#the new cake designs (that i was supposed to start next) have cookies on top as decor!!!! great!!! i have a lot of dough!!!!!

[florida3exclamationpoints]

Wanna hear how stupid I am. Ofc you do. Refer to the tags.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Please Fix the Story pt 23 - Sci Fi

Here is the next part! There is at least one more part in this world. Getting really close to the end!

Masterpost Linked Here

Enjoy!

_______________________

Life moved on, and despite the growing anxiety I had after my encounter with Chris, things moved smoothly. Chris had disappeared after that night, leaving his resignation from the academy laying on his desk. Liam was busy with wedding plans, occasionally checking in to make sure I was happy with his choices.

He was honestly much more thoughtful about it than I would have been, and I was happy to have his help. My father arranged his leave and was on his way. We also heard from Liam’s parents that they were going to arrive soon as well.

When Liam received the news, he became perfectly still for a few moments. I watched him, concerned at the obvious change.

“Liam, are you okay?”

“I – I don’t know.” His eyes were unfocused, as if staring off into space. “Why… are they coming?”

“Because they’re your parents? I doubt they would miss the wedding of a royal family member, no matter how bad your relationship is.”

“Parents… it’s… all wrong.” Liam seemed to be struggling against some invisible bind. His dark blue eyes flickered, and seemed to almost glow in the shadow of the resting area we sat it.

WARNING. World destabilization detected. Attempting forced conformity… Failure… host and partner soul strength too high.

Unable to see the bright blue words hanging in the air, Liam continued speaking.

“This… isn’t right. I don’t have family." His face was becoming more certain. “It’s not my fate. All I have is…” He glanced at me, his eyes filled with pain. “Bel..?”

WARNING! Stabilize world story immediately or face destruction and mission failure.

I reached out quickly, holding Liam’s hands in my own. “Liam, take a deep breath. Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” He answered without hesitation.

“I know it seems wrong, but for now I need you to go with the idea of having parents and family.”

“But…?”

“Trust me. “

“Okay.” He leaned back, sighing. The glowing dark blue of his eyes faded, and he closed them for a brief moment, before seemingly returning back to normal. “I trust you.”

We don’t belong here.

The uncertainty in this world grew each day. Liam, whoever Chris had become… me… we weren’t from this world. But if we deviated to much, the world could destabilize, and I could fail the mission.

I just needed to keep my head down, blend in and complete the mission.

Try not to rebel too much against the role I’d been given in this world, except the ending.

Simple, right?

_______________________

…

“We’ve talked the last few hours about our lists, now it’s your turn! What do you miss most about Chris, Alaira?”

Maybe world destabilization, mission failure and soul destruction aren’t that bad after all.

I stared at the group of young women in front me, wondering for the hundredth time in the past hour how I had been roped into this... harem support group?

Allie, Ilene and Wen stared back at me, waiting for me to answer.

“I… miss kicking his butt in mock Mech battles?” I winced as I spoke, realizing they would probably take offense at that, but to my surprise they all smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, you were a very important rival to Chris.” Ilene patted me on the back.

Allie spoke up, “He was always talking about how he wanted to beat you and have you accept him as a fellow Guardian. “

“Yeah… he… I…” Wen started to chime in, but then her face crumpled as she sobbed into her hands. “What are we supposed to do now that he’s gone?! What am I supposed to do without him?! What if he never comes back?!”

“I miss him!”

“Me too!”

Soon all three girls were crying, leaving me in uncomfortable silence in the corner.

Blend in, don’t make waves, don’t try to change things….

“I can’t live without him!” Ilene’s dramatic cry broke something within me.

SCREW THIS!

“OKAY GUYS, SHUT UP!” I stood up, placing my hands on my hips as I stared at them. “You are a group of highly intelligent, talented women in the most competitive military academy in the known universe! And you’re nothing without some guy?”

“He’s not just some….” Wen started to interrupt, but was shushed by me.

“No. No matter how much you care for him. He is a guy, and you are all your own person. You have talents, dreams and stories beyond his existence.” I turned to petite girl beside me first. “You! Wen, you’re one of the top engineering students in the program! With your skills, it would be a cinch to improve upon the current Mech design!” After all, she had ramped up Chris’s Mech in the story, surely she could do the same without him!

“And you!” I pointed at Allie. “You’re a Guardian! You're a level B one at that! That's an even higher level than Chris!”

“But I don’t have his drive…”

“You can have his drive! You can have more than his drive! He spent half his time complaining about how people didn’t take him seriously or how people were trying to force him to be a Connector. You can be TEN TIMES the Guardian Chris was!”

I ignored her startled sputterings and turned towards the dark haired girl on the other side. “And you… Ilene.”

She stared at me warily. “What about me?”

“You’re a freaking Princess! And a super talented Connector! How can that become nothing if Chris isn’t around?”

“…I thought you didn’t like me?”

“I don’t.” I answered bluntly. “You treat your brother like trash, and that’s enough for me to want to kick your teeth in.” I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “That being said, just because I hate you doesn’t mean I don’t respect you as a talented Connector. You just have a crappy personality.”

“Um… Thanks?”

“Don’t mention it.” I opened my arms. “You three have top-notch talent all gathered here in one room. What do you need Chris for?! You could be a force to be reckoned with!”

Wen jumped to her feet. “You’re right! I should design a Mech, one stronger than anyone’s ever seen.!”

“Yes!” I pumped a hand in the air.

“And I’ll fly it! I’ll terrorize the Hive until they go running back to their home planet!” Allie stood up as well.

“You’ve got it!”

Ilene joined in. “If I remember, Allie, you and I have a decent resonance match. How about we partner up?”

“Let’s do it!”

The girls high-fived each other while I watched approvingly.

“Let’s destroy the hIve!

“We’ll save humanity!”

‘...And then we’ll find Chris!”

I groaned.

They were so close… but I guess this is better than nothing.

The girls plotted the formation of a new team, surprisingly accepting the team name “Harem” (my suggestion). As they filed out, chattering excitedly, I prepared to escape this mentally exhausting group.

“Alaira, wait.” Princess Ilene stopped me before I could walk out the door.

“What is it?” I kept a neutral expression. I hadn’t been joking when I said I didn’t like her.

She hesitated. “Are you really marrying my brother?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“…No… it’s just…” She rubbed her face. “He’s… different. And I feel like you should know. “

Sitting back down, I crossed my legs and prepared to listen.

“Since he met you… William is a different person. He’s kinder… gentler… even goes by a different name. He’s never gone by Liam.”

That caught my attention “What was he like before?”

“Angry. Vicious. Hurt people just to watch them suffer.” Her face was blank, as if remembering things she didn’t want to. “He was so mad at the world for not allowing him to match, he spent all his time plotting to take down talented people who could.”

A villain. Was that who he was before Liam stepped in? Like how Alaira was before I took over? Or Chris before… whoever it was… took his body?

“I’m not pretending that I’m perfect, either. You’re right, I treated my brother like garbage, instead of trying to help him. I thought he was a monster. Honestly, I thought his hanging around you was some new scheme…. I was kind of hoping he would take you out so your couldn’t bother Chris…”

“So nice of you.” My tone was sarcastic

“At least I’m honest. Anyways, this doesn’t appear to be some trick… I think he’s changed… he actually seems to care about you. But I thought you should know who he was before he met you.”

“Thanks.” My tone was slightly better than before. “Don’t worry, I know exactly who I’m marrying.”

Liam. Not your villain brother.

“Good Luck.” Ilene seemed relieved, as if a burden was off of her shoulders with the confession, and hurried out.

I stood in the room alone silently for a few moments, processing.

There’s too many questions, and no answers in sight.

I left to find Liam. I missed him.

_______________________

I arrived just in time to see Liam and Alaira’s father facing off.

“She is my precious daughter.” The tall middle aged man with close cropped hair and a scowl made scarier by the scar running from his left eye to the corner of his mouth, towered over Liam. His disapproving air was evident.

“Yes.” Liam smiled and nodded, seemingly fearless.

“No man deserves to marry her.”

“Agreed.”

“So who do you think you are?” General Gladus poked Liam’s chest with a finger.

“The luckiest man alive to be able to stand in the same room as Alaira, much less stay by her side all my life.” He held out a plate in front of the angry man. “Cookies?”

“Well, you should know I don’t approve of this fast courtship…” He picked up one of the cookies and bit into it angrily. “You both are so young…” He took another bite. “And I don’t want you to hold her back…”

“I completely agree. I will do my best to support all her goals in life.” Liam handed the general another cookie as he finished the first.

“Good…” He chewed slower. “Is this chocolate? How did you get it so soft but chewy at the same time?”

“I developed the recipe. Would you like more?”

He picked up another one. “Just know this doesn’t mean I fully approve of you.”

“Of course not… Would you like some cake…”

“….”

“I also have homemade hot chocolate.”

“… As long as she likes you, I guess.” He finally muttered, his hands full of baked treats and dessert drinks.

Liam overwhelmed him with support spouse abilities. I laughed in the doorway, attracting the attention of both men.

“Anything for me?”

Liam nodded with a bright smile. “I saved you a plate.”

General Gladus cleared his throat as he saw the large platter filled with cookies.

“Don’t worry, Sir, I saved an extra plate for you.”

“… Don’t think you can bribe me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So I can have your plate, then?”

“The hardened general clutched the plate of cookies to his chest. “Don’t you dare! The boy made them for me out of respect for his future father-in-law!”

“…” Liam and I smiled at each other.

“How is the front line… Dad?” The title felt a little rough as I spoke it. I was still acutely aware that he was Alaira’s father, not mine.

“Stable, for now.” He frowned. “Fortunately we have an elaborate defense system, to give plenty of warning. But they’ve been retreating more and more lately. The higher ups seem to think that they might be admitting defeat, but I just don’t think so. I think they’re preparing for something… big.”

He’s right.

I knew the ending of the original story. Around the time Alaira was supposed to graduate, they had attacked in the largest numbers ever seen, necessitating all senior students being recruited to help fight. Even Alaira, who was without a Connector and would have normally been left behind was brought in. They couldn’t afford to leave any powerful guardian out.

I still have a little more time, though. I can train with Liam, maybe get Wen to help upgrade our Mechs, train up some of the students… We can have a chance to really face off against the attack.

There’s still time…

“Don’t let down your guard. You’re the best general we’ve got.” I patted Alaira’s father on the shoulder.

He crushed me in a big hug. “Don’t worry, your dad will protect the galaxy! You just get married in peace.” He leaned in and whispered. “See if he can make a few more of those chocolate cookies, okay?”

“I will, Dad.” It came much more naturally this time.

I’ll protect you too. I added silently.

_______________________

As the wedding drew closer, we were notified that the king and queen were on their way. Liam ignored the news, continuing to work on seating charts and music for the ceremony.

“We have to welcome them when they arrive. They are due any minute.” I finally spoke up, slightly exasperated with his head-in-the-sand act.

“…If we have to.” His voice was cold, his dark blue eyes flickering between fear and annoyance.

I held his hand. “Don’t worry. No matter who they think you are, or what they say about you, just know that you’re my future husband. Don’t worry about anything else.”

He reached out, pulling me tightly against him. “ Thank you.”

“Just play along with them. I held his face between my hands. “You’re Liam. Not Prince William. Not their son. Not Ilene’s brother. Liam.”

WARNING. DIRECTLY CONTRADICTING STORYLINES IS FORBIDDEN.

Liam tilted his head and studied me with a worried expression. “… Are you okay?”

“Just follow my lead. Please.” I looked away from the bright blue words in annoyance and moved.

We went to meet the Royal Family, each of us nervous for different reasons.

The King and Queen looked slightly like Liam and Ilene. The king had curly dark hair, severe features, made worse by the frown as he studied Liam. The Queen had the dark blue eyes that both siblings had, and a beautiful, delicate face… but the overall sense was ruined by the terrified light in her eyes as she almost hid behind her husband.

“So this is the girl you tricked into marrying you?” The king looked at me with morbid curiosity.

Liam took a deep breath. “This is Alaira, Grade S Guardian, my resonance partner and my future wife…”

“What game are you playing, William?” His father snapped, interrupting him. “If this is some ploy to ruin General Gladus, you should stop now.”

“This isn’t…”

“You should stop this now.” The Queen squeaked out nervously at me from behind the King. “He might be my son, but you can’t trust him…”

“…”

“This wedding is a farce.” The king snapped finally. “He’s a monster.”

_______________________

“Why did you follow me?” the mournful voice called out as I entered the dark room.

“Do you want me to leave?” I looked up at the large dark blue eyes curiously, barely able to make out the large form in the darkness.

“I didn’t want you to see… didn’t want you to know…”

“Know what?”

“That I’m a monster.” The whisper was filled with so much pain it made me cry.

_______________________

BAM!

Before I fully came out of the memory, I had punched the King.

“…”

There was a moment of stunned silence from everyone present.

“You dare…!” The King finally spoke up, rubbing his red cheek with a furious expression. “I can have you executed!”

“Just try, Barry.” General Gladus walked in, his hand holding a drawn weapon. “I’ll shoot you in your precious Royal Ass, and then what are you going to lounge on while I fight your wars for you?”

"..."

"..."

"..."

The room processed his words in silence for a moment, before the king burst out angrily.

“Gladus, are you threatening me?!!”

“Oh shut up Barry. " He waved dismissively with his gun. "It wouldn’t even be the first time I’ve shot you. Probably won't be the last." You won’t arrest me, you need me to protect your country.”

“You are willing to let your precious daughter marry this… this… “ The king trailed off, glaring at Liam, who stared calmly back.

“Yes.” General Gladus shrugged “I heard the rumors. Even with the 100% match I wasn’t about to let him hurt my daughter.”

“Then why…?”

“I’ve sat down with your son, Barry. I shook his hand, looked him in the eye. I asked him the hard questions. I’ve observed him around Alaira.” The General stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. “I know a good man when I see one. And I see one. One who loves my daughter. Maybe you should try looking closer.”

“But he…”

“Plus he makes delicious cookies.” He muttered.

“…He what?”

I stepped forward, blocking Liam behind me. “He’s not a monster. He’s my future husband. I honestly do not care about your opinion. But if you want to try to hurt him, just know… you won’t have to wait for my father to shoot you. I’ll do it first.”

“… Control your child, Gladus.”

“She even threatens you just like me!” He reached out and placed an arm around my shoulders. “So proud.”

“…Fine. “ The King frowned “I won’t try to save you from yourself. Marry him, if you want.”

“I plan to.”

“Whatever you’re plotting, William, you better stop now.” He glared. “You might have fooled them, but you won’t fool me.”

“I don’t have to fool you.” Liam’s eyes were dark. “You mean nothing to me.”

“I’m your father.”

“I have no family. I… I can never have family.” Liam turned away.

“William…” The Queen called out softly.

“I AM NOT William.”

WARNING. World Destabilization detected!

“Come on, Liam. Let’s go.” I grabbed his hand and walked away, calling over my shoulder as we left. “You’re free to attend the wedding, but stay away from us otherwise.”

“You’ll regret this!”

I laughed at his bitter words. “Enjoy the disappointment.”

Liam and I left.

_______________________

We sat in my room, and as soon as my hand left his, he curled up, holding his arms over his head.

“I don’t feel right.”

“Liam.” I reached out and touched his back, feeling him trembling beneath me.

“Who am I? I don’t think I’m William. The things they said… the things William has done… He’s not me.”

Warning!

"He's not me... he can't be... He's not..."

WARNING! World destabilization... Bright blue words and a mechanical voice appeared again.

“SHUT UP!” I yelled, drowning out the voice. I pulled his arms down, looking straight into his dark blue eyes. “You are Liam. And you’re my partner. And tomorrow you’ll be my husband. Nothing else matters..”

“But…”

“I can’t explain things right now. I don’t even know everything right now. But I know there’s a reason we’re here together. I’ve found you, and I won’t leave you.”

He held me close, both of us kneeling on the floor. He was clutching me as if I was the only thing anchoring him. I felt lost myself. I was frustrated at my lack of answers, angry at the pain Liam was experiencing, afraid for the future ahead of us.

“Alaira… no… Bel?” He whispered. “... I love you.”

I smiled at the unfamiliar but familiar name, pressing my face against his shoulder. “I love you too, Liam.”

“Marry me tomorrow.”

“Definitely.”

“Don’t leave me behind… please.”

“I won't... No matter what.”

A long silence fell between us. Finally Liam sat back, his face slightly red. “I wish we were getting married tonight. I can’t help but feel something terrible is going to happen to prevent our wedding.”

Foreshadowing.

Ignoring the ominous word that appeared in my subconscious, I smiled reassuringly. “Nothing is going to happen…”

“ALERT! CODE LEVEL RED. PLEASE REPORT TO EMERGENCY STATIONS. ALERT!”

I sighed. “I take that back.”

We headed to the Command Level in the main Academy.

_______________________

“Dad, what’s going on?” I called out as we passed the main doors.

“Alaira…” General Gladus’ face was uncharacteristically serious. “It’s not good.”

I stood beside him, looking up at the large holographic display at the center of the command room, feeling the blood drain from my face. “The Hive.”

“They’re past our defense systems.” He slammed his fist against the table. “This doesn’t make any sense! How did an army this huge get past us without starting any alarms!”

I stared at the countless red dots on the screen, feeling lost.

This isn’t right. In the story I should have had YEARS before the Hive attacked in such large numbers. Even then they were caught immediately in the defense systems and gave the military time to prepare. How could they get past us… unless…

“Chris.”

He said he was going to end everything. Is this what he meant?

Alaira’s father was confused. “That male student who disappeared? How would he have access to defense system information?”

Chris wouldn’t… but whoever was controlling Chris might have more information.

I let it go for now. “What do we do?”

“There’s too many… and they’re headed for a defenseless planet in this system.” He hung his head. “I don’t have the manpower to defend it.”

I stepped forward, giving him a grim smile. “You’re not alone, Dad. I’ll help.”

“We! We’ll help.” Liam stood beside me. “We’re a powerful combo. You can’t afford to turn us down.”

General Gladus sighed. “Even if I recruit top senior students from the academy… the numbers we have… it’s a suicide mission.”

Warning! Mission Failure Imminent!

Your mission: Prevent destruction of the human race by the alien monster race known as The Hive.

The Hive are now attacking in large numbers. Your estimated chance of success against them in battle is 0%.

“If you’re not gonna say anything helpful, then shut up.” I growled quietly.

Liam turned towards me. “Are you okay?”

If you fail your mission, you will face soul destruction.

“It’s not like I’m swimming in options.”

You have one option.

“Who are you talking to?”

“What is it?” I whispered, holding Liam’s hand and squeezing it. I have to save him.

...

ACCEPT YOUR FATE.

...

I stared at the blue words silently for a few minutes. “Liam, what if I said we have an 100% chance of dying if we went on this mission…”

“You don’t know that…”

“...and I had a fool proof way to protect you… But we would be separated forever?”

I didn’t know what my fate was. But I did know in the deepest part of my soul one thing:

Liam was not my fate.

“I don’t plan to survive this, Liam… but if I could save you…”

“I would rather die by your side.” He didn’t hesitate.

“But…”

He grabbed my other hand, holding them both tightly. “We’ll face this together.”

_______________________

“It’s hopeless.” I whispered, holding him tightly. “What if fate is stronger than us?”

“I don’t need hope, Bel.” He leaned closer, his breath warm against my neck. “If fate is going to separate us, then we’ll destroy it.”

“Together.”

“Always.”

_______________________

I looked at the hologram, at the countless numbers of enemies that awaited us, and leaned against him with a sigh.

“Together.”

He smiled in return.

“Always.”

[cottonwoolsocks]

Roman’s Berry Jam

AO3 | Masterlist

Summary: It was only a matter of time before the next Side was given their own Crofter’s Brand jam, and there was little surprise when it was awarded to Janus. Janus deserved it. No Side was more fitting. At least, that was what Roman kept telling himself.

Or; Remus makes his brother a present to try and cheer him up.

Word Count: 2969 Genre: hurt/comfort, canonverse Characters: Roman, Remus, Janus, others mentioned Relationships: Creativitwins, platonic Janus & Roman & Remus

Warnings: food theme, slight gory imagery mention

If I need to tag anything else, let me know!

inspired by this post by @julia-loves-cupcakes because there was no way i could just leave roman like that :(

disclaimer i am thoroughly confused by the correct terminology for this wonderful fruit spread (jam? jelly?? confiture????)(/j), so i shall be referring to it as ‘jam’. hopefully that clears up any related confusions!

