the dishes "I will go get my pillow and blanket" he smiled at her and walked in his room returning with both things "goodnight nena" he said putting them on the couch.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be uncomfortable in your own apartment"

"Penelope, I'm perfectly fine with this, I won't let you sleep here" he looked at her patting the couch.

"I was thinking... That bed is big enough for both of us" she bit her lip "if you don't mind sharing" he smirked, looked down and back at her.

"If you don't mind, I don't mind" he stood up and both slept in the same bed. She did not want to rush things. It will happen sooner or later. She was not like that but Luke was different and so was she.

The next day was Saturday and it was their double date. So they practice cooking together. She taught him some things and he was a quick study so he learned it.

The date was at eleven so at one they could eat.

When they arrived, Max and Spencer were already there. Spencer looked at them and waved.

"There's lot of people here"

"Yeah it's a popular date place and it's a fun way to interact" said Penelope looking at them.

"Yeah it does. Max and I had been practicing this morning" said Spencer looking at his girlfriend.

"Spencer is pretty good" she said without reveling how much "how about a friendly competition?"

"Oh my God... yes!" Said Penelope.

"Wait what?" Luke was shocked.

"I trust you newbie" he raised his eyebrow "it will be fun. Beside I never saw or heard of Spencer cooking so I'm sure we will be fine"

Max smirked "so we have a deal?"

"Yeah but first... The winner will pick the next double date" said Penelope "because I want this to happen again. I love you too. You are like a Disney couple, because Derek and Savannah are Barbie and Ken so you are... Um... Cinderella and her prince"

They laughed "ok I would like it" said Spencer "I some ideas if we win. Since phantasmagoria will be next week"

"Oh yeah you mentioned it. It was tempting so let see if the good doctor win" he laughed and nodded.

They waited some more until it was time to walk in the restaurant.

The place was big, full of long tables, stoves, knifes and other things to cook. There was a man with a chef jacked on "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The W Pier. A restaurant school where the students of the chef school come to have experience with a true kitchen" he said "I'm Chef Martinez. Today we will cook some Hispanic food. And then we will eat them. Each couple will have a spot with the ingredients and the recipe, and of course everything you will need to cook. Pots, pans, knifes, spoons, forks... Everything" everyone nodded "now we will have a twist...." He smirked and all of them got nervous "the dynamic of today it's called 'Ratatouille' Challenge" which means that one of the couple will cook and the other will read and say the instructions. Like Remy and Linguini" Some people were afraid, mostly men "the Remy will be the women and the Linguini will be the men"

Luke looked at Penelope "did you know that?"

"I knew about they used dynamics but they never mentioned this"

"Well apparently it's something new" they looked at Spencer and Max and Luke said "can we cancel the bet?"

"No" said Max "are you chicken out?"

"NO" said Penelope "we can do it, I thrust you" she held his cheeks.

"Thank you but I don't trust in me" he sighed. She kissed him then she pulled away "umm ok that gave me hope and trust in myself" he laughed.

"Ok let's see. We labeled the tables with the last name of the couples. Most of you are boyfriend- girlfriend so we had to write both names. Please come here and look for your place" every couple walked there. Spencer and Max were next to Luke and Penelope "Ok the dishes you will be cooking today are from Hispanic countries"

Spencer and Max had to cook the Bandeja Paisa, a Colombian dish and Luke and Penelope had to cook Pastel de choclo.

"What the heck is a choclo?" Said Penelope reading the title of their dish.

"Ok people. One more rule. The girls will said the instructions one by one but in the moment you need help boys, you can raise your hand and one of our assistances will start the timer. She can be 5 minutes, that's all. No more time so you have to pick the right moment"

Luke looked at the ingredients and rubs his beard "Jesus..."

"Ok let's beginning... Now!" The men started to look the ingredients and their girlfriends to read the instructions.

"Ok Luke according to the translator choclo is corn. It's a Chilean dish and looks nice" she said.

"Ohk sounds good. Let's make this"

Meanwhile Spencer and Max started to cook "the Bandeja paisa is from Colombia. And it's a big meal" said Spencer.

"Good to now sweetheart but concentrate in the cooking because the red beans and the pork have to go in the pressure cooker" he nodded and did as she said.

Luke and Penelope were cooking the ground meat with some peppers and onions.

The two couples were working nicely but the others were a mess. Some men did not like to work blindly or there were arguments because they made the food different from what they had been telling.

Thankfully for Max and Penelope, their couples worked good under pressure and followed instructions.

Luke got lost once or twice during the cooking but managed to get thru. Spencer's memory helped him listened to Max's next instruction while working and remember what to do next.

At the end Luke requested Penelope's help to finished the dish while Spencer did not need the extra help but requested so she could some arepas, a circular corn bread from Colombia and Venezuela.

They finished and the chef congratulated them and invited them to take a seat, order wine and eat what they cooked.

Spencer, Max, Luke and Penelope sat down together and ordered a bottle with four cups.

"I never worked this hard in a kitchen" said Luke cutting some of his dish.

"I like to cook but I never make something like this" added Spencer.

They laughed "so Spencer let's try this" said Penelope getting some red beans and an arepa "oh my God... It's delicious" she smiled eating more.

After that they made jokes and ate the food. Then they were agree to order some dessert.

They ate some arroz con leche, since it's the Latin American night.

When they were about to leave Penelope said "we never figured who won the bet"

"I think Luke and I did a good job both and we both won. I'm normally super competitive but today I think it's a tie"

"I'm agree with Spence" added Max "but maybe next time we can pick the next one?" Max bit her lip.

Penelope nodded "yeah... This idea was fun but I think our next double date should be calmer" they laughs and nodded.

Then both couple leave. Luke and Penelope walked to his car and he said "Chica..." She looked at him "can I pick want we will do and with who?"

"Of course you can" she said smiling, this is something she liked about him "what do you have in mind?"

"Ok the next couple should be Matt and Kristy" he smiled "the activity it's a surprise" she laughed and nodded.

"Fair enough" she said "let's see what Mr Newbie have in mind"

OOooOOooOO

So... What do you think? Was it fun? I hope you enjoyed it and I already have the idea for this date.

The next chapter will be one of the cutest couple in the show.

#criminal mind #spencer reid #maxine brenner #maxcer #Penelope Garcia #luke alvez #garvez #fanfiction

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peterstanslizzie · 4 years

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Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 2.4 (El Oro De Montezuma)

Verdict- Arroz Con Leche: 1, Lizzie Mcguire: 0

- Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda have their eyes glued to the television because Miranda’s cousin from Mexico, Carlos is supposed to appear on a Mexican game show with his friends next week. Jo sees this and encourages the kids to go out and do something more active/productive but shortly after, she becomes enthralled by the quirkiness of the show.

I can’t tell if they like what they’re watching or not lol

Lost in Translation

- There’s a new kid in school and his name is Li Torak, from Indonesia. Because of my Malaysian heritage, I know a thing or two about Indonesia and Li doesn’t look Indonesian to me. He looks really young too, almost around the age of Matt when in actuality, Raja is only a year younger than Hilary and Lalaine. It’s probably because he’s a boy and maybe it’s his Asian genes hehe. Lizzie tries to break the ice with Li but there’s a language barrier and he misunderstands majority of the things Lizzie is asking him.

* I just did my research and Holy Cow! The actor who played Li is Raja Fenske, who also played Jake Behari on Nickelodeon’s Unfabulous! I totally didn’t expect that. I haven’t watched Unfabulous in ages and I kinda forgot how he looked like. That’s so cool. Oh and if my research findings are accurate, he doesn’t have any Indonesian ancestry as I’ve predicted. In fact, his mom is Indian and his dad is German and Norwegian.

- Mr. Dig is teaching a class that puts a spotlight on other cultures and introduces to his students a “Lip Stretcher” that the Suya Indian men from the Amazon River used to pull their lower lips out as a way to attract mates I think? That’s interesting. He goes on to explain the various other cultures’/countries’ standards of beauty, which are very foreign to them.

If Gordo weren’t a director, he should’ve been a comedian because he went in on Larry here.

- Mr. Dig then uses this as an opportunity to formally introduce Li to everyone in class. And once again, he struggles to comprehend what’s being asked of him. Okay, I need to be honest here and say this; The way Raja is trying to sound like an Indonesian is just not working for me. He couldn’t even pronounce “Indonesia” correctly like a true native he’s meant to portray. The accent is way off; It’s actually very cringe-worthy.

- Anyways; back to the plot. Mr. Dig asks his students to write a report on either their own culture or another culture and include what people can learn from it.

The First Mention of Mexico City (fans of Lizzie Mcguire know what that means)

- Back at home, Lizzie asks her parents about where she came from and her parents funnily misunderstands her question and thought it was a Biology question lol. Obviously, what she meant to ask was where did their ancestors originate from in Europe most probably. We find out that Sam’s family is Scottish and Irish and Jo’s family originated from a bunch of other European countries. This makes it harder for Lizzie since there’s so many countries to choose from.

- At the Digital Bean, Miranda re-introduces her cousin, Carlos to Lizzie and Gordo. He greets Lizzie with a couple of kisses on both cheeks:

- He also tries to give Gordo the same but he’s not down for the friendly kisses lol. I wonder if Gordo felt some type of way to see another guy “kiss” Lizzie even if it’s a friendly one. Especially coming from last episode when he saw Lizzie and Ronnie kiss for real.

