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pbandjesse · 5 months

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Today was a very very rainy and foggy day. Shockingly so at times. I am cozy in bed now. And I had a pretty nice day. It was a lot busier then I expected. But that was not a problem.

We got home around 1. I was falling asleep in the car but fighting it. We brought our stuff upstairs and got stuff out away. I took a shower and washed my hair and was asleep pretty quickly. We were beat and we both had to be up in the morning.

I dont remember James leaving. But they would text me when they were safely at work. I woke up at 9 and felt pretty alright. I was not as overwhelmingly exhausted like I expected. I got washed and dressed and felt good.

I did not have breakfast. I felt a little to stressed for that. I thought maybe I would grab something before the market but I just packed a yogurt and hoped for the best.

It was raining very hard and I was very surprised. I just didn't think the drops would be so large. So I was a little worried. I left a bit early to give myself time and figure out where to park and everything at the museum. And I'm glad I did.

I could not figure out how to get to the building. I looked at the map and had to loop a few times before I finally figured it out. And it was absolutely pouring so I was a little stressed when they said we had to go around the back of the building. Two of the other venders were waiting in their cars to see if the rain let up at all. But it didn't seem like it was going to. So once I spoke the the coordinator I just got my wagon and started loading up. Someone form the musuem carried my one picnic basket and I just walked with purpose and tried to get inside without being soaked.

Once everything was in I brought my wagon back to the car and drove my car to the street. I grabbed an umbrella and went back to the museum up the hill. I absolutely forgot my umbrella at the museum which I'm only mildly annoyed about. But it is alright. I have many umbrellas.

I set up pretty quickly. In about 10 minutes. And I was very happy with my display. The other couple venders were setting up still so I had some time to wander the house.

This place was very cool. This was a summer home in the 1800s. And the styling was just so cool. I loved seeing all the details. And the use of color. Some really darling features that I loved so much. For sure inspo for our future home.

We would have some foot traffic! I was honestly a little surprised only because the weather was so crumby. But my theory that it would make people come inside did seem partially true. And I was able to give out my card a while bunch and talk up a few workshops and private classes and commissions. And I did sell a few things. Not a ton but I am whole from the table cost of this week and last week with a little extra on top. So I didn't feel so defeated. Plus I was just having fun.

The woman next to me owns a jewelery store I actually am familiar with! It is a little shop inside the Mt Vernon marketplace. And she was such a big and lovely personality. She wanted all of us to be best friends and honestly by the end I swear we were. When it was quiet or slow we were all giving each other suggestions for business ideas and talking about how running businesses is and what matters to each of us and it was just such a lovely environment and energy and I really needed that bit of community. It just felt really good.

It was a short market but I felt like I got a lot out of it. Plus there was a live harp player and that was lovely to hear. I also got to see them open the big front door with a comically giant skeleton key and it made us loading everything out a lot easier. And it wasn't raining as much.

I went down and got my car and as usual, I was the first one in and the first one out. I packed up very quickly and was out of there. Lovely to meet everyone and followed each other on Instagram to keep in contact for the future.

I was starving though. My little yogurt did keep me from being woozy but I needed to eat and last night all I wanted was a hoagie. So that is what I went and got.

I drove out to Towson and got a Wawa hoagie. I was a little frustrated that I didn't have as much water left as I thought. But it was fine and I enjoyed my sandwich in the car while it continued to get foggier and foggier.

I would go home after that. I was surprised how terrible the weather was. I checked in with James about coming to get them from work. And that was decided.

So I went home to wait the hour before it was time to pick them up. I put some stuff away. Charged my phone. Hugged on sweetp. And at 4 I left to get my husband.

I was very happy to see them. And them me. And Angie was there!! I'm going to miss her when she leaves next month so I was really glad I got a hug today. Love Angie. And me and James went home.

We had about an hour here before we were going to see two houses. I chilled on the couch and tried to not lose the small amount of energy I still had.

But soon we were heading to Patterson to see the first house.

And I really liked this one. Like it was a flip but a nice one. Like they actually seemed to care. It was a little boring but I saw the potential. And I loved a lot about it. I am not making any decisions but man. This one seemed great and just weird enough that I can use a lot of decoration to bring back the original charms without having to worry about major plumbing or electrical issues.

We had another to see but this one was not good. Very very narrow. It almost felt like three studio apartments stacked on top of each other. This was just not it. But we used it as a spot to discuss what we were doing. Money, budget, hopes, dreams, all of that. We decided to look at a house I found that's a little farther east then we originally thought we would want. But it looks really nice in pictures so I think it's worth checking out.

The problem I'm having emotionally though is I'm very tired so everything feels more. And James loved the other house from last week so much so them not loving this one that I like, even though they say they like it, makes me second guess. They said they are struggling with seeing it staged with furniture which is fair, I had to really do some picturing to make it work on my head. But I really could see us happy there and getting to do the fun projects and decorating and all of that we want to do.

We left there and I asked them a question about decorating but they answered a different question about the house itself. Like they didn't understand what I meant and I spiraled a little. Worried. Dad called me and that helped distract me for the moment but once I was off the phone I was trying not to be sad and try to talk through what they were thinking.

I requested we go to a diner so they took me to tambers and we got sandwiches there. We looked at Pinterest and talked about what that house would accomplish for us. And I tried to see that they did like it, I was just feeling a little misunderstood.

I was also just exhausted and wanted to go home. It was still pouring but we got back here in one piece and relatively dry.

James went to finish the laundry and I took a shower. Got cozy in bed with the warm laundry and tried to feel better.

We talked and it helped. But I am very dehydrated right now and it's starting to give me a headache. So it is time to sleep.

We have a chill day tomorrow. And I'm looking forward to it. I hope you all have a nice night tonight and stay safe wherever you are. I love you all. Goodnight.

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mydisenchantedeulogy · 1 year

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Fragile Lines [Chapter Six] Footsteps [Ignacio “Nacho” Varga]

Summary: Ria has a heart-to-heart with Everly regarding her situation with Jimmy.

Warning(s): Heart-to-heart, mostly dialogue, short chapter.

No Minors Allowed!!

With one hand Ria tapped her plastic spork on the lid of her yogurt cup; the other bounced to the silent tune of 'Clair de Lune' as her mind raced with thoughts. It had been two days since the incident at the hospital and yet she could think of nothing else but how unfairly Jimmy had treated her. It was taking a serious toll on her mental health and on top of that, Benjamin had yet to answer her urgent message. She knew that he had gotten the text; her phone showed her that he had left her on read. Perhaps he was just unsure.

I don't blame him. It's been a long time.

Ria sighed. The Tower card she pulled a week ago was starting to make some sense now, though she was starting to wonder if the card was about her more than her brother and the situation at hand; she certainly thought so.

Drumming the spork harder, she heard the mimicking sound of a snare drum permeate the quiet room. Ria raised a curious brow and turned her attention to Everly as the redhead held her hands over her mouth, beatboxing. The sad attempt drew the attention of the other hospital staff in the room, but she didn't seem to care.

"What are you doing?" Ria asked as she leaned forward a bit.

Everly brought down her hands and grinned.

"I thought we were putting on a concert or something. You have some mad skills on the yogurt cup."

Ria felt her face heat up. She ignored the curious glances and dropped her spork onto the table.

"I was in my head again."

"So, what is the issue?" Everly asked with a brow raised. "You know you can tell me."

Ria had no doubt. But was she ready to hear what her friend had to say? She took an uneasy breath.

"The issue is Jimmy. He acted out of character the last I spoke to him."

"How so?" The redhead asked.

As much as Ria talked about Jimmy it was no surprise that Everly didn't seem lost. She had heard this same song and dance 100 times.

"He seemed like he was angry at me for not answering the phone when the doctor called me regarding Chuck and his panic attack. And when Chuck woke up, Jimmy acted like I didn't exist at all; like I didn't just speed through traffic to see how my brother was doing, or run out on a potential date."

She was referring to Nacho, of course, though she doubted that the latter thought of her or their introduction as such. He did give her his number, so maybe it could have been his intention to ask her out on a date. Ria felt her face heat up at this.

“Did you say something to him?” Everly asked suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts.

She almost forgot about her situation with Jimmy. The excitement she felt morphed into grief; from 100 to 0 in just a few seconds.

“No... I stayed outside most of the night. And Jimmy left in a rush when Howard got there, so I let it be.”

“That Kennedy-esque prick your brother works with?” Everly asked.

Ria told her about Howard on more than one occasion. His face was also on nearly every billboard from Central Avenue to the state line.

“Unfortunately. You know, since he denied Jimmy a job at HHM, my brother has had it out for him. Did you see that billboard he paid for? He could have been Howard with those terrible highlights; he was asking for trouble. And the worst part is, Howard was the one who told Jimmy about Chuck and his accident.”

“I can see why he'd be mad at you,” Everly mentioned. She leaned forward with a grunt and snatched the yogurt cup. Tearing off the lid she gave it a lick and hummed. “Looking at it in a Jimmy way, of course.”

What did she mean? Ria raised a curious brow and motioned for her to continue.

“He doesn't like Howard much and then instead of you, he learns Chuck is in the hospital from him. He's just mad that Barbie’s boyfriend was the one who found out first,” the redhead explained.

Ria didn’t think of it like that. Was Jimmy really mad because he had to hear this from Howard? What a petty reason to be mad. It made sense though.

“But what I don’t understand is why you didn’t say something to him. I certainly would have; he shouldn't treat you like that just because he's holding a grudge,” she added.

Ria bounced her fingers on the table.

“I... I just don’t have a good relationship with Chuck and seeing Jimmy kiss his ass and act like he's the brother of the year when Chuck talks horribly about him kills me. I walked out because neither of them understands the sacrifices I made for them. It's infuriating.”

“How are they supposed to know if you don’t tell them? I swear Ria you are 100% a Taurus; stubborn as hell,” Everly stated.

She took a bite of the yogurt and glanced at the brunette for a response.

“I honestly don’t think they'd care,” Ria rebutted.

The redhead sighed.

“Don't take this the wrong way, but they probably aren't ever going to see it as a sacrifice you decided to move closer to them. But that doesn't mean to you it wasn't. That’s something you have to live with now, and it’s not all bad. You have someone as awesome as me in your life now.”

“I hate you sometimes,” Ria teased. Warm tears filled her eyes.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Everly was right. She expected her brothers to know these things; know that she had given up her life for them, but they didn’t because she never made it known to them how she felt.

“I love you too, little bull. Give it some thought, and next time speak up when Jimmy upsets you,” Everly suggested with a grin. “His cute butt deserves to be put into place. You shouldn't take shit from him just because you are afraid to lose him. He and Chuck may never see eye to eye, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be civil to them.”

Again, she was right. Ria peered up at the clock on the wall and sighed.

“We have a few minutes left.”

She dug into her lunch bag and took out a banana that she had brought, removing the peel. Ria wasn’t hungry, but to get through the night, she needed to eat something. Maybe she’d get breakfast at Loyola’s in the morning before she went home and crashed.

“So, speaking of bananas,” Everly brought up. “Did you ever call the number that guy at the diner gave you?”

Ria snorted. She had the weirdest way of changing topics.

“No. I put it into my phone but I don’t know about calling him.”

“Are you serious? A cute guy gives you his number and you are unsure about calling him,” Everly argued.

Ria had her reasons.

“He's a stranger. He could be a complete weirdo.”

Though she had to admit, he had smooth-talked her with hardly any effort. He didn’t even say much, other than the brief conversation they had about Jimmy.

“You can’t be sure until you get to know him more,” the redhead stated. She shoved a spork full of yogurt into her mouth. “Don’t you owe him?”

“I'm not sure why I tell you these things. But yes,” Ria answered.

Everly motioned toward her phone on the table, silently ushering for her to call him. Glancing at the clock, the brunette grunted and picked up the device, hunting for the number. Once she dialed it, she flipped Everly the bird and waited patiently for someone to answer; the call went to voicemail.

“Nacho. Leave it.”

After the beep, she took a deep breath.

“Um... hey. It's Ariana. I never got the chance to thank you for covering for me Thursday. I'm extremely sorry for leaving you with the bill... and I was wondering if you'd let me buy you lunch one afternoon to pay you back. I'm currently working, so if you're interested, please message me back. Bye.”

Her heart was pounding in her ears as she ended the call.

“Bravo!” Everly exclaimed as she clapped her hands.

“Shut it,” Ria retorted.

Once their lunch was over, the two returned to their stations. It wasn’t until the end of her shift that Ria noticed that she had an unread message. Sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, she checked it.

I'm interested, the message read.

A wide smile parted her lips and Ria quickly messaged him back.

That's great to hear. I'll be available this Wednesday or Thursday, I'm not sure yet. But I'll message you when I know.

Sitting her phone down on her lap, she didn’t expect Nacho to answer so soon, but a low ding alerted her of a message and Ria quickly answered it with a nervous grin.

I'll be waiting.

For once she felt like her life was moving forward rather than leaping back.

#better call saul fandom #nacho varga #better call saul fanfiction #nacho varga x oc

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chaolie · 2 years

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Fundy Week, Day 3 - Pets

Soooo... I kinda forgot what happens when I add an animal into something I'm writing so now this is LONG. Oops? But anyway yeah, here's something for @fundyfiles' Fundy Week again! Hope you enjoy! And don't forget there's also an Ao3 version!

[last chapter] [next chapter]

Words: 3.3k

Characters: Fundy, Wilbur, Sally, Yogurt

Summary: Out of nowhere, Fundy brings home a cat. His parents aren't thrilled, so it takes some effort to convince them to let him keep it for at least some time. The collar on its neck doesn't help his case. Fundy and Yogurt find a lost dog and decide to give it a shelter for some time. Despite his initial fear, Yogurt ends up enjoying the pet's company.

“Mum! Dad! Look!” Fundy yelled as he ran through the door to his house.

“What’s-” his dad’s head poked out from the kitchen, but the man froze almost instantly. “...Fundy, what are you holding?”

The fox kit looked down at the cute, fluffy animal he found outside and cheerfully showed it off. He wasn’t quite sure what kind of an animal it was, but it was very friendly and nice, so he liked it! It came up to him when he was wandering around near his house and it seemed to warm up to him pretty fast! It just... got closer to him and wouldn’t leave him alone, purring and rubbing against him… it even let him pet it! Not to mention, he was currently holding it.

“A friend!” he replied cheerfully. His father carefully stepped out of the kitchen.

“...Okay, and where did you… find that friend, exactly?” he questioned, cautiously stepping closer.

“There!” the fox kit answered, pointing outside. Now that he was holding the animal with just one hand, it had no trouble slipping out from his arms. Somehow, it landed on its feet with no trouble, and after stretching briefly, it started brushing against Fundy’s legs again. “Look!” he giggled, crouching down to pat its head.

“That’s… great,” Wilbur smiled nervously. “Uh, Sally? Can you… come here for a second?” he called back into the kitchen.

“Sure!” the woman answered. She quickly came out of the kitchen. “What did he find- Oh,” she stopped by Wilbur’s side, and the two of them spent a moment just looking at their son and the suspiciously friendly cat by his side. Eventually, Wilbur took a deep breath and moved from his spot.

“Okay, Fundy, can I… borrow your friend for a second?” he asked. The fox kit looked up at him, but after a moment of consideration, he nodded. “Thank you. Uh… come here, buddy…” he encouraged the cat. To his surprise, it actually walked closer to him, letting him pick it up.

“...How about you take Fundy’s new friend to the kitchen and offer him some food?” Sally chimed in. “Meanwhile I’ll talk with Fundy for a moment, okay?”

“Great idea,” Wilbur nodded, carrying the cat further into their house. Fundy stared after them longingly until his father was out of his sight.

“Fundy,” Sally got his attention. She crouched down next to him. “Can you tell me where you found that cat?” she asked, and the fox kit looked up at her with a confused frown.

“Cat?” he repeated after her. His mother nodded.

“That is a cat,” she confirmed. “Did it come up to you? They don’t usually… wander through forests.”

“Yeah!” Fundy confirmed with a nod.

“Okay, and… it didn’t scratch you, right? Was it friendly to you the entire time?” Sally asked, and the fox kit nodded again.

“Mhm! And I helped!” he exclaimed with a grin. Sally tilted her head slightly.

“You helped the cat? How did you help it?” she asked. Fundy reached into his pocket before triumphantly retrieving something from it. A… blue collar. “...Oh. Was that on its neck?” Sally asked, and Fundy nodded. “Okay. I think we should show your dad,” she decided, picking the fox kit up and carrying him into the kitchen. As they entered, they noticed Wilbur looking at the cat with a frown on his face while it sat on one of the chests.

“I didn’t think there were wild cats in the forest,” he said when he heard footsteps entering the room. Sally sighed.

“I don’t think it’s a wild cat,” she answered. Wilbur turned to look at her with a confused frown, but noticed the collar Fundy was holding almost instantly. “Fundy, can you give that to me for a moment?” she requested.

“Okay,” the fox kit nodded, handing her the item. She gently set him back down before approaching the cat.

“We should put it back on him,” she said, and Wilbur nodded.