———

It came as a surprise to no one when it was announced that Janus would be getting the next Crofter’s flavour. He was well liked, and quick-witted, and a Dark Side, which made for a diverse branding appeal following Logan, the stoic and straightforward Light Side.

When Thomas told Janus the news, Janus had shocked everyone by practically bursting into tears as he clasped the jar, eyeing it as if it may break and scanning the room for any signs of a set-up, a prank, a cruel fabrication. But Logan and Patton, the only other Sides present, had simply smiled, and congratulated him, and voiced their approval. The simple glass jar became almost symbolic of Janus’s acceptance and place in the group.

Janus deserved the achievement.

No Side was more fitting.

At least, that was what Roman kept telling himself.

It would have been ludicrous for Roman to assume he would be next. After all, Roman? He was just another Light Side like Logan—just another character who had been there from the start: who was the same, really, in the eyes of business and branding.

And besides—Roman berries just didn’t exist.

Loganberries were the ideal signature, and snake berries the perfect next equivalent—neither recipe contained either of the named fruits, but that was insignificant to the wider appeal; it was sufficient for display, and advertising, and portraying a certain image, which at the end of the day was what was important.

Roman understood the importance of appearances. He understood why Janus was the ideal next choice.

Janus was suave, had an eye-catching colour scheme, already had well-established snake symbolism in his character. Snake berries were the serendipitous berry on the cake: the apposite mark of his acceptance into the group, the fitting next step in their story as Janus became more popular, as his character gained traction amongst fans.

Roman knew it made sense. He knew it was the rational next step, and that no Side was better suited, and that it was only practical that it was Janus who was to bear this particular crown.

So why, pray tell, was he so disappointed?

He had just assumed, he supposed, that he was more important. More popular. That the loyal prince who had been present from the beginning, who had been star of the show, loved and adored from the get-go, may hold even the smallest of loyalty cards over any who came after.

He had reasoned—foolishly, it seemed now—that his red, white, and gold design, the one he had designed so carefully to raise to perfection, would be ideal for any future product or design or endeavour that could come about—that it balanced the perfectitude of his character, of his design, yet was still bold and eye-catching enough to have an aesthetic impact. 

He was a prince. And princes were popular, and celebrated, and loved. 

...Weren’t they?

Roman’s hand slips away from the banister at the top of the stairwell as the light catches the label of the jar clutched in Janus’s fingers. He sees how happy, how thankful Janus is, and remembers how Janus is nice to him, Janus is his friend, and he would never wish ill upon his friends.

But as his eyes linger on Thomas’s proud face, Logan’s expression of approval, Patton’s excitement, the way Janus’s gloved hands cradle the jar—he can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. 

Of spite.

His hand slips away from the banister, and he turns and walks back along the corridor, back to his room, suggestions of a night of Disney movies dead on his lips and a request for Patton’s baked cookies forgotten, despite how long he had puzzled the previous evening to make sure everything was organised just right, that nobody would be busy, that he had no projects due so he could spend as long as possible with his family.

They know tonight is movie night.

But they have other things to think about now. Other achievements to celebrate. Such opportunities did not come by frequently, and often swept past in but the most fleeting of chances. 

He understands. He does.

The door clicks as Roman pulls it shut, collapsing onto his bed and not even flinching as his ankle clips painfully against the bedpost. He breathes in the scent of his duvet, familiarity easing the tension in his shoulders just a fraction as he screws up his fists and eyes.

Princes just aren’t as popular anymore.

It is almost an hour later when there are a flurry of knocks on his door.

He has been listening to the clamour downstairs for some time now, to the celebrations, the cheesy pop music Patton has no doubt judged befitting of the occasion. Roman assumes they don’t want him there, and to be quite honest isn’t sure he wants to go and find out if there is truth in such an assumption, isn’t sure if the celebrations and Janus’s smiling face will simply be too much too soon. He knows he is being selfish—that Janus deserves this, at least—but it’s hard to feel truly happy for someone's achievements when they stand as one of the few things you thought you maybe, just maybe, had a shot at.

There is a rush of air as the door swings open and someone takes a few steps inside, trips, and stumbles inelegantly forward with a barrage of emphatically placed swear words. Roman’s head snaps up, trying subtly to dry his eyes with his uniform sleeve and hoping the redness from the tears that definitely hadn’t been running down his face until only ten minutes prior could by now be passed as exhaustion.

“What do you want?” he snaps, because when does Remus visit him other than to pull a prank, or tease him? Roman is not in the mood—that much he hopes is clear to his brother from his tone and impassive expression. Since Janus’s acceptance into the Light Sides, Remus had largely been keeping himself to himself, popping up to share his usual quips and comments but never lingering longer than necessary, making it even more abnormal for the Dark Side to be making one such entrance now.

Remus looks up, grinning and oblivious to Roman’s disapproval as he straightens his jacket to its usual devoted dysregulation and clips the eyeball decor on his shoulder back into its rightful place.

“Made you a gift!”

Something small and hard and exceptionally pointed makes a target of Roman’s eye and he cries out, batting it away and shielding his face as antagonised tears threaten to escape. He curses, scrambling upright and muttering obscenities under his breath as he glares at his brother.

Remus offers him a grin and a thumbs up as he tries and fails to surreptitiously rectify the rumpled carpet. “No worries, Ro!”

As the pain in his eye begins to subside Roman gingerly pulls his hand away, blinking through the protective tears at the still-vaguely-fuzzy outline of the offending object.

The jar, he finds, fits snugly in his palm, and through the angled glass Roman can see a red, gelatinous substance which on a good day may vaguely resemble jam, if he didn’t know Remus better than that. Scrawled words adorn a label smeared across the front, and although the letters are barely legible, years’ practice decoding his brother’s handwriting on strategically placed, lewd sticky notes and witty comments on the corners of old magazines allows him to more or less determine the phrase:

Roman’s Berry Jam.

Alongside the words is a large heart which looks to have been traced upwards of fifteen times in colours Roman wasn’t even aware could clash quite so horrifically, and a small, golden crown adorns the ‘R’ with a ruby gemstone fixed centre of the tallest spike. The red substance is smeared over most available surfaces and when Roman glances down, he sees it has, naturally, also found its way onto his previously pristine bedsheets—but he can’t find it within himself to mind.

“Is this…?”

“Roman’s Berry Jam! I thought you deserved some, since you are the brave and daring Prince Roman!” And then, more quietly, “You looked disappointed when you saw J get his jar.” He shifts from foot to foot, energetic demeanour fading slightly to something more sombre. “Is it… Did I do good?”

The lid comes off with a satisfying pop as Roman twists it, and the smell of something indistinguishably fruity fills the room. 

He almost smiles but forces his face to stay neutral, afraid his delicately arranged mask of indifference will shatter the moment he shows even a sliver more emotion. Remus moves to perch on the edge of Roman’s duvet, kicking his feet back and forward off the edge of the bed. They hit the floor with each backward swing, creating a rhythmical, thunk, thunk, thunk against the carpet as Roman tentatively dips his finger into the substance.

“What’s in this, then?” Roman offers, mentally kicking himself for not coming up with a more eloquent sentence. He is appreciative, truly, but whenever a situation such as this presents itself he always seems to find himself deflecting with a joke or a well-placed distraction, no matter how much this frustrates him. “Blood? Brain juice? Cat guts?”

“All things I did consider,” Remus replies, holding up a finger, “but no. Real berries, real jam! Of some sort. Not sure what sort. There are looooads of berries in the mindscape, you see, so it probably tastes like butts, but I was rather hoping it would be pleasurable—” 

“Remus.”

Roman turns to face his brother, offering a watery smile as he clutches the randomised berry mix to his chest. The red is smeared all over his hands and his duvet and his white uniform, and somewhere in the back of Roman’s mind a voice is telling him it will stain, but he simply thanks the voice and pushes it aside in favour of holding the jar even closer.

“I love it.”

Remus’s face visibly eases, a smile swelling as his shoulders relax. “Wonderful; I was sure you were going to say you hated it.”

Roman’s face morphs to one of confusion. “Whyever would I say such a thing?”

Remus’s foot rubs restlessly against his leg as he taps each of his fingers against one another, and examines the ceiling.

“People usually hate the stuff I make.” 

In spite of the weight of his words, Remus’s face gives nothing away, as carefree and animated as always as his fingers dance and his feet drum steadily against the carpeted floor. A pang of regret pierces Roman’s chest, because he knows it is true. Has always known it's true, has even taken part, takes part in pushing his brother’s creations down—he practically leads the parade.

But now Roman is thinking about it, Remus portraying a face of constant playfulness inaccurate to his true emotions is no different to what Roman does constantly, is it? Putting on his brave and courageous face to disguise his insecurity?

Roman somewhat reluctantly tastes the jam.

“Sweet bear of Crofter’s,” he mouths around it. “This is outstanding!”

“Of course it is!” Remus fires back, but the anxious way he surveys Roman’s expression says otherwise as he scours for distaste or disgust or tomfoolery. “It is Roman’s Berry Jam, after all! And nothing subpar of perfection could be named after our dearest Prince!”

Roman isn’t so sure about that, but he appreciates the gesture nonetheless. Truth be told, he has missed his brother—little as he may rise to admit it. The tears of frustration have receded, leaving in their place a wateriness that he hasn’t felt in all too long, come from happiness, and thanks, and appreciation for those whom he loves.

“Say, would you be interested in a Disney night? Perhaps I’ll even allow you to share my jam.”

Remus grins. “I had disembowelment plans, but I think I can postpone them, for you.”

***

They are halfway through The Little Mermaid, a mixing bowl of Roman’s Berry Jam snug between them, when three sharp knocks echo against the wood of the door. Sharing a glance with Remus, Roman takes a generous scoop of jam and shovels it into his mouth before lodging the spoon upright in the bowl and motioning for Remus to pause the movie as he approaches the door.

Perhaps it was Patton, finally wondering where Roman has been for the whole evening, or Logan to come and share the recent good news he doesn’t know Roman is already painfully aware of. Roman even wonders if it could be Virgil, come to escape from the loud pop music still blaring from the living room downstairs to request a quiet Disney movie or for he and Roman to spend another evening painting each other’s nails, and a myriad of excuses were already running through his brain for how he might decline.

The very last person he expects to see standing uncharacteristically apologetically in the doorway is Janus.

“Buzz off! We’re vibing!” Remus calls from Roman’s bed, catapulting a spoonful of jam for good measure which drastically misses either possible target and instead splats sadly against the doorframe.

A smile tugs Roman’s lips, deciding Remus’s comment speaks enough for the both of them and turning to see what exactly Janus wants from him now.

He’s your friend, the little voice in the back of Roman’s head reminds him, which he is beginning to realise sounds awfully like Patton. His achievements are not an excuse for you to be unkind.

“Good evening, Roman,” Janus says, expression giving little away as he regards him evenly. “I would like to…apologise.”

Roman’s hand slips from its perch on the door handle, brow creasing in confusion and a healthy serving of distrust.

Janus releases a measured exhale, and continues, “I didn’t see you at the top of the stairwell earlier this evening, when Thomas presented the Crofter’s. I’ve been trying to get away all evening since then, but”—he sighs frustratedly, and his eyelids momentarily flutter in distaste—“the others were...adamant that I remain downstairs to celebrate. I was not only just able to slip away as I convinced Patton to change the music to something less repugnant.”

As if on cue, the bubbly pop music echoing from the living room switches to a more sombre jazz number, and Janus’s eyes flick towards the stairwell.

“I find it important that I inform you I did not orchestrate tonight’s turn of events, and quite frankly I believe it unjust that you were not, at the very least, consulted on such a decision, especially given your earlier enthusiasm.”

Remus tosses another spoon of jam, this one smacking directly into the centre of Janus’s bowler hat.

His eyes flutter closed as he visibly bites back a retort. 

“Remus, kindly desist.”

Remus cackles and begins to load another spoon, but a subtle shake of the head from Roman has him sighing dramatically, choosing instead to sulk as he plops the spoon into his mouth. “Jam war,” he mumbles disappointedly.

Janus gives Roman a curt nod of thanks, adjusting his gloves and turning to leave, looking vaguely embarrassed. “Well, that’s all I came to say, so I shall be on my way.”

“Janus, I—”

Janus turns, looking puzzled and a little perturbed as his nose crinkles slightly. Roman rocks back on the balls of his feet, and comes to a decision, avoiding Janus’s gaze as he offers his next words.

“Would you care to join Remus and I in our Disney marathon?”

Janus’s eyes flick to one side and he waits for a moment, as if expecting for Roman to change his mind or for Remus to come charging out with another spoonful of jam aimed at his head. 

When nothing of the sort occurs, his expression softens. Just a little.

“Yes. I would like that.”

Roman steps back to allow Janus through the doorway, and swings the door closed behind him with a click.

***

Remus stretches his leg out further, sprawling himself ever wider over the space available to him which consists approximately of his third of the bed and as much of Roman’s space as he can liberate without being apprehended. His jam is a success, he is spending time with Janus again, and the genuine appreciation emanating from his brother is almost palpable. Just for good measure, he smears a little of the jam onto Roman’s nose. Just to remind him he’s still there.

Roman’s nose scrunches as the substance makes contact, but he doesn’t move to wipe it away. Instead, he just elbows his brother softly, achieving more of a gentle sway while crushed under most of Remus’s weight. He smiles, and takes another spoonful of jam.

Janus shakes his head fondly. He hasn’t seen Remus nearly as often since being accepted by the Light Sides, and much as some of Remus’s more...inventive antics...used to irritate him, he has found himself missing his constant predictable unpredictability. It is nice—refreshing—to see him again: especially without the usual weight of all the words yet unspoken between them. But that is business for another time.

Roman supposes that, even if he hasn’t got his own Crofter’s flavour just yet, Remus’s Roman Berry Jam is certainly the next best thing, even with the assortment of greenery he had found in the spread that he isn’t entirely sure was intentional. It was better, even, because Roman’s Berry Jam comes with a complimentary friend-brother combo (cuddles included), an eve of Disney movies, and, finest of all, the feeling that however much he may feel he isn’t good enough, or liked enough, or successful enough, he is appreciated. And for now—for this one, anomalous evening—that is all that he needs.

[tsarisfanfiction]

An Important Part

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Gen Genre: Family Characters: John, Scott, Alan, Tracy brothers

Another contribution to @gumnut-logic‘s #iirelief, using the prompt “any (adult) bros - the last slice of chocolate cake” from @fictivekaleidoscope.

John’s care packages sometimes contain a very special box.

The weekly supply run for Thunderbird Five was a vital one.  Sometimes it was a task undertaken by Alan, feeling claustrophobic on Earth after a prolonged stint of no space missions and eager to jump at the chance to see his older brother in the flesh.  Most often, it was a more sedate affair, with the space elevator being lowered for the nicknamed ‘care package’ to be placed inside by someone who was usually but not always Grandma.

This week had been the sedate affair, although aside from the lack of a brother invading his personal space for an hour or so, John had no issue with it.  His brothers were busy, too, after all.  He knew that because he was the one that sent them out. Still, it was always nice when Alan rocked up in Thunderbird Three, teenage swagger overlaying an honest desire for a hug from his most elusive brother.  John didn’t despise all human contact, he just wanted it on his terms. Preferably in space.  Sometimes another brother came along for the ride, too – Scott, most likely, with Virgil only mobilising if he suspected something was wrong, and Gordon generally only if he was escaping something Earthside for a few hours – and John welcomed them all with metaphorical open arms, if not always literal.

But lack of brothers aside, a care package was a care package and it always came with a few treats on top of the regular supplies required for his continued residence in space. Updated terminals and modules from Brains, fresh medical supplies from Virgil, homemade cookies that always managed to get left in the airlock from Grandma, and a pile of astronaut-approved food supplies were a given.  Cheeseburgers snuck their way in often.  A new book – ‘new’ being a relative term, considering that the printing business was almost defunct in their electronic era – occasionally appeared courtesy of whichever brother had found it.  Gordon was particularly good at scavenging those up, and John had long since ceased to ask him how.  He knew, anyway.  Hiding online activity from Scott was one thing, but there was nothing electronic on Tracy Island excluding the most secure things in Brains’ lab that Thunderbird Five didn’t read as a matter of course.  Especially since EOS came to live with him.

He could have done without some of her discoveries, particularly those concerning his brothers’, uh, ‘me time’. Explaining that to her had been a challenge he was not keen to repeat any time soon.

Today’s treat was his favourite.  It was messy, and would have him unhygienically licking at his gloved fingers for hours afterwards, but the small box containing a slice of chocolate cake – not homemade, some sacrileges to baking were never to be undertaken – was worth every last crumb he’d be carefully hunting down later when they tried to get into the life support system.

You see, it wasn’t just any old slice of chocolate cake.  Oh no.  It was the last slice of chocolate cake.

There was a rule in the Tracy family.  If there was cake – especially if it was chocolate cake – the last slice went to John.  As far as family rules went, it wasn’t as old as some, but it was the most respected of all. Not even Gordon dared break it, or pretend to do so.  Once the rest of the family had had their fill, the final slice was carefully, almost reverently, placed in a secure box designed to keep its cargo safe and intact during transit through Earth’s atmosphere and put aside to be included in the next supply run.

It hadn’t always been that way.  Then again, John hadn’t always lived in space.

As with most families of multiple hungry boys, the final piece had once been a prize awarded to the fastest eater – a race most often won by Scott, in their childhood days. Older, bigger, and faster, he’d swoop in and snatch the final piece before the others were even halfway.  It earned him bragging rights, which he smugly turned into ‘eldest brother privilege’, and the mutinous glares of four younger brothers.

Then John had moved out, away from raucous family dinners and fights for the final piece – still won by Scott, even though Virgil was getting bigger, Gordon was getting sneakier, and Alan was getting faster.  He’d watched instead, from a safe distance of twenty two and a half thousand miles above their heads, as Scott pulled tactic after tactic learnt from years of being the eldest to bring victory to himself again and again.

He didn’t miss the noise, or the claustrophobic feeling of gravity pulling at his bones.  He didn’t miss the fights, or the way Scott somehow always won.  But as he gnawed on a rehydrated bagel and watched them stuff their faces full of deliciously moist chocolate cake, just shy of gooey, he missed being part of it all.

It was Alan that figured it out.  Scott might be his big brother, tuned in to all the things that could possibly distress him, but back then even his famed big brother instincts – notorious long before Gordon’s so-called squid sense entered the scene – weren’t used to the distance and missed the occasional thing.  Alan didn’t notice a thing, but he asked the right question at the right time, and a quiet admittance to his youngest brother – not even a teenager yet – that the thing he missed most was sharing a chocolate cake with them sparked a revolution.

Alan didn’t spill his secret.  Young though he was, he knew the brotherly code inside and out after having witnessed four older brothers live and breathe it his entire life.  Private confessions were not to be shared with anyone else unless absolutely necessary.  But Alan was smart, and had been steadily getting faster.  Scott Tracy was about to be dethroned.

John was watching – of course he was watching – when it happened.  Scott reached for the final slice of cake, cocky grin on his face as he basked in the surety that no brother would defeat him in the race, only for his fingers to close on air.  Alan had been getting fast, and a simple switch of targets from the cake itself to the plate it rested on yanked it neatly out of Scott’s predicted reach.

He also hadn’t finished what was on his own plate, a point Scott was quick to point out.  Torn between the rules of engagement and finally seeing Scott’s reign come to an end, Gordon and Virgil had stayed quiet, watching.  Then Alan had played his final card.

“John hasn’t had any.”

As blindsided as his other Earthbound brothers by the proclamation, John had been able to do little more than blink as the icy waters of revelation doused Scott, hand still hanging in mid-air where the cake should have been.

“John-” he’d started, stopping and retracting his hand back to his empty plate.  Blue eyes turned to him, pinning him with a look that sat somewhere between surprised and guilty.  It wasn’t a good look for him.  “Do you want it?” he’d asked after another moment, during which he’d presumably weighed up his reputation and unbroken reign of final slice competition against his ingrained instincts to look after his brothers, and decided in true Big Brother Mode that it was a sacrifice worth making.