- Miranda tells them that’s what people do in Mexico City and I gotta say, the words “Mexico City” triggered me because that was the excuse we got in like the last 10 episodes (plus the movie) of Lizzie Mcguire to explain Miranda’s absence from the show lol.

- Miranda then reveals to her friends that Carlos’s teammates cancelled on him to go to their sister’s wedding, which is a good excuse but Carlos doesn’t seem to think so lol. Eventually, Lizzie and Gordo agree to be their replacements due to the financial benefit they would get if they win. It always comes down to the Benjamins I see. Plus, Lizzie sees this as an opportunity to help her with Mr. Dig’s assignment. They feel like if Carlos and to a lesser extent, Miranda could translate for them, they would be able to do the stunts on the show just fine.

- We then get a montage of them doing a practice run through some of the games featured on the show. Gordo also insists that they learn some Spanish as well. As I’ve been learning Spanish on Duolingo for almost a year now, I’m proud to say I was able to translate most of the phrases Gordo read out loud.

I LOL’ed at this moment. Why he gotta look at them like that?

- Lizzie thinks that they should focus on perfecting the games rather than trying to learn Spanish to which they all agree. But really? They don’t know what “bueno” means? Don’t they live in California? They should’ve know that word at the very least... C’mon now.

Let The Games Begin

- It’s now time for the game show and the host introduces Carlos, Miranda, Lizzie and Gordo on stage. Wait, where is this game show held? Is it where they live in the US or did they all fly to Mexico?

- The first round is trivia and Miranda manages to win the first point. The next round is popping as many balloons as possible between their chests but we don’t know who won that. And after that, it’s them trying to seek out different items of clothing to dress their teammate in a bull-fighter’s costume.

The last clue is getting a hat from the bottom box but unfortunately Lizzie wasn’t careful enough, which led to a whole stack of boxes to crash on top of her lol. But they still manage to win that round fortunately and their team is able to advance to the last round.

- In this round, Lizzie gets picked to designate roles to each of her team members. Unfortunately, she accidentally assigns Carlos to be the Aztec bird snake gut, which means that he has to sit out that round. The host gives them the instructions in Spanish and with Carlos having to be inside a soundproof box, they have no idea what they’re supposed to do.

- I was able to understand a couple of phrases like “tienen arroz con leche” and “cuaranta y cinco segundos”, which I’m confident it means “they have rice with milk (rice pudding I guess)” and “they have 45 seconds to do something” respectively. I didn’t catch the building a pyramid part just because I don’t know what pyramid is in Spanish lol. I did a quick Google search and it’s just pirámide but I don’t think I heard the host saying that word.

- They obviously misunderstood the instructions and did something completely wrong, which is putting the rice pudding into the boxes and jumping over them at the same time. Gordo, who is usually the brains of the operation thinks that they should eat the rice pudding and he proceeds to happily eat it lol.

- They try to think of one last solution and Lizzie decides to throw the rice pudding into the boxes with her bare hands but she accidentally splashes some of it onto Miranda’s face. Next to you know, they’re throwing rice pudding left and right at each other and the whole audience goes wild. Well, that’s one way to end the show but I’m pretty sure they lost.

Presentation Time

- It’s time for them to present their report on a culture of their choice in Mr. Dig’s class. Gordo does his on Mehndi tattoos from India; I actually thought he would talk about some aspects from his own Jewish culture. As for Lizzie, she tells the class that after her whole experience of being lost in translation in that Mexican game show she and her friends participated in, she felt like she needed to learn about other cultures so that she can understand those around her who are not like her.

Oh gosh; His accent again. It’s so not Indonesian.

- Anyways, Lizzie decides to focus her presentation on Indonesian culture. This should be good....

- Umm, Jakarta is not an island Lizzie....It’s the capital city of Indonesia and the island it sits on is called Java. *facepalms. The presentation was obviously cut short due to time constraints of the episode but they could have done more to fit in more insightful stuff into her presentation. I’m really disappointed.

Matt’s B-Plot: It’s More Like A C-Plot....

- Matt and Lanny have pretty much been playing hide and go seek throughout the whole episode. And that’s about it really. It’s nothing extraordinary except for the fact that they kinda went overboard with it and continued the game outside Matt’s home.

Is this safe for a child lol?

- However, what I like about this sub-plot is seeing how sassy Lanny is. The episode ends with Matt winning the hide and seek contest but to his own detriment because he decided to hide in a train, which started moving while Lanny eats pizza with Matt’s parents. Wow, his parents are going to get the ultimate headache from trying to find out where in the world Matt is.

Overall Thoughts

- Let’s get the negatives out of the way first; Raja Fenske’s portrayal of Li as a student from Indonesia was pretty weak I have to say. And it wasn’t really his fault. I’m sure somebody had given him directions on how to sound like an Indonesian and he had to follow it. Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t think Raja is any part Indonesian and so, he probably couldn’t tell what should have sounded authentic. I felt like Disney should’ve cast someone Indonesian or part Indonesian to avoid all of this. Also, I must repeat the point I made about them saying that Jakarta is an island, which is totally wrong. The writers should have done their research.

- But I appreciate them for making the attempt to shine a spotlight on how ignorant we can be when it comes to understanding and respecting other people’s cultural differences. At the beginning of the episode, Lizzie was obviously taken aback and amused by Li’s inability to understand what she was trying to ask him because she has never been in his position before.

- It was not until she participated in “El Oro de Montezuma”, she’d realized that being immersed in a new environment with a completely different culture from what she’s used to is extremely hard. And because of that, she was able to empathize with Li and show Li that she wants to respect and get to know his Indonesian culture, which is why she decided to make her presentation on Indonesia instead.

- Long story short; The lessons taken from the episode were great but the execution of Li’s character was meh.

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thatesqcrush · 5 years

Text

Deseos de la Navidad

Rafael Barba x Reader. AN: Prompt #2 (Decorations) from the @thefanficfaerie Christmas OTP challenge found here. CW: Angst, talk of loss/death of family member. Reference: SVU, S.16, E.16 “December Solstice.”

Tags: @theenchantedgalleryofstories @madpanda75 @ottosuricato @delia26 @dreila03 @sass-and-suspenders @glimmerglittergirl @melsquared79 @mommakat32 @garturbo @southern-magnolia @niyashell @tropes-and-tales @imjustreallynosy @whyissvuruiningmylovelife @sweetsummertime99 @evee87 @scarletsoldierrr @kscarlett1 @cesarofangirl78 @redlipstickandplaid - anyone else just ask.

****

As a child, Rafael Barba loved the Christmas season. He loved getting to open a present on Noche Buena and feasting on lechon asado (which took all day to make), ropa vieja, moros y cristianos, maduros and arroz con leche. He loved hearing his grandmother tell stories about Cuba and if he was particularly good, she would let him have a sip of the heavily spiked crema de vie.

Rafael had been having a hard time getting into the festive spirit after his grandmother passed away, especially since he felt as if it were his fault.

This was the first Christmas he wasn’t single, however. The DA’s office had a mixer and that was how the two of you met. He worked with SVU; you worked in white collar crime. The two of you bonded over a discussion of Macallan rum while being miserable at the much forced work/social event.

While Rafael was grateful to have met you, his heart was hurting. He had longed for his abuelita to meet you. After she had passed, his mother gave him the engagement ring his grandmother wanted him to give to you. He carried the ring with him for weeks; though he still intended to ask for your hand, the ring felt like a stone dragging him down. Subconsciously, as a result, he distanced himself from you.

That morning, he woke up after another night of restless sleep. The clock read 4am and it was still pitch black outside. Carefully, so as to not to disturb your sleeping form, Rafael crawled out of bed and got ready for work.

You woke up startled. Seeing the empty spot next to you, you looked at the clock - 5:30 AM. You sighed, before collapsing back into bed, pulling the comforter over your head.

****

Two and a half hours later, you padded around the kitchen, ready to grab your purse when you noticed yesterday’s dinner untouched and uneaten on the counter. With a sigh, you tossed the plate of salmon and buttery potatoes (that had congealed) into the trash.

You knew grief was full of ups and downs - fits and starts. It was anything but a linear path. You could tell when Rafael was having a good day - he was jovial and confident. Other days, he appeared weary, as if the weight of the world was his burden. You tried to give Rafael as much space as he needed to process. As much as you were tempted to, you didn’t want to fall prey to the temptation of filling the silence with platitudes.

You headed out of the apartment and made way to get breakfast at the local coffee shop. If you knew Rafael well - which you did - you knew he hasn’t had breakfast. The DA’s office wasn’t far, so you carried a tray over - a large black for Rafael, a soy latte for Carmen and a flat white for yourself. In your other hand was Rafael’s favorite: a guava and cheese croissant, a rift on his favorite pastry growing up.

You walked down the hallway towards his office. The DA’s office was surprisingly quiet, but you knew that would soon change. You rapped softly, before entering.

“Carmen, I said no interruptions,” Rafael barked before looking up. His gaze subtly softened. “Cariño.”

