#on a more positive note. I had a decadent slice of chocolate cake. it was heavenly

[emometalhead]

.

[brittledame]

Characters: Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tendou Satori, Yamagata Hayato, Reon Oohira, Semi Eita, Shirabu Kenjirou, Kawanishi Taichi, Goshiki Tsutomu

Word Count: 5.7K

Tags: SFW, gender neutral reader, first date nerves, fluff, ages not specified

Notes: I did this instead of working on the other projects bc I wanted some fluff and here it is!

Ushijima:

On a visit with his grandmother is when he’s told about a local pottery masterclass happening the following weekend, piquing his interest

After some research, he comes to learnt that pottery is the perfect relaxing hobby with the added benefit of fine tuning his dexterity

It didn’t take much else to convince him to go

It was only after talking to a friend that he realises he should probably invite someone to tag along

After his grandmother politely declines, he follows her coy suggestion of inviting someone he likes

He invites you seemingly out of the blue

You’ve known him for a great deal of time and done some activities with him that could be construed as “romantic” and only started dating when Ushijima stated your relationship status to his team nearly a month ago

The look on your face when you found out at the exact moment as his team was priceless

After that, Ushijima left your relationship status on no uncertain terms and practically broadcasted it in his own unique way

This pottery class serves as another way to spend more time with you

After a few minutes of the pottery teacher painstakingly going through the motions to make a basic pot, a whirring noise followed by wet splattering steals your attention away from the clump of clay that is slowly taking form.

You glance over to find Ushijima looking at you, nonplussed at the mess of what was his pot now decorating his mock and forearms, his face is not left unmarked with the few splotches painting his cheek

You gape at him as he blinks as if coming out of a daze and looks down at the poor clump of clay and murmurs a small, “Oh.”

You didn’t mean to laugh, not really, but the utter surprise in his tone topped you over

After a mild scolding from the teacher and a new clump of clay, the two of you were good to go once again

The both of you took longer than most of the class, you with fussing about the tiny bumps you just couldn’t seem to smooth out and Ushijima with his second try

The class seemed to have unlocked his innate mastery of the ancient craft, as the pot looked near store-quality, you note with an ounce of envy

The group takes a break over some snacks and drinks as the pots are loaded into the kiln

Ushijima meticulously picks through the various glazes they had to offer, seeking your assistance after you picked your own out

You suggest the purple as homage to Shiratorizawa, where you two met, and the dark-rich brown, claiming it reminded you of his eyes

He considers you for a moment, a long enough pause for you to think over your words and begin to regret them before he nods decidedly and proudly presents the glazes he picked to the lady

With the class wrapping up, the lady running the class pops up as you two inspect your creations.

“Do you mind if I take a picture to post on our social media?”

Ushijima shakes his head as you answer, “We don’t mind.”

She flashes a wide smile and aims her phone in your direction. “Great! Say ‘pottery’.”

On cue you plaster on smile and brandish the clay creation as the camera clicks.

The lady, who is somehow even more dirtied than Ushijima, inspects the picture.

“You two are so cute together!” She fawns over the two of you. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your date together.”

She disappears before either of you can correct her.

You blurt out, "Is this a date?"

A pause. Then a hum, "I suppose it is."

A shared smile, you leave the studio with linked hands.

When you get home, you prowl through the studio’s page and find the picture and break out into gut-clutching laughter at the almost-pained looking smile Ushijima makes, tiny pot perched in his large hands adding a comedic effect.

After you recover, you end up saving it and making it your screen saver.

Tendou:

For all his casual confidence, you’re the one to ask him out and he’s the one to officially declare it the “big” first date

The plan was to go manga/book shopping and eat at the in-store cafe

It sounded like a pretty cut-and-dry standard date but with Tendou anything can turn into an adventure

Ecstatic is an understatement on how excited Tendou was for the weekend

He was nearly berated a dozen times for not paying enough attention to what he was doing and almost caused a small fire at one stage

You didn’t fare much better, either

The pair of you got a great deal of laughter from relaying it to one another in the late night hours before meeting up

Although underneath it all lurked the residual anxiety he tried to fight away, so he reminds you during the call, just to check that you didn’t regret inviting him out

As much as he despised the thought, the dark voice whispering at him that you would stand him up were quickly silenced when you show up with a bright smile and his name on your lips

Tendou reckons it’s the sweetest noise he’s ever heard, right after your laughter that he coaxes out with the little melodies he sings to himself as the two of you make way to the popular bookstore

After arriving, you wonder apart to check out separate sections and end up meeting at again the in-store café with books in hand

Over the chocolate cake slice Tendou brought to share, you take turns to gush over the selected choices spread across the tabletop

“I mean it isn’t that over done.” You argue, popping another forkful of the overly-sweet cake into your mouth.

Tendou throws his hands into the air. “Are you serious? Hero meets bad guy, then they fight a whole bunch, bad guy kills a bunch of people and the hero never kills the guy because he ‘doesn’t want to stoop to their level’,” You don’t mask your laughter at the overexaggerated deep voice Tendou imitates. “It’s not fair to the people that the bad guy goes to hurt later on.”

“Oh, I entirely agree with you there.” You take a moment to wonder how Tendou has eaten nearly half the thing to himself already, you’ve barely been seated for longer than a few minutes. “When done wrong, the whole ‘taking the high ground’ troupe is really tacky.”

Tendou blinks at you like he didn’t expect you to respond. You raise a brow at him as a toothy grin spreads over his face, a slight pink painted across his pale cheeks.

“What?”

“Nothing. I like talking to someone that knows their stuff, is all. Don’t get me wrong, miracle boy is great company, but I can only try to convince him to read more than the ads they run for so long before I go insane.” He chuckles under his breath, words heartfelt enough that a matching heat spreads across your cheeks.

“I enjoy this too.”

A wide grin overtakes his face at your admittance.

“Well then, let’s not stop!” He offers, stretching his hand towards yours. You clasp it, feeling delicate against his larger one. “I still have to tell you about the whole ‘boy is given power he doesn’t know how to control and needs to find a grumpy mentor’ troupe next!”

You squeeze his hand. “I’d love to hear your thoughts on that one.”

Tendou clicks his tongue and wags his finger at you. “It’s not necessarily about my thoughts, it’s the conspiracy I think the troupe ties into.”

The seriousness in his tone made you pause, looks like you were in for a long one.

Amongst him linking the heroes journey and the innate desire for power over others, you marvel at the way his whole body comes alive when talking about something he loves.

It’s much later on, when he’s introducing you to his friends at a reunion, that you notice the bubbly and animated way he presents you to his friends, love evident in each and every word.

Semi:

Now you would think he’d be the calm and collected one after knowing each other for half a decade and dating for a month

Nope.

He's the type to plan to ask you at the perfect time, and will be in a pissy mood if he misses the "perfect" opportunity to ask

When he does finally pose the question, you’ll say yes and he’s ecstatic

Though, he will play it cool and be like, "Ok I'll text you the details later." And flash you the biggest smile that has you melting inside just a little

When he's trying to sleep that night it finally hits him

Oh shit he has to plan a date with the girl he’s been hopelessly pining for

After one text from you confirming you don’t mind where he picks, he’s both relieved and more stressed because now he has to analyse every little thing he knows about you and eventually starts doubting himself

In the end, he decides to play it safe and go with the popular, family owned cafe that plays live music Saturday afternoons

It was perfect, the music act would be quiet enough to still talk if you two wanted or serve as a mediator to break any awkward silence should it pop up

It is honestly the perfect date, in his mind

Comes the day and he swings around your place after agreeing to walk to the café together

The walk is characterised with the brisk autumn wind and catching each other up on what��s been going on during the week

The conversation doesn’t stop from there – something Semi could cry happily over

After ordering and grabbing a seat close to a stage set-up to the side, you note how bright and talkative Semi is and vow to yourself to see this more often

As he takes a sip in the middle of explaining the difference pick positions affects plucking sounds, you comment on his excitement

Even with the flush on his cheeks, he holds a suave facade and merely says that it’s hard to unwind when his friends can be so chaotic when they get together

From there he starts opening up and imparting little facts about himself that you commit to memory

You come to learn that his favourite colour was corn-silk yellow before he went to Shiratorizawa, now it’s royal purple. He loves tekka maki and boasts his mum’s hand-made ones to be the best in the world and offers to share it with you next time she makes them

All of these things slot into what you know about Semi, filed alongside the nuance’s you’ve noticed yourself.

When he’s unsure or embarrassed, he tousles his hair. And when he talks about something he’s passionate with, his hands start gesturing all about the place

You could’ve spent the whole afternoon like that, in the intimately-lit café, hidden amongst the dull chatter of the surrounding patrons, just listening to Semi’s soothing timbre

But life had other plans

The lights on the stage brighten as someone wearing comfortable clothes strolls on and perches up on the stool set-up in front of a lone microphone. She didn’t give off any signs of discomfort at being stared at as she sets up her guitar, giving a few testing strums before introducing herself and launching into her music.

It was only then that conversation broke and ushered in a lilting voice floating on gentle notes.

“They’re amazing.” You breath, eyes not leaving the stage until the musician dismounts from the stage.

“That’s what I want to do one day.”

You turn to him. “Really?”

“Yeah.” The corner of Semi’s lips quirk up a bit, a secret shared unto himself.

“Why?”

Genuine curiosity spurs you to ask, to know. While you could picture Semi perched on the same stool with a guitar all too easy, you never really thought Semi would pursue a career in the industry.

Semi finally turns to you, a fire in his eyes that was normally caused by volleyball and a good challenge. “I want to make people happy and sad - all the emotions really. I want someone to look at me like you did to that girl.”

Tilting your head you say, “Looking at her like what?”

Semi audible swallows. “Like someone that loves the music I make.”

Reaching over the table, you run your thumb over the backs of his knuckles, a comforting gesture. “Semi, I already love talking to you and hanging out, so why wouldn’t I like the music you write?”

The resultant blush on Semi’s face was answer enough to that, even though he tries to hide it behind his cup.

After that, meeting up at the café ends up becoming a weekly occurrence, an oasis that you both look forward to in the midst of life’s chaos.

Yamagata:

Yamagata actually is the smoothest out of them all

After a two weeks of dating, he bounces up to you after a particularly hard day and offers to take you somewhere fun the next day

Your definition of ‘fun’ varies from his, as you soon find out

Where Yamagata believes the best way to get to know someone and have fun simultaneously is putting them through challenges, whereas you believe sitting down and chatting to be the most optimal method

Unfortunately for him and fortunately for you, the paint ball range is closed

Amusement park it is

He leaves it as a surprise and doesn’t tell you until you question the sign of the park he visited frequently as a kid

Overall, you have an absolute ball with him, never a dull moment

Especially after the ferris wheel when Hayato goes to reach for his phone to check the time and finds it missing

The only reason he had it out in the plastic swinging booth was to take a sneaky picture of you looking carefree and relaxed as you gazed down at the park – not that he admitted to that when you asked just how it escaped his pocket

Obviously, it was a very slippery phone since this was the third time this week alone he lost it

After tracking it down with the help of the kind but tired ride operator, the two of you were on your merry way to the next ride, but not without a few light-hearted digs at Yamagata’s forgetfulness

You get to learn a lot about each other personally while waiting in line and over lunch after recovering

At the end of the day, your cheeks ache from much smiled

“I don’t remember it being that crazy as a kid.” Yamagata says, looking pale and breathing shallowly, as if to keep himself from being sick.

You couldn’t blame him, the rollercoaster he convinced you to go on under the guise of “This was my favourite one as a kid! You wouldn’t deny a man from reliving his childhood, would you?”

And like a fool you caved under the pout like a badly cooked soufflé. Now you wished you put up a bit of a fight against going on it. The screams of the riders before you were not exaggerated in the slightest.

“I don’t know how they allow kids on that.” Is all you supply, feeling a little green as well.

Yamagata directs you to the nearest bench and you follow his lead and slump into the seat.

“I don’t know how I forgot how much that thing threw me around. I must’ve just about fell off as a tiny kid. Remind me to thank my dad for coming on with me.”

You try not to laugh at the image of a tiny Yamagata ecstatically cheering as the ride swings around corners at full speed as his dad frantically tries to keep his clueless son from getting tossed out of the cart.

“Your dad is a brave man to go on that thing wilfully.”

Yamagata grimaces. “Brave is a nice way of putting it. I’d call it being insane to put up with me wanting to ride it eight times over.”

This time you do laugh.

“It must be hard saying no to your own kid, though, so cut him some slack.” You joke, knocking your elbow against his side.

He playfully pushes you away, widely grinning once again. The heat from the sun blaring ahead suddenly floods into your cheeks. The sensation of your heart feeling too large for your ribcage seizes you.

And the feeling doesn’t leave, it sticks with you as he laughs, as he drops his ice cream and pouts like a child. It intensifies as a dreamy look enters his eyes as he recalls a fond memory associated with a ride.

You hope that one day that he makes the same expression when he recalls this day spent with you.

Reon:

For some reason, Reon seems like the kind of guy to be inherently talented with gardening

He’s the resident green thumb alongside Ushijima, people pass their dying plants into Reon’s hands for magical resurrection

So it was a no-brainer for him to take you to the local botanical gardens

Rife with both native and exotic flora, there were many scenic walks available, thus was the perfect place for a first date to Reon

Reon meets you at the gates with a soft greeting and an outstretched hand – you two walk through the park with your hand intertwined like that for the rest of the day

Throughout the walk, he points out flowers and gives you their common name and their meanings, along with the meanings he gave them as a kid

It was entirely too cute for your poor heart

“And those are yellow carnation.” He points to a patch of bright yellow flowers with soft-looking ruffled petals. “They represent dislike and disappointment towards the person you give them to, but as a kid I thought they meant that she was my sunshine because of the colour. My mum got quite the kick out of it when I gave them to her for her birthday.”