“Her,” he corrected. “I think it’s a she,” he explained, and Sally nodded in acknowledgment.

The cat looked up at the woman with the collar in her hand and didn’t seem alarmed. Fundy, on the other hand, appeared very alarmed as he somehow squeezed himself between his parents to stop his mother from approaching the animal. It didn’t take Sally long to realize why. She sighed.

“Fundy, the collar isn’t a bad thing,” she said, crouching down. “It’s not… dangerous to a cat, it’s just a sign she has a home somewhere out there. She should wear it,” she explained. The fox kit still seemed hesitant to believe her, so she picked him back up. “Look, she’s not scared of it, see?”

She passed the collar to Wilbur so she could focus on holding their son, and the cat seemed just as unbothered to see the man holding the item. After a moment of uncertainty, Wilbur stepped closer to the chest the cat was sitting on and attempted to put the collar back on her neck. He made sure to move slowly, the last thing they wanted was for the animal to act scared, that would surely convince Fundy that she didn’t want to wear the collar. Luckily, instead of backing away, the cat went as far as to outstretch her neck to make Wilbur’s task easier.

“See? I think she likes the collar,” Sally said while Wilbur secured it on the cat’s neck.

“Now that you know it’s safe,” Wilbur started, turning around to look at Fundy. “...How about you go to your room for a bit? Your mum and I need to figure out what to do about the cat.”

“What?” Fundy asked, tilting his head in confusion. What was there to figure out?

“Well, it has a collar, so it also has a home somewhere. We can’t keep it,” the man explained. For a moment, Fundy felt a strong urge to disagree and argue. Then, a brighter idea came to his mind.

“...Okay,” he muttered, and his mother set him down on the floor.

“This won’t take long, I promise,” Sally assured him. He just nodded and headed to the exit from the kitchen.

Almost immediately, Sally and Wilbur started to debate what to do, consider all the ways they could find and contact the owner, try to remember their closest neighbors, and wonder how the cat even got near their house… all while doing their best to keep their son in their minds and consider how to explain the situation better to him so that he doesn’t try anything. Little did they know, Fundy was trying something already. While they were busy talking and planning, he snuck over to the chest into which he noticed his dad misplace a cooked chicken a day ago, got the food out, and quietly went back to the kitchen’s entrance.

Not long after he crouched down by the doorframe, the cat he brought into the home noticed him. She was quick to jump off the chest and trot over to him, curiously looking at the chicken. Instead of feeding her instantly, Fundy quietly got back up and led his new friend into his room, all while his parents were too busy to notice. Once they made it into the room, the fox kit closed the door and sat down on the floor, finally letting the cat have some of the chicken he lured her with.

He let her eat, showed her around his room, and told her about all the best hiding spots she could go into… he even offered her some of his toys! She wasn’t too interested in them, but there were still things Fundy could offer that made up for the lack of entertainment! Those things were mostly head pats and gentle scratches behind the ears, but the happy purring noise the cat made convinced him she really enjoyed those.

It must’ve been at least 20 minutes before his parents finally knocked on his door, and the gesture itself gave him just enough time to move between the cat and the door, blocking her from their view.

“Fundy,” Wilbur sighed, crossing his arms. “Did you take the cat?” he asked, and the fox kit stilled to make sure they couldn’t see her.

“No,” he lied. His parents just exchanged looks.

“Fundy, we can’t keep her, sweetheart,” Sally explained, walking deeper into the room. “She already has a home.”

“...But look!” Fundy exclaimed, turning around to hug the cat and move it in front of him. For a split second, his parents thought she was going to scratch him. “Friend!”

The cat started to purr and made itself comfortable in the fox kit's lap. She sure was a friendly cat, his parents had to admit. They exchanged looks again, and Wilbur stepped forward this time.

“You know what?” he started, and Fundy looked up at him. “For now, let’s say you can keep her-”

“Wilbur,” Sally interrupted him, but it was too late.

“Thanks!” Fundy grinned and pulled the cat into something resembling a hug. To everyone’s shock, even that didn’t warrant as much as an annoyed tail wag from the animal.

“...But,” Wilbur continued. “Once we find the owner, we need to give her back. They’ve had her longer than you, and they must miss her very much…”

“Mhm,” Fundy nodded, but he wasn’t really listening anymore.

A shame.

It probably would’ve made parting with the cat a week later much easier on him. Sure, the neighbor might’ve told him he was always free to visit their house and hang out with the cat, but they lived hours away, so… that wasn’t an option either. As sad as it sounded, the fox kit really regretted getting so attached to his new friend.

***

“Dad! Dad!” Yogurt called out, running into the house with a distressed look on his face. Instantly, Fundy felt alarmed.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, crouching down right in front of his son to look him over. He didn’t look hurt, fortunately, but something had clearly upset him. The fox kit nervously pointed at the door he had just run through.

“Scary thing!” he exclaimed, and Fundy immediately looked outside through the crack of the door. Luckily, he saw no monster standing there.

“In the woods?” he asked, and Yogurt nodded. “...Was it a monster?” he continued, but this time his son shook his head. “Okay. Can you show me?” he requested. Reluctantly, the fox kit nodded, so Fundy picked him up gently. “Alright, show me the way, then.”

“There!” Yogurt answered as soon as they made it to the door, pointing in the direction of the lake they lived by.

Fundy nodded and slowly started to walk in that direction. He tried to be wary of his surroundings and made sure he held Yogurt high enough to keep him safe from whatever they could encounter, but it quickly became apparent that the caution wasn’t needed. The only thing out of order by the lake was a white shape next to the water, too occupied with drinking to notice them approaching. Fundy stopped.

“...Is that the thing, Yogurt?” he asked, and the fox kit in his arms nodded. “You don’t need to be scared, then. It’s just a dog,” he explained.

Sure, dogs would attack foxes sometimes, but the red collar on its neck convinced Fundy it wouldn’t do that without an owner’s order. Still, his son seemed scared around the animal, so Fundy decided against coming any closer. Instead, he took a moment to examine the animal from afar. It didn’t look to be injured, just tired, thirsty, and possibly hungry. It was probably lost, he figured. As much as he wanted to walk up to it and verify everything he just assumed, he knew that he should make sure his son was okay first.

With a sigh, he turned around and walked back to the house, somehow still unnoticed by the animal. He carried Yogurt over to the porch of their cottage before he finally set him back down, and luckily the fox kit didn’t protest. Either he noticed how weak the dog looked or just felt safe with Fundy there. Now came the time to make a decision, though… What should they do about the dog? Did Yogurt even understand it had an owner? Well, there was one way to find out.

“...Okay, Yogurt, do you know what a pet is?” Fundy asked, and his son seemed to think the question through, but he shook his head in the end. “That’s okay. Did you notice the red thing on that dog’s neck? The collar?”

“Yeah!” the fox kit beamed, and Fundy smiled.

“Great! If you see a collar like that on an animal, that means it’s a pet,” he explained, but his son was clearly still confused about the term. “And a pet is just… an animal someone tamed. They’re usually nicer than wild animals and they stick close to their owner.”

“...But…” Yogurt looked back in the direction of the lake. There was no owner there.

“I know,” Fundy sighed. “I think that dog is lost. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll find its way home soon!” he assured. Yogurt nodded slowly.

“...Can we… help?” he asked after a moment, and Fundy smiled.

“Sure,” he nodded. “We can give it some food, and maybe…” he paused, looking up at the sky. The clouds were concerningly gray. “...Maybe we could let it stay and rest? It looks like it’s going to rain soon,” he pointed out. Yogurt seemed just a little bit uneasy about the last idea. “We don’t have to let it into the house, it can just sit on the porch.”

“Okay,” the fox kit nodded.

“Alright, let’s go pick some food for the dog then, yeah?” Fundy encouraged, and the two finally entered the house. “Oh, and Yogurt? Would you like to stay inside while I get the dog to come here?” he asked. His son stopped walking and quietly hummed in thought.

“...Yeah,” he admitted after a moment.

“Okay, we can do that, then.”

After searching a chest or two, they found a couple of steaks, which should be more than enough for the animal. In the meantime, Fundy figured out that he could use one to lure the dog onto the porch and offer it more food there, so he ended up leaving all but one of them resting on the fence. Then, after making sure Yogurt had a good view through the window and that he was entirely safe inside, he finally headed towards the lake again. The dog was still there, but it was no longer drinking. It just sat there, panting, and it still didn’t notice him.

“...Hey, buddy? Are you okay?” Fundy asked eventually, and the animal looked up at him. It seemed startled. “It’s okay, it’s okay! I’m here to help, look! Would you like some food?” he offered, holding out the steak.

The dog looked at it for a moment, and Fundy could swear he saw its tail move slowly. It finally got up and started to cautiously walk in his direction. Simultaneously, Fundy started backing away.

“Come on, follow me. There’s more on the porch,” he promised.

While the dog kept its distance from Fundy, it still followed him all the way over to the porch. The fox hybrid carefully went up the steps and made sure he was standing under the roof before crouching down and placing the food on the ground. He glanced in the direction of the window and found Yogurt almost glued to it, watching in amazement as the dog climbed the stairs and came closer to the steak. It sniffed it briefly before starting to eat.

“Here you go,” Fundy smiled. He then grabbed all the other meat he and his son prepared and placed it in front of the dog. “You can have more, and you can rest here. It’s okay.”

Letting the animal eat in peace, Fundy got back up and walked into the house. He then went over to the window Yogurt was watching from and joined his side. The fox kit looked back at him with a wide smile for a moment, but he was quick to go back to observing the dog. It was probably the first time he got to see one from this close up, his father realized. Just as if to confirm that, Yogurt turned to him again.

“Dad? Why is it…?” he asked, pointing at the dog. At this point, it seemed pretty relaxed on the porch, eating the food it was given and wagging its tail happily. Somehow, Fundy had a feeling that it was the last thing that confused his son.

“Moving its tail?” he asked, and the fox kit nodded. “That means it’s happy. You do that too, you know?” he pointed out, and Yogurt immediately looked at him with a frown.

“What?” he gasped. Instead of answering, Fundy simply pointed behind him, where the fox kit’s tail had been wagging ever since the dog got onto the porch. Yogurt looked back at it and seemed shocked at the discovery. Fundy smiled and patted his head.

“See, I told you,” he said. Then he turned his head to glance at the clock on the wall. “...I think I should start preparing dinner for us now,” he noticed. “You can stay here and watch the dog if you want to, though.”

“Yeah!” the fox kit cheered. “Thanks!”

By the time Fundy came up with something to prepare for them, it had already started to rain outside. He didn’t think much of it at first, the dog was safe and dry under the roof of their porch, there was no reason to check on it. However, just moments after he put all the food on two plates and was about to call his son over to eat, he heard the door to their house click open.

“Yogurt?” he called out, instantly putting down the plates and peeking out of the room to look at the door. It was left ajar, but he couldn’t see anything through the opening, so he dared to come closer.

Once he finally got a look at the porch, he found Yogurt crouching next to the dog. The animal looked at him, and that was when he noticed the blanket that usually lay in his son’s room on its back.

“Yogurt? Did you give that to it?” he asked again, and his son turned his head to look at him. For a moment, the fox kit froze, but then he nodded.

“...It’s cold,” he explained nervously. Sure enough, the rain made the air feel just a tiny bit colder… Fundy smiled.

“That’s nice of you. I’m sure the dog appreciates that,” he said. He was sweet to see the fox kit go from being scared of the animal to feeling compassionate for it in such a short time, he thought. “...Do you want to eat dinner on the porch today? We can get the dog a bone to chew so it doesn’t feel left out-” he tried to suggest.

“Yeah!” Yogurt beamed instantly.

It was really nice, Fundy thought as the three of them sat on the porch. The fresh, cool air made him feel just a little bit lighter, the sound of the rain was soothing, and running his hand through the dog’s hair every once in a while was truly the icing on the cake. He just sat there, enjoying the moment and pretending he couldn’t see Yogurt trying to offer the animal some of his food… he wished it could last longer, but they’d need to let the dog go soon.

Otherwise, its owner could go looking for it and accidentally find his and Yogurt’s little cottage, and the last thing he needed was someone knowing where they were-

“Dad?” Yogurt’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “...Can we… have a pet?” he asked. Fundy considered that for a moment, and found himself smiling again.

“Maybe someday…” he nodded. “Yeah, someday we’ll get a pet.”

#fundyweek2022 #fundy #c!fundy #wilbur soot #c!wilbur soot #sally the salmon #yogurt dy #yogurt dsmp #Don't think about how cats eat fish (sally) and how dogs attack foxes (Yogurt). Do not.#<- It's a coincidence but it's funny

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happi-meals · 2 months

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Today's breakfast!

Vegan almond yogurt, carrot, and clemintine drink + pan-fried egg, steamed kale, sliced vegan bratwurst on a bed of rice!

Very rewarding meal, though I would have loved to have the drink and the food together lol. I forgot to prep and make the drink first, so I made and drank it afterward.

Wrt the drink, I cant quite call it a smoothie yet because I dont have ice and its just not the texture I want it at yet. It has very great flavor, especially the citrus zest; 2 clemintines with pulp amplified by twang of ginger root and a brightness of lemon juice (no cider this time! Didnt need it); lots of honey and carrot to add a tinge of particular sweetness.

BUT

I simply dont have the consistency I desire smdh. The lack of ice means theres less volume to the drink and its lack of viscosity makes the chunks of veggies (particularly the carrot) relatively unplesant in texture. I wouldnt mind said chunks and pieces if they were spread evenly in a smoothie. But alas lol.

Will definitely give the kale a break for more of this bright and healthy juice option!

Ingredients for the drink (no particular proportions; experimenting to taste)

2 clemintines with pulp 🍊

A handfull of baby carrots 🥕

A dash of lemon juice 🍋

A few dollops of vegan yogurt (unsweetened) 🍦

Small cut of fresh ginger root 🫚

LOTS of honey! 🍯

Now that I'm thinking about it, this entire drink would have been nice as is if I had some sort of mesh strainer to seperate the large chunks from the juice itself. That way, it could suffice without ice! 🧊 I def need to invest in one if I cant find one thrifted.

Onto the food!

Nothing too much to say here other than it was a great meal!

The egg was certainly more flavorful than last time, thought I admit it was a bit too much season salt lol. I cooked it last since I was right to remember that eggs cook in like 4 mins max lol. However, I accidentally skipped a step in remembering to heat up the pan with its oil before cracking the egg into it. So for several seconds the poor abortion remained clear and uncooked in the pan, sliding but not simmering. I thought i may have fluked the process again but I turned up the heat a bit and the egg bounced back, the whites appearing slowly as it actually simmered and cooked lol

The rice I simply made in my cute lil rice cooker (i should give it a name 🤔).

My mom got it for me when I was in college, considering I went vegan a few yrs prior, hadnt bought an [unlimited] meal plan at the dorm cafeteria, and may have had limited options (thankfully I didnt, eventually bought and u limited meal plan, and never needed to use the cooker living on campus. It became my ol-reliable later before I left though lol). Its a great cooker and can handle I believe up to around 1 or 1 1/2 cups of rice and its respective portions of water, which is plently for just me and usually enough for 2 servings. I use it almost daily when I cook so its def a staple tool in the kitchen I'm grateful to have. Thanks, mom! 💕

The kale I steamed in a pot with a lid and added a but of Lawry's season salt, a cap full of vinegar, and pepper. Simple yet flavorful. I love seeing the change of volume the kale undergoes as its steamed. A large portion of bright green, rubbery kale leaves that overfills the brim of the pan quickly shrivels into a manageable serving of jeep-green, seasoned kale, steamed to perfection (and much more pleasant to chew!). Speaking of kale transformations lol....

.... Ive had this batch of kale for going on 3 weeks now! I made a post about it before on my nature blog @happigreens (I'll transfer here eventually), but to condense it to the gist of this one, the salt bath i gave the kale was extremely helpful in extending the shelf life of the leaves. By now, theyre finally yellowing and some are wilting from dryness, but many still retain a crisp texture as if freshly harvested. I'll always soak kale leaves in saline water to preserve them! The kale in this meal didnt need that crispness necessarily, but the soaking probably retains its nutritional value for a lot longer, so thats definitely always important!

The brat I cooked the same as last time: pan fried! The brats are so good imo that they dont need any seasoning other than compatible cooking oil! Beyond Meat has some absolutely delish products. I just hope one day plant based products like that can be subsidized or something 😅. Also like before, the brat complimented the egg so well. I really didnt want any meat for this meal but craved the umami flavor combos I had with my last meal. Was not disappointed!

Ingredients for this meal included:

1 Beyond Sausage Brat Origianal link (pulled into pieces for a feeling of bigger portions lol)

1 egg (to be fried)

Like a big bowlfull of kale (again, no exact proportion here lol, but ut was a lot!)

Lawry's season salt (to season kale and egg to taste)

Pepper (for the kale and egg again)

A capful of vinegar (for the kale)

Olive and sesame oil (for pan-frying the egg and brat, and steaming the kale)

1 cup of rice (which take ~2 cups of water to cook)

9/10 It all came together for a great meal! :-)

#my meals

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xennariel · 5 months

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I'm feeling shitty and I'm in an awful mood today.