“You were gone early. Didn’t get to say goodbye. I brought you something to eat,” you replied softly.

“Thanks but I’m not hungry,” Rafael grumbled before going back to his notes. “I’ll take the coffee though.”

You sat down in the chair in front of his desk and pushed the coffee and bakery bag in front of him.

“You aren’t taking care of yourself amor. You came home late last night, you haven’t shaved,” you continued eyeing the more than a 5 o’ clock shadow Rafael sported “and you didn’t eat because the leftovers in the fridge —“

“I said I wasn’t hungry! Drop it,” Rafael snapped, cutting you off. He looked up and saw the expression on your face. You gave him a small tight lipped smile and nodded.

“I’ll see you at home,” you replied, standing. At the doorway you paused to look behind you and saw that Rafael had resumed his writing. You nodded once more and shut the door behind you with a click.

Rafael looked back up as the door shut with a click. He sighed and tossed his pen onto the desk, his head falling into his hands.

***

Back at home, you blasted the local radio station that started playing Christmas music early. You bopped along Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.

You had the Christmas decorations brought up from storage and you had just finished hanging the stockings from the mantle, when a sharp knock interrupted you.

You hit pause on the stereo and then looked through the peephole. You smiled at the visitor and opened the door. “Mrs. Barba! What are you doing here?”

Lucia gave you a look. “Please, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Lucia.” She reached down to pick up a box. “Is Rafi here?”

“No - at the office,” you replied.

“Como siempre,” Lucia replied with a sigh, opening the box. “I was cleaning out my mother’s apartment and I found some of her old Christmas ornaments that she smuggled out of Cuba. These have been in our family for generations. I thought Rafi would love them.”

You gently picked up an frosted glass ball covered in lace. “These are gorgeous; thank you.”

Lucia gave you a warm smile. “You’ve done a lovely job decorating — why are there three stockings though on the mantle?”

You gave her a coy smile. “I haven’t even told Rafael yet,” you confessed. You placed a hand on your stomach.

“Ay dios mio!” Lucia exclaimed, enveloping you into a hug. “This is so exciting! When are you due? How do you feel? ¡Mija, siéntate!”

You let out a small giggle. “I’m only 6 weeks. I’m due August 19th. I feel good; some nausea. Nothing too bad.”

“Oh Rafi is going to be so happy!” Lucia exclaimed.

“I hope so,” you replied. When Lucia cocked her brow, you continued. “He’s been having a hard time since your mother passed.”

Lucia nodded, and walked over to the mantle, gingerly touching the stocking that had Baby Barba embroidered on it. “They were incredibly close. I know he feels guilty about the nursing home.”

You nodded, wrapping your arms around yourself. Lucia walked up to you and enveloped you into another hug.

****

Rafael wearily shuffled into the apartment. He took off his coat and hung it up, before removing his suit jacket. “Cariño?”

You pressed the button on the remote and the entire apartment lit up in sparkly lights. The apartment was decorated to the nines in Christmas decor.

Rafael was stunned. ‘When did she do all of this?’ he wondered.

“Surprise,” you replied softly, from across the room, by the mantle. “I know you have been having a hard time. And I know nothing I saw will bring her back, and nothing will change that void in your heart, but I just want to bring some joy back into your life.”

Rafael walked up to you. Wordlessly, he pulled you close to him. Your hands on his chest, you breathed in the scent of his cologne. Rafael tipped your head back slightly with his finger and brought his lips down to yours. You moaned into the kiss as his tongue tangled yours. The stubble of Rafael’s unshaved beard irritated your skin.

You hesitantly broke the kiss, trying to catch your breath. “Do you like it?”

“I love it. And I love you,” Rafael replied, pushing your hair back.

“Look, your mom gave us your abuela’s ornaments,” you replied, pulling Rafael towards the Christmas tree. You gently tapped a lace ornament.

Rafael’s eyes watered as he took an ornament in his hand. You wrapped an arm around Rafael’s waist and rested your head against him. Rafael kissed the top of your head. He looked behind you and towards the mantle, his eyes tracking the stockings that hung. “There are three,” he noted curiously.

Rafael walked to the third stocking; he looked at you, his eyes watering once more. “It says ... are you?”

You bit your lip, nodding. “Yeah.”

Rafael swept you into his arms once more, twirling you in his embrace. He set you down gently, your back to him, with a hand firmly pressed against your abdomen.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I’m sorry if I’ve been distant, Rafael apologized, his voice cracking a bit.

“Don’t,” you shook your head. “I understand. It’s okay.”

Rafael pressed a kiss into the slope of your neck. You both watched the decorations and lights sparkle on the tree. Rafael knew somehow, with you by his side, he’d get through this tough time. Rafael also looked forward to the future and the new beginnings that awaited the two of you.

FIN

#barba x reader #rafael barba fanfic #rafael barba x reader #barba and reader #rafael barba imagine #christmas otp challenge

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floralguccistyles · 5 years

Photo

four: empty child

I had mixed feelings about it being February first.

Of course I was excited, because I got paid on the first and fifteenth of each month so I was ready to have money again. My refrigerator was getting horrifyingly low and I had run out of tampons. I also liked the first of each month because it meant no matter how shitty January was (and it had been decently shitty), February was a new month.

It was also Harry Styles’ birthday.

Surprisingly, I had already known this before his stardom. Even though he and his group of my tormentors had hardly been on my radar after secondary school had ended, I remembered them always making a big to-do of each others’ birthdays. Oliver and Emma’s birthdays were late August, right around when the school year would start. Emma’s boyfriend had a birthday in March. Nathan’s birthday was November thirteenth.

And Harry Styles’ was February first.

Contrary to popular belief, my world did not revolve around Harry Styles. I simply woke up on the morning of the first, checked my bank account and did a little happy dance when I realized I would be able to afford groceries, and then scrolled on Twitter. I didn’t even correlate the day to his birthday until I saw the hashtag trending.

I hadn’t given Harry much thought since two weeks ago, when the bouquet of flowers had arrived on my doorstep. I didn’t want to know how he got my address (probably Bailey) and I didn’t want to think about the fact that he was the first guy to have ever gotten me flowers. I didn’t want Harry to be the first boy to have given me flowers. My first experience felt tainted now. I always dreamed that I would press the first flower someone gave to me in the thickest book I could find. With the bouquet from Harry, I didn’t bother. It made me sad that my plan had been spoiled. They had gone in the trash after a week, when they had started to wilt; even though I couldn’t bring myself to press a flower form Harry’s bouquet, it didn’t mean I was going to throw away perfectly good flowers until they were dying.

Upon realizing it was his birthday, I stopped doing my happy dance and frowned down at my Twitter feed before shutting out of the app. It was highly unlikely I’d be interacting with Harry any time soon (if ever) so I didn’t feel that I had to see his face plastered on all my social media accounts.

I dressed in some warmer clothes for my biweekly trek to the supermarket. Zach was out of town for the week with some uni friends, so Jeremiah was letting me borrow his car to run my errands. I appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to Uber to the market. There was a Spiceways about eight minutes from my flat, so I drove through the streets of Merton until I pulled up to the store, hopping out of Jeremiah’s car with a little bit of difficulty because it was so high up.

Unlike some, I didn’t mind grocery shopping. Maybe it was because when I was younger and wanted to get junk food all the time, my mum wouldn’t let me. With the freedom to choose whatever I damn well pleased, grocery shopping wasn’t the horror that most people made it out to be.

I was debating between Jaffa Cakes and Aero bars when my phone rang.

“Hello?” I asked without really looking at the caller ID.

“Hey Petra,” Bailey’s happy voice said from the other side of the line.

Bailey had been diligent about checking in on me since the Peter incident. I appreciated her worry. She’d been texting me a little and asking how my days had been and stuff about the podcast that she easily could have asked Veronica. I liked that she was keeping an eye on me.

“Hey,” I responded. “Quick question. Jaffa Cakes or Aero bars?”

“Aero all the way.”

“Got it.” I threw the box of Aero bars in my cart. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to invite you to a party tonight. Veronica and I are going and she suggested that we invite you. Jeremiah, too.” I heard rustling on the other side of the line and wondered what she was making.

Bailey made things for Etsy in her free time, when she wasn’t busy being a badass biochemist. I had actually gotten a knitted scarf from her a couple years ago and still had it. She was known for making little things like hair accessories or blankets, but sometimes she dabbled in clothes. Which was why she and Veronica’s flat was covered in fabrics. It was like walking into a craft store.

“A party? For what?” Decided to screw my health, I threw in the box of jaffa cakes in the cart as well. I wouldn’t eat them all in one sitting, I reasoned with myself. One a day couldn’t be too terrible for my health.

“Some birthday party Jeff invited me to. It’s in Hampstead, so they’ll have the good alcohol. Veronica’s never met Jeff so she wanted us to go.”

Jeff Azoff had helped Harry with his first record. Bailey was friends with Jeff Azoff. Harry’s birthday, coincidentally, happened to be today. “Is it Harry Styles’ birthday party?”

“I didn’t actually ask Jeff, but if it’s his birthday today, then probably.”

