#i ate four pieces of sushi

[xxlelaxx]

I feel like the worst mom ever and I've only been at this for a day.

[raviosnumber1fan]

My Linked Universe cooking headcanons

Good cooks:

Wild: is somehow the greatest cook in the world and also the worst. His food is either a top tier gourmet meal blessed by the goddesses or a dubious pile of mystery meat and rocks. He can eat just about anything and honestly say it wasn’t that bad. The others both fear and admire him

Decent cooks:

Sky: Picked up a few things when working at the Lumpy Pumpkin and can make a few other simple dishes.

Twilight: Knows how to make Yeto's superb soup and learned a handful of other dairy related foods from working with Fado around the goats.

Legend: Use to enjoy cooking with his Uncle and continued to do so after his death as it reminded him of him. Can't do anything complicated but by far the second best cook below Wild.

I mean it's a solid 50/50 chance on whether or not it'll be edible:

Warriors: Every meal he ate in the war was provided for him and before that he lived in a lower upper class household where there was always someone around to cook for him. He will burn any dish if left in charge of it for longer than two minutes.

Four: Always had a trusted adult that would cook for him(first his dad and then his grandpa) so he never really learned how to cook. He's better than Warriors but that is not saying much

Wind: Can't cook and knows it. He is entirely unashamed of this fact and has burned several dinners to an unidentifiable hunk of black coal. Can make some pretty decent Sushi though

Absolutely do not consume anything they make. It might actually kill you:

Time: He was raised by a tree, of course he doesn't know how to cook. He can and will somehow manage to set fire to a dish just by looking at it too hard. Malon has attempted to teach him several times but quickly learned it was in everyone's best interest not to let him near the kitchen.

Hyrule: Do not eat anything he has remotely had a hand in preparing. He grew up being taught you never throw food out no matter how old and this is a philosophy he lives by. He doesn't believe in expiration dates. Four once saw him use a piece of meat he swears had fur on it. He is not allowed within 10 ft of the cooking pot ever

[stars-by-coincidence]

More Random Headcanons For Rise

Donnie despises sushi. Not for the raw fish but for the seaweed wrap

One time Leo ate like six Pez dispensers. This isn’t particularly impressive but he was supposed to share so all the others got pissed.

Speaking of sharing food, here’s how I imagine they all do that.

Leo and Donnie probs got into arguments over who had the biggest piece, so Splinter came up with the “whoever cuts it, the other picks it” rule

They will get in arguments and do mental math over a cupcake

Raph is transfem. I don’t make the rules.

Raph is super nice and will share and or offer food without being asked, but she will be a little miffed if you eat all his stuff. (LEO)

Mikey will share food but you have to ask. Unless he’s cooking, in which case, you don’t get a choice, your eating it

April shared food pretty easy too, but she won’t let anyone touch her fav snacks. (Girly has four dumbass little siblings I don’t blame her.)

Leo really likes to style wigs. He just vibes like he would.

Donnie has a lot of opinions on character design.

Mikey has a lot MORE opinions on character design, and his are objectively better.

One time Mikey wanted to try his hand at animation so Donnie made him an extremely good animation program. Like scary good.

Mikey ended up not using it (not his cup of tea) but Leo picked it up instead.

Splinter has a deep seated hatred for Oolong tea. Not because of like, past trauma or whatever, it’s just because his senses were so fucked up by his mutation he kept thinking that the reason his tea tasted fucked up was because it was Oolong.

Not the case, he was just making tea in Old Skully.

One time Mikey tried to bring home a pet cat. They didn’t get to keep it because it kept getting out and they were worried for it’s safety.

They do visit it a lot though.

Both Donnie and Raph use chewlery

Raph uses it more often, and she gets the super hard ones that can take a beating. Mainly because I think she’d need them.

Mikey has those tube stim toys that scream when you use them.

They drive Leo crazy when he’s dealing with sensory overload, so Mikey will switch out for a fidget cube.

[anon478]

9/28/2022

Breakfast:

- egg and egg white (88 cals)

Lunch:

- popcorn, cookie, veggie pizza (402 cals)

Dinner:

- sushi and strawberries (233cals)

Snack:

- nut mix and ferrero rocher (283 cals)

Total:

-1003 cals

Today was okay, I ate like shit and think I overestimated the sushi cause I had four small pieces. I’m hoping tomorrow will be better for me

[luke-r-gillespie]

May 13 - Tsukiji Honganji / Mitsukoshi Ginza

Freewriting

I woke up at 7:30 today (back to our regularly scheduled programming) and got ready for my now 8:00 breakfast. I ate a light breakfast (Hotel Edoya's breakfast is notably less appealing after 7 days of eating rice and turkey in a row) before getting ready to leave for Tsukiji Honganji Temple. Tsukiji Honganji Temple wasn't like any of the other Shinto or Buddhist temples that we have visited on the trip thus far. The temple was made of stone and resembled a catholic church, with seating available inside and even housing a large pipe organ.

Our next stop was the Tsukiji fish market, which is Tokyo's largest fish market. There were seemingly endless alleys and warehouses of fresh sushi, sashimi, and a plethora of other seafood (it was beautiful.)

For lunch break, I went to a sushi restaurant within the fish market and had one piece of fatty tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellow tail, and eel (all of which were delicious.) Our next stop was Ginza, Tokyo's designer district. Everything here was way out of my price range but it was still an interesting area to walk around. A little ways from Ginza, I stopped for lunch at a little hole in the wall that was overflowing with business men on their lunch breaks (that's how you know its a good spot.) After eating lunch, I stopped for cake on the way back to Hotel Edoya, it was delicious.

Once back at Hotel Edoya, I did my laundry (this time at a nearby laundromat because Edoya's dryers are horrendous.) With my laundry done, I got ready for the evenings class activity, a Bunraku show. Bunraku is the Japanese artform of using large puppets to tell traditional Japanese stories. We only watched the ladder half of the show but it was very enjoyable. On the way back home, I stopped for MOS Burger (a Japanese burger chain, I wasn't impressed) before chilling out and watching a movie with friends for the remainder of the evening!

Academic Reflection

Bunraku is the Japanese art of storytelling through life-sized puppets, which began in 17th century Osaka. The artform centers around large puppets that are operated by between one and four people, as well as a chanter and a biwa player. The various chanters were the stars of the show for me, the depth of emotion and the range of their facial expressions were extremely entertaining to watch. The Bunraku performance that we attended was Sakaro, The Secret Art of Rowing. The storyline of this performance was the same one as the day's reading, so it was easy to follow despite understanding very little of what the chanter was chanting. The story centers around the high ranking retainer of a deceased lord, Matsuemon as he acts to defend the heir of his deceased lord. The story is characterized by deceit, big reveals, and bigger emotions. All of which are common themes in Bunraku performances, as mentioned in the reading as well as our morning discussion. Within this story and the live performance, Gonshiro was my favorite character. His dialogue and flippant emotions were very entertaining and I found his character's conclusion to be very satisfying. I truly enjoyed the Bunraku performance. It managed to delivered exciting fight scenes and emotional highs and lows, all while maintaining a concise narrative with puppets.

[bunnysisu]

today i ate four pieces of a spring roll (it was cut into eighths, i bought it from the sushi place in the grocery store) and i learned my lesson about stopping before totally full!!!!! my chest hurt so bad after that fourth piece. it just tasted so good 😫 part of me can’t believe i did the surgery. i can’t even eat a whole fucking spring roll, let alone normal sushi (no rice!!!)

i am bad and have been furthering my diet on my own :/ we will just not tell the doctor that!!!! i have my checkup on tuesday and then they will clear me for purées… i read a comment on reddit that a person didn’t purée their food they just chewed super duper well and that’s what i plan to do tbh. i have no plans to eat baby-food consistency food.

can’t wait to eat a scrambled egg!!!! and lox. and mashed taters. (lol i really jumped the gun with the raw veg in the spring roll).

i have lost 36 pounds from my highest weight!

03.04.22

[ahmed25646]

why is Miss Alsace's diet controversial?

why is Miss Alsace’s diet controversial?

” I ate once a piece of bread and another time two sushi. That’s all ! ” congratulates himself Cecile Wolfrom in a Tik Tok. Miss Alsace, second runner-up to Diane Leyre, Miss France 2022, and 24 years old at the time of her election, recently posted a video in which she returned to her significant weight loss. In just four months, the young woman reveals to have lost 25 pounds, including nearly…

[chuuyrr]

Hello! I read your entire scarlet witch reader master list and I fell in love! Could we have a scenario with older reader comes from another dimension where Gojo actually is her bio dad and Gojo and the first years help her get back to her own dimension while bonding with her at the same time? Sorry if it’s very specific lol 😆

scarlet witch! older! other version! reader with dad! gojo & first years

jujutsu kaisen x reader

masterlist of the series

warning(s): possible spoilers about wanda maximoff and the multiverse, mentions about the multiverse and the tokyo revenger universe

i'm glad that you're loving the series, your feedbacks mean a lot :D i know i keep saying this but all of you really send in the best requests! there's also no need for you to apologize my dear anon, i don't mind getting specific requests at all! i really appreciate it and it reallys helps a lot because sometimes i have trouble coming up and figuring out how to write a said request, ok enough me talking lmao, happy reading <3

before you read: you will be taking older reader's pov, instead of baby fushiguro's and i made the brief mention of your significant other neutral :)

gojo had just left his kikufuku in tsumiki's care as it was the older sister fushiguro's turn to bond and hang out with her.

without his kikufuku around, he decided to spend some time with his students and treat them sushi for a job well done on their recent mission.

"ah, i can't wait! i can't believe we're going to eat at that sushi-place again."

"me too! me too!"

nobara was ecstatic as yuji was. anything that involved food and travel was enough to excite the two young teens. megumi, on the other hand, doesn't really mind, but he kinda missed his baby sibling. (he may or may not be lowkey jealous of tsumiki taking her out for a sibling-date)

as the four of them made their way towards the restaurant, a portal had appeared out of the blue and the next thing they knew—a figure had just fallen from the sky and straight to them.

gojo and the first years were confused. it was understandable because who the hell just falls from the sky out of nowehere like that?

"who.. who are you?"

you lifted your head, stroking the back of your head and you instantly recognize the first years and most especially, gojo. the moment you locked eyes with them, you couldn't help but tear up.

the first thing they noticed was your striking resemblance towards gojo and at the same time—you looked just like megumi's half-baby sister except older and probably a few years older than the first years. but what really caught their attention was your battered state, you looked like you had gotten beaten up.

"i'm [name].. gojo, [name]."

with that, you faced a shocked gojo and tackled him in a tight hug.

as the first years proceeded to process this piece of information, gojo instantly knew you weren't lying. not only because you resembled just like him, his intuitions told him so the moment you embraced him and there was just something about the longing in your eyes and your battered state that made his fatherly instincts kick in.

first things first, they got you patched up and took you with them at the sushi-place. the moment you sat down, you practically inhaled the food gojo and the first years ordered you. clearly, you haven't been eating any decent meals from your action alone.

once you had gotten enough energy from the food you ate, that's when they began asking questions and exchanging pieces of information with you.

you told gojo and the first years how you came from another universe, and in that universe—you weren't related to the fushiguro's at all or let alone a toddler. instead, you were related to gojo and you were in your young adult years. and being an inexperienced witch who's still learning, you made a mistake and somehow lost your way and ended up in this particular one instead.

not only did you lost your way, but you ended up getting hurt and attacked along the way.

"i don't know how i'm going to be able go back to my own universe." your face falters into a frown, feeling another set of tears pricking against the brim of your eyes.

"please don't cry!" nobara exclaims, waving her hands in the air as she and the others watches tears roll down your cheeks.

"we'll figure something out for sure! don't lose hope [name]." yuji says to you in a hopeful as megumi nods his head in agreement.

"it's going to be okay kikufuku." gojo reassuringly smiles at you and places a hand on your shoulder to comfort you.

a smile breaks through your face, "even in this universe, that's still my nickname, huh?"

after eating a hearty meal, gojo and the first years wasted no time and began their research to help you get back to your own universe. they searched books left and right, any articles as gojo recalled the old lady's words about you having different versions of yourself and the existences of other universes.

in order to lighten your situation, gojo and first years talked to you about their version of you as you told them about you.

"so, what am i like in this universe?"

you asked with interest as you made use of your magic to try and navigate your way back by retracing your steps with their help.

"well.." the four of them glanced at each other.

"our [name] is energetic! she's always running off to who knows where and she tends to pop out in the most random places." yuji explains, retelling the story of how they lost you and first found out of your powers.

"but our [name] is sweet, kind and very clingy too, especially with her dad and gumi-nii!" nobara exclaims enthusiastically.

"even though gojo-sensei is not our [name]'s biological father, he loves her very much as much as she loves him." megumi says with a small smile gracing his lips.

"i love my [name] to bits, even if she can be a handful sometimes. she's the best thing that had ever happened to me!" gojo agreed with megumi's statement. "she will always be my chaotic and precious little kikufuku, blood related or not."

"what about you, erm, [name]-san? what were you like?" nobara asked, "and what is gojo-sensei like?"

you tapped your chin in a thinking manner before answering with a smile, "your gojo-sensei is actually the same as mine. he's loving, sweet and supportive. i grew up with a very close relationship with him and his students—erm, you guys. my mom died giving birth to me, so all i have is my dad and you three." you explained to them, frowning a bit as you mentioned about your mom.

"we're sorry for your lost, [name]." megumi told you sympathetically.

"it's okay, i don't mind not having a mom. i still had a pretty fun childhood because i got to grow up with my dad around and you three as my siblings. i also ended up enrolling at jujutsu tech and joining your team." you continued.

"you went to jujutsu tech? that's awesome!" yuji pointed out. "imagine if our [name] goes too."

"our [name] is too young for that, itadori." megumi sighed, shaking his head with a chuckle. "our [name] is still a baby, a toddler."

"yeah, and i can't have my baby growing up fast!" gojo told his students with a childish pout. "i can't have [name] going around dating boys, sneaking out and doing teenager stuff just yet."

a light bulb popped on the top of the first years' heads, "say, [name].. are you dating anyone?"

a faint blush spread across your cheeks at the question and your reaction alone was enough to send gojo and the first years into a frenzy about your love life. even if you weren't 'their' [name], they still felt obligated for you.

gojo ended up almost crying at the thought of his own baby being all-grown up and dating. nobara and yuji had to comfort their gojo-sensei while megumi's older brother instincts kicked in and bombarded you with questions.

like was your significant other treating you well? he had to know if your significant other had any red flags. but apparently, much to his relief—you were happy with your current relationship and that you were in a healthy one too.

however, they couldn't accept the fact that you ended up dating a gang member. they found the universe you came from to be bizarre. not only were there cursed spirits and sorcerers, but there were also gangs.

time passed by, you ended up bonding with this universe's gojo and first years. they enjoyed listening to ramble on how you were able to shape and improve your powers as a witch, and the same time, make your own domain expansion. they didn't think it was possible, but the thought of it made them proud and excited for their own [name] being able to accomplish that when she gets older.

and eventually, you had finally figured out how to return home. nobara and yuji were a bit teary eyed since they had so much getting to know you.

you gave them all a hug and a bone crushing one, especially to gojo. you haven't seen your own dad in a long while and being able to see him in this universe brought you hope. (time works differently so in your universe, you were missing for a week now)

"take care of yourself, okay kikufuku?"

gojo ruffled your hair lovingly as you looked up to him with a smile.

"i will." you hummed, burying your face onto his chest with a sigh. "thank you for everything, dad. you're always there for me, even in this universe. even if we aren't related in this world."

"no need to thank me, baby. i've always got your back no matter what!" gojo kissed the top of your head before pulling away.

you said your goodbyes to the first years and gave them your thanks as well before casting the spell you needed to back home. you gave them one last look before you disappeared into a red vapor of psionics.

gojo sighs in relief knowing that you were finally going gome but the thought of you dating and being all grown up? it was messing with his head.

