#original post still stands because this specific drink was not actually on the menu

[chrismcshell]

[cw alcohol]

every bar/pub/restaurant that serves alcohol should have a cocktail that is sweet and fruity and fun and non-carbonated. for me personally. everyone should cater to my needs wants and desires

[mackeydoodledoo]

Café Food and Tattoos

Pairing: Daniela Dimitrescu x (Fem!)Reader

Summary: One small glance at each other from across the way, has Daniela Dimitrescu enticed. One post-work encounter has her walking R home and visiting R during R’s work hours. Turns out that Daniela is not only there for the café food.

Warning: None, fluff all the way :)

A/N: So, this original idea is from @su-lilly-reblogs​ and I really love the idea of Daniela being a tattoo artist and I just love this entire idea in general! It’s a little short but I hope this entry is a good one! 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you were cleaning a table out on the patio, you heard a door from over next door open. Being the person to always want to see who was coming out of the tattoo place next door, you saw a strawberry-blonde woman step out. You attempt to snap your focus back on bussing tables out on the patio but when you look up at the same woman that had stepped outside, she had noticed you staring at her. The world stopped for you. She looked so enticing to you. You just wanted to drop everything and walk over to her. However, you were snapped back to reality when your elbow made contact with a glass cup. Your instincts had caught the glass just before it could make contact with the ground. You sigh when you looked back up to the tattoo place and the woman was no longer there. 

When you stopped at a crosswalk, you shiver at the slight breeze of the cool evening. You regretted not bringing a jacket of some sort. However, you felt a jacket being placed upon your shoulders. You could feel the presence of another person standing next to you. You use your peripherals and from the corner of your eye, you saw a familiar strawberry-blonde hair. 

"Warm now?" She asks 

"Yeah," you slightly smile, "Thanks." 

"Daniela Dimitrescu," she answers 

"Y/n Y/l/n," you reply 

When the crosswalk light had allowed you to cross you noticed that Daniela was walking alongside you. 

"So," you break the silence, "How long have you've been tattooing?" 

"Since my apprenticeship at 18," she answers, "I mostly tattoo in black and white. Majority of my works are botanical and anatomical." 

"Has any client requested a tattoo that was out of your comfort zone?" You ask 

"A couple of times," she answers you, "But, the clients loved the end products. So if one would specifically request for something I don't normally do I'll do it." 

"Maybe I'll have to get a tattoo done by you one of these days," you smile 

From the corner of your eye, you could see that Daniela smiled at your suggestion. What you didn't notice was how she was still be your side long after the both of you met at the crosswalk. 

"Did you want someone accompanying you home?" She asks, realizing your silence 

"That would be nice," you say, "We're pretty much here already." 

You walk up the steps to your house and turn around. You notice that Daniela is no longer in sight.... You sighed as you were going to offer her a cup of coffee to go. Even give her jacket back to her as it was still placed on your shoulders. You couldn't help but take in the scent of herbs and citrus that lingers on her jacket. Maybe she'll stop by tomorrow... I'll give her jacket back then.

The following morning was a mess. Table after table you barely could keep yourself steady trying to wait tables, clean the tables etc. You weren't the only one on the floor however, nearly everyone requested for your presence specifically. It was hell. 

"Y/n, a table is requesting for you," your coworker says 

Great... Just when you were able to breathe. You compose yourself and head back out onto the floor but you freeze. 

"Daniela?" You call out, walking toward her with a menu in your hands 

"Hi y/n," she smiles 

"Fancy seeing you here," you smile back, "What can I get you to drink?" 

"Water," she says, looking up at you 

When you return to her table with a glass of water, you go on to check on your other tables with the assistance of your coworker. 

"Sorry about that, its been a mess all morning," you sigh, seating yourself across from Daniela 

"That’s okay love," she says 

"You know what you want to eat yet?" You ask, taking out your notepad 

"Are you on the menu?" She flirts 

Your heart skips a beat, your cheeks flush red, you look at her surprised. Daniela giggles as she watches your face. 

"What’s wrong love? Cat got your tongue?" She asks, smiling menacingly 

The only thing you could do was nearly choke on your own spit before Daniela actually tells you what she wants. With haste you make your way back into the kitchen to give the chef Dani's order and catch your breath. 

"One of the best tattoo artists in town, enticed by the awkward café waitress," your coworker laughs 

"Shut it Clarice," you sigh, "We only met last night." 

"She apparently dedicates her life to tattooing," she explains, "No one to get attached to. But, you can change that, I think it's time for you to get out there. With her. Maybe even get a tattoo done by her." 

"Are you crazy?!" You ask, "She's so out there and I'm me. So who am I kidding??" 

"Just look through your cameral roll for some inspiration for a tattoo, I’m sure the two of you can negotiate something in the next couple of weeks," Clarice suggests, "You got your tips, hourly pay you've been saving for this tattoo haven't you?" 

You nod. You only have one tattoo. You've been dreaming about getting another one but you haven't really looked into it. You didn't plan to until you had enough money to have it done. You hear the chef calling out Daniela's order and you begin reaching for it. 

"I'll check on your other tables," your coworker says, "Just book that appointment with Daniela." 

You nod, because your coworker will make sure you do so if she found out you chickened out. 

"Took you long enough," Daniela teases 

You smile as you place the plate of food in front of her and seat yourself across from her once more. 

"Do you have any tattoos?" Daniela asks 

You roll up your left sleeve to reveal an arrow tattoo with a color in one of the three triangles. 

"I got this when I turned 18 with my older sister," you say, "I've been saving up for another tattoo. But I don't think I have saved enough yet nor have I done research on artists to do it on me." 

"Hit me with the design," Daniela suggests

You open your phone to reveal a botanical anatomy piece. 

Daniela looks at your phone in awe, "I'll do it." 

"What?" You ask, putting your phone away 

"I'll do that tattoo on you," she says 

"R-really?" You ask, your mood changing 

She nods happily. You sigh in relief. 

"How much do you normally charge?" You ask 

"For you my dear, I'll discount it," she answers, "Normally, that kind of piece would be $600-$700." 

You, again almost choke on your own spit. However, re-composing yourself. 

"I'll do it for $400," Daniela says 

You've saved up at least $300 as of your last paycheck. However, since the tips are really piling and you look pay is tomorrow, you have hope. 

"When are you free?" She asks 

"I'm pretty much free Mondays and Tuesdays," you say 

Daniela pulls out her phone and supposedly looks through her calendar. 

"How does Tuesday at 3pm sound to you?" She asks 

"Works for me," you smile brightly 

You leave to get Daniela's check and pay for her food. It was the least you could do for her. She practically got to book your dream tattoo. You go on and check on your other tables, running their checks, your coworker bussing the tables for you. 

"Where were we?" You ask 

"My check?" Daniela asks 

"Don't worry about that," you say, "It's the least I can do for you." 

"Thank you y/n," she smiles, "I gotta run. Work is about to open." 

She stands from her seat and walks by you. However, before she leaves she leans down to your face and places a kiss on your cheek and then walks out. You just remembered about her jacket. Damnit...

Tuesday couldn't come soon enough. You've been working your arse off at the café. Daniela would pop in during her breaks to come say hi or order some food to go. You had long sent the image you had shown Daniela on Thursday to her. She’s talked about how excited she is to do that big of a piece. You told her that you had wanted it on your right outer forearm. 

"So you didn't even HAVE to ask Daniela to do that tattoo?! Man, that's golden! She's definitely into you if she had cut down the price by THAT much," your coworker states 

"Is she?" You ask, blushing 

"Oh come on, if I didn't see how she looks at you when you talk to her, I wouldn't be saying that she's definitely into you," she says 

"You have a point," you say 

"Did you get her number?" She asks 

"No," you say, "We've barely had time as is. She heads straight home to work on the piece for me and I'm busy here. Only chance I get is Tuesday." 

"You better girl," she says before walking off to a table

When Tuesday had finally come, you tuck the tattoo fee in one pocket and her tip mixed with your phone number in the other. You take a deep breath before opening the door to the tattoo shop next to your own work. 

"Y/n!" Daniela smiles as she comes walking over to you to give you a hug 

"So I just finished up your tattoo and I just wanted to run through it with you," She says 

"Dani, didn't we both agree on whatever you do is fine with me?" You smile and jokingly sigh 

"Yes but I just want to have your approval anyway," she smiles 

She takes her iPad and opens up to her editing app and shows you. You noticed that Daniela edited the work a lot to her style of work. And you loved it. 

"Lets get that bad boy tattooed on me Dani," you smile 

She has you fill out paperwork as the stencil begins printing itself out. You hand back the paperwork to her and she leads you to the back of the shop, leading you into a separate room, presumably her studio. 

"Welcome to my humble studio," she smiles, "Just sit your little cute butt in the big chair and give me a hot minute." 

You watch her cut out the stencil and watch her concentrate on applying the stencil to your arm. You try to keep yourself as steady as possible so she wouldn't have to reapply the stencil. 

"Relax love," Daniela says, as if she could feel your tension 

"I don't want to accidentally move my arm," you say 

Once she removes the stencil, she backs away, "Check that out and see if you like the placement." 

"I love it," you almost squeal 

You again watch her prep her tattoo machine and begin concentrating on you.

The pain was unbearable but it was a pretty big tattoo that you had picked out. Daniela barely talked though. But, you assumed it was because she was concentrated on your piece. 

“Hey, I have your jacket and-”

“Keep it love,” She says without looking up at you

“Are-are you sure?” You ask

“You look good in it y/n,” She finally looks up at you, smiling

You smile back at her.

Once she removes the excess tattoo ink she guides you to step outside with her for her to take a picture. After the fact, you two go back into her studio to have her put saniderm on your arm. 

"Now keep that on for a couple of days for me okay?" She smiles 

You nod. You reach into one pocket and pull out the $400 Daniela requested for the piece and then reach into the other and hand it to her. 

"Why thank you love," she smiles 

"That's not all," you say 

You lean forward and give her a kiss on the cheek. She somewhat gives you the same face you did when she did the same to you. 

"Will I see you at the café tomorrow?" She asks 

"You will," you wink at her before making your leave 

She opens the piece a paper: a $40 tip and a note. 

"If you want to get together sometime outside of having café food and tattoos," Daniela read aloud 

At the bottom of the note, was your phone number.

[hazelsheartsworn]

The Imposter Crown - 3. Charmed, I'm Sure

Part 3 of " The Imposter Crown" (Link to Master Post and AO3)

A Jurdannet Folktober 2021 Story by hazelsheartsworn

Jude can't dwell on her spoiled twilight evening with Cardan. Tonight she's host to a large revel with dignitaries from many courts, including the Court of Teeth. Can she play the politics of diplomacy and unravel the mystery that keeps appearing in her orbit?

Read Part 3 Below or on AO3! Word Count: 1501

Read Part 2 (Tumblr, AO3) or Read Part 4 (Tumblr, AO3)

The eerie feelings are quickly swept away as we prepare for the largest revel in months. Delegations from several faerie courts are attending, including Suren with the Court of Teeth. The Bomb, Roach, and I have worked tirelessly with the Court of Shadows to plan for any manner of fallout or deceit. Actually, Cardan planned the twilight picnic because  playing spy-master had taken up so much of my time for the past fortnight.

The revel opens with a full harvest theme, matching the opening of autumn. September has been mild. The feast tables look like an overabundant farmer’s market. Fruits, vegetables, all in fall colors cover the table tops, which I’m sure would bow from the weight if not magically enchanted.  The spread is chaotic as there is no specific planned menu.  Cardan has become enamored with “potlucks” ever since we spent the 4th of July with Vivi, Heather, and Oak and attended their apartment complex’s barbecue.  Court of Shadows spies are all dressed as servants to receive each court’s contribution and check it for poison.

I approach Severin, the Alderking, who watches this process intently.

“If I remember, your father took tribute of every harvest from Fairfold” I burst out. It seems my nerves have left me no tact whatsoever. Severin blinks slowly, locking his shoulders, but not before I note his slight shudder, as if suppressing a bad memory.

He turns to me, “Yes, all part of his purposeful negotiations with mortals to extort them in exchange for his “protection.” I’m so glad to have officially ended those annual collections.  But mortals can be stubborn creatures and my cooks still have to find a creative plethora of dishes for bushels of corn and apples.”

I am relieved that my blunt words and Cardan’s BYO party antics haven't insulted the Alderking.  When Severin’s human companion returns and starts chattering about pumpkin spiced drinks, I politely excuse myself to continue circulating.

Suren stands near the dais, at the fringe of the revel crowd. I see no counselors or retinue from the Court of Teeth, but she stands over and watches a game of Victorian solitaire played by two ogres. This may be my only opportunity to greet her alone, so I take a moment to stand taller and head over. We give the standard perfunctory greetings of state, looking askance so as not to make eye contact and mean any of the superficial statements. I make the mistake of avoiding her eye contact and looking at the game board. Instead of marbles, they’re using eyeballs for game pieces. I snap my head up and catch Suren’s eyes watching my reaction greedily.  I return a manic grin to hide appearing weak. I don’t trust the Court of Teeth since they tried to ensnare both Cardan and me under their power with a magic bridle.  It mysteriously disappeared after Cardan returned to his original form, but I’m wary of whatever magic, trick, or old-fashioned politics they might utilize to undermine us.  Best to come out strong, to come off harsh and unrelenting.

“Dear Suren, it’s been ages since we’ve seen the Court of Teeth attend the High Court.  I can’t imagine the weather in the North keeping you.” I try to keep my face neutral, to not raise the eyebrow that Cardan would raise. He could get away with it, I cannot.  I mentally catalog each knife on my person should Suren’s reaction be poor.

““Surely you’ve heard of the stirrings up North.  The solitary fae have taken to calling them the Red Rogue, but it’s some fae gathering insurgent forces under a red banner.  It quite seems like a red cap, what with that color so integral to their propaganda. Well, that and the ravaged remains we’ve encountered from rural villages. Quite a bloodthirsty campaign. We’ve yet to catch this Red Rogue, but they seem to have appeared just around the time your foster father was stripped of name and title, exiled from the realm. How interesting, don’t you think?”

One ogre shouts uproariously and flips the board off its barrel. Suren and I both sidestep together to avoid the ensuing brawl. Before I can spitball my retort, Oriana appears at my side.  She’s been granted a temporary stay of exile so she can see Oak while he visits Faerie. Through Taryn, I discovered that she loathes seeing Oak in the mortal world, living a mundane life with Vivi and Heather. Apparently there was an “abhorrent display” at the local mall food court.  So, Cardan and I have granted her an allowance to stay with Taryn and tend to Oak when he’s visiting Faerie. On this visit, however, Oak canceled at the last minute in order to attend a sleepover birthday party.  Taryn invited her to tonight’s revel instead. Just to be safe, all her attendants are all my spies.