Feeling very overwhelmed because Seasonal Depression, but also my candles didn't sell at this last show I did and I'm out like 200 bucks because I'm in the show this week too and I have a bunch of candles to make by tomorrow night so I can try and stock different things to see if that sells. But Mother, of course, gets mad when she comes home. For stupid shit too. She asked me to look up replacements for mayo in recipes, and there's literally nothing that my husband will eat, it said like yogurt or sour cream. He doesn't like any of those. So of course she doesn't believe me and says "something Logan will like" in a tone that made it sound as if I didn't think of that and that I'm stupid. (She speaks to me like that all the time though and sometimes I just can't ignore it.) Like, oh gee, you think? Of fucking course I know that.

So I bring in the groceries from her car and start putting them away and she's like "what did you just put outside" and I was like "the drink things" that she literally watched me walk out with. And then she's like "well I work all day and can't remember or notice every little thing" but any time anyone else forgets anything we need to "go see a doctor." That was also a jab at how she thinks she's the only one that does any work ever because my father and I work from home.

Then she proceeds to go off like "no one ever does anything for me, but I have to do everything for everyone" and when I said we do a ton for her, she went off on a tirade about how I never cook dinner (I make dinner 99% of the time, she happens to be cooking today because she said she would), I never do her laundry for her (because I'm supposed to think of her and do stuff for her before anything else I guess), how we all do whatever we want while she "never" gets to do stuff for herself. She has no self awareness and projects so hard on everyone else that she's delusional. She has this mindset of like "if people aren't working from the moment they wake up until midnight every day, those people are not doing anything ever and are lazy and selfish." She's literally said shit to that extent numerous times. I am so fucking fed up with it. and then before I went back downstairs to finish making candles I need done for tomorrow (I have like a shit ton to do because I had to do too much other crap yesterday and today), she says "just because you're in a bad mood, you have to put everyone else in one too" like she doesn't ever do that and I told her she does that too and she got angry and I was like "oh I forgot, you're perfect" and she yelled "You know what, I AM perfect"

So there's my mother, everyone. A classic, every day situation where everyone has to be happy and wait on her hand and foot or she gets angry and whines like a fucking toddler. Her tantrums are exhausting. And then she says I need help with my stress and anxiety and it's like...I know exactly what will help me with that, but the woman won't move out.

I used to think it was me, but since I started taking meds that actually help me, I've learned that she's just irrational. I'm convinced she wants to be miserable and complain all the time. She's always looking for something to yell about. Always blames others before being accountable for her own shit.

I've spent most of my life catering to this woman, trying to make her proud of me, but I realize now that I've spent way too long doing things for an ungrateful person who sees the one wrong thing someone did out of 100 good things and focuses on that, completely disregarding all the good things.

If you have someone like that in your life, just get away if you can. Get far away.

#my mother #random shit #rants #I'm too old and exhausted for this shit #when do I get to live my life?

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msbarrows · 9 months

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July 15 to July 27- managed to flake out of doing my Thing A Day posts, and for considerably longer than I thought it’s been at that (feels like a week, it’s been more like two). Haven’t done much in that time other than laundry, and partially cleaning the upstairs bathroom. Need to get out of the doldrums and start doing more stuff. Also resume doing these posts because mostly they’ve been at least partially successful in reminding me to do more.

What I can remember of the last week or so below the cut.

July 19 - dug meat sauce out of the freezer and we had that and pasta. I’m surprised I can even remember back this far.

July 20 - starting prep for a colonoscopy next Monday, so made an easily digestible supper of pan-fried haddock and homemade hash browns. The last “real” meal I’ll have until early next week. Thankfully brother is going on a trip starting tomorrow so I only have to worry about cooking for myself over the weekend. He spent the afternoon making a big pot of sausage & steak chili to take along with him

July 21 - made a vat of stock, partially to use up some freezer burnt chicken (a half chicken and four thighs), but mostly to provide myself with well-cooked chicken and stock for this weekend. Brother forgot to pack his chili, crock pot full of it was sitting out on the counter when I went downstairs to turn off the heat under the stock pot, whoops. Chili is now in fridge.

For supper I made a cheese and chicken sandwich with mayo on white bread, and picked all the very-well-cooked chunks of carrot out of the stock pot to also eat

July 22 - ran two loads of laundry. Deboned the remainder of the chicken and froze most of it. Also divided up and froze the chili and most of the stock (which I’d strained yesterday and then chilled overnight so I could skim off and discard any fat). Cut up a beef roast into stewing beef and froze it in 1 lb amounts for future use.

For supper I cooked some white rice in stock with a little dried tarragon, and added some of the shredded chicken to it.

July 23 - the fun of clear liquids only day! I will not go into the gross details of what prep involves (google peglyte it if you’re curious). When I was finally able to ingest stuff in late evening, my supper was some lime jello made using grape-apple juice, and later a soup mug full of chicken stock.

July 24 - colonoscopy day. Brother drove me there and back. I am now four polyps down, and am being referred to their big polyps specialist to remove a fifth (the big ones apparently need different instrumentation to remove), which will mean re-doing prep at some point in the near future. I am SO not looking forward to that - the colonoscopy itself is no biggie but the prep sucks so very, very much.

Pretty tired since I had to get up at stupid o’clock to do final prep. I will be avoiding blue gatorade for some time to come, since that’s what I was mostly drinking during prep (aside from the Peglyte itself) and now find its flavour revolting as a result.

Had to gently reintroduce my digestive system to food after getting home, so supper was vanilla yogurt, applesauce, a banana, and a slice of white bread and cream cheese, spread out cautiously over the evening.

July 25 - cleaned upstairs bathroom. Brother off at a golfing stag party for someone, so I stayed easy on my digestive system and made tuna rice with green peas for supper. So nice to have a vegetable again after days without any.

July 26 - finally got around to using up the chayote I bought before leaving Toronto (they last forever and a day when refrigerated) and made chayote & chicken wraps using some of the cooked chicken from making stock.

July 27 - supper was chili and rice; some of that steak & sausage chili my brother had made. It was delicious.

#Thing A Day #July 2023 #July 15 #July 16 #July 17 #July 18 #July 19 #July 20 #July 21 #July 22 #July 23 #July 24 #July 25 #July 26 #July 27 #CW: Colonoscopy

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girltomboy · 10 months

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My birthday weekend was so wonderful. My boyfriend and I attended the graduation ceremony for his class, he chose to not participate because he thought, since he didn't pass the year, he technically did not graduate. But we didn't know he *could* have participated, and they called his name but he was not there on the stage. And he tried to play it cool but I could tell he was a little bit hurt by it. He said it's meaningless anyway, since it's only symbolic and doesn't actually count as anything. I was frustrated that he wouldn't even go get his graduation diploma, but he insisted it's nothing so we forgot about it.

Near midnight he paused what we were watching and ran to the store to buy me a small cake and stuck a lit joint in it to wish me a happy birthday 😭 it was so cute I was sure I would cry but I didn't because I was happy in a cheerful way, not an emotionally raw way. And it was just funny. And he got me the pig plushie that I had seen in a thrift store window two days in a row. I literally wanted to go buy it myself but the store closes before I finish work. And on the day before my birthday when we walked by that store again, the plushie was not there anymore, and I wanted to point it out to him but I didn't (I regret not doing it now because I keep imagining what his reaction would have been!). And he also got me space erasers and a sweet card with a wooden whale on it. He only wrote "happy birthday, I love you" on it and apologized for not writing something more. I kind of expected to read more than that but I'm grateful for everything he did for me to have a nice birthday. He made me a delicious breakfast and then we went out and had taco bell and ice cream by the lake. And the next day my bestfriend came to the city with her boyfriend for some uni-related errands, and she gave me a lovely gift and introduced me to her bf. He is a guy she had been talking to for YEARS, he was texting her from Germany when we were in uni, and they were just friends talking about stuff. I remember how she used to tell me she thought about what if they were together, but she said she would not consider it because he's younger (and shorter). Really mind-blowing story they have. But they look cute together, and he's a Gemini like her. She told me about her job, and that she might come to the beach with us, which got me extremely hype and excited!! She got me a heat changing mug, some spring charms, and a colorful turtle bracelet that I never want to take off.

After that my bf left to his parents' house for the summer, and since then my week has been mostly empty, and so so so so sleepy. I had such a hard time waking up and staying focused at work the whole week. And it felt weird not looking forward to meeting and hanging out with my bf after work. I've just been napping and using my phone way too much. We video call but it's not the same, I like it way less now that I've had a taste of being with him physically everyday. Even though we spent the whole first 2 ish years of our relationship on video calls. But at least we spend time on discord with our other friends too, I'd been missing them and gaming together.

I only slept 5 hours last night and today I kind of want to go buy another box dye, a lighter shade this time. Last week I dyed my hair some kind of blonde, but it looks too warm for me, and my bf said it looks darker 💀 somehow. So I want to get that, some shaving foam, and body lotion. Also kitchen sponges, eggs, bread, some yogurt, parsley, and some razors. I plan on resuming my yoga routine (I've been perpetually exhausted and haven't done it in 4 days), using some hot cream for my back because it's been bothering me a bit, dye my hair + shower, and give myself a lotion massage. I've been watching OITNB and I forgot how emotional this show used to make me.

#tonight i want to game with my friends too #i hope i have some time to do everything

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peacefulheartfarm · 2 years

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Homestead Musings

Today I’m doing a little bit of Homestead musing. More “a day in the life” sort of podcast. I’ll make is a short one and I hope you like it. I love sharing my life with all of you.

I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. I appreciate you all so much. I’m so excited to share with you what’s going on at the farm this week.

Our Virginia Homestead Life Updates

We got a late start this morning. I was Chatty Patty before morning prayers so we started an hour late, that’s 7:15 instead of 6:15. It’s now just about 10 am. I have fed and watered the chickens, emptied the dishwasher, sorted and started the laundry and am on my second load, cut down an entire 3’ x 8’ bed of swiss chard and disposed of it (more on that later), cooked about 3 pounds of swiss chard (some we will eat and some will be frozen), froze 2 gallons of blackberries and 3 gallons of blueberries and set up 1½ gallons of milk to make yogurt. I also need to set up for waxing last week’s cheese. Scott is currently pouring the milk into the cheese vat so I can make Pinnacle. That is our aged alpine-style cheese – sort of like gruyere. Yes, today is a cheese make day so I’ll have to get back to you later for the rest of the podcast. Love ya. Bye for now.

Ok, I’m back. Just a short update. I’ve got the culture in the cheese milk and I have a few minutes before the next step. I have to bring the temperature of the milk up to 90 degrees for the cheese that I am making today. The way that I do that is to put hot water in the metal jacket cheese vat. It is sort of like a double boiler except that it is completely closed. Well, not quite completely closed. There are a couple of openings at the top that let the displaced air out as the water fills the jacket.

Focus is Really Important

I have to be quite focused when I am doing this part because I tend to check on the milk and then go do something else and then check the milk again. If I am also filling the water in the jacket, a disaster can sometimes happen. It has already happened once this cheesemaking season. If I forget that the water is running, it will completely fill the jacket and then overflow through the opening at the top onto the floor. What a mess that makes. I think once I forgot and it was overflowing for like five minutes. There was water everywhere. If I was in the actual cheese make room we are building, this would not be a big deal. It would simply go down the drain in the floor. But at the moment we have a temporary set up in our storage room. There is a drain in the floor, but the floor is tile and not meant for lots of water to be on it. Anyway, no such disaster happened today.

More homestead musings. I’m going to get in a few animal updates before I need to go tend to the cheese again.

Cows

We are in the midst of the AI process with our cows and it is not going well. You know, one thing and another. I say this often. Life on the homestead is never dull. There is always something going on that you did not plan. We plan for pregnancies but God has the final say. We had one – possibly two – heifers that appear to have taken on the first try. That’s one or two out of eight. We have to start over with the other six. Add to that an inconvenient medical condition and we are way behind on getting these cows bred.

We are praying for the health of our vet. She got the Covid and is still under the weather. Once she is back on her feet, we will preg check the two girls we think took and give the other six another chance. Actually, there are seven because Cookie is now far enough past her delivery to begin the AI process as well. If we don’t have success this time, I’m not sure what we will do. It is extremely expensive to do AI over and over and over. So expensive that we are reconsidering keeping a bull.

Keeping a bull is also a huge expense because the bull is eating and eating and eating while only being useful for a couple of months out of a year. It’s a dilemma. However, at this point, the AI is going to cost more than feeding that bull through the winter with hay. Will it be that way every year? Who knows? We do the best we can and make new choices. Ideally, Scott would be able to do our AI but that is a long and involved learning curve. I’ll keep you posted on that topic.

Quail and Chickens

We are out of the quail business. The last of the quail were processed last week. I have quite a supply of eggs saved up. Hopefully, the new pullets will start laying about the same time I run out of quail eggs for Scott. The chickens are doing fantastic. I couldn’t be more happy there. We have at least six American White Bresse hens and eight roosters to choose from to fill out the breeding flock. There are a total of nine Black Copper Marans. The distribution there is nearly perfect. There are six hens and three roosters. I’ll be keeping two each of the roosters and the rest will get processed for eating.

Garden

A few thoughts on the garden. I mentioned that I took out an entire bed of Swiss chard. We had a dry spell throughout June. So much so that we bought extra hay to get the cows through this winter. Well, now it is raining every day. The weather is always weird. Anyway, the Swiss chard got a fungus, some kind of unpronounceable leaf spot. The red variety got it, but the giant white looks fine at the moment. I cut down every plant in the bed of red. We shall see if it grows back and if I eradicated the fungus.

Everything else looks really, really good. This is the fifth year of using this particular raised bed system. The first year we started with cut up trees, fill dirt from around the homestead and a top layer of purchased organic composted soil. The next four years, Scott added our own composted soil to the beds. This year it has really paid off. The eggplants are huge. As are the squash. The peppers took a little bit of time to catch on but there are going great guns right now.

Homestead Musing About Plants: Do I Have Too Much Plant and Not Enough Produce?

Because I planted everything so late, I’m not sure whether I am growing too much plant and no fruit, or if I just need to wait for the blooms. This morning the squash was covered in blooms and bees. I’m still not sure about that eggplant. It may be all plant and no fruit. My cilantro survived the dry heat of June. So far, so good there. The tomatoes are going to need more support in the next couple of days. I have small tomatoes and lots of healthy plants.

The lima beans are blooming. There are three beds of winter squash. The butternut I grew from plant starts so they are already producing squash, too small to pick, but there are lots of them. The other two beds are a variety of other winter squash that I started from seed. They plants look great. They are fending off the squash bugs and I look for a great crop there. The summer squash looks like all plant and they are huge, but as I said, they are now covered with blooms as are the cucumbers.

It’s little weird that it is July and I am just now getting the first squash and cucumbers. I really didn’t get my garden planted until June. Normally, it was would have been a month earlier, but I was holding on to my plants to sell at the farmer’s market. And Independence and Galax are both in a different USDA planting zone. The elevation there is about 2,500 to 3,000 and we are between 1,200 and 1,400 here. There is a big difference in temperature.

Making Cheese

Well, I’m off to tend cheese again.

And now I’m back. That’s the last time I will tell you when I leave and return. When making cheese, there are often timespans of 5, 10 or 15 minutes – or even 30 minutes to an hour where I need to leave the process to continue what it is doing and return later to go to the next step.

The cheese make process is going exceptionally well. I probably shouldn’t say that as superstition would indicate that I just jinxed myself. Oh well, I don’t believe in superstition, so there you go. I expect it will continue to go well.

Creamery

We are getting closer and closer to completing this project. Scott is sometimes down that he is not getting more done. There is always another something that needs to be done instead of working on the creamery. My advice to him and to you is to keep your attention focused on what is in front of you. Do what needs to be done right now and the rest of it will take care of itself. No sense ruminating over what didn’t happen. Let’s be grateful for what did happen. Let’s be grateful for what we have gotten done. Let’s be grateful for the people that touched our lives this week.

We thought it would be complete in late summer summer/early fall. Then spring happened. Even though the cows would need to be dried up and we wouldn’t have milk to make cheese, we thought it would be complete by year end. Then summer happened. At the moment, I’m feeling pretty confident that it will be done by the time the cows give birth in the spring. We can have a USDA inspected cheese facility just about the time we have milk to make the cheese. That sounds like a plan. . . right? We shall see.

Cheese Update!

It did go well. The cheese is in the press for the final time. I’ll check it in the morning and move it to the brine tank for salting. And at least five months until it is mature. Seven months is better. And a year is the best.

Final Thoughts

That’s really about all I have to say for today. I just wanted to check in with you all and let you know the status of our homestead and give you yet another window into the lifestyle. As always, we love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. There are always more tasks to be accomplished than there are hours in a day. It gives us purpose and motivation. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming but at those times, I just let some of those tasks slip a notch or two down the list. There are a few things that have to be done on a specific time schedule. But many more do not. I choose what I do on any given day. I choose how much I will do on any given day. Most of the time I choose to do an unbelievable amount in one day. Or at least it seems so to me. Actually, I only think that in contrast to the other days when I laze around and get very little accomplished. Well, there are fewer of those days. I get bored pretty easily and get right back to it.