It was probably the only sacrifice Scott had ever made that John felt wholly, unashamedly, pleased about without even a shadow of guilt or concern.

“I like chocolate cake,” he’d replied, somewhat dumbly considering he was supposed to be a communications specialist, but it had got the message across perhaps better than a simple ‘yes, I do’ could ever have done.

Scott had launched almost immediately, snatching the plate back from Alan before bundling inside Thunderbird Three without even the right clothes on, and John had greeted a dishevelled older brother holding a plate of chocolate crumbs and icing that had once been a cake before losing a battle with g-forces during the ride in a rocket at the airlock.

It hardly counted as cake at that point, which Scott’s crestfallen face had realised as soon as he’d set eyes on the mess he’d presented him with, but John still considered it the best chocolate cake he’d ever had and waved off all apologies as he devoured it before sending Scott home with the dirty plate and a promise to hug Alan for him.

They’d devised a much better transportation system since then, and now he was always greeted by a recognisable slice of cake, rather than a pile of crumbs and icing, but the presentation really didn’t matter to John.  What mattered was that it was the final slice, surrendered without a fight to him by all of his brothers because even if he was twenty two and a half thousand miles above them he was still one of them.

[love-takes-work]

Moon Fruit from the Jungle Moon!

If you’ve ever wanted to eat one of those weird pear-shaped purple fruits Stevonnie scores in “Jungle Moon,” try making this ridiculous cake! No food coloring involved. Tastes sort of fruity and includes ube and sugar plum essence.

Nom. 

Recipe below. (I invented this!)

See more SU food tutorials!

Okay! Ever want to eat that juicy, delicious-looking MOON FRUIT that Stevonnie chomps on during their adventures in "Jungle Moon"?

I mean, the normal answer is "no, I never thought of that, you bizarre person."

But if you are one of the few and the proud who is responding with an abnormal answer that sounds something like "yes, that looks delicious," I'm going to teach you how to make it!

As a CAKE!

Large fruit replicas from this show are not new to me. In fact, I made a giant strawberry cake in a previous recipe blog! For this mysterious fruit, I took similar inspiration regarding the desire to cook it to taste like what it looks like; as in, for the strawberry, I cooked actual strawberries into the cake.

But! For this mysterious fruit we have no idea what it is!

So I get to improvise!

The shape of it is sort of pear-like, even though it is purple. I decided why not make it taste like a plum? It is a little plum-like in color and apparent texture. But I also wanted it to taste kind of unusual, like a food on another world obviously would, so I decided to also incorporate natural purple coloring using my leftover ube extract from that time I made Lars's ube roll! Which should combine with plum for an INTERESTING flavor!

There are three parts to this cake. The cake; the foundation frosting; and the mirror glaze for that nice slick pear skin look!

PART ONE: CAKE

Ingredients:

2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon sugar plum flavoring

1 3/4 teaspoons ube extract

1 cup buttermilk (I use powdered, reconstituted)

You will also need a few unusual items for this cake. Most notably: spherical cake pans! Mine is a 6-inch diameter sports ball cake pan I bought just for this recipe.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 175ºC.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set that aside for now.

Then take a large bowl and whip the butter and sugar together until it's light and fluffy. Once you've got a nice light texture, start beating in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Finally, beat in two extracts.

At this point, add in the dry ingredients slowly (add a little, stir, add a little, stir). Don't whip it up too much; just stir it all in. Then add the buttermilk and keep stirring it until you get a nice even mixture. It will seem really soupy and weird at first but I promise, it becomes an even, normal texture cake mix.

Grease and flour the two halves of the spherical cake pan. Greasing and flouring is VITAL because you want to have a smooth surface on your ball cake and you don't want any trouble getting the cake out.

Measure out 2 cups of batter and pour into one half, then measure out 2 cups of batter for the other. With what's left, split it evenly between the two halves as well as you can; I ended up with about 2 1/2 cups of batter in each half.

When you've completed the batter division, balance the pans on the rings that should come with them for stability and stick them on a cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes.

This cake took WAY longer to bake than I was told to expect based on the recipe and the pan instructions, so I recommend beginning to check for consistency with a toothpick around 30 minutes. (A toothpick should come out clean from the center, and poke it down there really good.) It's okay if the outside browns. It's still purple inside (and usually a little green because ube does that for some reason).

You should let the spherical cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack until they are COMPLETELY cool. While you wait for them to be cool, you can get your frosting ready!

PART TWO: FOUNDATION FROSTING

This is basically a typical buttercream with ube extract in it to turn it light lavender. If you have a recipe you prefer for this, feel free to use it, but this is my recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp almond milk

1/4 tsp ube extract

Instructions:

Take the butter and whip it. Then start adding in the powdered sugar. I prefer to sift the powdered sugar before I add. Only whip in half a cup at a time. Every time you add one cup of sugar, add a tiny splash of your pre-measured milk.

Once it’s whipped all together, you can add in the ube flavor and salt and stir it up. This may seem too runny, and if it does you can either add a tad more sugar or refrigerate it. If it seems a tad too thick you can add a splash more milk.

Once your cake is TOTALLY COOLED, you can work with it. Turn the cake out onto the wire racks and level them--meaning, you should take a serrated knife and chop off the parts of the cakes that rose in a dome at the place where it's supposed to be the flat center of the ball cake.

Do not discard these! You need them later, so keep them in one piece on a plate on the side!

Use the foundation frosting to glue the two halves of the cake together. You don't need to chop off the bottom of the sphere to make it stable; it seems to squish itself enough to hold steady and not roll around.

Once you have a cute ball, take your cast-offs from the leveling process and use three different biscuit cutters to make a little tower of cake cutouts. Use frosting to stack them on top of your cake. Weird, eh?

Then begin using the remainder of the foundation frosting to frost the whole cake. You should have just enough.

Work carefully to smooth the frosting, especially at the top where you have uneven, stair-like surface. Frosting will help give the illusion that it is smooth under there, but it takes some work.

And once you have it all frosted, this is important: REFRIGERATE YOUR CAKE! That will help the frosting become like a skin--more firm and will hold up well to the last thing you're going to do to it.

PART THREE: MIRROR GLAZE

Mirror glaze is a type of icing that is designed to pour like syrup and give a reflective, beautiful, mirror-like sheen to a cake.

The trouble I have with mirror glaze is that it usually uses gelatin and that isn't vegetarian, so I have to use a vegetarian alternative. Veg alternatives are not quite as shiny and reflective, but this will do very well for our fruit!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk or almond milk

1/8 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk powder

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp agar-agar

1/3 cup water

2/3 cup light corn syrup

Another 2/3 cup sugar

150 grams white chocolate (I used chips)

First, some of these ingredients will get cooked into a "condensed milk."

If you would rather buy your own condensed milk in a can, you can ignore the first 5 ingredients of the list, but some people don't have condensed milk where they live or it's really expensive, so I'm just doing a version where we make our own.

(Uh, I also . . . forgot to buy some and realized it after I was way advanced in this recipe. Whoops.)

Instructions:

Place the milk or almond milk in a saucepan and heat on medium high until it almost reaches a boil. Then add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Once it's dissolved, sift in the milk powder, stirring with a whisk to attack the lumps.

Once the powder is smoothly incorporated, add the butter and the vanilla. Turn the temperature to low and stir for about a minute or two until it almost boils again. Then remove it from the heat and let it cool completely. If you have lumps, you can strain it to get them out. It will thicken more once it's cooled. Measure out half a cup of it to use in this recipe.

Then make the shiny glaze:

Instructions:

Measure out your 1/3 cup of water and then dump a little bit of it into a very shallow dish. Stir the agar-agar into it and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Agar-agar is a vegetable-based gelatin type thing and it will do something similar to gelatin: it will thicken this syrup.

In a heavy saucepan, add your corn syrup, sugar, condensed milk, and remaining water. Let it come to a boil over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved and the mix is at a slow boil, take it off the heat. Let it stop boiling and rest for a moment before adding the white chocolate. The chocolate should melt. Finally, add the agar-agar mix.

If you want to strain the glaze to get any lumps you see, you can do that here.

I very strongly recommend straining the mixture.

I think most of the lumps in mine came from making my own condensed milk, but even if you use store-bought, some white chocolate or agar can cause clumpy CLODS and not incorporate completely. You do NOT want some of these lumps interrupting your perfect sheen! Add a couple drops of ube to turn it purple and let it come to room temperature.

Look at this shiny mirror glaze! It's so pretty!

You absolutely do not want to do this with warm glaze. DO NOT. Even if you think it's fine or that it won't pour properly if it's cold; I assure you, it will pour. It's syrupy. You don't want it to be warm. It will melt your cake frosting and NOT STAY ON THE CAKE.

Listen to me! Cool your glaze!

Next comes the moment of truth: Assembly.

Take the cake out of the fridge. Make sure your glaze is cool as well. Then set the cake on a wire rack and put a catching dish underneath. You will want to catch and reuse this frosting, so make sure you use a broad dish that will be able to catch anything that drips off the cake.

Pour the glaze, starting at the top. Just pour.

Pour an entire coat and then do something weird: Use a hair dryer on cool/low to set the icing and make it shinier.

This is a cool technique I learned for frosting!

Keep pouring new coats onto the cake. It's wonderful! Once you've exhausted your original supply, wait for it to stop dripping for the most part and then switch plates underneath, using what's dripped off the cake as a second coat. I did three coats on my cake.

Okay! So now you have a beautiful purple pear Jungle Moon cake. It still needs one thing though. A stem. I used licorice!

Enjoy your beautiful cake. Shiny purple on the outside and even purple inside, and it tastes like a weird fruit!

YEAH RECIPES!!! AND YES IT WAS DELICIOUS!!

See more SU food tutorials!

[charliedoyleloves]

Well. Here he is. The new F/O I hinted to a little while ago.

The Tag will be “otp: sweet strategy”. tagging @insertofalord​ who listens to the ridiculous number of OP AUs I have and tries to force me to not make them so angsty in the middle. it will never work, but at least there will always be a happy ending

To start this up, considering it was an Arranged Marriage, I’ve done up the Wedding Questions for him! This does exist in an Au, which is tentatively named the “Sweet AU”.

During the time skip, I work with a should be Queen reclaim her throne from the World Government. As I work as the tactician and commander of her army and gain a reputation. During this time, Charlotte Linlin decides that she will help us if she marries a child of her into the royal family. The Queen is not excited about the idea until she remembered a technicality. Being that I’m the Royal Commander, I need to be recognized as a member of her family. So dubbing me her cousin, she put me as the member to be married. The idea being that both members on the throne should be from “our” country, to indicate our independence.

In order to try to keep myself out of a marriage, I pick the strongest Marine Base that I could and told the Charlotte family that only whoever could take over the base could be my spouse. If no one does it within a year, she becomes an ally without a marriage. While the rest of his siblings failed, Katakuri went when they started to make snide remarks that even he couldn’t do it.

However, my cousin notes that not marrying into her family will make Linlin see us as a threat.

Questions and Answers beneath the cut!

Proposal

1.) Who proposes? Technically, it’s me. In a round about way. Someone in his family was going to marry me no matter what, but he was the one who completed the challenge I set for my hand. When he completed it, we were engaged. Because it’s him meeting my standards, his mother is insistent that it means that I proposed. This is a social tactic, knowing that it would make it more awkward for me to go against the marriage. Not that I would, considering my word is my gold. I said I would marry any who met my challenge, so I will. 2.) Where do they propose? Upon taking the Marine Stronghold that I decided to be the challenge, I keep my word. I accept that I’m to be married to Katakuri. So, it ends up being right on the top of the stronghold. Our men are around us, and his are cheering for the moment when I say it. 3.) How do they propose? Is it romantic, or casual? The way I propose is Official. It’s me resigning myself to the fact that I need to be his wife to keep my men down there safe. I tried to look happy about it, but stoic was the best way I could do it. Specifically, I realized that this entire thing was going to be a performance. So I played it up, for his men and his mother. 4.) Were you/they surprised by the proposal? Neither of us are surprised. When he was planning his raid on the base, he realized why I chose this one. The only thing that has ever gotten in and out of this base was air. He knew, both because of logic and his observation haki, that his plan would succeed when he asked for my help. 5.) What does the ring look like?

It was chosen by him, made by his home’s finest jewelers. It was as much away to show his countries skill as it was to make the engagement official. 6.) Planning on a long engagement or a short one? Short engagement. Lowkey, the wedding was being planned before we were officially engaged. This is because of Linlin’s confidence in Katakuri, and his assuring her that his plan would work.

Wedding Planning

1.) Is there a theme for the wedding, or a color scheme? I suppose the closest theme is “Sweet Fairytale”. It’s not so much by my choice, but rather the choice of his home. He’s a Minister in the government, and very well known and respected by his people. (And Feared). The wedding was much more for them than it was us. The both of us would prefer to have a small ceremony and paperwork to make it official. The color scheme became Pink, Magenta, Silver and Royal Purple became the color scheme. It was a combination of his personal colors, my color (grey) and his position.

Like this.

2.) Who does most of the planning? Or do you share the workload equally? There are official wedding planners in Linlin’s employ. They handled the planning while we were taking the fort and returned to his home. 3.) What are the two of you going to wear? I have no sort of control over what I wear. Instead, it’s designed by Linlin’s people. However, upon hearing that I didn’t want a white dress, they went crazy. It’s still a princess style cut, but much more crazy. Almost cupcake like.

Katakuri does end up wearing a suit, though he forgoes the tie for his scarf. 4.) What does the cake look like? Or are you going with a dessert other than a traditional wedding cake? Being that this is a Charlotte family wedding, the cake is extreme. Like, It's big as fuck so Big Mom Linlin can hopefully get full from eating it. Even if for a bit. It was pink as hell, with a lot of sweet decorations to top it off. There was a solid Desert Buffet, during which Katakuri pocketed most of the donuts. Unfortunatly, most of it was too sweet for my taste, so I only took a bit of the donuts and some of the bit of dark chocolate there. 5.) Is it going to be a big or small wedding? Who’s on the guest list? It was a big ass wedding, considering Katakuris family makes it nearly seventy people on their own. While the ceremony itself was just his family, plus my Cousin, her girlfriend, and a few of my higher ranked soldiers. The reception, however, was wild. Both of our armies. The people of Whole Cake Islands. The extended Big Mom Pirates. It was basically a national event, as one of the Sweets Commanders married a technical “Princess" and commander. The reception happened in a city square, where people have traveled to wish us luck in our relationship. 6.) Who have you chosen for best man? Maid of honor? Other bridesmaids/groomsmen? Oven and Daifuku were his best men, supporting their elder triplet. While he wanted to be fair to his other siblings, the other two Sweet Commanders were also his Groomsman and woman out of respect of the military feel of it. On my end, my cousin acts as my Matron of Honor, and the commanders of the army and navy who work under me are my brides men. They both showed up in uniform, while she showed up in a simple gown.

The Big Day

1.) Who’s walking you/them down the aisle? Being in what is technically enemy territory, it’s a member of his won family who walks me down the aisle. However, the one who gives me away is my “cousin”.this is less about her being my family and more about the political implications of the marriage. She is literally giving me to the Charlotte’s for the safety of our people. 2.) Do either of you get emotional when you see each other at the altar? No. While to the people of Totto Land it looked like a picture perfect wedding, it was very emotionless. My cousin cried, out of relief that it was finally done, and a few of Katakuri's siblings did as well. But the both of us knew why we were there. This was a political marriage, not one made from emotions. 3.) Does anyone in attendance object to the marriage? If so, what happens? No, despite my trying to get someone to come to do so. Katakuri swore that if I could get someone who loved me true and marry me in his place, he would step down. However, since I failed in that requirement. 4.) Did you write personalized vows? Can we hear/read them? No. Our vows were the… cookie cutter ones from Totto Land. They are standard Christian styled vows said in front if a priest. 5.) How do(es) the best man/maid of honor speech(es) go? Funny? Serious? Sweet? The speeches are respectful and serious. All the humor and fun is outside the banquet hall, where the people are. In there, however, it takes a bit for the party to ramp up. However, its still just Katakuri’s family who get hype. He, myself, and my “family” are all a little dour because of what the marriage means for each of us. 6.) How’s the first dance? Fun, romantic? It’s awkward as hell. Tho, I do try to make it less so there is the major problem that I am only up to his knee. He ends up having to scoop me into his arms, me sitting on the crook of one while his other hand basically engulfed my hand. It ended up just being an awkward swaying.

Post Wedding/Married Life

1.) When's the honeymoon? Where are you going for it? While we go on an official honeymoon on his ship, it’s a very relaxed affair. We’re trying to get an idea as to how our relationship will work. We keep to his private quarters, with the crew given instructions to leave us be unless entirely needed. The trip is going  from Whole Cake Island to his home, though the long way around so it takes about a week. 2.) Get any good gifts from your guests? Mostly just sweets and stuff made from sweets. The people of Totto Land are obsessive with the stuff. As well, I get a few pieces of furniture like vanities, with a piece of soul so it’s alive. It’s… disconcerting… 3.) What’s it like waking up married the next morning? It’s awkward. While we are in the same room, he refused to sleep on his bed the first night. Instead, he slept in a large armchair with his trident by his side. Being that he’s over three times my height, I have a separate bed beside his where I slept. Being used to sleeping with soldiers and crew mates, there’s no trouble for me to go to sleep. He seemed worried that I was going to kill him in his sleep. It takes a while for him to get comfortable around me. 4.) Is being married an adjustment, or does it feel completely natural? It’s an adjustment. He’s the one who needs to adjust more, despite being the one who expected to marry soon anyway. While I’m used to living in close proximity to people, he isn’t. Even when he was younger, he had his own space because of his appearance. 5.) Were you living together before you got married? Or even before you got engaged? We were not living together. All of my (very few) things were moved onto his ship during the reception. I am dwarfed by his presence in my new home, even when he’s not there. It does not help to make me more comfortable around him or his family. 6.) Will you make a scrapbook of your wedding/life together to look back on one day?We do not have to. An official one was made by the wedding planners. We have a large one (a little too small for his comfort and much too big for mine) which is ours to keep, and his mother has one as well. There is an edited one for public viewing in the Totto Land Records Building, if people want to look at it, alongside the rest of his family’s edited wedding albums.

[quicksilversquared]

How to Fake a Marriage: Ch. 34

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21 22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  

(AO3) (FF.net)

--(quick note: there was a time skip between ch. 33 and 34 of several months)--

"Shoot, I'm gonna be late!"

Abbey laughed as Marinette frantically shuffled papers around, trying to get everything into some semblance of order before she left. An embroidery sample tumbled off of the desk and onto the floor, and she scooped it up to hand back to Marinette. "You could just watch the vlog later, you know. Like the rest of us non-Frenchy people."

"Alya would know, and Alya would end me." Marinette found the last of the papers she needed and shoved them into her bag. "And she was hinting something about doing something special since Adrien's birthday is coming up, either during the vlog itself or later in the week."

Abbey grinned at her. "Are you doing anything special for your boy's birthday?"

"Of course. You saw what I was making for him." Abbey had been kind enough to let Marinette use her apartment- well, the balcony on her apartment- when she was screenprinting Adrien's gift, so that Adrien wouldn't suspect anything. "And I'll be baking a cake tonight, and then his birthday dinner on Saturday. He didn't want anything too crazy, since he's got schoolwork to focus on." Marinette glanced at the clock again and eeped. "I gotta go! See you later!"

Marinette raced out of the building, waving to her other coworkers as she passed. She slung the strap of her bag over her head as she headed down the road, just barely on the edge of running. There were probably a few people staring, but that didn't matter.

Alya's fifth travel vlog was going to start in seven minutes, and Marinette was not going to miss it.

There was a minute left before the start by the time Marinette had raced up the last of the stairs and burst into her and Adrien's apartment. At the table, Adrien glanced up from the computer and lit up when he saw her.

"I was starting to think that you wouldn't make it!"

"I got in a designing groove and lost track of time," Marinette apologized. She plopped down in the chair next to Adrien. "Tikki was the one to remind me that it was time to go."

"Good job, Tikki," Adrien said with a laugh. He grinned at the small god as she popped out of Marinette's purse. "Otherwise, I bet Marinette wouldn't have remembered until Alya texted her wondering what she thought of the vlog."

Marinette spluttered. "You could have reminded me too, you know!"