"thank god our [name] is still a baby." gojo pinched the bridge of his nose. "i'm going to get a heart attack when i find out kikufuku has a boy.. or girl. that's it, no dating for kikufuku not until she's thirty!"

"gojo-sensei, you're barely thirty and you're—a hand clasps yuji's mouth.

"but [name] will get there eventually." nobara claims, causing gojo to get all sulky at the thought of it.

"they'll have to go through gojo-sensei and me first." megumi huffs.

[246sn]

mc enemiez! ( ✶ ) bonus chapter : family approval // word count : 709

⸝⸝ SYNOPSIS ‎𐪆 despite jungwon being a #humble leader, he was kinda salty about the fact that his almighty title of the “youngest leader in k-pop” has been taken by blackpink’s brand new juniors. the world goes against jungwon’s wishes in staying as far away from her as possible when they both end up being the new mcs for ‘the show’. ₊˚✸ ༘

jungwon sat next to you on the right side of arcane’s dining table while the rest of your members sat on the opposite side.

meiju, jihye, and yoonah glared at your poor boyfriend, intensely observing him, while jiyeon watched them do whatever they did happily.

more of the story below!

to cut the glitch :’)

“so, how many times have you two kissed?” jihye asked, making yoonah slam her hands on the table and stand up.

“i told you not to do this again!” she complained as the two eldest members only giggled at her actions.

you leaned near to jungwon who was visibly afraid and nervous.

“they did this with riki too.” you whispered, which made jungwon look at you with a surprised look on his face.

“hey! eyes over here, mister!” yoonah yelled as jungwon’s immediately faced the three eldest members before him.

you and jiyeon could only laugh in amusement at what was going on in front of you.

“do you want to eat anything, jungwon?” meiju asked.

though it may seem harmless, this was a very dangerous question.

you got shivers just remembering how they told riki to eat 150 pieces of sushi all by himself.

before jungwon could even agree to anything, you cut him off by holding his hands.

“we just ate actually!” you say, knowing full well that jungwon would say yes and eat until he drops just to please your members.

“okay, i guess you’re safe for now. what do you offer?” jihye asked while your members all leaned forward onto the table.

jungwon’s eyes nervously flickered towards you then towards your members.

“uh… excuse me…?”

yoonah nodded slowly with a disappointed look on her face as she leaned back on her chair.

“he’s unprepared. i see. write that down, jiyeonie.” yoonah ordered before jiyeon took her pen to write it down under ‘cons’ on their ‘jungwon: pros and cons’ list.

right as jiyeons pen hit the paper, jungwon stood up frantically while waving his hands in the air.

“no, no, no! i can do anything!” he said in a panic.

rookie mistake.

“anything, you say?” meiju asks with a smirk.

without any other thought, jungwon nods as a response.

“okay. then i guess you could do the dishes. we ran out just this morning.” she continues, each word making your eyes grow wider and wider.

you hold jungwon back from rushing into the kitchen as he looked at you with a confused look on his face.

“what do you mean we’ve run out of dishes this morning? i got enough to last a week.”

you watched all the members shrink in their seats while yoonah covered her face with her hand in embarrassment.

jihye hesitates for a few seconds before ultimately deciding to admit it anyway, “we might’ve broken a couple of dishes this morning…”

“if you broke a couple then we would still have enough clean dishes to eat from… unless…”

all the members looked at jungwon for help after you put two and two together.

“don’t look at me, my members eat takeout and eat from the pots and pans we cook in.” he says while holding up his hands.

“okay, you four go and wash the dishes now… and stop letting our guests do your jobs!” you say as you grab one of jungwon’s hands and pull him towards your room, completely ignoring all of the complaints from your members.

you laid down on your bed with your arms wide open expecting a very nice warm cuddle from jungwon.

“so, was i approved by your members?” he asked almost immediately after you two found a comfortable position.

“well you didn’t really do anything but since i’m the leader, i’ll just order them to approve of you.”

jungwon pulled you closer as he rested his head on the crook of your neck while your fingers immediately found it’s spot in his hair.

“what did they let riki do?”

“they let him eat 150 pieces of sushi and chug a litre of coke.”

“yikes, did you at least help him out?”

“only a little. he’s a growing boy so he managed.”

jungwon moved his head to look up at you with a content smile on his face.

“i’m glad i met you.”

“i’m glad i met you even more.”

〈 masterlist | next 〉

⸝⸝ NOTE ‎𐪆 one more chapter left until mce officially ends :’) how are u all feeling ? also sorry for the maeumi slander last chap i think he’s cute ok 😭💔 all arcane’s thoughts, not my own !!! oh &&& btw !!!! in case u didn’t know, yoonah is a few months older than yn (born the around the same time as won)

⸝⸝ TAGLIST ‎𐪆 [status : closed / italics can’t be tagged] @enhacolor @youngbloodslut @ceoyjw @lunaflvms @enhyped-up @yizhoutv @fairycheol @kissuzies @yvesismywife @ja4hyvn @wony6ung @vlykai @one16core @papiibuprofen @hiqhkey @bloodylovelymary @luvarots @missmadwoman @hoonstrology @mitsukifilms @soobin-chois @venusesroses @bearseulgs @jiwlys @jaywonlix @ihrtwon @awkwardnesshabitat @xuanya @ultnishimura @yjwfav @shynypeacekitten @stealanity @zzwnki @renjunvrse @niocity @higamersitsbarney @jwlvr @maeumiluv @annoyingbitch83 @darrensos @odetoyeonjun @s35nbae @enloveclub @afiaaaa19 @moonchilddfics @myluckycat @c9tnoos @yogurteume @gguksblush @drunkwithfever @staysstrays @limiliib @penghoonz @acciomylove @soobsdior

[pillow-anime-talk]

i love girls month ; ninth day.

synopsis: Face masks, check. Sweet wine, check. Snacks and sushi, check... Gossiping about others... we’ll get to that in a moment.

# tags: scenario; friendship; girls night!au; comedy; mention of alcohol and being drunk; talks about sex, drugs, boys and other (mostly bad) things; suggestive, maybe nsfw

includes: female reader ft. nobara kugisaki & maki zenin {jjk}

author’s note: okayyyy, let’s go?!

You laughed out loud at the sight of Nobara, whose piece of sushi fell into the soy sauce, and Maki joined to you a short second later.

The three of you had been drunk for over an hour, and there were four empty sweet wine bottles next to you, one bottle of rice vodka, and a couple of squashed beer cans. You’ve probably never had as much alcohol in your life as you did that evening, but neither of you regretted it – quite the contrary! It was the best girls night you could ever dream of.

Before, you all made masks and applied several types of conditioners to your hair, ordered sushi and hot soup, you ate salty and sweet snacks, and watched the first part of ‘The Hunger Games’. Now, however, the time has come for more serious topics that were not school or the immediate family. In your current state, you seemed more courageous than normal; therefore there were no taboos, shyness or secrets among you at this point.

“... Like I said, I love oral sex. Eating a dick is my passion.” Nobara said and was trying to fish out her sushi, but quickly gave up when she saw that everything had fallen apart and was soaked in salty sauce. So the nineteen-year-old took a new piece of fish and looked at you and Maki sitting on the right side. “But I love normal sex even more. Sex after an argument, jealousy sex... My beloved moments!” She smiled happily as she swallowed a baked avocado salmon wrapped in a seaweed leaf.

“Hey, how did you guys have anal sex? I must admit that I tried more than once, but it never worked. Totally not my cup of tea, it hurts a lot.” You asked out of curiosity, and your friends immediately nodded.

“I don’t like it too.” The brown-haired teenager admitted with a grunt, while the girl a year older, sitting next to you, giggled slightly.

“You have to relax. And choose a position other than the missionary one. It’s not good for this type of sexual activity.” She took another sip of wine and set her glass down. “And if that doesn’t help, light up something before sex, you’ll loosen up so much, hehe.” She added amused. “Panda will get you some stuff.”

“I will definitely buy something from him.”

“Yes me too!”

All three of you laughed again, tapping each other with the chopsticks holding the portions of food. After a short while topic changed to your current/ex/future partners. You liked to talk about other people a lot, even if they were people close to you or just people for whom you had goddamn respect.

“... You won’t believe what my boyfriend agreed to.” After a few minutes, the brown-haired girl started talking. When you and Maki looked on her questioningly, she took a sip of alcohol. “Once, when I was drunk, I offered him a threesome, and he agreed...�� And then she started on you. “With you, Y/N.” She added, and you blushed (you didn’t know if it was because of the alcohol or because of that crazy question). “He knows you broke up with your boyfriend recently, but don’t be mad at him...”

“Well ... I’m not, we can do it someday. Unless I either go back to my ex or fall in love with someone else.”

“Why are men so fucked up. My boyfriend offered me a porn recording.”

“If that happens, I want to watch it.” You said simultaneously with a nineteen-year-old girl and then, both giggled drunk. Hazel-eyed just laughed.

“... If I had to choose and without consequences, having sex with anyone ...” You started hesitantly as the next minutes of the evening passed, but then you straightened up. “I would choose Mei Mei sensei.”

“I would choose Gojou-sensei.” The eldest of you admitted.

“Lmao, I would choose Megumi’s father.” You looked at your peer with amusement. “Really. He’s so fucking hot.”

“Yes, that’s true...” You looked at the bottle of wine dreamily. “Older men are the best.”

“... Nah, rice vodka with the addition of blueberry juice is the best!”

previous day ; grell sutcliff from kuroshitsuji ♡ next day ; rumi usagiyama from boku no hero academia

[songbirdstyles]

when i’m sixty four.

summary: a year in the life with professor harry, post graduation - part 1. (sequel to when i kissed the teacher & good vibrations)

pairing: professor!harry styles x reader

warnings: fluff, angst, smut

word count: 10.6k

song inspo.: when i’m sixty four - the beatles

“Are y’sure your parents don’t mind you coming here?”

You roll your eyes, unwinding your arms from around Harry’s bicep as you lean back against the wall, watching him pause his fiddling with the key to glance up at you. It’s such an innocent question and yet not, at all, if the rather mischievous glint in his eyes tells you anything at all.

“Doesn’t really matter.” You drop your head back against the wall, the smile that had been tugging at your lips for the entire evening seeming glued to your face. His smile is wide and disbelieving, as if he’d never thought you’d get here. Graduated, finally, after nearly a year and a half of sneaking around and secret rendezvous and feeling burning stares into the side of your face while you ate dinner in the cafeteria. It was over. “My mum, maybe. I don’t think she was having the time of her life at dinner - did you?”

Harry’s chuckle is soft as he finally pushes the door of his apartment open. Your hand drops down to grab his, intertwining your fingers as you pull him inside his darkened home, hand dragging up and down the wall beside the door to find the light switch - got it. 

The door shuts and he locks it, turning around to face you, and you don’t spare another second - just take a step forward, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing yourself as close to him as you could get. The entire evening, during dinner with your parents and Anne, you’d been finding excuses to touch him, to hold his hand or brush a stray curl out of his face, just to relish in the fact that there was no reason to hide anymore. That, even in a crowded Italian restaurant where you could easily recognize five of your classmates and their families dining post-graduation, it didn’t matter if you and Harry were affectionate.

And you’re not sure if he knows that’s the reason - never complained about how touchy you were, though you weren’t sure why he would. His arms wrap around your neck, pulling your head into his chest, fingers combing through the ends of your hair. Harry’s voice is soft when he speaks, cheek against your head, “Y’know, she seemed fine up until y’kissed me while we were waiting for our table.”

You squeeze your eyes shut, face burning, and as if he can sense your slight embarrassment, he’s speaking again - “S’not like I didn’t like it. Appreciated not being the clingy one, for a change.”

“Would you call it being clingy or being in love?” Your voice has a teasing lilt to the edge of every word, and you lift your head up to look up at him. Harry’s eyes hold a softly emotional glow, something you can’t quite decipher, and you’re sure yours have a similar glint. In lieu of responding he merely ducks his head down, pressing a soft kiss to your lips, and you sigh into it, “I just like not having to hide, y’know? Less than five minutes away from campus, and it didn’t even matter if people saw me kiss you.”

He hums contentedly. “Not sure we’re quite out of the dark yet, though. Should give it some more time before being too open with it all.”

“So I guess that means we can’t go shag in the middle of campus, then?”

Harry grins, taking a step back and bracing his hands on your shoulders. You squint up on him, trying to resist the smile begging to burn onto your face but - naturally - you fail. “Yeah, maybe a few more weeks for that, baby.” It’s then that he finally leans down to press another soft kiss to the tip of your nose before turning and heading off into the kitchen, dress shoes oddly loud on the hardwood, and you take the brief moment you have by yourself in the foyer to kick off your heels. “Got somethin’ special for you,” his voice calls from the kitchen, and you turn to glance at where he’s already walking out, one hand behind his back. “Little - little graduation gift, I guess.”

You scrunch your nose as Harry hooks his ankle around one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table, pulling it out and plopping into it. You take a few steps closer to him and jump onto the table, shifting so he’s sitting between your legs. “You didn’t have to get me anything, professor. Would’ve been fine with just a celebratory fuck, y’know?”

He rolls his eyes at that, leaning in to press a kiss to the top of your knee. “You can have that, too,” he says, and you grin down at him. “But it is a big deal, you know?” But you’re barely listening as he removes his hand from behind his back, resting the small black box he’d been clutching on top of your thigh. You reach down and pick it up, testing the weight of whatever’s inside of it, though you reckon you already know.

And you’re right, as you slowly open the box and look at what’s inside. It’s a ring - the most beautiful ring you’d ever seen with your own two eyes - and you can feel a lump rising in your throat as you bring it closer to your eyes to examine the small diamond.

Harry’s hand rubs soft circles into your bare thigh, eyes on you as you reach to take the ring from the box, sliding it on your ring finger and examining how it looks on your skin. You can tell he’s nervous - nervous of what you think, but it’s entirely unwarranted. Tears burn the back of your eyes and you exhale softly, pressing your palms to his cheeks and finally meeting his gaze.

“Do you like it?” his voice is hardly more than a breath yet in the unadulterated silence of the apartment it’s just loud enough. 

You smooth your hands back into his hair, fingers running through his curls, and you still feel just on the verge of tears but you swallow the lump in the back of your throat. “I love it,” you tell him, quiet and thick with emotion, and you can see the relief in his eyes, as if he’d ever thought you could dislike such a gift. “I love it so much. And I love you so much.”

At that, he pushes himself out of his chair, hands braced on your thighs as your lips slot together. His hands are slowly pushing up your bare thighs until his fingers have ducked ever so slightly beneath the fabric of the dress he’d helped you pick out, and you shiver at the feeling. “S’a promise ring,” he mumbles into the kiss, teeth clamping gently down on your bottom lip before he pulls away, forehead against yours. “Promise to love you forever an’ ever.”

You smile at that - forever and ever. As he leans in to press a kiss, soft as a butterfly, to the tip of your nose, you certainly think you’d be more than happy to have this forever and ever.

There’s another brief moment where your lips reconnect, his hands moving from your thighs up to your hips. Your legs wrap around his body, forcing him closer to you, and you can hear him chuckle into your mouth. Then he pulls away again, fingers drumming into your waist, and that same mischievous glint is back in his eyes from earlier. “Now,” he begins, as your fingernails dig gently into his scalp, just like you know he loves, “what were you saying about a celebratory fuck?”

 —

 There’s something about eating Chinese takeout on the floor that makes your lo mein taste that much better.

It’s not as though you and Harry can’t eat at the table, because it’s sitting hardly five feet from you and you’re perfectly capable of standing and plopping down in one of the kitchen chairs. But instead you and Harry had opted for the floor, sitting cross legged across from each other and picking at each other’s food occasionally.

It just feels more intimate. And you’d spent the entire weekend moving all of your stuff into Harry’s apartment (which was easier than you’d expected, because the majority of your things had wiggled their way into his home at some point, anyway) so you reckon you deserve to have this small moment of intimacy with the man you love.. Your name is on the lease and that means it’s not Harry’s apartment, it’s yours, too. You didn’t think such a simple thing could feel more extraordinary, but it just makes your heart race every time you look up at him and catch him struggling to pick up his sushi with his chopsticks. And there’s music playing softly from the kitchen - you think it’s Lovesong by The Cure but it’s just soft enough that you’re not quite sure.