I sighed. “Probably not a good idea for Harry Styles and I to be in the same vicinity. Last time I nearly bit his head off. Rightfully so, but…” I trailed off, shaking my head at the memory. And with the memory also came visions of my pretty pink tulips and white baby’s breath. “Thanks for the invite, though.”

“I know you and Harry have got a rocky relationship, but I imagine this party’s going to be huge. Chances are you won’t even see him there. I just want you to be able to get out and have some fun. If you want to leave, I’ll be the first one to pay for an Uber for you.”

I debated it for a moment. It would be nice to get out of the house. I had been holed up between my flat and Outset, working on AC and simultaneously feeling like a fool about my awful date with Peter. I was usually very observant of someone’s character and it had thrown me off that I had gotten Peter so wrong. And Bailey was right. If the party was in Hampstead, Bailey was correct in assuming there would be good alcohol. No one in Hampstead would dare buy the cheap stuff. It would also be nice to hang out with Jeremiah and Veronica outside of AC.

“I don’t know, Bails. Can I get a couple hours to think about it?”

“Sure, no problem. It starts at seven. I’ll text you later and if you need a ride, Veronica and I can come grab you.”

I appreciated that she wasn’t pushing me to go, like my parents would have been. They would have demanded I show up and try to get to know the “new Harry.” We hung up the call after I promised to text her once I made a decision, and I stared at my shopping cart for a little while longer before I decided that he wasn’t going to consume my thoughts. I had once let him do that, when I was younger and more insecure. It wasn’t going to happen again.

I was usually done shopping in about thirty minutes because I didn’t dawdle around as I filled my basket with shitty food. Something this time, however, had me standing in the middle of the Mexican food isle, my brain still focused on Peter’s words. Though it had been racist of him to say it the way he did, I think it also bothered me because of how wrong he was. I didn’t know what foods from my culture were good because my parents had tried to conform to the English foods.

My grandmother on my father’s side had come to visit us only once when she had gotten a bonus from her job in Santa Clara. She had scoured the isles of every market in town, trying to find acceptable ingredients for the meal she promised my father. That night, I had arroz con pollo, empanadas, flan, and a cake with dulce de leche poured on top. It had been the best meal of my entire life.

No one in my family had made anything like that since.

I was holding a box of Spanish rice in my hand, trying to decide if I could make myself arroz con pollo like my grandmother did, when a little girl accidentally bumped into me. She looked to be about five years old, with a cute little gap tooth that I spotted when she smiled hesitantly at me.

“Lo siento,” she said softly, hugging onto her mother’s leg. Her mother shot me an apologetic glance.

“It’s okay,” I managed, smiling at the little girl. “I like your bow.” I pointed to the glittery silver bow in her hair. It took up half of her head.

She glanced at her mother, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. Her mother stammered over a couple of words as she responded to me. “We...speak...no English,” she said, her voice heavily accented.

I felt the shame flow through me. Shame that I hadn’t ever forced my parents to teach me Spanish. Shame that I couldn’t communicate with this little girl and her mother. Shame that I had gotten so lost in England that I hadn’t picked up Spanish myself.

“No se mucho español,” I said as a way of explaining, hoping the apologetic expression on my face was enough to convey to her that I was truly sorry I couldn’t compliment her little girl’s bow.

The mother just smiled at me and nodded politely before she and the little girl started off in the opposite direction of the isle. The little girl turned around and gave me a big wave, her little gap-toothed grin flashing before she faced in front of her once more. Their lives, just like that, unaffected by someone they ran into that couldn’t speak Spanish.

Meanwhile, I was frozen.

I felt like crying, as stupid as it sounded. But it wasn’t the first time someone had asked me something in Spanish and I hadn’t been able to respond. And even though I knew I shouldn’t, I always felt like a bad person. Like I should be more in-tune with my heritage. Like I wasn’t allowed to call myself Cuban because really, I hadn’t even ever been to Cuba.

I put the box of rice back on the shelf, and stupidly, it felt like I was putting half of my soul back.

Maybe it would be a good idea to go to Harry’s party. Bailey was probably right about a ton of people being there. He was internationally known. There would have to be at least two hundred people at one of his parties, probably more. If I stayed with Jeremiah and Veronica, he wouldn’t even notice me. And after the emotional turmoil of the supermarket, I was ready for a drink or two. Or three. And even if he did notice me, that didn’t mean I couldn’t ignore him. Just because it was his birthday didn’t mean I had to be nice to him.

He could tell you that you need to get your head out of your ass and be a real person instead of living in fantasy books.

But hopefully, I reasoned, I would be too drunk to care if he did do that.

Which is the only reason why I texted Bailey an hour later, when my groceries were in my fridge and I was in the comfort of my own home.

I’ll be there tonight. But can I bring Melody?

“Okay, but can I throat punch him?”

“You know, I’m gonna assume no.”

“Bummer.”

Melody and I were standing outside of the house in Hampstead. I didn’t know who it belonged to. When I had asked Bailey in the car she had shrugged her shoulders. At least that meant it wasn’t Jeff’s, since I would assume Bailey would know if it was his house.

Bailey, Jeremiah, and Veronica had already made their way inside. Melody and I, however, were still outside staring at the front of the house. It was obnoxiously grandiose. I couldn’t imagine having that much space and having to actually decorate it. We had stumbled out of the car and I found myself unable to go any further.

“We can leave whenever you want,” Melody reminded me. It was the fourth time she had mentioned this fact.

“I’m twenty-four. What does it say that I’m still terrified of someone I went to secondary school with?”

“That you’re a normal human being who doesn’t like to be made fun of and that he’s a dick?” Melody offered helpfully. I snorted.

“Reckon we should go in,” I said after a couple of moments. She nodded, patting my shoulder affectionately before we both trekked up the front porch. The door was open because the estate was surrounded by what I assumed were military-grade security cameras and a huge opaque fence. The only people who were getting inside the fence either had the gate code or were rock climbers.

As soon as we stepped inside, my body rattled with the bass of the song playing. I didn’t recognize it, but I probably didn’t listen to the same music Harry Styles did, so I wasn’t surprised. Melody had the extraordinary ability of finding alcohol wherever it was hidden, so it was only about ten seconds before she tugged me in the direction of the kitchen, where there was a wide array of drinks lining the kitchen counter. A kitchen counter, I might add, that was the size of a swimming pool. Melody grabbed a beer and handed it to me. I didn’t hesitate to take a swig.

I didn’t spot my other companions, which was good and bad news. Bad news because I wanted to spend time with them, good news because if finding them was hard, then certainly finding the birthday boy was going to be impossible. “I want to take a look around this house,” Melody mentioned to me after she had grabbed herself a drink.

Fine with getting away from the crowd, I let her pull me into the left hallway. There were only two doors, and one of them was open. It was a bathroom, but it wasn’t a normal bathroom. It was probably the size of my bedroom and front room combined. There was a giant clawfoot tub and shower across from a marble countertop with black sink basins. Melody’s jaw dropped open as we stepped inside.

“Fuck this is nice,” she commented, twirling around to take in the bathroom in its entirety. “Can you imagine owning a tub like that? I’d never leave.”

I agreed. I was a sucker for a good clawfoot tub. This one looked like it could easily fit four people. “I could live in that tub.”

“Wonder what this room is,” she said, casually walking out of the bathroom and opening up the other door. I was about to scold her for being rude, but most of the party guests were outside in the yard and barely took notice of us.

This looked like a guest room of some kind. The walls were painted a dark navy blue and the room was accented with dark walnut and white colored woods, making the contrast sharp. The bed was king sized, decorated with other little navy pillowcases and navy sheets. There was a black and white blanket at the end of the bed that looked like it would be scratchy. I figured it was just there for decoration. There weren’t many pictures on the walls, but there was one of a giant black and white elephant next to a telly that was plastered to the wall.

“Holy shit. I could just stay in here and no one would know.” Then, in an action that absolutely horrified me, she jumped onto the bed, wiggling around in the sheets. “Oh Christ, you’ve got to get a load of this bed, Petra.”

“No,” I hissed out, crossing my arms over my chest. “Melody, this isn’t our house.”

“I guarantee whoever lives here doesn’t give a right fuck.”

“You aren’t wrong, I suppose.”

The new voice had me jumping in my skin. Melody didn’t even both to sit up, just waving away whoever the voice was, but I turned to see whose bedroom we were snooping in. The face that greeted me wasn’t one I expected to see. Obviously, she didn’t expect to see me either, since her amused expression dropped from her face and she glanced at me with wide eyes.

“Petra? Petra Gallego?” Gemma Styles asked with a slowly-forming smile on her face. “Holy shit.” And then her arms were around me, pulling me into a friendly hug.

Unlike Harry, I had never had a problem with Gemma. Knowing that she was one of the kindest people I’d ever met, I knew it wasn’t likely she knew how her brother treated me. She always said hi to me when she saw me around Holmes Chapel and even offered to curl my hair for prom for year ten. I didn’t end up going until year eleven because of Harry and his friends, but I appreciated the offer. Since she was a little older than me, we never really kept in touch, but I kept up with her sometimes.

“Oh good,” Melody mentioned from the bed. “You know the person who sleeps in this room. Meaning I can sleep here.”

Gemma pulled away from me. “Isn’t it magnificent? I’m glad he splurged on that mattress. Means I don’t sleep like shit when I come visit.”