But how is it that Oriana has come to fetch me just as there’s a rumor that sounds just like Madoc’s bruised ego?

“Oriana, hail, you’ve met Suren, queen of the Court of Teeth?”  They have met before, when Cardan was transformed into a snake by Grimsen’s magical curse. I was in sole custody of the throne and both of them were trying to thwart and usurp my rule.  Some insecure part of me is wary of their acquaintance.

“Charmed, I’m sure.  Taryn bids me to implore your presence and guidance.” Her reply is so quick it’s as if she planned to say it before heading over here. Oh, I do not like how this makes me feel about this Red Rogue story. I’ve had no intel about it, Oriana comes over to interrupt as soon as Suren brings up some story that sounds like Madoc’s vengeance and nothing I notice or pick up between the two seems to make a reliable connection. Damn, how did we miss this.  Let’s see if I can get something out of them.

“Yes, certainly. Suren, we are pleased to host you and enjoy the revel and send word if your court is found wanting for reinforcements or strategy to contain that pesky rebel.” Let both these fae assume my arrogance or disinterest in this matter. I’ll need to send Ghost or Snapdragon on reconnaissance. Neither betrays any emotion worthwhile. I place my arm on the crook of Oriana’s arm and turn both of us away.  I wonder if I can pull information from Oriana.

“Oriana, what does your husband do these days?”  Even though my heart stings, I cannot speak his name aloud anymore.  No one can.  But she knows this name game. She followed Madoc into exile of her own volition.  We walk four courtly steps, a gait as slow as the foot count, before she replies.

“He fares well, '' she posits. I press her about his employment, his reaction to the mortal world, how she passes the time in a world of iron and electronic bustle but she evades true answers as if she’s slipped back into her role of courtier.  None of this allays my fears about a vengeful red cap. In fact, it heightens it. I was always too rough for Oriana,  too rough an object to mold and smoothen for life in the High Court. So she never clipped her words or gave me pretty blandishments. That she does it now gives me great pause and my feet mirror my thoughts. As I’m stopped I stare at her pale face, clearly wanting for more from her, same as always.

It’s always like this at revels. As Queen, if you stop at all, you’re not alone for long at all.  Mother Marrow, her daughter in tow.  I don’t dislike Mother Marrow so I’ll indulge this interruption. Mother Marrow’s magic is just powerful and untenable enough that I find it worth courting her favor, in a queenly way, of course.

I remember her daughter when Mother Marrow first sought sanctuary with the High Court. They tried to trick Cardan into marrying the daughter. I remember her, bird feet, and a pretty face. She played shy last time and turned her shoulders in to seem smaller and submissive.  Not so now.  She stands tall now, taller than me, prouder than when she was under her mother’s wing. I finally learn her name.

“Malu,” she remarks and she quickly adds, “but it’s not from Latin, nothing ‘bad.’”

She’s just come back from staying with cousins abroad, but she doesn’t indicate where. She and Mother Marrow depart quickly after making introductions and I am left again with Oriana, holding tight to her elbow.

It’s not uncommon to hear a gasp or shriek, or several at a revel; faerie whims often lean toward the macabre and violent.  They are inhuman after all. But Oriana is not one for theatrics. I’m looking past her face scanning the room when she drops my arm to gasp into her hands. I turn around to follow her gaze.

[benhardypout-archive]

004. thank you, alex

a/n: so this is one of my Wonty "comfort fics" - so it's far from canon or never followed the original plot - which i would probably never publish (unless there's one i would like to share), but this time in this fic which i titled "Dirty Little Secret", I'm just going to post some chapters which I enjoyed writing. So the number is the chapter of this fic, and this is the chapter 4, hence, 004. Enjoy reading! 🙈

Perhaps, my crush on Monty was getting out of hand.

I flipped through the Liberty yearbook which Tyler lent me only to feast my eyes over the photos of the guy in Jersey no. 32 through the weekend, as I sat on the floor with my back against the bed.

Montgomery de la Cruz, I chanted in my head, reading his name printed in bold letters.

I stopped by a certain picture of his, running my fingers over the glossy paper, tracing his face. Tyler was lucky to have taken this rare shot of him smiling beautifully like this; those white teeth showing. He was leaning back and wearing a blue tank top. For once, he looked really happy…

I should probably ask Tyler the story behind this shot.

My phone rang a message.

I,  mindlessly, searched for it, not keeping my eyes away from the image. I could feel my heart expanding by this simple picture of him.

Bringing my phone to my face, there’s a  message from Alex: U free this afternoon?

Basically, I'm free for the whole day.

I typed a quick reply: Yes.

And not long after, Alex texted back asking us to meet up at this mall, only a five minute drive.

I wonder if this hang out thing meant anything or just platonic. Anyway, Alex seemed nice. I would love to get to know him more and perhaps get acquainted.

Looking back to the yearbook, I'm so tempted to cut the picture. Or maybe I could just ask Tyler just give me this specific yearbook, like a gift.

* * *

Alex took me bowling. And I'm not so good with the game but so far I'm having fun.

"You're so good at this," I said as Alex hit another strike.

He smiled. "Nah."

"Now, don't be modest on me," I chuckled lightly and took a bowling ball from the rack and positioned it on my hand, adjusting to its weight. Walking by the lane, I put on a stance and ran my tongue over my lower lip, aiming for a strike. Not that I'm expecting to hit one, which of course didn't happen. I looked at Alex, throwing my hands in defeat. "No, not good at this."

Alex went to hit next and of course, another strike. He raises both his arms dramatically and spun around facing me, smiling victoriously, cocking a brow.

"I give up!" I chuckled and sat down by the bench.

"You're named Winston for a reason," Alex commented, sitting beside me.

"What does that mean?"

"Winston, like Winner. Root word, win."

I laughed, throwing my head back a little. "Damn. I think I'm not doing my name justice, then."

"Practice makes perfect."

"Let's just eat. I'm starving."

"Sure."

We walked aimlessly along the mall in silence, with a few side comments about the boutiques or the shops we passed on. Then we saw and spotted some familiar faces. Well, Alex introduced me to some of them, simply pointing from afar and telling their names, since I barely knew anyone from Liberty yet, who also worked here.

Then my stomach decided to embarrass me and did a growl as we reached the food court.

“Someone’s whining,” Alex retorted.

“I know right.”

Since it’s the afternoon, there’s a lot of tables to choose from, not to mention, stalls without queues. A lot of options for us. But we just settled on some corn dogs.

"We should see some movie some time," Alex suggested. "How about tomorrow?"

"Oh, okay." I thought back if I had plans. Is looking at pictures of Monty in the yearbook counted as one?

He smiled and told me the time and rendezvous. And then added, "I-it's a date,"

I blinked. "A d-date?"

"I meant friendly date," he quickly clarified, faking a smile. I could see dejection in his eyes.

I wanted to apologize but perhaps I’m just overthinking the situation and putting meaning on how Alex was acting the past days. I may try to brush it off and act like I’m not noticing anything, but it’s there. Yet, he said so himself ‘friendly date’, maybe he really just meant us to be friendly.

"So you like someone else?" Alex asked after a moment which of course caught me off guard. I should’ve expected that question to come. I almost coughed my Coke out. Good thing, I had swallowed it down. My heart began to skip.

Should I tell him?

I avoided his gaze, and took another sip on my drink. "Uhm… yes," I said in a low voice.

"Oh…. right. Of course."

"Alex-"

"I-I'm just asking," Alex cut me off. Though, I’m afraid I’m already ruining this budding friendship and it’s the last thing I wanted. But, if he ever decides and calls off our little friendly movie date, I'd understand.

"I… Maybe I just need some company," he went on, resting his arms on the table as if for comfort. "And I… I actually like Zach," he glanced at me.

Zach. Oh. I know him.

"I kissed him," he murmured so low I almost didn’t catch it. Then he snorted, lightly. "But… of course he said he's straight."

"I'm sorry," I said in empathy. I wanted to reach for his hands but then decided against it. Then a scenario flashed in my head where I kissed Monty and then he said the same thing-- Ouch!

"It's all right. Thanks for going out with me, and listening." Alex interrupted, saving me from my disastrous thoughts.

I nodded. But then... he asked the question I’m shit scared to answer.

"May I ask who you like?"

Fuck...

I shifted on my seat. "Oh… uhm…It's..." I looked at him, warily. He was indifferent… yet. Wait till you hear this.

With a deep shaky breath I say, "Monty."

* * *

No words had been spoken since, besides the sensational "What the… fuck?" reaction from Alex who wavered before saying the word. And an awkward "Yep" from me, popping the 'p'.

We just went to our own cars and left after.

I'm sure Alex hated me now, or worse, despised me.

I knew it.

Maybe liking Monty would make you lose some friends-- lose some potential friends, rather. We're not even friends.

Was that what Monty meant when he said I got no friends here, as his own experience? Because people didn't like him?

I received a text from Alex later that night, apologizing from how he reacted. Which relieved me a hundred fold. And then he added…

Alex: But… Monty? I just can't believe it! And I think he's as straight as a ruler.

Winston: It's all right. Still a plastic ruler can be bent.

Alex: Correction. Wooden ruler. It just breaks in half, and he'll just break you.

Okay, I couldn't argue with that.

Winston: I guess. But could you keep a promise not to tell anyone?

Alex: Ok

Winston: Thanks.

Alex: So tomorrow. Same time. Same place. And move on from Monty. There's far better guys than that asshole.

Hope it's  that easy…

* * *

I'm glad that Alex didn't change towards me. He still smiled and spoke to me as if I didn't tell him something, which he found horrible.

After buying two movie tickets, we went to the snack bar to buy some popcorn.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me." I heard Alex mutter under his breath, causing me to turn and follow his gaze, only for my world to stop, seeing Monty by the entrance.

I forgot the ability to move until Alex nudged me. I blinked and turned to him. He has this amused smile.

"Seriously, Winston, close your fucking mouth. Some fly would literally rent in there."

I blushed, and sneaked another glance at Monty, longer than necessary, then to the other jocks he’s with. They’re standing by the ticket booth. I shifted closer to Alex and poked his side. "Zach's among them."

"I know. I hate it." Alex then stepped forward as it's our turn. "Two medium-sized popcorn please. Plain... And two cokes?" He told the guy behind the counter and turned to me.

"Coke," I confirmed.

And he went on ordering. But half of my attention was on the noise from the jocks. God… I couldn't believe I would see Monty here.

Oh, fuck.

I desperately searched for any mirror or any surface where I could see my reflection and fixed my hair as I saw them making their way towards us!!!

"Hi, Alex." Zach said beside me. I, discreetly, give Alex another nudge.

Alex barely glanced. "Hi."

"Zachy, I'm gonna have these Hot Tamales," Monty announced, tapping his fingers on the glass display counters, pointing over the Hot Tamales candy bars wrapped in red.

He caught my gaze and it was too late to retrieve my eyes back. So, I threw a soft smile at him, hoping I wasn’t too obvious about my loud attraction.

"Hey, Winston. You and Alex on a date?" he asked instead, and I swore I felt blood rush through my cheeks.

"N-no," I shook my head at once.

"What about you and Zach, Monty? You guys on a date?" Alex cuts in.

"Yeah. Actually it's the four of us, Scott and Charlie."

Scott and Charlie smiled and waved, making Alex roll his eyes.

Zach cleared his throat and looked at Alex. I guessed that maybe he wanted to speak to him… alone, so being a good friend as I am, I stepped aside and took the chance to stand beside Monty. But I made sure to be discreet and just tapped my fingers against the counter, my eyes fixated at the menu posted in front.

Zach whispered something to Alex and I could only catch a few words like 'mad' and 'me', giving me enough hint of what he's saying.

I tensed feeling Monty moved closer to me. "Never thought I'd see you here."

I blushed and glanced at him. "Yeah. Small world."

Then he asked me if we’re going to watch the same movie. A horror one.

“I think we should just sit together, then." Monty suggested, glancing over to Zach and Alex. "Especially, it looks like Zach and Alex have something to talk about."

I chuckled, "Sure." Would love to sit next to you.

"Winston," I heard Alex called and saw that our popcorn was ready. I took one last glance at Monty and uttered a "See you later," before making my way back to Alex.

"What did Zach tell you?" I whispered as we made our way inside the cinema.

"He wants to talk. I said yes."

I just hummed.

"Dammit, Winston. I still like him and I hate it," Alex whined a moment later, making me smile.

We took the seat in the middle section, since it's not too far and not too close, and we could watch properly. Different trailers were being shown and I noticed that there were only a few cinema-goers or maybe only few wanted to see this movie.

Later, I spotted Monty and the group inside looking for a seat, so I gave a secret wave at them, specifically, at Monty. He called his friends after he saw me. Then they made their way to us. I hid a smile. My heart wouldn't shut up about it, and it literally wanted to jump off my chest when Monty took the seat next to me.

Calm down, Winston. I’m afraid he could hear it from here, screaming his name.

Zach tried and asked Alex if he could sit beside him, only receiving a nod from Alex. But I could practically read his mind regretting taking the middle seats, when we could just take the space on either right or left wing, and have all the spaces on our own.

"Are you following me?" I heard Alex mumble to Zach.

"No. I… Monty pointed us here and…maybe I did, by deciding to sit next to you," Zach admitted.

I decided and just diverted my attention to Monty and his Hot Tamales. "Does that taste good?"

"You wanna taste?" He gestured one to my direction. I swallowed, not expecting his sudden offer. Or maybe it's because his shoulder brushed against mine.

"N-no. Thanks."

"Come on," Monty began tearing one package open and handed it to me, "Have some."

I glanced at him and reluctantly reached, staring intently at his hand, tempting to hold it.

"No, don't taste that." One of the jocks interrupted. I stopped. "You will get addicted," he added, grinning.

"Oh, fuck off, Charlie," Monty waved. "Come on. Gimme your hand."

"You're not trying to poison me, are you?" I tried to joke.

And I blushed seeing his boyish smile. "Oh no. It's a love potion," he winked.

Now that sent me. If I happen to be an ice, I've melted by now.

You don't need to give me any love potion, Monty. I wanted to say.

With a trembling hand, I held my palm out and he poured some on it. I uttered a thanks and put everything in my mouth, letting it melt in my tongue.

Charlie was right, it's kind of addicting.

"So?"

"I think I'm in love," I blurted, not breaking eye contact.

He looked away.

Oh no! Wrong move, Winston.