Adrien shrugged. "Sure, I could have. But I figured that you were probably on a design kick, and I didn't want to interrupt you. Besides, the vlog will get posted later on. You could have watched it then, and Alya would have just had to wait for your reply."

Marinette just shrugged. She knew that Alya always posted the vlogs once the livestream had ended (and then she would give them English subtitles once she had the time, which usually meant while she was traveling). "I know. But I wanted- oh! Here she goes!"

"Welcome, everyone!" Alya exclaimed as the screen came to life and showed her sitting in a small room. She was wearing a new outfit- a light, loose top with wide sleeves and gorgeous designs on it, probably something that she had just bought. For once, her long hair was tied up, presumably because of the heat. "And hello from Egypt! I've been here for the past week, learning more about the Egyptian Ladybug. And the first thing to know- she was known as the Goddess Ladybug! Like our current-day Ladybug, she had a yo-yo as a weapon. And as you might know from one of my earliest Ladyblog videos, she kept the king at the time from sacrificing an innocent person in order to try to bring back his dead love. She also kept her community safe from wildlife and any attackers. Very cool!"

"She also kept the community safe from evil spirits that looked like animals to normal people," Tikki piped up. "Most of the time, wildlife didn't come particularly close to where the people were! There was too much activity for them."

"She was the sworn enemy of the king after she kept him from completing his attempt to bring back Nefertiti, but guards were very reluctant to go after someone who was seen as a goddess!" Alya continued. "I've got some photos of some of the papers describing her and what she did. I'll post those later. But first, let me catch everyone up on what I've been doing!"

"I'm glad she's enjoying herself," Adrien said as Alya chattered on about the tours she had gone on and the experts she had talked to (through her translator, of course). "And I'm glad the newspaper is letting her post these on the Ladyblog instead of limiting her. I suppose it reaches a slightly different audience than her newspaper blurbs?"

Marinette shrugged. "Maybe? Actually- yeah, I think you're right. The pieces she does for the newspaper tend to be more cultural pieces, instead of strictly focused on her research. And not everyone looks at the Ladyblog, so it won't conflict with her piece at the end."

Marinette had to admit that it was a great way to keep the Ladyblog active and relevant now that she and Adrien- and by extension, Ladybug and Chat Noir- were out of the country. It was fresh content with new holders, and as a bonus the renewed traffic meant that Alya could get a decent amount of money from advertising on the Ladyblog. That could either go towards her savings, or be earmarked for helping with the cost of any future Miraculous research.

"Can you say hi from us?" Marinette asked as Alya started flipping through the comments for questions to answer. "And tell her not to get kidnapped by anyone wanting to use her for a sacrifice this time."

Adrien laughed as he typed exactly that. "She's going to complain and say that that's not her fault, you know."

"It was entirely her fault. She should have stayed hidden instead of running out and then getting distracted when we arrived."

"Okay, it was not my fault that I got kidnapped, Adrien and Marinette," Alya said only seconds later, and they both snickered. "Okay, maybe I could have paid a little more attention to my surroundings and- okay, okay, yeah, maybe I could have left a little more space between myself and the fight, but how else was I supposed to get good footage? And I was fourteen, so stop bugging me about it. Anyway, on to the next question, from Lindsay-"

"It's always about the good footage with her," Marinette sighed. "I'm just glad that Lucky Charm always fixed things. Otherwise, she would have been in serious trouble."

Adrien nodded in agreement.

Five minutes later, Alya signed off. "I have a meeting and dinner with a local historian that's going to tell me even more about what other kinds of things the Goddess Ladybug did," she told the audience. "Feel free to leave any more burning questions, and I'll see if I can find the time to make and post a short video answering as many of them as I can! No promises, though, since I have a lot on my schedule, and I also need to get some cool stuff posted, in honor of my friend Adrien's birthday coming up. Stay Miraculous, everyone! Bye!"

"That was nice," Tikki said. She swallowed the rest of the cookie that she had grabbed from the kitchen halfway through the webcast and wiped the crumbs from her mouth. "Some of the details aren't exactly correct, but it was a long time ago and my holder didn't exactly share everything with her people. In fact, she never even corrected the idea that she was a goddess. She just said that she was needed elsewhere and then retired once the last of the demons were driven from the area and the king had died."

Adrien grinned. "That's clever. I think everyone figured out that we're not immortal gods, though."

Plagg, who had been napping in the sun, squinted over at Adrien. "Speak for yourself, kid."

"He was," Tikki said in exasperation. "Really, Plagg, if you listened-"

Adrien put the computer away as Marinette headed into their kitchen to start dinner, both of them ignoring the bickering kwamis. She stepped out of Adrien's way automatically as he joined her, reaching past her to grab a knife to cut up an onion.

It made her smile to think about how comfortable they were together. Even out of the suits and in a non-fighting environment, they were truly a team. Part of her had been a little worried when they first officially moved in together that somehow they would run into problems that they hadn't had when they had her apartment as a backup, but so far, those fears seemed unfounded.

Subleasing her apartment to Abbey and then turning it over completely once the end of her lease hit at the start of the fall had been a great decision.

"Should I get this browning?" Adrien asked. He shook the cutting board filled with sliced onion at her. "Or is the meat not ready yet?"

"It's ready!" Marinette grabbed her own cutting board and made a few more quick cuts. "Or close enough, at least. But it'll need garlic, too."

"Got it!"

  "Adrien, fingers away from the frosting."

Caught, Adrien's hand retracted from the bowl. He pouted at her.

"Not even a little taste?"

"Not until I'm done frosting the cake, you can't!"

"But Tikki has!"

Marinette spun around to see a pouting Tikki flying after Adrien. "You told! I told you not to tell on me!"

"That was only valid if I got some frosting, too!"

"Both of you, out of the kitchen," Marinette ordered. "Plagg is the only one allowed, since he isn't stealing anything."

Adrien snorted, even as he stepped out of the kitchen area and Plagg smugly zipped in, carrying his rice heating bag. "Princess, Plagg steals from us whenever we're making anything with cheese in it."

"But I'm not making anything with cheese in it right now, am I?" Marinette took the bag from Plagg and popped it in the microwave to heat it up for him before he could start to whine. "So he's allowed. You two will get any leftovers, but you have to wait. And Adrien, don't you have stuff to work on anyway?"

"Yeah, I guess. But the siren call of sugar summoned me to the kitchen when I started working on it."

Marinette hastily muffled a laugh before Adrien could interpret it as an invitation to return to the kitchen. She returned to trimming her cakes and cutting them in half to fill with frosting and chunks of chocolate. The microwave dinged and she removed Plagg's heat pack, setting it where he would be out of the way. Plagg let out a delighted little trill and settled down, smirking at a pouting Adrien and Tikki.

Adrien's birthday cake was a two-tiered chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream, with chunks of chocolate between the layers. He had insisted that she didn't have to go all-out decorating it, but, well...

It was something Marinette enjoyed doing, and besides, she wasn't exactly running short on time now that she only had one commission to work on. She could spare the entire evening to make and decorate a cake for Adrien.

"I'm so glad that I don't have quite as many papers and other writing things to do this semester," Adrien said as Marinette finished trimming and crumb coating the bottom layer, which promptly went into the fridge. She had to push a few things out of the way, but it would work. "And Ben said that next semester should be similar."

"I still don't fully understand why they couldn't have balanced the writing-heavy classes out more." Adrien had explained it before, about how some classes were prerequisites for others and how they got more into the research-y classes later in the program. But she still thought that something could have been done to keep Adrien from practically drowning under papers for two semesters. "Or at least have the professors talk to each other and adjust assignments accordingly."

Adrien just shrugged. "I learned a lot, though. It's all important stuff to know and I don't know if I can really think of much anything that could have been dropped or scaled back at all without affecting how much I learned. I'm just glad that year is over." He grinned. "And more electives this year! I like getting a little more freedom to choose my classes."

"Yeah, that was my favorite part of uni, too." Marinette started stacking the second layer of cakes, slightly smaller than the first. She had chocolate chunks left over, which she dumped in the bowl with all of the cake trimmings. With the layers stacked, she started trimming the edges to make them more even. "I took some costume-making courses just for fun, since I had space in my schedule thanks to the summer courses I took. Those were absolutely great, and I learned some techniques that I've been using on my commissions."

"Ooh! Did you have outfits that you actually made during those, then?"

Marinette glanced over. Adrien had apparently forgotten his homework in favor of watching her. Either that, or he was deliberately procrastinating. She was rather suspecting the latter. "Yeah, of course. I'll show you next time we're back in Paris. Most were tailored to my size, since I didn't really know anyone going to any costume parties or anything." She was surprised that she hadn't shown Adrien her costumes already, but maybe he had been busy when she modeled them for Nino and Alya. "It's too bad we didn't talk about this before we went back to Paris in September. I think the next time we'll both be in Paris will be- what? Christmas, probably?"

"Probably."

Marinette made a face as she started to crumb-coat the second layer. They had gone back to Paris several times over the summer- twice before Alya left, once shortly after, and once right before Adrien had to start his next semester. The first two had, of course, been to visit Alya before she took off for six months. The third visit had been to visit Nino, to distract him from Alya's absence, and the forth had been for Adrien's now-annual end-of-summer photoshoot for his father. Marinette had tagged along for part of the time, and they both visited with Nino and their other friends while they were there. Adrien had gone over to her family's house several times, and it would have been the perfect time to show him all of the costume pieces she had made while in university.

Ah, well. It would have to wait until Christmas, then.

They both worked in silence for a few minutes. The second layer of the cake went in the fridge while Marinette colored some of the frosting for piping. The layers came out for a final coat of buttercream, then they got stacked. Marinette felt Adrien's presence come up behind her again as she considered the cake, trying to decide where to start with the decorations.

"I'm not done yet, kitty," she chided playfully. "No trying to steal anything. Plagg, keep an eye on him."

"Turning my own kwami against me!" Adrien exclaimed in mock offence. "And no trust, to boot. I just wanted to watch you work your magic."

"Uh-huh. So why are your fingers creeping towards my frosting bowl again?"

"I thought it was the scraps!"

Marinette just shook her head and grinned as she turned back to work, starting to frost the first flower on the lower tier. She would have to use the short step stool she had bought to be able to decorate the top of the cake properly, but that could come later. She kept the corner of one eye on Adrien, making sure he didn't try to sneak any of the frosting.

She would have some left over, she already knew that. But she had been planning on mixing it together with the cake scraps for another treat that they could have before Adrien's birthday dinner. Adrien just had to be patient first.

Adrien was yawning by the time Marinette had piped the last flower onto the top of the cake. His arms snaked around her waist as she stepped back from the cake. "That looks incredible, Bug. Need any help putting it away?"

"No, I just have to cover it and then it'll be fine." Marinette picked up the large cake box she had grabbed earlier in the week and opened it, carefully lowering it over her work until it reached the table. "We'd be in trouble if I had to keep it in the fridge. We have no space."

"Haven't you kept other cakes in the fridge before?"

Marinette had to think about it for a second. "Maybe, yeah? I think I've put fruit in between the layers before and then it has to go in or the fruit will spoil. But this just has the buttercream and chocolate."

"Ah." Adrien yawned again. "I think I'm going to go get ready for bed." He shot a hopeful look at the frosting bags on the counter. "Unless I could have some frosting first?"

Marinette giggled. "How about you go get ready and then come back out here before brushing your teeth? Then the frosting will be ready for your tasting."

Adrien grinned. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, then obediently dashed off towards their bedroom. Marinette tried to smother her grin as she started to clean up, fondness for her boyfriend welling up as she giggled over his childlike eagerness.

As soon as Adrien was gone, Tikki popped over. "Ooh! Leftovers!"

Marinette snatched the bowl of scraps away before Tikki could dive in. "Patience! Let me finish mixing this up first, and then you and Adrien can have some."

Tikki let out a little squeal of excitement and went to perch on the fridge, watching Marinette as she carefully squeezed and scraped all of the extra frosting into the scraps bowl. The rest of the dishes got washed up, and then Marinette turned her attention back to the leftovers. The bits of cake got broken up as she stirred, working until it was only a little bit chunky. She pulled out an ice-cream scoop and made up a bowl for herself and Adrien, and a smaller bowl for Tikki. Plagg got a chunk of Camembert.

"Oh, I love you," Adrien said happily as soon as he returned to the kitchen and was handed his bowl of cake and frosting mix. "This is amazing, Marinette. Never mind the actual cake, this is great."

Marinette laughed at Adrien's contented expression. "Ah-hah! So that's the real reason that you're dating me, for the sweets!"

"Mm-hmm." Adrien leaned over to kiss her. "And you're the sweetest of them all. The treats are just a bonus."

Her cheeks turned red at that and she ducked her head. Adrien just grinned.

  Adrien was having a very, very good day. He had had a lie-in that morning- Saturdays were the best- his favorite dish for lunch, and now his friends from school (plus a few of Marinette's co-workers that he knew well) were coming over for dinner. The weather had been lovely, and he had spent part of the afternoon reading out on the balcony.

In short, it was the perfect way to spend his birthday, and it wasn't even over yet.

Adrien set the table as Marinette worked on adding the finishing touches to dinner and a few appetizers. It would be a tight fit with six of them at a table meant for four, but they would make it work. He and Marinette were used to being up in each other's space all the time anyway, so they would be together on one of the cramped sides.

"Oh, there were two packages for you in the mail today," Marinette called over. "One from Nino, and one from Alya."

Adrien perked up. "Birthday presents?"

"I assume so."

It wasn't long before Ben arrived, followed by Paul. Sarah and Abbey, the two of Marinette's coworkers that Adrien knew best and was friends with, arrived five minutes later. They were grinning and giggling over something.

"I'm not even going to ask," Adrien said dryly as he greeted them. He knew both of the women knew about his relationship with Marinette, and they were likely giggling over some sort of joke about it. "I'm glad you could make it."

Sarah grinned. "We heard that Marinette would be baking and we didn't want to miss it," she told him. "And I suppose we wanted to wish you a happy birthday, too."

Adrien just grinned. He couldn't lie- he wouldn't turn down an opportunity to have Marinette's baking, either, even if he had to sit through something boring in order to eat.

Not that his birthday dinner would be boring, per say. Just that he wouldn't blame them for coming just for the cake. Adrien could definitely confirm that the cake would make pretty much anything fully worth it. They had sampled the leftovers mix again after lunch, and it was every bit as delicious as Adrien remembered.

He was going to have to hit up the gym at the university after this if he wanted to stay in modelling shape, but again- so worth it.

"I'll have snacks out in a minute," Marinette called from the kitchen. "I just have a few more things to get ready."

Adrien promptly trotted over to check on Marinette. She had only just pulled a few cheeses out of the fridge. She was sliding a round of Brie into the oven and rolling a chunk of goat cheese in a mix of dried cranberries and nuts. Adrien could see where the cheeses would go- there were crackers and apples on a platter, with a shallow dish for the Brie to go on once it came out.

It was also obvious why she hadn't gotten it started earlier. With their guests there, Plagg couldn't venture out to steal the cheese. If Marinette had pulled the cheese out before, there would be chunks missing before it ever reached the table. With the goat cheese, it probably wouldn't ever reach the table.

"Anything I can do to help?" Adrien asked. "Or is it a matter of just waiting for the Brie at this point?"

"It's just the waiting, mostly." Marinette placed the goat cheese log on the platter. "I have a few things to cut up yet, but I can get it done in under ten minutes."

"I can help, and then you can come out and socialize." Adrien stepped around Marinette to reach for some pita bread. She had made it earlier in the day, and Adrien had been itching to get his hands on it ever since. "How many pieces to a round?"

"I was thinking six."

Adrien nodded and started cutting as Marinette put the finishing touches on the other trays. Soon enough, only the Brie was left, with six minutes left before it could come out. Adrien and Marinette stepped out of the kitchen, Adrien heading over to where Paul and Ben were standing and Marinette going to join her coworkers.

"-so I'll have to go back for a Masters to get much higher in the lab, but for now it's a great way to put everything I learned to use and really see it in action properly. I also get to see what kinds of research are going on and what new ideas are being thought up- y'know, what kind of questions are being asked. It's interesting to hear about, and it really gets me thinking about what kind of things I might want to look into, if there are any questions I want to answer." Ben shrugged. "Right now, it seems most everything I come up with is already answered or being looked into, but that's fine. I'm still learning the ropes."

"I wish I could have gotten an internship at one of the Physics research labs over the summer. It sounds like a great experience." Paul looked envious. "But I guess there's next year. I'll just fix up my resume in the meantime."

"There's people in the Tutoring Center that can help you with that, you know."

Paul looked interested. "Really?"

"Is that where you picked up all of those formatting tips?" Adrien asked, joining their conversation. Ben had helped him with his resume the previous year, polishing it up and making it look properly professional instead of, well, a beginning uni student's resume. "They really helped make mine look a whole lot better. Before, it was just kind of meh."

"Same with mine," Ben told him. "But yeah, it was something I learned there. It's funny how a few changes can make something like that go from boring to crisp and professional, huh? They're not even big changes."

"Oh, my god. Are they seriously talking resumes right now?"

All three of them glanced up to see Marinette, Sarah, and Abbey giving them an exasperated look. Adrien just grinned.

"What, and you three weren't talking fashion two minutes ago?" he teased. He raised an eyebrow when all three shook their heads. "Really?"

"We talk about other stuff, too," Abbey informed him, still grinning. "Sarah was telling us about how her father decided to dig up a stump in front of their house. Apparently it's a little more work than he was anticipating."

Paul looked puzzled. "Wait, why are they digging it up?"

"They want to plant another tree, and there's not enough space to plant it elsewhere." Sarah shrugged, looking amused. "And my dad wanted to make sure that the old roots wouldn't get in the way, so he dug out this giant pit to try to get all of the roots that he could from the top meter or so. And it was a big tree when it died, so it had pretty large roots, too. My uncle decided to turn a couple of them into cutting boards, since the wood was still good."

"Why did the tree come down in the first place?"

Sarah made a face. "It died. Or it was on the way out, at least. There was one really large branch that was dead and the rest was really skimpy on the leaves, so my parents had it cut down before it could come down in a storm and damage the house or something. And now they can plant a new tree sooner and get it growing."

"And they couldn't hire someone to dig it out...why?"

Sarah laughed. "My dad figured he could do it himself," she told them as the timer went off in the kitchen and Marinette let out a yelp and dashed off. "And he did, to be fair. It was just more work than he was expecting."

Paul looked incredulous. "How could he not expect digging up a bunch of tree roots to be a lot of work?"

Conversation petered off a bit as snacks were brought out ant everybody moved over to fill up a plate. Adrien helped himself to several crackers heaped with melted Brie, relishing in the flavor. It was a simple snack he rarely got to have, since Plagg refused to share his baked cheeses at all and any attempts to make it for himself resulted in Plagg claiming the cheese within seconds of it coming out of the oven and eating half of it before Adrien could open the bag of crackers to go with it.

Maybe they would just have to have snacks like this every time they had people over. Plagg would sulk later on about it, but he would manage.

"So you've gotten assigned a new tutor, right?" Ben asked after everyone had been eating for a few minutes. "I think I remember you telling me something about that."

Adrien nodded. He had gotten a new tutor, since it had worked out so well the previous year. "Yeah. I've only had a few meetings with him so far, but it seems to be working out all right. Except he's a grad student, and he already said that he can't edit my papers since he TAs for a couple of the courses and it would be a conflict of interest or something."

"I can look at your papers if you want," Ben assured him. "It's no problem, as usual. And I think he might just be misunderstanding what you want. It's not the content that you need a second set of eyes for, it's the writing."

"I think he's just trying to dodge out of the work," Paul chimed in. "I know the guy Adrien's talking about, and he hates teaching others. He'd rather just spend the time on his own project."

"He does a decent job with the teaching, though," Adrien objected. Sure, he was no Ben and Adrien didn't think they would ever develop the same rapport that he and Ben had, but his grad student tutor did do a good job of tutoring.

With him, at least. Ben had mentioned before that it was easy to tutor Adrien, so perhaps it was a matter of Adrien's learning style just working well with the way his tutor taught.

"Again, I'm guessing that he thinks there would be some fairly heavy edits needed," Ben told them. "Like step-by-step walking through, even if you are in your final year and should be past that. If he knew it was just grammar and checking the bibliography-"

"He's never going to let me forget that," Adrien complained half-heartedly. "Once I messed that up. Once."