“What’re you thinking about?” Harry’s voice is muffled as he brings the back of his wrist up to his mouth, wiping at the bit of soy sauce that had begun to drip down his chin. You reach beside you for the bag that had been strewn across the floor when you’d taken all of your food out, stretching so you can reach it, and you pull out the pile of napkins from the bottom of it.

You peel a napkin off of the stack and hand it to him, and he gives you an appreciative, sushi-filled grin before bringing it up to wipe at his mouth. You settle back in your spot, picking up your chopsticks and digging them into your noodles before shrugging. “M’not quite sure. Just thinking about everything, I guess.” He doesn’t speak and you know he’s waiting for you to say more, so you continue, “I’m just really happy.”

You can practically hear him smile, and you look up at him just to confirm your suspicion. His cheeks are tinged pink and there’s a soft grin on his face, and when your gaze finally meets his, his eyes are soft and light. “What about, baby?”

“Just being here,” you tell him, catching a piece of broccoli on your chopsticks and bringing it up to your mouth. “And my name is on the lease.”

Harry chuckles at that, resting his sushi on the floor between you two. “That’s what you’re so happy about? Your name on the lease? You’ve practically lived here for two years, y’know.”

“A year and seven months, actually,” you tell him, and you grin as he rolls his eyes. You place your takeout container on the ground, too, reaching out to grab his hand and he doesn’t wait to intertwine your fingers together. “S’just official now. An’ that means you’re never getting rid of me.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Harry admits, leaning in to brush a kiss against your nose. There’s a brief moment of softness between the two of you, and he says, “I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d rather eat sushi with on the floor than you.”

You snort, pushing yourself onto your knees and shuffling closer to him - he takes the hint and pushes your food away, letting you clamber into his lap. Arms wrap around your waist, pulling you to him, but instead of melting into his body like usual you keep yourself back so you can still look into his eyes, crinkled with the grin growing on his face.

Your palms press to the side of his face, squishing his cheeks together as you lean forward to press your forehead to his. From the kitchen, the song changes - You Make Me Feel So Young coursing through the air. “Can’t believe the semester starts next week.”

He hums in agreement, “S’gonna be weird, not seeing you on campus. Not as weird as last year, though - big change, not having you in m’class everyday.”

“Wasn’t too fun for me, either,” you tell him, hands sliding back on his face until your fingers are smoothing through his messy curls. “Just make sure you don’t fall in love with another student, alright?”

“Y’know, you said that one last year, too, and it hasn’t gotten funnier since.”

“It’s the only joke I have - cut me some slack, professor.”

With a loud, barking laugh, Harry leans in and presses his mouth to yours. The pair of you are still giggling and the kiss doesn’t go on too long before you’re pulling away, tugging at the messy curls at the back of his neck just to see the way his lips part at the feeling. Even in the goofy state you’re in, you know pulling at his hair never fails to have that reaction and you love it.

Harry rests his hands on the small of your back, briefly, and then slides them down to grope at your ass through the fabric of your joggers. The mood has changed entirely faster than you’d expected and you sigh as his head moves forward to mouth at the column of your neck. “Don’t think we’ve ever shagged on the floor before - have we?”

“Only once, after my birthday, and only ‘cause you were pissed.”

“Oh,” is his response, and he pauses his attack on your neck for just a moment. “Well, it’s our first shag-on-the-floor with your name on the lease, then.”

His hands have dipped beneath the hem of your pants, grabbing at your arse with no barrier, and you drop your head back with a moan. There’s no need for a response as he uses his grip on you as leverage to roll your hips back and forth against his sweatpant-clad cock, and you can hear the soft grunt he emits at the feeling.

There’s also something a bit more intimate about dry humping like this - perhaps because it seemed oddly adolescent, but it was one of Harry’s favourite things to do, even if he’d never admit it. It was the foreplay to just about everything you did, no matter what position, but you knew he liked it the best when you’re on top. When there’s barriers of clothing between you and it’s merely a preview of what’s to come - he loves that.

And if you’d ever needed more proof of how much he loves it, the way his eyes roll back into your head as you press your hips against him is all you need. It’s not entirely unlike the face he makes when he sinks into you for the first time and it makes your stomach flip, pressure shooting straight down to your clit like a bolt of fucking lightning.

“Fuck,” Harry breathes, and you can feel his fingers hook into the elastic hem of your panties, picking them up off your skin before letting it smack back down. You jump at the feeling, pulling his head closer to yours, and just before your lips reconnect Harry pauses the roll of his hips up into yours. “Wait.”

And, with an arm hooked around your waist, he leans forward, and you can hear the crinkling of the paper bag your takeout had been delivered in. Finally you hear him gasp, “Aha!” and then he sits back straight, and you lean back in his lap to glance at what he’d got.

“Are you serious?” You glare down at the two fortune cookies in his hands, both of them cracked in their noisy plastic wrappers. “You stopped to get fortune cookies?”

He nods as if he’s proud of it and you grab the less broken one from him. As the pair of you begin to unwrap your cookies, Harry tuts, “I thought you were the one who said Chinese takeout night isn’t complete without reading our fortunes.”

You suppose he got you there - you did say that, and you still believed it, but considering you’d hardly been able to eat half of your lo mein, you wouldn’t consider it complete anyway. But you bite back your response as a smile tugs at your lips, tossing the wrapper of your cookie aside. Harry’s still struggling to get his open with one hand, arm unmoving from around your waist, and you wait with your broken treat in your palm for him to finally unwrap it.

“On the count of three, right?” Harry asks, and you nod, picking through the remnants of your fortune cookie to finally reach the small piece of paper that held your fortune. He does the same, pointedly squeezing his eyes shut so he doesn’t peek either of your fortunes. “Alright … one … two … three.”

You flip the fortune in your fingers, squinting at the small text. You can feel your heart swelling as you read it, and you look up at Harry with a bright grin. “A lifetime of happiness lies ahead of you. That’s so sweet, Harry - s’like they know me.”

Harry’s staring down at his fortune with an amused smile on his face, and you clear your throat as an indication for him to read it to you. “Mine says there’s no such thing as an ordinary cat.”

“Really?” You crane your neck to read his fortune, giggling slightly as you see that, sure enough, he’s right. “What does that mean?”

“I think it means that Marie’s the superior member of this family,” Harry tells you, and you roll your eyes playfully. He pops his fortune cookie into his mouth (which is starting to look much less broken than yours, oddly) and then glances down at your fortune, still clutched between your fingers. “But yours is good. Can’t believe you got such a bloody sweet fortune, and mine’s about cats.”

You hum softly, and then bring your palm up to your mouth, tossing the broken bits of your cookie into your mouth. You wait until you’ve swallowed to reach down, resting your fortune on the floor beside you, and Harry follows suit - waves his hand against the small slips of paper to send them flying across the floor, landing ten feet from you, and you watch them float back down to the ground before looking back at him. 

“Anything else you need to do?” you question, bringing your hands back up to the back of his head. Fingers curl into his locks and he closes his eyes blissfully with a soft, pleased hum at the sensation. 

He pretends to ponder the question, hands trailing along your waist to the bottom of your shirt (or, you suppose, his shirt) and tugging at the hem. “No - don’t think so,” he mutters as you lean back, sticking your arms up so Harry can peel the shirt off of your body. He tosses it off to the side of you, and out of the corner of your eye you can see the white fabric landing dangerously close to the small container of soy sauce Harry had been enjoying, but then his hands are groping at your bare tits, and you can’t find it in yourself to care. “D’you mean to tell me you haven’t been wearing a bra all day and I just found out about it now?”

It doesn’t seem like he cares too much as he lowers his head to your chest, tongue flicking at your nipple before his mouth closes in around your skin. You drop your head back with a cry, squeezing his hair in lieu of giving your affirmation. Your hips have resumed their rocking against his hard-on and you can feel him stiffening beneath you, moaning around your boob before pulling his mouth away. His lips form a small o as he blows softly on your saliva covered nipple, and he grins as you whimper.

“Would love to -” he pauses, swallowing thickly as you grind your hips against his, clit brushing against his cock and sending a shiver through both of your bodies - “would love t’eat you out ‘till you’re screaming, but I don’t think I’d last.”

You’re not sure you’d last either, and so you nod, dropping your hands to the bottom of his shirt, and you pull it off of him like he’d done to you only moments ago. When you lean back in to slot your lips together he makes a point of pulling your body closer to his, chests pressed together, and he’s hot where you’re cold - palms against your waist and yours dragging up his back.

“Don’t care,” you breathe, hot against his neck, “just need you t’fuck me.”

“First fuck with your name on the lease,” he says again, voice holding a teasing lilt even in the thick of the moment. You smile as you press a kiss to his lips, and for a moment that’s all you do - until Harry shifts, lying you down on the hardwood, body hovering above yours. And when his fingers start pulling at the tie on your joggers, you lift your hips to let him pull your pants down to your ankles. “Kick ‘em off for me, baby,” comes out in a soft breath against your neck, and you comply.

You drop your head back against the floor as you hear him shuffling above you, and you take the second to catch your breath. The apartment still smells distinctly like soy sauce, and you’re entirely too aware of the fact that, when you turn your head, your eyes are directly level with your abandoned takeout container.

It’s only when you feel his fingers hooking in your panties, pulling them to the side instead of down your legs that you pull your eyes back up to him. You’re soaked for him and he knows it, you can tell - but his knuckles still drag through your folds, collecting your wetness on his digits. His mouth opens into a satisfied grin and you have half a mind to roll your eyes at how smug he is, but then he mutters, “Hope it wasn’t your lo mein that got you this wet, baby.”

Just as you open your mouth to reply, Harry sinks into you with one long push. Your breath catches in your throat as you moan out, eyes squeezing shut, and he groans from above you - there’s always the second after he first pushes into you, where he whines out, “Bloody fuck,” and you can’t be bothered to do anything but cry out. Every noise the two of you makes mingles with the music still playing from the kitchen, contrasting the soft melodies of Close To You by the Carpenters, and you really think you’re as close to Harry as you can get, now.

His hand gropes at the soft flesh of your inner thigh, hoisting it up and around his waist, and the stretch makes him hit every sweet spot deep inside of you as he pulls out and thrusts back in just as fast. He’s still above you - too far away, feeling like a million miles, and you reach up to grab at his bicep, tugging him down to you. And he obeys - why wouldn’t he? - dropping down on top of you so your tits are pressed to his chest and his breath is burning against your collarbone.

You’re sweating, body coated in a thin layer of it, and when you bring your lips up to mouth a kiss against his forehead, he’s just as sweaty as you are. Every thrust has your body rocking back into the floor in a way that should be painful but you don’t quite mind, you realize. On the contrary, the way your shoulder rubs against the hardwood feels almost nice, combined with his hard thrusts. His rings - ones you’d got him after realizing how much you loved the first one - are cold against your thigh, grip tight and pressing marks into your skin.

All of the goofiness of the moments before this has evaporated in the blink of an eye. It’s all fast thrusts, quick and hips slamming into each other, sweat dripping in between the valley of your breasts even in the cold air of the apartment. His head is merely an inch above yours, and you lean up to close the distance between you. Harry’s lips are soft and moist, tongue swiping into your mouth, and one of his hands presses to the side of your head, holding you up ever so slightly off the ground until finally he rests your scalp back down against the ground, lips disconnecting as he returns his focus to his penetrating thrusts, hard and deep.

Usually he’s the one murmuring into your ear, telling you how tight you are, how fucking good you feel around him but his head has dropped into your shoulder, lazily groaning and crying out so you figure you’ll take over on that.

“So fucking big,” you whisper, and the words struggle to escape your throat because your vocabulary feels quite limited, especially as his hand snakes between your body and lands on your clit. One rub of your sensitive nub has your hips bucking up into his hand and, in turn, into his cock, still drilling into you, and whatever you’d been meaning to say slips from your mind almost immediately. “Oh - shit, Harry, do that - do that again -”

Lips press to your neck as he complies with what you’d said, fingers pinching gently at your clit and sending a rush of pleasure through your body. Your leg tightens around his waist, a wet moan getting caught in your throat, and you tug at his curls - slightly sweaty, knotted beneath your fingers. There’s another quiet groan against your neck and you could smirk at that but you hardly have the capacity to do anything except keep your leg around his waist and cry out.

“Gonna cum?” His voice is quiet, a hiss against your neck, barely audible against your panting whines. “Can feel you - fuckin’ clenching around m’cock like tha’. Cum for me, baby. Know you’re close - come on, now.”

It’s only a few more slow circles on your clit that releases the pit of pressure in the core of your stomach - eyes squeezing shut as your cunt flutters around him, feeling the euphoria in every single nerve of your body. Your breath rattles in the air around you, orgasm forced onwards by Harry’s soft praise directly in your ear as he lifts his head ever so slightly, pressing a wet kiss to the side of your jaw. Your leg unhooks from around his waist but his hand holds it steady, forcing it to remain around him even if you’re not much help in keeping it there.

He’s still thrusting, hard and heavy, milking every last drop of your orgasm until you’re fucking struggling to breathe, body jerking and seeing stars and galaxies instead of the ceiling above you. When you’re coming back around he’s whispering in your ear, through gritted teeth, “Taking me so fuckin’ good, fuck, gonna fill you up - you’d like that, hmm? Tell me.”

You’re at a loss for words, his fingers unrelenting on your clit, and you can already feel the pressure building again in your tummy. Harry’s hips are slowly, slowly, dropping in pace and you know he’s close - you grasp onto his curls again, tug his head up with what little strength you can muster to look straight into his lust-blown eyes, and breathe, “Want you to fill me up, professor. Please?”

It gets the exact reaction you’d desired - his mouth drops open with a breathy moan and, sooner than you’d expected, you can feel his cock giving its telltale twitch inside of you. You use your grip on his hair to pull his face to yours, smashing your lips together just as you feel him release inside of you. His hand on your clit slides out from between your bodies, palm pressing to the hardwood beneath you as he gives another low groan, warmth filling you up just as he’d promised. Harry’s eyes roll back when you pull away to look at him, gazing at the pure ecstasy on his face with a sort of childlike wonder. You’ve seen him cum more times than you can count but it never seems to stop amazing you - knowing you’re the only one who gets to see him like this.

“Jesus, fuck,” Harry grunts, green orbs rolling back down so he can see you. His face is sweaty and red and your hands in his hair slide down to his cheeks. He tilts his head to the side, pressing a sloppy kiss to the underside of your wrist, and his hand on your thigh slowly guides it down to the floor, relaxing your muscles. “You’re fuckin’ - amazing, baby. And s’not just the orgasm talking, I promise.”

You giggle breathlessly at that, shifting your hips where he’s still buried inside of you. You’d been so close - too close - to cumming for the second time and if you move your hips just right - just so - you know you’ll get there, clit brushing against his lower stomach.

Harry’s eyebrows crease ever so slightly, dropping his head so he can look down where your bodies are still connected. “What’re you doing?”

No point in lying, because he can always see right through you. So you give him a guilty grin and murmur, “M’so close, Harry.”

“Oh,” Harry replies, voice heavy and quiet, and just like that, the moment resumes. He could never let you go even slightly unsatisfied and you know that - not sure why you ever doubted it. He pulls out of you, leaving you whimpering as the sudden emptiness overtakes you, and begins his descent down your body - kisses to every exposed bit of skin he sees, swirling his tongue around your nipples.

Nights like this, lying on the floor of your apartment (yours, too, not just Harry’s) and feeling his tongue flicking on your clit, makes you just that much more positive that your fortune cookie will turn out to be right, after all.

 —

 You and Harry didn’t fight much, and it was one of the things you both prided yourselves on. He was a firm believer in never going to bed angry and you hated raising your voice at him and the two virtues balanced themselves out. You had your fair share of disagreements but they always worked themselves out before either of you could get truly angry or upset with each other.