"I mean your friend's right. It's addicting."

He turned back to me and smiled. "I know right." He, then, handed me the Hot Tamales. “Here, have it.”

It would be a shame to take his offer down, so I just took it, our fingers brushing; enough to send electricity down my body. I wondered if he felt it too.

Wishful thinking, Winston.

"Why are you taking Monty's food? It might be contaminated," Alex whispered.

I shrugged him off and offered it to him. "You should try."

"No thanks."

I couldn't help but find Alex's distaste towards Monty, funny. Even though I shouldn't. But I'm afraid I might continue teasing him about it.

The movie finally started. And it's supposed to be scary as it's a horror film. But I'm not a bit scared. However, I'm tempted to hold Monty's hand that was on the armrest between us. But more tempted to pull the armrest up and just lean onto him. Maybe act scared?

As he took his hand away to get some popcorn - since I decided to share my popcorn with him and his friends, who I now know the names of: Charlie and Scott - I, sneakily, placed my hand on the armrest in hopes to be held by him.

Sadly, after he took a handful of popcorn he didn't put his hand back, but my hand stayed where it was. And I just forgot all my attempts on flirting.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed.

And I tensed not because the scene was scary but because his hand, finally, landed on mine. I hid a smile. And when I thought he would notice and take it away, he didn't, and just stayed there. Though, I wasn't sure if he was ever aware of our hands, or he's too focused on the movie to even notice.

My heart pounded so loud, I could barely hear the show, and could hardly concentrate on it, blocking everything around me but only his presence. I’m only aware of the warmth and the weight of his hand on mine, making my throat dry. I just dreamt of kissing him, or simply lean on him, and embrace more of his scent.

Ugh! Shut it, Winston. Try and hold yourself together.

But how, when he’s close like this? Needless to say, his hand on mine?

The movie just ended without me really understanding everything that happened.

Monty made some comments about it, asking me some of it as soon as we got out to the lobby. I just nodded along, agreeing with everything he said. But Charlie argued with him and they went on, leaving me completely clueless, even though we all watched it together. I should've tried and focused on the show, so I could have a proper conversation with him. But until now, the heat of his hand pricked on my skin.

"Winston," Alex called, and began to walk. I hesitated and followed him outside, not giving me the chance to say goodbye to Monty and his friends.

"Are you alright on your own?" he asked

I frowned, blinking once. "Y-yeah."

"I need to go with Zach," he glanced at Zach, who’s busy chatting or probably saying parting words with his buddies, and rolled his eyes back to me. "Said he wants to talk."

"Oh. Sure."

"Again, beware of Monty. Don't be fooled by his good looks."

"So, you admit he looks good."

Alex stammered but soon gave up, sighing. "Whatever Winston. Don't say, I didn't warn you."

"Okay. Have fun with Zach." I gave his shoulder a pat. "And thanks for inviting me. I really had fun," I smiled.

Alex had to roll his eyes again. "I think I know why."

[well-shit-im-a-morosexual-now]

Do you have like a list of prompts you’ve received? I’m kinda curious to see what other people have sent in.

Sure do! Let me know what you think or what you'll be interested in seeing posted first!

WRITTEN & POSTED

1.) this regular is so cute that I (purposely) wrote wrong name on their order so we could chat for a while" (changed it to Mammon forgetting MC's name cause I didn't want to write anything close to an actual name for MC so that it'd be easier for people to imagine it as their MC)

2.) "I know my boss said to not to serve this batch today bc it'll be for tomorrow's special menu but they look drOP DEAD GORGEOUS AND I CAN'T RESIST THE URGE TO HIT ON 'EM NOBODY CAN STOP ME"

3.) Mammon seeing a bug and freaking out, asking MC to take care of it would be really cute.

4.) MC stealing his clothes and wearing it

5.) MC telling Mammon how appreciative they are of him and how glad they are that they were put under his care over anyone else.

6.) "Wait are those - are those bruises?"

PLANNED WITH DATES

7.) mc’s love language is expressed by giving gifts - 10th Sept

8.) imagine MC giving Mammon a ✨ c u t e ✨ crow plushie - 10th sept

*7.) & 8.) are going to be combined*

9.) when Mammon and MC start dating, he 100% calls them "his treasure" (I don't think this was a prompt but I'm writing it) - 10th Sept

10.) dragon!mammon kidnaps royal!mc for ransom, but ends up discovering not all treasures are made of glitter and gold - long 10chap fic planned - after 18th sept no concrete date

11.) Pillow fort with Mammon?? Maybe a movie night??? Bonus if it's a horror movie and he clings to MC????? - 31st Oct

12.) MC gets possessed by a lower demon - 31st Oct (shortened here but original prompt is longer/more elaborate)

13.) Mammon flirting with the MC to steal their wallet. - 28th Aug

HALF WRITTEN

14.) "I've never seen that scar before"

15.) "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me"

16.)"Talk to me please"

*15.) & 16.) are set to be combined with 14.)*

NOT WRITTEN

17.) It was said before that since Mammon is the avatar of Greed, those he loves are very wealthy and those he hates go broke, so if his self esteem is really low it explains why he's broke and asking for money all the time. (Probably not a prompt but fuck it I want to write it)

18.) him singing & dancing to La Bicicleta with MC in the kitchen (I actually wrote an 'imagine' kinda thing as the reply for this ask cause I don't think it's an actual prompt but I liked it so much I wanna flesh it out into a short fic)

19.) Mammon with Crow feathers (it's more elaborate than this but too long to write here) (Not a prompt but like the previous one I wrote an 'imagine' type thing as a reply for the ask and I wanna flesh it out because GIANT BIRD DEMON BOYFRIEND™)

20.) Mammon consistently spelling MC's name wrong on their cup? Or Mammon leaving pick up lines on their drinks? - gonna do the second one cause again I don't wanna write anything close to an actual name

21.) Mammon coping with the realization that MC's never coming back to the original timeline?

22.) "this person is the love of my life but sometimes I wanna strangle em hoW DARE U DO SMTH ADORABLE DO U KNOW U R THE DEATH OF ME SWEET CHEEKS ILYSM❤️️"

23.) "I rlly hate the fact that ur babysitting ur niece/nephew (but I love this lil fella can we adopt them) but I overheard a couple say WE R A PERFECT FAM I'M-"

24.) “You bake when you’re stressed and sometimes you give me cookies, but recently you’re giving me whole baskets each day, now I’m not complaining but are you okay?”

25.) how's Mammon feel about MC dying from Belphie considering how he told MC at the beginning that if they were in danger, he'd be the one to save them, and if he couldn't save them, they should just die?

26.) him realizing he has a second with the new MC after his MC dies in lesson 16

*25 & 26 were one prompt but I broke it into two fics*

27.) Like, say MC makes it really obvious Mammon’s her favourite and Belphie tries to sabotage him, but it just keeps going wrong. (More elaborate prompt but shortened here)

28.) au where the demon lords are instead revered as local deities. Mammon falls for human MC. (More elaborate prompt but shortened here)

29.) really angsty mc x mammon fic. maybe something with mc sobbing “please don’t be mad at me” or “i can be better, don’t leave” due to accidentally swallowing a hysteria potion or something?

30.) "This is nice. You and Me. Against the world."

31.) "If anything happened to you--I couldn't..." "Will you stay with me? Tonight? I just--I'd feel better knowing that you're near..." "I can't stand the thought of seeing you hurt." All have massive Mammon-after-Belphie-killed-MC vibes.

32.) MC being troubled about dying and mammon being the only one to notice

*31.) & 32.) are going to be combined*

33.) “You’ve done the unthinkable, you know. You’ve made me fall in love.”

34.) mammon and mc are doing a movie night and mc fall asleep and they basically confess in their sleep without knowing it

Fics that don't have planned dates are going to be released on a weekly basis. The fic that I write & post will depend on which prompt makes my imagination go nuts each week. After sept 18 I'm hoping to write & post at least two fics a week.

** nothing is gonna have a sad ending or be a tragedy (I can't hurt myself like that) so at most it'll have a bittersweet ending

**MC will always be gender-neutral (they/them pronouns) and unnamed with no defining features. They will have somewhat of a consistent personality though because I always imagine my mc when writing these and I will probably use headcanons I have but nothing will be overly specific so that you can read the fics with your mc in mind

Because I like to suffer I'm still accepting prompts/requests despite all this so feel free to send them either through asks or dms or feel free to come scream at me about anything because I will scream back

That's it✌

[mimiscappinisideblog]

I've got this idea for sometime now and I know I'll never gonna do anything with this so I'll share it with you all.

If any of you wants to do something with this shit be my guest. Btw this is some selfindulgent shit.

This has been in my drafts for months.

_________________

A friday night out with your friends. Just your average group of people in a bar drinking and enjoying eachothers company.

This bar was one of your favorites because of the ambient, not too classy and just enough of that calmly home feeling to make you feel warm and welcome.

Not to mention the live music playing every night. Each artist bringing a little of their soul to play off on that stage where all the patrons were able to see and listen.

You suggested this specific bar to your friends because of one thing, the drinks were really good and not too expensive, and maybe also because friday nights a certain musician came in to play it's a posibility. Okay, it was only for him who are you kidding.

You frequented that bar enough times to know that he came every friday to sing a couple of songs then he'd have one or two beers before leaving.

By this time you already knew who he was, the barman told you he teaches music in an after school program that originated from Horace Green. The barman already knew of your little crush on him and was trying to get you to try and talk to him but you were too shy of a loser to actually go and say hi to him.

One of your friends shooked you out of your thoughts and handed you your drink, she saw your distant stare.

"You alright there dub? You seem distracted." she asked with concern in ver voice.

"Which is funny considering you were the one that bring us here. You wanna leave already or something?" another one chimes in.

"No, no. I'm fine." you said trying to compose yourself for them "I was just thinking, nothing to worry about." you hope they buy it and not press more on the matter that you were expecting someone intenly watching the front doors. "what were you guys talking about?"

You try to jump in the conversation but out of the corner of your eye you see the doors open.

And then you see him.

Dewey Finn, the man who's been running on your mind the whole day in anticipation for this moment. The man who sends you a thousand buttlerflies everytime you hear his melodic voice singing. He's fanally here.

He goes to do a little chat with the barman. Your eyes focus on him for a little too long. Long enough for you not to notice that your friends were also looking at you and thanks to your staring they noticed Dewey as well.

They all excange knowing looks that were only confirm by every second that passed and you were still staring at the poor unsuspecting guy.

A witress blocks your view of the musician bringing your table some food.

"So..." your friend adressed you after the waitress was gone and you started to dig in "Were you going to go talk to him or just stare at his back whole night?"

Taking in the question you suddently notice you're the center of attention, all eyes were on you "What are you talking about?" you said trying to play dumb.

"Come on, everybody saw the way you were undressing the guy at the front bar. A little bit more staring and you'd drill holes on the back of his neck"

"Please. She was totally looking at his butt. No way the holes were going to end up in his head" your face was aflame, pretty sure they all could see your red blush even with the caramel lights of the place.

"No I wasn't" you insist "I was just looking at the different drinks they have on the menu posted on tbe wall. Might wanna try something new"

"Something new... Like the guy with the guitar at the front bar?" They kept at it.

There was no escape, they won't let you go out of this. You know very well they'll keep it up until you confessed to them, which you were known to avoid at all costs.

With a deep breath you finish the glass you were still holding onto and stood up "I wasn't staeing at him, if you don't believe me I don't care. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to the bathroom" you really needed some cold water on your hot-red face.

Meanwhile Dewey went on stage to get his things ready, so when the barman was free he took a stroll to the table you and your friends were at.

He told your friends all they needed to know about your little 'dilema' with Dewey and that he tried effortlessly to get you two together.

He left your table after that and went back to work. Your friends were estatic, comming up with ideas of what to do with you.

And they got one, you were fucked... Well they hope you get fucked at least.

Just as you came back from the bathroom the sound of guitar strings being played sorrounded you. Sweet honey filled your ears and your heart fluttered when Dewey started to sing.

You were so dumb stroked you didn't even notice your friend on your right gave you a full glass of beer.

So entranced with the music and musician you downed the whole thing before the song was over.

Dewey usually sang three songs each night.

By the time he finished you were three full glasses down.

You were, by no means, drunk you had enough acohol in your sistem just to be in a "overconfident" mode.

So overconfident that you let out a "That guy is so fucking cute" loud enough for your friends to hear.

They all wore matching grins.

The plan comming into play.

"You know, you should go an tell him" one friend on your right tells you.

"Haha I can't do that" you said laughing at the idea of just going and talk to him.

"What's the matter? Are you scared?" everybody howls at that.

Oh they did not just implied that you are scared of something like that. Overconfident you was scare of nothing!

"I am not scared!" you kind of shout.

"Oh yeah? Go and tell him you think he's cute then!"

"Fine I will!" and you march for were Dewey was.

He was sitting on a bar stool looking at his phone while drinking.

At the middle of the way your shy self rised up over your overconfident one and scramed at you. What were you doing?! How do you talk to him? How in the world are you going to tell him he's cute?? This was a bad idea.

While your mind was debating your feet didn't seem to care and continued on their way.

By the time you finally decided you were going to turn around and go back to your table a voice surprised you.

"Hi. Can I help you with anything?" you look up and see. See him.

You never got this close to him before, barely two feet away. He had beautiful brown eyes. Eyes that were looking right at you waiting for an answer. Oh shit you had to answer! Your brain scattered and was looking for what to say. Think of something!

You felt eyes on your back too. Then you remembered your friends. Your friends. They fucking knew! Oh, shit they knew. How?

Making up a lie you answer Dewey "Oh, hi! Yeah, I- I'm just here because my friends kinda made me? Would you fake talking to me for a while until they calm out?" you shoot him a smile you hope seals the deal and he believes you.

"Of course. I mean, I wouldn't have to "fake it" if we just small talk, right?" oh my god his smile was brigth enough to lift your worries and made you forget everything around you.

You just smile like a dork at him, standing in front of him not sure what to do with your hands.

Everything was going okay, mindless banter of the wheater, music. It was perfect!

But your friends weren't buying it, they knew you were staling. So one of them shouts at Dewey "SHE THINKS YOU'RE CUTE!"

You freeze. Well this is it. I'm going to die after I kill my friends.

You were going to make a run for it when you hear "Is that true?"

Looking at Dewey you felt silent for a minute.

"Do you really think I'm cute?" that genuine smile catched you off guard.

Enough to make you speak without thinking "Of course I do! You're hella cute" Were did that come from?

He just giggles at that. Is he... Is he dashful? This man is going to be the death of you!