"-then he probably wouldn't mind doing it, but I really don't mind reading stuff over," Ben finished. "It's a good excuse to see you, at any rate. It's strange not seeing you at work."

"It's quieter now with the summer interns gone, I bet," Adrien commented. He and Ben had somehow ended up at the same place over the summer- Ben in a permanent entry-level position, and Adrien as a summer student intern- without realizing it beforehand. They hadn't worked together, really, but they ran into each other a lot. "Fewer people bumbling around being lost."

Ben grinned at the memory. Adrien had gotten lost on his second day, getting completely turned around on the wrong floor and having to be escorted back down to the right lab by an amused senior physicist. Ben had been nearby to see the whole thing. "Hey, at least when I started there were other people being lost. If I had started during the school year, then I would be the one weirdo new guy that couldn't find my way around."

"Like I was, since I started a week after everyone else." Even with an actual job in his field, Adrien hadn't been able to get out of this start-of-summer photoshoot. His job had been understanding and accommodating of his other work, enough that Adrien wondered if Nathalie had perhaps reached out to them.

He hoped not. He didn't want Nathalie and his father trying to interfere with his other jobs in the future, especially considering that he wanted to quit modeling once he had gotten a permanent Physics job back in Paris.

"We were trying to get Adrien over at Madam Rosalie's place last summer, but no luck," Sarah told the others. She was grinning. "We had to go with some other blond model for the latest ad campaign, but they weren't half as fun as Adrien. Absolutely no sense of humor, that guy."

The evening continued, dinner coming out after people stopped refilling their plate with appetizers as much. Once they had stuffed themselves, Adrien opened the presents he had received. Paul and Ben had both gotten him a book- Ben on a Physics study, Paul a book of puns in English- while Sarah and Abbey had brought him a gift card for a flower shop in the neighborhood. Nino had sent a CD with new music mixes, and Alya had sent several fun key chains that she had bought during her travels. His father (well, Nathalie, probably) had sent a pen.

That left Marinette's present.

"I honestly don't know what it might be," Adrien said with a laugh as he held the box by his ear, shaking it slightly. "You would think I might have at least a clue, but..."

"Okay, stop trying to guess and just open the present already," Sarah said with a laugh. "I know what it is, but then again Marinette wasn't trying to keep it a secret from me."

Adrien grinned and pulled the paper off, revealing a plain box. He opened the box and saw a t-shirt sitting on top, light green with printing across the front, reading:

√(-1) 2^3 Σ π

and it was delicious!

Adrien laughed. "Oh, I like this one," He said happily, pulling the shirt out. It was clearly screenprinted, something Marinette had designed and made. Under it was a second shirt, this one light blue. It read Where does bad light go? and then under it in a and a picture of a prism.

"Oh, that must have been hard to print," Sarah said, leaning forward. "With that many colors? Wow. I wouldn't even touch a design like that."

"It was fun to watch her do that one," Abbey told Sarah. "Lots of painter's tape was involved. That and a hairdryer."

Adrien pulled out three more shirts, all adorned with different math and science jokes. His grin got wider with each one. The last shirt had a cat pun, and he laughed and pressed an impulsive kiss to the top of Marinette's head. "Thanks, Mari. I love them!"

He was going to wear them every day. They were the best shirts he had ever owned. They weren't meant to be the height of fashion, which made them even better. They were meant to be fun.

Adrien was still grinning over his shirts when Marinette went to get the cake. The oohs and ahhs pulled Adrien's attention back to the table. Marinette was bringing the cake out slowly, candles lit and shining. She didn't seem to be struggling under the weight at all, which was impressive considering just how much cake there was. Paul and Ben dove out of the way so she could set the cake down on the table.

"Man, I normally just get a plain round cake for my birthdays," Paul said, entirely impressed. "If my parents are feeling fancy, then maybe there's sprinkles or something on top."

"My parents taught me how to decorate cakes," Marinette told him. She got the cake settled and stepped back. "They run a bakery-patisserie. My mom is even better at the delicate decorations than I am. You should see some of her creations, when she has a good amount of time to work on it."

Their guests looked suitably impressed.

Adrien blew out the candles, plucking a couple of them out and licking the frosting and cake crumbs off of them. Marinette started cutting generous slices, serving them up onto plates and passing them around the table until everyone had a piece.

"Oh, this is heaven," Sarah said happily after she had taken her first bite. "I don't know how you two stay as skinny as you are if Marinette can make stuff like this. It's so good."

"Genetic lottery," Adrien suggested. He licked a generous dollop of frosting off of his fork. "And running in the gym at school."

"Or running late, probably," Abbey joked. She grinned at Marinette. "How many days have we seen Marinette dashing in minutes before a meeting? She can move impressively fast. She just flies up the stairs."

It didn't take long for them to finish up their cake. Adrien brought plates into the kitchen while Marinette cut pieces for their guests to take home, so that they wouldn't be completely drowning under the amount of cake left. Ben helped gather up the wrapping paper for them, piling it neatly on his chair so they could throw it away later.

"Thank you all for coming," Marinette told them, handing everyone a Tupperware of cake. "We enjoyed having you over!"

"We enjoyed eating your food," Sarah told her with a laugh. "And thank you for having us."

The others nodded. One by one they left, with Abbey leaving last. She waved a cheery good-night and headed across the hall, carrying her cake. As soon as the door was closed, the kwamis materialized out of nowhere.

"I smelled cheese," Plagg complained, sniffing dramatically and floating towards the kitchen. "And no one offered any to me. Is there any left?"

"Some. I think there's a bit of Brie and a lot of the rind left-" Marinette started. Plagg let out a cheer and zipped off before she could finish.

"So much for leftovers from that," Adrien said dryly. He hadn't been expecting the leftover cheese to last, of course- cheese rarely did with Plagg in the house- but he hadn't expected Plagg to finish it up tonight.

Oh, well. At least that would mean that they wouldn't have to get any containers dirty from storing the cheese overnight. And Plagg would probably lick the plates clean, which would make them easier to wash.

Tikki blinked up at them more politely than her counterpart. "May I have some cake?"

Marinette laughed. "You didn't have enough earlier?" Still, she led the way back into the kitchen. "I'll cut you a small slice."

"If any slice could be considered small with that cake," Adrien commented with a laugh. The tiers were tall enough that even a thin slice contained a good deal of cake, which was the best way for cake to be, in Adrien's opinion. "I'll start loading the dishwasher."

Plagg was noisily slurping up the remaining bits of Brie and rind when they got to the kitchen. Adrien opened the dishwasher and started loading in their used plates while Marinette cut a bit of cake for Tikki, moved the rest of the cake back to its place in the kitchen, and covered it. Between the two of them, they got the kitchen back in shape and everything put away before long.

"Well, that went well," Adrien said around a yawn. He stretched, grinning when Marinette's eyes slid down to the exposed skin of his stomach. "Bedtime?"

"Sounds good." Marinette flicked off the lights in the kitchen and dining area, ignoring their kwamis passed out on their respective cheese and cake plates. Adrien scooped up his gifts as he passed the pile. Unsurprisingly, the t-shirts from Marinette were on top. Adrien grinned down at them again, snickering to himself a little as he noticed the little cat paws ambling around the words on the cat-pun shirt.

It was so. cute.

"I can't decide if I want to wear one of these to bed just so I can put it on right away, or if I want to save them and wear them out all week."

Marinette laughed as she followed him back to their bedroom. "I'm glad you like them."

"I love them. I'm not going to wear anything else, ever." Adrien grinned down at his shirts. Even when he got clothes from his father, they weren't unique, just one piece that was pulled before it went to stores and given to Adrien. But these were unique pieces, made just for him, handmade by his amazing, fabulous girlfriend.

Seriously. Best. Birthday. Ever.

[pastthevaulteddoors]

Not in a writer’s block for pridecember, but not sure the prompts are what I’m looking for. Either way, Prideshipping babblings to get me in the headspace.

Which one bakes and which one taste tests?

Kaiba is the baker. He’s a creative individual and always wants to be doing something, even when at home. Cooking and baking was one of the domestic duties he took up when he and Mokuba left the mansion and downsized for penthouse in the city. Of course, he has people cook his every day, but when it comes to special things like holiday cookies, Kaiba likes to put a personal touch to it.

Atem isn’t much for sweets, therefore taste testing is more Mokuba’s job. He does like to sit at the counter and chat with Kaiba as he bakes.

Who wears a winter hat and who wears earmuffs?

Kaiba and Atem have a secret they keep even from the nerd herd; they go to the local tournament incognito. They go just to let off steam, try out new decks, trade, and meet others to bounce strategies off each other. In the winter, they both wear hats and other various non-canon items to help keep them under cover.

Outside that, I suppose Atem would do earmuffs after Kaiba once tried to put Santa hats on each of Atem’s spikes of his hair.

Who puts the star on top of the tree and which one helps?

At the Kaiba household, Kaiba puts the star up after Atem and Mokuba decorate. At Atem’s place (one he shares with Joey and Yugi) it’s usually a group effort.

Would they use a latter or get on the others shoulders to put the star up?

Kaiba is a tree. Don’t make him laugh.

Hahahaha!

Atem and Yugi usually share the final responsibility at their place, which utilizes a ladder. As per last story in Gifting Stars, Yugi fell off the ladder that Atem was supposed to be holding steady because Atem was distracted by Atem’s butt.

What would they get each other for Christmas?

If it’s not super cheesy (like Kaiba getting Atem a locket to match his and Mokuba’s) then they go for experiences over material gifts. Which usually leads them to the bedroom.

Who makes breakfast on Christmas morning?

Kaiba. He will be awake before Santa is done and yell at Atem and Mokuba to “get their asses out of their rooms and come cuddle on the couch and watch this stupid holiday movie with me while I’m feeling generous!”

Who would wake up excited for a snow day and who tells the other to go back to sleep it’s too early in the morning for this

Backtracking on the last question, if Kaiba doesn’t have pressing issues or a project, he’s often one to wrap himself around Atem and lounge until they rouse each other for a round of snu-snu. He’s prone to this mostly when it rains or snows in the morning, when the sky is still fuzzy and the atmosphere isn’t a glaringly bright day to get things done.

Atem isn’t a lay in nor a jump-out-of-bed morning person. He wakes, acknowledges the day, maybe a little meditate and he gets up to routine showering/whatnot. Unless there’s an octopus Kaiba wrapped around him ‘cause the world decided it needed to snow.

Who wakes up the other on Christmas morning?

Kaiba is always secretly excited for events like this. He loves Christmas with Mokuba and Atem and will surprise them both with a huge homemade breakfast and they can casually each on the couch and not at the breakfast table for once. He’d be super happy while getting things ready but pretend he’s a grump. It would be more he wants them to hurry up out of bed so he can spoil them in his dramatic Kaiba way.

Who uses 1 blanket and who uses 5 blankets and is still cold?

Both Atem and Kaiba are chill with 1, although if Kaiba’s not an octopus around Atem, he does reach for a second. If Kaiba isn’t there at all, he lives in a pillow fort until his lover comes home to provide heat.

What Christmas song(s) would they dance to best?

Anything and everything. Dramatic duo as they are, they might spontaniously waltz around the room mid-conversation if the mood struck.

Kaiba prefers popular songs, something with a little edge and not too jingly. Atem likes holiday music without words, like brass quartets or instrumentalists like Lindsey Stirling. 

Who just BOLT OUT THE LYRICS of Christmas songs?

Kaiba (in private and trusted company), but Atem would laugh and join in.

Who would watch the snow at 1 am and who would come to join them with hot coco or coffee?

Atem would appreciate the snow. He would take time to enjoy the quiet calm it brings. Kaiba would wake up without Atem and, when he finds him, would detour to make cocoa then snuggle together and watch it.

Who places the mistletoes??

Atem. Kaiba would not be so forward while Atem would enjoy seeing who he could trick into kissing each other. Kaiba, however, would no be so very upset if he were tricked to stand under the mistletoe if it meant he got to kiss Atem in a dramatic fashion.

Which one makes Christmas puns and pickup lines the entire time?

Kaiba secretly loves dad jokes, and always messes them up. So he would eagerly attempt holiday puns to the groaning amusement of the failed humor. Kaiba would grump, but Atem would kiss him on the forehead as a reward for his attempt.

Who’s singing Christmas songs in June and who keeps reminding them “ITS NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING YET!”

Maybe Kaiba, if accidentally. Being the dramatic showboat, he’d probably make plans early for a holiday vacation. He’d want it perfect and grand, and might accidentally catch himself humming a holiday tune. More likely than not, he’d catch himself and stop immediately. However, Atem might catch him and give him a look of great judgement that says ‘really babe? really?’

Do they host a Christmas party or go to one?

Both! Kaiba has corporate parties to host, as well as those for the employees. There have been over-the-holiday dueling tournaments but those they’d be invited to rather than host.

Atem would host a smaller shindig with the geek squad, but because he knows just how elaborate his boyfriend can be, Atem kind of pushes for something bright and fun to counter.

^Or do they just stay home?

Rarely, except for those times designated for personal time, which is usually Christmas day. Their not really homebodies.

Who starts a snowball fight?

Atem! Especially if Kaiba’s got a stick up his butt. Pushing the other into a challenge of any sort distracts the holiday-overrun man, and a cold smack to the face of powdery snow usually gets him into a childish spirit.

What Christmas/holiday movie would they watch together?

White Christmas? Or anything with lots of festive music, mostly for background noise. Neither are big movie/tv watchers.

Do they specifically have any holiday or winter traditions?

Sex. Slow, smoldering, aching love making. Several times, with lots of cheesy, sweet moments between. Because they know the next day is Christmas and they have no pressing issues to force them apart any time soon.

What are their plans for Christmas Day?

Stay in with Mokuba then a get together with friends for Christmas cake. Maybe a visit to a shrine for shits and giggles (because they get restless staying at home all day).

Which one is the good ice skater and which one needs the others support/help?

Kaiba is decent, probably had some balancing training at some point. But for some reason Atem can’t get a grasp on it. It’s a foreign concept. Although he’s quick to learn by example how to move, actually remaining upright is a challenge.

Favorite Christmas movies?

Meh? Probably whatever tournament is on TV.

Any special traditions they have?

I’m feeling a lot of these questions are repeating... SEX DAMNIT! And a lot of it!

[nyxrsh]

The Livestream gone haywire

AO3 link

Words :  2441

Marinette finds the face and the reason behind the appearance of mystery cookies at her desk each morning. Sure she had prepared for everything she thought was possible, but the face to be the renowned Adrien Agreste and the reason being that the internet believed them to be dating wasn’t something just anyone could come to terms with. 

Chapter 1

It had, coincidentally, started on what probably was the most stressful day of her life.

Finding her way through Gabriel as a new intern was hard enough. But Marinette, thanks to her amazingly clumsy self, had somehow managed to knock into the Gabriel Agreste right on the third day of her internship while she was running late. Had it not been while holding her loose pages from her design portfolio, she might just have lost the opportunity of a lifetime for herself.

But having her designs scatter in every direction in front of her idol posed a completely different situation.

Marinette prided herself on being a multitasker. It was something that often helped her wade through different situations. For instance like the one she was currently stuck into.

So by the time it took Gabriel to look what she could only describe as an eagle’s gaze fixed upon its latest prey, she had managed to get worried about being humiliated right at the doorstep of the office, talked herself out of being worried because she was being silly damn it , picked up all her sheets and smoothed her dress. It was quite applauded considering that it took Gabriel like five seconds to provide the first critique. And on seeing that Marinette took his comments in stride rather than running off crying as he probably expected, he called her up to his office during her break and dumped seven folders brimming with designs of clothes for just about everyone . He then proceeded to dump the mammoth task of asking her to compile her opinion on each and every design by the next week.

She was screwed .

Gabriel Agreste was an absolute villain. And he definitely knew that.

Which left her now dragging herself up to her desk to hopefully get her work done, planning her schedule for the day. Quite stressfully might she add. So imagine her sheer joy at seeing the most beautifully packaged chocolate-chip cookie sitting right in the middle of the desk!

Silently thanking her unknown saviour to her empty stomach, Marinette carefully removed the bright pink ribbon from the bag and pulled the cookie from its tiny plastic bag. She then munched on the cookie for a good two minutes savouring the gooey chocolate chips and started her day much happier than she before.

As she plugged her earphones into her ears and raised the volume of the white noise music listening to which she felt the most productive, she failed to hear the silent whoop that resonated from down the corridor from where she sat. The blonde responsible for this took one last look at her and walked away.

The next day she arrived, she forgotten about the entire incident with the cookie. On seeing the present on the same spot Marinette stopped in her tracks and opted to briefly think about just why that thing was there. Seeing her contemplating about the cookie’s arrival, her desk mate and fellow intern, Ines, started giggling.

Marinette glared at the brunette without any heat behind it and asked her if she knew who kept the cookie.

Ines just playfully winked at her and said, “I have been bribed to keep my mouth shut about this 'Nette. But seriously you have nothing to worry about! The guy wouldn’t even hurt a fly if someone asked him to.”

“So it’s a guy?” Marinette asked.

“Oops.” Ines didn’t even look both bothered that she had revealed any information about her gifter. She grinned and said, “I also won’t tell you that he’s an absolute dork and,” raising her voice added, “ doesn’t agree with me that this entire incident can he handled in a much simpler way. ”

“Ines?”

“Yeah?”

“You are ridiculous”

She beamed. “I try.”

A week down this routine that she had got herself accustomed to, Marinette was absolutely determined to find out the identity of the man Ines had started to call Chat Noir for some reason. Her guess was that the guy was someone within hearing distance from her in the office and Ines just wanted to tease the guy for not doing things the way that she considered normal. As a consequence, Marinette hatched out her brilliant and flawless plan of finally not arriving to her internship with five minutes to spare. Rather she decided to come in an hour early under the pretence of wanting to organize her report before it had to be submitted to Gabriel.

Marinette had prepared herself for what she thought was every situation that would unfold. She had prepared herself for a colleague shy to proclaim his or her feelings. She had prepared herself for mortification on knowing that the cookie was actually not meant for her regardless of what Ines had said. She even had prepared for it to be Ines because why wouldn’t she like doing this?

Heck she’d even prepared herself to see a literal black cat showing up with a cookie it nabbed from a nearby bakery.

What Marinette had not prepared to see was Adrien Agreste pacing along the length of her desk muttering to himself about god knows what.

Seeing him there however seemed to explain a lot of things which had plagued her mind. Adrien Agreste would probably have been expected to wear top quality business suits wherever he went. He, for some reason had decided it was the highest tier of fashion to wear black ripped jeans with a simple black hoodie topping it off with a beanie that had seemed like cat ears?  And why did it feel like she’d seen this exact outfit elsewhere?

Huh. Weird.

“Uhh…Monsieur Agreste?”

Adrien froze. He turned towards herself with wide eyes as if he’d just been robbed of the most delicious cake he owned right in front of his eyes. But Marinette thought it was fair. After all anyone would be shocked to see her in the office an entire hour before she was supposed to be present.

“……yeah?”

“Can I help you in any way?”

“Oh yeah that uhh….I was actually— uhh— waiting for…Ines! Yeah! Her! I, uhh, lost a bet to her….and you know how she gets right?” He said nervously while flapping one of his arms around and reaching the other up to his nape of his neck.

“Oh! You’re a bit early then. Ines doesn’t come in for another—” she checks her watch “—fifteen minutes, give or take. But seriously Monsieur Agreste? I’d think that you’d know better than to bet against Ines of all people.” She ended with an almost smirk.

“Please, call me Adrien. And honestly I thought I had this one in the bag.” He said sighing. “She does know me better than I thought.”

Marinette chuckled.

“If you’d like to wait for Ines, then you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like Adrien.”

“I’d—” Adrien’s phone rings. He accepts the call and walks away near the window for privacy, somehow managing to mouth ‘I’m sorry about this’ and listening raptly to the caller at the same time.

Then again the Agrestes were known for doing too many things at the same time.

There wasn’t much to be said about Gabriel on this issue. Anyone who saw would agree that the man was a little insane with the amount of work that he did.

But Adrien, he was always a mystery for her.

The guy initially had been working as a model for the brand. And then he just stopped all of a sudden. With unfinished contracts and everything.