Well - most times they did, you suppose. You can’t even remember what you and Harry had started bickering about, but it had escalated from something positively miniscule into whatever’s happening now. 

He hasn’t spoken to you for six hours.

And you know that because you’ve been counting.

Some asshole comment you’d made, voice short and snippy as you’d announced to him that you didn’t fucking care if he’s upset, Harry, it doesn’t fucking matter. You’re being dumb. And you’d known as soon as you said it that it was too far, you telling him you didn’t care about his feelings, and he’d merely stared at you for a minute, jaw set, before standing up and walking out of the kitchen. The apologies you called out as he walked away went seemingly unnoticed, as if he hadn’t even heard them.

He’s on the couch now, head down as he types away on his laptop. His curls are messy, unbrushed from the morning, and you know he’d have gone into your shared bedroom to get his hairbrush off of the dresser if you hadn’t been residing on top of the bed for the past few hours. You’d love to walk up behind him now, brush your fingers through his locks until they’re smoother, listen to the way his breathing steadies as you do it.

But no, you won’t. Not yet, at least. You know he’d jerk away from you if you did, roll his eyes and shift to the other end of the couch and you can’t quite deal with that right now. All you want is to go back to the very beginning of the day, when you and Harry had woken up at nearly noon and planned to spend the entire Saturday relaxing with no mention of work related stuff and -

It just hadn’t turned out like that. Within nearly an hour he’d settled onto the couch with his laptop, determined to ignore every single thing you said, and you’d only just left the bedroom to try and fix dinner for the pair of you.

You clear your throat from where you’re leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, and you keep your eyes trained on the back of Harry’s head to see if he’ll react at all to the noise - nope. Doesn’t even tilt his head to acknowledge that he heard it, and, if anything, the furious typing gets even louder as if to drown you out.

“Harry,” you call, taking a step out of the doorway and padding closer to the couch. There’s absolutely no response, and you sigh softly. You hate this, everything about it, the silent treatment. You reckon you’d prefer if he were screaming at you, though you know he’d never do it. At least you’d know he was hearing you. “Um - I made dinner. S’just mac an’ cheese, though.”

His typing slowly stutters to a pause and you swallow thickly, crossing your arms over your chest. There’s a brief spark of hope that lights inside of you - maybe he’ll stand up, at least share a meal with you, and you can tell him how sorry you are, because you know he didn’t believe you before. But instead, he merely nods, a slow jerk of his head, and then mumbles, “Alright.”

Your hope, buried deep in your chest, deflates almost immediately. You can feel a lump rising in the back of your throat and you really don’t want to cry in front of him and you’re not even sure if he would care, but you would. So you merely nod, even though he can’t see it, and murmur, “Oh - alright.” If he notices the way your voice cracks he doesn’t mention it, and you take another moment to stare at the back of his head. Willing him, in some way, to turn around and say something else, or ask to have dinner with you, or do something.

But he doesn’t add anything else - you can just hear him resuming his typing as if you’d never spoken. You’re sure you could maintain some semblance of your dignity if you turned and walked away - scooped your mac and cheese into a bowl and sat to eat it by yourself. But, truthfully, you couldn’t give less of a shit about your dignity when Harry was still furious with you, and your shitty mac and cheese couldn’t taste half as good if you weren’t eating it with him.

So you take another step forward, your socks (or his - you’re not quite sure) muffling your footsteps on the hardwood. Your hands drop to the back of the sofa, on either side of his shoulders, and you can practically feel him stiffening even though you hadn’t even touched him. 

“Harry.” You’re quiet and almost pathetic sounding, but not half as pathetic as you’re feeling. Your eyes drop to his fingers on his keyboard - they’ve paused, drumming ever so softly on the keys, and you take it as a sign to keep going. “I’m really sorry.”

He doesn’t speak for another moment, but just as you’ve opened your mouth to continue, he finally says, “S’fine.”

You could roll your eyes at that, but instead, you walk around the sofa until you’re in front of him. A mug of tea sits on the coffee table directly in front of him and you move it aside, taking its place when it’s out of the way. Harry’s refusing to look in your eyes and it makes you feel silly but you try not to let it deter you. “S’not fine. Don’t know why I said that, really - I care about you more than anything else in the world.”

That, at least, gets a reaction out of him, even if it’s not the kind that you’d wanted. He shuts his laptop and rests it on the couch beside him, and then he leans forward, elbows on his knees, brows creased. “Baby, you picked a fight over the way I made the bed, an’ then you said you didn’t care when I was upset about it.”

You wince at the reminder of exactly what you’d said, dropping your gaze down to your knees. They’re barely covered by the jumper you’re wearing - it’s Harry’s, one that’s just a bit too small for him, and you’d practically claimed it as your own. It doesn’t quite smell like him anymore but you still love to wrap yourself up in it, and so you tug the bottom of the sweater down until it’s fully covering your knees as you mutter, “I know. I’m really sorry, Harry. I know it doesn’t make up for it - I really don’t know why I said that.”

There’s a thick silence in the air as Harry sighs, running a hand through his hair. Then he leans back into the sofa, palms resting on his thighs, and you can feel the familiar lump rising in the back of your throat again. He’s taking too long to talk - and then - “I think you’ve been very on edge lately.”

“On edge?”

He hums in affirmation, and when your gaze meets again he has one eyebrow arched, as if waiting for you to speak again - when you don’t, he sighs again and says, “I don’t know. You’ve just seemed really different - that’s how I’ve been making the bed for almost 2 years an’ you never said anything, not once.”

You open your mouth to reply but quickly shut it - have you been on edge? You’re not quite sure. You’d been feeling a bit ill recently - perhaps it had made you snipper with Harry. But, no matter what the reason, it wasn’t an excuse to be an asshole to him. You’ll worry about that later, after the two of you manage to work through this. Put it behind you.

“Oh,” you breathe, and you’re not quite sure what to say. There’s a weird turmoil happening in the pit of your stomach and you swallow again, lips tightening into a thin line. “M’sorry for that, too. Really.”

“S’alright,” he responds, tone quiet and reassuring, and you still don’t believe him. As if he can sense your apprehension, he reaches out, palm resting on your knee and squeezing slightly. “But if there’s anything going on with you - if something’s wrong - y’can tell me anything, you know.”

I know, you want to say. Want to reassure him that nothing is wrong, that you’ve just been having a bad week, but you’re not so sure, suddenly. You’ve been sick and moody and now that you’re thinking of it, your boobs kind of hurt, too. Have they been hurting the whole week? You can’t remember, but they’re certainly hurting now. Earlier in the week, you’d had a headache, too. 

Fuck. It all seemed to be coming together in the exact way you don’t want it to and yet now your stomach is sinking because what other explanation is there? It doesn’t make sense - you’d never skipped a day on birth control. You have reminders in your phone and Harry has reminders in his phone to ensure this internal freakout you’re having wouldn’t happen until you’re ready.

“Baby?”

And his voice is full of concern, laced with worry all around the edges, and your eyes snap back up to meet his. Harry’s looking at you with an unreadable expression, his brows furrowed, and you merely shake your head. Falsify a grin - no point in telling him your worries. You’ll deal with it tomorrow, maybe. Or next week. “I’m fine. Really, Har, I’m fine. Just been having a difficult week - y’know, at work and whatever.” 

It seems to relax him just a bit, and you rest your hand overtop of his on your knee. There’s a slow smile spreading on his face and you bring your other hand up to his chin, making him look at you the way he always does. And then you say - in a voice far more confident than you’re feeling - “I’m really sorry. I love you a lot, Har. An’ I care about you a lot.”

There’s another pause, and then Harry leans in, pressing one light kiss to the tip of your nose. Your eyes shut and you can’t help but feel oddly overwhelmed by everything happening, even as Harry stands and grabs your palm to pull you up with him. You give him a grin, though, letting him throw his arm around you and pull you close.

“Really, honey, s’okay. We all have our bad days.” His reassurement could make you cry just on its own as he tugs you towards the kitchen, arm around your neck. “Bu’ I think you did say something about mac an’ cheese, and I haven’t eaten for hours.”

So as you enter the kitchen, his focus immediately dropping to the pot of macaroni sitting on the stove, and there’s something so wonderful about watching him go off to grab bowls for the two of you. You won’t mention it now. On Monday, you’ll buy the test from the store. Give yourself the weekend to calm yourself down about it. If it’s negative, there’s no harm done - and if it’s positive -

You’ll cross that bridge when you get there.

 —

 When Monday rolls around, you have not at all calmed down about the situation. If anything, it’s worse and it’s been fucking up your whole day - you hadn’t been able to look at your toast this morning without feeling nauseous, so you’d gone without breakfast, and you’d also zoned out at work while your boss was talking to you imagining what, exactly, you would do if the stupid pregnancy test came back positive.

It wasn’t as though it’s a secret that Harry wants children. He’d never bothered too much to make it anything less than painfully obvious, playing peek-a-boo with babies in strollers when you took walks at the park and dragging you into the baby aisle at the store to show you how small the clothes were. You’d never spoken about it directly but you know he wants them, and you do too - you’d just suspected you would have a bit more time before that part of your life comes. At least a year or two of living together, learning how to have a relationship with each other that isn’t confined to stolen moments in his office and his apartment, You’d barely been at your job for a month, and soon you’re going to be having to take maternity leave?

If you’re pregnant. If and only if.

You squeeze your eyes shut. The pregnancy test is shaking in your hand as you glare down at it, as if willing it to somehow give you your results faster than the general five minute wait time. Your timer, sitting on the bathroom counter beside you, shows you that there’s still 3 minutes and 48 seconds until you’ll be able to tell, but you can’t tear your gaze from the stick.

It’s been a much more hassling process than you’d expected, and you wish someone could’ve told you that beforehand. You weren’t sure which test to pick when you’d stopped at the grocery store on the way home, because there were so many brands and surely they all did the same exact thing, but you still felt like you chose the wrong one. And you’re a grown woman, of course, but it was still distinctly uncomfortable to look the cashier in the eye as he scanned the test, his gaze seeming to mock you when you finally looked at him to murmur have a nice day. The brand you’d chosen had ended up being Clear Blue, for no other reason than you’d liked the name, and the box sits beside you. The edges are worn and soft from where you’d been plucking at the white cardboard in the car and when you were squinting at the instructions, which told you - more or less - just piss on it, idiot.

Which is - well, exactly what you’d done.

And now you’re here. Your knees are tight to your chest and you’re clutching the stupid pregnancy test for dear life, and there are tears burning the back of your eyes. You wish, more than anything, that you had fucking told Harry so he could be here with you right now. Arms wrapped around you, chin on your shoulder, telling you s’gonna be okay, baby, no matter what the test says. 

The timer ticks down to a measly 2 minutes before you’re supposed to see your results, and if you squint, you’re fairly positive you can see the lines, ever so faint, coming in - no. You stand up, dropping the stupid stick onto the bathroom counter, and it clatters into the sink. There almost seems to be a weight lifted off of your shoulders when the test disappears from view but it doesn’t last too long - just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not real. When you tilt your head just so, you can see it, resting on top of the drain, face down.

There’s a minute left, now. The seconds are passing faster than you want them to and you reach into the sink, grabbing the test and resting it back on the counter. Face down, of course - makes you too nervous to look at it.

You lean back against the wall, gazing up at the ceiling above you. Working on steadying your breathing is easier said than done but you try it, anyway. No matter what happens, you’ll always have Harry. And you both have good jobs - his better than yours, fresh out of college - and there is a spare bedroom that you could revamp into a nursery, and age it up as your baby grows. And Harry would be the greatest dad, you’re sure of it. You’re not quite as confident in your abilities to be a mother, but you know he’ll be the best. Thinking of the future, oddly, makes you feel significantly better than focusing on the present. You and Harry have just been able to come clean with your relationship and your mother still doesn’t like any of this and you’re not quite ready to see the look in her eyes when you tell her that he’s knocked you up. But - who knows? - maybe a year or two in the future, she’ll come around. Or even sooner. She’s always wanted to be a grandmother, anyway.

Only if you’re pregnant.

The timer dings and you turn your gaze back down to the test. The results face the bathroom counter and you reach out, stopping the dinging of your phone, leaving you in a brutal silence that fills the room and it’s nearly overwhelming.

Waiting won’t change the result, you tell yourself, so you grab the test and flip it around, staring down at the small screen embedded in the stick.

Oh.

It’s exactly what you’d expected, the two small lines, and yet there’d still been a part of you that hoped there’d only be one. That you’d be able to dump it in the garbage with a dry laugh, roll your eyes at the amount of worry you’d set yourself up for and never think about it again. Double down on your efforts with birth control - you still can’t remember the time that you’d missed a day but you must have, or you’d just fallen into the unlucky percentage that had it not work.

It doesn’t matter, though. Doesn’t matter if you’d skipped a day or merely just had a bout of bad luck. You are pregnant, and you’re not sure the reality of it has quite set in yet because you’re not sure how you’re feeling. If you’re scared or sad or happy or - or anything. Just feel slightly numb. You suppose it’ll set in later - everything you’re supposed to be feeling - perhaps when you tell Harry.

You squeeze your eyes shut, grip tightening on the pregnancy test. Telling Harry is something you hadn’t even started to think about yet but you suppose you’d better get a move on, because you’ve already felt horribly guilty hiding your suspicions from him for barely a day and a half. You don’t reckon you’ll make much more than an hour once you see him, holding onto a secret like this. It’s best to get it done as fast as you can -

So you pick up your phone, horribly aware of your hand shaking slightly, and tap into your texts with him. You’d last texted when you’d got out of work - he’d told you he was going to get home later because he was grading, and you suppose he’s still there now. If you know anything at all about Harry it’s that he won’t stop until he’s graded everything, and you also know that he’s just assigned the 1984 essays (which holds quite a special place in your heart) so your fingers fly across the keyboard, typing a message and sending it just as fast.

Y/N: can i meet u at ur office? maybe we can go to dinner or something?

You aren’t expecting too quick of a response but within just a few seconds the typing bubble pops up, and soon after that his reply rolls through.

Harry S.: Yes!!!!!!!!

Even in spite of everything that’s happened in the last five minutes his enthusiasm makes you grin, so you shove the pregnancy test in the pocket of Harry’s jacket that you’d thrown on the second you’d got home. It’s big and plaid and smells like him mixed with a hint of your perfume from how much you like to steal it from him, but you can’t help it - not that he’d ever complain. Loves seeing you in his clothes, you know, so you figure, maybe, donning his jacket while you tell him absolutely life changing news will soften the blow, just a bit.

At least, that’s what you tell yourself as you slide into your shoes, slipping your phone into the pocket of your jeans. As if anything could make this shit less drastic. But it soothes you, just a bit, as you grab your keys and leave the apartment, locking the door behind you and heading off down the hall.

 —

 From the moment you’d walked into Harry’s office, you’d felt a sense of dread, weighing you down with every step.

It had started the second you stepped foot outside of your apartment, feeling the late afternoon sun beating down on you. It was nearing the end of September, still with a dull chill, and you’d tugged Harry’s jacket closer to your body. Buried your nose in the fabric and sniffed, smelling his shampoo and his cologne that you’d gotten to know so well. It was fucking overwhelming, nearly leaving you lightheaded, and that was when you first felt it. Like a cloud, raining on top of you, where every other person on the street was surrounded by the sunshine.

And it had worsened the second you stepped into Harry’s office, catching the way his eyes lit up when he saw you. How he pushed himself up, making his way around his desk to wrap you in a hug. How he presses a kiss to the tip of your nose - if he notices the way you wince, ever so slightly, away from his touch, he doesn’t mention it. Because you had just made up after the fight on Saturday, and yesterday had been fairly awkward, too. Harry had chalked it up to you still feeling bad about what you’d said to him and, of course, you still do feel bad about it, so you let him coddle you, assuring you up and down that he wasn’t still mad. That it was fine. Hearing his reassurance, even if it was misguided, was easier than telling him the truth.