“Wait, what? Is this… is this Harry’s house?” I asked. Gemma had already floated over to her bed and flopped down next to Melody like the two of them were best friends.

“You didn’t know that? But you’re here.”

“I knew it was his party, I didn’t know it was his house.” And now I felt like an idiot. I was standing inside Harry Styles’ home. “Fuck, I’ve got to go.”

“Why?” Gemma asked, sitting up. “I’m not mad you’re in here.”

“No, I mean I have to leave the house.” I didn’t want to be in Harry’s house. I didn’t know why it made a difference whose house it was, but I knew it did. My skin was crawling. I had knowingly walked into the lion’s den. “Melody, we’ve got to leave.”

“Alright, but you’re going to have to peel me up.”

Gemma stood up easily enough and frowned at me. “Is Harry being a dick to you again? I’ll punch him in the nose, I swear.” At the expression on my face, her frown deepened. “He’s changed, Petra. I promise. If I thought for a second Harry was still acting like a shitty teenage boy, I’d drive you home myself. I’d just hate for you to feel like you have to leave.”

I appreciated her loyalty to her brother, I really did. But I didn’t want to be in here and I didn’t want to be around Gemma anymore, not when she would so blindly advocate for him. I was happy she’d punched him in the nose when she found out how he treated me when we were kids, but that didn’t mean she was going to support me telling her brother to go fuck himself. She loved him too much. I saw the way they were when we were younger, like they were two sides of the same coin.

“She’s right, you know.”

“Oh Jesus fuck, of course you’re here,” Melody mentioned, still lying on the bed in Harry Styles’ guest room. Unlike Gemma, this voice wasn’t a surprise.

Harry gave me a hesitant smile. “I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want, but you should stay and enjoy the party. I’ll make myself scarce.”

“You shouldn’t have to in your own house,” I said regrettably, clenching my teeth so I wouldn’t add a “fucker” to my sentiments. “If I had known it was your place, I wouldn’t have come.”

He looked defeated, but also like he knew he deserved my harsh words. I felt a spike of pleasure at his sad expression. I knew it was vindictive and mean, but I didn’t care.

“Yeah, cause you’re a raging twat.”

I snickered at Melody’s deadpan tone and the surprised look on Harry’s face when he realized the other person in the room wasn’t someone he knew. Melody pulled herself up from the bed and lazily stood, giving Harry a once over and looking entirely unimpressed.

“You must be Melody.”

“Damn straight I’m Melody,” she huffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “And you’re an arsehole.”

Gemma raised a brow but didn’t say much else.

“I know,” Harry replied, and I was surprised by his admittance. Then, without thinking about it, he stepped aside and gestured out into the hall. “You want a tour of the rest of the house? I’ve got a Super Caeser in my room.”

Melody’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit. Those are the beds that fit four people right?” At Harry’s nod, she grinned. “Lead the way, twat.”

It was my mouth’s turn to drop open. “Melody,” I hissed underneath my breath. Where was the solidarity? Where was the earlier promise that she’d leave with me if I decided I wanted to go home?

“I know, I know,” she whispered to me as Harry left the room and started down the hallway. “But I’ve never seen a Super Caeser mattress before and I really want to.” She cast a glance at Gemma, who was still standing in the room. “You like her right? Stay with her. I’ll be right back.” And then she was out the door, leaving me glaring at her.

“I’ve caught Alien Crossing a couple of times,” Gemma said as a way to make conversation. I noticed that we were moving out of the guest room. Now that I knew Gemma was the one using it, I felt worse for snooping. “It’s fucking brilliant, Petra. Good for you making something so unique and fun.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t used to members of the Styles family praising me for what I did.

We were walking aimlessly in the same direction Harry and Melody had left in. I slowed my steps, but I felt rude if I didn’t follow Gemma and let our conversation randomly end. “The episode with Harry seemed to go well. When he called me and told me he was going to be on, I nearly had an aneurysm. I was sure you wouldn’t want him within five feet of you.”

“I didn’t. I asked him to be on because the guest we had lined up had a family emergency.”

Gemma suddenly stopped in her tracks. We were in the hallway to the right side of the front door now, where I could see three more doors that probably contained bathrooms and bedrooms bigger than my entire flat. “I never tried to get in touch to apologize, Petra.”

“Apologize?” I blinked in surprise. “Apologize for what?”

“For Harry being a prick,” she said softly, shrugging her shoulders and crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I know he’s not my responsibility, but… I just really wish he hadn’t been so nasty to you. It was really out of character for him. I’d like to say with confidence that he was just doing it to go along with his friends, but I don’t know. I’ve felt guilty about it ever since he told me.”

“Gemma, you’re right. He’s not your responsibility. He knew what he was doing and he chose to do it anyway. I’m not mad at you.”

“But you’re mad at him. And it sucks because he totally deserves it.”

He did. He deserved my anger, my wrath, my disdain. He deserved for me to tell him to stay the fuck out of my life and never contact me again. I should have told him that. But there was something about seeing Gemma’s defeated expression that had me keeping my comments to myself.

So instead, I shrugged. “It is what it is, Gemma.”

And that, unfortunately, was the truth. It was too late for her apologies, and she wasn’t the one that was supposed to be giving them. Melody suddenly appeared as Gemma and I stood in the hallway, looking nothing short of enchanted. She all but floated to my side, a wistful expression on her face.

“I want one,” she said after a few moments. I snorted. Harry emerged from the room looking like he wanted to laugh and frown at the same time. It was a weird dichotomy. “But the fog of a Super Caesar mattress has cleared from my head, so I will happily leave with you if you’d like to leave.”

Though I had no patience for Harry, I did have patience for Gemma. And one look at her guilty face, though she had nothing to be guilty for, had me hesitating. “I’ll...stay for a bit,” I said quietly. Melody looked surprised, but nodded her head. Harry looked like someone had just told him the best news ever. It looked entirely too happy and fake to be an expression on the face of Harry Styles, but I wasn’t focused much on him. I was focused on his sister, who gave me a hopeful smile before she glared at her brother.

“Great! Melody and I will go get you another beer. Harry can give you a tour of the house.”

I didn’t have time to open my mouth and argue before Gemma was grabbing Melody’s arm in a vice like grip and pulling her in the direction of the kitchen. That left Harry and I alone, standing in his hallway. I crossed my arms over my chest. He put his hands in his pockets.

It was all very, very awkward.

“I’m not gonna say happy birthday,” I suddenly burst out. I think I surprised him because he jumped a little.

“That’s okay,” he agreed softly. Another few moments of awkward silence. “Well, do you want the tour? It’s okay if you don’t.”

I didn’t really care much about Harry Styles’ house, but I had a feeling if I went to go find Gemma and Melody, Gemma would just find a way to bring me back to right where I was standing. “Whatever. Just start walking.”

He did as I said, turning on his heels and opening up the first door. It was another guest room, but it didn’t look like anyone stayed in it much. There was a desk and a computer in there as well, so I figured he used it for an office. “This is one of the guest rooms,” he said hesitantly, like he wasn‘t entirely sure I wouldn’t just turn around and leave him in the middle of speaking. “Gemma doesn’t like staying in here because she thinks the government is watching her from the webcam of the computer.”

I raised a brow. “Doesn’t she have an iPhone?”

He grinned. “Yep.”

I wanted to ask him to stop smiling because when he smiled I wanted to punch him, but I figured that would be weird, even for me. So instead, I hummed out a response before I turned and walked towards the door directly across from the office. It was another bathroom, this one without a claw-foot tub. I automatically liked it less because of that fact. But it was decorated nicely, in soft nudes and tans. Overall, it was very impersonal.

“Your place is a two story,” I mentioned offhandedly just as he was about to open the door to his room.

He furrowed his brows. “Yeah. Why?”

“Why’re you on the first floor then?”

He smiled. “I specifically renovated it a couple years ago so it’s a big open space up there. I’ve got a telly and some instruments. I record ideas for songs there.”

I didn’t know if he expected me to be impressed, but I just nodded my head, going along with what he was saying. He pushed open the door to his room walked in, gesturing to the giant mattress that even I could admit was impressive. There were guitars lining the walls. It would have looked tacky if I had tried to do the same thing in my flat, but it fit this room somehow. There was a giant flat screen against the wall closest to the door, on a stand that was filled to the brim with DVD cases. I didn’t think anyone even watched DVDs anymore.

Harry walked around the room, pointing out the master bath and the record player he had in the furthest corner, along with stacks and rows of vinyls. His voice trailed off when he turned and realized I hadn’t followed him into the room. “You okay?” he asked quietly.

I wasn’t. Because he looked so comfortable in his room, his safe space that he obviously put love and time into. “This room,” I said, pausing to try and find the right words, “you look comfortable in it.”

“Yeah. It’s my safe space.”

I nodded. “That’s what Alien Crossing is to me.”

“I know.”

“No.” I shook my head, closing my eyes to try and fight back the headache growing. “No, you don’t know. Because I’ve never told you. I never told you because when I was fifteen, you told me I had to get my head out of my ass and live in the real world, instead of my little fantasy world.” He at least had the decency to look ashamed. “But you know what, I don’t even care about that. You sent me flowers because Bailey told you what Peter did. But Harry… what your friends said to me was much, much worse. And you didn’t do shit to stop it.”