How about you? Do you get bored easily? Are you dreaming of the day when you get to call your own shots? Are you working toward that goal? If you are, here is a little encouragement. It may seem like you will never get there. Don’t lose heart. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

That’s What We Did

At first, we planned five or 10 years into the future. Many times, it seemed like we would never get there. But here we are. We worked seven years longer than our original plan. We blew through our savings that was supposed to last until the creamery was built. It is still not done and we came up with other ways to make ends meet. We started our dream in 2003. That was 19 years ago and we are still going, trying to get this creamery built. In between then and now, we have changed our plans more times than I want to count. It was in 2012, ten years ago, that we decided to be artisan cheesemakers. It has taken a lot more steps, time, money, effort and so on than we ever imagined. But we never stopped imagining.

Scott is currently getting the electrical work done on the creamery. I help him with the ceilings from time to time as he moves from one room to the next. Electrical, plumbing, floors – we are nearly there.

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Thank you so much for stopping by our homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

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allywritesforfun · 3 years

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hey i really enjoyed your nightly routine post with wilbur? i was wondering if you could do something similar but in the morning instead?

awe my love! I'm glad that you enjoyed the nightly the routine... here is the morning routine!

{Morning Routine} Wilbur Soot x Reader

summary: you and wilbur made a nightly routine video that blew up more than you have thought, so now its time to do a morning routine!

pronouns: not mentioned

word count: 2280

trigger warnings: swearing, mention of a knife for going chop chop, this was too cute for even me to handle and it came from my hands

a/n: my god is this long! I really got carried away. I could've made this into two parts but whatevs

a/n pt 2: takes place after the “Nightly Routines” but not directly connected

regular masterlist

wilbur masterlist

You deeply groaned as you fluttered your eyes open. This was not a great time to wake up. You really wanted another hour of sleep, but you knew you had work to get done today.

You looked behind you. You smiled at the sight of Wilbur in his sweet slumber, his arm lazily draped over your waist. Wilbur very much loved to be in bed with you. If he could, he would spend all day there, just you in his arms and some soft lofi in the background.

That was something very rare to get. Being a streamer and musician, Wilbur was busy almost all the time and rarely took a day off. Mornings and nights were dedicated to you. However, there were times that you would stream with him, or stop by the office to give him food, but nothing was compared to waking up with him.

“Oh shit,” You whispered, “We’re supposed to do morning vlog today.”

You looked around for Wilbur’s camera, which was no where to be found. You settled on stretching over to nightstand and unplugging your phone. You looked back at Wilbur to make sure he was still sleeping. You could tell he was by the gentle raise and fall of his chest and subtle “Ah-woo”. You just knew that was the perfect way to start the vlog. You recored him for about ten seconds of him doing his ‘not really a snore but definitely something’ and giggled almost the whole way through.

You would think that after living with him for two months and the multiple sleepovers that you’ve had with him, that you would be used to it by now. But even today you still giggled just like you did when you first woke up with him.

You snuck yourself out of bed and made your way to the kitchen. Once arrived you did the intro, “Good morning chat! It is currently about 6:30 in the morning, and as you realize, I am the only one awake. As you saw, Wilbur is still sound asleep and that how it is every morning. So we’re going to vlog our morning routine today, which I promise is way more interesting than the nightly routine vlog. So, Wilbur is literally the best person ever and deserves the world. And his world, besides me of course, is his morning coffee. So I’m going to use our Keurig to get his coffee started.”

You stopped the recording and decided to get some of your creativity out. You weren’t musical like Wilbur and can't draw for shit, so videography was your way of being creative. You set your phone the in the corner and opened up the blind to let a little bit of light through. It still looked basic so you moved your plant to the background, which added the perfect look. You started brewing and hit record.

While that was going, you measured out the creamer and syrup and grabbed your sippy cup for your chocolate milk. No judgement here. We all know chocolate milk tastes better in sippy cups.

The brew came to a slow stop and you grabbed the camera, “Wasn't that a satisfactory angle chat? Now, I am more of an iced coffee person, so in the morning I have water or chocolate milk, and today is definitely a chocolate milk day.” You raised your cup to the camera and fake ‘clinked’ it, cutting the recording when it was closest to the camera. You finished up making Wilbur’s coffee and set it on the living room table.

You looked at the time, 6:50 am, now was a good time to get Wilbur up. You always let his coffee sit out for a little bit, that way he could drink it the second that he woke up. You threw some napkins under your drinks and moved another plant over there. You wanted your place to look aesthetically pleasing, even if it was a little bit staged. You did a transition with your cup, this time now on the table.

“Okay chat, we all now mr. simpbur is a snuggler so we don't have breakfast in the kitchen, instead we share on the couch, that way we can get all of our snuggles in before he has to leave for the office. I have everything set up, normally I would prepare breakfast too, but I feel like cooking with Wilbur this morning. We’ll do this about once a week for some bonding time, so let's go get him up,” You decided to keep recording, just in case Wilbur woke up from your loss of presence.

You creaked the door open, Wilbur was still asleep. He adjusted his body for that he was hugging a pillow, who you assumed was your replacement. You laid down next to him and just took a moment to admire him. It was moments like this that you forgot that you were internet personalities. This was you. This was Wilbur. Both of you living your life without needing to exaggerate yourself. This was Wilbur at his purest form. He was all relaxed, not even aware that he was being recorded.

You scooted closer to him and intertwined your legs with him. You brushed his bangs with the back of your hands and gently placed your lips on your forehead. He stirred a little bit, but not enough to wake him up. You took the pillow from him and wrapped your body around his, “Wilbur, my love, it's about seven, you need to get up.”

You could tell he woke up by him pulling you closer and burying his head only you neck. You gently massaged his head and twirled his curls between your fingers, “Come on Will, I got your coffee made already. We need to start breakfast.”

He shook his head and kissed your shoulder, “Mine.”

You laughed, “Yes Will, and ‘yours’ is hungry, let’s get up and eat.”

He slowly nodded and pulled you closer, “Mmmm... I love you.”

“I love you too, simpbur.”

He snapped his head up at the nickname and saw the camera, “Fuck-that’s today?”

You giggled and detached yourself from, “Say good morning to chat.”

He shook his head and buried it in his pillow out of embarrassment. You stop recording and put your phone on the stand. Just seeing Wilbur all flustered was enough to make you go back to bed. You laid back down with him and pulled him on top of you.

“We’re gonna have to re-record that part,” Wilbur mentioned.

You rubbed his cheek with your thumb, which he happily leaned into, “No bubs, we gotta keep it in. It was a very cute moment.”

He shook his head aggressively, “No! That was embarrassing!”

“Too bad, it’s on my phone so I get to chose what goes in.”

He huffed and grabbed your hand, accepting defeat, “You said you made my coffee?”

You two got up and sat down on the couch. Wilbur took you into his arms the second he took his first sip, his personal way of saying ‘thank you, you’re the best person to ever exist’.

“What are you feeling for breakfast?” You asked.

“You,” Wilbur joked, kissing your temple.

You gently pushed him, “No actually, I really want yogurt, so pick something that goes well with that.”

“Can we just make a fruit plate?”

You excitedly nodded, if it wasn't for Wilbur, you would not be eating healthy. He really made sure that you were going to live as long as he did. Neither of you could live without the other. If something crazy didn't happen to you, you were going to die from a broken heart.

Wilbur grabbed your phone and started recording, “So um, good morning chat, I’ve had some coffee and more awake now. What you just saw- no you fucking didn't. We’re on the sofa right now and we decided on a fruit plate with yogurt this morning, trying to be a little healthier considering we had ice cream at one am last night. So we’re gonna make that off camera, because if you guys get us to six million subs, we’ll do a cooking stream!”

“Oh we are now?” You questioned. “I was never told about this.”

Wilbur laughed and kissed your temple, “Well you know now, that's good enough innit?”

You shook your head and placed your hand over the camera, Wilbur stopped the recording. You go the fruit out while Wilbur prepared the sink for rinsing and knives for chopping.

You made the plate look all nice and took it back to the couch. Wilbur placed his arm back over you and grabbed the remote with is free hand while you centered your phone.

“Okay chat, we’re gonna eat and watch tv for a bit, then you're gonna get ready with us. Wilbur has a test shoot at the office today, so we gotta make him look all pretty and obviously personal hygiene is a must... so yeah, brb.”

You two set up another game show to watch, it sorta became your go to show. Especially because there was no storyline and you could talk when you wanted. This was a pretty chill morning, you two enjoyed each other's presence.

When you finished up, Wilbur took the dishes and you went to the bathroom and cleaned up a little bit. You heard Wilbur go into his closet, so you started recording, “Okay chat, last thing we do before he leaves is actually get ready. Wilbur is getting changed right now so I’m gonna brush my hair out. I can get a little aggressive with the snarls and Wilbur always thinks I'm ripping my hair out so I always do it when he's not around to make sure he doesn't get worried.”

You set the phone in the corner and set it up to record a time lapse. You heard off in distance some light pop type of music, so you knew that Wilbur got his speaker out.

“Are you playing copyrighted music?” You called.

“It’s released Lovejoy!”

You smiled, you always got giddy seeing how happy Wilbur was able to make himself with his own music. You set your brush down and started to wet your toothbrush, Wilbur slid into frame, already jamming out to his own music.

You covered your mouth with your hand stifled your laughter. Wilbur laughed with you and tugged on your waist, trying to get you to dance with him. You aggressively shook your head no, you hated dancing. You would think by now that you would be used to Wilbur and his random dance breaks, but you never came around.

You looked down in shame as Wilbur attempted to get you to spin around. Once you made it clear that you were not in the mood to dance, Wilbur turned down the music and waddle over to the counter.

You grabbed the camera, “If someone wants a very tall British man, you can come get him. Warning: not fun dance outbreaks.”

“Oh come on now, y/n!” Wilbur wrapped his arms around your waist and placed his head on yours, “Stop pretending like you don't like to dance.” “You know I hate dancing,” You reminded him.

“Well chat, apparently I’m not allowed to have any fun in the morning? But anyway, that was a joke, but- we do really have to get ready. Should we do this Disney Channel style?”

You laughed and shook your head, “No, I think I just want to make sure you don't miss your meeting.”

“That’s at nine! We have time! Please let me have fun with you! It’s going to be such a stressful day!” He pouted with the cutest puppy dogs eyes.

There was no way that you could say no to him, “Alright, what fun we having?”

Wilbur said nothing and prepared his toothbrush like yours, “Last one to finish brushing their teeth has to do the dishes tonight.”

You hated dishes. You were winning this one. You didn't even wait for a countdown. You instantly grabbed your toothbrush and turned on the water with lightening speed.

“What?!” Wilbur yelled. “That’s not fair!”

You did your best to bump him away, but it literally did nothing. Both of you were laughing very hard but Wilbur quickly caught up. You both fought with your hands, trying to cup a decent amount water. You both managed to get the water into your mouth and you turned to face Wilbur, it came down to who could rinse the fastest. You two just stared at each other, wishing the water around. You were dead serious. You were not doing the dishes tonight. Wilbur kept flaunting his hands around trying get himself to go faster, which ended up in him completely breaking out in laughter and spitting all over your face. It took you by surprise and all that you could you do was laugh to yourself, you eventually spit the water out in the sink, raising your hands in victory.

“I am so sorry, love!” Wilbur took your hand and guided you into his arms, gently running his hand up and down your back, “I didn't think that would be that hilarious.” “It’s okay,” You laughed and looked back in the mirror. You were completely drenched shoulder up, “It was fun. Better to happen to me than you, you look really nice today for the shoot.” “Thank you,” Wilbur blushed and turned you around, “I think that is enough recording for today. All that we have left to do is leave so... thank you for watching! Subscribe now and remember, cooking stream at six mil! Bye guys!”

#wilbur #Wilbur x reader #wilbur soot #Wilbur soot x reader #mcyt #YouTube #vlog #mcyt x reader #my god is this fucking cute #fluff #cute #dsmp #dsmp x reader

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kinglazrus · 3 years

Text

Deep Wounds Ch. 2 - What Now?

Previous | Next | AO3 | FFN

Word count: 4069

It takes ten minutes for everyone to change and clear out. During that time, an invisible Danny floats in one of the shower stalls, his gym bag clutched to his chest, one hand clamped around his mouth. If it hadn't been for Dash's shout of "No!" he might not have hidden in time. Danny only had a few seconds to snatch up his bandages and bag—but not the gauze—before the first person entered.

It was Tucker, thankfully. He gaped when he saw Danny and quickly waved for him to hide. Just in time, too, since Elliot was only a few steps behind.

Now, Danny can only hear a single person shuffling about.

"It's clear," Tucker whispers.

Danny floats through the door of the shower stall, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees the empty change room. He drops his invisibility and dumps his stuff on the floor in favour of clutching his side. "Why didn't I stay home today?"

"Because you want to graduate this year and you can't afford another absence." Tucker grabs his gym shirt off the floor, revealing the forgotten gauze pad, and sighs at the new stains. "I really liked this shirt."

"Sorry, man."

"Dude, you are literally bleeding. Shut up. You don't need to apologize. Just be glad I got my shirt off before Elliot could see the damn thing." Tucker grabs the gauze, rolls it into a ball, and tosses it toward the garbage can. "Ten points!"

The gauze bounces off the rim and falls to the floor.

"Zero points," Danny says.

"Rude."

"Hey, I'm bleeding, remember?"

"That only gets you a pass from saying sorry, not common decency."

Danny's shoulders shake as he laughs. It hurts, making his left side throbbing, but trying to hold it back hurts worse. "Ow, ow, ow," he says, gasps of pain interrupting him. Curling over, he hugs his side even tighter, fighting back a sharp cry. The tension in his body doesn't help, but the pressure on his side feels good.

"Sam on her way?" Danny asks.

"She's grabbing the first-aid kit from my locker. I'll fix you up this time. We all know I have steadier hands." That A-plus in home ec isn't for nothing.

"Thanks," Danny mumbles.

"Yeah, dude. We've got you."

After Sam arrives, Tucker redoes Danny's stitches in record time. Half of the lunch hour has passed by the time Danny gets patched up, but he doesn't feel hungry anyway. Tucker takes his and Danny's bloody gym shirts and stuffs them into the first-aid kit.

"I need to refill on some supplies at home," Tucker explains. "I'll get rid of these there."

"Good idea. My mom found a pair of jeans I forgot to throw away after a fight with Skulker. I had a hard time explaining that one away," Danny says. The "I tripped into a window" excuse probably only works once, anyway. "But we have another problem."

"Dash?" Sam asks.

Danny nods. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"He was acting weird when gym ended. Wouldn't let anyone come inside until we pushed him out of the way."

"Huh." Danny certainly didn't expect that. Dash might be a downright bully anymore, but he's still not prone to random acts of kindness. "That's... weird." It doesn't make up for him tearing Danny's wound back open, even if it was an accident, but it's something.

"I think we might not have to worry about him," Sam says.

Danny stares at her, incredulous. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, actually. He could have done anything when he saw the rest of the class coming, including telling everyone that you were hurt. But he stopped them instead."

"But this is Dash."

"That's surprising coming from you."

"What does that even mean? You guys and Valerie are being so weird today. Come on, Tucker. Back me up." Danny looks at Tucker, fully expecting him to be on Danny's side.

Tucker doesn't respond right away. Biting his thumbnail, he stares ahead at the floor, deep in thought. That alone is enough to send Danny for a loop. When Tucker does answer, Danny's jaw drops in disbelief.

"I'm with Sam on this."

"For real?"

"Yeah, man. We don't even know what Dash thinks he saw, anyway. What happened when he walked in?" Tucker asks.

Danny tells them, sparing no detail.

"Oh, wow."

Sam shakes her head. "I'll say. I can't believe you wailed at him."

"Almost. I almost wailed at him. It was a baby wail at most. More of a hum," Danny says. He was just so surprised when Dash walked in. Danny's instincts took over and all he could think about was getting Dash out of there as soon as possible. He is lucky no one else came running.

"That already will have freaked him out. If we go around making a big deal about it and getting in his face, that'll make things worse." Sam stands up from the floor, stretching her arms over her head. She looks completely unconcerned, so does Tucker for that matter. Both of them are content to let Dash be. "Let's wait to see what he does. If he starts spreading rumours, we'll know right away, and then we can confront him."

"On the other hand, he might go to you, Danny, first," Tucker adds. He takes a bottle of Aspirin from the first-aid kit and presses it into Danny's hand before zipping the bag up. "He might not do anything."

The bottle of Aspirin rattles as Danny twists the lid off. "I can't believe you guys are okay with this." He dumps a couple of pills into his palm and tosses them back. Wordlessly, Sam passes him a water bottle. One quick swig is all he needs to help the pills go down. "He could be telling everyone right now."

"He could," Sam admits. "But he won't."

Sam and Tucker get up to leave, and Danny's forced to follow, or else get left behind. He trails after them, stiff, sore, and aching. The pills won't kick in for a while, and he loathes having to walk now. If he could get away with it, he would spend the rest of the day floating through the halls.