Harry had still seemed blissfully oblivious as the two of you left his office, headed outside where the slightly warm sun had dulled into a slight chill. It’s nothing you hadn’t expected - hence the jacket, pulled tight to your body - but when he reaches down, zipping his plaid jacket all the way up to your neck with a playful can’t have you getting sick on me, baby, it does overwhelm you. It’s just such a soft gesture, shows how much he loves you, and imagining him as a father is so easy and so beautiful and your head spins at the thought of it. 

Now, though - he seems to be understanding there’s something wrong. The entire five minute car ride has been silent, save for Elvis Presley crooning how he can’t help falling in love at a dull, low volume. And the two of you are normally so talkative, him ranting to you about the terrible essays he’d read and you telling him about some asshole thing your coworker had done. Car rides are the places for easy conversations but there’s nothing easy about the forced small talk Harry is making and you can hear his concern growing with every soft, short response you give him.

It’s not your fault, you want to tell him. But you’re too scared you’ll burst into tears if you open your mouth for too long so you bite your tongue, rest your head against the cool window and glance at the shops he’s driving past.

“You know,” Harry says, voice strained and desperate and you turn slightly so you can see him from the corner of your eye. He’s staring at the road with a crease in his eyebrows and a frown tugging his lips down and you swallow at the sight, turning back to the window. It’s easier not to look at him, for now. “Think I’ve finally graded a 1984 essay worse than yours.”

You exhale dryly, breath fogging up the window ever so slightly. Swallowing softly, putting the lump in the back of your throat at bay, you murmur, “Hard to imagine,” and leave it at that. It’s the same sort of half assed response you’d been giving him the entire car ride and you hate it. Because - if this were any other time - you’d joke about it with him, laugh remembering how terribly you’d analyzed the easy book.

It’s difficult to bring yourself to do that now. Can’t quite get more than a few meek words in edgewise.

There’s a small pause, and then Harry chuckles, tells you, “Got a 66,” in a voice barely above a whisper. “And, before you ask, won’t fall in love with him. S’a promise.”

It’s a weak attempt to get you to laugh so you do - give him a soft giggle and you can sense the way it relieves him. Harry’s hand rests on the center console, fingertips drumming on the surface, and at any other time you’d reach out, grab his hand, squeeze your reassurance.

You’ve never felt heavier in your life. You’re not sure you could even make it into the Mexican restaurant you and Harry love, where you’d begged him to go, hardly five minutes from campus. It seemed the best spot for such a conversation but now, as Harry pulls into a parking spot just in front of the restaurant, the thought of going inside makes you feel fucking sick.

So you don’t make any move to unbuckle your seatbelt and neither does Harry, and there’s a moment where you both just sit in silence. Elvis switches to Can’t Smile Without You, playing so softly you can hardly hear it, but it’s the only distraction from the awkwardness settled into every nook and cranny in the car.

“Baby,” Harry begins, and you worry your bottom lip at his tone of voice. His knuckles are white, gripping onto the steering wheel, and you’re not sure what he’s thinking of, exactly, but it can’t be good. “Can you look at me?”

No, you want to say. You don’t, actually, think you can. So you shake your head, dropping your gaze down to your lap. Fingernails scratch at your jeans, swallowing the lump buried in the back of your throat, and then you sniffle, ever so slightly.

But Harry can pick up on your I’m-about-to-cry signals from miles away, and immediately he’s shifting in his seat, reaching over to you. Two fingers rest underneath your chin, tugging your face up ever so slightly to look at him, and seeing the anxiety burning in his eyes makes you feel ten times worse.

It’s now or never, you think. No amount of reassuring him that you’re fine, just had a long day, will make him drop this so you shove your hand into the pocket of his plaid jacket, fingers feeling the stick in the fabric. 

“I have to tell you something,” you tell him, voice hardly louder than a whisper. You turn the pregnancy test over in your fingers a few times before grasping it fully in your clammy palm. It would be so easy to pull it out, drop it in his lap, but you don’t want to do that - want to tell him with your words. Control how, exactly, the message comes across.

“Okay,” Harry murmurs, fingers dropping from beneath your chin. 

His hand lands back on the center console and your gaze lowers to your lap, fingernails drumming against your thigh, and there’s another thick bout of silence. Just for a brief second, besides Barry Manilow’s singing, and, finally, you say, “So - I don’t really know how to say this.”

If you were in a different state of mind you’d have immediately known what conclusions he’d drawn up in the back of his mind, hand retracting from the console and dropping into his lap. His head drops back against the headrest, gazing up at the ceiling. Harry’s breathing is soft yet ragged and you take it as the slight encouragement you’d needed to continue, so you do.

“Jus’ - don’t say anything until I’m done, alright?” You wait to see his head jerk up and down quickly, his eyes distinctly glassy in the reflecting light as the sun goes down, before continuing. “On Saturday, I - uh - I started to get really nervous, about everything that’s been happening in the past week.” You don’t think you’ve ever felt so overwhelmed in your life than right now but there’s no going back. So you take one final deep breath, pull your hand out of your pocket, test clutched in your hand. “So today, after work - I took a pregnancy test.”

It takes a few seconds for the effect of your words to hit Harry, so you pause and watch for when it does. How he lifts his head ever so slightly, turning to glance at you. His eyes are burning with confusion, brows furrowed, lips parted. There’s anxiety coursing through your veins, sending heat burning up your cheeks and bringing a fresh layer of tears to the forefront of your eyes as Barry Manilow changes to When I’m Sixty Four, background music to the situation at hand. And it doesn’t let up, fear settling into your heart, until Harry finally breathes, “What?”

You lift your hand up, resting the pregnancy test on the center console between you two so he can reach out, grabbing the test in a shaking head. You’re careful to observe his reaction, paralyzed with the force of every emotion running through you as he squints down at the small screen embedded into the stick. The two lines - the writing on the side, telling him exactly what the two lines means. And, though it doesn’t seem like it needs to be said, you whisper, “I’m pregnant, Harry,” and that’s when he finally looks back up at you.

Harry looks - God, you’ve never seen anything like it, a mix of emotions you’ve never encountered. You’re practically shaking and you’re finding it hard to breathe - you just need him to say something, anything, so you know how he’s feeling.

“Are you serious?” he finally asks, and you nod softly, voice hitched in your throat. “S’not a joke? You promise?”

“Why would I -”

But you don’t have time to finish your sentence before Harry has practically thrown himself over the center console. His arms are wrapped around you, face buried in your neck, and for a second you don’t know how to react - for every bad reaction you’d imagined this is what you’re getting, feeling his tears against your neck, and it’s so fucking good that you could cry too.

So you do, naturally, the dam breaking as you throw your arms around Harry’s neck, pulling his body as close to yours as it can get. Every worry that’s been plaguing you since you first took the test dissipates in fucking seconds at the feeling of Harry’s hug, warm and tight, where you’re shaking beneath him. And he’s murmuring words you can’t quite understand and you don’t try. It doesn’t quite matter to you, now.

“Oh my god,” Harry mutters when he pulls back, giving just a few inches between the two of you. His palms press to your cheeks, holding your head in his hands as he observes the tears streaking down your cheeks, similar to the ones gracing his own face. “S’this what you were so nervous about, baby? Having a baby?”

You laugh breathlessly, leaning in to slot your lips together in a short lived, passion filled kiss - to anyone passing on the sidewalk, the two of you probably look like any other couple getting a quick snog in. Only the two of you know the importance of this moment and that’s all that matters, you suppose. “Thought you were gonna be mad,” you confess, and it sounds just a bit silly, falling from your lips, now that you know how he truly feels.

He shakes his head, landing another kiss to your lips - then another - then another - and then he pulls you into him, your face burying in his neck. “Never,” he assures you as your arms loop around his neck, pushing yourself closer to him, and his arms wind around your waist. “Never, never.”

There’s a beat - one of pure, unadulterated joy - before Harry finally speaks again, muffled into your hair. “Bloody hell, thought you were breaking up with me. Was gonna start crying, right here an’ now.”

Slowly you pull back, letting your fingers comb through the short hair at the nape of his neck as you furrow your eyebrows at him. He looks almost guilty for thinking it and you shake your head firmly. “Don’t worry, professor,” you tell him. “You’re never getting rid of me.”

“Thank God,” Harry sighs, hands smoothing up and down your back. You don’t think you’ve ever felt so in love with him than in this moment, especially as he moves one of his hands to rest on your stomach, feeling around over the jacket he’d zipped up earlier. “I’m mad about you, y’know that?” he tells you matter-of-factly, leaving positively no room for you to confess to him how head over heels you are for him, as well, before he adds, “and I think we should move our celebration into the restaurant. Maybe they’ll give us free dessert, if we tell ‘em you’re eating for two, now.”

You could banter with him about it - you’ve got to be less than a month along, you reckon, not at all eating for two - but, as much as you love celebrating in the car with him, you can’t say that tacos wouldn’t add to the moment drastically. “Think that sounds perfect, professor,” and you lean in to give him one final kiss for good measure. 

[kyotakumrau]

2021.02.16 1st talk session of Meguro Rock-May-KanGIG at Zepp Yokohama

Zepp Yokohama is a such a nice venue, I really hope we will get to see dir play there live properly!

The concert recorded at Meguro RockMayKan was great! The setlist surprised me quite a lot (especially encore!!!)! And I think that was the smallest stage I ever saw dir on!😆 the footage definitely deserves a separate entry and I don't want to spoil anyone if they go to next events.

After the concert film screening staff quickly prepared the stage, bringing two long tables and four chairs, they also placed a water bottle at each seat.

Punctually (thank you for not repeating Nagoya's situation😆), at 3:30 Fujieda came on stage and started with greeting everyone, and asking us to greet the band members with applause.

After a moment of uncertainty (even as my heart was almost set it will be Kyo) Die came on stage with Kyo after him.٩( ˆoˆ  )۶

They both looked super classy. Die had a dark grey suit with a long jacket, his usual award winning hair and wore sunglasses.

Kyo had a black jacket (with a round Chanel pin) and shirt, green hair, he wore glasses (not sunglasses).

When they sat (Kyo stood in front of the chair first until Fujieda gestured them to sit) F asked them to introduce themselves.

D: ども、Dieです

K: 京です

...and then F announced 'today is Kyo's birthday!' and a birthday song melody began to play😆

Kyo turned on his murder face glaring at Fujieda who happily observed 'oh what's this song?'😂

The soft Happy Birthday melody got then a guitar joining in and Takabayashi came on the stage carrying a small strawberry shortcake (with a chocolate message おめでとう京さん) which of course he placed in front of Kyo.

We couldn't sing but we clapped.

Kyo snatched a strawberry and popped it in his mouth. He gestured 'throat slashing' looking at Fujieda😂

And then ate another strawberry🍓😂

F: the song was made by Die.

K: (only interested in the cake) Could I get a fork?

(staff went to get him one)

F: how do you feel? (about your own birthday)

K: I don't care.

The fork arrived and Kyo literally dug in right in the middle, scooping a huge piece he put whole in his mouth.

Fujieda wisely left Kyo to his cake then and started talking about RMK footage. Die said they had hard time deciding on a tour or events like this in COVID situation. They also mentioned the secret show in 2009 was held in RMK.

Next Die talked about how nice it was to rehearse and play together with the band, first time since March, he was happy about the show, creating sound together as 5 people.

F: did you finish eating K?

K: yup

(there was last 🍓 left (out of 4 big ones), he ate about 25~35%?)

F: then tell us about recording the RockMayKan show!

K: the place was very narrow.

F: anything else?

K: Not really.

But then he added more, that as it has been a while it felt like the first day of the tour.

F: was there anything that was difficult? Was a struggle?

K: when recording I can do it at my own pace, I can do one song when I want, but that day it was back to performing over 10 songs all at once, it was tough, hard on my throat, energy/stamina wise.

But at the same time it was exciting, meet with other members, play music together, that was nice.

F: 2019 was filled with shows, it was busy, then things changed. So after a break to see an audience again got me nervous, in a good way.

Next F said had would like to talk about the release of Oboro.

D: what do you want to know?

F: so the song is not out yet, any hints?

D: it's gonna stay a secret for a bit more.

F: the 2nd track is TDFF？

D: (interesting letters ???didn't catch exactly) it's a powerful song.

F: how is Oboro for you Kyo?

K: quite fresh/refreshing

F: really?!

D: especially the video

...but then Kyo just burst with a whole speech how Fujieda always ask something and when he gets an aswer he didn't expect he doesn't react well, just says what he wants, is not listening to what Kyo says and... it went for a while😆

Next F moved to the topic of the merchandise and asked the band members which items they like.

K: the big badge, before the big pick was huge, shouldn't the badge be like this size (showing about 20cm with his hands). It bothered me from when I saw it. Isn't it just normal?

in the end they agreed it's just 'a bit big' 😂

F: how about for you, D?

D: the rubber key chains?

F: they got sold out very quickly, sorry to fans about that.

D: they are cute. And I like the wristbands too. The color combinations are nice.

T: the badge has the old band's logo, it brings me back

D talked about old times when artists made stickers like that, with logos, to put on their equipment, they worked a bit like business cards, he said he still have some at home.

T picked the rechargeable heat pack.

K: so it's to be used instead of heat packs? (ホッカイロ)

F: uh, it's already warm.

D: huh? Show me? (F passed it to him) it's like a phone that gets hot when charging.

Next they moved on to fans questions. ("~~" is a question from fans they read)

K (unusually picks the first question super fast): "what's your favourite cake?"

K: Well, the strawberry shortcake is good, but this one doesn't have strawberries inside, just some jam, it should have strawberries inside too.

(F so dead😂😂😂)

F: "what's your best or bad memory connected to birthdays?"

K: at a concert somewhere, it was quite long time ago, I got a present all wrapped and in a bag from a silver accessories brand I liked, so nicely wrapped, I opened it and it was empty, isn't that really strange? I looked at the attached letter and it said the person is keeping the item for themselves. It annoyed me so much, the worst bd memory ever.

☹️

F: how about you D?

D: it's not exactly bad memory, but many band members have birthdays in February, in the past when we were still giving each other presents Toshiya and I had to think what to get for 3 people, it was always tough. We stopped that at some point.

T: "any memory/story about China Town?"

D: I like China Town

T: do you go often?

D: sometimes. But only to my favorite restaurants. (?? Talked more about the stadium?)

T: do you usually order the same thing?

D: Mabodofu, the spicy version

(then I think he said something like there's no point in overdoing spicyness, it's not healthy??)

K: I don't know which restaurants are good so I get annoyed. I don't know what decides it's a good one or not.

F: I don't go, but I'd like to.

then they talked about the types of Chinese food and food they tried when in other Asian countries.

K: when we were touring in the US I ordered Chinese abd it was terrible, it was all bad. The egg soup was all clumpy, so bad.

D: "any stories about RockMayKan?"

D: honestly I don't have good memories with this venue, when with a previous band we played together with more senior bands and they took over the dressing room, we couldn't use it, and we also had to greet all senpai musicians.

K: remember when Shinya sat on the lockers? Like on top of the 170cm lockers?

D: was it in Nagoya?

K: he's done his make up there, like a cat or something

D: Shinya climbed a locker and made a space for himself there

K: He's not exactly human. Normally you would not even consider climbing a locker...

D: we usually did our make up on the stairs, didn't use changing room. When we played at RMK as dir for the first time I saw 'this is the changing room!'

He also talked about how the hair spray used by all the bandomen would stink up the whole place 😂

F: "what do you usually wear to sleep?"

K: just underwear. Doesn't matter if it's summer or winter I want to feel the towel like fabric, I use towel cloth for my bedding, I want my whole body to feel it so there's no point in wearing pajamas.

D: at home...wait you mean my home or my family house? At my parents' I always wear the pajama my mum got me, currently the Mickey Mouse one. I only have that one there.

K( with sudden interest): can you draw it?

D: it's about this big, quite big print. The one I wear at home, it wasn't sent by my mum.

K: not Mickey one??

D:  that's Nightmare Before Christmas.

K: Disney theme?

D: this one has a face in the front.

K: do you change characters (for pajamas) every year?

D: this year it's Nightmare.