You burst into laughter, unable to smother it even with Reon’s apparent embarrassment at the event

If your allergies start to play up too badly, Reon will take you to his favourite part, a densely packed section of the gardens filled with trees, concealing a secluded tiny red bridge stretched across a large koi pond with the largest and most colourful koi you’ve seen

Everything within you wanted to stretch this moment out, you could easily live in this moment forever. The buzzing of cicadas in the distance, the grass blades tickling the palms of your hands from where you sat, the soothing rumble of Reon’s voice – this is your personal slice Elysian peace

You did not want to give this up

It’s there that he finally unlinks your hands and brings out the packed lunch he made.

“You made all this?” You gape, taking in the diverse range of food he brought out of his bag.

From seared fish placed neatly atop seasoned rice, to perfectly rounded onigiri. In the next box he opens sat seasoned chicken and beef slices that made your mouth water. Not to mention the salad of rich greens, reds, and yellows that called your name.

Reon chuckles at your awe. “Yeah, I did. I thought it would be nice to eat something home-made while out here, but if you wan to grab something else-“

You cut him off immediately. “Definitely not! This looks and smells amazing. It would be a crime not to eat it.”

The corners of Reon’s eyes crinkle as he smiles, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I did try not to burn it, so I hope it tastes nice.”

“If it tastes even half as good as it smells, you’ll have to fight me to stop eating.” You reply, accepting the plate he holds out and give thanks as he starts loading your plate.

“I’d never stop you from eating,” he clicks his tongue in false sternness, to which you grin at. “If you’re hungry, I’ll feed you until your happy.”

“I’m happy right now, but I definitely still want the food.” You cheekily fire back.

Reon shakes his head, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Well then, eat to your heart’s content.”

Taking a bite, you startle Reon with your enthusiastic reaction.

“This tastes better than I imagined.” You gush after swallowing, immediately scooping up another forkful and eating it.

Reon brushes off your compliment in favour for leaning forward and brushing some crumbs off your face. The proximity as your breath stalling in your throat as he lingers for a heartbeat longer, then withdraws.

“I hope we can do this more often. This is the most fun I’ve had in a while.” He quietly admits, the mood taking an intimate turn even with the shouts of kids playing in the distance.

“Me too. I don’t want this date to end.”

Shirabu:

This man prides himself on being observant and not oblivious like how his friends are

And yet, contrary to this, it takes him several trips to realise that he’s been on what would count as a date with you

You'll talk about needing a new jumper for winter and Shirabu will ask to tag along. You wanted to watch a movie? Shirabu is coming too. Like having someone besides you while studying? Shirabu was your go-to study buddy, whether in silence or as a conversation partner when your brain was overloaded

Out of the blue, he asks with no certain amount of panic, "Were those trips I went on with you dates?"

"I never really gave it much thought…” You match Shirabu’s expression as you consider his question. "I didn’t want to be presumptuous and assume that they were, and you never brought it up, so I left it be."

"Let me have a re-do." Determination flares in his usually guarded eyes and you couldn't refute.

“Gladly.”

Shirabu glances away from your face, unable to bear looking at the fond expression you wore for too long without his heart suffering. “I want to take you somewhere nice.”

“Everywhere I go with you is nice, Shirabu. It’s less about the place and more about the person.” You rebuke.

Shirabu looks away before you catch the full extent of his blush at your words. “No, I mean I want to take you somewhere that can become special for the both of us.”

You catch his hand in yours, tugging it for him to turn back towards you. Gone was the characteristic impassive façade, now replaced with a tenderness that makes you near melt.

Your first official date with him is a picnic in a park on top a hill to watch the sunset

Something he thinks is extremely cheesy and overdone but the look of excitement on your face immediately silenced his rebuttals

There was no way in hell that he was going to be the reason for your disappointment if he can help it

As such, he went all out

Hiring the gazebo and ordering food to be delivered from a restaurant he knows that you’ve wanted to try out for the longest time

Not that he actually tells you, but it wasn’t hard to deduce his excitement when he waits for you at the gazebo with a small smile, dressed nicely in pressed slacks and a dress shirt with a bundle of flowers

Upon the wide-eyed stare he receives from you, he spends the first minutes of the date describing what the florist thought best for him

A bunch of camellias ranging from a deep and vivid red to the first blush of love pink to the innocence of white gathered in a golden ribbon. He doesn’t exactly tell you their meanings other than a short, “Flowers are flowers, all I want them to show is that I love you.”

What he didn’t know was that the florist had the foresight to hide a card detailing the meaning of each flower amongst the paper holding them

White camellias meaning “You’re adorable” to red camellias meaning “You’re a flame in my heart” (something you blush at in the security of your own home) and the pink one representing longing

As the meal arrives and the two of you eat, the conversation drifts from current events to bits and pieces of everything and anything

The highlight of conversation was Kenjirou’s answer to the question “What do you think you’ll see first: a ghost or an alien?”

Apparently Kenjirou was secretly a space-lover

From the lecture he launched into about the statistics of it all and you come away from that conversation with more knowledge of possibility of E.T's versus spectres than you would’ve thought

The afternoon starts fading into dusk quicker than you realised, too wrapped up trading short anecdotes of your respective families

Shirabu only realises the fading light once the fairy lights decorating the space become brighter, and it is only then that Shirabu like a gentleman, brings out a blanket and escorts you to the grassy knoll besides the gazebo

Laying out the blanket, you notice it’s the perfect position to watch the sun set and you can’t help but give him a quick hug in gratitude before you sit down and make yourself comfortable

It floored you how much effort and consideration he put into this one afternoon amongst all his classes and assignments – it made you feel incredibly warm against the cool night air creeping in

As you shift to get comfortable, your hand lands on top of his. You’re just about to whisk it away, but he shoots you a soft smile and twists his hand in your grasp and gives it a squeeze

Your hands stayed intertwined as the blues faded into pinks and oranges, then into purples and the deep satiny blue of the night sky

The sunny photos with matching smiles from that afternoon soon decorate your wall

Kawanishi:

Unlike the others, Taichi really doesn’t care about being seen as “basic” for taking you out to watch a movie and grab dinner afterwards

He asked you out so casually, you agreed without it even hitting you that it was a date until he grinned at you and cheekily replied, “Great, it’s a date then.”

The movie in question was one you’ve been waiting forward for its release and Taichi was interested in it as well, so really it was an excuse for the both of you to watch the movie together instead of alone.

It went great, asides from the old couple staring the two of you in line, not so quietly reminiscing their first date

Embarrassment aside, Taichi was sweet throughout the entirety of it

Arguing to pay until reluctantly splitting the bill when you argued that it wasn’t fair

Waiting outside for it to start, Taichi and yourself bide the time by guessing what the other movies were about by their posters and making each other laugh

Once the movie starts, the chatter between you two dies down, yet the casual intimacy doesn’t fade in the slightest

Sharing an arm rest, the both of you exchange glances at one another throughout the movie, and bump elbows when something interesting or funny happens

It was a far-cry from the intimacy of the other’s dates, but it was perfect for the two of you

By now, the two of you have been friends much longer than you have been dating

Neither of you wanted to rush things, happy to take it as it comes and retain that familiarity from years of friendship stay untainted from the innate awkwardness of new love

Coming out of the theatre, Taichi is the most talkative you’ve seen him yet as he offers his opinion on the film

You avidly listen without a word of complaint

It was nice to hear what went through Taichi’s mind when he always kept his emotions close to his heart, you felt damn-near jubilant over him coming out of his shell – even after all the years of friendship

He offers to grab dinner and after a mild debate over which place is better, you end up flipping a coin and grabbing some fast food and eating it at a near-by park

Eating the meal in relative silence, it was only broken to point out the ducks and giving them names. It was laid-back and you were enjoying yourself, yet Taichi remained stiff by your side.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry if this isn’t exactly the most romantic date.” Taichi rubs at the back of his neck, avoiding your eyes.

You quirk a brow at him. “How isn’t this a romantic date?”

Taichi finally looks at you, although in confusion. “Because I should’ve taken you to a nice, fancy restaurant for our first date.”

“I work on the belief that anywhere is romantic if you make it so. It depends on the company.” You shrug.

Taichi’s mouth curves into a smirk. “Oh? So you wouldn’t mind having our next one at a cemetery?”

You dig an elbow into his side and roll your eyes at the performance he puts on.

“That’s not what I meant, smartass.”

Taichi stops the pouting and slumps into the seat. Hating the sombre mood he’s in, you curl your arm through his and tuck into his side.

“Besides, you can always make it up to me in the future. I want the place to be so expensive that the proportions are baby-sized.”

Taichi’s rich laugh rumbles through you. It was a losing battle against the rapid thrum of your heart and the thoughts of warmth that consume you with his proximity.

You also didn’t try to fight the urge to cuddle further into his side, something he gladly accepted as he wraps his arm even tighter around you.

“I promise.” He sighs, a happy noise as he rests his head against yours, two bodies becoming one whole on that one spring afternoon.

Goshiki:

Not everything in life is a competition, yet Goshiki couldn’t thrive without it

Besides, if he thought too long and hard about it (which he did) an arcade date was the best option

It presented the perfect chance to show off his skills and impress you

When he finally works up the courage to ask you, it had been a while since you’ve been, so you were more than happy to accept

Goshiki deflated with relief because a back-up option didn’t exist

Even after dating for over a month by this point, this would be the first official date he’s taken you out on

After worrying that it was too childish or not at all romantic for a first date, you spent the better half of the afternoon before it convincing him otherwise

At the arcade, Goshiki takes your hand and guides you around the place, pointing out games he bested as a teenager before finally settling on war-cross-zombie two player shooting game

With the growing win streak, the two of you continue playing the game until Goshiki accidentally gets his player killed

Pouting, he suggests a different game to soothe his bruised ego

The pout disappears as he finds a different game he’s decent at, tickets flying out as the points rack up

He glows as you praise his skill

It was too easy to bait him into playing hoop games, which he surprisingly sucked at

You discovered him to be especially gifted at reflex games, where the both of you won the most tickets

With each claw game he stubbornly refuses to “eat his hard-earned money”, he proudly passes off each plushie to you

Goshiki wins whatever prize your eyes linger over, no matter how frustrated it makes him

With each one, you promise to keep and inwardly muse that you’ll have to install a new shelf for them

A few hours deep, you had managed to win him an eagle. It’s the only prize you had won big enough to portray the amount of affection you held towards the bowl-cut male.

It was a bit mishappen and looked more fit to be the mascot for a horror game than a children’s show, however you still offered it to him.

His eyes grow wide. “Really?”

“I mean, I can get you something better if you give me a few minutes…” You frown at the plushie as Goshiki holds it up. It’s even uglier in the light. Why the hell would they have this as a prize?

You reach out to grab it from him and Goshiki snatches it away from your grasp, pressing it into his chest and curling around it protectively. “No!”

You stand there, stunned, as Goshiki flushes at the looks he got from the shout and starts stumbling over his words.

“I mean, it’s fine and not creepy at all – No, I mean it’s cute,” he unconvincingly amends at your wince. “It’s something that you worked hard to get. I’ll treasure it forever, I swear.”

The conviction in his voice was enough to ease your concern.

“I could get you a better one, though. One that’s less creepy.” You offer, gesturing towards the wide array of claw machines boasting figurines and cuter plushies.

“No thank you. I like this one.” Goshiki is stubborn and you should’ve expected that.

You sigh, lips unsurely pulling upwards. “If you’re sure?”

Goshiki gives a sharp nod, and you know that that’s the end of that. He would not budge.

Yet you couldn’t find it within yourself to be exasperated at the awe-filled look he gives the plushie as you two leave the arcade, holding it like it was made of expensive finery instead of cheap thread and fabric.

Months later you got to see the monstrosity again, tucked up on the shelf above his bed, proudly sitting between medals he’s won through the years.

[andersoncharm]

Long Live All The Magic We Made- Saturday, March 26, 2022

Para: Long Live All The Magic We Made

Rating: PG.

Pairing: Seblaine. Hunter/Antoinette (OC)

Blaine: @andersoncharm

Sebastian: @smythesm

When: (Four month time skip.) Saturday, March 26, 2022  *Seb is now 27, and Blaine is 25. 

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Notes: Hunter and Tony share some big news with Sebastian and Blaine before asking them something life changing.

Warnings:  This RP in general includes; Mentions of death/Parental Death (Blaine’s Mom), Mentions of toxic past relationships. Mentions of brief past Klaine. Depression. Anxiety.

Extra Warnings: (This RP is not Kurt Hummel friendly. You’ve all been warned.)

Para Title Taken From: Taylor Swift- Long Live

Extra Information: This took far too long to post, we apologize! There will be FOUR POV’s in this Para. We’ve done our best to make it as easy to read as possible. 

We will be doing a series of little mini’s to progress over the next few years of this RP. Things might get a little confusing but we promise to date them accordingly. 

Under cut for length. Work is mostly unedited as usual.

Blaine’s POV:

Blaine’s heart was full and thumped happily in his chest as he poured out four glasses of cabernet sauvignon and giggled with a smiling Tony. He listened to the sounds of his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s best friend Hunter carrying on out in the courtyard. Their new home felt awake and alive tonight after a dinner that Blaine had planned out perfectly, only the second one in their home. Sebastian had done his best to help, but mostly stuck to meticulously clearing and organizing which was saying something as they’d only lived here for a few months now. Neither Tony or Blaine knew what their boyfriends were doing in there, only that they kept hearing random slaps on skin and loud oofs followed by faux annoyance in both of their voices only to be soothed by tipsy laughter. 