Marinette had thought Gabriel would be absolutely livid . He was known for going on a rage when any employee of his,even his own son, not finish something within the given time restraint. So she had confidently gone as far as say to Ines, ‘Bet you 20 euros he’s going to cause the best drama the company has ever seen.’ Ines had just laughed and said that they’d see.

(That was the day Marinette learned to never make the mistake of making a bet against Ines.)

But, Gabriel proved her wrong by acting like his son didn’t just act like he’d freaking died. He managed the situation too calmly. He explained that Adrien decided to pursue a different career path and provided replacement models for every shoot that his son had missed.

But that didn’t stop Adrien from stopping by every now and then. He come in unannounced. Walk around for a while. Talk to people he felt like conversing to. And then left as if it was something entirely normal.

Regardless, Marinette thought, it’s useless thinking about it.

So Marinette started unpacking her bag. Under the pretence of making it seem as if she was paying attention to the report that she needed to submit today, she couldn’t help but notice that the cookie hadn’t arrived yet. She mentally high—fived herself and pulled a calm façade over her face, waiting for someone suspicious to arrive.

“—honestly A, I told you this would’ve— OH MY GOD!” Ines shrieked and almost dropped her cell phone as she walked towards her desk.

Marinette jerked upright on hearing the commotion. However, on seeing just who the cause of it was, she relaxed.

Walking up to her, she asked her friend dryly. “Ines. What happened?”

Ines stared at her wide—eyed for an entire minute and then fake gasped. She asked, “How on Earth are you early today?! Aren't you supposed to be sleeping till at least another minute or two?!”

“Ines.”

Hearing their exchange, Adrien, having finished his call, sighed deeply, let out a few choice words and reluctantly shuffled up to them.

(Was she missing something that was going on between them?)

As Adrien, finally, walked up to them, Ines took one look at him and started laughing. And hearing her laugh at something that they apparently discussed about earlier, Adrien started to groan asking her to shut her mouth for god’s sake.

“…I’m guessing you lost the bet rather tragically?” Marinette hesitantly asked.

“Oh my gosh—” Ines wheezed, “so you mean this dork told you we—” again interrupted herself to allow a laugh, “—we had a bet going on?!”

“Ines,” Adrien whined, “What was I even supposed to do?!”

“Don’t give me that! I told you exactly what to do.”

“But you acted like this was a genius move. Wasn’t it you who said she’d totally understand if I did this!”

“It’s called sarcasm, you dumb— ”

“Okay enough!” Marinette interrupted the two of them before the entire company could be privy of whatever the two of them were arguing about.

The both of them stilled.

“Would you like to tell me what this is about? Ines?”

“....Adrien? I think it’s time you face your demons.”

“ Why are you so extra?” Adrien groaned.

Marinette looked at the two of them confused.

Adrien took a deep sigh. “You’re right. I was going to do this today anyway. Do you think…?” He asked flapping his hands.

“Sure,” she said trying hard to hide her smirk, ”but i’m only going any to make sure i have enough caffeine in me to deal with the kids that you two are!” Saying which Ines went away.

Adrien laughed somewhat nervously and went quiet, fiddling the nape of his neck with his hand. Marinette could just feel the nervousness oozing out from him. And considering she had about fifteen minutes before she needed to start her day, she really needed to get the younger Agreste start talking otherwise his father might just kick her out because ‘she inconvenienced his precious child.’

“So Adrien,” she began,”I know whatever you have to say is, I don’t know, big I guess? But the thing is,” she pointedly showed her watch, “I don’t have much time with me if you’re going to take this long.” As soon as she said this, Marinette chastised herself for coming out so bluntly. “Not that I’m not being inconsiderate to you! It’s just that I don’t think Nathalie would consider, you know, you and I talking about whatever, even if you do happen to be—”

Adrien interrupted her rambling. “Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng—”

“Marinette’s fine.”

He sent a small smile her way.

“Marinette,” Adrien said, “you have been the most considerate person to me so far. Even if I don’t really deserve it.”

“What?”

“First things first, I’m the guy Ines dubs as Chat Noir.” He gauged for her reaction.

“Okay.” she said indifferently.

Surprised at her lack of any, he asked, “You aren’t mad?”

“I’m sure you are going to tell me why you though that was necessary. Aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” he paused, ”but just to be clear, please don’t hit me on my nose. I’ve heard from a girl that it pains like hell.”

“Okay...?”

“Uh, see, I’m you know, a youtuber….”

“....And?”

“I, uh, like to do livestreams okay? Sometimes, like once a month or maybe twice at the most. Because Paris you know—”

“Adrien.”

“—It’s a beautiful city right? People interact with me! Thankfully don’t fawn over me as much as they used to before. But you know—”

“Adrien. As much as I’d love to know what sort of videos and livestreams you have going on on your channel, could we please get to the point?”

He shot forward at once. “Inevermeantforthistohappenbutmyfollowersthinkthatwe’redatingandohgodi’vetriedmyhardest—”

“Adrien breathe.” Marinette interrupted his rant mid way failing to understand any part of it.

As Adrien hesitantly, on her insistence, all the while eyeing her as is she’d burst like a volcano at any instance.

Seriously, anything that he had to say couldn’t be that bad for her, right?

Right?

“Now do your worst. Just this time a bit slowly?” Marinette smiled encouragingly.

Adrien laughed nervously and said, “A week back during one of my livestreams, you accidentally stumbled upon me,” a genuine laugh flowed out of him at this, “I think you said something like ‘This is the third time this week this shit is happening to me. I’m so sorry about this!’ and rushed away. But considering you work here , it’s understandable why you ran away. But the thing is, my followers took it in an entirely different after one guy just asked me if you were my girlfriend. And now….” Adrien paused waiting to gauge her reaction.

“...everyone thinks we’re dating?” she asked, unsure about it.

“Yeah, pretty much that covers the situation.” Adrien finished somewhat lamely.

“Okay….let’s think about our options.” Marinette tapped her foot against the floor. “How many followers do you have anyway?”

“About 2.5 million I guess?”

“WHAT?!”

Scratch that. If possibly the entire internet thought that she was dating her boss’s only son, the matter could definitely be that bad.

[reeama-the-mage]

Secret Stitches

After accepting anxiety Virgil didn’t keep many secrets from the others, he let them know when he was having a bad day, talked to them about his fears and worries, came to them when he needed help with something, and most importantly just generally talked with them. That’s not to say he told them EVERYTHING there were some secrets he liked to keep for himself, thank you very much, and the others respected that. He really didn’t have many things he kept from them but there was one big thing he would never tell them. Ever. nuh-uh. Of course, you may be wondering what the secret is, but we’ll get to that in a second first you must understand Virgil was very embarrassed by this secret and would never tell anyone. Got that? Okay. Now I can tell you the secret, Virgil adored fashion and not just like an occasional oh this outfit looks cool, no, he fanboyed over outfits and often designed them as well. the outfits often being dresses or oversized hoodies (he really could not help himself when it came to those two) and well this is the story of the sides found out about his little obsession.

----

 It was a very normal day in the mind palace Roman was doing karaoke to disney ( mostly the princess movie songs), Patton was working on new cake and cookie recipes ( preferably one that mixed the two), Logan was studying whatever his current interest was ( Psychology or astronomy maybe?), and I was working on a new dress, it was a pretty lime green color with grey vines climbing up from the bottom to around the waist where it seemed to completely take over the dress leaving the only part untouched by the designed foliage the white translucent sleeves that would flow around the arm, when suddenly he heard a knock at the door. I quickly chucked my design book in a drawer at my desk putting my design supplies away quickly before answering, I opened the door to see my most dramatic boyfriend, Roman. “ Hey, babe! Patty-cake just made a new cake recipe with cookie dough for filling!” My eyes lit up at that, my boyfriends all knew of my massive sweet tooth. ( as well as my ex-brother dee who I hadn’t seen for a while unless you count the moving on vid, which I don’t) I ran downstairs just as Patton cut out the last slice of cake, putting it on a plate as he handed it to me he told me “ be careful hun, the cake’s fresh out of the oven”, kissing my cheek. I flushed a little but grabbed a fork plopped on top of the fridge digging into his cake. Patton was right it was very hot from just coming out of the oven, but he didn’t care and gobbled it up anyways, finishing it in a matter of seconds( don’t ask him how he doesn’t know either). He jumped down putting his plate in the sink, ready to get back to the dress.

----

It had been a few hours and he was almost finished with the dress having already stopped wondering where Patton was ( he usually brought me cookies that I used to have a tea party with venom and glide my stuffed spider and bat) minutes after the usual time he brought the cookies, which now that he thought about it was around an hour ago, he shrugged it off and went to put the final stitches on this new dress when Patton burst in yelling “ oh my god baby I’m so-” he cut himself off staring at Virgil in aw as he exclaimed “ you can sew!” Virgil awkwardly shifted at the question but replied anyway “ u-uh yeah… why?” Patton beamed excitedly “ where’d you learn how to sew?” again Virgil shifted slightly nervous pat would judge him “ well I’ve always really like fashion and often drew little designs so I taught myself so I could actually bring the designs to life.”

“ that’s so cool! Can we have a tea party?” Patton nearly pleaded. “ I guess…” I replied pulling two dresses out of my closet, one I had designed to match Patton’s bubbly personality, and another I had made that combined all my favorite dress styles. “ here” I said handing Patton the dress “ go change in my bathroom!” Patton nodded smiling happily going to get changed, I quickly changed and waited for Patton.

----

He came back out in a few minutes in the dress looking quite adorable, I blushed a little before setting him at my desk that had changed into a tea table. I poured us each a cup handing one to Patton as we started chatting.

----

It was about an hour later when Roman came bursting in and asked if I had seen Patton before stopping himself at the sight before him, his two cutest boyfriends in dresses drinking tea and chatting. “ may I join you two beauties?” he asked calmly. I nodded quickly and pulled out a dress for him shoving it in his hands and pointing to the bathroom and when he was done changing he walked out beaming “ wow Virgil!” he said “ this looks beautiful and it’s so comfortable! It’s amazing!” then Patton piped up “ it really is isn’t it! They’re so pretty but they don’t feel itchy or anything!” Roman beamed and sat down as I poured him some tea and we kept chatting.

----

Logan came in next asking if I knew where Patton and Roman were as they had both disappeared. Then, he noticed the sight before him blushing and making a small windows error noise. Se stopped for a second then decided to ask the most obvious question “ where did you get those dresses?” Patton beamed in pride and chirped out “ Virgil made them!” as Virgil nodded to Patton’s statement. After Virgil’s conformation Roman shouted “ Wait you made these dresses! Why didn’t you tell me?” I shrugged replying “ I was a little embarrassed ‘bout it.” Logan sighed “ may I join you three?”

“Course Lo!” Patton replied, then Virgil got up grabbing a dress for Logan handing it to him and pointing to the bathroom.

----

And that’s how they all found out about his designing skills and started having tea parties every Wednesday.

( sorry Logan’s not in it much, but this was Virgil’s story so he wasn’t really supposed to be the main character)

[tbehartoo]

Christmas Cookies and Cuddling

for @inklizard and the Miraculous Ladybug Secret Santa 

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Alya Cesaire

Rating: General

Genre: Fluff

Summary: Marinette and Alya have spent all day baking and decorating cookies now it’s time to watch Christmas movies and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Word Count: 2507

On AO3

The holidays had arrived and Alya was discovering first hand just how obsessed Marinette was with her Yuletide traditions. For instance, a tree had appeared in the living room on the first day of December and Alya was pretty sure that Marinette had been adding to the decorations adorning it every day since then. Evergreen boughs and garland twined with bright ribbons and bows now draped across every horizontal surface adding their pine scent to the cinnamon, clove, and orange aromas that constantly wafted from the kitchen. The tiny table, next to the front door, now had a display of candles, greenery, glittery objects, and wooden letters spelling out Joyeux Noël. There was even a small crèche in pride of place on the coffee table. Alya had sort of expected most of it. Marinette was a designer and the holidays gave her a chance to show off her skills, but there was one thing she hadn’t counted on- the baking!

Alya thought her friend had a problem and needed an intervention. However, the results of Marinette’s addiction were delicious and comforting so she was willing to let it slide, at first. Marinette’s growing up as the only child of two talented bakers was never more evident than when she was preparing for Christmas. Sweet rolls, croissants, and galettes daily greeted Alya when she got up in the mornings. Evenings often found Marinette making dinner rolls or crusty baguettes. There was honestly more than the two of them could eat before it went bad, so both of them were liberally sharing with their neighbors and taking extras into work.

Knowing the situation at home, it was everything Alya could do to not start screaming and stabbing at Rose with a spoon when their former schoolmate had suggested a cookie exchange while a few of them were together at lunch. Juleka had readily agreed. Alix texted that she would come eat and promised NOT to bake anything, for which they were all grateful. Nino found the idea hilarious and promised that he would be sure to make Adrien and Nathaniel attend as well. Before Alya could even suggest that a cookie exchange wasn’t the best idea, Marinette had offered their apartment as the meeting place and sent out invitations to the rest of the class. When Nino made a comment about how relaxing he found baking cookies to be, Alya made sure to kick his ankle under the table. Nino merely laughed.

“You know, Mari, the whole thing about a cookie exchange is that other people bring cookies, too. We don’t have to provide a different kind of cookie for everyone that’s coming tomorrow.”

Marinette looked up from where she was frosting a snowflake with a light blue royal icing. “Oooh, now there’s a good idea.”

“No! No it’s not a good idea,” Alya said as she pulled the final batch of orange ricotta cookies from the oven to put them on the rack to cool. “We probably already have that now and we don’t need to be making any more cookies!” She turned to face the “Mad Baker” as she had dubbed Marinette and crossed her arms. “I refuse to let you bake one more cookie in this kitchen until after the New Year.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” Marinette replied as she stuck out her tongue.

“Well this month I’m paying the electric and gas bill so I am the boss of this kitchen.” She swiped a chocolate chip cookies from the “too ugly for Marinette to allow it to be seen” tin and bit into it. “No more cookies!”

“Come sit by me and decorate some gingerbread women,” Marinette said as she gestured to the seat next to her at the table. “You know that always makes you feel better.”

She flounced over to the chair and sat down. “Fine, but you don’t get to make fun of my lack of decorating skill.”

“It’s a deal,” Marinette said as she put a dollop of her frosting on the cookie in front of Alya.

They had been baking for two days. Two Days! Alya felt like her life had been nothing but measuring, mixing, and then washing dishes as Marinette did whatever voodoo it was she had to do with each dough. Right now there were great big plastic tubs of sables, shortbread bites, gingerbread, and meringue wreaths on the table waiting to be decorated. The chocolate crinkles, Russian tea cakes, madeleines, and eggnog snickerdoodles were safely stored as they didn’t need any additional decoration. The shot glass cookies, pecan lace, and chocolate chip turtles were in the fridge so their chocolate could cool. The last cookies they’d baked, the orange ricotta ones, still needed to cool before the orange glaze could be poured over them, but at least that would be simple and easy.  Alya was looking forward to decorating the sugar cookies since they were planning to brûlée the tops, which meant she got to use a torch, but still...this was ridiculous!

The next few hours, as they decorated, the topic of conversation flowed in a variety of directions.

…..

“Mari, Die Hard is not a Christmas movie!”

“It totally is!” she said seriously. “We have to watch it Alya!”

“Maybe so, but it’s NOT a Christmas movie.”

…..

“Oh here Alya, this one has a star tip to make those swirly roses you like.”

“Show me how to make them again?”

“Here, hold it like this,” Marinette arranged the plastic bag filled with frosting in her hands then placed her own over them. “Now a gentle squeeze and swirl at the same time. Et voilà, a perfect rose!”

“You make it look so easy,” she moaned.

“You do a couple million of them and it’ll be easy for you, too.”

…..

“I refuse to watch any Christmas claymation that doesn’t feature Sally trying to sabotage Jack Skellington’s bid to take over Christmas Town, Mari.”

“But Rudolph and Bumble-”

“Who?”

“Bumble! The abominable snowman? How do you not know who that is? Your knowledge of slightly terrifying and so horrible they’re awesome Christmas movies is severely lacking, Alya.”

“I still veto it.”

Mari pretended to pout. “Spoilsport!”

…..

“I thought we bought those red licorice threads to make bows for the wreaths,” Alya said as she looked through the bags and cupboards, “I can’t find them anywhere.”

Marinette didn’t say anything, which was suspicious.

“Mari...What have you done?”

“I, uh, had a bite of one,” she admitted.

“And where’s the rest?”

She ducked her head and refused to look Alya in the eye. “They might be, um, gone,” she whispered.

Alya broke out laughing. “Mari we are surrounded by sweet things and you had to eat the only decoration we had for those cookies?”

“It actually smelled really good,” she whimpered. “And once I started I couldn’t stop!”

Alya looked through all the candy supplies they’d bought. “What about putting on some of these little, red cinnamon imperials?”

Marinette thought about it. “Let’s see how they taste together.”

They split one of the meringue wreaths in half and each tasted the cookie with the candy.

Alya shook her head. “The cinnamon is too strong.”

Marinette agreed. “I guess I better whip up another batch of red frosting.”

“Better you than me,” Alya said as she turned back to the stack of cookies in front of her.

…..

“Ugh,” Alya said as she stood up and stretched. “I am all cookied out.”

Marinette laid down the piping bag she was holding and stretched her head from shoulder to shoulder. “Me, too.” She looked around. Every flat surface was covered with frosted cookies waiting for their decorations to dry. There were still a few that hadn’t received any kind of adornment, but not as many as she had thought there would be by this time tonight.

“How about we pack up everything that’s done, put some plastic wrap over anything that isn’t, and then start our movie?” Marinette suggested.

“Sound good to me,” Alya said as she grinned and shook out her hands. “What about all the frosting? Icing? Whatever.”

Marinette chuckled and started sorting through the bowls and piping bags. Anything that was nearly done she put to one side to wash up and everything else was taken out of it’s piping bags, covered with plastic wrap, and put into the fridge.

They both carefully packed away everything that could safely be moved and draped plastic cling film over anything that couldn’t. Then took a look around.

“How would you feel about ordering in some Chinese food before we start the movie?” Marinette asked. “I need something with some green veggies and protein.”

“Sounds heavenly,” Alya said. “Are you gonna call or should I?”

“I’ll call,” Marinette said as she reached for her phone. “Do you wanna set up the movie?”

Alya nodded since Marinette had just started speaking into the phone. It wouldn’t take long, as soon as they knew it was them calling the restaurant would have their usual order started. She went into their room and pulled all of the extra blankets from the closet and took them back. She dumped the blankets on the couch and started to remove the throw pillows from the sofa onto the floor. They used to start on the couch, but they always ended up sitting on the floor, so now they just started on the floor. Alya arranged the pillows and blankets into a cozy nest, turned on the TV, selected “It’s a Wonderful Life”, then went and grabbed a certain package from under the Christmas tree.

“Food will be here in half an hour. Probably less since they’re right down the street,” Marinette said as she came over to inspect Alya’s handiwork.

“Oh good,” Alya thrust the present in her direction. “You need to open this tonight. It’s too good to miss the opportunity.”

“Alya, we’re not supposed to be opening presents, yet.”

“Please?” Alya turned on her best baby doll eyes. “It is too perfect.” She put the wrapped box in Marinette’s hands. “For me?” She batted her eyelashes melodramatically.

Marinette tried staring her down, but lost it after a moment. “Okay, okay turn off the puppy dog eyes,” she giggled. “I’ll open it.”

“Yay!”

“But if I’m opening one then so are you!” Marinette went to the tree and pulled out a package wrapped in orange plaid with a golden bow. “Here!”

“You go first,” Alya insisted.

“No, you.”

“No, you!”

“No, YOU!”

There was another brief staring contest.

“Same time?” Marinette offered. Alya nodded. “One… two… THREE!”

They both tore into their presents dropping wrapping paper, ribbons, and tissue paper in their eagerness to get to their gift. There was that brief moment where understanding of what is being seen was processed, and both burst out laughing. They had each chosen a set of footie pajamas for the other.

Marinette had taken the time to sew a fox themed suit for Alya as the crafty and sly animal was one of Alya’s favorite emblems. She was a little more confused at Alya’s choice for her.