Tragically, he has a secret to protect. One that is very much at risk right now, despite what Sam says. Wherever she and Tucker are getting their confidence from, Danny doesn't share it. He just hopes they're right.

Dash tries to hold it in. He really does. The sound of Danny's anger bearing down on him, reverberating through the change room, hasn't stopped rattling around his head. But as lunch nears its end, the words burst out of him.

"I think Fenton is in a gang or something," Dash says.

The table falls silent.

Kwan freezes in place, hand halfway to his mouth, and a piece of meatloaf falls off his fork. "You... what?"

"I think Danny is in a gang," Dash repeats, softer.

His friends gape at him, equally confused. Mostly. Star doesn't even look up from her math homework. In fact, Dash thinks she's smiling, but he ignores it.

"Kwan, I thought you said Danny was the one who got hit during gym class," Paulina says. She pushes her lunch aside and leans across the table, lifting a hand to Dash's forehead. "Are you sure you got it right?"

"I'm fine, Paulie." Dash ducks under his hand and hunkers low to the table. When no one else moves, he gestures for them to come closer. Kwan does so immediately. Paulina rolls her eyes but obliges.

"I'm good," Star says.

"Okay, so, I checked on Fenton after dropping him off, 'cause he looked kind of bad, and I guess, I don't know. I felt... whatever. It doesn't matter. But like, he had this huge cut."

Paulina grins and leans in closer, finally looking invested. "You felt kind of 'whatever?'"

Dash scowls. "Seriously, Paulie?"

"You're the one who said it!" Paulina smacks the table, a fit of giggles bursting from her. It's her "I've found some juicy gossip" noise and Dash hates it.

"Did you even hear me? Huge cut and all that?" Dash says.

Kwan shrugs. "I don't know. His parents build a lot of crazy stuff, don't they? He probably hurt himself on one of those. Did you see that new gun they were toting around last week? It melted Mr. Lancer's car!"

"Oh, my God. I totally saw that. I felt so bad for him," Paulina says.

Dash frowns down at the table while the conversation plods on. True, everyone knows the Fentons have some crazy inventions. But everything they make, they make to hurt ghosts, not people. Everyone in town has been caught in the Fentons crossfire at one point or another. Dash still remembers the disgusting taste of the Fenton Foamers. Like warm, month-old key lime yogurt. Disgusting, but ultimately harmless.

And Danny didn't just have a little cut. It was huge. Dash only got a brief look at it, but that short glance told him everything he needed to know. Something, or someone, had hurt Danny. Rather than going to the hospital—because no trained professional would do such a sloppy job—Danny fixed it himself or got his friends to fix it. The injury had to be new, too, since it was still bleeding.

But stitches could bleed if you ripped them, didn't treat the injury right. Judging by the placement, Danny's stitches must pull every time he moves his arm.

Could one of his parents' guns have done that?

Now that Dash thinks about it, he doesn’t remember ever seeing Danny get hit with his parents' weapons. Not their guns, at least. They have that dumb boomerang thing that he's seen smack Danny on the back of the head. Actually, that one hits Danny a lot.

Dash's frown deepens, etching into his face. Why on Earth would one of Danny's own parents' inventions hurt him so much? Unless...

"Hey, guys?" Dash asks, interrupting Star mid-sentence.

"You found more proof of Fenton's gang activities?" Paulina asks.

"What if, like, someone's hurting him?"

"You mean one of his gang buddies?"

"No, Paulie, I'm serious. What if someone is hurting him?"

The table falls silent once more, but this time, his friends' expressions are serious rather than disbelieving.

Kwan lowers his voice. "Do you really think... I mean, Fenton?"

"Well..." Star taps her chin. "Where was he hurt?"

"Here." Dash taps his ribs on his left side, under his arm.

Star nods. "Okay. Are you sure he couldn't have, you know...." She trails off, but Dash already knows what she means.

"No way. He could hardly see the cut, much less do it himself. And it was bad."

"So he was hurt, badly, in a place that no one else would normally see. He didn't miss any school, so he probably didn't go to the hospital. Was it recent?"

Dash nods. "There was blood. Too much to just be because of the stitches."

Star drums her fingers on the table, nodding slowly. "I think you could be right."

The A-listers glance around the table, meeting each other's eyes. None of them say anything, but the same question lurks in all their minds. Now what?

In the days following the change room debacle, Danny avoids Dash like his life depends on it. Which it might. Any time he sees Dash in the hall, he turns right around and walks away. When they're in class, Danny stares straight ahead and refuses to look Dash's way. In gym class, Tetslaff lets him sit out, finally. Having Danny blackout on her after she forced him to play must have spooked her because she benches him before he can even ask not to play.

"No student of mine is gonna pass out on my watch. Twice," she says.

It won't last forever, but Danny will take what he can get, while he can get it.

But the thing is, Dash doesn't try anything. It's surreal. For the past four years, Danny has grown accustomed to Dash's constant harassment. Even when it dropped significantly in sophomore year, Dash never stopped. He threw erasers at Danny during class, tripped him in the halls, called out teasing names every chance he got.

"I'm not the only one who thinks this is weird, right?" Danny asks Tucker on the third day.

Already done his lunch, Tucker is thoroughly engrossed by his phone and doesn't look up as he replies. "You think everything is weird lately."

"Because it is."

"Missing your quality time with Dash?" Tucker flashes a quick grin in Danny's direction before returning to his phone.

"Har, har. You are so funny." Danny would have to be some kind of masochist to miss Dash's badgering. It's just... strange, not to have to watch the halls for him in that way. It doesn't make Danny watch any less—in fact, he finds himself looking for Dash more than before. So that he can run away if he gets close. Except Dash isn't even trying, and that annoys the hell out of him.

Tucker sighs, finally putting down his phone, and rests a hand on Danny's head. "Such a hopeless young soul. Can't even understand your own heart."

Danny slaps the hand away. "Says the guy who asked out every girl in school because they all made him feel the same way because it turns out he's super ace and didn't actually feel anything for any of them."

"And what an emotional journey that was." Tucker faces Danny head-on. "Look, Danny. If it's bothering you that much, then go talk to him. Feed him some excuse about what happened. Just remember that there's a reason Sam and I think it will be okay."

Danny ponders Tucker's advice for the rest of the day. The weekend starts tomorrow, which gives him two whole Dash-free days to think about the situation. Maybe a little time to himself as what he needs. He goes for a flight after school rather than walking home with Tucker; being in the air always helps clear his head.

He soars far above the city until he is little more than a pinprick to everyone far below. At the peak of his flight, his phone rings. The caller ID shows it's Jazz.

"What's up?" he greets his sister.

"Taken over my room yet?" Jazz asks.

"When you've only been at college for a month? Of course." It made a great storage space. Danny turns over to float on his stomach and starts drifting down like a leaf, falling back and forth on the wind.

"Well, I'm gonna need it back this weekend."

"Dropping out already?"

"You wish. I got a tutoring gig: two sessions—Saturday and Sunday. I don't want to do the two hours there and back both days, so I'm coming home for the weekend."

"I can't believe someone is actually paying to spend time with you. Hope the loser doesn't rub off on them."

Jazz laughs. "Pretty sure any loser on my came from you. And it's four people. Actually, you know them."

When Danny comes downstairs Saturday morning and sees Jazz's students at the kitchen table, he stops dead.

"You have got to be kidding me," he says.

"Hi, Danny!" Paulina waves, far too perky for nine in the morning. Squished around the table with her, Kwan and Star offer their own small waves. Dash looks straight down at his textbook.

"Goodbye." Danny pivots and marches back toward the stairs. Forget breakfast; he didn't want to eat, anyway. He can still have a nice, relaxing, Dash-free day in the confines of his bedroom.

A cascade of whispers reaches his ears as he hits the first stair. The A-listers murmur too quiet for him to make out what they're saying, although he thinks he catches his name more than once. Maybe they're talking about how uncanny it is being inside his house. Or, perhaps, they're discussing the new school nurse, Tammy. But even as he thinks it, he knows neither theory is true.

A chair screeches in the kitchen, the plastic capped legs scraping against the linoleum. Danny throws himself up the stairs.

"Oh, Danny, wait!" Paulina's silky voice follows him.

He jerks to a stop at the landing, cringing. How mad would she be if he ignored her? It's funny to think that a few years ago his heart would have leapt at Paulina calling out his name, back when he had a crush on her.

His toes curl against the carpet as he hesitates; the pros and cons of ignoring her run through his head. Pro: he won't have to deal with whatever scheme she's up to, and Paulina is most certainly up to something. Con: she might sic Dash on him, and he's the last person Danny wants to see right now. But that's a moot point because Dash is already here. After some humming and hawing, he grits his teeth and turns back around.

Paulina hangs out the kitchen doorway, greeting him with a bright smile.

"Yes, Paulina?" Danny asks.

It should be physically impossible for her smile to get any wider, and yet it does. "You're having trouble in science class, right?"

Danny hesitates. "Maybe. Why?"

"So are we! We came here for a study session with your sister, since she was Casper's best student in thirty decades. You should join us!"

"Isn't Star acing all her classes? And I thought science was your best class."

Paulina rolls her eyes and huffs, but without any malice. It reminds him of the look Tucker gives his little cousins when they are being intentionally obstinate. Danny flushes, suddenly feeling stupid even though he doesn't understand why.

"Yeah, we're good at it, but the boys aren't. Duh." She says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe it is. "It's easier to study in a group."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I like studying alone."

Paulina's smile doesn't fall, but it changes. Danny can't quite place what it turns into. Her mouth curves upward and her teeth are exposed; objectively, it's still a smile. But there's a new tension to it, one Danny only notices now, but he thinks might have been there the whole time, lurking behind the bright façade. His grip on the newel post tightens, the wood creaking beneath his finger.

At times like this, Danny wishes his ghost abilities included reading emotions. The look Paulina is giving him is important, he can feel it, even though he can't explain it. But it doesn't mean anything if he can't decipher it.

"If you say so." The moment shatters. Paulina withdraws back into the kitchen, leaving Danny alone and wondering if he missed something important.

Down the hall from him, Jazz's bedroom door opens. She emerges with an armful of books—old schoolbooks, Danny notes.

"Not hanging out with Sam and Tucker today?" she asks.

"Jazz, it's not even noon yet. I don't think Tucker's awake." Danny glances down the stairs toward the kitchen, mulling something over in his head. "I kind of want some alone time today. I know you're tutoring and everything, but could you make sure they don't bother me?"

Jazz frowns. "Is everything okay?"

"There was an... incident with Dash at school."

"Boy troubles?"

"Jazz!" Danny's entire face turns scarlet. "Please never say that about Dash." He lowers his voice. "It was ghost-related troubles."

Jazz's expression goes stony, her teasing smile replaced by a serious frown. "Do I need to take care of him for you?"

"Oh, my God, Jazz! Just keep him away from my room!" He marches the rest of the way to his room to the sound of Jazz's snickers and slams the door behind him.

When Paulina returns to the kitchen, Dash sits up straighter. She shakes her head as she reclaims her seat next to Star. Dash deflates again.

"I told you this wouldn't work," Dash says.

"Don't be so silly. That wasn't even plan A, although it would make things easier. Are you sure you didn't do anything to him in that change room?" Paulina asks.

Dash groans. "Please. Please never say anything like that again. It sounds so wrong."

"You're the one who took it that way."

Star and Kwan laugh at Dash's misfortune, watching him bury his face in his arms. When Star suggested they gather evidence, to confirm whether or not Danny was being abused at home, this wasn't what Dash expected. He pictured spy movie antics with them sneaking through the bushes dressed all in black, peeking through windows until they say something that proved—or disproved—their theory.

Things would go a lot easier if Dash could actually talk to Danny, but ever since that moment in the change room, he can't. He knows Danny has been avoiding him, which is better short term. If Danny walked up to Dash right now demanding to talk about what happened, Dash wouldn't know what to say.

How many times has he hurt Danny (pushed, kicked, body-checked) when he was injured? There's a possibility, however slim, that this was a fluke, the first time Danny has ever come to school injured. There have to be loads of reasons someone might not go to the hospital, such as bad insurance. Dash's cousin broke her nose once and let it heal crooked instead of going to the doctor since it was cheaper. He's heard stories of people sacrificing their health rather than paying exorbitant hospital fees. It's not impossible.

Except Danny's parents are inventors. They do projects for the government and can afford to throw money around for ridiculous ghost hunting contraptions. The Emergency Ops Centre only two floors above them must have cost millions. If that's the case, then surely his parents can afford a hospital visit for such a bad wound.

Dash doesn’t like to think about the alternative, but he has to. The alternative is the whole reason he and his friends are here.

That doesn't help with Dash's other dilemma, though. How is he supposed to talk to Fenton, now? Dash doesn't think he knows how to interact with Danny without some form of aggression. Even when he stopped outright bullying people, he never stopped with Danny. A push here, a shove there. It is instinct for Dash to stick his foot out if he sees Danny coming.

Danny even returns the favour, sometimes, growing bolder the older they became. Dash still doesn't know how Danny keeps getting into his stuffed bear collection, but it's not unusual for him to find one in his locker or sitting at his desk when he returns to class.

It's what they do. Dash can't help it. Any time he manages to trip Danny up enough that he gets a glare or a vengeful smile, it makes him feel good.

But he can't do that now. If Danny is actually getting hurt at home, Dash can't in his right mind keep agitating him. Just thinking about what he did to Danny's stitches makes him pale. He doesn't even want to think about what other wounds he's made worse over the years.

And he has. Dash knows this without a doubt. Thinking back on their interactions this year alone, more than five occasions come to mind where Danny grimaced, or flinched, or clutched some part of his body after Danny bumped his shoulder in the hall. It feels him with an indescribable dread, but the worst of it is he can't understand why.

He never knew Danny was injured; he can't be entirely to blame. Thinking that does nothing to assuage his guilt, though.

"Okay!" Jazz Fenton announces herself with a bright chirp. She clutches a stack of textbooks to her chest; books Dash recognizes from their classes. The idea that she stole them from the school flashes through his mind, but that's ludicrous. Jazz doesn't have a criminally minded bone in her body. If anything, she bought them, or the school gave them to her for being that amazing. Either option is more likely than her committing a crime.

Jazz slams the books down on the table directly across from Dash. She flashes him a brilliant smile as she sits and folds her hands over the table.

"So, Dash." She tilts her head. Her smile no longer looks kind. "I've heard some interesting things about you."

Previous | Next

#phic phight #phic phight 2021 #phanfic #phicc #dp fanfiction #danny phantom #danny phantom fanfiction #danny fenton #dash baxter #swagger bishie #danny/dash #deepwounds

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alloftheimaginess · 4 years

Note

Can you do a supernatural cast series where you’re the wife and you do different interviews, like the videos on YouTube like Ad or thirst tweets or just answering fan questions whatever plz. If you have questions just message me and I’ll try to explain it further

Lol sorry it’s been like four months so don’t hate me but it’s been hard work juggling trying to write, school and work so sorry. I think it sucks but hopefully you’ll like it and I’ll be tagging the other parts in this one

Burning Fan Questions

Other parts

Alexander Calvert

Misha Collins

Jensen Ackles

"Hi I'm Yn Padalecki and I will be answer the fans burning questions about my life" I say smiling at the camera as I grab the bucket that's full of questions.

"I'm super nervous for this because before I got here Jared double dog dared me to answer literally every single question so I can't use my skip button" I say and the crew behind the camera laughs.

"Please for the love of god let their be questions to embarrass Jared more than me so he can eat it" I say giggling.

"First question" I say grabbing a folded up piece of paper from out the bucket.

"Who is the rudest celebrity that you've ever had the chance of meeting?" I read and I laugh.

"Oh that's a lot of them, there's an unsurprising amount of rude celebrities who think that they own Hollywood" I say laughing.

"But enough stalling because I have to answer this question anyway, the rudest celebrity that I've ever met was Christian Bale, no offense but he was a total dick to literally everyone around him, on set, off of set just everywhere" I say digging around the bucket for another question.

"What scandals has your team had to cover up?" I read and I start laughing.

"Noooooo" I say laughing even harder because I know I have to tell them.

"Okay okay. When I was 23 I had first met Jared and we got caught you know doing the deed and then the pictures were about to go out and they had to buy all of them back for double of what they were going to get" I say laughing shaking the bucket up and grabbing another one out.

"Have you ever used your celebrity status to get something for free?" I read.

"One time when I was out my daughter, Harlow we were getting frozen yogurt and I left my credit card at the restaurant we were at before without realizing it and at the register she goes oh my god are you Jared from supernatural's wife and when I'm with my daughters I usually pretend like I'm not but I totally knew she was going to give us the yogurt for free so I was like yeah, and then I asked her how she was and she was like oh this is totally on the house" I say laughing.

"I eventually went back and tipped a massive tip because I didn't pay last time" I say.

I grab another one out and I put the bucket down opening it "how many kids do you actually want?" I read.

"Well I already have two now but I'm aiming for at least five" I say laughing.