The night had gone on perfectly- they’d had dinner out in the courtyard, the spring air was a bit chilly but they were warmed by the cute little firepit Blaine had put in. And since he was with company that knew what he was, Blaine had offered some magic and the whole area had been pleasantly buzzing with his heated energy all night long. Enjolras loved getting to run around wildly with Freya, who still insisted she didn’t run around. But, Blaine had caught her multiple times tonight and promised her he wouldn’t tease her too much. Besides, Ras loved it when she played with him, he’d hate for her to stop. The thought was almost laughable to him as soon as he thought it-Freya would let Blaine dress her up in cat clothing if she thought it would please the golden pup, she loved him that much. He could feel the two of them still running around out there in the glow of the firelight just outside the kitchen door.

He was happy, very much so, but this little ache like a bruise pressed over his heart. Don’t get him wrong, he loved having Hunter and Tony around- Hunter was Seb’s best friend and had done so much for both of them. And Tony, well she was pretty much Blaine’s little sister at this point. They shared a bond, a different kind of fate that few others could touch. Still, he wished he could invite David and Nick, and of course his father, but he knew he had to keep his friends at arms length to save face, and he had to keep his dad even further away. He tried to picture Sam in the room with all of them, and knew instantly that his best friend would probably fit right in, despite not being able to know the truth of it all. Tony would laugh at Sam’s jokes and Hunter would do the same and then quiz him about Japan. Too bad he was still over there, living his dream with his adorable girlfriend. 

And then there was his mom. All of these years and her absence still felt like a sucker punch to the chest when he thought about it. He pressed his hand over his heart just at the spot where her crystal used to rest and wondered how long she’d let  Seb wear it. He could tell it was getting antsy to come back every single time he touched his boyfriend. But, he still wasn’t ready. He’d give almost anything to have all of them here so he could show them how far he’d come and good things had turned out.  He wanted to show off his beautiful home and his gorgeous person, not to boast but to say hey, I made it even when I didn’t think I would… Missing those few people was the only thing keeping Blaine from feeling the happiest he’d ever felt. And even with them not being there, he was pretty damn happy. 

He sighed and dropped his hand before turning to Tony- her large grey eyes now studying him curiously and he knew she knew he was silently working through something. He gave her a big, genuine smile and shrugged.  

“Everything’s okay, Tony. I promise.” He pushed the try full of drinks towards her and scooped up the decadent round dark chocolate mousse cake he’d made from scratch yesterday. He noted that a few raspberries were missing from the top and wondered which one of them had stolen them, Hunter or Sebastian. He knew it was probably Sebastian- it was like his boyfriend felt compelled to steal food from desserts or salads that would taste just the same out of the package. He smiled to himself as he nodded towards the door, imagining Seb sneaking into the kitchen last night and opting to steal two raspberries from the cake instead of the fridge. He’d probably give Blaine some excuse about wanting the chocolate on it. Tony caught his smile and shook her head. 

“You’ve gone from happy to a little melancholy and now back to happy again in the span of three seconds, , you’re going through it tonight, aren’t you, babe? Something you want to talk about? We’ve got a little time before they get too stupid.” She laughed and nudged him before getting a sparkling water from the fridge for herself. “I don’t want to get too tipsy, you know, we are staying here as guests and someone’s gotta keep Hunter in line. I can see it now, he’ll end up dragging the two of us to your bed because his drunken mind thinks that’s a normal thing to do when you’re staying at your best friend's house.” She teased, but Blaine hadn’t witnessed her drink much of anything with alcohol tonight, let alone get any kind of tipsy. She’d been sipping on water most of the time. Her energy felt high and positive, she was happy. So he didn’t think too much of it. But, she was right, Hunter probably would find a way to implant himself into his and Sebastian’s bed and drag Tony with him. All six of them, Freya and Ras included,  just snuggled up. As if on cue, Hunter’s crackle of delight soared from outside and through the kitchen. 

“I’m really okay, just thinking about things I can’t really change. I am happy though, you’ve got it right. And Gods, you’re probably right about Hunter. I mean, as comfortable as that sounds… he has a whole room here that he can roll all over to his heart's content.” He nodded towards the door. “What are they even doing out there? We should probably go feed them some more before someone gets hurt.”

 She laughed, knowing he was right and nodded, still looking a little skeptical over his answer, but she sat her water down on the drink try and walked with him out into the magically warm March air and Blaine followed. Both men looked up at them, the echo of a laugh still hanging in the air. Blaine made his way towards Seb, sat the cake down on the table and snuggled into his boyfriend's side.

“Do I even want to know what you’re doing out here? Also, did you steal my raspberries, Sebastian? You messed up my aesthetic.” He teased, pressing his lips into Seb’s jaw and nuzzling into his neck. He could hear Hunter’s childish, teasing ewwws and he looked over at his friend, who was just as snuggled up with his girlfriend, with wide eyes. 

“Keep it up, Clarington and I won’t give you any cake.” To which Hunter followed up with a scandalized and very dramatic face of woe even as Blaine moved forward to cut each one of them a slice.

Sebastian’s POV:

 Sebastian thought that he would hate having company over at the new house. After a successful holiday season with a visit to Ohio where he realized he missed his mother, Wick, and Luke more than he thought he did and a few small gatherings he decided he didn’t mind it. He was actually excited to have little parties here and there and he knew how happy it made Blaine to prepare artistic charcuterie boards and bake mini desserts. 

 When Tony and Hunter came over, things always felt natural. Ever since everything had calmed down after the trial, things with his best friend felt normal again. Sometimes when they were joking around over beers (and a cigarette for Sebastian) he’d forget that Hunter actually was a hunter of supernatural beings. He liked how easy and connected B and Tony seemed and that things just finally seemed settled into place as much as they could be when you were implanted into a magical world. 

The two of them had been roasting each other and laughing in the courtyard. Normally Seb wouldn’t choose to sit out in the chill but B had extended his magical warmth throughout the area. Sebastian had hit his tipsy best friend in the arm a little too hard and he fell out of his chair a little bit and spilled some of his drink and the ground. They burst into laughter because well, there was just no reason that Seb should have been able to get one over on somebody trained in combat. Hunter made a sly comment about how he had a soft spot for him and that was the only reason it had happened. 

Tony and Blaine had made their way into the courtyard with more drinks and cake and had snuggled up to their significant others.  

“Hunter was just flirting with me. You should like, zap him or something.” He waved his hand in the air like little volts were shooting from his fingertips. “I might have snuck a few, they taste better with the chocolate.”  He liked how Blaine’s lips felt on his jaw, a tingle slid its way up his spine. 

 Hunter’s POV:

Hunter’s skin felt electric with excitement. They were all gathered around the small fire pit, the air comfortably warm with Blaine’s magic. He felt giddy from the wine, Bas’ laugh, and  Tony’s glow. Her soft body pressed into his side, his arm wrapped around her. Everything felt right and he knew that tonight was the perfect night. 

 Hunter leaned forward and plucked a raspberry from Sebastian’s perfect slice of cake and popped it into his mouth.

 “You’re a tattletale. You know I could stop him, right?”

 Tony’s elbow gently poked his side, “You could try. I think I’d let him give you a good zap.” 

 Blaine smiled and Sebastian took a smug bite of cake and Tony giggled into her sparkling water. He couldn’t help but smile, couldn’t even joke about his feelings being hurt. Things may not be lining up how he had always pictured them but he felt satisfied and truly happy. He and his best friend were in love with two amazing people and their friendship had remained just as strong. Their lives were all changing for the better. 

Blaine gave in and slid him a small plate with a decadent slice on it. Tony stole his raspberry which he knew he deserved. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”  She kissed him and he could taste the slightest hint of berries on her lips. 

After everyone’s bellies were full and their drinks were refilled the night fell into a comfortable silence. Hunter could hear dove’s somewhere in the courtyard, Tony’s breathing, and the traffic on the streets. He gently nudged Tony and they held eye contact for a few minutes, she knew what he was thinking.

 Antoinette’s (Tony) POV:

Tony glanced around the courtyard, feeling full of happiness and hope she hadn’t felt in a very long time. For the first time since she’d been cursed with sickness as a child, she felt like things were actually going to be okay. She was a full-time, certified member of the Order now, she was able to freely train and got to work with the love of her life every single day. Hunter always had her back and she always had his. She got to spend time with Blaine, someone that understood her more than almost anyone else in the world, someone she had bonded with as soon as they met, by extension of both Hunter and Blaine she was able to spend time with Sebastian. A person who made both of her boys incredibly happy and therefore made her happy. She had secretly started calling the three of them her boys in her head and she wondered as he laid her hand on her stomach if she’d be adding another one into the mix soon.  

“Something does tell me that Blaine might have a leg up here though, it is his house after all. I mean, we’re actually sitting in a swarm of his magic right now.” She looked over at Blaine and grinned with a shrug while blatantly betraying her own boyfriend. She’d figure out a way to make it up to him later. She secretly sometimes wondered what hidden potential her friend had hidden away. She’d met both his mother and father and they’d both done incredible things and it made her wonder what secrets or untapped power Blaine Anderson might be carrying around. She also sort of hoped that maybe they never found out. 

Good Witches tended to only pull out the crazy magic when things were about to go incredibly bad. Imelda when saving her, and well, Will was on the Council, he got to do bigger magic every day. She knew Blaine was close to cashing in his good card and possibly doing something drastic during his trials, but they’d all pulled through and he didn’t have to. She supposed that was for the best, they were all here now and happy and well, she’d take that over getting an answer to her curiosities any day. 

 She couldn't help the little smile that played on her lips as they finished their food and drinks and when Hunter snuggled in a little closer and dipped down to get her to look at him, she knew it was time to let them in on the reason they’d wanted to come this weekend in the first place. Her heart gave a little flutter and she cleared her throat as she looked up at Blaine and Sebastian. They had three full things to tell them. The first one was the easy part, the other two were a little harder.

 “I’m sure you’ve all noticed that I’ve not exactly been indulging in the spirits with you.” She laughed a little and settled her hand over her mostly flat belly again. The very tiniest swell was there and you had to know she was carrying in order to tell at all. Hunter insisted he could tell when he laid his head on her stomach at night, but she could hardly tell herself. She was only thirteen weeks along as of three days ago.  She thought it was cute though so she let him coo at her. “That’s  because well, we’re having a baby.” She grinned, enjoying  the changes in the faces of the two men sitting across from her. From surprise, to happiness, to what might have been sadness- she felt that one... and back to happiness before crossing over into what could be described as elation. “We’re due at the end of September, early October.” She held her hand to keep them from advancing on her just yet. She had more to say and number two was the the second hardest-

“Before you get too ahead of me, we have a couple more things to ask…” She paused, she knew that Blaine and Sebastian had been through hell and that they had made many sacrifices to be together, including finding out that they’d never get to be parents together,  so she didn’t want to fuck this bit up. She reached over and took Hunter’s hand for comfort and then looked from Sebastian, who was holding sweetly onto his boyfriend and giving Hunter a sort of amazed look-  to Blaine and settled on his kind, eager, wide golden eyes. Eyes that reminded her so much of his mom, now that her memories of the wonderful woman had been restored.

 “We- both Hunter and I,  were wondering if, no matter what we have, if you, Blaine, would give us the honor of naming them Mel.”

She waited, watching Blaine carefully. How he took this question would help decide if the last big thing they wanted to ask them was plausible. If Blaine reacted negatively maybe they shouldn’t be asking such big things in the first place, but if he accepted then they had the biggest, possibly life changing question to ask the two of them. She was nervous as she watched him process with Sebastian’s help. 

 Blaine’s POV:

There were doves again. They cooing and twittering all over the courtyard. Little flits of pale pink and grey and white here and there, making for a lovely show…  Blaine didn’t always notice them right away, but when he did they always seemed to make a big show by spreading their pretty wings and flocking around Sebastian in particular. As if showing him off- Like hey, look over here, this one’s ours. As if Blaine didn’t know all about Aphrodite's advanced role in their Fate’s intertwining. They had an actual altar to her in their bedroom. It still left him beside himself whenever he woke up, or came home to find decadent dark chocolates or expensive flowers or deep red wine left as an offering to her. If it had always been him doing it, that would have been one thing, but these things came from Sebastian and that in and of itself was baffling. He figured his logical, lawyer boyfriend would drop a chocolate kiss or a petal here and there, but most of the time Blaine found incredibly nice things for the goddess of love and beauty. Sebastian seemed to take her presence as seriously as he did. Maybe the presence of the doves was a gift for them. A constant sweet soundtrack to everyday life inside (and outside) of the Smythe-Anderson home.

The doves seemed to coo even more sweetly as Tony revealed her and Hunter’s amazing news. So sweetly in fact that Blaine almost missed it for grinning up at the fluttering birds. His head snapped back down as he caught the words due at the end of September, early October… He wanted to do three things all at once. First he wanted to flock to Tony like the doves seemed to love doing to Seb, and wrap her up to congratulate her, but something her in demeanor said to sit back for a second, then he wanted to go to Hunter and do the same, but again, they both seemed to be telling them that wait, there’s more. The third bit was that he wanted to cry a little, a happy one, mind you. Because maybe there was hope for a child to be in their lives somewhat now. One that maybe they could become friends with and when Hunter and Tony visited  every few months they’d maybe prefer hanging out with him and Seb. Maybe they’d get cute nicknames one day. Maybe.