Next was something they wanted to say to F. K chose to comment on his haircut, because it's asymmetric K is bothered that it will end as an uzumaki in the back. They talked more about F's style.

F: "I'd like you to tell us about your costumes you wore for RMK show".

D: I wanted something motovating so red colour.

K: I had no special reasoning, just what I wanted to wear then.

D: "have you gotten any food delivery?"

He said he only got it once or not much, I think he said he's not fond of shops that don't do it properly, but when recording it's good???

F: Shinya said he orders Uber almost everyday.

K: I only got Uber once.

F: what did you get?

K: Burger King. I quit McDonalds. After eating Burger King I can't go back to McDonalds.

They talked about sizes of burger here?? Whooper versus Junior Whooper?

F: So McD is not good?

K: the meat taste is different. McDonald now tastes like trash.

F: what about the Mc fries, when they get a bit soft.

K: not only a bit. Gross.

D: in the US we usually also have some American staff, when we had some time and we went to eat out, it was funny, American staff went for sushi, Shinya went for McDonalds.

F: was it last time?

D: no, quite some time ago.

F: when did you eat McDonalds the last time?

D: I also don't eat it, it's been some time already.

They talked more about the food, some restaurants D liked in the US (didn't catch the name🙃 but in Sacramento?), then F talked more about event schedule and the time was over.

Last comments from the band members:

Die: From today the new series of film screening starts, thank you for coming to the first day. So well... the band is working on the new album while coming to the events at the same time, we're working on creating a great album. Please come amd enjoy the events.

Kyo: I don't have a special thing to say. Many of you will be coming to few or many events and will end up with many t-shirts, you can do whatever with them, even use them as a doormat, there are many ways to use them, no problem for the whole year.

[love-takes-work]

Korean Lunch for the Universes 

Why yes I did make an entire Korean meal for two based on less than five seconds of footage in “Steven’s Dream,” why do you ask?

Instructions and commentary below!

See more SU food tutorials!

It's that time again where I have to spend an entire morning cooking a full meal because seconds' worth of food on a cartoon

Steven and Greg went to Korea and Did All the Things. That includes lunch.

Welp. I'm that weirdo who makes Every Dish In Steven Universe, so get ready to learn now to make all this food.

Four Parts

Sushi

Noodle Bowl

Dumplings

Pickles

I'm pretty familiar with the Japanese equivalents, but this is Korean food and honestly I'm a total tourist to this. So I'm afraid I'm going to mostly approach it like a tourist and take some shortcuts. Some of my stuff is from packages instead of from scratch. Sorry!

SUSHI

This Korean sushi is called gimbap . You will need to make the sushi rice a specific way and then prepare the sushi roll.

Ingredients:

11 1/2 ounces sushi rice

1 1/2 cups cold water

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package nori (seaweed sheets)

1 carrot

1 danmuji (pickled radish)

Some leaves of spinach

First, sushi rice is made a special way. I am no expert, but the way I do it has worked fine for sushi in the past. First you measure out your 11.5 ounces of rice and put it in a sieve, then wash thoroughly with tap water.

Put it in the pan you will cook it in, pour the 1.5 cups of cold water on, and let sit WITHOUT COOKING for 30 minutes.

When the soak time is up, turn on high and boil. As soon as it hits boil, turn to low, cover, and cook 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let steam in the pan for 10 more minutes. You now have fluffable, tasty, sticky steamed rice!

Next, make your vinegar concoction. Combine the vinegar, the sugar, and the salt in a small dish. Microwave it to dissolve the sugar. I did this in a few 20-second bursts. It smells strongly but I love that smell. Make sure when you stir it, there's no sugar on the bottom! It must be dissolved.

Pour the concoction over the hot rice and stir it in. You are ready to work with it!

While you're waiting for soaking, boiling, and steaming, you can prepare veggies.

• Pickled Radish: Cut discs and chop in six to eight pieces each.

• Carrot: Wash, peel, and cut into medallions. Chop those medallions into halves or quarters depending on how big they are.

• Spinach: Chop off the stems and cut into ribbons.

Put a sheet of nori on your rolling mat, rough side up. Spread some rice on using a wooden implement designed for this and get it out to the edges evenly.

Place a line of each vegetable toward the upper third of your mat of rice.

Roll, compacting as you go, and pull the rolling mat out with a tuck before the top edge goes under. Roll up the rest of the way, remove from mat, and cut in thin slices with a sharp knife.

Gimbap is DONE!! (Sorry, it’s messy. Not my first time doing sushi, but it was my first time trying to slice thin.)

NOODLE SOUP

This particular kind of noodle dish reminded me of a dish I once ate in Japan: Zaru Soba. It's buckwheat noodles served cold! Well, turns out the Korean equivalent is very similar. It's called naengmyeon .

There are many varieties and choices when it comes to making your own naengmyeon. You should have thin brown noodles (buckwheat works), a chilled broth of either beef or kimchi/radish water, seasonings (usually mustard powder and chili paste), and various garnish.

As mentioned above, I am taking some shortcuts here as I'm no expert to this cuisine, so I got a packaged naengmyeon kit that included noodles, broth, and seasonings.

For garnish, after looking at naengmyeon recipes and comparing Steven and Greg's soup to them, I determined they have strips of English cucumber, strips of beef brisket, slices of Korean pear, and a hard-boiled egg. The garnish was up to me. I got these items and substituted pan-fried soy bacon for the brisket.

NOODLES

I boiled water, added the cold noodles, boiled them for only ONE MINUTE, strained them, and ran cold water over them before placing them in serving bowls.

BROTH

The broth is supposed to be literally icy and mine was but it was no longer apparent once I poured it out and stirred seasonings in, to taste. Then I added it to the noodle bowls.

PICKLE

I chopped an English cucumber into strips to lie on top.

"BEEF"

I fried soy bacon in oil in a frying pan and added soy sauce for color to make it resemble beef brisket.

KOREAN PEAR

These things are more like apples from where I live! But taste like pears. Crunchy and good. (I also read that you can juice these into your broth if you want more kick.) Slice thin slices and add to the pile.

HARD-BOILED EGGS

I boiled six eggs like this: Put cold water in a pan until there’s enough water to cover the eggs by about an inch. Boil the water. Once it’s boiling, add eggs cold from the fridge. The water will briefly stop boiling. Wait for it to start boiling again and wait 30 seconds.

Then turn the heat down to LOW and put a cover on the pot. Let the pot simmer for 12 minutes.

Then turn off the heat, remove the eggs from the water, and put them in ice water. Let them chill briefly, then peel.

Cut an egg in half and add to the pile.

Congrats! It's naengmyeon.

DUMPLINGS

Here's another one where I took a shortcut. Most likely Steven and Greg are eating mandu, which is kinda any kind of dumpling, but the pork buns are super popular so they are probably pork buns.

I decided I should make my own since I don't eat pork. I was planning to fill them with tofu, carrots, and scallions. But guess what.

Couldn't find the dumpling wrappers.

So instead of making my own, I just bought some frozen ones that contain vegetables only and I steamed them at home.

I used a lightly oiled steamer in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Wish I could have made them myself but these will do. I arranged them nicely on a plate.

RADISH

If you notice, there's a small bowl of pickles on the Universes' table. They are danmuji, pickled radish.

I reserved some from my sushi and chopped it in slices like we see in the illustration.

Great!!

COMPLETE MEAL

In my attempt to earn the title of Most Over-Enthusiastic Steven Universe Fan, I set up my table to look very much like Greg and Steven's from the trip to Korea in "Steven's Dream"!

I hope you like it!

And yes, it was all delicious!

See more SU food tutorials!

[too-kinky-to-live]

buffet

yes i know i teased this fic months ago but i finally got it finished! this is a pregame oum.asai fic (feat. mutual stuffing owo) 

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32253592

(based off a real experience i had in japan .3.)

Going out to a fancy restaurant was never a luxury Kokichi had.

Going to a standard sushi bar, however, was just barely within his reach. His new Danganronpa buddy, Shuichi Saihara, had invited him to dinner after watching the new episode. Shuichi was far better off than himself, so of course it would be no trouble treating Kokichi to a simple meal. 

“Are you sure you don’t mind paying for me? I’ll try not to order too much if that’ll help…” the smaller one mumbled, not meeting the other’s eyes. 

Shuichi gently put a hand on Kokichi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. We’re just here to enjoy ourselves, and celebrate another great episode of the best show on television!” The purple haired boy gave a sheepish smile as the two walked into the restaurant and took their seats. A myriad of images flashed onto the screen on the wall next to their booth, showcasing the delicacies available to them. Such a variety was new to Kokichi, to the point where it felt overwhelming. Meanwhile, Shuichi wasted no time in selecting numerous plates of sushi. 

Truthfully, there was another reason Kokichi wanted to come. There was something special about watching Shuichi eat - the glimmer in his eyes and genuine smile when he bit into his favorite foods. His calmness was contagious and made the normally anxious Kokichi feel at peace with him. (And, well… it was nice for Shuichi to focus on something other than Danganronpa, for once.)

It didn’t take long for the sushi plates to slide along the wall’s conveyor belt, accompanied with a cheery chime. Five small plates containing two sushi pieces each were grabbed hastily by Shuichi and placed before him. Faster than Kokichi’s eyes could keep up, a piece of tuna sushi was popped into the blue haired boy’s mouth. Shuichi grinned and chewed a bit, before giving a hearty gulp. 

“Aren’t you gonna order something?”

Kokichi was snapped out of his stupor by the sudden question. “Y-Yeah, I’m still deciding.” Although that was easier said than done, considering his picky nature and the unknown options displayed. Settling for a couple plates of salmon sushi and a can of Panta, he placed his order and tried his best not to stare at Shuichi, who effortlessly wolfed down four of the five plates in front of him. The taller boy’s appetite never failed to amaze him. It was… cute. 

And there it was. It was getting harder for Kokichi to conceal his odd crush on Shuichi, given the circumstances. Watching someone eat so much wasn’t supposed to be cute, was it? He should be disgusted at the other’s brazen disregard for manners, but such an emotion just didn’t exist in this moment. It was mesmerizing, in a way. Just as Kokichi’s order was arriving, Shuichi casually ordered another 3 plates of varying sushi. 

“You okay, ‘Kichi? Your face is red,” he asked, taking a swig of water. 

The smaller boy hurriedly rubbed his cheeks in a futile attempt to cover his blush. “It’s just hot in here, that’s all.” Shuichi said nothing in response, but he could have sworn he saw a smirk on his face. 

Shuichi was on to him, wasn’t he?

Kokichi grabbed his plates and drink and stuffed a piece of sushi in his mouth. He was caught off guard with how fresh it tasted. He was so used to measly cafeteria food, he couldn’t help but smile. No wonder Shuichi was fixated on this stuff. By the time Kokichi finished his first plate, his friend had already cleaned his three new plates. The smaller boy’s mouth was slightly agape as he watched him lean forward to order a small bowl of ramen. Shuichi plopped back in his seat with a satisfied smile, resting his hands on his stomach. 

Kokichi couldn’t help but feel bad about his pace. Maybe he wouldn’t be so scrawny if he ate like his friend. With this new resolve, he shoved the rest of the food in his mouth and took a gulp of soda. Shuichi’s bowl had arrived just then, with the taller boy taking it off the conveyor belt. 

“There’s no need to rush,” he laughed softly. “Your food isn't going anywhere.” 

Kokichi looked up with a smirk. “Same to you, Shu.” 

Shuichi shrugged, but bounced back after a slurp of his noodles. “Dude, you gotta try this!” Kokichi foolishly expected his friend to let him try his, but Shuichi was already scarfing down the bowl. He chuckled quietly before ordering a bowl of his own. The smaller boy was comfortably full, but who was he to deny indulging his best friend? Surely he could handle a small helping of ramen. 

The taller boy went on to order a few more plates along with some side dishes while babbling on about the new episode. Kokichi listened intently as he ate the delicious ramen, finishing his drink straight after. By the time he finished, though, he felt a tightness at his belt. As discreetly as he could, he went to unbutton his pants. He was relatively shocked to see a small lump formed under his uniform. It was such a strange yet warm feeling. Placing his hands on his newly formed belly, he rubbed at it a little. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Shuichi lean in slightly. “Hey ‘Kichi, you want dessert?” 

The smaller boy looked up and blinked. “You’re still hungry?” Just how big was his crush’s stomach capacity? 

“Sorta, but I want to share it with you. You’ve still got room, right?” he asked. 

Kokichi looked down at his stomach, as if he could feel it voicing complaints about the prospect of more food. He did see a delectable-looking slice of strawberry cake on the menu, and he knew he’d regret passing it up. Of course, he also didn’t want to disappoint Shuichi. That was far more important in his eyes. 

“I think I’ll manage,” he replied with a cheeky grin. 

Minutes later, and the cake slice arrived. Despite his fullness, Kokichi felt a bit of drool form around his mouth as he took in the sight before him. A slight strawberry drizzle coated the top with a zigzag design, with a large strawberry sitting atop the back. The filling consisted of vanilla and more strawberries with a rich, creamy icing. Shuichi used his fork to slice it in half, giving the larger portion to Kokichi. Having a dessert like this would be a piece of cake, literally. 

...Or so he thought, until the last bit of strawberry sat on the plate in a taunting manner. His tummy definitely wasn’t happy with him at this point, but he was too far in to give up now. Slowly, Kokichi lifted the piece and brought it to his mouth, easing it in. The strawberry went down with a hard swallow, causing the smaller boy to lean back with a light moan. His fingers curled around the now-open seams of his uniform, feeling the shirt underneath. Kokichi's body was practically begging for a nap, and all the warm food inside him felt heavenly. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so at peace; but that peace was quickly interrupted by excess air rising up his throat. He quickly moved a hand up to his mouth to stifle a small burp before closing his eyes and leaning back once again. 

He peeked an eye open to see Shuichi’s twelve clean plates stacked neatly to the side along with his empty bowl and water glass. The taller boy was also panting a bit, seemingly fiddling with his own pants button. 

“Guess we’re both *urp* done, huh?” Shuichi asked tiredly. Kokichi could only nod in response. 

After a few minutes of struggling to stand, Shuichi paid the bill and the two headed out into the cool, quiet evening. The smaller boy finally got a good look of the damage on his crush, and… wow. Shuichi almost looked pregnant with how much he packed into himself. Kokichi’s belly looked so small by comparison, it made him look like he was exaggerating. He had never eaten so much in his life, he felt as though he would pop at any moment. 

Shuichi, however, seemed to be taking it in stride. “Man, that hit the spot! Guess watching Danganronpa really works up my appetite,” he sighed, giving his soccer ball belly a firm pat. Giving a brief look at his stomach, he suddenly looked at Kokichi with regret. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this, I probably looked like a pig…” 

Kokichi shook his head. “Not at all! You’re not gross. I, um, liked it a lot,” he blushed. For once, Shuichi returned the blush. “That’s a relief. I gotta confess something too, though.” 

The smaller boy looked at him curiously. “I wanted you to have a lot because you look so frail… I’m really worried about your health." He looked away, putting a hand behind his head sheepishly. "Er, sorry, that sounded rude didn’t it? I didn’t mean it like th-” 

“It’s okay, Shuichi. Thank you,” Kokichi gave a gentle smile, placing a hand on the taller boy’s warm stomach. “I’d love to go out with you again sometime.” 

Shuichi gave a large smirk. “So it’s a date, then?” 

Against all odds, Kokichi’s face became even more red. The blue haired boy merely laughed, bending down slightly to give a peck on Kokichi’s cheek. 

“See you after school tomorrow, ‘Kichi.”

[hectabdr]

Dragon Raja V - Part 13

"I have 54 brothers and sisters," Nono whispered. "Except for a few twins and triplets, everyone's mothers are different people."

"Wow, your father sounds like a great guy." Crow praised sarcastically.

The warehouse door banged, Crow opened it and came in, carrying a plastic bag. He didn't even look at the UMP9 pointing at him, and just turned around to lock the door.

Nono breathed a sigh of relief, and threw the submachine gun on the floor next to her after locking the safety, Zihang was curled up in a deep sleep.