“I know. I’m so sorry, Petra.”

“I don’t want a fucking apology!” I screamed, suddenly infuriated. I didn’t want to hear him say that he was sorry. It was too late. “I don’t care if that makes me stubborn or selfish or stuck in the past. I hated myself, hated the things I loved, because you and your friends made me feel like shit. Made me feel like less than a person. And then I put myself on the line, asking you to be on my podcast, and it was just a huge mistake because I’m tired of feeling less than. You make me feel less than, Harry. I can’t accept your apology, Harry. Not right now. Not when I still have to see a fucking therapist because Nathan told me to go back to where I came from even though I was born in fucking Cheshire like the rest of you.”

It was silent. If I breathed in the wrong way, he would hear it. But I was just so tired. I sighed and slumped against his door, leaning my body on it as though it would support me for the rest of my life. He stood on the other side of the room, feeling both like he was an ocean away and much, much too close.

“I won’t try and apologize again, because I know that’s not what you want to hear. I know I was awful, Petra. I feel like shit about it. And I’m not saying that to make you feel bad for me or make it all about myself, but because I want you to know that the asshole from Holmes Chapel doesn’t exist anymore. I know it’s going to be hard to get him out of your head, but he’s gone.”

“It doesn’t change what he did,” I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose.

The two of us stood there for who knew how long. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours. He was letting me process and I appreciated that. Deep, deep in my mind, I knew my anger at him was overwhelming. He’d apologized three times now, each one sounding more and more sincere than the last. It didn’t mean I was ready to forgive him by any means, but I could at least acknowledge that he was trying.

“Did Gemma really punch you in the nose when she found out?” I asked after a few moments.

He nodded. “Had to cover it up with a shit ton of makeup because that was around the time we were touring with Big Time Rush.”

I let out a snort, shaking my head at the image of Harry sitting in a makeup chair while they smeared concealer over his nose. Then, I sighed. “Christ, Harry. I’m twenty-four and I don’t have the time or energy to be holding onto this feeling. But you’ve got to keep in mind that it’s going to take a while. I might never forgive you fully.”

“I completely understand.”

Pushing myself up from the door because I figured that was the end of the conversation, I steadied myself and went to walk out to the kitchen. I figured it had been an appropriate enough amount of time spent with Harry; confident that Gemma wouldn’t send me back, I started on my way.

I don’t know what made me turn around to catch the expression on his face, to check and see if it was just a facade that fell away when I turned my back, but I did.

He looked genuinely remorseful. I hated it. Because I knew that if I stuck around long enough, I would start to fall for it and I wasn’t ready to do that quite yet. Which was why I was going to grab another beer for the road and order myself an Uber. Everyone would understand. Melody might even go with me, if Gemma wasn’t still holding her captive.

“I liked the flowers.” My voice was almost silent, but of course he heard it.

“Yeah?”

I didn’t answer him, just left him standing in his room in search of Melody and more alcohol.

“It’s one hundred percent considered literature. I agree with you.”

I was nodding my head at my own words as I smiled at Daisy Callahan. She was sitting across from me, also decked out in her pajamas which made me love her even more. Currently, we were discussing whether or not fanfiction should be considered literature, though it wasn’t much of an argument since we both agreed it did.

“I mean, look at how many fanfictions have been turned into huge adaptions. There’s Fifty Shades, which was originally Twilight fanfiction—”

Jeremiah cut Daisy off from his place in the soundbooth. “Are we really going to consider Fifty Shades a piece of literature though?”

“Actually,” Daisy started, turning to Jeremiah and giving him a smirk, “I wrote my thesis on a work that was considered fanfiction. Jean Rhys wrote her novel Wide Sargasso Sea in response to Jane Eyre, but from the perspective of Bertha, Rochester’s crazy first wife. I wrote about the racial difference between Rhys and Brontë and how that inspired the book. Got a nice master’s degree out of it.” Daisy shrugged happily when Jeremiah conceded, raising his hands as if to say fine, you win.

It was nice to be getting back into the swing of things. Harry’s party a few days ago had shaken me up. I hadn’t been expecting to run into one of the Styles siblings, let alone both of them. In all honesty, leaving when I had was probably the best decision I’d ever made in my life. If I had stayed, I would have downed every last beer bottle I could find and then did something regrettable, like actually forgive Harry Styles for all the shit he had put me through. Though I told Harry I was tired of being angry at him, it didn’t mean all that hatred just went away.

“There’s also the huge After phenomenon,” Daisy supplied as another example. I wanted to groan. Think of the devil and the devil shall appear. “Petra, do you still keep in touch with Harry? Do you know how he feels about the whole fanfiction thing?”

I blinked. “I, er, I’m not sure. I don’t really ask him about it.” I didn’t really talk to him at all, so it wasn’t surprising. “He doesn’t really seem like the type to mind it, I guess.”

“That’s exactly my point! Most celebrities feel flattered that audiences love them so much that they want to sit down and create a whole world for them...”

Daisy was off on her tangent again, and I knew I could sit back and relax. She’d been on the show before, which was why she was so confident and comfortable sitting in her pajamas. I also knew she talked a lot. Which was perfectly fine with me because my mind was still on how stupid I had been at the party. I shouldn’t have even stepped through the doors, and I should have left the second I found out it was his place.

Harry hadn’t tried to contact me since the party. Since it was only the week before, I hadn’t expected him to. But I was happy he seemed to be taking my words seriously. It would take time for me to stand being around him. Someone who had gotten in contact with me, however, was Gemma. She’d found me on Instagram and followed me. We’d been chatting back and forth about random and trivial things, never really bringing up her brother or the damage he’d done to me. Instead, she asked how work was going and if Veronica and Bailey were going to get engaged soon.

Daisy and I finished up our conversation and Jeremiah cut the sound. We both stood, our joints popping and creaking from sitting down in one position for so long. “That was fun, Petra.”

“Always nice having you back, Daisy.”

Jeremiah and Veronica were chatting in the booth, yet to open up the door. Which was why Daisy leaned over to me and whispered, “Hey, can I ask you a question?” Without waiting for me to respond, she continued. “Is Jeremiah seeing anyone?”

I blinked at her, surprised by what she was asking me. In the years I’d known Jeremiah, he’d only had one serious girlfriend. They lasted six months, but Jeremiah was gutted when she broke up with him. He had been telling me that he thought she was the one he was going to marry. That had been nearly two years ago. “Not that I know of. Why, you thinking about going for it?”

Daisy was a pretty girl. She had short hair cut to her shoulders, in a dark brown that nearly looked black. Right now she was wearing pajamas, but I’d seen her enough to know she was about my size, despite the fact that she towered over me by at least six inches. She’d always been kind to me. Given my track record with people, this was a big factor. “I dunno. We always have nice chats when I’m here. And he always walks me to my car. He’s sweet.” We both looked back at the booth, where Jeremiah was sitting. He was clicking away at something on the computer, looking like he was arguing with Veronica. “And damn, Petra, he’s fit as hell.”

A laugh escaped my throat, unbidden, and Daisy giggled along with me. I’d never considered Jeremiah fit, but I supposed subjectively, he was. I had always just known him as my friend Jeremiah, so there was never any attraction between us. “I think if you want to, you should go for it.” It would be nice to see Jeremiah get out of his shell a bit.

“Yeah?” When I nodded, she let out a breath. “Oh good. I thought there might have been something going on between you two.”

Wrinkling my nose in distaste, I shook my head. “He’s like an annoying older brother.”

Daisy laughed. “Well, I think I’m gonna ask for his number then. Maybe when he walks me out.”

Veronica left with a smile and a promise to see me later. Jeremiah, true to Daisy’s word, offered to walk her out to her car before Zach got here to pick him up. Which left me alone in Outset, sitting in the sound booth and getting a pad and paper. I would start listening to see if it all sounded good and jot down anything if I heard it.

My phone lit up with an Instagram message notification. I assumed it was Gemma, continuing on our conversation about Veronica and Bailey, so I picked it up absentmindedly and slid my finger across the notification to open it. When I looked down, however, I realized it was from a completely different Styles sibling.

I wanted to follow you on Instagram, but I figured I’d better ask you first.

I was trying really hard not to be mad at him, because I hadn’t lied when I said I was exhausted of it. But it was shit like this, him thinking that things were okay between us just because of one drunken lapse in judgement on my part by letting me know I liked the flowers, that made me mad.

Do whatever you want, Harry. I don’t care.

But I did care. I didn’t want him seeing my personal life. There were pictures of me at Comic-Con, pictures of me holding up a new book with the biggest grin on my face, and a video of me dancing around in an alien costume for my twenty-third birthday. Giving him access to that, to see me at my most vulnerable, was a mistake. When I glanced back down to my phone, I saw that he had read my message.

I waited for the notification that he followed me, but it never came.

#1dff #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles ou #ac

51 notes · View notes

thisstableground · 5 years

Note

Thank you so much for being one of like 3 people on the internet who writes docs with Ruben in them!!! Could you write fluff with Ruben making breakfast?