“Alya, why did you get me pajamas that’ll make me look like a gingerbread man?”

“I have my reasons,” she said with a wink. “Let’s get changed!”

“You change in the room, I’ll change in the bathroom and then we both jump out at the same time.”

Alya grinned in agreement and rushed to the room. She cackled in delight when she zipped up the soft, warm pajamas and watched the tail swish pleasantly in the mirror behind the door. Marinette really knew how to accentuate a girl’s figure, she’d certainly give her that.

“Are you ready?” the muffled yell came from across the hall.

“Yes!”

This time Alya did the countdown. “One… two… three!”

The doors were thrown open and they both took a moment to enjoy the view.

“You look as fabulous as I imagined,” Marinette said huskily.

“Thank you,” Alya said with a blush. Most things she could handle but not Marinette looking at her like that. “You look very...cookie like.”

Marinette giggled. “You look like you want to take a bite out of me.”

Alya crossed the hall in two steps and encircled her with her arms. “Are you offering?” she murmured in her ear.

“Aren’t you tired of sweets by now?” Marinette whispered as she nuzzled Alya’s neck.

“I am never tired of you, Mari.”

They were about to get down to some serious canoodling but the doorbell rang.

Marinette raced to answer the door while Alya went to her purse for money. She was handing their usual delivery guy a couple of €20 notes, when Marinette returned to the door with a zip top bag filled with cookies.

“Here Louis,” she said as she handed it to him, “please take a few Christmas cookies with you.”

The boy laughed. “That’s more than a few Mademoiselle Mari.”

“We’ve got more than we need,” Alya deadpanned. “Please take them.”

Louis thanked them and wished them a Merry Christmas before he left.

“He’s a nice kid,” Mari said as they headed back to the coffee table where she had deposited their food.

“He is,” Alya agreed.

“So are you ready for classic Christmas movies and Chinese food?”

“More than ready,” she declared as she grabbed the remote to start the film. As she sat next to Marinette she gave her a nudge with her shoulder, “This truly is a wonderful life.”

Marinette’s eyes sparkled in the darkness as the light from the television lit her face. “It really is.”

They were still watching the movie but the food was finished and the coffee table moved aside so the manger scene wouldn’t obstruct their view.

“Alya?” Marinette asked as she curled up with her under the blanket.

“Mmm-” Alya let her know she was listening.

“Are you going to tell me why you chose these particular pajamas for me?”

Alya chuckled. “A couple of weeks ago you left your sketchbook open and I happened to see what you were working on.”

“Translation, you were snooping to see if you could figure out what your presents would be,” Marinette interrupted affectionately.

“Yes, exactly,” she agreed. “And, well, I saw what you were going to make and I thought of an old folk tale, so I went looking for these PJ’s. I had to take to the internet, but I finally found them for you.”

“What old folk tale Alya?”

“The Gingerbread man,” she said with a grin, “You know…“Run, run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me I’m the gingerbread man”? It was absolutely perfect.”

“And why is that?” Marinette had a suspicion, but wanted to hear Alya say it.

“Because,” she said as she looked deep into Marinette’s lovely blue eyes, “After all of those people and things chased him,” she paused for dramatic effect, “it was the fox that got the treat in the end.”

And with that Alya started to enjoy her favorite Christmas cookie.

 @mlsecretsanta​ for ML Secret Santa 2017

[btsbloodtearssquees]

Ring Around a Rosy: Part Five

~ Requested (Arranged marriage/best friends AU - Kim Seokjin) 1 2 3 4 5

Your jacket flaps blew apart as you ambled down the shop-lined street. The air was definitely warmer than it had been for the last few weeks, indicating that summer was on the way. You gazed up at the sky, mind faraway. Another five weeks had vanished since your phone call with Jin, and you were finding it hard to be patient with his silence. You had been thinking; if he didn’t come home, you might go and stay with your mum for the summer. You had been actively avoiding her for years. But with this situation, with this inner peace that came with all forgiveness, you felt ready to face and love her again. Even if Jin never decided to return to you, even if you never resumed being friends - you thought that you were better off for having made peace with yourself and your past. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. A vibration from inside your pocket interrupted your thoughts and caused you to reach inside and pull your phone out. Coffee? I’m in town to do some bits and pieces and just drove past you. Kerry    11:11am Instinctively you glanced around yourself. Not seeing anyone, you resumed attention back on your phone to type out a response. Sounds great :). Where shall I meet you? You     11:12am Continuing to walk, you half-heartedly gazed inside shops. There were sales everywhere as the seasons were shifting, and you may have been tempted to spend if it weren’t from your complete lack of desire to have to make space at home for new additions. Your phone vibrated in your phone again. Mother Rose Cafe, in a half hour? I’m in the bank waiting for an appointment. Kerry     11:16am No problem. See you soon. You     11:16am It felt strange having friends again. Well, it wasn’t that you had stopped, but ever since marriage, it had depleted a little. You supposed that was from pure fear of the whole marriage thing being brought up. How stupid, you scoffed at yourself. Just about to turn into one of the commercial bookstores, your attention was caught instead by a store filled with whites and florals. A bridal shop. You had never had an interest in these kind of stores since the time you were a child, but now, for the first time you felt as if you actually wanted to enter. Taking a shaky breath, you stepped inside. You gazed around its interior slowly and deliberately. There were beautiful flowing white gowns displayed everywhere, and a shelf of tiaras and jewellery. Another display held flower decorations and glass cake platters. A notice beside the flowery counter suggested several different bands and photographers for on the day. Your attention returned to the dresses; fingers lightly touching the silky fabric of one as you realised all that you had missed out on. “Hello, can I help you?” One of the shop assistants peered around behind the dress with a small smile. You flushed. “Actually I’m just... “ your voice drifted off, and you stared unseeingly at the confused lady in front of you. Your heart was slowing in throbs of disappointment. “I’m married.” You laughed awkwardly as you held up your ring finger. She seemed more curious by your presence now. “I just - never got a real wedding, and wondered what it would have been like.” “Oh.” She stood still for a moment as she pondered over what she could do with that. “Well, what would you have done?” Realising eventually that she meant for you to pick things you would have used, a small smile of surprise and embarrassment lit your face. “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to trouble you.” “Go ahead,” her arms waved around the room. “We don’t have any expected customers today and no one else is here.” You were hesitant. It felt silly to play on what could have been, but then it did feel extremely tempting. After all, you would never get another chance to do this. Your fingers reached for the fabric of the dress again, but you started to see things as a bride might, and you realised the tackiness of the design. Moving to the next, you found its cut nice but didn’t think it would suit you or your body shape. “Do you want to try any on?” “Try them on? Oh no! No, it’s really fine,” you shook your head. Ignoring your comment, the assistant went towards a different dress and took it off of its manakin, holding it up. “I think this one would look really good on you.” More embarrassed than ever, you nodded in thanks but continued to look around. “Go try it on!” Your eyes darted across to hers. “Everyone deserves to feel like a princess sometimes.” Blushing and then smiling at her, you held your hand out for the dress and went to the back where the changing rooms were. Your breath caught as you did the buttons up the side and then looked at yourself in the mirror. The reflection was shocking. You did look like a princess; one who didn’t feel like one inside. How fun it would have been to walk down the aisle in something like this. “What does it look like?” Bracing yourself, you stepped out from behind the curtain for the assistant to catch a glimpse. She clapped her hands in glee. “Yes!! That is pretty!! Here, this one would look lovely too. And this!” She threw several more at you and you hopped back behind the curtain, soon taking up the role of a real bride. “No, I couldn’t wear this. I’d trip over all the frills during the dance!!” “I feel like a pumpkin with this much poof.” “My boobs aren’t big enough to hold this up.” You were about seven dresses in when she handed you another. It was a slight off-white, with three quarter length lace sleeves that sat just on the curve of the shoulder. Its ivory bodice dipped ever so slightly, and tightened down into a slim waist and a light skirt which kept close to your legs while still allowing you freedom of movement. You stared at yourself in the mirror, imagining your hair in an elegant updo. Yes, this would have been exactly what Seokjin would have wanted you to wear. Yourself, you weren’t sure it was your favourite, and that was probably something that you would have playfully argued over. Your heart pricked with pain, and you watched the tears begin to roll down on your reflection’s face. The perfect image of an abandoned bride. It was then that you realised you could have happily married Jin. It had simply been your fear that had held you back from being his wife, and your refusal to overcome that. You had robbed Jin of the love which he deserved for this long. Your heartache pressed in more firmly and you crumpled to the floor in full on sobs. “Are you okay?” The lady’s voice asked outside the door, about the same time your phone beeped most likely with Kerry’s question of where you were. “I’m -” you couldn’t finish. The enormity of your mistake plagued you as you rocked back and forth in sharp wails. “Jin. Oh, Jin!!!!” You didn’t know how long you sat on the floor of the dressing room weeping, but it was nothing compared with the years you had spent lying to yourself and most of all - your husband. ------------------------------- You are invited to the wedding of Y/N and Kim Seokjin on the 4th of June, 2017 at 11am, at the rose gardens. Lunch to follow!!

Seokjin stared at the invitation in shock. He had gone through a multiple of different emotions while opening the envelope addressed by you, but he had never once expected to find his own wedding invitation inside. It didn’t make sense. Was it real? Were you mocking him? Sinking into his father’s old armchair, he rubbed a hand over his tired face and then placed it on the side of his head as he stared at the words. What to do next? The sound of the kitchen clock seemed to amplify as he ticked over all of the possibilities in his mind. It had almost been three months since he had left. Three months. He missed you terribly; even more so for what you and him could have been. Watching his parents interact, he felt cheated of the life he wished to lead. And yet you as his best friend… Seokjin leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees. You were the best thing to ever happen to him. Period. Maybe he was simply supposed to be grateful for that. Hell, he should be grateful for that. He was grateful for that. But it was so damn hard to resist being proud of the fact that you were his wife when he was hopelessly in love with you; had been from the beginning. Sitting in the silence for a countless number of ticks on the clock, Seokjin eventually stood up, invitation in hand, and ascended the staircase to his room. He would pack his things, write his absent parents a note, and then go and find out the fate of your relationship once and for all. ---------------------------------- It was crazy what you could achieve when you actually put your mind to something. Used to having Seokjin doing most of the unwanted tasks, it had been tiring fitting them all on top of your daily work life. But somehow you had found a way to make them pleasant. That was, imagining the look on Jin’s face when he saw it already done. Yes. You worked with a vengeance in the strong faith that he would come. Admiringly, you took your cookies out of the oven and rested them on top to allow them to cool. It was a heavenly smell, unlike the fifty other attempts. Filling your nostrils with the glorious success, you set to immediately cleaning the kitchen before it became twice as difficult to clean. You were almost so absorbed in the task that you didn’t hear the knock. Nevertheless, you dried your hands and turned off the music blaring from your phone - making some attempt at tidying your ‘housewife’ appearance. “Jin,” you announced startled as you stumbled back from the door. Even in all your expectancy, it was still difficult to comprehend that he was actually here. His dark almond eyes stared at you for a few seconds. Then he lifted the invitation up into your view. “What is this?” You lowered your gaze, embarrassed to be confronted with it. The truth was, you didn’t know how to explain. The invitation was simply a result of your high desire that it were real. “I don’t know,” you murmured. He regarded you silently a few moments longer. “Did you write it?” You nodded, cursing the unkempt strands of hair that fell into your eyes as a consequence. His throat made a sound as he swallowed. “Why?” The crack in his voice heightened your urge to pull him in for a hug. To cry in his grasp, apologise, and solemnly promise to be the wife he always wanted. Instead, you looked back into his breaking face. “Because. I imagine that it’s true. I imagine that - we were back in high school, and instead of going with that loser Matthew to the dance, I went with you. And that it was you who gave me my first kiss back as a sophomore struggling under stress. And that we graduated, knowing that we were going to be with each other forever. The person we love the most. And that this here,” you gestured at the card, “was only the beginning to a life of pure devotion.” A tear slipped down your cheek, almost in time with his. You sucked in your lips as more fell. “I’m so sorry, Jin. I’m so -” a sob broke out from your inner core. He shook his head at you, both of you scared to move for the fear that all of your emotion would spill. “No,” he whispered, and you knew you were forgiven. Shuddering in silent cries, you felt so unworthy of his love. “I should have been what you deserved, no matter how scared it made me feel. I should have… You gave me everything, and I only gave you what made me feel safe.” He reached out, gripping your forearms in a firm grasp. Your eyes met. “Did you say you love me?” You froze in place, scared of the outcomes of whatever you answered. Your lips parted with a response. Instead, you nodded. His lips felt strange against your own; as unnatural as the wedding ring had for all of those months. But that now felt like a part of you, and so you knew Jin's kisses would gradually light up your soul as much as you had seen at your parents' wedding all of those years ago. The stresses and anxiety broke off your back and tumbled onto the worn carpet. Jin separated, eyes beholding a hint of disappointment and uncomfortable tension. Your own shoulders remained tense.  "It wasn't horrific," you commented. "Not bad for a first time, anyway." He visibly relaxed; his teeth showing in an impish smile as he looked at you and fully registered you as his wife. You knew what was going through his mind, and felt a bit embarrassed by the soppy, emotional moment. Get used to it, you informed yourself, and giggled despite yourself. Then you burst out into full laughter. Turned out the six year old romantic inside of you still existed. Feeling both disgusted and excited by this thought, you grabbed Seokjin's arm and dragged him into the lounge to sit together on the sofa. The TV switched on and you grinned at each other with knowing glances. For once as the romantic movie began, you started to wonder at how many of the clichés you had dissed actually came true. A flurry of butterflies started in your stomach as you began to envision your married life. --------------------------- Here it is guys, a belated conclusion to the story. I hope it fulfilled all of your hopes, and squee needs!! Now that I have finally, finally finished all of my old requests, I shall continue with the story Blink, and any new requests that may come my way!! Once again, apologies to the person who requested it!! I never intended to stretch it out this long... Have the most incredible week!! - Dolceice

[hanndleit]

Happy Birthday Ross!

 A/N: Holy shit this is SO late and so ridiculously cheesy, but it’s here! This is not only my first post on this Tumblr, but my first public piece ever. I’ve never published my writing before, so of course, feedback is appreciated! Requests are open!

“Is everything all set up in the back?”

Standing in front of the kitchen island, you were putting the finishing touches on a homemade birthday cake. White vanilla frosting and a black rectangle border, “HAPPY 28th ROSS” was emblazoned in big letters across the top. You had always been quite the baker, and having a sweet tooth for baked goods was probably the cause. Not a day went by that your oven wasn’t busy, and your flat permanently smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. You had applied to culinary school a few years back, but weren’t sure you could make a proper career out of it, so you kept it as a hobby.

“Let’s see, table, chairs, balloons, shitty party games.” Your best mate, Matty craned his neck out the sliding glass door, listing off what he could see in the back yard. “Oh yeah, and cake.” A hand snuck into your workspace and swiped a bit of frosting off the side of the cake you were still frosting.

“Hey!” You exclaimed, whacking the culprit on the knuckles with your wooden spoon. “S’not for you.” Scooping some more frosting, you fixed

the design with a frustrated huff. You couldn’t be mad at him though. He was impatient, and if you had to be honest, you were too. Glancing at your watch, you gave it a hard blow to clean off the flour that covered almost your entire forearm.

“What time is he supposed to be here?” Asked a different voice, George’s hand digging around in a bowl of crisps. You shrugged and balanced the spoon on the top of the frosting container, turning around to wash your hands in the sink.

“I told him to text me when he’s on his way. He didn’t seem suspicious, so I think we’re in the clear.” Drying your hands on a dishtowel, you began to clean off the counter, putting Ross’ cake in the refrigerator. “Would you quit?” You asked, grabbing the bowl away from George. “There's going to be nothing left by the time he gets here if you keep eating all the damn snacks.” George put his hands up defensively, hopping on top of the counter to sit.

Reaching around behind you, you untied your apron and folded it, placing it on the countertop. The sliding door opened, and Adam stepped inside, giving you a thumbs up. “Music’s set. I also found some holiday lights in the storage, and set them up as well.” He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. You smiled gratefully.

“Perfect.” Clapping your hands together, your cell buzzed on the table and you leaned over to read the notification. Your eyes lit up, and an excited grin pulled at the corners of your lips. “Ross is on his way.”

-----

“Move your ass.”

“This is my spot!”

“Pick a different one.”

“No!”

“What the hell are you doing?” You hissed, crouched uncomfortably behind a table. Glaring at Matty and George who sandwiched themselves behind one of the amps you were using as a speaker.

“This is my hiding spot. I claimed it earlier.” Matty complained, shoving an elbow against his mate.

“You can’t claim a hiding spot you bloody shrimp.” George blocked Matty’s jab, shoving him over into the dirt.

“Shut. The fuck. Up.” Adam snapped, every head turning in his direction with surprise. “The objective of a surprise party is to retain the element of surprise. If you can’t stay silent for five minutes, you’re going to ruin it.” He grumbled. It was a bit hard to take him seriously with the fact that he had a festive party hat strapped to the top of his head, but Matty and George kept quiet.

The sliding door leading inside opened slowly, and a very confused Ross stepped onto the back patio. You and Adam jumped up, followed by Matty and George. “Surprise!” You cried in unison, grinning from ear to ear. Ross’ smile lit up his entire face like Christmas, and he walked down the steps toward you all. Meeting him halfway, you brought Ross into a hug and kissed his cheek. “Happy Birthday.” You smiled. George came up from behind and strapped a party hat onto Ross’ head, the elastic snapping against his chin.

Whilst the boys exchanged hugs, birthday wishes, and conversation, you excused yourself to run back into your kitchen for a moment. Pulling the pitcher of Sangria Matty requested you make from the fridge, as well as the crisps bowl from the counter, you somehow safely made your way back down into the yard without dropping anything.

Adam had set up some music in one corner of the yard, and the reggae-style vocals of Sublime filled the air. Matty, already with a plastic cup of Sangria in hand, danced around George who looked clearly unamused, his own cup tilted to his lips.

Ross came up to you as you were pouring your own cup, and threw his arm around your shoulder. “You really put all of this together yourself?” He asked, a soft smile on his lips. Color flooded to your cheeks as you nodded, lifting your cup to hide your blush. Ross was always extremely appreciative of everything you did, regardless of what it was. You could bring him cookies from McDonalds at 3am, and he’d gush about how amazing you are, talking with crumbs in his beard.

You never thought too much about it, just accepted it as a compliment and went about. Friends. Nothing more, nothing less. You and Ross had met a handful of years ago, the story changing up every time someone asked. If you were to be honest, you both made up a new story so many times that you could hardly remember what was true and what you exaggerated. It wasn’t that the story of you meeting was embarrassing, it was that you and Ross were such close friends, the question was commonly brought up in conversation. After much denial of being a couple, you both realized that you didn’t have to tell people the true story of how you met. You could say that you met on the top of The Empire State Building or fighting bears in Russia. It became an inside joke between the two of you, seeing who could come up with the craziest, yet believable answer.

What you knew was true, was that it was New Year's Eve, you spilled your drink on Ross’ shoes, and he was the best kiss you've ever had.

It never went farther than that one kiss, but it never needed to. You were too focused on “getting somewhere in life” for a relationship. Ross never made any moves on you, but the way you casually flirted like it was the most normal thing in the world was a dead giveaway that there was something deeper. Well, to everyone but the both of you. The two of you denied any feelings for eachother like someone had offered to give you the plague.

Wrapping your arm around his waist, you pulled Ross into a side hug and smiled. “You deserve it, after all.” You took a swig from your cup, scrunching your nose and picking up a few pieces of fruit from the table and dropping them in your drink.

Across the yard, Matty and George had started up another playful argument, with Adam hopelessly shaking his head. You took that as a cue to create a diversion. “Alright. Who wants cake?” You called, making your way towards the door. “Adam? Could you help me?” Nodding your head towards the door, he followed you up the patio steps into the kitchen.

Pulling the cake from the refrigerator, you asked Adam to grab the candles from your purse, as well as your lighter. Sticking a few bright pink candles in the cake frosting, you flicked on the lighter and lit the candles, being careful not to burn yourself. Adam held the door opened for you as you carefully balanced the cake while walking down the stairs.