He was still processing the information and the excitement when Tony asked her next question. The name was pretty and gender-neutral. He liked it as soon as she said it. He had a familiarity with it that he couldn't place his finger on. Yet, he had no clue why they seemed to be asking for his permission to use it. How could he give them honor over a name?

 Seb was mumbling his name in question. He looked at him wondering why his boyfriend was holding onto him and rubbing his back so comfortingly, like he’d been told something sad. Or why Hunter and Tony were looking at him with wide, waiting eyes, looking and exuding the feeling of nervousness. Why was the focus on him? Shouldn’t it be on Tony and Hunter? He looked over at Seb a little confused. His boyfriend cocked his head to the side, not understanding his reaction, gave his hand a comforting squeeze and it wasn’t until Blaine tried saying the name out loud to Seb to question it that he understood.

 “Mel? Oh...”

 He swallowed hard and blinked once and then twice as everything seemed to fall into place for him. Imelda. Mel… They wanted to name their baby after his mom. The two of them knew that he and Seb wouldn't be able to, so they were asking to do it for them. His heart felt full and sad and he sniffled, blinking back tears as he spoke. His voice a little thick.

 “Oh, I would love that, guys. I truly would.” He bit his lip and leaned into Sebastian, feeling shy and overexposed all of the sudden. “She would love that…” He hid his face in Seb’s neck for a moment to collect himself, and smiled as Seb pressed a kiss to his forehead, gaining comfort from his soulmate and grounding himself. He pulled back to rejoin the group just in time for Hunter to clear his throat as if he had something more to say. Blaine could feel this was a big one...

 Hunter’s POV:

Hunter wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulders and pulled her in even closer. He was delighted  by Sebastian’s surprised face, his mouth agape for about 3 solid seconds before he mouthed ‘you  motherfucker!’ It made him laugh with how simply Bas the reaction was and then there was Blaine, all wide eyed and shy. Hunter was thankful that Blaine had reacted positively to their request. If it weren’t for Imelda’s selflessness and power, none of this would have happened. 

 “Thank you, Blaine. It means a lot to us,” Tony nodded in agreement.

 “We do have one more question.” Hunter shifted in his seat a little bit. This part was big and his stomach felt acidic with nerves. Before all this, he had thought that he and Sebastian had seen it all together. Asking his best friend this next question felt heavy and scarier than any mission he’d ever go on. 

 “Would you two do us the honor of being the baby’s guardians? Like god parents, only way more. You know, like...on paper. Would you be willing to take care of them while we’re on missions and such? To bring them into your home? Take them in...if...a mission went south.” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, ‘in case we die.’ when everything felt new and positive, even if they both knew their field was extremely dangerous. 

 “Well, don’t keep us waiting fellas.” 

Sebastian’s POV:

 Sebastian smiled and watched his boyfriend’s face closely. It would have been comical how long it took for the name’s significance to settle into his brain but the entire interaction was just, well, wholesome. He pressed a kiss to Blaine’s forehead and waited for him to peek out again. The gesture of choosing the name Mel was very sweet, even an old cynic like Seb could admit that. 

The change in Hunter’s tone made his ears prick up. He knew him like his favorite TV show, comforting and reliable for background noise that made his pre B world feel a little less empty. Whenever the other man got serious on him it made Sebastian feel a bit on edge. Not because he was afraid to see Hunter serious, just because he never really knew what to expect and that made his organized microcosm feel a little bit wobbly. 

The question that had been asked was not one he had been expecting. He didn’t even think that this was a topic that either one of them, Hunter or Sebastian, had ever talked about. Seb blinked a few times and felt his Blaine shift next to him. He had always thought  that he was bad with kids, that he didn’t like them all that much. But, getting to know his little cousin Luke had changed his mind and he really loved to see the light in B’s eyes when they played their games of make believe. There was a warmth that spread through his body, something protective. None of this was ever in the plans they had made over midnights and pizzas and the bellyache of laughter. This was big and special and the most important thing Hunter had ever asked him to do. Especially now that he and Blaine had had their opportunity ripped away...

“I...do we need to think about this or…?” He pulled away a bit to look down at his boyfriend. “ I know that I...would really love to do that.” 

 Sebastian knew that Blaine felt the same way as he did.

 Blaine’s POV:

Once again Blaine was a bit slow on the uptake, he was having a bit of a hard time processing what was being asked of them. Not because he didn’t want it, but because it was more than he thought they’d ever get. His heart thudded in his chest as he looked up at Sebastian, hardly allowing himself to believe what he was hearing. The moment passed and his face broke out into a smile as he pulled Seb closer, squeezing him to show him that no, they didn’t need to think about this. It was truly a no brainer. He turned his attention over to Hunter and Tony and gave them an even bigger smile. 

 “No, no we don’t need to think about it. I’m with Seb without a doubt… I’d love that more than anything.” He laughed a little, his eyes still bright with tears. Of course he knew accepting came at a price, it put the very real threat that one or both of them might die in the field. They were hunters that worked for the Order in very real dangerous situations. And chances of them dying together were much larger considering they worked right next to each other. It made him, and no doubt Sebastian,  look that ugly truth right in the face.  “I’m gonna have to double down on protection spells and maybe even make you a few charms because there is no way you’re not going to be around to see this baby grow up.” He made mental  notes of the charms and ingredients he’d need for their protection even as he spoke. His brain seemed to be in overdrive as a new person to care about was just on the horizon. He wanted to protect them with his magic and his own self and he didn’t even know them yet. “Tony, how do you feel about letting me make you a little something even more extra while you’re pregnant? And, before you ask, I planned on asking if I could do that before you asked us to assist in the life of your child.”

 The four of them sat and talked for a couple more hours, mostly about the baby and what steps they needed to take for their wishes to come to term, but they slipped a few other things in here and there. There were plenty of laughs, Hunter convinced Seb to take a few shots with him for old times sake and even convinced Blaine to take a couple- one for him and one for Tony since she couldn’t, and he obliged.

Blaine had a few moments of panic where he thought maybe he wasn’t cut out for this task that was  being asked of him, but he’d look over at Tony and see his mother, just a little bit, and how light Hunter seemed to be right now, and then at his boyfriend, his soulmate, his person and it would all slip away… Seb looked happy and hopeful and he held Blaine close the whole time they sat and talked and drank. It was hard to feel anything other than good when Sebastian looked like that. 

Eventually Seb started to yawn and even suggested that Blaine use magic to clean up their messes, which was wild to him considering Sebastian usually liked for him to keep magic more simple. Even after all these years, Seb still would stare in awe and wonder and a little bit of warrant fear over some of the magical tasks that Blaine could perform. And magically cleaning a whole house in one go would do that trick. Seb wasn’t afraid of Blaine, but magic was wild and even though Blaine was a very practiced Witch, he knew seeing something like that to a logical mind like Seb’s was a bit overwhelming. So he said goodnight to Hunter and Tony who were sleeping in the guest room and sent Seb to get ready for bed before doing his fancy bit of cleaning magic. Within minutes the courtyard and kitchen were both spotless and Blaine had rounded up Freya and Enjolras and locked the doors, and renewed his protective spells around the perimeters of the new house. His cat familiar and his not so little pup followed him up the stairs and they were both asleep at the foot of the huge bed before he could change into his pajamas. He was still buzzing with excitement as he snuggled in next to Sebastian whose energy was just as excited, if not drowsy with drink. He might just be making mild hangover cures for Sebastian and Hunter the next day.

 “It looks like we found a bit of a loophole, didn’t we?” He laughed gently and pulled his drowsy boyfriend into his arms. “I mean, they said neither one of us could father children or adopt.  They never said anything about being partial guardians. And they’ll be the child of two hunters, that just means they’ll get to know the truth about Witches and magic and what their parents do when they’re young, we won’t have anything to hide from them.” He paused, watching Seb’s face in the dim light. “I know it’s not what we may have eventually wanted, but I think it worked out for us. We get to be there for them. They have a safe space for their kid and we get to be important to someone. I’m really happy. Plus, you’re a lawyer, so if the Council tries to stop us from helping Hunter and Tony, you can help fight it.”

Seb snuggled into him and reassured him that he was just as happy, his words and little kisses tipsy against Blaine’s jaw. Blaine could have talked about the kid and their future forever, but he was much more sober since he was mostly made of magic and stardust, sort of, and he knew Seb would too under normal circumstances. But his boyfriend was overly happy and drunk and sleep would bring morning and morning would bring the excitement of Blaine getting to tell Sebastian of the ideas he had for the third bedroom. Hunter and Tony were gone a lot on missions, sometimes it added up to about five months out of a year. And then they only got a year and a half off after the baby was born and then it was back to the grind and of course they’d be bringing the baby over before that year was up so they could bond, so naturally the baby needed a bedroom!

He looked down at Sebastian and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, smiling when Seb mumbled his love. Blaine kissed him back and loved him just as much before settling down with the comforting weight of Seb on his chest. An array of ideas and elation for his friends and for them as he slipped into slumber.

 /fin.

[wokainight]

Ending Scene (Mark x Reader)

notes: life is short. it’s sporadic and eventful. spend today as if it’s your last. because if there’s one thing you’ll regret at the end of the day... it’s the things you left behind. 

meeting a friend you haven’t seen since ten was something you would have never thought to be possible. 

not when people are more concerned with the device in their hands than their passing surroundings. 

so when you sit at a rather isolated corner in the library, you expect nothing but silence enclosing your space. it wasn’t even five minutes later that you overheard heavy footsteps and two chairs down, sat a rather young man.

you weren’t meant to greet him at first--

but the pencil you were playing around with dropped and rolled over his way--

and that was how you met lee minhyung once again.

“excuse me,” at that time you didn’t recognise him. it would be a miracle for someone to do that but it just so happens lee minhyung was just that. 

he reaches down to pick up your pencil, glancing at you once as you feel his eyes shake at the contact. it was perplexing at first-- but you left it as him uncomfortable with the situation.

sitting back up, he drops the pencil onto your open palm and calls out to you before you could even send your gratitude since he picked up your thing for you.

“are you uh (y/n)?”

you froze.

who is this guy? 

raising a stern brow, you lock eyes with him, sending obvious signs of distaste. “yes i am.” your voice was heavily toned with steel. “and how do you know my name? i don’t recall ever meeting you before.”

lee minhyung, or mark, his english name, reaches a timid hand out to scratch across his nape, ears blazing a tight red. you could even see the beads of sweat rolling down his temples and the sides of his neck. 

“oh, uhm, i’m not someone weird i swear-- i uh was wondering if you were an old friend of mine-- urm like, i haven’t seen her in like ten years but you uh sorta look like her,” his head is tilted down by this point, cheeks blushed. “sorry if you’re not-- i’m mark lee by the way... if it rings a bell...”

mark? mark lee...? 

mak. mark. mike. michael. min. min who? m-m-

“lee minhyung?” you gasp, matching his profile to the list of contacts saved inside your memories. “like-- seagull brows lee minhyung?”

mark brightens up at this, straightening his slack posture with a damp smile. “y-yeah! that’s me alright,” he reaches out a hand. “long time no see (y/n), i’m mostly mark now, but if you prefer minhyung-- that’s fine by me too.”

laughing, you shook hands with him and practically vomited your life story and reacted violently to his. it felt weird. despite having not seen each other in a long while, it felt effortlessly easy to flow a conversation with mark once again.

there was no need for awkward fillers or insincere replies. everything fell down like rain droplets against the car window, connecting with the heavy tides and splashing downwards in a grand design.

that day, you saved lee minhyung inside your phone’s contact list and bid him goodbye at ten, just as the library was about to close.

it was a bit hard to part-- especially as to how the both of you clicked so fast even under the pretence of being strangers for a good decade. 

“so uh,” mark shares a shy smile as he stands in front of the bus stop, eyes wary of the incoming vehicle. “i’ll see you soon?”

“tomorrow,” you breathe out, sniffling at the colder weather. “i’ll be at the library tomorrow too. well, if you have time.”

“definitely!” mark suddenly says a little bit louder than intended. his posture cowers backwards in an attempt to save himself the smallest embarrassment. “i’m like mostly free so i’ll be there, uh tomorrow.” 

his bus arrives just in time to cut the conversation short. mark takes one glance at you before he takes a bold stride and unwraps his scarf to warm you up instead, tucking you in nice and snug. 

“don’t catch a cold,” he half-whispers, eyes soft. 

with that, he left with the wave of a hand and longing eye contact as he takes a window seat, neck twisting to see the last strand of you before the bus throws you into it’s blind spot. 

---

tomorrow was as promised, with you finding mark there before you, standing up  with a bashful hello as he drags the seat next to him out and goes back down, turning his head towards you to once again start on a conversation.

the next day was a small brunch at a local cafe, with mark insisting on treating you.

two days after that you two met for a movie you’ve been meaning to watch, remembering how you stuck your tongue out, teasing him as mark fails to beat you to pay.

“you can’t do this to me,” mark whines as he dips his head forwards, a habit he hasn’t dropped since he was younger.

“don’t be a baby,” you laugh, eyes crinkling into crescents, “i can’t let you pay all the time.”

mark sighs as he receives the popcorn from the cashier lady and thanked her promptly. “but i wanted to...”

you playfully roll your eyes, nudging him with the drinks. “the movie’s about to start. come on cowboy.”

mark attempts to make you feel a bit more guilty about paying for the outing and you end up stuffing a bunch of popcorn into his mouth in the middle of the movie, laughing as mark tries to fight back by pinching your cheeks.

thankfully, the both of you were never kicked out of the screening.

on the other hand, you started to notice mark much more than you’d like to.

his sparkling eyes, messy hair, prominent cheekbones, unique laughter... everything about him seemed to interest you and it would have never crossed you to be liking a childhood friend you haven’t seen in years.

but you do.

you like mark lee.

moreso than being the lee minhyung you knew in the past,

you found yourself falling for the quirky tidbits he dropped. 

like how by a month of casually meeting each other, mark would often show up at your door unannounced, bring you small treats like your favourite snacks and whatnot. 