"Why, thank you!" he takes a good look at you "You're pretty cute too" and he sends you a wink.

Now you think he's gonna be the death of you.

How fucking dare he make your heart stop for a second. And that wink made your legs tremble. You were so fucked.

"Wow, um. Thanks a lot! I'm gonna go now. My friends are waiting-" right when your body started to move he speaks.

"Wait! Won't you like to sit with me for a bit? I mean if it's no trouble. I understand if you don't, it's okay" just when you thought he couldn't get any cuter here he is, trying to make you stay. You were going to die.

"You're so kind but my friends-" you can't finish because of a voice shouting over you again.

"GO SIT WITH HIM! YOU WILL BE FINE!"

Dewey laughs at that and your reaction.

Whe you get your hands on your friends they'll!!-

"I guess you'll be staying with me for a while" Dewey says with a smile, beckoning you to sit next to him. And you do.

_____________

That's all I got. I don't know how to continue.

The plot was that he also noticed you when he performed at the bar. Then the sexy times happens.

But I can't write so all I have is this

Okay, bye.

[fortunei]

[#3] [#4] hilda/lys, AU

a/n: experimental vampire AU with a world where vampire needs “official” donor.

hilda/lysithea

-

The first thing to do when a new vampire moved out to a new town, is applying for donor request at the Blood Bank.

The system of ‘Blood Bank’ and ‘donor for vampires’ might look absurd at first, knowing how vampires have been a food for many gruesome tales within generations with its somehow unquenchable blood thirst and yadda yadda for roman stuffs. Then again, the system allowed the vampire race to stay in harmony with humans, a mutualistic symbolism, if one may add. Frequent blood donor is proven to make body healthier, though, such frequency should only be done to a human that passed the criteria handed down by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

“I see that you’ve applied for the donor request yesterday after your arrival,” Edelgard, sipping on her favorite Bergamot tea. Still dressed in her full black Fodlan’s Officer attire, she answered Lysithea’s quick summon for a middle-night tea time.

As much as vampire of this era can endure sunlight, they will find the night as unmentioned luxury. Perhaps it is in their genes, despite how the bodily trait changes and adapt to the coming era. Vampires easily mingle and become one with society, no longer feared and much worshiped. Some vampires even no longer has an affinity to garlic or holy water. Also, vampires can taste and ingest human food – though it would not convert as a better energy source than drinking blood.

“Your poster is already up on the main board of Blood Bank request. It shouldn’t take too long until a suitable donor is found.”

“Isn’t it kind of strange, don’t you think? With all the technologies around us, they still bothered to tuck the paper on a board. Beside the large, floating hologram board of information database, nonetheless!”

Lysithea quipped. She swiped another chocolate chip cookie from the top of the dessert tray. She checked on her phone on the table once, as the notification dot blinked furiously. Turned out, it is just another scam message, not an e-mail from the Blood Bank.

Blood Bank may hold the database of vampires available in national scope, but they could not pinpoint a new donor right away when someone moved out from one place to another. As long as the vampire has filled out the papers and posted the donor request at the Blood Bank, usually the Bank staffs will notify the vampire as quick as they can, or so they compromised.

“Well, forgive my city’s antics. It’s just my uncle who didn’t want to ditch that ancient board.” Edelgard bowed her head down slightly, though a smile played on her lips.

Actually, Edelgard is not exactly the owner of the city, it’s just that she hold a high rank on the city’s council. By Edelgard request, Lysithea is relocated there from Fodlan’s Branch Office of Derdriu to The Old Capital to collect up records of vampires as a Librarian. There can be any other Librarian beside her, but then Edelgard will always butter her up saying ‘You’ll do great here working alongside me’ or something close to the line.

“How’s your first days at The Old Capital, then?”

Lysithea found herself scrunching her forehead first before responding on Edelgard’s question.

“The Librarian here is quite strict, though I admire their thoughtfulness as I have yet to fit in their schedules. Well, I guess I should blame Lorenz for making everyone seems so carefree and wanted to get a free teatime with him ever-so-often.” Lysithea eyed Edelgard, who looked pleased at the good mention of her subordinates.

“It was nice working with them.”

When Edelgard took another delightful sip to her tea, this time Lysithea’s phone vibrated. The screen lighted up with an unsaved caller number on the top. Lysithea swiped the button to green, answered almost automatically.

“—we have confirmed your donor. The person will like to meet you two days from now at the Blood Bank around noon.”

Lysithea scrambled to seek her small planner rested beside the tea and cakes. She was waiting Edelgard earlier while scribbling her schedule of next week. Two days from now is Saturday, a weekend. She got a Librarian shift at the morning till noon. A perfect time.

“Yes, I can arrange the meeting with my donor. May I know of their identity?”

“We are sorry, but the needed documents are still on process. We can give you on the spot by the same day.”

“I see.”

Lysithea’s answer tinged with disappointment, but it cannot be helped in either way if the documents were not ready. Edelgard waited, hand supported her chin as Lysithea listened some more of the direction by the staff and finally the phone call ended.

“Well, I hope this new donor of yours won’t be as worse as your … former ones.” Edelgard mused.

Resting her back on the cafe's big chair, Lysithea sighed, despite the words being one kind of an encouragement rather than a sarcastic remark. “Hopefully so.”

x x x

Lysithea has always been a person who’s on the clock in any kind of appointment. While it couldn’t be helped that she missed the time when she is supposed to meet her supposed-to-be donor because of her own job, Lysithea couldn’t erase the dread welling up inside her.

One of the Librarian called out because of sudden sickness, so there’s only three Librarians doing the job in this fine Saturday. The Librarian’s main job is to collect ‘Archives’, an old history records to vampires and other supernatural creatures, rechecked its viability, cross-examined the sources, then putting out to the sea of database for next batch of checking until it can be available as a True Archive. Sometimes, the Librarian also took a job on translating excerpts for specific customers, since only Librarian can understand almost all old phonetic code across all races.

The technology and science might have surpassed everything in the civilization. Then again, there are many things that required human power and traditional ways.

After finishing her commissioned excerpt, Lysithea bowed the other two workers goodbye, re-stating that she is in hurry because she is going to meet her donor. The other two are happened to be human, by the way, not all Librarians should be a supernatural creature.

With a spring in her step, Lysithea took the road with most shades toward the Blood Bank, which is not exactly far from The Living Library of the Old Capital of Enbarr located. Before entering the Blood Bank, she pulled her slack pale violet cardigan close to her chest. She was sure to leave her ID card away at the workplace so no one will happen to scan or identify her by default.

Just as the name suggested, ‘Old Capital’ is a historic town with most of the historical tall brick buildings and ruins of fortress intact aside of two other big cities. Derdriu, the city where Lysithea originally been, have a lot of water-based tourism attraction aside with its skyscraper, also with popular virtual theme park infamous to all Fodlan. It is so pale in comparison.

Blood Bank is always crowded, 24/7, even more crowded than how a regular human hospital is in the dead of night. The counter clerks are mostly automatic answer machine, but there will always be vampire clerks on duty. Blood Bank is operated by vampires, though it is a mandatory for a normal human to know how it works as human is their main patron. Vampires only visit there occasionally for donor request and donor cancellation.

Unsure what to do when she arrived, Lysithea steered to one standing clerk beside the large floating hologram board.

“Excuse me, I’m the applicant number #4455484. I heard that I’d be meeting my donor today.”

“Ah, right. Please wait as I checked the registry,” the clerk accessed the menu with her smartphone. Lysithea waited as directed, clacking her soles on the parquet flooring, silently count on how long it will take for an answer.

“Your donor is waiting for you at the waiting lounge … and now, she is right behind you.”

“Behind m—“

Lysithea froze as she turned, greeted by a cheerful ‘Hi’ and an assault of hug. As though they are in friendly basis even though they haven’t ever met. She wrestled away from the surprise hug, flustered. She gave the human a strange look, but she didn’t flinch, just smile wide – a patronizing, welcoming smile.

This human has a straight pink hair donned in peak twintails. She wore something … fancy? Flashy trench coat top in bubblegum pink-ish color? An outdated vampire with no taste of fashion couldn’t describe it well. It’s like, something out of the shop’s aisles that just been there for less than a day and swiftly bought.

Overall, what is striking to Lysithea on the first impression is her scent. And her arm muscles. And her rack. Wait. She shouldn’t be thinking about the last one.

“Oh, gosh. I was about to ask the clerk of where the heck is the requester was. Been pacing the room all the time thinking whether I’ve been fooled~”

“Sorry, work got in the way.” Lysithea explained.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I don’t mind the wait,” she winked. “So, when we can start?”

Lysithea blinked at the question, dumbfounded. “Huh?”

As if on a cue, the said human flashed her neck, Lysithea jaws dropped. She can see the nape that’s once concealed. She can see the pale, supple skin. She can- “What are you talking about? Isn’t it the sip time?”

No. Lysithea. Get yourself together! Her inner self screamed. “W—Wait. No. Not so fast. And no. We don’t drink d-d-directly from humans!”

“Huh, you don’t?” she tilted her head.

The snow-haired vampire felt the urge to slap her forehead, “Is, is this your first time to donor? Don’t you read the guide book first?” she shot another clueless, innocent face, and Lysithea gave up.

“We vampires only asked you of blood when necessary, which is at most once a month, given in that bag we provided. The bag will need to be sent to Blood Bank, where we can retrieve it.”

The human did seem to pay attention and she didn’t interrupt when Lysithea said her piece. Let's consider that she understand the terms of service, then.

“This meeting is just a mandatory.” Lysithea ended her short speech, a groan from the back of her throat should be audible enough to exemplify her annoyance.

“Eh? Why? Aren’t we supposed to get to know the vampires? It is there in the guide, if I remembered correctly.”

“How, how can you give me more headaches just in a span of a minute?” Lysithea scoffed. They sure have caused a scene, and she is sure that the clerk behind them is watching … quietly. She is not wrong, however. There is indeed a passage in there for the donor and recipient to be well-acquainted. Lysithea didn't think being so friendly with the human donor will get to anywhere, though.

“That’s … just how the things are.”

The human made a long hum, unknown of affirmation or of confusion. Those garnet eyes rolled momentarily before she clapped her hands together. A Eureka bested in her, maybe.

“We should just go for the unorthodox way, then!” Lysithea knotted her brows even more. “I know a good place down the road that you may like. We can chat over for lunch, I’m hungry!”

“Wait, I haven’t agreed—“

“Come on, vampire!”

"I haven't catch your name yet."

"It can wait! I don't want to miss the restaurant's special Risotto so chop chop!"

[Oh, how she wished for Edelgard to be there, watching her to perish in yet another unfortunate encounters.]

[jesbakescookies]

Too Hot To Handle: Chapter Two

So I kinda wrote a different kind of fanfiction. It’s nothing as in depth as my other fics so I am going to post it here. ENJOY!!

                  ***Actor, Real Person Fanfiction, Walking Dead RPF***

Featuring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan X Original Female Character, Norman Reedus and others..

Rating: Mature

Chapter Two

Aria closed the restaurant but stayed to plan the new spring menu. Every season she rotated out specific meals for seasonally available produce and proteins. It was something she felt strongly about and one of the biggest draws to her dining room. 

Using the largest table, Aria spread out all her concept platting drawings as well as recipes and item descriptions. She even produced a few of the experimental dishes to taste as she worked. The restaurant’s lights were all dimmed and she turned the radio on low over the speakers. She was moving a few ideas from the maybe pile to the definite pile when a knock rattled the front door. Squinting, Aria could see someone in the large glass pane but not who. Pursing her lips, she weighed her options, the restaurant wasn't in a bad area of town but psychos lived in every zip code. 

Another knock came spurring her into action. Holding her cellphone just in case, Aria approached the door to finally see who was pounding. 

Jeffrey stood there with an apologetic expression and slightly embarrassed smile.

Smirking inwardly, Aria deadpanned, "Sorry we're closed."

Watching him pout obnoxiously and fold his hands in prayer had Aria laughing loudly and unlocking the door. "Okay what'd you forget a wallet or cellphone? Because if it's either, they’re long fucking gone."

Snorting, Jeffrey shook his head and replied, "My hat. Black with white logo?"

"Fuck if I know. Come with me." She answered, locking the door behind them and leading them to the office. Aria could feel him following her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She bit her lip to keep from blurting out something inappropriate about the amazing fucking scent coming off of him. A mix of expensive cologne, leather and smoke. The man looked like sex on a stick in his worn t-shirt and low riding jeans. 

"What're you doing here so late?" his voice rough and low behind her made Aria swallow thickly. 

"I'm the lost and found guard." She quipped, pulling out the box used as the catch all of forgotten items. Smirking at her with sparkling eyes Jeffrey drawled, "Don't guards usually wear uniforms?"

"It's under my clothes, like a super hero."

"Oh yeah?" He rasped, his hooded eyes trailing down her body and back to her face. "I'd uh... like to see that."

Snorting, Aria shook the box and replied, "I can't go showing just anybody."

"I am definitely not just anybody." He drawled, glancing at the box before turning his attention back to her. "Nope, no hat."

"Well, sorry to inform you. If anyone saw you wearing it and found it, it's probably on eBay with an authentic famous actor sweat certificate."

Bellowing with laughter, Jeffrey gave her a blinding grin. "I like you doll. You are a fucking riot."

Dropping the box and dusting her hands off on her hips, she replied, "you hungry?"

"I can always eat."

"Hollow leg?"

"Bottomless fucking pit." 

They wandered into the dining room where her table was still in the depth of planning. 

"What's all this?"

"I'm redesign the new spring menu." She replied pointing out each area of the table. "I use seasonal products so every few months I revamp things. I have my standards but I try to have a handful or two of seasonally designed dishes."

Jeffrey seemed enthralled as she showed off the plating sketches and the pictures of her sample dishes. She let him try the few meals and appetizers she had in the concept phase. 

"You're fucking amazing." He commented, shaking his head while chewing and looking at the sketch. "And I don't just mean the goddamn delicious circus in my mouth. Just the conception, the thought you put into everything... I'm fucking blown away."

Aria felt her cheeks turn rosy and laughed anxiously. "Umm... Thanks?"

"I mean it. I feel like a dick for not even knowing or thinking about what kind of work goes into this."

"Well to be honest, I probably go above and beyond. I'm not sure many others go this fucking crazy. I just..."

"Love it?"

"I fucking love it." She corrected, her cheeks hurting from the size of her grin. "As hard as it is. As much pain and stress it causes. I love it. I wouldn't do anything else."

Jeffrey smiled at her and bobbed his head, "that's the way it should be."