“Were you followed?" Mingfei raised his head from the pile of paper, with a pencil in his ear, his hair messed up like a chicken coop.

"Please, this is Tokyo, how many people could follow me in Tokyo?" Crow threw the plastic bag in front of Mingfei and sat down in a corner next to him. "I'm the local snake here.”

To put it lightly, in fact, he was still very alert, he took the seven or eight stations on the Mita Line, then changed to the Marunouchi Line, and passed through several popular shopping malls. Even if the college sent real hounds to follow him, he would be surprised if they managed to keep track.

Mingfei rummaged through the plastic bag, his eyes lit up, "The honeydew from Qiantou's house is top quality.”

Inside the plastic bag is a small melon that looks very inconspicuous. The skin is rough and reticulated. Mingfei has heard of this, a famous Shizuoka honeydew melon will sell for more than 100,000 yen, often eaten in the top sushi restaurants after a meal.

Takamagahara, where he used to stay, is also considered a top consumption place, so he got a lot of experience as a monitor.

But Crow is actually a rough guy, and his appreciation of food stays at the level of soba noodles and okonomiyaki, it felt a little weird to see him arrive with gourmet melons.

"The gift from the college is said to be condolences for my injury." Crow lit a cigarette.

Mingfei and Nono suddenly became alert and stared at the honeydew as if it were a bomb. The people who have been in the college know the sheer insanity of the guys in the Gear Department, they can disguise bombs as anything, and they can put trackers anywhere. The equipment department even put a delicate tracker on the back of a mosquito, but unfortunately, its target slapped it to death.

"It's okay, our technical department has checked it, It’s just a honeydew melon." Crow said lazily. “There were pears and grapes in the gift box, I ate them all, and they were not poisoned.”

Mingfei nodded, took out a short arc knife, sliced the melon in four pieces, and handed one to Nono.

They have been studying the information left by Herzog for almost 30 hours, they eat instant noodles when they’re hungry, and squint for a while when they’re sleepy.

"Leave half of it for him, so he can eat it after he wakes up." Nono pointed at Zihang, speaking in a low voice.

Why are you acting as if he was a child? He kept the biggest piece for Zihang and they both ate their part of the melon.

Crow waved his hand and declined the piece offered by Mingfei, he took out his mobile phone and handed it to Nono. "They expected us to help them put this video on the big screens that are all over Tokyo.”

On the screen was a burly middle-aged man with a square face and a determined expression, like those warrior figurines standing in the tomb of Qin Shihuang.

"Motong, if you can see this video, please be sure to keep watching it. This is a piece of advice from your family, you are in great danger, and the people accompanying you are potentially violent and have committed crimes, serious crimes. Your family cares for your safety, in case you were lost, we wanted to let you know that their business has nothing to do with you, you are innocent, you are just being deceived. No matter where you are now, as long as you contact your family at the following phone number, we have the absolute ability to ensure your safety…"

Nono saw this and threw the phone back to Crow, "What does he consider me? A girl who screwed up?" Her tone was cold.

Crow and Mingfei met each other’s eyes.

"So... this guy is your father?" Crow asked cautiously.

"Yeah." Nono continued to concentrate on the information.

Crow and Mingfei looked at each other again.

"You have a bad relationship with your father?" Crow continued to ask.

"You can see that in my face, right?" Nono didn't look up.

Crow scratched his head, he watched this video over and over dozens of times, and it was just a middle-aged man trying his best to persuade his daughter to go home.

He also searched the man’s information, there is not much about him on the Internet, obviously someone deliberately blocked the search results for this man, but with the help of Kaguya, he managed to learn a thing or two. The man owns a lot of large companies, he is a pivotal figure in the world, working from behind-the-scenes.

Nono also admitted that this man was her father, so she was indeed born in a rich family, although not as rich as the Gattusos. Mingfei shook his head at Crow, preventing him from continuing to ask questions. He also vaguely knew that Nono's family was wealthy. Nono never mentioned her family, and did not even go home during the winter and summer vacations, she spent the holidays at school or on some trip.

Caesar also has a stallion father who often pops up to express his love, but Nono prefers to act like an orphan without any concerns.

"If there is no objection, I will let them broadcast the message, and respond to the college's condolences to my injuries." Crow said, changing the subject, “What did you learn from this information?”

Mingfei shook his head, "We don't understand his research materials, we can only barely judge that this was a very bloody research. He conducted a lot of human experiments to observe the activity of dragon blood in the human body. In the past two decades, a large part of the missing people in Japan were actually his victims. Compared with him, the murderers in the Naswishin concentration camp could be called angels."

"Human beings were toys in his eyes? That monster!" Crow whispered.

Nono shook her head, "This judgment may not be accurate, he doesn’t care if other people live or die, but it is not the kind of pervert who relies on murder to enjoy himself. He wasn’t crazy, he was very sane, and he was cunningly pretending to be two different people, inciting the Mou Kishu to fight against the Yamata no Orochi. He had a hobby of collecting, and he was also obsessed with women in secret.

This man was different from those bloodthirsty perverts, he had been doing research, and there seems to be a problem that was bothering him.”

"Isn't the problem how to obtain the sacred skeleton? The sacred skeleton was still hidden in the underground Tama River." Crow said.

"No, how to obtain the sacred skeleton has nothing to do with his human experiments." Nono said, "He made those snake-shaped servitors, they were not intended to be used as an army, but to study something related to the dragon bloodline.”

"He knew how to evolve into the White King, what else could bother him?" Crow was puzzled.

"Yes, evolving into the White King is an extremely difficult task, which is basically equivalent to the operation of physical sanctification. But Herzog, who can be physically sanctified, still has unsolved puzzles." Nono said.

"There is a very suspicious person who keeps appearing in his notes." Mingfei said, "Bondarev Romanov. According to Herzog's own notes, his original research on hybrids was relatively superficial. He accidentally found the half-dead ancient dragon body in Back Swan Bay and collected a group of hybrid children, but his ambition only stayed at the step of using dragon blood to make super soldiers. This kind of madman is not rare in history, Herzog learned the secret of the White King’s Sacred Skeleton through Bondarev who visited Black Swan Bay.

Obviously Bondarev has a deeper understanding of the Dragon Raja than Herzog, but where did Bondarev learn this?”

"Didn't he claim to be a descendant of the Romanov dynasty? That the Tsar's line is actually a hybrid family, that’s very possible." Crow said.

"If this Bondarev inherited this knowledge from his father, then Japan would have been wiped out long ago," Nono said.

"Why should Japan be destroyed?" Crow was taken aback.

“Just think about it, if the Tsar had known about the remains of the White Queen being in Japan, they would have tried to occupy japan at all costs.” Nono said, "In the heyday of the Romanov dynasty, Japan was no opponent.”

Crow thought for a while, "So the conclusion is that Bondarev has a problem to solve?”

"Yes, the mysterious Bondarev seems to be guiding Herzog step by step and helping him ascend as the White King!" Nono said slowly.

Crow shivered quietly, and the mystery got bigger and bigger, it felt like grabbing a small snake by its tail and trying to pull it out of its hole, only to end up with a python.

"According to Herzog's notes, he killed Bondarev in a sneak attack, but it seemed too easy. Such a mysterious man was shot by Herzog through the ship’s cabin with a submachine gun and he died." Mingfei said, "Herzog himself also said in the diary, I don't know if it is really Bondarev himself."

"The deceased man had the face of a Japanese man, and Herzog guessed that it was Bondarev based on his physical characteristics. He thought that Bondarev went through plastic surgery to look like a Japanese man and get into the Yamata no Orochi in order to use them. The power of the families was used to find the sacred skeleton in the underground Tama River." Nono said.

"The note left by Bondarev said so, and Herzog copied Bondarev's plan as it is." Mingfei said, "still suspicious, the notes from Bondarev were basically a manual on how to transform into the White King.”

"But if all this is Bondarev's design, he is not dead, but behind the scenes guiding Herzog to become the White King." Crow said, "What does he picture? He is Herzog's biological father maybe? Trying hard to get his son on the throne?”

The three people looked at each other, and the originally limited clues were tied here again.

Nono anxiously closed the volume in front of her and threw it out from a distance.

This is really a rare situation for her, she has the ability to use profiling and is called a "witch" because she gets trapped by a sea of information and can't deduce anything, no matter how rational and logical she was, she would still lose her temper after a while.

"Would you like to go out to eat something?" Mingfei cautiously suggested, “I got hungry after eating that honeydew melon.”

Crow quietly rushed towards the road without even giving a thumbs-up. “It's a pity that several late-night canteens I know are far away." He looked at his watch, "Should I try to find a nearby one or get in the car?”

"Your antique sports car is too conspicuous." Mingfei hesitated for a moment, "There is a good ramen shop that I know, it is open 24 hours.”

"This chicken ramen is delicious!" Crow drank a big mouthful of soup, full of praise.

"The soup is boiled with pork bones and chicken, the owner is from Hakata, so it had a characteristic Hakata flavor. The big chicken ramen is a specialty here, only 20 servings a day." Mingfei said, “It’s just a coincidence that we arrived at three in the morning and they happened to have soup in stock.”

"Lu Kun, you are so knowledgeable, between you and me, I can’t figure out who’s the local.” Crow raised his glass.

Nono gulped the noodles, raised her glass and met Crow’s, Mingfei was a little absent-minded, and he had already poured beer into his belly.

Nono is a good drinker, she just doesn't want to drink with ordinary people.

This 24-hour ramen restaurant is located deep in the side street, and it is not easy to find, when they arrived, the shop was empty, only the elderly owner guarding the soup pot was there.

Mingfei’s Japanese that sounded a little vague but fairly authentic, and this was obviously a shop that he used to visit frequently, but the boss didn't recognize this regular customer, they all wore masks and baseball caps and covered their faces tightly.

Even after watching the video, Nono managed to keep her spirits up, but now, after a single sip of soup she felt exhausted. She drank beer, and suddenly, the her pale tired face turned red and lively.

"It's a pity that Bondarev's laboratory has been destroyed by Herzog, otherwise, we could have more clues." Crow lowered his voice, “Someone will notice us if we’re too loud.”

The owner prepared the food for them and went to the back kitchen to tidy up, there should be no need to speak in a low voice.

"You just said that the college will send someone to Tokyo?" Nono shook his beer glass.

"There is nothing to worry about," said Crow. "Even if the entire Execution Bureau is sent to Tokyo, it will be no different from spilling sand into the sea, this is Tokyo.”

Looking out from the window beside their table, this huge city is like a lot of pearls spilling on the seashore, and every shiny bead is a building.

"But we can’t stay here for too long," Nono said. “It’s not that there aren’t real elites in the Execution Bureau, it’s just that they’re usually positioned in more important locations, if the college already sent them here, then we’re be in trouble”.

Zihang sat beside them modestly, eating noodles and drinking the soup in small sips, barely making any sound. He occasionally raised his eyes to look at these three adults, although he was an adult himself, he was a fifteen-year-old in his heart, in comparison, merely a child.

Mingfei even thought that Zihang wouldn’t be a bad son, he was obedient, calm and easy to take care of.

Fleeing all the way from China to Japan, almost a month had passed, this guy was no longer as panicked as he was at the beginning, they would just tell him to eat and sleep and and he would obey, he didn't repeatedly ask Mingfei and Nono what was happening, how could he suddenly skip seven years of his life and look like an adult. Only before going to sleep he would stare at the ceiling silently for a long time before closing his eyes.

Mingfei didn't understand at first, but then suddenly remembered that before the line of cause and effect was modified, Zihang had this habit too. Before going to bed, he would reminisce about the past with his father, and recall every moment he didn’t want to forget, because he had read a book in which the human brain is like an unreliable hard drive, important events would slowly be blurred by time.

But Zihang just didn't want to forget, this boy wanted to forcibly keep those memories related to Chu Tianjiao. Although the line of causality was modified, he still lost his father that night, some people are so stubborn, whether they are fifteen or twenty-two years old, there are deep scars in their hearts.

Nono glanced at Zihang, helped him get the big chicken steak out of the soup bowl, chopped it up with a knife, and threw it back into his bowl.

“She looks like she’d be a really good wife and mother," Crow said casually, "you can't tell from the outside that Miss Chen is such a person.”

Nono gave him a blank look and continued to lower her head to eat noodles, after taking a few bites, she suddenly put down her chopsticks, "Don't you want to know why I don't like my father?”

Crow and Mingfei glanced at each other in surprise, but they didn't expect that Nono would bring it up by herself.

"I have 54 brothers and sisters," Nono whispered. "Except for a few twins and triplets, everyone's mothers are different people."

"Wow, your father sounds like a great guy." Crow praised sarcastically.

"Don't get me wrong, he doesn't have many wives, nor is he a man with a stallion complex like Caesar’s daddy." Nono took a sip of wine. "He just thinks that his dragon blood is very precious and must be passed on to more people, he’s wealthy, has too many properties, and needs a lot of heirs to manage it all, so he invested in many different medical institutions to find poor women who were willing to be surrogate mothers, give them money, artificially inseminate them, and take the children away right after birth. Children with average qualifications will be raised by the family-invested nursery, and those with excellent pedigree will be educated by the father himself.”

"I thought people like Mitsumasa Kinto could only exist in manga..." Mingfei stopped halfway and realized that talking about a certain comic at this time was kind of disrupting the mood.

Nono didn’t mind, but went on saying, “So never met my mother when I was a child, but I have a big family, even if I only knew my brothers and sisters, those were 54 people. We lived together in a large manor.

Before going to elementary school, most of us had completed the primary school courses, and the best of my siblings could even speak several languages, in their physical abilities they were far better than their peers.

Dad’s business kept him quite busy, but he insisted on visiting us at the manor every weekend. It was like managing a business for him, he had established a strict reward system for us. The best children would be rewarded with special attention. Later, we were scattered to schools all over the world to receive the best education, my father hoped that his heirs would infiltrate every cultural circle in every country.

During the holidays, we would return to that manor again, putting on your own report cards in the table, just like when we were children, the best were rewarded, only they could get the care and love of that man.”

"Then Miss Chen… Among your brothers and sisters, were you among the ones that behaved well or not?” Crow asked cautiously.

"Always the first place," Nono said coldly, "I don't have a Yanling skill, but I can learn everything faster than them, I defeated all of them, and I have always been controlled by my father, but I’m also complacent about it.”

"But one day, all this changed. In the summer vacation that year, I returned to the manor from school in the UK. I still remember that summer was very hot, I went to the swimming pool to play water polo with a few brothers and sisters who were about the same age. Our younger children were playing hockey next to..." Nono's eyes were blurred and deserted, "When we were having fun, there was a commotion over the hockey field, and there was also the sound of the manor guards blowing their whistles and dogs barking. Their voices, I could feel that something was wrong, the older brothers came out of the house carrying shotguns. We also ran over to see, it turned out to be just a middle-aged woman, I don’t know how she broke in, that was the dirtiest and smelliest woman I had ever seen, even my maid looked like a princess compared to her.

She seemed to have walked a long way, her shoes had been lost, she was barefoot, and her feet were covered with blood. Her eyes were dull, and she seemed to have some problems with her sanity, the older brothers reminded us not to approach her, and just wait for the guards to come and drive her out, we didn’t want to approach her either, she was so dirty that she stunk. The woman looked scared of us, but she actually stared at us, inspecting us one by one, making us terrified."

"There were a few brothers who played hockey and drove her away with a stick, the woman screamed and said something that I didn't understand, but I have a brother who could, he said it was an Indian dialect, and the woman said that she was looking for her child. I wondered how could her child be there? The hundreds of hectares of forest around the manor belonged to our family, even if you lost your child, there’s no way he could have arrived at our manor. I couldn’t bear it in my heart, so I ordered those younger brothers not to touch her, I was the most loved child by my father, and they didn’t dare not to listen when I spoke.

The woman suddenly saw me, her eyes lit up, and she slowly approached me, kneeled in front of me, and even reached out to touch my face. My brother hurriedly told me to stay away from the woman, but I didn’t, because I had never seen that look, so gentle, so joyful… She cried and laughed and talked to me in whispers. I didn't understand, so I looked at the brother who understood her dialect. The brother froze for a long time before telling me: She said, you are her daughter.”