“mark,” you smile at the bag of goodies, “you didn’t have to do this.”

mark licks his dry lips, relieved that you’re pleased with his purchase. “but i wanted to.” he coughs into his fist. “like, i uh really wanted to.”

you give him your word of thanks before the both of you head out to the beach  to have a picnic during that evening. 

mark sets up the picnic mat, holding it down with his shoes and awkwardly heavy items he found in his car.

the two of you enjoy a good dinner made out of your homemade pasta and mark’s bakery bread and various dips. 

“oh yeah,” you say in between bites of bread. “you never told me when you came back from canada.”

mark passes you a bottle of water. “like three months ago? i got a job here shortly after i graduated.” his gaze finds you. “heard of culture techs?”

you ponder on the name for a moment, feeling that it’s a bit familiar. “i think...? sounds like a posh company.”

he chuckles at that. 

even the sound of his deep, unadulterated laughter gave you joy. 

oh god.

just how whipped were you?

adjusting your throat in an awkward notion, you try to hide the pink flowers blooming on your cheeks and picked at the picnic basket for an alibi. 

“i think i’m staying here for good,” mark breathes out as he enjoyed the view. 

the sun had long retired and the subtle rulings of the moon gave a scenic display to the beating waves and whistling winds. 

you can’t help but to observe mark instead,

watching him as he closed his eyes to enjoy a particularly comforting breeze, smiling at how perfect this moment was.

you scooted a tiny bit closer to him, closing the gap in between you two to rest your head on his shoulder.

friends are allowed to do this right?

when mark just hums as a reply and tilts his head to rest on yours, your smile widens.

your hands were just barely touching at the pinky, 

yet the heartbeat rushing out of your chest says it wasn’t as simple as that.

“lee minhyung?” you softly called out, in the midst of the serene emotions.

mark chuckles at that. it wasn’t an everyday thing for anyone to call him by his full name. he found it amusing to a certain extent.

“yeah?”

you glance at him from your position, just in time for mark to slightly angle his head to face you.

there was eye contact.

and you think that if you don’t say it now-- it would be even harder to say it in the future. so your mind aside, you take your heart to the control room and exhaled deeply.

“i think... i might be in love with you.”

at that moment, all you can see are his slightly widened eyes and trembling lips. so instead of debating on whether you were rejected or not, you lift yourself off his support and matched your lips with him. 

you were so sure that your cheeks were raging red and to save yourself some shame, your eyes shut tightly.

mark only responded a second later, his other hand reaching out to cup your chin, bringing himself closer to you.

his eyes flutter to a close as well, trying to save every single emotions and sensations he felt at the moment.

even if the world was to crumble tomorrow, if his hands were against yours, holding it tightly like this single moment, strangely enough--

you felt that everything would be fine.

---

dating mark was like being his friend-- except for the fact that he would trap you against his arms and the wall, lips connected in a heated meeting. kisses are one of many and the amount of physical contact you two had escalated. 

waking up in his bed wasn’t a rare occasion,

and laughing at his cooking skills can be considered a routine thing by this point.

it came to a point where you would snapchat his eggs in a meme form. 

oh god,

gordon ramsay would swear a million times and more if it were to happen in his kitchen.

mark loves to gift you things-- moreso than before-- you found out.

little trinkets like cake slices, chocolate, books, pens, stickers, and many more were part of the list. 

but your favourite out of all the things he brought you were the flowers.

they were always of different kinds and had the most enchanting smells to them. sometimes it was just a lone strand, while other times, it was wrapped in a bouquet and brought to you with a shy smile. 

“is that primroses?” you reached your hands out to accept the trinket, laughing as mark sniffs the flowers and doesn’t quite hand it to you.

“hmm,” he inhales the floral scent, “it sure is, but since you know what it is, i might as well keep it for myself.”

it was sort of a game at this point for you to try and guess what kind of flower he got you and for him to offer you a consolation prize in the form of the gift itself when you got it wrong. there’s an on-going joke that if you got it right that mark gets to keep it for himself since he can’t educate you about it.

(apparently he’s bought himself a flower book to look at the meanings and whatnot.)

and you’re feeling up to the challenge to prove him that you’ll know every flower he’s going to bring you.

“fine then,” you sighed dramatically, “i guess i won’t feel like giving you the banana bread i just made like two minutes ago.”

mark pipes up at the mention of food. he would definitely be wagging his tail if he had one at this point.

“swapsies?” he offered the bouquet of primroses.

you pretend to take your time in considering his offer before snatching it off his hands and making a run for it. 

“what’s mine is mine and what’s your is mine!” you shouted merrily as you try and evade mark’s outreached hands, laughing as you dodge him along the way.

by the end of it, the both of you were panting, unable to hold the laughter down. it wasn’t much of a big deal and nor was it supposed to be that much fun-- but just playing around with each other and spending time without a care gave you much more butterflies than you think was possible at this point.

while digging into the banana bread you made earlier on, you question mark about the meaning of primroses. cough. unfortunately, your studies haven’t progressed to the point of knowing it all.

“well,” mark feeds you the watermelon he cut up to accompany the banana bread. (because he insisted it would be the perfect pairing.)

“it’s nothing much.” he says.

but deep down, he’s trying to contain the sheepish feeling growing inside of him.

‘i can’t live without you’

...that would be a tiny bit too much for him to say.

nevertheless, he evades the question by accidentally dropping the piece of watermelon onto the carpet and attempts to save himself by scrubbing furiously with a sheet of wet wipes.

---

months passed. 

from the heat of the summer where the beaches would be a go to and water parks were a great side menu, the two of you enjoyed being slightly tanner than usual and feasting on as many watermelons the both of you could handle. 

fall consisted of warm, toasty sweet potatoes and enjoying walks under the crunch of maple leaves. it came with flavoured lattes and a lot of park dates. playing footsies under the table and thumb wars on top was a thing for you two at this point. 

then the leaves fell and the coldness rolled in. it was difficult to wake up alone-- but with someone else’s body warmth next to you, it was much more bearable. watching movies at home or at the theatre was a trend at this point and soups and stews were too. sharing a mug of hot chocolate while reading a book together happened every day or so and you laughed as mark burnt his hair by sticking his head into the over a tiny bit too deep. 

finally,

when the snow melts and the flowers grow again, the two of you enjoy a picnic date once again. the sunshine was at it’s best behaviour and as the two of you wore straw hats and took pictures in a field of sunflowers, 

everything felt complete. 

“can you believe it?” you asked mark as you watch him flip pancakes with much better control than the year before. 

mark hums as a reply, brows concentrated as he stuck his tongue out slightly, making sure he wasn’t burning the other side of your breakfast.

“we’ve been together for a year,” you announce, smiling.

“really?” mark glances at you briefly, slightly surprised. “it’s just been a year?”

“well yeah,” you giggle, “how long did you think it had been?”

he shrugs at this, panicking as he tries to save the pancakes during a failed flip. 

you approach him with a suppressed grin, “i’ll eat that one.”

“no, why? i’ll give you the good ones.” he addressed, while shoving the burnt or funny looking ones into his plate. (the amount of imperfect ones were getting ridiculous at this point.)

“because,” you suddenly raise your phone up to take a candid photo, “i’m going to do a comparison picture with your iconic eggs.” you wiggle your brows together, watching as mark groan when you mentioned his dark history.

“oh come on,” he huffs, “i got so much better! admit it!”

and as you continued to tease him while munching on the pancakes the made, you wished that the day would never end.

but knowing that when the sun sets you would be trapped in his arms for a good night’s sleep,

the thought ended up not disappointing you as much.

---

today was another casual date on a chirpy saturday. 

the sun was out,

it was spring,

and the birds were chirping about.

you hum a jolly tune and walked around bouncing on your heels, feeling pretty good about the day.

mark had called you a few minutes ago to let you know he was going to be a bit late since he had to work overtime yesterday. 

(that means he woke up late.)

(but you weren’t mad.)

thanks to your good mood and down to earth personality(?), you let it go with him treating you to three scoops of ice cream.

mark snickers at the request and complies without a beat.

“you can have four if you want.”

“five it is then,” you joked, laughing by yourself.

there’s a few noises on the other hand, and mark’s voice is slightly distant at this point. “i’m just going to get ready now, i’ll meet you there.”

“take your time mark,” you brushed a few hair strands out of your face, “see you soon.” you contemplated before adding. “love you.”

a few muffled noises later, mark breathes out over the line. 

“me too-- i mean uh, i love you too.”

so as you wait on the bench at your favourite park, midway between his and your place, you put on some music through your ear phones, relishing the way it made your environment ten times better. 

the songs on your playlist were definitely a forever favourites.

it sure was.

but when you went through it twice and a half, your eyes fleeted frantically from your sceneries to the time.

it had been two hours past the appointed time.

from time to time, you had been checking your phone for any new messages from mark-- but the thoughts flew away when you think of mark clumsily trying to put on a button down shirt or not knowing where one of his sock went. 

but even if he was going to be this late,

mark would usually give you another call.

when you stand up, dusting your pants and glancing around the park, trying to see if he was around somewhere, your hopes faded with the time as you attempt to give him a call.

it’s five calls later that your nerves goes into a wreck. 

you decided to head to his place instead and when there’s no one to answer the doorbells and various poundings, you bite on your fingernails, heartbeat erratic. 

something felt awfully wrong,

but you didn’t know what happened to mark and didn’t want to assume anything.

so with a careful mind, you head home.

and upon reaching your door, you’re greeted with a bouquet of lilies. 

some were in full bloom,

and others were still a bud.

and as you clenched onto the bouquet,

you try your luck with positivity.

---

it’s been a week since and strangely enough, when you did meet mark by accident, it was him coming out from his company, a box of stuff in his arms. 

his cheeks were sunken in much more than you remembered and gaunt wouldn’t be partially enough to describe him. 

with soulless dark eyes and head hung low, you see him about to enter his car. 

after all your ignored messages, empty home visits and trying to find him in all his favourite places (including his company) (you visited there thrice already with no luck) (no one tells you where mark is... all they say he isn’t there), your mind went nuts and you made a run for it across the street, not caring for the incoming cars.

you’re just in time for mark to duck his head out after placing the box in the back seat, 

watching as his eyes altered it’s emotions upon meeting you.

your hair’s a mess, shirt wrinkled and eye bags loud and clear.

but as soon as you met him, you wrapped your arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

you don’t dare try and say anything, 

feeling a single tear run down your cheek.

mark’s shaky inhale and weak hands wrapped itself around you briefly, as if he was trying to savour the moment. 

“...don’t do this to me (y/n).”

“no minhyung,” you pull back slightly, just enough to see his face, “you shouldn’t have done this to me.” your voice’s all cracks and whimpers at this point, barely enough to hold yourself back from full on bawling. “if you have a problem with me, tell me. you don’t-- you don’t know how empty and lonely i felt this past week. i felt as if i was dying--”

mark pushes you away before you could even finish, his breath heavy.

“i apologise if i didn’t make it clear enough for you,” his eyes are strangely cold yet strained at the same time. 

“i’m breaking up with you.”

if you could hear the world crashing down on you,

it would probably feel like this.

it felt as if your heartbeat stopped,

breathe taken away,

and everything felt numb to your skin.

“w-what? mark-- lee minhyung-- what is wrong with you?”

“i have,” the shame on his face dampens with force. “i have someone else.”

for a second, you find yourself thinking, ‘it’s okay’. but mark doesn’t give you much time before he hops into his car and drives away without a second thought.

you’re left on the road, 

still.

---

the coming days are spent knocking on mark’s door, ringing him up, messaging, whatever you could do to get into contact with him. the stack of bottles around your place has multiplied to the point of no return and you often trip and bruise on them. there’s not enough emotions to describe how empty you felt. 

it was as if someone emptied out all your feelings and warmth.

it was so, so cold.

the sheets were drenched with tears;

your eyes were dry and swollen;

yet you couldn’t help but retire to bed sobbing each and every night.

what went wrong?

the last thing you remembered on that day was telling him you loved him.

he reciprocated it too.

and you would know that mark would be the last person on earth to cheat.

but... why did he say that?

were you not good enough?

did you bore him?

what--

what went wrong?

---

it’s been exactly one month since you last saw mark and five weeks since your fantasy shattered. 

you’ve been blacklisted from coming to his apartment complex by the security guard in front, and by now, he’s known you by memory.

you know you’ve been making way too much of a scene just to see mark-- but there was no other way than to beg him to stay, gnawing at his door and bawling your eyes out. 

so when you see the guard waking away to the bathroom, you scurried for the stairs and ran up all the way up to mark’s floor, puffing with your lack of muscles and famished appearance.

food had been the last thing in your mind.

even if you downed yourself in ice cream and sugar, 

nothing soothed your wounds like the bitter taste of alcohol and it’s drunk features.

being intoxicated made you sleep.

and at least there,

you get to meet mark’s cheery smile and awkward laughters.

you’re at his door steps, praying that this time he would answer you. 

just once.

you’ll see his face once more and promise him to never bother him ever again. the soft knocks you initially prepared for turned to pounding and screams. the shrieks won’t stop. your dry eyes suffered much more and the clenching in your chest suffocated you.

sliding down from the door, you force yourself to muffle your cries and try not to gain more attention than you did.

burying your face into your folded arms,

you waited.

you don’t know how much time has passed, but mark hadn’t left or entered his apartment.

you wondered.

has he moved?

there’s a sad laughter that forces it’s way out of your throat at the thought.

he probably has.

who would want their desperate ex to bother them so much? clinging to them for dear life?

and you don’t register that morning had dawned on you til there’s a soft background of chirping birds and the rush of cars from outside.

you don’t pay much attention but the door on your left opens and an unfamiliar person taps you by the shoulder.