"Do you feel that way? About acting?"

"Most days yeah." He answered with a chuckle, "there's always times where you question yourself."

"Very true." She agreed, sipping the wine she'd left breathing. 

"I have a confession." His voice was softer and a little gruff as though unsure of how she would take his next words. 

Cocking an eyebrow she asked, "You hate the lamb huh? I'm not sure about it either."

"Jesus woman, the lamb is ri-goddam-diculous." He exclaimed, throwing a fed up hand in the air.  

"Okay, okay." She giggled, plopping down in one of the chairs. Jeffrey joined her and motioned for the wine bottle. After pouring himself some and sipping it, he confessed, "I didn't forget a hat."

Furrowing her brow she asked, "What'd you forget?"

"Nothing.. I..." he paused, scrubbing his face with an embarrassed smile.  "I had a feeling you'd be here late with just coming back from vacation and all..."

"Okay I'm officially pathetic."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "No you love you job."

Rolling her eyes, Aria motioned for him to continue, "Okay so you came to see me and not find an imaginary hat."

"Yes. I... look I don't really do this shit. At least not recently... and even then it was not frequent."

"Jeffrey?"

"Yes."

"Spit it out."

"I'd like to take you out some time.” The dark haired man explained, leaning towards her. “I'd say to dinner but I think I should take you somewhere non workplace like."

Aria’s eyebrows raised to her hairline and she felt her cheeks flush again. "Um."

"I mean if you're not available or whatever.... I asked our waitress and she said you weren't seeing anyone or at least she hadn't seen you dating anyone."

"Oh my god. Was it Cheryl? I'm canning her ass."

"No don't do that. I was persuasive." He drawled, flashing his dimples. The salt and pepper scruff that covered his handsome face only added to his appealing grin. Aria could feel herself melting under his gaze, his lip bitten as he suppressed a smug grin. 

"You do seem like the persuasive type."

"I've been known to get my way, yes." 

"Pfft." She snorted, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "I've been known to be pretty fucking stubborn."

"Seems about right. Most successful people are."

"Suck up."

"I'm trying to get a date here." He retorted, sipping his wine and winking at her. Aria bit her lip to contain the smile pulling at her lips. 

"Well... on this hypothetical non workplace like date, where would we go?"

"Jeesh put a fella on the spot."

"Said fella should come prepared for such inquiries."

"High standards. I like it." He commented, licking his lip before biting it in thought. "Alright. I got an idea. Do you like to ride?"

"Depends on what I'm riding?" She flirted, licking her own lip coyly.  

"Fuck doll." He grunted, his teeth flashing "you're making it real hard to be a gentleman."

"I bet I am." She joked, drinking another gulp of liquid courage. Aria wasn't sure how the conversation was actually happening but a famous and handsome as fuck actor was asking her on a date. She was hoping she wasn't actually having a stroke or some other kind of hallucination causing neurological event. 

"Stop, tease." Jeffrey rasped, shaking his head as if ashamed but grinning just the same. "Motorcycles."

"I’ve only been on one once and it was some crotch rocket which was uncomfortable and frightening."

"Well, I won't put you on my Honda. We'll ride my Harley. Much comfier and smoother ride."

"So we ride somewhere?"

"Damn. You need a play by play. What about the element of surprise, babydoll?"

"I'm kind of a planner." She replied, waving a hand over the table as if a game show host. Jeffrey smirked and answered, "We'll go somewhere fun. You'll love it. Wear jeans and comfy shoes."

Aria chewed her lip in thought and asked, "When?"

"When are you available? I know you work everyday, all day but you gotta have a day off."

Pulling out her phone, she flipped through her schedule and said, "Is a weekday okay?"

"Any day, anytime darlin'."

Smiling crookedly she asked, "You sure you don't do this all the time? Sound a little too smooth."

"Seriously."

"Okay. If you say so Don Juan." She remarked, dodging his playful smack to her shoulder. Laughing she offered, "How about Thursday? I have both my sous-chefs on. My produce comes in the morning so I can check it and leave after."

"It works for me, if it works for you."

Setting it up on her calendar quickly she asked "what time?"

"How about we say three and go from there?"

"Sounds good. That'll give me time to get everyone on the same page."

Jeffrey smiled and nodded happily. "Good. I'm glad I lied and came back."

"You didn't have to lie."

"It was that or, hey let me in, I wanna make an ass out of myself. I figured it was better to tell a little teeny tiny white lie."

"Well I'm usually against lying but I guess I'll forgive you this time seeing as it got me a date."

"Never again." He offered, giving her the boy scouts sign. "Scouts honor."

Rolling her eyes, Aria yawned suddenly and blinked hard. "Okay exhaustion has hit me and I don't think I'm getting anything else done tonight."

"I'm sorry I interrupted."

"I'm not." She replied, smiling at him. "Best brainstorming session yet."

Grinning at her, Jeffrey stood up and opened his arms offering a hug. Aria smirked and gave him one, forcing herself to not inhale deeply. He was so much taller than her, her head barely reached his shoulder. The length of his arms could circle her twice if he tried hard enough. 

"You're so damn tiny." He muttered, pulling back to flash her his dimples. 

"I think it's you, who's the giant."

"Nope. You're elfin like."

"Fuck off. Am not." She scoffed, walking with him to the front door. "I'm perfectly average."

"Doll, you are any-fucking-thing but average." He rasped, leaning forward to kiss her temple. The rough crackle of his words murmured into her ear, "Lookin' forward to taking you out beautiful."

"I'm looking forward to it too." She replied, holding her hand out. "Let me see your phone."

Placing her number in his phone, she sent herself a text and handed it back. "There's my number. No more wild goose chases."

Laughing gruffly, Jeffrey agreed bashfully, “No more lies. You will need to show me you're super hero outfit though."

"That's more of a third date event."

"Well fuck. I better start planning number two." He joked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

"Probably a good idea." She replied, with a flirty smile. "Goodnight Jeffrey."

"Goodnight Sweetheart."

Find Chapter Three here:

http://jesbakescookies.tumblr.com/post/161975558336/too-hot-to-handle-chapter-three

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged for updates. I'll try my best to remember!

@magikat409 @cadeviolet @aforrester77422 @bethcarli @redwineandmanhattans @thamberlina @star017 @bec-brained-blarg @yellatthetopofyourlungs @blackmother77 @lascitateognesperanza @adriannawiggins @jdm-negan-mcnaughty @negans-network @negansmutweek @cltex84 @audreychaz @wolfhart18 @ruggedasfuck @

[brynne-lagaao]

(Fanfic) Crossed Wires

Title: Crossed Wires

Rating: PG

Description:  In which Yata attempts to keep his awkward feelings out of a long-distance video call, and doesn’t succeed as well as he’d hoped.

Crossposts: AO3 | FF.net | Website

This fic was originally posted in the @sarumianthology. Semi-sequel to Time Enough, but you don't need to read that one first in order to understand this one.

For a moment after he set up the tablet and stand on the desk in front of him, Yata just leaned back on the chair with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at it.

It shouldn’t be a big deal. Kusanagi and Anna had spent several painstaking hours showing him how to use the video call function, just days before he’d flown out of Japan for the championship round of his skateboarding competition. It was all still fresh in his head, so he was pretty sure he’d be able to do it. And it was evening here, which meant morning in Japan, which meant it was a perfectly good time.

He’d arranged it in advance and everything. His call was expected. Seriously, no big deal.

Yata swallowed hard, eyeing the tablet with a kind of dubious irritation. His stomach was in knots. There was no reason why he should be so nervous, but somehow, he just couldn’t get calmed down.

For fuck’s sake, it’s just Saruhiko! Get a grip already!

The problem was, he couldn’t convince himself of the ‘just’ part so much these days. He and Saruhiko… Well, they’d gone through a pretty awkward first couple of months trying to rekindle their friendship. And that was after a painful conversation that Yata wasn’t even embarrassed to admit he’d cried at – how the hell else would anyone react to pain and confusion that had lasted four years finally getting a resolution? Just when it felt like they were finally back in a comfortable pattern, with Saruhiko taking almost every one of his calls and the two of them meeting for drinks whenever there was breathing room in Scepter 4’s hectic schedule, things had started to change yet again.

Yata took in a sharp breath and let it out, irritated with his own anxiety. He turned his head to take in the rest of the room in a half-hearted attempt at a distraction, despite the fact that he already knew what he was going to see. Other than the fact that there was no kitchen, this hotel room was better than his cheap-ass apartment back in Japan. The bed was probably twice the size of his futon, not counting the height and the extra pillows and bedding and all. The bathroom could’ve held three of his dinky unit-bath, and there was a window with a view of the city that was actually pretty impressive. The whole suite had a clean, airy feel to it that made him feel like his presence was causing a disturbance.

On top of everything, that sorta pissed him off. He was the person who’d paid to stay here – well, okay, the organization had paid, but same difference – so there was no reason to feel out of place.

Just like there was no reason to be nervous about calling Saruhiko.

Fuck. Yata turned his attention back to the tablet again, frowning to himself. This had all started because of the skateboarding competition in the first place – well, not directly, but the stuff that happened there was what kicked off this feelings bullshit. Or at lease his awareness of it. He couldn’t say he hadn’t pretty much always felt good around Saruhiko in a way that was different from everyone else he hung out with, but that moment when he’d raised his gaze to take in the crowd and picked out the familiar figure standing there in the middle of it had lit a fire in him that he couldn’t put out now no matter how he tried. The competition had gone better than he’d hoped – his drive and energy had been up, fed by the knowledge that Saruhiko was there, Saruhiko was watching him – and he’d just killed it, earning himself a spot in the finals and a trip overseas.

And a buttload of unexpected feelings to come to terms with, which had kicked off the change in his and Saruhiko’s relationship. Again.

Not… really in a bad way, though. Yata let out a sigh, uncrossing his arms and slumping forward over his knees, at the same time reaching up to rub at the back of his neck as he thought it over. Yeah, there had been a kind of underlying tension in every interaction between them since that day, but it wasn’t really bad. It gave him a buzz that he’d never felt before – an energy shock that magnified every time they touched or smiled at each other or even just when their eyes met. He also got the strong impression that there was a kind of awareness between them, like they both sorta knew what was going on but neither wanted to be the one to come right out and say it. Yata wasn’t good at reading people or anything, but his instincts were screaming at him on this one.

He really felt like Saruhiko had to like him back. Maybe. Probably.

Hell, when they were together was when he felt pretty confident about it. Left alone like this, all these doubts just started to pop in out of nowhere and eat away at his brain. It was stupid, but he couldn’t help it. He really liked Saruhiko. A lot. It kinda scared him how much. He wanted to – to do couple-type stuff, like… holding hands. Or – or sitting close on a couch, with their legs touching. Locking gazes from right up close. Even, maybe, with lips, trying that… as in, like – like kiss –

His face was growing hot. Yata scowled against the embarrassment, his free hand clenching into a trembling fist in his lap. “Goddamnit,” he muttered out loud, and just like that, his impatience and agitation busted through the wall of nerves in his brain. “All right, screw this!” He lowered the hand at his neck, reaching out for the tablet with determination burning through him. “I’m doing it!”

He fumbled with the menus, frowning against the stir of anxiety and trying to keep his attention focused on what he was doing to avoid getting caught up in that weak-ass hesitation again. I got this.

The actual sound of the call going through was a bit of a shock; Yata jerked a little, nearly knocking the tablet from its stand, and pulled his hands back forcefully, crossing them over his chest and slumping deliberately in his seat.

It connected before he had time to feel anxious about it. There was a brief moment of lag, and then the slightly blurred image of Saruhiko appeared on the screen, frowning at the camera.

Not that there was anything weird about that – actually, the casual irritation was so typical that Yata found himself relaxing marginally. “Yo, Saruhiko,” he managed to say, in a normal tone of voice – okay, maybe not as enthusiastic as his usual, but whatever – and felt the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Misaki.” Saruhiko didn’t so much say the name as sigh it out. Now that there was time to notice, Yata could see that the room on the other end of the call was dark, the only light source apparently sitting right next to Saruhiko, which made him just about the only visible thing on the screen. It was a weird effect. “What took you so long?”

This was normal, too. “I just had a long flight, okay? Give me a break here.”

“Don’t say you’re going to call at a specific time if you can’t do it.” Saruhiko’s tone was flat and irritable, but he didn’t look all that bothered. He wasn’t wearing his work uniform – one of the reasons this worked out so well was because it fell on his day off in the first place. The V-neck grey sweater he had on left part of the line of his collarbone visible, though, and it was a bit distracting, even with the smaller picture on the tablet. “I figured you had trouble speaking English and couldn’t get your room sorted out.”

It was annoying how accurate that was – he had stumbled a bit, despite all the practice. It hadn’t helped that the person helping him had been a woman – it made it hard to look her in the eye and speak clearly. Yata frowned. “I handled it fine, okay?”

“If you say so.”

There was a brief pause between them that couldn’t be blamed on the lag, and Yata felt the beginning kick of anxiety in his belly again. Saruhiko was staring right at him through the small screen of the tablet, and while he’d been the focus of that gaze a lot – before and after realizing how much he liked it – right now, it felt weird. There was no outside world to be distracted by on a video call. He couldn’t just look away casually and cool down. They had to stay in this spot, focused on each other, with no drinks or other people or movies or video games or anything to distract himself with. Just…. Saruhiko.

Saruhiko, with that canny gaze and those small, rare smiles. Saruhiko, endlessly intelligent and cool. Saruhiko, who continued to be in his thoughts all these years and kept his attention effortlessly.

Yata’s heart was starting to pound like crazy again. Trying to avoid a moment of potential awkwardness, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Anyway! Your day! Right! How – how was it?”

He got a perplexed frown for that. “Fine,” Saruhiko answered drily, “considering it’s ten in the morning in Japan.”

Fuck. Right. “Ah – sorry.” Yata forced a laugh, feeling oddly self-conscious about it. He uncrossed his arms, hunching forward in his seat and reaching up to scratch at the back of his head. “Forgot about the time difference…”

“Well” – Saruhiko shrugged a bit, expression unchanged – “it might be better to ask now anyway. After all, there hasn’t been a chance for anything to go wrong yet.”

Is he trying to cheer me up or something? It was hard to tell, considering how good Saruhiko was at schooling his expressions. Yata figured he’d take it, though – at the very least, he wasn’t being mocked. “Shoulda guessed you’d look at it like that.” He grinned back, feeling his spirits rise a little with the familiar banter. “What’s with the negative attitude, huh?”