"I have a big family I'm one of 9 so I've always wanted a big family but not as big as mine so four or five would be a perfect size family for me, I honestly have a enough love for a million but four or five is definitely good for me" I say grabbing another question.

"If we came to your house what would we find in your cabinets food wise?" I read laughing.

"What an interesting question" I say.

"Everyone in the Padalecki household has their own cabinets because they are huge smackers. Harlow's is filled with the stuff she likes such as teddy Grahams, fruit roll ups, dried Cranberries, jolly ranchers stuff like that. Mine is filled with little cakes, gushers, banana chips which I swear by, peanuts, popcorn and Jared's, he has tons of candy, he is absolutely in love with white chocolate macadamia cookies and he always has those in his stash and Kiernan she's still on baby food so she's fully stocked on that" I say grabbing another question out.

"If you had to marry anyone that has starred along side your husband in his show supernatural who would it be?" I read.

"Oh hmm" I say laughing.

"Okay, Jensen is like Jared's best friend but I'm way closer to Misha so I'd definitely have to say Misha but no offense to his wife because I'd totally marry her as well or maybe even Rob, I love that man to pieces, he's a really good friend but then there's Rich, no offense to his wife Jaci but Rich and I have the best dance off's so that would be something to look forward to" I say laughing as I grab another question.

"If you woke up in Jared's body and had to stay in it for a day what would you do?" I say laughing.

"Easy, I'd leave myself little notes with plans for tomorrow so when I switch back he'll have to go through with them and we could have a perfectly planned out day because I planned it" I say laughing.

"If you go out to dinner with your non-famous friends, do you all still split the bill or do you pay?" I read.

"It depends really, my childhood friends don't like for me to pay for their stuff so we'll all split the bill but if I'm the one inviting everyone out then I'll pay before hand because then it'll be a lot of work trying to break it up" I say grabbing another question.

"What's one thing that Jared does that absolutely pisses you off?" I read cracking up.

"Breathes" I say smiling at the camera.

"I'm just kidding" I say laughing.

"When I'm super busy and like concentrating on my work he'll come over and innocently wrap his arms around me but then when I'm not paying him enough attention he'll start softly biting me and while I'm trying to work that can be so annoying" I say.

"What was the worst rumor that has been spread about you?" I read.

"I've had some pretty bad ones that I like to pretend didn't happen because they were literally so outrageous but I guess the worst one was that I was cheating on Jared. A few years back Harlow and I flew to my hometown for a few weeks and we spent Halloween out there and my twin sister and I dressed up as Sally from nightmare before Christmas because we've always done matching costumes whenever we're with each other and I posted a selfie on Instagram so everyone knew what I looked like but no one knew my twin sister was dressed identical to me and she took Harlow around with her now husband while I helped my parents be set up for the party and the paparazzi caught them together while they shared a kiss and while Eric played with Harlow and she was giggling and they put the photos on the front of the magazine and I was getting so much hate before I even knew what was going on and I was getting calls from our friends and they were asking me like how I could do that and then I had to go and post my pictures with my sister and write this long ass message about it and it was super bad" I say moving on.

"Who do you look up to the most, and what qualities do you love about that person?" I read.

"My grandma, she pretty much raised me. My parents weren't around often so I had to live with her for like 5 years, me and all of my siblings" I say digging in the bucket.

"But the qualities that I love about her is one, the fact that she is the strongest person I've had the honor of meeting" I say holding up one finger.

"Two, her boldness is like unbelievable. I took her to the oscars and she started flirting with The Rock and that's when I realized my grandma was my hero" I say laughing and I pull another question out.

"What's something you did as a child that no one knows about outside of your family?" I read.

"For two years I only spoke in a British accent, I had everyone confused at school because I never broke" I say laughing.

"How often do you and Jared have sex?" I read burying my face.

"No, I'm not going to be embarrassed. Sex is a normal thing, it brings about joy, relaxation, sometimes accidental pregnancies" I say laughing.

"But back to the question, I don't know. He's gone for like nine months out of the year but if he has a three day weekend or whatever then we'll spend a night together but when he's home in the three months he's off of filming it's literally whenever the kids are gone if even just for 20 minutes. We try to keep it as normal as possible" I say laughing.

"What's the last text conversation you had?" I read pulling out my phone and I laugh.

"I texted Robert about his new Batman movie because it was announced the other day and I just seen it this morning so I had to quickly congratulate him and he tells me that while I'm super late he still appreciates it and won't hold anything against me when it's time to hand out movie tickets and I said I'd never forgot about you shiny and he sent the middle finger emoji" I say laughing.

"What are your pet names that you and Jared have for each other?" I read.

"Ha, finally a question that he'd normally not talk about but I was dared so I call him Bubba or bubs" I say laughing.

"Literally it's how he's saved in my phone and he thinks it's so embarrassing" I say pulling my phone out and showing his contact name and photo.

"He's Bubba and he calls me a lot of different things but the one he always goes back to is beautiful or baby" I say smiling at the camera.

“Do your siblings and Jared get along?” I read and I laugh sighing.

“Like I mentioned earlier I’m one of nine so that’s eight siblings and then all of my siblings are older than me. I’m the baby and they are all married so my older brother and his husband love Jared and Jared loves them, we’re actually both of their kids godparents but then with my third oldest sister she doesn’t like me so she doesn’t like Jared by default you know” I say grabbing another question.

“Okay this is a question I have to know how often you do and Jared shower together?” I read laughing.

“Do you have to know that?” I ask laughing harder.

“Sorry to let you down but we don’t really, we’ll not anymore with kids it’s best one of us is out the shower while the other one quickly showers because we can’t leave them along for too long” I say knowing that my answer is not what they were expecting.

“But before kids it’s was an every morning thing we did together before heading out for our different business or whatever we had to do that day” I say.

“Did you have an oh shit moment at your wedding, and if so what was it?” I read and I nod.

“Yeah actually I did. But it’s been so long since we got married that I actually forgot until I read this question. My brother bless his poor heart showed up drunk like he was pregaming our wedding and the security didn’t know he was my brother so they were like kicking him out and my sister runs in like “oh my god Yn, the security just kicked Kalin out” so I’m like half dressed and I go down to try to figure out what the hell is happening and then I meet up with him and he throws up all over me like I’m talking full body covered and the make up artist just left and I had to shower and call her back so she could come fix my face and it was very traumatizing because it was so gross” I say laughing.

“But the whole wedding was beautiful and he didn’t drink at all” I say.

“If you had to pick a song from the late 10’s-2020 to be you and Jared’s couple song what would you pick?” I read and I awe.

“That’s a cute question. I guess I’d have to say Flicker by Niall Horan, we danced together to that song when Alex Calvert and his wife got married and it literally felt so magical and now whenever I hear it, it takes me back to a happy place and I just think about slow dancing with my best friend and husband” I say smiling.

“Do you and all the wives of the supernatural cast get along?” I read and I quickly nod.

“Those girls are some of my best friends, they know what it’s like to have a family and their husband work on supernatural so automatically we have something to bond over also with Alex’s wife she has a massive family so we often talk about the drama and problems that come along with it” I say laughing.

"Last one. What celebrity have you had beef with?" I read laughing.

"Daniel Radcliffe" I say quickly.

"But it was when we were younger filming the Harry Potter movies. We didn't like each other for like the first 4 movies" I say laughing.

"Our characters were close in the movie but on set we hated each other, I don't know why and I don't think he does either, I guess our energies just clashed but when we got to order of the Phoenix and we talked it out before we started filming and have been best friends in person ever since" I say laughing and tipping the bucket over.

"That was my last question. I'm Yn Padalecki and this has been answering fan questions. Thank you for watching and I hope you got a laugh out of at least some of these questions or you learned something you never thought you would learn about me" I say smiling at the camera

#jared padalecki #jared padalecki x reader #jared padalecki x you #spn cast #supernatural cast x reader #sam winchester #jensen ackles #misha collins #alex calvert #Spn cast x reader #cast x reader #reader insert #supernatural #celeb!reader #famous!reader #actress!reader #celebrity!reader

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honey-dewey · 3 years

Text

Groceries

Pairing: Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales/Reader

Word Count: 1,712

Warnings: mentions of PTSD, one mention of Tom, but this is mostly fluff.

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell

Reader takes the boys grocery shopping. I’m sure that can’t go badly, right?

You grabbed your keys, swinging them around your finger and heading into the living room, where the boys were settled. “I’m headed out.”

Frankie looked up, putting his drink down. “Where to?”

“The grocery store,” you said. “If we’re hosting the game tomorrow, I’m gonna need more food.”

“I wanna go!” Ever the golden retriever, Benny hopped up, eagerly bounding to the door and practically vibrating by your side. Frankie, just as much a puppy as his best friend, followed suit, giving you his biggest pleading eyes, knowing full well those damn things were your kryptonite.

“Fine!” You said, opening the door. “Get in the car before I change my mind. Pope, Ironhead, you in?”

Both of your other boys were slower, getting into the car with more difficulty. Frankie, by your side in the passenger seat, smiled as you started the car. Santiago and Will, both in the middle, cracked their windows, allowing Benny, in the way back, to be hit with the fresh air and curb his motion sickness.

“I cannot believe you are all coming,” you grumbled, backing out of the driveway.

The drive was short, and before you knew it, Frankie and Benny were out of the car and fighting over who got to sit in the cart.

“My significant other is driving!” Frankie pointed out, gesturing to you, waiting with the cart.

“Okay?” Benny countered. “You sat in the cart last time!”

“Boys!” Both heads turned to you. “We need two carts anyway.”

Almost instantly, Frankie was getting into your cart, grinning. “I love you.”

“Yeah yeah.” You gave the rim of his hat a small push, so it dipped below his eyes. “I swear I’m engaged to a toddler.”

“Engaged?” Santiago said, stopping in his tracks. “Fish, you proposed?”

You held out your hand, showing off your engagement ring. “Yeah. Last week. Sorry we didn’t tell you. There was the game to plan for, and then my parents got super emotional about it, and then his family insisted on having a party, and it all slipped our minds.”

Benny smirked. “I knew.”

Will gasped. “You traitor! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was coaching dear Fish through it!” Benny said. “He was a ball of nerves.”

“He dropped the ring,” you said, navigating the cart down the produce aisle and grabbing a thing of raspberries, tossing it to Frankie and moving to examine the pomegranates. “Twice.”

While the boys teased Frankie, you and Santiago browsed the produce, grabbing a few veggies and fruits. You tossed a bag of broccoli onto Frankie’s stomach, snapping him out of his conversation. “Hey, dorks. I haven’t got all night.”

Will gave Frankie’s shoulder a shove and pushed Benny’s cart down the next aisle. He helped Santiago pick beer, Benny shouting suggestions while you took Frankie to the bakery.

“I love you,” Frankie said happily as you put a pack of his favorite lofthouse cookies in the cart.

“Love you more,” you said, absently pushing the cart through the bakery and grabbing bagels. “Wanna look at those ridiculous cakes that are like, 90% frosting and food coloring?”

Frankie lit up. “I am marrying you for all the right reasons.”

You laughed, steering the cart towards the cakes. Frankie eagerly pointed to one that was, as you’d said, mostly brightly colored frosting. The baker, a younger girl with pink and blue hair, waved to you. “Getting ready for the game?”

“Yep!” You said. “I’ve got all the boys here with me. And speak of the devils,” you added, hearing the rest of your group join you.

The baker greeted the group. “Oh! Frankie, how’d the proposal go?”

Frankie grinned. “Well, I got a yes.”

“Congrats!”

“Okay how the hell did your grocery store baker know but not us?” Santiago demanded.

“She helped me make the perfect cupcake!” Frankie said.

You snorted. “The cupcake you dropped down my shirt?”

Yet again, the boys teased Frankie for his proposal mishaps while you rolled your eyes and looked over the premade pie crusts.

“Frankie! Boys! C’mon!” You shouted eventually. “I can’t be here until midnight.”

The boys followed you down a few more aisles, Santiago, somehow, proving to be the responsible one as he helped you fill out your grocery list. He put two boxes of crackers in Benny’s cart, looking at you. “Dairy next?”

“Snacks, then drinks, then cereal, then frozens, then meat, and then dairy,” you said, running over the list. “That’s just how the store is arranged.”

Santiago shrugged. “Works for me. To the snacks!”

The snack aisles were a very dangerous place. You were suddenly the only voice of reason as the boys eyed the chips.

“One bag of Doritos, and one bag of pretzels,” you bargained with Will. “Get the stupid honey ones Frankie’s addicted to.”

“Excuse you!” Frankie said, grabbing a box of granola bars and settling back down in the cart. “Those things are amazing.”

“I’m not saying they aren’t,” you agreed, reaching over Benny to grab dried fruit. “But you might be addicted to those damn things.”

Will put both bags in the cart. “Anything else?”

“Microwave popcorn,” you read off the list, nodding to Santiago as he walked off to grab it. “Two bags of M&Ms, one bag of black licorice twizzlers, one bag of jelly beans, and five Hershey’s bars.”

“The chocolate comes in packs of six,” Will said, beginning to grab the candy. “It’ll work, right?”

“Yep!” You said, using the back of Frankie’s head to cross things off your list. “Next aisle, before I get conned into buying anything stupid.”

“Can we get sour gummy worms?” Benny’s hesitant voice said from behind you.

You turned. “Why?”

Benny fiddled with the bag, an almost guilty look on his face. “They were Tom’s favorite.”

You sighed, melting a bit. “Of course Benny.”

Benny smiled, fidgeting with the bag as you ushered everyone into the drinks aisle.

“Frankie, hon, how are we on coffee?” You asked, examining the coffee and finding your brand.

“We need more!”

You stood, holding the coffee and putting it in the cart. “Can I trust you to grab me a box of ginger ale?”

Frankie nodded, climbing out of the cart. “You want the name brand, and not the, and I quote, shitty stuff, yeah?”

“You know me so well,” you said happily. “I’ll get your tea.” You grabbed two boxes of chamomile tea, which was the only stuff that helped Frankie sleep through the night. Tossing the boxes into Benny’s cart, you examined the aisle, trying to remember what else you needed. “Okay, I think we’re done here. If I forgot something, it’s on you to grab it,” you said to Will, who smiled and nodded.

The next aisle was simple. You left Benny, Will, and Santiago at the aisle’s entrance while you took Frankie down to grab his cereal. He reached up, not even bothering to get out of the cart as he grabbed a box of cereal.

“Frozens!” You announced, turning down the frozen food aisle. “Will, can you grab two frozen pizzas and a bag of meatballs? Pope, you’re on game snacks. Mozzarella sticks, pizza rolls, and taquitos. Benny! Stay there and look cute! Frankie, you’re on veggie duty.”

Your boys assembled, dutifully carrying out the tasks you’d set. Meanwhile, you tucked a few pints of ice cream in the cart, winking to Benny as he pointed to his favorite flavor.

When he returned, Frankie climbed back into the cart, setting the bags of frozen veggies beside him. “I got green beans, corn, and peas,” he said. “Did we need anything else?”

“Nope,” you said, resting your elbows on his shoulders. “What’s left on the list?”

Frankie scanned the paper. “Bread, bagels, meat, milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter.”

When you had all your boys back at your side, you kept moving, examining the meat selection the grocery store had. “Babe, how many pounds of ground beef do we have?”

“Uhh.” Frankie began counting off on his fingers while you smiled and grabbed a pack of bacon. “Four?”

“So not enough,” you decided, grabbing two more. You sent Santiago to grab chicken breasts, keeping Will and Benny with you as you looked over the sandwich meat. Eventually putting sliced turkey in the cart, you nodded to Santiago as he handed you the chicken.

“One more aisle, I promise,” you said, heading towards the dairy section. “Then we can go back home.”

You grabbed a carton of regular milk and a carton of lactose free milk, handing them both to Benny. Then came the cream cheese tub, the butter, the yogurt, the sliced cheese to go with the crackers, and you were finally swinging back through the bakery to grab bread and bagels before heading to the checkout.

After checking out, you herded the boys back to the car, loading everything into the trunk and making sure everyone was buckled in before slowly turning out of the parking lot.

“Did we have fun?” You asked the car, turning the radio down a notch so you could hear them.

“Yes,” all four of your passengers responded, each with varying levels of awareness.

It was a struggle to get the groceries in the house and put away. Benny was shot, passing out on the couch almost immediately upon re-entering the house. Everyone else did their best, but Will tapped out after hauling everything in, and Frankie and Santiago barely made it through the process of putting everything away.

“You got ice cream?” Frankie asked, holding one pint and staring at it. “God I fucking love you!”

You laughed, putting the cereal in its proper cupboard. “I love you too.”

Eventually, you were on the couch, Frankie by your side and the rest of your boys in various other places. You scratched absently through Frankie’s hair, flicking through movies until finally settling on a calming kids movie about dragons. Since his return from his final mission, Frankie hadn’t been too keen on action movies. Something about the explosions set him off.

“Babe?”

“Yes Frankie?”

Frankie looked up at you, eyes partially closed. “Thank you for taking us to the store. I don’t think Benny’s been grocery shopping since we got back.”

You smiled, kissing Frankie’s nose. “Anything for my boys.”