“hey, wake up.”

you groan, feeling the bright lights dawning on you. distressed, you squint at best, trying to see from your puffy lids and when you rack your brain for the identity of the person opposite to you-- it came out a dud.

“i live next door,” the guy justifies, “and who are you?” there’s a big hint of irritation in his tone and you don’t blame him for it. 

“i’m so sorry,” your voice is hoarse and cracked up. “i’m (y/n),” you cough twice. “mark’s- i mean the tenant who lives here-- girl--” were you about to say that you were his girlfriend?

swallowing down the realisation, you whisper the last part.

“ex-girlfriend.”

the male opposite you makes the most horrified facial expression ever. you don’t know why but the pity in his face didn’t give you a good impression at all.

he sits down instead of the awkward ninety degree bend he was in, wiping his face violently with his right palm.

“i’m donghyuck. lee donghyuck.” he gave himself a proper introduction, taking in a deep breath.

you could see the pool of tears appearing at the corner of his eyes. 

“you don’t know me, but i’ve heard of you before.” there’s a bittersweet smile playing on his lips. “more than once, actually.”

there’s a dead beat of silence in his dialogue, before he shakily exhales.

“i’m sorry.”

you don’t quite understand as to why he’s apologising to you-- but you try to laugh through it anyway and shake your head. “don’t be, i was just dumped after all.”

donghyuck doesn’t quite say anything for a while. 

“he... oh my god... he...” the boy next to you starts bawling and it was your turn to comfort him instead.

you try to pat his back in a rhythmical manner, exactly the way mark would put you to sleep.

thinking of him hurts you even further,

but by now you should be immune to the pain.

“...(y/n)” hyuck starts when he’s a bit calmer, despite the tears streaming down his face. 

“he’s gone.”

you frown at this-- though it didn’t exactly surprise you. 

“do you know where he moved?”

donghyuck turns to you front on, reaching out to hold your hand. 

“he’s gone.” he repeats, though the next word seems like a lie. 

“forever.”

you couldn’t comprehend what donghyuck had just told you, blinking stupidly at him.

donghyuck doesn’t let you process it all just yet. he wasn’t quite finished with his explanation.

“mark... was sick. no one knew what it was and he’s been fighting it for a month before--”

you stand up abruptly, ignoring the tremors on your leg.

it was as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on top of your head. 

it was freezing to the point where there was no bodily reaction.

you try to breathe and not black out, seeing spots in your vision.

“w-where is he” you could no longer think straight. “where-- where is minhyung”

donghyuck whispers an address and you hail a cab as soon as you heard it. 

the place is an hour away from the city, somewhere serene and quiet. there were trees and nature everywhere and the air seemed much cleaner than you could imagine. the roads were nicely paved, but the walk there had been agonisingly painful.

you could no longer enjoy the beautiful sceneries of flowers and clear skies. 

everything was painted monotone and your feet dragged heavier with every step.

it was under the heat of midday that you find yourself in from of him.

if you could see properly through your swollen eyes and pale expression, he would be miserably smiling at you. his hair would breeze along with the soft, swaying winds and the forlorn tone he would speak with would just break your heart into further pieces:

i’m sorry.

his name is written above a pile of loving flowers, and you cry even more by the time you collapsed in front of it. 

lee mark minhyung: a loving son and friend of many.

---

there wasn’t a day that goes by that you don’t think about mark.

it could start with blissful dreams of the past.

mark chasing you around the house,

watching old cartoons together,

snuggling up as you walk down the streets during winter.

everything and anything reminded you of him.

you didn’t quite date for a long time--

but the amount of memories the two of you made exceeded the boundaries.

practically everyday the two of you dated for had at least one meeting and the distance in between felt stretched. 

you would miss each other every second apart,

and it wasn’t of any different now.

you’re sitting in the library when someone taps you on the shoulder. 

looking up, you smile at a familiar male.

“what took you so long?” you smiled, packing up your bag.

donghyuck rolls his eyes at you, commenting about how it hasn’t even been over five minutes. “i had to pick the prettiest flowers for a certain dumbo,” he grins through a solemn expression.

and as you visit mark once again this year,

you sat down in front of him, donghyuck next to you. 

“it’s been a while minhyung... though it’s fine by me if you preferred to be called mark now too.” you smile at the memory.

donghyuck places the flowers gently in front of him. 

“i don’t think he’d mind.”

you thought about him once again, his laughter ringing inside your head.

“yeah,” your gaze drops to his name, carved in bold letters. “i don’t think he’d mind at all.”

even though you couldn’t physically see him again, there would be a day that you could run into his arms once again and burrow yourself into them.

there’s a certain longing to that,

but you knew that mark would wait for you.

he would’ve wanted you to take your time.

and as if he agreed to your deduction, a soft gentle breeze wheezes past you, almost as if the boy in your heart had run up to you for a tender embrace, whispering comforting words in your ears and went off once again.

you had to cover your eyes as you turn back, the sun blinding your vision.

but if you had to confess your delusions away,

you would tell them that mark had been smiling at you, waving from afar.

i’ll meet you there. 

[flames-bring-a-ton-of-ash]

Irresistible Danger - Part 45

Synopsis:  After being caught outside the compound on your own, Negan decides to punish you in the best way possible ;)

Masterlist link is at the top of my blog :)

Characters: Negan x female reader

Words: 3,241

Warnings: nsfw, swearing

Author’s Note: I am SO excited and nervous about this chapter, because I wasn’t at all expecting it to end up where it did. However, “you” and Negan kinda took over, and I let them do as they wanted, so this is the result.

P.S. I know this isn’t a Negan gif, but I wanted a gif of him in black and looking more date-esque and adorable, to go along with the tone of this chapter.

The Date

You stood frozen for a long moment, drinking in the situation, before stepping forward to the offered seat. The table and chairs were a dark wood, like mahogany, and looked expensive. The chair had a soft, emerald green cushion that matched the rug and was incredibly comfortable as you sat down on it, allowing Negan to push you in close to the table.

 You could feel his body heat enveloping you, as he leaned down so that the scruff on his chin brushed your cheek. Fighting back a shiver, you felt a gentle tug on a lock of your hair, at the same moment that he whispered in your ear.

 “I sure do like it when you let your hair down, doll.”

 You tried to ignore the chilly feeling of loss when he unwrapped his fingers from your hair and moved away to walk back to his own chair. Making a mental note to give Ben an extra serving of tomorrow night’s dessert, as thanks for his suggestion, you tucked away this snippet of intel for the future. It was exhilarating to know that such a simple change in appearance was noticeable and appreciated by the handsome man in front of you.

 You watched as Negan unfurled his silverware with long fingers and delicately folded the napkin in his lap. It wasn’t until he looked up, cocking an eyebrow in question, that you realized you had just been sitting there staring at him. Ducking your head, you reached for your own silverware and mirrored his movements. He was already twirling some of the alfredo pasta onto his fork, so you followed suit, the two of you munching in companionable silence for a few minutes.

 You noticed that while the sun was still bright, it wasn’t beating down as hard as earlier, and that within the hour it would start its slow descent, turning the world to night. The thought of being up on this roof with Negan when it got dark caused a strange twisting in your gut. There was something forbidden about being up here, alone with him, that was both terrifying and exciting.

 Unwilling to let your mind go in that direction quite yet, you took a drink of water and broke the silence.

 “This is really nice.”

 You immediately wanted to smack yourself. Nice? It’s nice? Good job, way to look like an intelligent human being. Your brain slapped a palm over its face in embarrassment.

 Rather than give a sarcastic response, Negan stopped chewing and looked at you, as if trying to assess if you were being truthful or sarcastic. He swallowed the bite of pasta and cleared his throat.

 “I wasn’t sure if you’d be the type of woman who appreciated a rooftop dinner.”

 You almost choked on the mushroom in your mouth at his hesitant words and the way his shoulders visibly relaxed, as he realized that your comment had been sincere. He then gave a lopsided grin that was so genuine it made your heart want to burst, and you realized something very important in that moment.

 He was nervous.

 Negan, the powerful, undefeated leader of the Sanctuary, was nervous. And not because of any life-threatening danger or decision, but simply because he hadn’t been sure if you’d appreciate his date idea or not.

 Well, that made two of you, then, because you’d been nervous since the second you stepped out onto the roof. It was nice to know that both of you were currently out of your comfort zone with this situation. Especially since it meant that he didn’t show such intimate gestures often, if ever.

 “Can’t say I’ve ever had someone do this for me before, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be that type of woman, either. Turns out that I am.”

 “Sounds like you were hanging around the wrong fucking douchebags,” he commented.

 “Does that mean you’re the right douchebag?” you threw back with a grin.

 His eyes twinkled, and just like that, the nervous energy dissipated, as you both fell back into the banter that had always come so easily between the two of you.

 “Wait until the night is over, and then you can let me know,” came his retort.

 “Oh, I plan on giving you a full Yelp review, when we’re done. Can’t have anyone else making the mistake of taking the Negan Rooftop Experience if it only warrants a 2-star rating.”

 He gave a chuckle, and the two of you continued to make small talk while finishing the remaining bites of pasta. Finally, unable to curtail your curiosity any longer, you asked a question that had been on your mind since the start of the meal.

 “So-,” you waved your pasta-filled fork in an arc to encompass the table, “-what made you decide to go with this, rather than dinner in your room?”

 Putting down his own fork and wiping his mouth on the napkin, he took his time in responding. The flicker of the candle reflected in his hazel eyes, his gaze boring into your own as he slowly drawled, “I figured it was more...private.”

 Heat twisted in your gut. Trying to play it off, you joked, “Well, I definitely don’t think anyone will think to come up here looking for us, so brownie points for creativity.”

 As if to make a liar out of you, at that very moment you heard a voice from behind you say, “Dessert is served!”

 Jumping like a startled cat, you dropped your fork on the plate and whipped your head around to see Simon approaching the table with a tray in his hand. So much for private and no interruptions, you thought with a glare at the tall, ever-smiling man who approached the table. He set two plates down on the table, appearing completely oblivious to your less-than-positive reaction to his presence as he swept your pasta plates onto his tray and refilled the water glasses. Then, with a toothy grin and a small bow, he was gone.

 Looking down, you gave a slight gasp of delight at the sight of what was on the plate in front of you. It was a piece of chocolate cake, and it looked delicious.

 “How did...who made this?” you asked, taking in Negan’s pleased grin at your reaction. There hadn’t been any dessert on tonight’s dinner menu, and there definitely hadn’t been chocolate cake on any of the dinner menus for this month. You never had enough cocoa and eggs to make cakes for the entire compound, despite secretly wishing for such a sweet treat on more than one occasion.

 “I have my ways,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes, watching as you picked up your fork and took a bite. The twinkle darkened when you let out a small, involuntary moan as the fluffy, rich chocolate hit your tongue.

 Embarrassed by your reaction, you swallowed and affirmed, “This is really good. Better than good. It’s delicious.”

 You slammed another forkful of cake into your mouth before you rambled even more and made a complete fool out of yourself. Thankfully, Negan let it go, and took a bite of his own slice, nodding in approval as he experienced the decadent taste for himself.

 All too soon, the dessert was gone, and it was all you could do not to forego proper manners and scoop up the remaining crumbs with your finger. You noticed that the sun had started setting, the candle flickering brightly in the orange and deep red light that had started to fall over the sanctuary. On cue with your thoughts, Negan stood up from his chair without a word and came around to your side of the table, pulling the chair back so that you could stand, as well. Taking your hand in his large, warm one, he led you over to the edge of the roof.

 No words were needed, as it was obvious what his intent had been. The view from this height was breathtaking. You could see the sun had already started to dip below the tree line, casting a beautiful, pink-tinged frosting over the top of the forest. It was so quiet and peaceful, the sight untainted by walkers or humans. There was just the beautiful backdrop of mother nature, as far as the eye could see. It served as a reminder that there were things so much larger in existence than you or Negan or even the apocalypse. That no matter what happened, no matter where the future led, the sun would continue to rise and set. Would continue to try and cleanse the earth with its dying rays each evening, before offering a fresh start and rebirth in the morning, building in intensity until its brightness lit up the world once more.

 Giving a contented sigh, you both stood there staring off at the sunset together, his left arm around your waist protectively, while you trailed your right hand up over his broad back and strong shoulders. Stroking the nape of his neck, you felt that his hair was slightly damp with sweat from the humidity of the evening air. Turning, he looked down at you, his face shadowed in the dimming light, making him look more mysterious and almost...dangerous.

 Your toes curled, to see so much handsome focused in your direction, to know that you had his full attention in this moment. Unable to resist, you stood up on your toes and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

 He smiled against your mouth, then huskily whispered, “I never pegged you to kiss on the first date, doll.”

 Giving a small huff of a laugh, you curled your hand around the back of his neck, fingers trailing up through the thick, dark hair and pulling his mouth down more firmly against your own. He turned his body into it, the arm around your waist tightening as he pulled you in closer, so that you were pressed along the length of him. You felt sparks of electricity at every point of contact, and wondered if it felt like this for him, as well. Did he feel this undeniable chemistry, the way the air thickened around the two of you? The sense that you couldn’t get close enough to him, could never taste him long enough or deep enough? The sharp prick along your arm that signified...wait...sharp prick? What the-

 Jerking back from him, you brought your right hand down from his neck and slapped it viciously over your left forearm, squinting in the dark to see if you had gotten the little bastard.