"I was stunned, before that, I didn't think much about my mother, I vaguely knew how I was born, but it didn't really matter how I came to be. Anyway, I am my father’s daughter, the best among my brothers and sisters, he would spoil me the most, I only need my father.

As for my mother, she was just a woman who gave birth to me, took her money and left, right? Who was she? I didn't care, but suddenly such a woman knelt in front of me and said she was my mother.”

"She hugged me and cried very loudly, I didn't move away, but I didn't hug her back either, I was just dumbfounded. I looked at my brothers and sisters, those who are close to me were very anxious and didn't like it. At this time the guard came with a dog, there are dozens of pit bulls in the manor, they are very fierce fighting dogs, adults can even fight with lions, it jumped at the woman as soon as the guards let go of its leash, the guard hurriedly dragged me away. Maybe he was a bit rough and the woman misunderstood, she was bitten by the pitbull and was covered in blood, and struggled to rush towards the guards yelling, she was cursing them, then she looked at me again, her eyes were very anxious."

"It's so strange, she was being bitten by a dog, but the expression on her face is saying, don't hurt my daughter.”

Mingfei listened in silence, not daring to interrupt, but in such a calm tone, she told such a bitter story.

"At that moment, I suddenly believed that she was my mother, because I had never seen that look, one that proves that someone loves you that much." Nono said slowly, "I suddenly broke free from the guards, and went up and tried to break the pit bull's throat."

Mingfei nodded, this was indeed the girl he knew, she would jump against a pit bull, and she would jump against a dragon if it was to protect someone she cared about.

"It's probably because I was too arrogant and hateful at ordinary times, seeing that my behavior was so abnormal, a younger sister snatched the electric baton in the guard's hand and came up and stabbed me in the waist. I fainted, and when I woke up, I was already at a hospital that’s more than a mile away, a hospital under our family.”

"The doctor took the DNA comparison between me and that woman and gave it to me. That's right, that dirty and smelly woman was my mother. She was born in a small village in India and her family was very poor, my father set up a promotion nearby, the regional public health institute actually helped him find a surrogate woman, which is illegal in the local area. She underwent artificial insemination at the age of 16, she gave birth to me, and I was taken away the day the transaction was completed.

After leaving, she only met me once, she later regretted it and went to the research institute many times and said that she wanted to take her daughter back, but how could that be possible? From my father's point of view, she was just a tool for giving birth to me, the most important thing in my body were his genes.

In a few years, the research institute also revoked her petition, and she could not find anyone else to help her. No one thought she would come to me, legally speaking, I have nothing to do with her. I’m just my father’s daughter, the doctor tried to explain it to me.”

"The other bad news is that my mother was in very bad condition, the bite of the Pitbull was okay, but she was infected with cysticercosis, which is a kind of parasite, which is very common in some backward places. It can survive for many years after entering the human body, the eggs can pass through the blood and enter the brain, thereby damaging the brain. Given the extent of her brain damage, she was basically a lunatic. The worse news is that she should have been infected while she was pregnant.

In this case, she shouldn’t have passed the physical examination to become a surrogate mother, but there are always omissions in the tests. This parasite will almost certainly infect the fetus, so I could have also been a carrier. It is still difficult to deworm the infected person medically during the fetal period, so I had to undergo a week-long physical examination and isolation.

I can think of how happy the brothers and sisters who had lost to me were when this news reached the manor. I’m a parasite-infected person, and it’s difficult to cure. How could I qualify as my father’s favorite daughter? But then I didn’t care anymore. I agreed to cooperate as long as they tried their best to treat my mother."

"After a week of quarantine, the doctor came to me and said that it was a fluke that I wasn’t parasitized by cerebral cysticercosis, this case was a “one in a thousand” in medicine. My mother was a severely infected person, but she gave birth to a healthy daughter, probably a woman desperately trying to give birth to a healthy child who was pitied by God."

Nono went to the refrigerator to get a large bottle of beer, the drinks in this store were taken by the guests themselves and paid before leaving. Nono opened the beer and poured a glass for herself, regardless of Crow and Mingfei.

"Then how is your mother?" Mingfei asked.

"The cysticercus had invaded her brain for a long time, she never woke up again, her brain died, and only one breathing corpse was left." Nono said softly, "I really don't know how she found me, she was so poor. A lone woman, the brain cyst worm messed up her brain, she had to cross the border and walk a long way, I don’t know if anyone hurt her on the road…"

Nono didn't have any expressions, but Mingfei lowered his head, pretended to wipe his nose, took a tissue, and wiped the corners of his eyes.

"Since I wasn’t a parasite carrier, I was discharged from the hospital a week later, on that day, my father came to pick me up in person. He was proud, I was still his best child, I will inherit his business in the future., but I laughed, I said that I was not an employee of his company." Nono continued.

Mingfei nodded his head, this is Nono’s style of speaking, just a matter of poking his heart, she wouldn’t even give him a chance to refute. Mingfei couldn’t imagine a period in which this child would try to please someone, but this man was her father after all.

"The old man was stunned, he said no, how could you be an employee? You are my child, I gave you life, and I will give you more. I didn't respond to him, I smiled at him." Nono looked up and poured a whole glass of beer.

Crow and Mingfei looked at her in silence, listening to the sound of the beer foam.

Nono put down the cup and said slowly, "The person who gave birth to me died that day but I survived. From that day on, I am no longer one of the 55 heirs of the Chen family, I am who I am, I do not please anyone or rely on anyone.”

Her tone was so light and so pale, but Mingfei could hear her teeth gritted.

“So now he gets to show up and ask me to come back home?" Nono sneered, "Where do I have a home?"

"It turns out that everyone is a child." Mingfei suddenly said this nonsense, but he thought it was actually quite reasonable, that’s why they became friends, they are all lonely children, all stubborn and unpleasant, but they still wanted to find someone to stay together for warmth.

That’s why Nono would take care of Zihang so much, although she didn’t even remember who he was, why she stuck by Caesar’s side and accept his proposal... It all makes sense now.

Unexpectedly, he learned so many things during a supper, the secrets that have been hidden for so long have not been exposed after a great event, but they came out so simply after a few bottles of beer. Just like when he confessed his feelings for Nono in front of Crow, he wanted to say it for a long time, but no one could hear it.

"Everyone is so engaged in this talk, and I really want to relate," Crow scratched his head, "but my family is actually quite harmonious, my father is a gangster so am I. He is proud to say that I am exactly the same as he was at my age... But now he’s old, not as fierce as when he was young, and he often called to remind me to wear bulletproof vests when going out to do bad things…"

The dignified atmosphere was suddenly diluted, Mingfei was a little embarrassed, and Nono also realized that she was talking too much tonight, not only because of alcohol, but also because of the video that prompted her, even though she pretended to be indifferent at the time.

“To our old men!" Nono raised a glass, and she suddenly went back to being the girl who didn't care about anything. Crow and Mingfei also toasted, the wine glasses collided, and the splashing wine and bubbles looked like fireworks, Zihang also raised his Coke to clink with them, and they all drank together.

Just after talking about such a heavy topic, suddenly there was nothing to say, Nono continued to drink, Zihang ate the chicken chop, Crow finished his edamame, and Mingfei turned his eyes at the window.

Two streets outside the restaurant, there is a five-story building, it was only a few years old, but the outside was painted in a dazzling fuchsia red, in the cool night, the colorful lights flickered provocatively.

It was a love hotel, stayed there for a week, with a girl with dark red hair...Who was staying in that room tonight? Something indescribable for sure, and they were not sleeping in the bathtub like he did.

Speaking of this ramen shop, it was discovered by Caesar, on the night they helped him to put Erii’s belongings in a box, Caesar suggested to go for a late night snack, so they came here. They returned several times after that, Takamagahara always closed in the middle of the night, and the big chicken ramen there was really delicious.

Following his gaze, Nono also saw the building, although she was not so familiar with Japan, she immediately guessed what it was. In fact, Mingfei watched it several times intentionally or unintentionally during the process of eating noodles, and Nono also noticed it. Nono just couldn't understand his eyes, it was kind of confusing.

Wasn't that a place where he would go when he was happy? Wouldn’t it leave nothing but beautiful memories? Did he go there with that girl named Erii? Even if the person was no longer there, it should still be beautiful in his memories, why was he so confused?

But she didn't ask anything, and she didn't want to know, if Mingfei really fell in love with someone in this city, then she would be relieved.

Part 14

[imagine-loki]

The Bitch of Daggers

TITLE: The Bitch of Daggers  CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter Four  AUTHOR:  i-would-kneel-for-loki ORIGINAL IMAGINE:  Imagine there being someone else like Loki in the Avengers and them meeting, that could never go wrong, could it? RATING: NOTES/WARNINGS: Feel free to give me your ideas on the story and if there’s anything I should improve or write, would love to hear your thoughts! :) 

“Loki for fuck’s sake what are you doing?” I was incredulous. It had been a week since I joined and had been spending most my time with Loki since he was the most fun and less busy than all. We pulled some pranks that weren’t well received and that got us an earful from Cap and the Director.

“So Tony goes to see Pepper for two hours every day at 7 in the night, and during that time Bruce takes a coffee break while watching a movie in the living room. Rhodey is always sleeping at this time, meaning we can act without getting caught.” Loki began explaining his plan, he was bored so decided to prank the science bros. “We will go in and set the magical thin thread that will alarm me once they cross it. Then I’ll have the dead looking illusions rise from the ground. Do you understand?”

“Uh huh.” I nodded, unsure about all this. Though his scheming was great and I certainly admired it, I was not looking forward to their reactions that I was more than certain were going to be rage-filled. He rose his eyebrow, catching onto my sceptical tone. “But what if they get really pissed? Like, really really mad? You know? What if we get like, grounded or something?”

He sighed irritated, rolling his eyes and turning to look at Tony who was on his way to the lab. “Trust me gæludýr, if that occurs, it will be worth it.” He chuckled with a smirk. God, does he look beautiful, he looks so young and carefree, eyes glowing with mischief. I had only agreed to this because I wanted to see him smile, causing chaos and mischief seemed to always brighten up his days.

“Wait what?” I asked bemused. “What did you just call me?” But he completely ignored me, smirking he went back to his couch and resumed reading his book. I let it slide, sat on the other end of the couch and continued reading my book.

Time had passed and sure enough, at 7 PM, we saw Tony walk to the elevator, and Bruce came out 5 minutes after him. We left the library quietly, looking around to make sure that we wouldn’t get caught. We made our way to the lab, scanning the place to make sure no one was here and placed the thread. “God they’re gonna go fucking ballistics over this.” I muttered amusingly. Loki only laughed, clearly happy with his plan, he seemed right at that moment, as if he was where he belonged. Perhaps he was.

After finishing we went back to the library. Two hours later, screams and curses rang through the floor, I looked at Loki to see him grinning like a madman, happy. Seconds passed when suddenly we heard, “LOKI AND OCÉANE, YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD.” Tony was enraged. We got shit for it from mainly Cap and Fury, Bruce was scarred for life, he had also hulked out from the intense fear that coursed through him the moment he saw dead bloodied bodies floating around the lab.

“It’s simple fun elskan, no need to get worried.” He smirked. He has to stop calling me names I don’t understand, this was the second time in a row. “Do not tell me you don’t enjoy annoying them?”

“Oh I do, believe me. But what if Fury denies I see Flora because of this?” I whined stomping my foot. He looked up with furrowed eyebrows, his face studying me. “You know what? It’s almost midnight, I’m gonna go take a bath, see ya.”

I had just got out of the shower and was wearing panties and a bra when Loki charged in, completely oblivious and unaware of the term privacy. He looked at me and stopped in his place, looked me up and down then licked his lips, “Well what a sight for sore eyes.” His eyes darkened.

“What do you want horn boy?” I said with an eyeroll. As I was getting a shirt from my drawer, a hand snaked around my waist and pushed me against a wall. Loki was towering over me, his breathing heavy and body pressed against mine. “Loki,” I said shakily, “What are you doing? Get off.” But I didn’t make an effort to pull him off and he took that chance by taking my hands into one of his and pinning them above me, his right knee between my legs, rubbing me. He dipped his head in the crook of my neck and began leaving open-mouthed kisses.

All sense had disappeared when I felt his soft lips against me. “Do you truly want me to get off you?” He whispered in my ear, his voice like sin and silk. He rubbed harder against me and I gasped, rolling my head to the side when he began the assault on my neck again. I began breathing hard and whimpering when he suddenly pulled back, letting go of me and taking two steps away, a large grin on his face when he saw my hands still over my head. “Stark wanted me to get you down for dinner.” With a twinkle of mischief in his eyes and a lick of his lips, he walked out, leaving me wide eyed and panting. That little bitch.

I went down to the living room after wearing pyjamas then sat next to Loki and Peter on the couch, Scott came over right when I did, “What do you guys want?” He had an awkward father smile.

“What’s on the menu?” I asked with a smile. Scott was one of the sweetest in the team, he always took on the role of the father, especially with me. At first, I found it annoying and amusing, but now it’s become rather endearing. He handed me a leaflet and I skimmed through it, “Pizza please.” I then looked up at Loki and threw him the brochure, making him scowl at me, “Your turn to choose Loki,” then flashed him a toothy grin.

“Sushi for me.” He didn’t even look at the paper, then handed it to Scott. I was surprised he didn’t fling it at him, but then again Scott was always nice to him, I guess he didn’t find a reason to be rude.

“What about you Pete?” I turned to Peter who was busy building Legos with Ned, his best friend. He looked up confused, oblivious to our conversation. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Oh uh, I’ll have pizza.” Scott smiled with a nod, muttering ‘okay’ before leaving.

During dinner Loki sat opposite me, and as soon as we all sat down, he nudged my leg with his under the table, gesturing to Thor with his head, making me look at the latter wondering just what the trickster was up to.

The God of Thunder had ordered chicken wings, so when he went to pick up another piece, it flew from his hand and around the room. I burst out laughing at Thor’s shocked expression, a few others also laughed, but the bulky man soon turned angry. “LOKI!” He bellowed, “STOP WITH THE TRICKS.” But Loki was having none of it, he kept his little display of magic until he was satisfied with the amount of laughter that erupted from the table. When he put it back down in front of his brother, he turned and winked at me, causing me to chuckle even more. “Lady Océane!” Thor called out with his booming voice, making me look at him again, “How are you settling in?”

“I’m actually settling in pretty well,” I replied honestly with a grin, “I’ve enjoyed the last couple of days, it’s like a little family here.”

“Well that’s good to hear, we’re glad you’re enjoying it.” Cap said with a smile. “Nick Fury called this morning. Said he wanted you to see him first thing tomorrow morning.” I nodded.

“I’m glad we haven’t had missions this week. It’s good to have peace.” Tony added.

“Big mood Tony.” Cap said with a serious face followed by a sigh. I choked on my slice of pizza with laughter, Peter who sat beside me chuckled. Tony turned to him with a look of disbelief and anger.

“Peter we’ve talked about this.” Peter and I laughed at Tony’s amused but furious face. “Anyway, Poseidon, do you have battle armour?”

“Poseidon?” I raised an eyebrow. “And no, I usually just wear black clothes, any type of black clothes.” I ate another pizza slice. “Hey Cap?” Steve turned to me, “Did Fury say what he sought me out for?”

“Uh yeah, something about your little sister.” I was shocked, and apparently it was obvious on my face because Loki gave me a concerned look, but I gave him a small smile to reassure him.

After dinner, Loki and I were in the library when I quietly asked. “So I was wondering, if Fury allows me to visit Flora tomorrow, would you uh- would you like to… accompany me?” I looked up at his face to try and gauge his expression, he was shocked and I immediately feared the awaited rejection. “You don’t have to though, it’s okay. I was merely pondering, I’m sorry, forget I asked.”

“No it’s okay I- I would love to.” He had a small warm smile, and I flashed him one right back, ecstatic that he agreed.