#Triple Frontier #francisco 'catfish' morales #frankie morales #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x you #Pedro Pascal #My writing

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freaoscanlin · 3 years

Text

In the Arms of an Aila

Fandom: High Rollers Aerois Campaign

Notes: Rated PG, 4438 words, trigger warnings for minor blood mentions. This is a Uni AU wherein the Storm Chasers are a group of students sharing a house on Stormchaser Avenue after their dormitory burns down. Shout out to @obishenshenobi for being amazing and co-writing this series with me!

Summary: Four times Aila carries the party, and one time they return the favor.

Read it on AO3

“Hey, Aila?” Nova said.

“What?”

“Just...thanks.”

“Very welcome. Just do your part and hold on. Sentry will get mad if I drop you.”

Nova

The blister set in somewhere between mile two and mile four. Since it was supposed to be a five mile hike, and a torrential downpour hit at the end of mile two, soaking them to the bone within minutes, a blister was the last thing Nova needed.

Of course, who really needed a blister? Rubbing an actual sore onto the skin as the first step on the way to a callus was an absolute stupid function of humanity, and human feet should not be designed this way. In fact, all humans were composed of stupid engineering. Her thighs burned, her lower back ached, she was muddy and cross and cold, and the pain rubbing along the back of her heel made her actually want to cry.

“We’ll get to the end soon.” Sentry kept a cheerful look in place. This whole hike had been her idea in the first place, and she’d led the pack all the way out to the waterfall. Which, admittedly, had been very pretty. On a sunny day it might have even been gorgeous. But Nova could feel her teeth chattering, and she must have looked miserable because Sentry had been making remarks like that for the past twenty minutes. “And then we’ll be in a nice warm car. And we’ll get some hot chocolate.”

“Coffee,” Nova managed to say through her chattering teeth.

“Or coffee. Sure. Coffee’s fine.”

Lucius, following behind Sentry without too much trouble, should have looked bedraggled and miserable. But he’d packed a fancy purple camping jacket for the adventure. Quill, trudging behind him, kept flicking a hand through his sopping hair and sending water droplets everywhere.

Aila, after the first time Nova had landed on her ass, had taken the rear. Every so often, she reached out to grab Nova and keep her from careening off the edge of the path.

“Let’s take a hike,” Nova muttered under her breath as she limped along. “It’s beautiful, Nova. You’ll love it, Nova. Just think of the pretty views, Nova. This is great. Just great.”

She stepped down and hissed in pain as her boot moved against the blister. Instantly, the three people ahead of her turned to look. “Are you okay?” Sentry asked, her brow furrowed.

“Fi—I’m fine. It’s just a blister. I’ll be fine.”

It took a great deal of reassurance that she would be fine in order for the others to believe her. They had less than a mile to go, soon they’d be in the car, she could grit her teeth through it. After a day of holding the group back to her pace—it wasn’t her fault she lived with a bunch of jocks who preferred the gym to the library—the idea of stopping just because her foot hurt made her burn with shame. So she waved away their protests and gamely set off.

For a couple hundred meters, at least. At that point she began to whimper.

Something rustled behind her, followed by a sigh. Aila grabbed her arm to stop her. “What? Was I about to fall?” Nova asked, looking down at the steep incline beside the little trail.

“Hop on.” Aila turned to face away from her, bending her knees just a little.

“What?”

“I’ll give you a piggy-back ride.”

“But it’s so far still.”

“You weigh less than a sack of potatoes. I’ll be fine. Hop on.”

The others, having missed all of this, continued on their way up the path. Nova glanced back toward them, wondering if she should just suck it up and run to catch up. The thought alone made her want to cry.

Red-faced and embarrassed, she climbed onto Aila’s back and wrapped her arms around Aila’s neck. The relief of being off her feet came instantly.

“Comfortable?” Aila asked.

“If I get too heavy—”

Aila snorted at that. “Please. This isn’t even a workout. Hey, Sentry, wait up!”

In no time at all, she caught up to the group, trotting along as though she wasn’t even burdened by Nova’s weight. Nova decided she’d feel embarrassed later, when she wasn’t so wrecked. Aila was big and sturdy and warm, and it was the first reprieve from misery she’d had in over an hour. Quill gave her a small smile of commiseration, letting out a “hey” when she tiredly reached out to muss his hair.

“Hey, Aila?” Nova said.

“What?”

“Just...thanks.”

“Very welcome. Just do your part and hold on. Sentry will get mad if I drop you.”

Nova rested her cheek against the back of Aila’s shoulder, watching the landscape go by around them, and obeyed.

Sentry

“And just what do you think you’re doing?”

Sentry, about to reach for the pantry door in the darkness, froze. A split-second after Aila’s voice rang out through the kitchen, the lights flooded on. Sentry didn’t need a highly active imagination to fully see the picture it painted: Aila by the switch in an ancient pair of joggers and one of the hundreds of tacky free T-shirts they handed out during orientation week. A massive gulf of space between the pantry and Sentry’s bedroom. And Sentry herself in her Tom Servo sleep tank and shorts, balanced on one foot to stay off of her bad knee, right by the pantry—with her crutches nowhere nearby.

“Ah, um, ah,” Sentry said, looking about for an excuse. Her shoulders sagged. “I just wanted a snack?”

“And you decided, ‘oh, I’ll just hop to it, then, will I?’”

Sentry spread her hands wide, sheepishly. “Yes?”

Aila’s expression could melt steel. “Even though you’ve got a perfectly good pair of crutches by your bed.”

She hated the crutches, yes, but in that moment Sentry decided she hated disappointing Aila more. Still, she pushed her shoulders back. “I’m allowed to put a little weight on it—”

“In two weeks! You’re supposed to stay off it for now, or you’ll make it worse.”

“I’m only getting a snack. That’s not that strenuous.”

“For somebody who mothers the rest of us when we’ve so much as got the sniffles, you’re a bad patient yourself.” Aila strode across the kitchen and before Sentry quite knew what was happening, scooped her up. Just as quickly—though a little more gently—Sentry was deposited into one of the kitchen chairs. “You could have called one of us to get you a snack if you hate the crutches so much.”

“You were all asleep, and you need your rest.”

“We need our Sentry in one piece more than we need rest.”

Aila stomped into the pantry. A bag of crisps sailed through the air, landing in front of Sentry on the table. Grumbling under her breath the whole time, Aila emerged and stormed about the kitchen, collecting a midnight snack for herself. Sentry angled a chair over to prop her recovering leg up, trusting that Aila would work through this head of steam eventually. At long last, Aila sat down across from her with a glass of water for each of them. She dug viciously into a yogurt.

“Feel better now that you’ve bitched me out?” Sentry asked, digging into the chips.

Aila considered. “A little, actually. Now I see why Nova does it all the time.”

Sentry saluted her with a crisp. “Glad to help. Thanks for getting these for me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You don’t need to keep me company if all you were coming down for was a glass of water or something, though. I don’t want to keep you up.”

“Sentry,” Aila said in a measured voice. “If I leave you there, you’ll just hop right back to bed. So I’m going to stay here until you’re finished and I’m going to eat my yogurt and then I’ll carry you back to bed, and we’ll not tell the others any of this ever happened because they’ll scold you.”

“That might be the most I’ve ever heard you speak,” Sentry said.

“Yeah, I’m a real chatty Cathy at this hour, apparently.” Aila nudged one of the glasses toward her. “Drink your water. It’s good for recovery.”

“Yes, Mom,” Sentry teased, and Aila rolled her eyes at her.

Lucius

Lucius saw the blood, had a brief eternity to think whoopsy, there I go, and when time returned to its normal course of business, fainted. Well, he went woozy, at any rate. He felt his knees buckle, but from afar like they weren’t his knees anymore, and his vision squeezed into one narrow point of blankness, and he staggered.

He slammed into something very solid, but warm like a person. “Oh, no, you don’t,” said a familiar voice in his ear.

“S-so much blood,” Lucius said, his voice sounding as far away as his knees.

The entire world seemed to tilt and a feeling of warmth suffused him, reminding him of the earliest days with Nanny Nophir. That changed abruptly, though, when he realized that instead of being cradled like a small child, somebody had slung him over a shoulder like a bag of cement. Not just anybody, he realized in a muddled storm of thought. Aila had him over one shoulder, bracing him with an arm behind his knees.

Muzzily, he twisted his head to see Sentry hurrying out of the kitchen and into the shared living room. “What’s happened?” she asked.

“Nova’s got a nosebleed,” Aila said. “His majesty still faints at the sight of blood, apparently.”

“Hey,” Lucius said feebly, as the dig felt a little unfair. He let his body hang limp, too wrung out to really protest beyond that. There had been so much blood...

“I’m so sorry,” Nova said, her voice muffled by either a towel or her hand. “Lucius, I’m so sorry, I forgot you don’t like blood. It’s just so dry—”

“Let’s just get you cleaned up,” Sentry said kindly, resting a hand on Lucius’s back as she passed. “Maybe put him on the couch?”

The last must have been directed at Aila, for she moved over and Lucius found himself being lowered onto the divan. They really should have gotten a proper fainting couch for the living room, even though it clashed with the rest of the furniture he’d hand-selected. Though the ultimate irony remained: if Aila hadn’t caught him, he wouldn’t have made it to said fainting couch anyway.

Lucius, feeling queasy, glanced over. He spotted the bloody towel that Nova had instinctively put over her face to staunch the blood, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

“Hey—hey!” Something snapped loudly in front of his face and Lucius opened his eyes. Aila snapped her fingers a few more times. “None of that now. Turn that way.”

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Lucius said, automatically obeying. “Good heavens. I could have cracked my head open on the coffee table if you hadn’t caught me.”

“Doubt it.” Aila snorted. “Hard as your head is, you’d have cracked the coffee table in half.”

“Oh really, do you think?” Lucius couldn’t help but be a little pleased at the thought. Having somebody like Aila think any part of him was tough—she’d certainly made enough jokes about lacrosse in their first days together—was quite exhilarating. He studiously kept his gaze focused on the back of the couch, deliberately not looking as Aila took the bloody towel out of the room and returned with bleach wipes. “Oh, I do hope she didn’t stain the carpet.”

“Eh,” Aila said. “I’ve gotten blood out of worse. Though I’ll let Nova clean up her textbook on her own. I’m nice but not that nice. It should be safe for you to look now.”

Lucius swallowed hard and sat up, rubbing his head. He’d come in to inquire of Nova, seated at the coffee table with a textbook and a soap opera on in the background for noise, if she wanted to perhaps grab a quick dinner with him before their evening class. And she’d turned to him in horror, blood leaking and...

Well, he’d prefer not to remember beyond that point. Instead, he resolutely turned his thoughts to more pressing matters (after all, Sentry was taking care of Nova, which meant she would be just fine). He cleared his throat. “Aila, I do have a question for you.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Do you think we should get a fainting couch in here? For the aesthetic?”

Aila stared at him for a long time, then turned on a heel and left without saying a word or even making a face at him.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Lucius said, and began to set his mussed clothing to rights.

Quill

No matter how they jeered and teased, there was no getting Sentry into the water. Even the triple dog dare, which would have worked on Quill without fail, held no effect. She merely gazed at them serenely from her lakeside lounger, told them they were all very clever, and closed her eyes once more, returning to sunbathing.

“Boo,” Quill called, cupping his hand around his mouth. He tried to splash water in her direction, but Sentry had wisely set her chair out of range.

“Oh, quit bugging her,” Nova said from deeper in the lake where she was treading water in her cute old-fashioned swim suit. Even in the water, she hadn’t taken off the elbow-length glove she wore to cover the scars from her lab accident. “Let the woman get some sun away from our shenanigans.”

“I refuse to let my best friend be too much of a coward,” and Quill raised his voice over his shoulder as he swam toward Nova, “to swim in the lake!”

“Love you too, Quill,” Sentry called back without opening her eyes.

The sun did feel nice, admittedly. Their first day at the cabin—one of Lucius’s family’s many, many vacation properties—had been gray and cold and unpromising, but today the skies were clear and the air was warm. Donning a pair of swim trunks and cannon-balling off of the private dock was the only logical choice to be made, in Quill’s opinion. And the others had followed not far behind: Nova in her one-piece, Lucius in speedos that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and Aila in what Quill suspected just to be her underwear, as she hadn’t gone shopping for their vacation, even at Sentry and Nova’s urging. Sentry herself had donned a tankini but was staying far, far away from the water, having made it clear just how much she found the thought of parasites and other lakely dangers distressing.

Swimming wasn’t as easy as it had been before his accident, but Quill made it out to Nova and began to tread water beside her. She closed her eyes and tipped her face to the sun. “This feels so nice. I didn’t realize how much I needed a break. I had more than four hours of sleep last night, Quill. It felt like a miracle.”

“I may never go back,” Quill agreed. “Do you think Lucius would mind if we, like, just moved in permanently? There’s a bidet. Have you ever stayed in a place that had a bidet?”

“Can’t say that I have.” Nova turned. “Aila! Have you ever stayed in a place with a bidet?”

“When would I have done that?” came the reply. Aila didn’t even lift her head up from where she was floating on her back, eyes closed.

Lucius swam up, popped underwater, and emerged so that his hair flowed back in perfect waves. The sunlight caught very faint freckles on his shoulders. “I’ve been meaning to bring that up. It’s rather a travesty that we don’t have one at home. We could have one installed quite easily.”

“Eh,” Aila said, eyes still closed. “Feels bougie.”

“How dare you,” Lucius said.

Aila merely opened one eye a slit and smirked at him. Lucius, after a moment of grumpiness, smiled back.

“Did we bring a football or anything?” Nova twirled herself around in the water like a spinning top. “Or some kind of water game we could play? Not that I don’t love swimming.”

“We could play Chicken,” Quill said. When the other three merely gave him varying glances of confusion or interest (or disinterest on Aila’s part), he tilted his head. “Did none of you ever play Chicken as kids?”

“The thing where you dart out in front of cars and stay there until they almost hit you?” Nova asked.

“No, the bit where one person gets up on somebody’s shoulders and tries to knock another person—on somebody else’s shoulders—over into the water. Here, here, I’ll show you. It’s fun.” Quill glanced between the three of them and did some quick calculus that he would never, ever tell anybody else about. “Here, Aila, let me up on your shoulders.”

Aila kept floating for a few seconds more before she seemed to shrug to herself. “Eh. I’ve got nothing better to do.”

Left to his own devices, Quill was positive that he would have made it awkward to clamber up on Aila’s shoulders. But he’d forgotten just how strong rugby made Aila, and how often she went swimming. As they approached the shallower depths, she disappeared under the water. Quill felt something almost hit him from behind, and then he was launched toward the sky. He yelped and clung on for dear life as Aila straightened to her full height, the water coming up to her shoulders.

“Ooh! Ooh! I want to try. Lucius, let me up.” Nova scrambled over to Lucius and climbed up on his shoulders, kicking her feet excitedly (Lucius winced a little). She held her arms up like an old timey boxer. “You’re going into the water, bird-boy.”

“Hey, now,” Aila said. “Let’s make this fair. One hand behind your back.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, Quill.”

“I don’t need two hands to beat you,” Quill said, though he nearly disproved his entire point by overbalancing and almost falling off of Aila’s shoulders.

She merely locked her hands around his knees. Nova put her scarred hand behind her and waggled the fingers of her remaining hand at Quill.

“Oi!” A voice from the shore made all of them turn to look at Sentry, who’d sat up and set her book aside. “What are you doing? That looks dangerous!”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lucius called back. “Aila and I have it all in hand.”

Sentry hovered on the edge of the lounger like she wasn’t entirely sure she believed that. “Well, just—just be careful.”

Quill used the distraction to lean over, scoop up a handful of water, and fling it in Nova’s direction.

“Hey!”

And just like that, the battle commenced. Aila charged forward with Quill holding on, Lucius did the same with Nova, and a wrestling match for the ages followed. Nobody would ever come up with a consensus on who actually hit the water first, though. Lucius swore it was Quill, Nova agreed, Quill argued vehemently that it was of course Nova, and Aila remained the neutral party, content to be the base for many, many games of Chicken afterward.

And Sentry remained on the shore, pretending she wasn’t keeping a close eye on them for injury and doing a horrible job at hiding it.

All in all, a pretty perfect summer morning, if you asked Quill.

+ 1 Time They Carried Her

“Sign up for survivalist camp, she says. It’ll be fun, she says. We’ll learn cool new techniques to surviving in the wild. Great bonding time!”

“To be fair,” Nova said from behind Aila’s head, where Aila couldn’t really see her without craning her neck, “we were having a great time bonding until, you know, all of this.”

Because Aila couldn’t see her, and moving to do so would only get her scolded, she had to imagine Nova waving her free hand in aggravation.

“I for one am having a perfectly lovely time,” Lucius said.

Aila could never tell when he was being sarcastic, and she didn’t see that changing any time soon. She suspected in this case he might be genuine, though. The course instructor had complimented him on his very fancy camping vest (“It has so many pockets,” Lucius had said) and nobody had yet found the heart to tell Lucius that had been sarcasm. So all through this hike he’d been in a particularly good mood. That made him the only one, probably.