 “The hell are you doin’?” Negan asked in confusion.

 “I think a mosquito bit me,” you replied, still scowling down at your arm for a moment before turning back to the man in front of you. “Sorry, where were we?”

 Instead of pulling you closer, Negan stepped back, then took your left hand in his and started leading you away from the edge of the roof.

 “What…?”

 You watched as his shadowed figure blew out the candle on the table, before he started gently tugging you across the roof, obviously meaning to go back inside. You felt a small flare of panic. You weren’t ready for the date to end, weren’t ready to go back to reality. You internally cursed, hoping that, if you hadn’t already killed the mosquito, it would meet a gruesome demise for effectively ruining the romantic moment.

 “We don’t have to leave, ya know. It was just a mosquito, not a walker,” you tried to reason with him.

 “I don’t care. Nothing is allowed to fucking bite you except me,” he said, causing you to almost stumble. How the hell was he able to growl out what should be a fairly simple sentence, yet make it so that the words literally dripped seduction and sex?

 Knowing that there was no sense in arguing once his mind was made up, you allowed him to lead you into the metal staircase and down to the fourth floor, back to his rooms. He unlocked the door with a key from his back pocket, and the two of you walked inside. He lifted up your hand, his eyes scanning over your arm, obviously looking for any signs of the bite. His concern was touching, although you were glad that there wasn’t currently any visible bump or red mark, otherwise he’d probably be over reacting and calling for Dr. Carson.

 Satisfied, he released your hand, and the two of you looked at each other in silence. The nervous energy that you thought had been left behind on the roof suddenly returned, as you both seemed unsure what to do or say next.

 “If you’re tired, I can escort you back to your room,” he offered.

 In the past, you’d have thought this was a hint that he wanted rid of you, but now, you knew that wasn’t the case. He was offering you an out, an opportunity to leave before things got too cozy or too intimate. The Negan of a month ago probably would’ve tried to take advantage of this situation by attempting to get in your pants. Hell, the Negan of a month ago wouldn’t have given a flying fuck if a dozen mosquitos were biting you, if it meant he had you pressed against him and willing to be seduced.

 But the current Negan did give a fuck. More than that, he had set up this entire date without any expectations about where the night would end. In fact, he seemed entirely convinced that nothing more than that rooftop kiss was going to happen, and was willing to let you decide whether or not the date was over.

 The fact that he wasn’t trying to make the situation into more, wasn’t trying to cross any of your boundaries, actually made you want to stay here with him. You almost snorted at the thought. It was a good thing he didn’t realize that the way to make you desire him even more was, apparently, for him to stop pushing so hard and not showcase how much he wanted to sleep with you.

 “I’m not tired, yet,” you responded with a small smile. “Besides, I never did get to borrow another book.”

 His dimples appeared as he caught his tongue between his sharp, white teeth. “I thought gifting you with your own books was supposed to keep your grubby little hands off of mine.”

 You laughed and shook your head. “Nope. When it comes to your books, I’m never satisfied.”

 You knew exactly what you were saying, and meant for it to come off as flirtatious, although you turned your attention to a nearby bookcase, feigning innocence. As you scanned the titles on the shelf, you noticed the chessboard, which was still propped up on the floor against the side of the bookshelf. It didn’t appear to have been moved since the last time you and Negan had played. Looking at the polished wooden board folded in half brought back memories of that afternoon, and of the words he had spoken during the game.  

 Knowing that he was watching you, all you gave was a slight nod in the direction of the board, before saying, “I can’t help but wonder about something.”

 “What’s that, doll?” came the deep rumble behind you.

 “It was something you said during our chess game, about the king.” You hesitated, both worried that he wouldn’t remember the metaphor, and also worried that he would remember and get scared off. Turning around to face him, you watched his expression and continued. “You told me that the reason why the king is the most important piece, is because you have to be skilled enough to capture him, in order to win the game.”

 His eyes didn’t give even a glimmer of his thoughts, as if he were carefully shielding his emotions until he knew where you were going with this.

 “I was just wondering...how’s the queen faring in that task? Is she making any progress, or does she still have most of the board to clear? How many more opponents does she have to take out, before she gets the king all to herself?”

 Negan stepped forward, until your bodies were almost touching. Reaching up, he stroked the back of one finger down your cheek, his gaze turning soft and warm, as he replied.

 “I’d say all other opponents have been dealt with, doll.”

 Letting out the nervous breath that you had been holding, you looked up at him hopefully, and asked, “What about the king’s queens?”

 You purposely made the word plural, in a reference to his wives, and could tell by the flare in his eyes that he instantly understood the metaphor.

 “You’re mistaken,” he said.

 Feeling your heart drop, you broke his gaze and looked down, prepared for him to make a comment about how those queens wouldn’t go away, how they weren’t to be compared in this metaphor. You had obviously crossed a line, and should know ‘til now that you would never truly have him all to yourself. You started pulling your emotional walls back up, in a vain effort to protect yourself from his next words.

 “They’re not queens...they never were.”

 Confused, you looked back up at him, and echoed, “They’re not?”

 The corners of his lips lifted into a soft smile, as he curled a lock of your hair around his index finger, concentrating on the silky strands rather than looking you in the eye. He inhaled deeply, bracing himself, and you waited patiently, sensing that this admission wasn’t an easy one for him.

 “You’re the only queen that’s ever been on the board, doll,” he breathed.

 His eyes flickered onto your own, as if unsure what he would find there. Even now, after all his admissions and displays of affection, he was still hesitant. You realized that there was a part of him that fully expected you to turn him away, to take this delicate information and use it against him. He might be one of the most intimidating and powerful men that you had ever met, but in this moment, he was allowing himself to be vulnerable. And, suddenly, you wanted to showcase your own vulnerability, to take that step with him.

 This hadn’t been at all what you were expecting or planning to happen tonight, but much as you tried to control and analyze everything, sometimes you just had to go with instinct. Since you didn’t currently have the words to express what you were feeling, you wanted to show him, instead. And, despite all your previous misgivings, in this moment…right here and right now…it felt right.

 Decision made, you reached out and gently took his hand. This time, it was you who led the way, walking across his office and towards the open doorway. You felt a slight resistance as you reached the threshold to the bedroom, and looked back to see his brows furrowed in confusion.

 “Where are we goin’, doll?”

 You gave a seductive smile, and simply replied, “I think it’s time we finally broke in that big bed of yours.”

 And, with that, you moved forward again, both of you crossing silently into the darkened bedroom. Your brain hung a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door, giving you and Negan total privacy, as both it and your subconscious walked away with twin smiles and a joyous high five.

~Tag List~

@hannibalssweaters @strangersangel9 @crazytxgradstudent @aestheticimagines @ericuhlorain @is-this-you-manning-up-sammy @see-you-then-winchester @sunriserose1023 @supernaturalocalypse @breakfast-of-a-teenage-killer @grynaszeme @despoinak27 @crowleyshellkitten  @coloursunlimited @colorsunimaginable @imhissecret @generalmeow92 @ornella95 @rapsity @mygoldenmile @angelak72081 @angixla @aalexandra2712 @nijiru @belahbelieve @insomniasnightmare @kayla-dabel18 @immostlyconfused @rvstinhart @riotguuuurl @mega-kawaiipeacheagle @ioanashalala @wearethelastgenerationofhope @sweetdreadfulness @squid-from-mirkwood @thatgingefromtheinternet@iwannabeyoursonly @lydiiv @heartfulloffandoms @whoopxd @umad0bitch @no-movrners-no-fvnerals @nohararin @doctorswife221b @toogardenenthusiast @avasmommy224 @12noboundaries13 @sabinab-vall @magnetosgirl @volatileviolentviolet @lalabasuco @ashesashleyweallfalldown @favs-imagines @bigboldhead @kezzasaurus-rex @katyiskool @assthetic-princess @halloweenbeauty @hockeygirl71 @nicholeex @fangirlindenial @haloaleah @castielandhisapologies @waywardsoulpainter @rizflo-blog @because-imma-lady-assface @rosebloodstuffandthangss @queen0fants @seirensou @gnarlydoll @sentimentalwonderer @petrovadixon @burningteenagers @silverlark1975 @wickednerdery @vizhi0n @panicnowandrun @hopeluvsuworld @fandomsthatkandiceloves @g0back2bed @portsidewonderland @latebloomerlife @nerdy4itall @katrineh @vitalliundead @katshitcrazy @leathernegan @marvelmaxima @gladixlusamicitia @dead-head-joker @botdfallinginreverse @voidobsession @oc-ashi @glittered-unicorn-lava @1337n00dlz @loliftingg @shadowstar123 @wohenpiaoliang @bloodyrayofsunshine @devochka15 @charlottedurin99 @superpinkkcat @georgiagrl1990 @221cbakerstreet @marvel-imagines-16 @linqobe @kiraaaa28 @sweetvengeancee @charlottedurin99 @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers @buttbuttons @rheesgrimes @beaniebabycreature @toxicstardust @asshatry @bookaddictedhedgehog   @dean-winchesters-ass @crimsoncomradeposts @justtrey19 @brie-cheeze @caffeine-nights @alwaysacliche @morganpierce @oliviazoee @downeyofmischief @hating-life-rn @lettersshapes @blondekel77 @knee-gan @falloutboywifey @hisirishsoufflegirl @lauradoesnotexist @buckybarnesisalittleshit @miss-nori85 @jessd-lion @0nlywishfulthinking @psychedelicelysian @flawless-luz @isayweallgetdrunk @therealcaitie @jalixaa @corieander @superavengelocker @darkchocolaterey @peachtickler69 @beautiful-violent-vulgar @thefrenchmistakespn @myheart4ever47 @xspecialneeds @clubvengeance @daydreamsandchai @ayodaddydom @deanssweatheart @comeseemycage @negans-wifey @deez666 @fandom-imaginessss @thewalkingdeadhighway @beingafangirlisinmydna @kedds52 @karaokke @j03221 @mimiab94 @death2thevirgin @romanceyour-ego @malmaldude @happynothlit @ahappysoul0 @scentedshitcollector @londoncapsule @ohokaybyethen @elenuch @despoina-nt @hotfornegan @boohoolisa @neganslittlebae @collette04 @miiraal @dreamsndarkness @cupcake5365 @enchantedfleur @kellyn1604 @badsongwinchester @ronweaselz @starshinesupergirl @dixonwinchesterlover @xnegansgirlx @mrhowardstark @soullessbody @trishaferdream @prettyepiic @negandaddyjdm @monicapernas @jasoncrouse @libby822 @megnog @sc1525 @sigorneyweaver @chief-peach @frandalf @ali-pennell @backseat-negan @speedy-secret @ladyhawk4133 @li-ssu @nerdyowlbookfreak @beltz2016 @yellatthetopofyourlungs @goddess-of-sloth @thhriller @perfectus-in-morte @harry-titss @negan-is-god @you-just-got-jacknifed @zombeeemomeee @xfandomqueenblrx @babyblues915 @jeffreydeanneganstrash @faith-in-dean @musiccitymel @tolaughistolove @mssharingisfun @mad-ren, @mwesterfeld1985 @fuckyeahsaviors @twdncgan @wheresthekillswitch @marvelmaximoff @bamby0304 @carleymartinez @ryangoslingstanktop @genevievedarcygranger @princessmoonspunky @foofyschmoofer @magpiegirl80 @cass-xxo @efeysa @crzcorgi  @beegnc @ravenousbanana  @sillykittyface @jmackie1983 @supernaturally-lucky @multireality @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes @yuuki1000may @tbkc @majinbuuwithatan @vote-tina-fey-for-president @hausbolton @neganismyobsession  

[heatpeen03-blog]

Métier (Washington, DC)

Metier Restaurant 1015 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 202.737.7500 www.metierdc.com Wed 08/08/2018, 07:30p-10:35p

Given how much I enjoyed Kinship, I think it was pretty much a given that I'd eventually try Métier. Named after the French word for trade or occupation, the restaurant opened in April 2016 and is again the work of Chef Eric Ziebold and partner Célia Lauren. However, compared to Kinship, it's a tasting menu-only sort of place, one serving Ziebold's vision for elevated, contemporary American cuisine. Métier was awarded a Michelin star in October 2017 (which it has retained), and perhaps more importantly, was deemed the best restaurant in the DC area by Washingtonian at the start of this year.

Métier is located underground, underneath Kinship, and is accessed via a private elevator. Upon stepping out of said elevator, you're invited to relax in the salon, where you can partake in an hors d'oeuvre and apéritif.

Tonight's welcome cocktail was an anise hyssop-melon spritz, a lively, invigorating concoction showcasing a deft balance between fruitiness and herbaceousness.

To munch on, we received a dish of egg white bavarois with marinated caviar and Yukon Gold chips, which was pretty amazing. The custard melded the perfect creaminess of egg with a touch of sweetness, while the onion and caviar adding wonderfully contrasting hits of zestiness and salt. Think of this as the best sour cream and onion potato chips you've ever had.

La Ultima [$17.00] | Mezcal, Amaro Montenegro, Green Chartreuse, Lemon Given that we were in here for about 20 minutes, I went ahead and ordered a cocktail from the upstairs bar. The drink smelled strongly smoky from the mezcal, with a distinct vegetal character and traces of citrus. Taste-wise, I got more smoke up front, leading to a marked savoriness and an interesting herbal-astringent element that I couldn't quite put my finger on--it was almost like a "hot" radish, if that makes sense.