“It’s called being realistic.” Saruhiko braced two slender fingers on the frames of his glasses to push them higher on his nose. “Anyway, I’m not the one who competes tomorrow.” His gaze was somehow sharper than usual when he looked up again. “After spending all night traveling and then being hours behind Japan time, how are you managing?”

“Eh?” Yata blinked in response, the unexpected, direct show of concern catching him off-guard. It wasn’t like Saruhiko didn’t obviously care about him, but asking so openly like this was unusual. He could feel his face growing warm, and desperately hoped he wasn’t blushing. “O-oh. Right. Yeah. I-I’m good!” Shit, that was lame, wasn’t it? Trying to play it off, he added, with forced enthusiasm, “Don’t underestimate me! I can handle this, no problem!”

“Hm.” Saruhiko’s frown deepened a little, but he didn’t otherwise comment.

It was kind of unnerving, being the focus of that keen-eyed gaze. Well, normally it didn’t bother him much, but right now it was starting to give him a complex. Yata resisted the urge to squirm in his seat, mentally cursing himself for making this awkward. He was pretty sure he was better at acting natural in person. Maybe. Hopefully. This situation was just all-around weird, and he didn’t quite know how to deal with it.

“A-anyway,” he went on, desperate to fill the silence, “the prelims are gonna be recorded and posted online tomorrow.” Not pausing to think too deeply about it, he leaned forward, charging onward with, “You’ll watch it, right?”

The sound of Saruhiko clicking his tongue was not quite as sharp somehow – maybe it was the tablet’s speakers. “I’ll see when I have the time,” he mumbled, glancing off to the side as if there was something there that fascinated him.

That was one habit Yata had managed to pick up on again – the avoidance that came up when Saruhiko was embarrassed. It gave him a tiny boost of confidence. After all, they were slowly starting to understand each other again. They could never recapture what they’d once had, but that was fine. If – if he was right, then this could potentially be something just as awesome. Just… in a different way.

In a way that made his brain blank out and his stomach feel like it was doing flips, but it was still achingly, helplessly good. As always.

The combination of that feeling and the reaction he’d just received was enough of a push for Yata to go on. “But you’ll watch it sometime, right?” He eyed Saruhiko’s face intently, hoping to catch any other signs of his emotions.

There was a tiny twitch at one corner of that thin-lipped frown. “I guess… sometime,” Saruhiko admitted, with a hesitation that could’ve been reluctance or just uncertainty. It was impossible to tell which.

Yata relaxed a bit, slumping back in his seat and managing a grin for the camera. Saruhiko still wasn’t looking at him, but that was all right. He thought he kinda had a handle on this now. “Great! Then I’m gonna totally kill it out there!” Even if Saruhiko wasn’t there in the crowd, he thought he could pull up that drive and motivation just knowing that he’d eventually be watching. It wasn’t quite the same, but it could still work. “Just watch me!”

Saruhiko’s gaze slid back to him, strangely sharp again. “You already had a lot of people planning to watch and cheer you on, right? Why do you care if there’s just one more?”

“Ah…” That was unexpected – though somehow he got the feeling it shouldn’t have been. Yata felt the churning in his stomach intensify. There was a purpose to the question that was so heavy he could feel it hanging in the air between them, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Reflexively, he swallowed hard, fighting the urge to look away. “It – that’s different.”

The muttered answer had Saruhiko’s eyes narrowing in response. “How?”

“It – it just is, all right? What’d you expect?” The nervous tension was too much for Yata – he couldn’t help but blurt out the first thing that came to mind. “It’s you, isn’t it?” The second the words were out of his mouth, he sucked in a breath, nearly choking on his own spittle as he did and forcing a coughing fit on himself. As he recovered, he shot his gaze back up, blind panic urging him to croak out, “W-wait – I mean – ”

The words died in his throat when he caught sight of Saruhiko’s face on the tablet screen. Those cool blue eyes had widened just enough to betray an obviously startled reaction, and his lips were parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite manage it. Even as Yata stared, his heart seeming to leap up and get lodged in his throat, he could see a hint of color rising on Saruhiko’s cheeks.

This response is… kinda…

Before he could manage to throw his thoughts back together, Saruhiko blinked and then clicked his tongue again, turning his gaze a second time and scowling somewhere off to the side. “Idiot. What is something like that supposed to mean, anyway?” he muttered, almost too quietly for Yata to catch.

“Huh? What’d you mean ‘what’s it supposed to mean’?” That reaction pulled him back onto the familiar path again, though he still felt the adrenaline rush as he frowned at the image on the screen. “It means you’re different from the others. You’re… y’know, special. A special case. You know what I mean, damnit!”

Shit, he was getting flustered again. Yata clenched his hands into fists, mentally drawing up his determination. He hadn’t intended to do this, but he’d gone ahead and blurted this much out already, so he might as well go all the way, right? If he didn’t build on this momentum, he’d probably never do it, and those feelings had been chewing away at his insides for long enough. There was only so much a guy could take of bottling these things up before there was a breaking point.

His face was hot and his fists were clenched so tightly they were trembling. He felt sweat building at his temples. His heart was racing like crazy. Panic and anxiety stewed in the pit of his stomach, and his thoughts were a chaotic mess. Through all of that, Yata fixed all of his attention on the image of Saruhiko that wouldn’t meet his eyes, and blurted, “I mean, I like you! As – as more than friends! Romance and all that shit! With – with things like k-kissing… maybe…”

The fire started to die down as he got towards the end, and the last bit came out with a kind of weak uncertainty that he couldn’t help but feel disgusted by. Damnit… not cool… Yata gnashed his teeth, doing his best to ignore the fact that he was still blushing furiously as he waited nervously for Saruhiko’s reaction.

Fuck… don’t say I got it wrong…

For what felt like a very long moment, it didn’t seem like there was any reaction at all. It was hard to tell from his profile whether or not Saruhiko’s expression had changed. He wasn’t scowling any more, but had that shift happened before or after Yata’s confession? And there was a kind of blank look to him, but was it surprise or was he just trying to figure out how to respond? He wasn’t disgusted, right? He’d have said something if he was, wouldn’t he? Anyway, there was that feeling… the instinct Yata had been banking on when he’d gone ahead with this…

“Hey…” Dread was slowly starting to form alongside the anxiety still wreaking havoc in his belly; Yata swallowed hard, leaning towards the tablet again and unclenching his fists so he could brace his hands on the desk on either side of it as he struggled for words. “S-say something already, will you? Saruhiko…”

The sound of his name seemed to snap Saruhiko out of whatever had kept him still; he started, blinked once, and then reached up again to push at his glasses, this time leaving his hand in place as he turned and lowered his head simultaneously. The new position caused the light from beside him to reflect off of the lens, covering up any view of his eyes.

If anything, Yata’s sinking feeling dropped even lower. It was difficult to breathe.

“You…” Saruhiko’s voice was low; he paused after that one word and clicked his tongue. “… ruined it.”

Yata stared at him. “Eh?” It suddenly felt like the ground had dropped out from beneath him; he had the sensation of falling without anything actually happening. “W-wait,” he protested, sounding weak even to his own ears, “what do you mean by – ?”

“Exactly what I said.” Saruhiko heaved what sounded like a long-suffering sigh, and then abruptly shifted to push himself away from his desk, standing without further explanation. “Seriously.” He clicked his tongue again, sounding put out. “You just couldn’t wait, could you, Misaki?”

“Hold on – wait – Saruhiko?” Yata’s fingers clenched on the desk, struck by helpless frustration with his inability to do anything aside from watching as Saruhiko stepped briskly away from the open video call. His hands were clammy and his stomach was in knots, and he felt the cold certainty of rejection closing in on his heart as he heard the swift opening and closing of the door somewhere outside of the feed in front of him. Without his consciously willing it, Yata’s head dropped forward, eyes stinging and a lump rising in his throat as he processed the loss. “Damnit…”

He’d been so sure.

But then, I’m an idiot, right? Yata attempted to swallow around that lump, feeling his shoulders start to tremble with the tension and forcing himself to loosen his grip. He never had been good at reading moods – or people. Painful past experience had shown that. Guess I just never learn, huh?

Before he’d had too much time to dwell on that thought, there was a knock at the door.

Who the hell…? Yata glanced up sharply, hands moving instinctively to reach for a weapon that wasn’t there anymore. Then he relaxed, letting out a breath and deflating all at once. Probably the organizers checking on me.

Not that he felt like dealing with that stuff right then, but… Yata pushed himself up, trying to shove back the recent hurt. That was another thing he wasn’t too good at – holding back his emotions. Still, he had a competition to think about, and he couldn’t afford to let this drag him down. He’d just have to figure out a way to summon up some motivation. After all, he had Kusanagi and Anna and everyone else at Homra who was rooting for him.

Maybe – maybe if he just talked it out with Saruhiko later…

Whatever, I’ll deal with that then. For now, just –

Another knock came as he was shuffling forward, and Yata frowned a little, a thin thread of irritation winding through his already black mood. “I got it!” he called back, marching over purposefully and yanking the door open. “I’m here, so – ”

The words died on his lips; for the second time that night, Yata found himself struck dumb.

Saruhiko – the actual Saruhiko, and not an image on a tablet screen – raised an eyebrow at him. “You expect the chambermaids to speak Japanese?”

Yata stared back at him, unable to form words to respond. It felt like every inch of his skin had prickled up with shock. The contents of his mind also seemed to have liquefied and poured out his ears, because it was completely empty at the moment.

The awkward pause only lasted a second or two, and then Saruhiko frowned, brows coming together. “Are you just going to stand there and not say anything?”

Somehow, that snapped him out of it – at least, the part where he forgot how to talk. “You – but – wait – I – ” Yata couldn’t help but sputter, feeling heat rising up along his jaw and onto his face. He was still staring, incredulous. “How?” he finally managed to blurt out, and was immediately able to follow up with a stammered, “W-wait – why are you here?”

The expression on Saruhiko’s face shifted into something deliberately neutral. It was like a wall slamming into place. “Would you rather I wasn’t?”

“D-don’t be stupid!” It was starting to sink in that this was real – Saruhiko really was standing in front of him, at the door to his hotel room in the United fucking States, of all places. “I was surprised, goddamnit – wh-what the hell did you expect?” Yata’s head was still reeling, but somehow, he summoned up enough presence of mind to step back and leave space in the open doorway.

He had no idea what was going on, but no way in hell was he having this conversation in the hallway!

Saruhiko took the unspoken invitation, stepping in over the threshold and moving aside to allow the door to be closed behind him. He was in his socks, not even the slippers supplied by the hotel, which indicated that he’d left his own room – at least, Yata assumed he had a room here; it wasn’t likely he was hanging out in the lobby, right? – in a hurry.

No question why he’d been in such a rush. Yata’s cheeks burned. His own impulsive confession was still weighing on his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to raise the subject. Damnit, I’m being so lame again! “What are even doing here?” he blurted – then, when Saruhiko’s cool-eyed gaze turned to meet his, he hastily added, “N-not that I’m not glad to see you! Just.” He reached up to nervously scratch his head, unable to settle his jittery nerves. “I don’t get it. This… this is America.”

“You don’t say,” Saruhiko responded blandly, and then sighed, sounding vaguely irritated. “Well, it wasn’t my idea, before you ask, but I wasn’t supposed to see you before the competition.” He clicked his tongue. “You just had to go and ruin the surprise, didn’t you, Misaki?”

“Huh? Me?” Yata stared back with a kind of baffled frustration. “Why the hell – ?”

“Did you mean it?” Saruhiko cut him off, sharp and blunt. His gaze was direct, eyes seeming to glitter behind his glasses, and his expression was unreadable. “What you said earlier.”

The breath he’d been trying to take in seemed to get lodged in Yata’s throat; he had to swallow hard against the panic rising up fast within him. Fucking… fine! He wasn’t going to wimp out of this one – he’d started it, so there was no point in leaving things in a half-assed state. Let’s go. Yata willed his blush down and straightened up as much as he could, trying to draw up some kind of confidence. “What the hell do you think?” he demanded, meeting that cool gaze and setting his jaw stubbornly. “O-of course I did! I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it!”

There was a noticeable softening in Saruhiko’s gaze – Yata got the sudden, unexpectedly strong impression that it was from relief – just about a split second before he murmured, “Good,” and stepped forward, bracing a hand at the back of Yata’s neck to tilt his head up before leaning in to bring their lips together.

The initial contact was as much of a shock as being doused with cold water; Yata jerked a little and then froze, brain blanking out a second time as it tried to process what was happening. Saruhiko’s lips were soft against his, the touch light and a bit hesitant but unquestionably intimate. It sent a warm shudder all the way through his body. His eyes started to close automatically, relaxing into the pleasant sensation, but he’d already caught a glimpse of Saruhiko’s face up close, expression somehow fervent, and it sent his heartbeat into a frenzy.

He didn’t know what to do, but he didn’t want this to stop. It felt… good.

Saruhiko pulled back slowly after a second or two, and with his thoughts in a jumble, Yata leaned forward in an attempt to keep the contact going, opening his eyes a crack to stare up in confusion when that ended in failure.

He got a faint, bemused smile in return. “I like you, too,” Saruhiko mumbled, and two faint spots of color rose on his cheeks. He clicked his tongue, glancing aside with clear embarrassment. “As if that wasn’t obvious.”

Yata blinked at him, still a little dazed and not quite believing what had just happened. “Oh,” he managed to get out, licking his lips without thinking. He could still feel the echo of that brief, soft contact, and his body trembled in response. At his sides, his hands twitched; now that his thoughts were coming together, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with them. “So…?”

“So what?” Saruhiko muttered, still not meeting his eyes.

The flustered look was kind of good on him. Yata could feel the grin spreading on his face now, huge and probably stupid-looking, happiness fluttering to life in his core and rapidly filling the rest of him, to the point where he felt like he’d burst.

Saruhiko had just kissed him. His first kiss. And he’d said ‘I like you’ – a fucking confession.

It was almost unreal.

Not quite, though. Yata shook off what remained of his hesitation, impulsively reaching out to take hold of Saruhiko’s hand. “So. Uh.” It was hard not to fumble over his words when Saruhiko turned his head sharply and their eyes locked, but Yata was determined to forge onward. His face was still hot enough that he was sure it was probably bright red, which was kind of embarrassing, but he wasn’t going to let that hold him back, either. “This.”

When he stretched up immediately after to recapture Saruhiko’s lips with his, it felt like the sweetest victory.