[This isn’t fluff! I apologise! It was supposed to be but it turned into Ruben in a bittersweet but not unhappy introspection about four months into his recovery, having a nourishing breakfast with a side of slow but steady emotional healing. So, y’know, classic thisstableground content. Warning for PTSD things, implied past suicidal thoughts, and also for some kinda disordered eating talk.]

Also on AO3!

***

Ruben had always been under the impression that near death experiences were supposed to come with new appreciation of the life you almost lost. He had a whole run of them and only came away with a blurred recollection of what now feels like someone else’s rescue: he doesn’t remember having to be sedated for the plane back, or arriving at a Philadelphia hospital that thankfully wasn’t Independence Memorial. He doesn’t remember seeing his family again for the first time in months. The earliest thing he can recall from his return is that Ma was the one who was there to stop him when he tried to tear out his own IV and make a break for it.

“The doctor said you have to stay here for just a little while, sweetheart,” she’d explained, as he begged her to let him leave. “You’ve lost too much weight, and you have a fever. They want to make sure you’re going to be okay before you come back home.”

He remembers thinking, I’m never going to be okay. But they treated him for dehydration, fed him gritty-textured nutrition shakes and hospital food he had no appetite for till he started to put on weight again, put him on antibiotics for the infection from poorly-cared for wounds that had hit him with the fever, and after a few weeks they let him go back to live with his ma.

Near death hasn’t gifted him with a new lease on life so far. At best he’s been having life pushed on him while he passively lets it happen. When he wakes up hours before everyone else, he lies there with the day a vast, black expanse of vacuum and inside himself the same expanse, and wants to go back to sleep forever. Ma is the one who makes him get up, knocks on his locked door in the morning and tells him that she’s made breakfast so he needs to come downstairs and eat before she leaves. She does’t believe him when he says he eats while she’s at work, which is fair. He didn’t at first. Hunger has just been the background noise of consciousness for a long enough time he forgot what it meant.

From those early days he remembers her trying to grasp his thin wrist gently in one hand, and how she looked when he shied away from her touch, and her voice tearfully saying, “look at yourself, cariño, there’s almost nothing left of you”. He remembers thinking, good. If there’s nothing left of him then there’s nothing anyone can take from him. If he’s nothing but hollow no matter what, then what could hungry even mean any more?

But he’d eat, only because it was easier than lying to Ma about it, and because it was easier than making her cry again. And life pushed on him pushes him to live: he goes to therapy. He exists. He wakes up in the morning, every morning, even though there’s nothing to wake up to when the trial in April is over, the now what of May and June.

In July he wakes up, and thinks about lying here all day, and thinks about the gnawing feeling of unfilled space echoing around his body, and thinks, I want arroz con leche.

What? Jesus. When was the last time he wanted anything?

Breakfast sounds…good, though. Good enough that it seems too long to wait for Ma to get up in an hour. Even though he’s got nothing but time it’s somehow a lot harder to let the minutes slip by when there’s actually something he could do about what he wants, so after fidgeting around restlessly for a while he gives into it and unlocks his door. Crouches at the top of the stairs to peek through the railings into the living room below, like he used to in their first house in Philadelphia when he was eavesdropping on Ma having whispered disagreements with his father about Ruben when they thought that he was sleeping.

Nobody in the living room, or in the dining room when he tiptoes down there. He leans around the doorway of the kitchen, nobody in there. Ground floor cleared for safety he can relax some, putting the rice and cinnamon sticks on to boil and opening a can of condensed milk to add later. As he’s taking a bowl out of the cupboard, he realises that when he woke up feeling empty his first thought was that’s probably because I’m hungry not that’s because I wish I was dead. He drops the bowl on the counter in shock: it clatters loudly but doesn’t break.

“Shit!” he curses, gripping the edge of the bowl tightly and trying not to let the sound fling him into fight-or-flight, and then repeats “shit,” when he hears the sound of a door opening on the floor above and then footsteps down the stairs. Ma’s room is above the kitchen. She must have heard him.

“It’s only me, Ma,” he calls softly.

“Rubén?” She comes to the kitchen. “¿Estás bien?”

“Sí, just dropped a bowl.”

“You’re up very early,” she says. Ruben’s pretty sure she means, you’re up at all?

“I’m making arroz con leche. You can go back to bed, it’s okay.”

“Do you need any help?”

“I got it.” Don’t be irritated. It’s a reasonable question. Still, he’s glad that she leaves the room instead of watching him, though he pauses to hear her footsteps and can tell she hasn’t gone back upstairs. She’s probably listening out for him from the living room. Don’t be irritated at that, either.

The rice simmers gently releasing cinnamon-scented steam and Ruben dips a finger into the can of condensed milk to taste it while he waits. Arroz con leche reminds him of sick days off school: insisting he needed to go in to stay on top of his work, but secretly relieved when Ma refused because it meant being able to stay in the quiet, just him and the one person he could always rely on, the way he’d always preferred things to be. She’d cook the rice while he went upstairs to bring his quilt and a pillow down to the sofa and then when he was tucked in comfortably she’d bring him a bowlful, that comforting mixture of warm and spiced and sweet but still bland enough to be easy to eat when he had no appetite. He’d feed spoonfuls from his own bowl to Paola and Mercedes when they were babies too, his way of letting them know sick days used to be for just me and Mamá, but it’s okay that you’re here now too.

When it’s ready he dishes out two bowls, puts raisins on Ma’s but not his own. Makes two coffees, both black with cinnamon, and takes one bowl and one mug on a tray into the living room. Ma is sitting on the sofa in her bathrobe, absent-mindedly pencilling answers into the newspaper crossword.

“Desayuno,” he says, putting the tray down on the coffee table.

“Oh, gracias,” she says, putting a hand over her heart. “What a nice surprise.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise for him to do something so simple as this for her, he thinks. He stands for a minute watching as she sets her newspaper down and picks up the tray. When he was growing up she always used to watch the news in the morning but they don’t do that any more after half the local news was him for so long. Ruben might be old news now but they still don’t watch it: there’s enough sadness in their lives without having to learn the sadness of the rest of the world too. What does she do to fill the time before work instead? Does she do the crossword every day? Does she sit in the stillness of the early hours listening out for him and the girls, trying to anticipate what kind of morning they might have? Psyching herself up to pull him out of his room to come eat, dreading how difficult he’ll make it for her today, and all while she’s got her actual job to go to afterwards. Does she think about him staying home from school when he was little too, and wonder like he does if he’ll be here in a second childhood forever, long after the girls grow up, just Ruben and her and long, quiet, empty days?

She didn’t sign up for this. She must think it, but she never says it to his face, never lets it show. He leans in to give her a tentative kiss on the cheek, and says, “I love you, Mamá.” It comes out a little pitiful.

“I love you too, cariño,” she says, patting his wrist. “Don’t forget to eat your own breakfast, now.”

In the kitchen, he covers the rest of the rice over so that the girls can have it when they wake up, and contemplates going to eat next to Ma on the couch or maybe the dining room, but instead end up sitting on the kitchen counter by the window because that’s the best spot at this time of day. The sun’s just coming up, spilling in clear and luminant across the windowsill. He’s always said Ma has a perfect spot to grow herbs there, but she’s never got round to doing it. Maybe he’ll do it for her one day, when he’s more certain of his ability to take care of something consistently. Maybe one day he’ll even have a place of his own again, a nice bright little kitchen full of herbs, drinking coffee and—no, that’s too much to think about for now. For now, he’s having breakfast on the counter in the growing sunlight by the window in his mother’s kitchen, and that has to be enough. Alive enough to remember that he can do nice things for other people, alive enough to remind his family that he loves them. He remembered how to feel that, if nothing else. He remembered how to make arroz con leche like Ma used to and that cinnamon and sweet and warm are all things that he can still feel good about. He isn’t ready to be happy that he’s alive yet. But at this particular moment, he’s glad he isn’t dead. That will have to be enough.

#ruben marcado #do no harm #sophia writes fic #fandom: do no harm #character: ruben #sometimes getting better just means recognising allt he things that aren't actively making you worse for a while #i could and have written a hundred stories of ruben having quiet moments of trying to understand himself and grow #and i will never ever tire of it #10lincommandments

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krytus · 6 years

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modern au harrai + cooking because i made some very sexy red rice today

we already established that harrow has a Kiss the Cook apron and sarai works very hard to distract him but it’s also worth mentioning that she. is a notorious food thief. she always takes something when harrow isn’t looking and also when he is. she looks him straight in the eye and steals his half cooked food. he’s banned her from the kitchen about three times now but She Cannot Be Stopped.

callum wanted to learn how to cook, a little, and he wasn’t. bad at it. but it’s clear he got his mom’s disaster gene. however, harrow always lets him frost the cookies and cakes he sometimes makes. ezran “helps” too, but that involves making a small mountain of frosting and then. eating it when he thinks his dad isn’t looking.

harrow sometimes puts music on while he works and he sings along and he sometimes also starts dancing with sarai while they’re both waiting for something to be done. callum once walked in on them doing a very messy waltz and giggling. the food on the stove was burning. they ordered pizza instead.

whenever viren is over at their place to "do some work” (and claudia and soren are playin video games with the boys and waiting for dinner to be ready) and harrow is cooking he just. pours himself a nice glass of wine and offers suggestions while harrow works although Viren Does Not Know How To Cook. sarai makes him wash the dishes.

harrow always likes it when amaya comes over because she’s in love with his cooking. there are never any leftovers. and she WAITS til the food is all nice and ready unlike SOME PEOPLE. once sarai was like “amaya’s bringing dinner” and amaya. came to their home with a live chicken. harrow was like nOO. (turns out the chicken was for Something Else they just wanted to mess with him. harrow was grumpy for the rest of the day. amaya brought take out from the place harrow really likes to make up for it.)

whenever it’s Late and someone can’t sleep harrow makes arroz con leche like his mother used to and. it’s delicious. he’ll also make some hot chocolate for the boys during winter.