After some time, we were called into the main dining room. Penned by Darryl Carter (who also did Kinship), the space is a blend of the modern and the antique, and seats about three dozen. Note the 14-seater private dining room in the back.

Above we see the evening's menu, comprising seven courses at $200 a head, inclusive of service but not tax or beverages. And speaking of libations, I opted for the wine pairing ($145), though of course there's a pretty extensive bottle list if you'd prefer, with prices ranging from "reasonable" to "used car." The menu notes were a nice touch I have to say. Click for larger versions.

1: Iced L'Abeille Garden Ratatouille Leo Steen, Jurassic Park, Chenin Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley, CA, 2012 Given the hot weather we were having, it felt appropriate to begin with such a bright, refreshing course. An unconventional ratatouille of sorts, the vibrancy of the veggies was on display--unmitigated, yet bound together by the potency of olive oil. The paired Chenin Blanc fit the bill nicely too, smelling fruity and earthy while the palate went in a sweet 'n' savory direction, with a steely minerality and agreeable acidity.

The dish was accompanied by lángos, a type of Hungarian fried bread. Airy and light, it had a sweet-salty thing going and actually reminded me of Chinese you tiao.

2: L'Abeille Garden La Ratte Potato Fondant | Sautéed Chive Blossom, Lobster Coral Emulsion and Australian Black Truffle Château Latour-Martillac Blanc, Pessac Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2005 Next was as decadent of a preparation of potato as I'd ever seen. The Rattes themselves were pleasantly firm to the bite, and showed off a restrained richness that matched up beautifully with the luxuriousness and brine of that lobster sauce, all while the truffles imparted a further muskiness to it all. The dish stood up well to the paired wine. A Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend, it displayed a sweet, oxidative nose and a palate rich and rife with nutty, buttery, oaky, vegetal nuances. Interestingly, it actually became much more fruit-forward when taken with the food.

For course #2, bread duties were handled by airy, chewy, subtly tart slices of pane francese, which I eagerly used to sop up the remaining liquid on the plate above.

3: Madras Curry Poached Atlantic Halibut | Coconut Creamed Corn with Compressed Mango and Cilantro Alzinger, Loibenberg, Riesling Smaragd, Wachau, Austria, 2016 Halibut arrived flawlessly cooked--it was about as perfect as it gets. The fish possessed just the right amount of curry spice, which was smoothed out by the sweetness of corn and coconut while the cilantro offered up a citrusy accent. Along with the halibut came an Austrian Riesling, one brimming with rich fruit and stone on the nose. Its taste was super fresh, vibrant, with more fruit and minerals alongside a pleasing tartness and acidity--it did a great job linking up with the sweetness in the dish.

4: Sautéed Moulard Duck Foie Gras | Duck Confit-Stuffed Savoy Cabbage and Peach BBQ Sauce Domaine Raspail-Ay, Gigondas, Rhône Valley, France, 2015 I was a bit scared of this next course. First off, I'm very wary of sweet foie gras preparations, and this had peach. Secondly, there's duck confit, and that just sounds like heavy on heavy. Fortunately, the dish actually worked, very well in fact. The foie itself was spot on in its sear, and had all the classic flavors you'd expect, while the cabbage worked beautifully for contrast. The surprise here was the confit, which ate as you'd expect, but somehow managed to not be overwhelming; I could say the same about the peach. Obviously, we had to have a wine that could stand up to the heft of the course, and the GSM blend made sense with its generous helping of (tannic) red fruit, pepper, and spice.

5: Martin Farms Minute Steak | Grilled Onions, Morel Mushrooms, Okra Croutons with Garden Herb Vinaigrette and Roquefort Dressing Château Latour-Martillac, Pessac Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2009 I rarely see minute steak on menus these days, which I suppose makes sense given that it's typically not the sexiest cut out there. Ziebold's version, however, was a winner no doubt. It was tender, sure, but also one of the most flavorful steaks I've had in a while, and I absolutely loved the zippiness and acidity from that herb vinaigrette, while the onions and 'shrooms imparted further complexity to the dish. The meat called for a powerful red wine, and the matched Bordeaux met the mark. Comprised mostly of Cabernet Sauvignon, it was pretty prototypical of the region with its soft, velvety palate of robust berry fruit commingled with some almost meaty notes and a touch of heat.

The steak came with a serving of the Chef's famous Parker House rolls, which were oh-so buttery and airy and salty and just as good as I remember from the CityZen days. And yes, I made sure to mop up the remaining liquid above with 'em.

6: Key Lime Meringue | Crème Fraîche Cake, Granny Smith Apple, Cucumber and Shiso-Lime Granité Château Rieussec, Sauternes, France, 1988 With the savories done with, it was time for Pastry Chef Anne Specker (a CityZen alum) to shine. Our first dessert really did recall the essence of a classic key lime, playing the tartness of citrus against the sweetness of meringue while the granita added a bracing, herbaceous component. Going along with the course was a Sauternes with some nice age on it. It was just what I wanted, displaying loads of honeyed, stone fruit-esque sweetness balanced out by a fresh acidity and a touch of nuttiness.

7: Nut 'n' Honey | Ochoa Farms Tomato Confit, Peanut Butter Cream, Honeycomb and Yellow Tomato Sorbet Kelt, Tour du Monde, VSOP, Grande Champagne, Cognac, France The humble tomato was the hero in our final (proper) course, its slightly savory disposition making itself known for sure against a backdrop of peanut--very neat. To drink, we moved away from wine and into cognac, specifically an ocean-matured example filled with warmth, sweetness, and spice, along with notes of wood and mature grapes.

At this point, I was provided a shot glass of milk granita and instructed to construct my own milk shake, choosing from flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry-verbena. I think it's obvious from the color which option I picked. In hindsight, I should've gone with Neapolitan.

Next came some wonderfully crisp, buttery, freshly baked malted vanilla shortbread cookies.

Rum Old Fashioned [$17.00] | Santa Teresa 1796, Bitters, Simple Syrup, Lemon Zest I requested a digestif and was brought this rum-based cocktail. It had a nose of warming spice and caramel mixed with citrus. The taste was sweet and fruity and chocolatey from the rum, with a smidge of bitterness and a long-lasting finish filled with brown sugar.

Guests were provided a vial of Old Bay olive oil to take home. And fortunately, I had no issues taking this in my carry-on luggage.

Tonight's meal effectively confirmed Ziebold's position as one of the top toques in DC. His food isn't necessarily flashy, but it is pretty much flawless (as was the service). There's a familiarity to the dishes, yet I still find myself pleasantly surprised at every turn. I get a restrained playfulness in the cooking, as well as a sort of quiet confidence that must, I imagine, stem from years and years in the biz. I think it's safe to say that Métier's got to be one of the premier dining experiences in DC.

Source: http://www.kevineats.com/2018/08/metier-washington-dc.html

[keijay-blog]

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How to Make Spiced Coffee

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Tasteofhome.com EditorsNovember 30, 2018

Want to change up your morning cup? The Taste of Home Test Kitchen shares two easy methods for making spiced coffee.

If you’ve been around at all in the past few years, you’ve probably tasted the mother of all spiced coffees: pumpkin spice. The annual arrival of the pumpkin spice latte generates as much fanfare as a hero returning from battle.

Thing is, it’s easy to make spiced coffee at home, any day of the year. (Much cheaper, too.) You can also think beyond the pie spice and use your favorite spices, alone in or in combination, for fantastic flavor. Spices like cinnamon and cardamom impart warm, cozy notes, while star anise or ginger impart a more powerful flavor twist.

Let’s get started. No fancy cardboard cups necessary. (Dare we suggest a slice of coffee cake on the side?)

Psst! Taste of Home has a brand-new coffee line! Get your free sample here.

How to Make Spiced Coffee: Two Methods

Method 1: Spice Up the Coffee Grounds

You’ll need:

1/3 cup ground coffee (not instant coffee granules)

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or other spice. Cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, allspice and star anise pair well with coffee.

Step 1: Sprinkle grounds with spice

Combine coffee with ground cinnamon or other spice in the filter basket of your coffee maker. We used a drip coffeemaker, but you can also spice up coffe made in a French press, Chemex, pour-over or other method.

Step 2: Brew

Prepare coffee as usual. You’ll get about four cups.

Step 3: Enjoy!

Enjoy as usual-black, or with cream and sugar. Want to go over the top? Combine spiced coffee with spiced milk.

Method 2: Spice Up the Milk

You’ll need:

Coffee, spiced or regular

1 cup 2% milk

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cinnamon sticks, optional

Whipped cream, optional

Step 1: Combine Ingredients and Warm

Combine the milk, sugar, cocoa and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until small bubbles appear on the sides of the pan. Stir occasionally to keep the heat even and prevent scorching on the bottom. Don’t let the milk boil!

Step 2: Add Coffee

Pour the hot milk mixture into four coffee cups and add coffee. The milk adds rich mocha flavor to regular coffee. Spiced coffee + spiced milk = extra delicious.

Step 3 (Optional): Gild the Lily.

Garnish your mugs with cinnamon sticks and whipped cream for a decadent dessert-like treat. Serving an after-dinner drink? Add 1-2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur to the mug. Want a summery version? Just chill the spiced coffee and milk until cool, then pour over ice.

Want to make more coffee shop drinks? Check out our favorite recipes.

Creamy Caramel Mocha

Indulge in a coffeehouse-quality drink with this caramel mocha recipe. With whipped cream and a butterscotch drizzle, this treat will perk up even the sleepiest person at the table. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Get Recipe

Comforting Coffee Milk

This recipe is special to me because the delicious ingredients and flavors speak for themselves without those extra preservatives. Now that’s refreshing! —Brenda Schrag, Farmington, New Mexico

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Holiday Peppermint Mocha

Make spirits bright with a minty mocha to share under the mistletoe or around the piano. I’ve also stirred in coffee liqueur instead of peppermint. —Lauren Brien-Wooster, South Lake Tahoe, California

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Creamy Irish Coffee

My maternal grandma was never a drinker, beyond a glass of champagne at Christmas, but she couldn’t resist Bailey’s Irish Coffee. —Rebecca Little, Park Ridge, Illinois

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Mocha Morning Drink

When I’m sipping this delicious coffee, I almost feel like I’m visiting my favorite coffeehouse. —Jill Rodriguez, Gonzales, Louisiana

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Caramel-Chai Tea Latte

Inspired by the spicy chai drinks served at coffee shops, I whipped up a caramel-drizzled latte I can enjoy at home anytime. —Katelyn Kelly, Perryville, Maryland

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Viennese Coffee

This isn’t your regular cup of Joe! Dress it up with chocolate, whipped cream and more, making it a drink to savor! —Sharon Delaney-Chronis, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Hazelnut Mocha Smoothies

This smooth blend of coffee, cocoa and nutty flavors is better than any coffeehouse version we’ve tried. Try it, and we’re sure you will agree. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Iced Coffee Latte

This is a great alternative to regular hot coffee and is much more economical than store-bought coffee drinks. Sweetened condensed milk and a hint of chocolate lend a special touch. —Heather Nandell, Johnston, Iowa

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Coconut Lover’s Frappe

I love frozen beverages, so I wanted to create one similar to those in coffee shops but without coffee as an ingredient. When I drink this frosty treat it’s as good as any specialty shop drink but without the hassle or the cost. —Emily Semmelrock, Jewett City, Connecticut

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Sweet Kahlua Coffee

I have this beverage brewing in my slow cooker at my annual Christmas open house. I set out the whipped cream and grated chocolate in festive dishes so guests can help themselves to as much Kahlua-flavored coffee as they’d like.—Ruth Gruchow, Yorba Linda, California

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Frosty Caramel Cappuccino

This frothy frosty beverage is positively delicious for breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack or an after-dinner dessert. It’s also a great quick treat to serve with a plate of cookies when friends come to call during the holidays. To make the ice cream topping easier to drizzle, put it in a squeeze bottle, take the cap off and microwave for a few seconds. —Carol Mann, Summerfield, Florida

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Honey Spiced Latte

We combine rich molasses, golden honey and a host of spices to create this warm and comforting beverage.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Hazelnut Coffee

The blend of flavors—coffee, hazelnut and a bit of chocolate—make this drink absolutely sensational. It is great for breakfast or brunch, but is also wonderful for a quiet moment at the end of the day. —Frieda Bliesner, McAllen, Texas

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Irish Cream Coffee

A steaming cup of this jazzed-up coffee makes the perfect pick-me-up any time of day. Try experimenting with other liqueurs or creamers to give each cup new life. —Carol Fate, Waverly, Illinois

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Hot Ginger Coffee

I like to sit by the fire and sip this coffee on a cold winter day. It’s a great warm-up after shoveling snow, skiing, skating or snowmobiling. —Audrey Thibodeau, Gilbert, Arizona

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Iced Coffee

When my sister introduced me to iced coffee, I didn’t think I’d like it. Not only did I like it, I decided I could learn how to make iced coffee on my own. My fast-to-fix version is a refreshing alternative to hot java. —Jenny Reece, Lowry, Minnesota

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Cinnamon Mocha Coffee

Most store-bought flavored coffees are expensive. Here’s a special early-morning beverage you can make at home. The aroma of cinnamon and cocoa makes this mocha coffee hard to resist. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Cappuccino Punch

When I tried this punch at a friend’s wedding shower, I had to have the recipe. Guests will eagerly gather around the punch bowl when you ladle out this frothy mocha ice cream drink. —Rose Reich, Nampa, Idaho

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