[nightrainlily]

DAY SEVEN: ART IN CROISSANTS, PERFUME, AND SCULPTURE

we’re old pros now. we woke up early and caught the train at three bridges to Victoria, then beelined to the Victoria tube line, took that to Green Park, then took the Piccadilly line to Leicester Square, then walked to Covent Garden. if you can keep up with all that, you’re a local.

we stopped for breakfast and finally coffee. we haven’t had coffee since we left Sweden, and we became really caffeine dependent on the dark, smooth Swedish blends during our stay there. going cold turkey was hard, and Joelle and I were feeling it. we each got our favorite drink (a latte for Jo, a cappuccino for my mother, and an americano for me), and were absolutely overjoyed when they arrived at the table. I had strong crema. I knew it was going to be a good day.

my breakfast was also delicious (I’m going to talk about food a whole lot in this post, so if that’s not your thing, you might want to skip to day eight). I had a broiled grapefruit and granola, which may sound simple but really was just so very satisfying. side note: some people say that almond milk tastes like dirty water and that it’s terrible, but honestly I could drink it by the gallon. it’s so creamy! and smooth! and delicious! Joelle had coconut yogurt with pistachios (we all agreed pistachios are a seriously underrated yogurt topping) and this croissant that I could actually hear flake when she bit it. Joelle loves croissants—she gets excited thinking about how good the croissants are going to be in France—and my mother and I are encouraging her to start a croissant blog, the content of which will be ratings of croissants by flake, butter content, taste, cost, pull value, size, golden brownness, etc. she tells me this one was an eight out of ten; too much pull and too little flake, but the coloring was a perfect buttery bronze. once our caffeine kicked in, we were in high, high spirits. way up there.

the three of us are fond of quieter, cleaner spaces, like Kensington and Covent Garden. we walked through tea shops, parfumeries, and chocolatiers. the rows of stalls of the jubilee market stand on the outskirts of the square, where artisans and merchants sell their wares. I bought a tiny stamp of an “a” in the art deco style to use on my letter seals. oh, the things I do for my pen pals.

back to the topic of perfume: the word itself is derived from latin which translates to “through smoke.” Romans, Persians, and Arabs each developed their own versions of the latin original. what we call perfume in the states is actually a range of products which include eau de cologne (seven percent concentration), eau de toilette (ten percent concentration), eau de parfum (fifteen to twenty percent concentration), and actual perfume (forty percent concentration). I gravitate towards clean but also spicy scents; the one I’m wearing the most right now is coipaba balsam, palo santo, and cyprus. I found three blends today that I liked: a bergamot, oudwood, and birchwood one; a bergamot, agar wood, and geranium one; and a lemon, camellia leaves, and iris one. I only recently started to appreciate perfume and the niceness of a scent. I’m a musician, so when I think about art, I most often think of sound, but of course visual art is the most prominent form, and performance as well. only recently have I realized that the sense of smell can also factor into artistic expression as well; in the same way that a chef crafts a sensory experience, someone who crafts smells is also an artist.

after we felt we’d fully explored the Covent Garden area, we walked to the British Museum. we sort of came around the side, and then suddenly it was looming over us, stretching on for city blocks. its architectural influences include the greek revival style, which manifests in huge portico with forty four columns overlooking the street. the entrance opens onto the great court, a circular space in the center of the museum that is five stories high, centered around the reading room. the light filtering in from the cloudy sky today gave the marble room a gray cast, which seemed to me perfect museum-viewing weather.

some of the British Museum’s most renowned pieces are from ancient Greece, which include The Thinker and remains of the Parthenon. the only other public viewing opportunity for the Parthenon is in Greece, where the rest of the pieces still remain. the figures especially are exquisite—the folds of dresses fluttering in the wind, the detail of facial hair, the realness of human anatomy and movement. the ability to turn stone into figures that feel truly alive is something to witness and appreciate, if you ever get the chance.

the other section where we spent the most time was the Asian exhibit. our highlights from those rooms were the Chinese pottery, incredibly well preserved and incredibly detailed, pieces from South Asia centered around Hinduism and Buddhism, and the life-size model of a Korean scholar’s home. whereas the Greek rooms were mostly white marble, the Asian art was vibrant in both design and coloration. I saw the sculpture of the god Shiva, dancing in a ring of flame which conveys the Hindu belief that time is cyclical. some postage stamps in the modern section of the room show Kazi Nazrul islam, a Indian poet during the Indian revolution. the special room of jade sculptures had pieces ranging in size and delicacy, but all were beautiful and reminded me of the small gifts my grandfather used to bring home from Korea.

I didn’t even talk about the Rosetta Stone, but you get the gist of that. it was amazing. I felt like I was in the presence of a god.

I keep a list of professions I would pursue if I could live infinitely and money were no object. it includes: florist, music producer, magazine editor, professor, and now, museum curator. I love organization and the process of finding beautiful or interesting things. my blog, I suppose, is a form of curation, and my playlists definitely scratch that itch as well. to become an expert on something, to know more about it than almost anyone in the world, is a gift which gives you the power to enrich peoples’ lives. in his book The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell discusses three types of people: connectors, mavens, and salesmen. I would like to think I’m a maven, because I so enjoy learning about things and then disseminating that information to specific outlets that will most appreciate it. I think I get it from my mom, who reads the newspaper and clips articles for the people she loves. I take that concept to the next level. and being a museum curator would be the next next level.

although we didn’t get through every room, or even every floor, of exhibits, the museum was set to close and we were dead on our feet. we set off towards a row of restaurants, and as I looked around on the map, I saw a By Chloe. I’ve wanted to eat at a By Chloe for literally years, but the locations in L.A. and New York never quite made it into the family vacation itinerary. by the time we got there we were so hungry we could hardly stand, but just seeing the menu rejuvenated me. a lot of people ask me if being vegan is hard because I miss certain foods, but restaurants like By Chloe really fill the gap. I ordered a spicy Thai salad (on brand much?) and a side of mac and cheese, because I feel like if you’re a vegan offered mac and cheese and you don’t take the opportunity to at least try it, you’re probably doing it wrong. my mother got the same salad as me and a cauliflower soup, and Joelle got a taco salad (also on brand. another side note: Joelle’s list of her favorite foods does not include any Mexican dishes, but she’s ordered it consistently when we’re out and says that’s what she’s missed most since leaving home. this girl loves her Mex). and we got sweet potato and regular fries. with beet ketchup. and chipotle aioli. basically, we were feasting and I was in heaven. I’m always grateful when my friends and family compromise and eat at vegan restaurants, so thanks for fulfilling my dreams, guys!

then we stopped for gelato, and although I didn’t get any I’m going to talk about it anyway because it looked really good: my mother got coffee and dark chocolate, and Joelle got cheesecake and dark chocolate (another one of Joelle’s favorite, most beloved foods: cheesecake). there are gelato shops, and good gelato too, on every corner in this city. we love that.

and although we were in an unfamiliar area, we walked a block or two and found an underground station, read the map, and took it home. the London underground is by far the easiest public transportation system I’ve ever used, and I so appreciate the frequent stops, clean trains, logical signage, and ease of access to other lines. we’ve been able to get around entirely on our own, without any major mishaps. like we haven’t even gotten lost once. I count that as a victory.

today was rich. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re feeling full-up of art, culture, and good food.

signing off,

amaya

1. Dedicated to the One I Love - The Mamas and the Papas

2. But Not for Me - Chet Baker

3. Something Soon - Car Seat Headrest

[healthandfitnessrecipes-blog]

8 Foolproof Tips to Own Your Goals This Summer

https://healthandfitnessrecipes.com/?p=4578

Summer is a time for vacations, trips to the beach, pool parties, and for making awesome memories. Seriously, it’s basically the best time of the year!

And while you’re getting excited about all the fun in the sun you’ll be having this summer, let’s add something else to the list. Let’s get excited about working on our fitness goals!

The days are long, the nights are warm, and the weather is amazing. There’s no better time to work toward your ideal self! So when you’re enjoying all the awesome things that summer brings, don’t forget about fitness and nutrition.

The last thing you want is for your hard work to undone because you stopped working out regularly during the summer months. Even when you have so many other fun things going on, fitness can still be a priority.

With a little strategy and planning, you can own your summer and make it the best ever!

need a summer workout?

Try the Peak Physique 4-Week Protocol and get in the best shape of your life in just 4 weeks!

>>Get it here

Summer Goals

I’m here to tell you how you can work hard, play hard, and rock your fitness and nutrition this summer. You definitely don’t have to choose between being fit and having fun!

While you’re soaking up some rays or staying cool in the shade, remember these tips to help you reach your summer goals.

Tip #1 Set Your Goals

In order to reach your fitness goals, you actually need to make them! As simple as it may sound, you wouldn’t believe how many people overlook this critical step. Are you trying to lose weight? Build muscle? Increase your endurance? Figure out what your goal is so you have something to work toward.

It’s important to set clear goals so that you know exactly where you’re headed. As the saying goes, if you don’t know where you’re headed, you’ll never get there!

Set goals for this summer that are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-based

And remember, a goal that you don’t write down is just a wish. So write down your goals and continually track your progress.

Tip #2 Take It Outside

With the weather heating up you can head outside for your workouts! There are seriously a ton of awesome benefits to exercising outside.

Studies show that taking your workout into the outdoors can provide an overall enhanced sense of well-being, can help you stay on track with your regular workout schedule, and can even help to make your workout more enjoyable!

Summer goes by fast and there isn’t a moment to waste. So take advantage of the warm weather and head outside for your next training session.

(Read this for outdoor workout tips and suggestions!)

Tip #3 Workout in the Morning

With the return of the sun, you can now actually step outside in the mornings without the freezing air chilling you to the bone. Enjoy it while you can by getting your workout in early in the day!

A morning training session can help you beat the heat of working out later in the day when the scorching sun is high in the sky. If you wait until the afternoon to workout, the summer heat might be just enough to persuade you to skip it today.

Social activities are also spontaneous in the summer. If you get your workout done in the morning, you won’t have to decide between friends or fitness on those days when you get that mid-afternoon invitation to the pool!

(And if you’re looking for a great summer workout, check this out!)

Tip #4 Have a BBQ backup plan

Summertime means barbeques, block parties, picnics, roasting marshmallows, and so many other fun activities. It also means that in addition to having a lot of fun, you’ll also be faced with a ton of food options that might not exactly fit with your nutrition.

It’s okay to cheat every so often, but doing so several times per week can totally derail your fitness goals! That’s why you should head into all your summer activities with a plan.

You can bring your own food along with you, eat ahead of time, or modify the food being served to make it healthier. A couple examples of modification might be:  

-Ask for your chicken to be served without the barbeque sauce.

-Go for a burger without the bun, or with lettuce leaves in place of the bun.

-Drink water regardless of what other people may be drinking.

-Grilled veggies instead of potato chips.

Tip #5 Stay Hydrated

When the temperature goes up, your body has to work harder to stay cool. That means you’ll start to sweat more.

Sweating depletes your body of precious fluids as well as electrolytes, which can lead to dehydration if you aren’t careful. Mild dehydration can cause you to feel fatigued and lethargic, while more serious dehydration can result in some scarier symptoms!

That’s why it’s so important to stay hydrated during the warm summer months. Drink plenty of water, not just during your workout but also before and after, and listen to your body.

If you feel a little off, you might not be drinking enough water. For more tips on how to beat dehydration, take a look at this.

Tip #6 Eat Fresh

Fruits and veggies should definitely have a place on the menu year round, but they’re especially great to target when you can get them fresh. Yummy locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables become available during the summer months when farmers markets and produce stands start to pop up.

Take advantage and get your fill while you can!

Fresh produce can be part of a delicious meal and also makes for a healthy snack. They’re generally high in fiber which is important for good digestion and can help keep you feeling full.

Many fruits and vegetables also have high water content and are a tasty way to stay hydrated while getting your fill of vitamins and minerals.

Tip #7 Use Sunscreen

Okay, so maybe this isn’t a fitness tip. But it’s still super important!

Going outside means direct exposure to the sun. While we all want that great tan, the repercussions of too much UV on our skin could be long-lasting.

Prolonged time in the sun could lead to skin wrinkles down the road, or even more serious, skin cancer. Do yourself a favor and lather up for your protection.

Check out these FAQ’s from the AAD for recommendations on SPF, frequency, and other sunscreen tips.

Tip #8 Wear the Right Clothes

There’s nothing quite as miserable and uncomfortable as when your hot sweaty clothes start sticking to your body. Wearing a thick heavy outfit with poor breathability can increase sweating and make it harder to keep your temperature under control.

Combat this by wearing the right clothes. Clothing designed just for you with comfort, style, and support in mind can make your summer life so much better!

Whether you’re working out or just relaxing, what you wear can play a major role in helping to keep you cool when the weather heats up.

And for awesome outfit ideas, take a look at our activewear clothing line!

Rock Your Summer

Summer is such a fun season, but if you aren’t careful it can be easy to go off track with your fitness efforts. Don’t let that happen!

Your fitness goals are in your hands. With the right strategies, your summer can be like a rocket booster propelling you toward them!  

Be safe, have fun, and own your goals this summer!

need a summer workout?

Try the Peak Physique 4-Week Protocol and get in the best shape of your life in just 4 weeks!

>>Get it here

The post 8 Foolproof Tips to Own Your Goals This Summer appeared first on Nutrition and Fitness Articles From Our Experts | IdealFit.

Credits: Original Content Source

[likedbuzz-blog]

A Comparative Marketing Strategy Analysis Between Starbucks and Caffe Nero

http://likedbuzz.com/comparative-marketing-strategy-analysis-starbucks-caffe-nero/

A Comparative Marketing Strategy Analysis Between Starbucks and Caffe Nero

Starbucks portrays itself as a high quality coffee for the high class and is priced slightly higher than the coffee of Caffe Nero. It stays true to its American originality and emphasizes solely on its wide range of coffee drinks with only a few snacks and desserts. Apart from that, Starbucks distinguishes itself from other cafes by providing a very comfortable atmosphere with facilities like Wi-Fi so their customers can enjoy surfing the web while drinking their coffee.

On the other hand Caffe Nero emphasizes on its Italian blend and portrays itself as not only a café but also a bar and restaurant. It has quite an extensive menu with a variety of popular Italian dishes. Due to this many people visit Caffe Nero to have meals rather than just a cup of coffee. They have brought a pure European vibe to their cafes thus remaining true to their originality. For the convenience of their customers and to add to their attracting they have also launched loyalty cards.

MARKETING STRATEGY:

Marketing strategies help businesses in promoting their products and services in a certain way that they want to. While cashing on their most important points they try to create an image of their brand in the minds of their target customers so as to achieve their target sales and a favorable market share. Marketing strategies help businesses in gaining a competitive edge by catering to those specific niches that others fail to identify. Marketing strategies devised by organizations vary in duration from one year plans to those extending well over many years. A lot of factors are taken into consideration when devising marketing plans and strategies that are defined by the environment within which the company operates. This is most often referred to as a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis which helps businesses in pinpointing the areas which they can take advantage of and the areas which they need to be careful of.