#s.txt #the dragon prince #lksdjflkd anyways! here's this.#let it be known that i. can cook. sometimes.#also afromexican harrow is canon king.#fuck now i really want arroz con leche why is god so CRUEL #otp: dreaming of you

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multipleforks · 6 years

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Remember when going to Miami meant a four-day Charlie Sheen bender in South Beach where you barely knew your name by the time you got on the flight back home? Well, not anymore, (in regard to the South Beach part, the partying is still what Miami is all about)! Miami’s ‘boroughs’ have really taken center stage lately. There’s Brickell, the upscale, fancy, wealthy, business driven section of Miami, with five-star luxury hotels, high-rise office buildings and condos, and super trendy restaurants, which seems to combine ‘NYC’s Meatpacking and the Financial District’; Little Havana, which has tons of amazing hole in the wall Cuban spots, the best ‘Café Con Leche you will ever have’ and has an awesome Latin American sexy vibe to it, sort of like the ‘Flushing, Queens of Miami’; and the Design District, known for its sleek modern architecture, upscale design stores, art galleries, and celebrity restaurants, the ‘Soho of Miami’; and finally Wynwood (my favorite), known for street art, craft breweries and a young, hip crown, which is like a tiny slice of Williamsburg Brooklyn.

Similar to many parts of Brooklyn, Wynwood started as a neglected and decrepit manufacturing district filled with old, abandoned warehouses and dilapidated buildings. It was an area of the city not many people dared to venture out to. Now, old warehouse walls have turned into giant canvases for some of the most talented street and graffiti artists from around the world and streets are often jam packed with tourists. And who can blame them? There is a bar, restaurant, art gallery, boutique clothing store, brewery and trendy coffee shop on every corner. If that isn’t enough, check out Wynwood Yards where they have live music onstage, food trucks and a really cool indoor/outdoor bar. If you are however, looking for suggestions for things to do (and if you love food and culture), definitely check out Miami Culinary Tours. (They currently do tours in all areas of Miami including: Little Havana, South Beach, Wynwood, Design District, Miami City, and Coconut Grove). The Wynwood tour costs $69 (+ tax), takes about 2.5 hours, and includes a wonderful tour guide (Gina is absolutely incredible), lots of food and dessert, and a tour of the murals in Wynwood Yards.

Tours run on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday for Wynwood. The Saturday Wynwood lunch tour started at 12pm and met outside of Wynwood Walls. Sadly, it was a rainy Saturday, but that didn’t stop us! Our tour guide had us congregate inside the Wynwood museum where our tour guide, Gina, started by introducing herself, asking us about ourselves, then about began the discussion about Tony Goldman’s influence on Wynwood. Goldman was a real estate developer and art aficionado originally from New York City, who was known for revamping South Beach and Soho in NYC. He is the one attributed to revamping the abandoned warehouses in Wynwood with a vision of turning the area into one giant art canvas, which is pretty much what he did. Wynwood Walls, a giant outdoor canvas for street artists is one of the most incredible outdoor space in the country. Gina took a few minutes to speak in depth about Tony and the start of this beautiful, funky art district section of Miami, and then came the food portion of the tour…and whew, was there food!

Our first food stop on the tour was Wynwood Kitchen and Bar. As soon as you walk inside this restaurant, you will know why they call it ‘one of the coolest and most visually striking restaurants in the nation’. Floor to ceiling murals are painted in the bar area by Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the famous Obama Hope sticker. Additionally, other spectacular canvases in the dining room were created by the Berlin graffiti spray paint artist, German Artist Christian Awe. It’s almost like eating in a giant, high ceiling funky art gallery. Since the restaurant is considered a ‘tapas bar’ we were offered a selection of small bites from their menu which included, delicious fried chicken empanadas, a tequeno (fried breaded cheese stick made with bread dough and queso blanco) and fried sweet plantains with cheese on top. We also got to taste a sample of a blonde beer from a local brewery. Everything was excellent.

After this stop, we popped into the vegan casual eatery Dr Smood a few blocks away. As soon as we walked into this healthy eatery which can only be described as ‘hipster-esque’, ‘super millennial’, and ‘supermodels in brand new Lulelemon athletics eating only all natural, chemical free, vegan food’, Gina said, ‘we’re going to have a vegan, gluten free, avocado panini. Then she paused and said, ‘now, I know what you’re all thinking, how can a vegan, gluten free sandwich be any good? Don’t groan before you try it, I swear it’s actually really tasty’. She was not lying (and her comment was very on point). I personally believe there’s a little bit of Anthony Bourdain inside of all of us meat eaters. It’s that snobby, how could you live off lentils, vegetables, and tofu mentality? (He used to rip apart vegetarians every second he had the chance to, but I digress). Gina said that they use only organic food and create their own ‘performance bread’ using four ingredients: millet flakes, spelt flour, water and salt, which is supposed to give you energy and not spike your blood sugar. The sandwich was incredible, and they were right, I felt great afterwards. No sugar comedown that white bread tends to bring. Another interesting concept they use in this café is their color-coded system for each menu item. Red – power, pink – beauty, yellow – immunity, green – detox, blue – energy, purple – health. You can choose your food or beverage based on how you’re feeling or what you’re looking to obtain from your food. Although they only have locations in NYC and Miami now, their stores are guaranteed to take off in outdoorsy cities like Denver, Austin and Los Angeles (and beyond!)

From there we moved onto the Peruvian restaurant and tapas bar, GK Bistronomie where we had two courses and a glass of pairing wine. The first course consisted of black grouper ceviche with lime, white corn and corn nuts and two small pork rolls (or a bowl of quinoa for those who opted out of the pork rolls – Bourdain is rolling in his grave as we speak). The dish was spectacular, especially the ceviche where the salt and crunchiness from the corn paired so well with the sour from the lime and the juicy flavors of the marinated fish! The second course was beef anticuchos (or chicken as a substitute) made with potato fries in spicy cheese sauce (huancaina sauce) and a traditional chimichurri sauce with red peppers on top. This dish was complete flavor overload, cheesy, salty, charcoal, meets fried and slightly sweet. We were also offered a glass of red wine, white wine, or beer to pair with this dish.

Knowing that we were all in total food coma mode and needed a bit of a break before dessert, Gina walked us around Wynwood Yards and described many of the artists themselves, their murals, and their sources of inspiration. It was incredibly mesmerizing. It’s crazy to think that the murals are torn down at least once a year, they’re so beautiful! My only complaint about this part of the tour is that we didn’t get quite as much walking in as I would have liked, as gelato came soon after and I really thought I was going to explode! Maybe they should include an optional 10-minute sprint around the parameters of Wynwood portion of the tour!

Anyway, as mentioned above, the final stop of the tour was Flavian Gelateria which offers all-natural artisanal gelato made from local dairy and fresh produce. The inside does in fact resemble a small European boutique ice cream shop with wooden finishing’s and gorgeous white marble counter-tops. The shop was located inside a little vestibule which had indoor couches and benches for seating. Perfect for a rainy or sweltering hot day!

(The homeless guy pictured was clearly not part of this tour!)

Although there were fourteen people on our tour, Gina was excellent at getting everyone together and taking the time to give everyone some needed love and attention. I will definitely check out another one of their tours next time I am in South Florida!

On a final note, if you’re looking for something to do after your food tour, definitely check out some of the awesome breweries they have in the area. Here is TimeOut’s list of best breweries in Wynwood. Veza Sur, their #1 pick was fantastic. Aside from the place being super fun, Latin funky, and perfect for big groups (they have more boardgames than a 1st grade classroom), they also have excellent beers, including their Arroz Con Mango beer which was 10.8% ABV and was fantastic! They also do beer flights, and beer cocktails, and while you’re there, do make sure to have a coffee porter with some real whipped cream. Holy cow is it fantastic! As a cherry on top of the cake, the staff here is super friendly and one of the coolest things about this bar is the fact that they have multiple phone chargers that you can borrow. This is the first time I have ever seen this at a bar. They were actually excited to charge your phone for you. Usually I have to beg a bartender to use an outlet and they get all flustered that I’m wasting their time! I would give this place 5/5 stars just for their portable chargers!

Miami Culinary Tours – A Little Tour of Wynwood Remember when going to Miami meant a four-day Charlie Sheen bender in South Beach where you barely knew your name by the time you got on the flight back home?

#culture #foodtours #Miami #miamiculinarytours #miamifoodtours #wynwood #wynwoodyards

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