The smile on Ross’ face filled you with joy as everyone joined in singing “Happy Birthday” when they saw you approach with the cake. They had moved to sitting at the small table you had set up, and you placed the cake down in front of the birthday boy. He blew out the candles after the song ended, and Matty was quick to steal an extinguished candle and lick the frosting from the bottom. You scolded him for being impatient, and handed the cake knife to Ross so he could make the traditional first cut.

Passing out small paper plates of cake to each person, you took the chair next to Ross, who was enthusiastically enjoying his cake. In fact, they all were. Each of the boys showered you in compliments over how fantastic of a cook you were, and you couldn’t help but blush.

“Thank you for everything. This truly has been the best birthday ever.” Ross leaned over and put his mouth just inches from your ear, making your face heat up again. He seemed to notice this, and a grin pulled at the corners of his lips.

“Anything for my favorite birthday boy.” You returned his smile, leaning forward and pressing your lips to his cheek. And you meant it.

[nojam-secrettime]

blood ties; 01 [SVT’s S.Coups]

Genre: Vamp!AU, supernatural and pretty fluffy I think :)

–> part 2 | part 3

Word Count: 2.04k

Admin: Rianne⭐️

83. “Stay there. I’m coming to get you.”

The first time you met him, you were 5. You had wandered past the boundary, chasing after the ball you were playing with. It was your fault to begin with, playing so close to the edge of the safe zone, but you didn’t even notice when you ran after it.

The ball stopped at someone’s shoes and you looked up and saw his red eyes staring back at you. He blinked once, looking down at the ball and looking back at you. “You shouldn’t be here.” He warned you in a low voice.

You hesitantly reached out to take the pink ball back from him and you nodded. “I’m sorry.” You said, feeling the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and his eyes widened.

You ran off, already sensing the danger coming. You risked a glance back and saw him watching you. He was a head taller than you, you realized thinking about the memory again. But he had looked like a child, just like you.

You made it back to your side, the safe side, the human side.

For as long as you could remember, your city had been divided into two parts. Humans and vampires. The defining line creating a safe zone for humans, vampires couldn’t cross it without permission or they would face severe consequences.

The safe zone was supposed to be for the protection of the humans, but it never seemed to work. Night after night, humans were discovered dead, thrown back onto the human side like trash. It was no secret that the vampires held a grudge against those in power for restricting their freedom.

They had voiced very publicly that they wanted to be treated as equals. They didn’t have to kill a human to feed, but they needed to feed more often than once a week like the city had strictly implemented on them.

However, the rule was if a human ever crossed the line, left the safe zone, they were free game. Because it was the humans’ fault for endangering their own life like that and the city could no longer be responsible for the vampires’ actions on their own side.

The next time you saw him again, you were 15. The city was trying to establish better relations between humans and the vampires so they created a new idea. 24 hours of co-mingling under strict supervision and in a controlled environment. A permission form from the government was required to attend the event and it was held in the arena that sat equally between both sides.

There were intense security guards armed to the teeth with guns full of dead man’s blood bullets as well as regular bullets in case humans got too rowdy. They created a carnival of sorts, full of booths of food, toys, as well a stereo system playing music. They installed a bunch of rides and created a coupon system to pay for things so that money could also be regulated.

You had your eye on a booth that made freshly baked cookies and hurried over to get in line when the person in front of you turned suddenly, almost too quickly and elbowed your side. You winced, recognizing the bruise that would form there eventually and he looked down at you.

His red eyes looking back at you again and he smiled, “I’m so sorry, are you okay?” He asked, his hand covering yours as you nursed your side.

You shook your head in assurance, “It’s okay. Nothing’s bleeding.” You said and he smirked at that.

“I would be able to tell and that would be dangerous here.” He said, draping his arm over your shoulders as more people tried to squeeze past the both of you. For a space as big as the arena, you were surprised that it could still get this packed.

You had thought the event was a bit exclusive, after all, the city didn’t want any extremely close-minded people nor did they want someone too carefree that wouldn’t listen to the rules at all. You had come alone as you assumed someone you knew would be there. You hadn’t thought it would be a vampire.

“How do you remember me?” You blurted out as the line moved forward and the two of you moved up together. As soon as the words left your mouth, you realized it was a stupid question. Vampires had impeccable memory, after all, they lived forever and at least 3 times the life span of a human if they didn’t piss anyone off.

You watched as his lips curled up into a smile and he leaned in to whisper in your ear, “As if I could forget you.” He watched as his breath tickled your skin and made goosebumps rise. “Brave enough to chase after a ball no matter the consequences.” He said in a low voice.

You could feel the shiver run down your back, you knew you were a sucker for deep voices and the fact that he was whispering in your ear didn’t help at all. Your face flushed red and people walking by looked at you suspiciously with his arm around you.

“You were cute too. Still are.” He dragged his lips over your cheekbone and you felt his lips curl up into a smirk again. “But you’ve grown up a little.” You felt his eyes graze over your skin and you felt so exposed, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Are you alone?” He asked as the both of you got to the front of the line. He gestured for you to order and you looked at him confused. The girl behind the counter looked bored and huffed as she waited, albeit a bit impatiently, for you to speak.

“One bag of soft chocolate chip cookies.” You said, reaching into your bag when he stopped you. You watched as he already pulled out enough coupons for the bag of cookies.

“I like soft cookies too.” His eyes sparkled as you both walked over to the side to wait for your orders to come up. “My name’s S.Coups, by the way.” He leaned in close again, “But I want you to call me Seungcheol.”

“_____. I’m _______.” You said, rubbing your neck to calm the goosebumps that appeared again. He was too good at that, definitely having too much fun with that. He pulled you close again as a group of vampires walked by.

You looked over at them and you swore one winked at you, but it made your skin crawl. You recognized that was weird since you were perfectly fine with Seungcheol practically hugging you. He grabbed the cookies when they came out and you walked over to the side.

He handed you one and took another out for himself as well. You squealed a little, breaking the soft cookie in half and watching the chocolate ooze out. You twirled your finger in it and licked it.

“Someone’s excited.” He commented, grinning. You barely caught it, but he had flashed his fangs at you and you knew it made your heart skip.

“I love these kinds of cookies.” You replied, playfully sticking your tongue back out at him. “Don’t judge me.”

“I’m not, but that was cute.” He said, as you started nibbling at it. You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up again and you turned to see the vampires from earlier looking at you. “Don’t mind them.” S.Coups told you.

“Who are they?” You said, rubbing at your arms where the goosebumps formed again. You didn’t like it, they made you feel queasy, like they were bad news. You couldn’t shake the feeling, your intuition was never wrong and you wanted nothing to do with those boys.

“The top vampires of the moment, the one whose been looking at you is Kim Namjoon and the rest are just his brothers.” S.Coups explained. “They’re not really known for being pacifists, I’m sure you already know? The news stories are all about them.” He said, as you moved closer to him.

“I’ve heard. But why are they here then? I thought you had to pass a security check to get a permission form.” You asked him.

“They probably demanded one if anything, but the restrictions for entrance weren’t as strict as you think. We just needed a clean record which everyone here has.” He said. “Even if they have more radical beliefs than others.”

You nodded your head thoughtfully after that and didn’t say a word.

It had been 4 years since then, you had made it to college and spent as much time as you could together. The city had been re-lined, with new designated areas for co-mingling. S.Coups met you at cafes in those co-op areas several times.

It hadn’t taken long for you to realize that you loved him, he made your heart race and he genuinely cared. Even when you tortured him with the pleasant tune of your changing heartbeat. He always teased you about that, it was like a drug, listening to the way your heart sped up for him and the constant temptation of you.

He had been careful, light kisses, nothing heavy, just in case, after all his utmost priority was your safety even from him. But you had offered on multiple occasions, on days where he looked even more tired than usual, you offered. When he struggled with being around you, you also offered.

You didn’t mind, he was the only one you cared about, for him, it would be okay. But he always refused. Too dangerous, not to mention it was definitely against the rules. Not that you cared, honestly.

The rules didn’t cover if a human and vampire were in a relationship together. So you believed you were exempt.

You had spent another late night studying and S.Coups had gone out to get you some food instead of just more cake and coffee from the cafe you were studying at. He told you to call him if anything but you were done reviewing and wanted some fresh air. It had already been 10 hours since you had seen the sun.

What could it hurt? You walked right outside the door of the cafe and breathed in the cool night air. It was a pleasant sting in your lungs as your body adjusted to the temperature change.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the pretty little thing from the fair.” You heard a voice behind you and you turned, nervous. You knew who it was, you didn’t even need to hazard a guess. It could only be Namjoon, he was the only vampire that made your hair stand on end.

You turned to look at him slowly and he gave you a small little wave. You said nothing, taking a small step to the side, just to face him straight on. Moving backwards meant he’d think you were scared, not that you weren’t, but he didn’t need to know.

“The name’s Namjoon.” He said. “What’s yours?” He took a step closer to you and you had to will yourself not to take one back.

“None of your business.” You replied, sliding your phone out of your butt pocket. You couldn’t see, but you had that phone for so long you knew how to dial S.Coups’ number without looking.

Namjoon tutted, “We can’t be having any of that, pretty thing. Do you know who you’re speaking to?” He said, a dangerous edge in his voice and you could tell he was upset. No one had given him attitude and here you were a human, testing his little patience.

You could hear the dial tone, but so could he. His eyes widened and you bolted. You weren’t nearly as fast as he was. But you did what you could to know the little hidden spots of this co-op in case anything happened. And you ran for it.

Just as you pulled into your hiding spot, S.Coups answered his phone.

“Hey baby, I’m almost-“

“Namjoon is here.” You said, cutting him off.

“Stay there. I’m coming to get you.” He said sternly, hanging up the phone.

I LOVE COUPS. HE LOOKS SO GOOD IN THE MV THIS JUST CAME THROUGH BECAUSE OF THE VIDEO WOOOOW -Admin Rianne

[that-marshmallow-boy]

RFA + V/Saeran realize it’s MC’s birthday

Hey all! It’s my birthday today, so I figured now’s as good a time as any to post birthday headcanons. Since I just moved to a new area and know very few people here, I went with more of a “Oh, it’s your birthday???’ vibe rather than (most of them) having known when MC’s birthday is all along.

Requests are open.~

✦ZEN:

you had surprised him at rehearsal with some lunch just bc you wanted to see him on your birthday

your phone was blowing up w/ messages from your family

he didn’t mean to look, but he glanced and saw a “Happy Birthday!” text

s h o c k e d why didn’t you tell him??

soon as you left, he was calling Seven

“Of course I knew!”

“Why didn’t you tell me???”

“Figured she’d tell people if she wanted them to know...”

welp he was supposed to be rehearsing all day but he wasn’t about to spend all day w/o you

so he told his director who totally understood and then left

showed up with a dozen roses

“Happy Birthday, my princess.”

“How did you--”

“I saw your phone - I’m sorry. But you deserve to be spoiled today.”

spent the rest of the day doing just that

✦Yoosung:

bright and early, Seven was calling him

he figured this boy needs all the help he can get

“Today is what?!” omg what is he going to do he’s got nothing planned!

spent all morning shopping - flowers, groceries, he has everything put away before you’d even had your usual morning call

when you did call, he hoped you’d mention your birthday but you didn’t

he invited you over and you happily agreed

you were totally shocked when you arrived and his apartment was decorated for your birthday

and something smelled wonderful

greeted you at the door w/ a kiss and flowers

“Happy Birthday, MC~!”

he cooked two of your favorite meals for lunch and dinner and you spent all day cuddling and watching romance movies

✦Jaehee:

she had asked you a while ago because she kept all the files of RFA members up-to-date

she’d made a note on her calendar and had it remind her a week in advance there’s no catching her off guard

but you hadn’t mentioned it since? to her or any of the members?

you forgot she knew tbqh

she assumed this meant you didn’t want a huge fuss but she wanted to do something

she ended up making a small cake for you the day before to wake up to the next morning

and she turned off your alarm she had worked through enough birthdays and you deserved the day off

closed the bakery early to spend more time with you

you couldn’t believe she remembered! you didn’t think you could love her any more but you were wrong

spent the rest of the day cuddling under blankets watching whatever you wanted to watch Zen’s musicals were definitely part of it tho

✦Jumin:

you had pointedly not told him bc you knew it would be over the top and you felt guilty

the boy already buys you basically anything you show the slightest interest in

you breathed in the direction of a designer toilet seat once and it took like three hours to convince him it wasn’t a hint that you wanted it does anyone need something like that jfc

but he found out on the day of, when you got a call from your parents singing Happy Birthday to you

you were embarrassed

“I didn’t want to make a big deal about it...”

too late, he had already picked up his phone

“Jaehee, cancel all my plans for the day. It is MC’s birthday.”

bc it’s Jaehee, she foresaw this outcome and had not scheduled him anything today anyway

he made you strawberry pancakes and served them to you in bed

had the chef make your favorite meals the rest of the day

bc he couldn’t resist, he bought you a new dress and jewelry to match but otherwise did a good job respecting that you didn’t want it to be a spectacle

✦Saeyoung:

he knew of course, he’d known since day one

but you didn’t know he knew

which means his surprise party would be extra surprising he only hoped you liked that kind of thing

sent you on a scavenger hunt while he got everything ready, your party was totally space-themed

by then, you realized he knew

but you thought the scavenger hunt was it

so when it led you to his house, you were just expecting him with a goofy grin and honey buddha chips or something

then the door sang Happy Birthday to you which you loved

when you came in and all of RFA yelled “Surprise!” you almost cried

“I didn’t want anyone to feel like I was expecting anything so I didn’t tell anyone...thank you so much.” you felt so special

lots and lots of kisses and cuddles and making everyone tell you two to get a room

✦V:

you were cooking lunch when you finally said something out of necessity

“Oh, my parents are insisting on taking me out to dinner for my birthday tonight...I’d love it if you came, too.”

you heard him set his pipe on the table and you turned around

he was silent for a moment

“...It’s your birthday?”

he looks hurt oh no this is not what you wanted

you had started to ramble, wanting him to understand

“Oh, I didn’t tell anyone! It’s honestly...just another day for me. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

he made his way to the kitchen and placed a kiss on your cheek

felt around for your hands and laced his fingers through them

“Of course I’ll go to dinner with you. But can I make the day at least a little special for you?”

how can you say no to that

so you two dressed up and took lots of pictures together and he takes lots of you

they turned out amazing even with his limited vision

✦Saeran:

woke up w/ a groan and Saeyoung standing over him

“So what are you gonna do for MC for her birthday?”

what

was he supposed to know it was your birthday?

is that a thing he’s supposed to do? shit

deadpan stare, Saeyoung was almost sure he was gonna get punched

“...got any ideas?”

“Oh! Oh! Tons!”

he turned them all down

in the end he went with something pretty simple

surprised you with ice cream and your favorite cookies

and promised to do whatever you wanted all day pls don’t abuse it

you were super touched and looked at him with surprise

“But...how did you know? I didn’t tell anyone.”

you both ended up glaring at a snickering Saeyoung

while you were both secretly grateful bc it was a really nice day 

[epchapman89]

Where To Drink Coffee In São Paulo’s Vila Madalena Neighborhood

In roughly 1.1 miles—or a 23-minute walk—you can find six specialty coffee shops in the Vila Madalena neighborhood in São Paulo. If you live in cities like London, New York, or Seoul, that might not astonish you, but in the most populous city in South America, specialty coffee shops are not that easy to find. There is a joke going on in the city: the city council will only allow new cafes or roasteries if they are located in the Pinheiros-Vila Madalena stretch. Truth or not, let us take you to our delicious little coffee walking guide in the Vila area.

Coffee Lab

Let’s start with the pioneer Isabela Raposeiras’ Coffee Lab. The coffee school is also home to a coffee shop, where baristas in colorful jumpsuits will take you through a comprehensive coffee experience. The coffee rituals that are listed on the menu are a fun way to discover her lineup of in-house roasted blends and single origins, as well as to try tasteful combinations (coffee paired with chocolate or cheese, for example).

Weekdays are always calmer to visit, as weekends tend to get busy. There is no table service; you choose your coffee—or ritual—from the menu and go to the barista station to order. I recommend one of the Espírito Santo beans on pour-over, and an arroz doce (rice pudding). You won’t be disappointed.

Coffee Lab is located at R. Fradique Coutinho, 1340 – Pinheiros, São Paulo. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Academia do Café

Bruno Souza, owner of Academia do Café, is also a celebrity in the Brazilian coffee scene. He opened Belo Horizonte’s Academia in 2011 first as a coffee school, and then in 2014 they inaugurated the coffee shop. They expanded to this São Paulo coffee shop in 2017, also bringing their SCA-certified courses to the city.

Academia works with coffee from farming and roasting to exporting/importing, so it is a reliable source of knowledge on any of those fronts. At the shop, all espresso orders are made with a double shot, their own Fazenda Esperança farm beans are served throughout the year, and cheese from Minas Gerais award-winning regions is served to pair with coffee. Souza is a genuine and accessible character; if you have the luck to find him there, don’t miss the opportunity to chat with him over some well-brewed coffee.

Academia do Café is located at R. Fradique Coutinho, 914 – Vila Madalena, São Paulo. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Takkø Café

Rodolfo Herrera, Flávio Seixlack, and Rogério Tarantino, the fine folks behind Takkø Café, finally opened their second location. The newest location is at the front of an art gallery managed by Flip (Felipe Yung), a well-known graffiti artist and also a friend of Takkø’s owners. This spot is a more compact operation, focusing on batch-brew offerings and to-go options. The idea is to have more accessible coffee available for the many people who work in the nearby offices.

The owners are rotating behind the counters at the two shops, but you will always find one of them at the Vila Madalena location. Takkø serves a top-notch cortado made with Wolff Café beans, and delicious pastries from local bakeries.

Takkø Café São Paulo is located at R. Fidalga, 98 – Vila Madalena, São Paulo. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram.

Nano Cafés Especiais

Robin Kimura and Lívia Scudeller started Nano Cafés Especiais as a coffee and pastries truck. Scudeller is famous for her cookies and coconut cake recipes, and Kimura is a skillful barista. They brought their coffee truck operation to the back of a spacious house in a Vila Madalena hilly street, which is also home to local handmade shops.

During São Paulo’s high-temperature wave, their baunilha ice coffee comes handy: a delicious concoction of sweetened condensed milk, cold milk, vanilla, spices, and a shot of espresso. And to eat, don’t even try to get away: order Scudeller’s world famous cookies.

Nano Cafés Especiais is located at R. Girassol, 481 – Vila Madalena, São Paulo. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Cupping Café

Less than two blocks from Nano, you will find our next stop. Gabriel Penteado’s Cupping Café is the result of a extensive project. Penteado, an architect who fell in love with coffee some years ago, designed the entire renovation of the front of his parents’ house so that it would accommodate the coffee shop of his dreams. On the shop walls, you will find a lot of information on coffee methods, and the menu always offers three brewing options (AeroPress, Hario, and French Press) besides espresso, along with a fourth rotating method each week.

The food menu has just been renovated and the best-selling items are the pão de queijo (cheese bread), the Belgian waffles, and the slow-fermentation bread toasts.

Cupping Café is located at R. Wisard, 171 – Vila Madalena, São Paulo. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Isso é Café

The next—and last—cafe is located downhill—which is a blessing: Vila Madalena’s hills can be incredibly steep. Isso é Café’s second São Paulo shop is located at the picturesque Beco do Batman, a graffiti-filled alley located at the end of our walking tour. Home to Brazil’s first Modbar, they share the space with Vivei.ro, a social innovation agency/coworking space.

Like Academia do Café, Isso é Café is also well-managed by people who master the many activities in the coffee chain, from farming to exporting. Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF) is a model farm for many producers in the country and also acclaimed for its innovative and sustainable initiatives in the Mococa region (interior of São Paulo). Ask one of the skillful baristas at the coffee bar for a cappuccino and a croissant, while you sit down to digest this quick but intense coffee walk. From here, another walk shall begin, if I may suggest: the cocktail bar walk. But that is a subject for another article, I suppose.

Isso é Café is located at Tv. Alonso, 15 – Jardim das Bandeiras, São Paulo. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Juliana Ganan is a Brazilian coffee professional and journalist. Read more Juliana Ganan on Sprudge.

The post Where To Drink Coffee In São Paulo’s Vila Madalena Neighborhood appeared first on Sprudge.

seen 1st on http://sprudge.com