The most important factor that any business has to take into consideration, when creating its marketing strategies is its competitors. Competitors’ actions have a huge impact on what an organization should do. In the coffee chain industry there are now plenty of independent coffee shops in UK like the most popular Starbucks, Monmouth Coffee, Coffee Aroma, The Apple Tree and Caffe Nero. In this assignment the marketing strategies of both Starbucks and Caffe Nero will be reviewed after which a critical analysis will be given of the both.

STARBUCKS

The first Starbucks outlet was opened in Seattle well over thirty years ago. Today Starbucks proudly stands at $4.1 billion with thousands of outlets not only in the United States but all over the world. Many companies have studied the secrets and strategies adopted by Starbucks in an attempt to learn how Starbucks grew so fast. The marketing strategies being adopted by Starbucks at present will be discussed in this assignment (voteforus.com 2011).

Unique marketing strategy:

The marketing strategy adopted by Starbucks has remained unconventional. They didn’t adopt the common styles of advertisement using billboards, newspaper ads or television commercials. Rather they relied on word – of – mouth to promote their brand name.

Product quality:

The most important thing that Starbucks never lost control of is the quality of their coffee beans. They were the first ones to introduce the true Italian “burnt espresso” flavor to the Americans. They justify their high quality by charging a slightly higher price than most other cafes.

Comfortable environment:

Another focus of Starbucks outlets is the environment they provide in their cafes for their customers. Starbucks has always been promoted as that perfect place to relax when out of home and out of the office. They have started offering Wi-Fi connectivity in their outlets so that their customers can browse the internet as well while they enjoy their cup of coffee.

Customer satisfaction:

Customer satisfaction is the strongest favorable point of Starbucks. Each customer that enters a Starbucks outlet is given such a special treatment that they truly feel like they are in a special place.

The Starbucks community:

Starbucks has truly taken full advantage of the latest hype of social media. They have adopted their latest marketing strategies around social media websites like creating fan pages on Facebook and Twitter where they actually respond to all customers and keep in touch by posting pictures, videos and all the latest promotional information.

Innovation:

Starbucks has always kept its menu fresh by constantly coming up with new items and different blends and flavors in their coffee. Some of their latest hit drinks have been the Green Tea Latte considering the health conscious consumers along with iced tea and Frappuccino for their outlets in warmer climates.

Brand Marketing:

Starbucks has always portrayed itself as a high quality product and thus decided to rely on word – of – mouth promotion only. This served to be a quite useful marketing strategy as comparison to going for promotional ads in magazines, newspapers, billboards etc. They have recently begun utilizing the social media websites in the most effective manner ever. Their Facebook and Twitter pages have proved quite useful in promoting the image of Starbucks while also enabling them to have direct communication with all their customers on one platform

CAFFE NERO:

According to chairman of Caffe Nero, Gerry Ford (2008), Caffe Nero Group Ltd is ‘the largest independent coffee retailer in UK, with over 400 stores in the UK’. It was founded in the year 1977 and today has its outlets open overseas as well in Turkey and Middle East. They distinguish themselves from other café’s in UK by emphasizing on the fact that they are an Italian Coffee Company. Their main aim, as in the words of Gerry Ford (2008), ‘is to provide a European style coffee house experience offering premium espresso – based gourmet coffee, authentic Italian food products and a relaxing atmosphere in every store’.

Caffe Nero has been given many awards for its high quality coffee over the years and for its outstanding experience that they deliver in their shops. Tatler has rated Caffe Nero as ‘The best espresso this side of Milan while Egon Ronay has labeled it as “The Traditional Italian Café”. Caffe Nero has also been given the label by UK consumers as “The best UK Coffee House” in nine consecutive years (Allegra Report, the UK’s definitive guide for the coffee industry).

CAFFE NERO’S USP:

The Caffe Nero’s marketing strategy mostly emphasis on its unique selling point which is a pure Italian theme. Caffe Nero portrays its self from more than just a café. Rather it has created a perfect blend of a café cum bar and restaurant. Therefore Caffe Nero is not limited to only providing a place for coffee and snacks rather you can go there just to enjoy a meal. They have a wide range of exquisite desserts along with many Italian dishes like the Italian wraps, soups, sandwiches, pasta and paninis.

CAFFE NERO’S TARGET MARKET

Caffe Nero mainly targets tourists in UK or the Italians searching for their Italian taste in cuisine. They are targeting the middle – income group of people who are middle – aged, students or business people who prefer to go to a café during their lunch breaks. Furthermore, Caffe Nero has formed a partnership with the famous chain retail store, House of Fraser, due to which around 145 cafes opened up, many of which were located within House of Fraser stores (James, Situation Analysis of the Caffe Nero Group Ltd – Festive City

Critical Analysis Between the Two Companies

Now that a basic review has been given on the marketing strategies being used by both Starbucks and Caffe Nero, an analysis will be done on what differentiates them from each other.

Caffe Nero and Starbucks are direct competitors but Caffe Nero distinguishes itself from Starbucks by selling cheaper coffee than Starbucks.

Caffe Nero offers a wider range of food items along with its coffee beverages which makes it stand apart from Starbucks which does not have such a wide range of assortments.

Caffe Nero adopts a strong brand positioning by emphasizing on its European – style coffee shop as compared to Starbucks which is of American origin. Caffe Nero has a unique selling point which emphasizes on the cafes continental – style whereas Starbucks is of American style.

Starbucks has successfully opened thousands of outlets overseas and in the international market whereas Caffe Nero still lacks in international expertise and has just recently opened its stores in Turkey and the Middle East.

Starbucks has plenty of outlets all over UK whereas Caffe Nero does not have sufficient outlets in Central London.

Caffe Nero has a lot of potential of growing because it enjoys many unique selling points like its pure European authenticity.

References

1. Ford, G (2008), ‘THE BEST ESPRESSO THIS SIDE OF MILAN’

2. Voteforus.com (March 29, 2011) Starbucks Success Is It’s Word Of Mouth/Social Media/Viral Marketing Strategy

3. James, S, Situation Analysis of the Caffe Nero Group Ltd – Festive City

4. VoteforUs.com Starbucks Marketing Strategy Unconventionally Effective

5. Kembell, B, Hawks, M, Kembell, S, Perry, L, Olsen, L 2002, ‘Catching the Starbucks Fever’, Missouri State University. Unpublished.

6. Rajul (2010), ‘Starbucks vs Caffe Nero vs Costa: who wins?’

[cooldesserts-blog]

New Post has been published on http://cooldesserts.net/a-comparative-marketing-strategy-analysis-between-starbucks-and-caffe-nero/

A Comparative Marketing Strategy Analysis Between Starbucks and Caffe Nero

Starbucks portrays itself as a high quality coffee for the high class and is priced slightly higher than the coffee of Caffe Nero. It stays true to its American originality and emphasizes solely on its wide range of coffee drinks with only a few snacks and desserts. Apart from that, Starbucks distinguishes itself from other cafes by providing a very comfortable atmosphere with facilities like Wi-Fi so their customers can enjoy surfing the web while drinking their coffee.

On the other hand Caffe Nero emphasizes on its Italian blend and portrays itself as not only a café but also a bar and restaurant. It has quite an extensive menu with a variety of popular Italian dishes. Due to this many people visit Caffe Nero to have meals rather than just a cup of coffee. They have brought a pure European vibe to their cafes thus remaining true to their originality. For the convenience of their customers and to add to their attracting they have also launched loyalty cards.

MARKETING STRATEGY:

Marketing strategies help businesses in promoting their products and services in a certain way that they want to. While cashing on their most important points they try to create an image of their brand in the minds of their target customers so as to achieve their target sales and a favorable market share. Marketing strategies help businesses in gaining a competitive edge by catering to those specific niches that others fail to identify. Marketing strategies devised by organizations vary in duration from one year plans to those extending well over many years. A lot of factors are taken into consideration when devising marketing plans and strategies that are defined by the environment within which the company operates. This is most often referred to as a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis which helps businesses in pinpointing the areas which they can take advantage of and the areas which they need to be careful of.

The most important factor that any business has to take into consideration, when creating its marketing strategies is its competitors. Competitors’ actions have a huge impact on what an organization should do. In the coffee chain industry there are now plenty of independent coffee shops in UK like the most popular Starbucks, Monmouth Coffee, Coffee Aroma, The Apple Tree and Caffe Nero. In this assignment the marketing strategies of both Starbucks and Caffe Nero will be reviewed after which a critical analysis will be given of the both.

STARBUCKS

The first Starbucks outlet was opened in Seattle well over thirty years ago. Today Starbucks proudly stands at $4.1 billion with thousands of outlets not only in the United States but all over the world. Many companies have studied the secrets and strategies adopted by Starbucks in an attempt to learn how Starbucks grew so fast. The marketing strategies being adopted by Starbucks at present will be discussed in this assignment (voteforus.com 2011).

Unique marketing strategy:

The marketing strategy adopted by Starbucks has remained unconventional. They didn’t adopt the common styles of advertisement using billboards, newspaper ads or television commercials. Rather they relied on word – of – mouth to promote their brand name.

Product quality:

The most important thing that Starbucks never lost control of is the quality of their coffee beans. They were the first ones to introduce the true Italian “burnt espresso” flavor to the Americans. They justify their high quality by charging a slightly higher price than most other cafes.

Comfortable environment:

Another focus of Starbucks outlets is the environment they provide in their cafes for their customers. Starbucks has always been promoted as that perfect place to relax when out of home and out of the office. They have started offering Wi-Fi connectivity in their outlets so that their customers can browse the internet as well while they enjoy their cup of coffee.

Customer satisfaction:

Customer satisfaction is the strongest favorable point of Starbucks. Each customer that enters a Starbucks outlet is given such a special treatment that they truly feel like they are in a special place.

The Starbucks community:

Starbucks has truly taken full advantage of the latest hype of social media. They have adopted their latest marketing strategies around social media websites like creating fan pages on Facebook and Twitter where they actually respond to all customers and keep in touch by posting pictures, videos and all the latest promotional information.

Innovation:

Starbucks has always kept its menu fresh by constantly coming up with new items and different blends and flavors in their coffee. Some of their latest hit drinks have been the Green Tea Latte considering the health conscious consumers along with iced tea and Frappuccino for their outlets in warmer climates.

Brand Marketing:

Starbucks has always portrayed itself as a high quality product and thus decided to rely on word – of – mouth promotion only. This served to be a quite useful marketing strategy as comparison to going for promotional ads in magazines, newspapers, billboards etc. They have recently begun utilizing the social media websites in the most effective manner ever. Their Facebook and Twitter pages have proved quite useful in promoting the image of Starbucks while also enabling them to have direct communication with all their customers on one platform

CAFFE NERO:

According to chairman of Caffe Nero, Gerry Ford (2008), Caffe Nero Group Ltd is ‘the largest independent coffee retailer in UK, with over 400 stores in the UK’. It was founded in the year 1977 and today has its outlets open overseas as well in Turkey and Middle East. They distinguish themselves from other café’s in UK by emphasizing on the fact that they are an Italian Coffee Company. Their main aim, as in the words of Gerry Ford (2008), ‘is to provide a European style coffee house experience offering premium espresso – based gourmet coffee, authentic Italian food products and a relaxing atmosphere in every store’.

Caffe Nero has been given many awards for its high quality coffee over the years and for its outstanding experience that they deliver in their shops. Tatler has rated Caffe Nero as ‘The best espresso this side of Milan while Egon Ronay has labeled it as “The Traditional Italian Café”. Caffe Nero has also been given the label by UK consumers as “The best UK Coffee House” in nine consecutive years (Allegra Report, the UK’s definitive guide for the coffee industry).

CAFFE NERO’S USP:

The Caffe Nero’s marketing strategy mostly emphasis on its unique selling point which is a pure Italian theme. Caffe Nero portrays its self from more than just a café. Rather it has created a perfect blend of a café cum bar and restaurant. Therefore Caffe Nero is not limited to only providing a place for coffee and snacks rather you can go there just to enjoy a meal. They have a wide range of exquisite desserts along with many Italian dishes like the Italian wraps, soups, sandwiches, pasta and paninis.

CAFFE NERO’S TARGET MARKET

Caffe Nero mainly targets tourists in UK or the Italians searching for their Italian taste in cuisine. They are targeting the middle – income group of people who are middle – aged, students or business people who prefer to go to a café during their lunch breaks. Furthermore, Caffe Nero has formed a partnership with the famous chain retail store, House of Fraser, due to which around 145 cafes opened up, many of which were located within House of Fraser stores (James, Situation Analysis of the Caffe Nero Group Ltd – Festive City

Critical Analysis Between the Two Companies

Now that a basic review has been given on the marketing strategies being used by both Starbucks and Caffe Nero, an analysis will be done on what differentiates them from each other.

Caffe Nero and Starbucks are direct competitors but Caffe Nero distinguishes itself from Starbucks by selling cheaper coffee than Starbucks.

Caffe Nero offers a wider range of food items along with its coffee beverages which makes it stand apart from Starbucks which does not have such a wide range of assortments.

Caffe Nero adopts a strong brand positioning by emphasizing on its European – style coffee shop as compared to Starbucks which is of American origin. Caffe Nero has a unique selling point which emphasizes on the cafes continental – style whereas Starbucks is of American style.

Starbucks has successfully opened thousands of outlets overseas and in the international market whereas Caffe Nero still lacks in international expertise and has just recently opened its stores in Turkey and the Middle East.

Starbucks has plenty of outlets all over UK whereas Caffe Nero does not have sufficient outlets in Central London.

Caffe Nero has a lot of potential of growing because it enjoys many unique selling points like its pure European authenticity.

References

1. Ford, G (2008), ‘THE BEST ESPRESSO THIS SIDE OF MILAN’

2. Voteforus.com (March 29, 2011) Starbucks Success Is It’s Word Of Mouth/Social Media/Viral Marketing Strategy

3. James, S, Situation Analysis of the Caffe Nero Group Ltd – Festive City

4. VoteforUs.com Starbucks Marketing Strategy Unconventionally Effective

5. Kembell, B, Hawks, M, Kembell, S, Perry, L, Olsen, L 2002, ‘Catching the Starbucks Fever’, Missouri State University. Unpublished.

6. Rajul (2010), ‘Starbucks vs Caffe Nero vs Costa: who wins?’