Things had been going rather well during the whole course, up until this morning: the morning of their final day in the course, when they would be tested “randomly” and, using little but their wits, a compass, and a map, navigate themselves back to the parking lot. Camping with her friends had been fun, even if it meant being squished into a two-person tent with Sentry and Nova (the latter of whom had very bony elbows) at night. Aila liked the outdoors. She liked the feeling of self-sufficiency that this course had brought with it. She imagined herself as something of a pioneer. In the olden times, she would’ve kicked ass at all of this.

Unfortunately, it was nigh on impossible to kick ass with a “broken leg.”

And she wasn’t hiking out of the woods. She was being carried. On a stretcher. This sucked. The instructor had folded his arms over his chest in a rather smug fashion as he gave them their final assignment. His eyes had lingered between Sentry and Aila, easily the tallest members of the group. And he’d narrowed in on her, which was why she was being lifted by her friends on a tarp stretcher that they’d improvised.

“This sucks.”

“Yes,” Quill said, grimacing. “So you’ve said multiple times. We’re not having the best go of it either right now.”

Aila closed her eyes and leaned her head back. She’d already had to fold her arms close into her chest like a sleeping vampire to avoid being bumped and jostled about. The tarp they’d fashioned into a stretcher smelled bad. She felt like she’d been stuffed into a tiny little space, not great when she suspected she was a little claustrophobic anyway. “I’m bored.”

“I’ve got several books you could read,” Nova said, completely earnest.

That would only make this day worse, having to read. Fortunately Sentry, who was planted on the right side above Aila’s head and therefore easy to see, laughed. “I don’t think a book will help.”

“I was up late reading all about the local fauna in case there was a pop quiz,” Nova said. “I could tell you about some of them?”

“I’d rather read the book,” Aila said.

Nova tilted her head, considering. “You know what? Fair.”

“It’s not long to the parking lot,” Lucius said in a cheerful voice, though he was a bit out of breath.

“Feels like miles,” Quill grumbled.

“That’s probably because it is. I was lying,” Lucius said, tittering nervously.

Aila had pointed out that the course instructors couldn’t see them, so she could just get up and walk for a bit until they were nearing the end and all of her friends could be spared, but Nova had looked so abjectly horrified at the thought of cheating on a test that Aila had backpedaled and felt a little actual shame. Just a tiny bit, though. Not enough to fully penetrate the thick barrier of indifference she liked to carry about.

“Fine,” she said now, with a sigh. “Tell me all about these fascinating plants of yours, Nova. Not like I can do much else right now.”

Nova squeaked in excitement, reaching down to grab Aila’s leg.

“Ow,” Aila deadpanned. “That one’s broken.”

“I thought it was the other one?”

“It’s not real,” Quill said. “She’s messing with you.”

“Right. Right! Okay, so to start with, these are deciduous trees—”

Aila tuned her out in record time. Since there wasn’t anything to do but lay stiffly with her arms in a stupid position and the stretcher swaying nauseatingly below her, Aila let the patter of Nova’s excited overexplaining wash over her. She closed her eyes to stave off the nausea of watching the canopy overhead.

Sleep didn’t come right away, though it drifted near enough that she dozed a few times. Finally, she heard Nova whisper, “Did I do it? Is she out?”

“Think so, yeah,” Sentry replied.

“Oh, thank H’esper.”

“Quill!”

“We’re the ones marching miles carrying her and she’s whining?” Quill whispered back. “Have a care for my legs. I can’t feel them anymore.”

“Me either,” Lucius said.

“Meanwhile, all she has to do is lay there and be carried!”

“Which for Aila is torture and you know it,” Nova hissed.

“I do suppose she’d whine less with an actual broken leg,” Lucius said, thoughtfully, and Aila nearly gave up the game by grinning. “She does have that stoicism thing going for her. I rather admire it at times. Daddy always said that I should be stron—ow, splinter!”

“You okay? We can take a break if need be,” Sentry said.

“I’ll endeavor to carry on,” Lucius said, but he sounded tearful.

Aila almost opened her eyes again, but joining this conversation would require more mental energy than she was willing to expend. Maybe if she did actually fall asleep, this nightmare of a hike would be over sooner.

“She does look kind of peaceful,” Nova said. “In a very Angry Aila way. Nobody tell her I said that. Either of those things.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Sentry promised.

There was a long silence. The stretcher continued to sway, though not in a soothing or repeatable pattern that promoted sleep, and her friends were quiet apart from the sound of heavy breathing as they tromped through the woods. Not a bad day for a hike, overall. She really wished she could just get up and walk alongside them, but if she had to be carried, so be it. At least she had them around her.

Aila nearly opened her mouth to tell them so (and ruin the illusion that she’d been napping this entire time) when Quill cleared his throat. “We are agreed, yes, that she’ll be driving the whole way home since she’s been napping this entire time anyway?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Duh.”

“Why, obviously. I’ll be completely knackered by that point.”

Aila’s smile probably betrayed her, but she elected not to care about that. She merely let the group travel on, carrying her to their final destination in their survival course. There were worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon, even if it meant being the one to drive them home afterward.

#rollonsunday #high rollers #aerois #fanfiction #my fic #aila #nova v'ger #lucius virion elluin elenasto #qillek ad khollar #sentinel prime

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mikkomacko · 4 years

Text

Sweet As Honey 17

Harry's anxious again. Not in the excited kind of way that pumps him up before a fight, and not in the sick, nauseous way that hits him after he has a nightmare. This is new. Instead of fearing the past like usual, he's fearing the future. Because the future he sees is one he never imagined before. He likes it a lot more than the one he used to picture. Instead of endless nights in the ring and girls whose faces he'll never remember, he sees a house. A cute little two story house with a fenced in yard for a dog to run around in. Hopefully being chased by a baby or two. And on the front steps stands one girl who's face he'll remember for the rest of his life. It's y/n he sees, with a wedding band on her finger that twinkles in the sunlight as she scolds Harry for letting their babies get dirty right before dinner.

It's a nice dream, but Harry hates to break routine. Breaking routine means something unplanned has happened, something spontaneous. Something out of the blue. Like getting thrown out of your home on the night you were just supposed to be studying. It scares him. Terrifies him so much he can't sit still. Which is how he ended up sending a text to y/n telling her she didn’t have to come to his fight tonight. Because if she does they’ll end up celebrating after, her on his arm and showing him off to everyone in the bar. And he’ll go home with her and probably have sex with her, and he’ll keep doing it over and over again until he's got this whole new, unfamiliar routine. Until he undoubtedly falls in love with her while she sees him as just a hot boxer who's good company.

"Fuck," Harry curses, tears burning his eyes and throat. Not even two months ago he was arguing with her about her attendance at his matches, and now he's changing his mind. No not changing his mind, because he still wants her there, he just doesn't want what comes after. It's too much, too fast. He's falling in love with her way sooner than he ever thought possible.

Y/n: What are you talking about Harry? I already cancelled plans with Kate to go with you

He winces as he types out his response, knowing it's going to make him an asshole, but he can't think of anything else to say. It's like those dreams in which he's running on buildings and he knows he's going to reach the end and fall but he can't stop.

I don't know. Maybe ask her if she's still free? I just don't want you there tonight

Growling in frustration he throws his phone onto his bed, digging his elbows in his thighs until it hurts. He's got a headache building in his skull, pushing his fingers into his hair and squeezing until the knots send tingles across his scalp. He can't believe he just said that. He can't believe he lied to his y/n and in the worst way possible. It wasn't even a lie to protect her or keep her happy. It's a lie to keep him safe. Even with the regret squeezing around his heart he can't bring himself to apologize or take it back. Not even when her reply hurts more than the panic.

Whatever Harry. Don't call or text me. I don't want to be around you either right now

"Guess who's on baby watch today!" Harry cheers, scooping a bite of mashed bananas into Arlo's waiting mouth. Smacking his lips and letting out a refreshed sigh, Arlo parts his mouth for another bite, tongue falling sloppily to his chin.

"Meeeeeeee!" Y/n sings, dipping a celery stick into her blueberry yogurt and crunching loudly. Harry tries not to scrunch his nose up at her breakfast but it's hard. She's getting a lot of different and odd cravings this pregnancy as opposed to the ones with Arlo. All she ate then were burgers and hot chips. Now she's on a celery and yogurt kick, last week being the end of the artichoke rein, and of course she's still enjoying hot Cheetos, but now she eats them with cheese.

"Mumma's so loud, huh?" Harry whispers, turning his nose up at her as another crunch rings out. She sticks her tongue out at him and Harry’s dramatic gasp at the action makes Arlo giggle. “We’ll be nice though because she’s feeding our mate,” he feeds another bite between Arlo’s lips. “even if she does mean things like stick her tongue out at daddy.”

Arlo hums around another bite, eyebrows pinching together as he looks between Harry and y/n. Head tilted to the side thoughtfully, he settles on Harry. "Daddy."

A smile stretches across his face. "Tha's right bug." Arlo smiles proudly, accepting another bite. Sock covered toes kick Harry's knee when he takes a bite of the baby food, and Arlo's nose scrunches dejectedly.

"Oi!" Harry pinches his little foot, "share with me! M'the one that bought this!"

Arlo turns his cheek to the next bite, stubbornly not wanting the food after Harry’s eaten it. Sighing, Harry twists the lid back on the jar of baby food before rising from the table to put it away. Walking back to the high chair, Harry peels off Arlo's dirty pajama shirt, wiping his face clean with the stained fabric. Arlo grumbles and glares at him, pushing Harry's hands away.

"No!" Arlo shouts at him, eyes welling up with angry tears. By the time Harry's got him clean and the shirt in the laundry room Arlo's crying and trying to wiggle out of his seat. Harry picks him up, patting his back to soothe him but Arlo continues to squirm until Harry puts him down.

Frowning, Harry watches the bub waddle to y/n, arms reaching for her. She grins proudly, setting down her breakfast and happily scooping him up. He curls into her chest, dramatically wailing until y/n pecks his wet cheeks. "I know baby, m'sorry daddy's mean." She coos, pouting but her eyes shine with amusement when they briefly meet Harry's. "S'why you're my favorite boy."

Arlo sniffles, a pleased grin curling his mouth up as he looks over at Harry. Harry scoffs, glaring at Arlo like a child. The baby returns the look, nuzzling into y/n's shoulder as if trying to rub it in Harry's face that he's the favorite boy.

"Tha's not fair," Harry grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. Y/n giggles, rising from her seat and adjusting Arlo to her hip. Harry continues to pout as she pads over to him, cupping his jaw with her free hand.

"You're my favorite man." She comforts, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth before heading towards the stairs. Harry's lips turn up, smiling proudly. That is until Arlo peers over y/n's shoulder at Harry and slurs just loud enough, "my mumma."

Today's going to be a long day for Harry.

Harry's fucked up. God he's so fucked up. And he feels bad, really he does, because he's ruined everything for y/n. He can tell by the forced smile on her face as she says goodbye to the last of the guests, a couple guys from the gym, before closing his apartment door behind them. She looks utterly heartbroken as she rips down the birthday banner from the ceiling and throws it to the ground, followed by the streamers. The front door of the complex opens, and Harry waits for his mates for disappear down the street before pushing up from the bench and dragging his feet into the building. The second floor is too short a ride, he thinks bitterly, stomach flipping with nerves. He feels shitty but he made this happen.

Y/n is stabbing at balloons with a knife from his kitchen when he opens the door, the loud pop making him jump. He hangs his hoodie and kicks off his shoes and avoids looking up at the party decorations that y/n is angrily destroying.

"Hi," he mutters quietly, standing in the entryway like a new visitor. A visitor in his own apartment because that's what y/n does. She comes in and she takes over everything he's ever known. She leaves her mark with every step. In every corner of the gym, on every bench by the ring, on every thread of his bed sheets, on every tissue of his muscles, on every fiber of his heart. Maybe that's what he loves most about her, her ability to take over. He's always had to be in control because when he's not he fucks up and does something stupid, but maybe it'd be a nice change in pace to just hand himself over to her. Not that he really gave himself the chance. As soon as he started to give into her, he took it all back and now he's hurt her.

'Better her than me,' he tries to remind himself when she comes to stand in front of him. She's wearing a pretty pink dress that she knows he loves, and she might even be wearing something prettier under it as well, but he's fucked up all chances at seeing it. His chest aches but he repeats his mantra. 'Better her than me.'

"You're late Harry," she says emotionless, arms crossing over her chest. "like three hours late"

He hums, scratching the top of his head as if he forgot. "S'really that late? Fuck me." The laugh that leaves her lips is cold and mocking.

"Yeah fuck you Harry," she steps close enough to shove something into his chest "you knew about tonight. I've been planning it since December and you just skipped it? Do you know how humiliating that was?"

She walks away from him, disappearing around the corner into his bedroom. Harry takes a minute to examine the "birthday boy" sash and party hat she threw at him. His knees tremble as does his resolve. He hasn't had a birthday party in years. Not since his father died and y/n knows that. That's why she went out of her way to throw one for him. "A good birthday memory for you baby," she had said back when he first told her about it, and he had blushed and accepted her tender kisses like a child in desperate need of attention. Or care. In desperate need of someone to care for him.

"I mean," he clears his throat when she comes back, her coat thrown over her shoulders. "s'just a birthday. My birthday. Not like I missed yours or anything."

She pauses, fingers freezing on the buttons of her jacket. "Are you serious Harry? Are you really fucking saying that to me?"

He shrugs, tossing the items in his hand onto the dining table. Trying not to look at the sash, he focuses on her.

“Is this some scheme for attention?” She sighs, and her shoe taps against his floor anxiously. She’s trying to hold herself back from yelling at him, and the thought makes him want to cry. Even when he’s hurting her, she won’t do the same to him. She really is too good for him.

"What are ya talking about?"

"You fight with me to go to your matches and then tell me you don't want me there. You complain about your birthday, and being the dumbass that I am, I care enough about you to try and actually give you a good day, and you don't even fucking care. After you practically sobbed at the sight of the invitation! What do you want from me Harry?" She's begun to lose her resolve, eyes watering and lip quivering. Her shouting actually gives away the hurt she was trying to hide from him, and he wishes he hadn't pushed her this far. He hates hearing her hurting especially when he's the cause.

Dropping his gaze to the floor, he gnaws at his bottom lip. He knows what he needs to say, what he needs to do. He's been thinking about it for a week and a half, but the words still get stuck in his throat. He should take it as a sign that it's because he doesn't actually want to say this. Instead he uses it as a reason to push himself. It hurts because she's come in a changed him. She's going to hurt him if he doesn't hurt her first. "I want to break up."

The silence that follows weighs heavy on his chest. Peering up through his eyelashes, fully prepared to see y/n crying or glaring at him, he bawks at the sight instead. She's not trembling with rage or melting with tears, no, she's smiling. A cruel, twisted smile but still beautiful. Harry looks up at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Isn't she going to yell at him? Scream? Hit him? Tell him to fuck off again?

"Is that really what you want Harry?" She asks softly, voice not matching the painful grin on her lips. He wishes he knew what she was thinking. He wants to know what part of breaking up has got her lips curved up because he feels like he just stabbed himself in the chest.

He opens his mouth to reaffirm his words but he's cut off by her. "Don't lie to me either Harry. I can handle you lying about not wanting me at your fight, but not this."

That lump is back in his throat, catching his lie and holding onto it for dear life. He doesn't want to break up. He wants to see her every day, kiss her before every fight, wake up next to her every morning. But he doesn't want to get hurt. He's so scared of being hurt, and now he's mad because of course she knows when he's lying. She already knows him better than anyone else does.

"Stop saying my name please." He requests quietly, because it hurts to hear it from her. It falls out of her lips comfortably, rings softly with a tenderness no one's ever spoken it with before, and he loves it. Love to hear her say it.

"Than stop running away from me."

He breaks a little at the truth, tears rimming his eyes and jaw clenching to keep from sniffling. She knows exactly what he's doing. She always knows, and he has no excuse so he stays silent. With a quiet sigh, she continues to button her coat and throw her purse over her shoulder. Her footsteps echo throughout the apartment as she walks over to him, stopping a few inches from being in his arms.

"I just want you to be happy Harry," there's his name again, sounding so loving in his ears "so you come find me when you're miserable, okay?" Harry's knows that's exactly what he'll do but he denies it, shaking his head softly. "You better have a really good apology too." Her lips press a soft kiss to his cheek, free hand cupping his jaw for a mere second. Then she's walking around him, slipping out of the door, and leaving him by himself.

With a cement-like weight on his ankles, Harry drags his feet to his bedroom, crumbling to his knees with sobs as he takes in the room. She's decorated it with dozens of candles and roses, petals sprinkled romantically on the bed. Sitting among the forgotten petals, Harry can't help but think about how much he loves her.

Gemma is really nice to be around. With Harry and Anne gone, and the tension of trying to keep everything civil forgotten, y/n realizes that she could be really good friends with her. Maybe even actual sisters. And she really loves Arlo.

“I can’t believe how much he looks like Harry.” She breathes out, shaking her head in disbelief. Arlo, who was walking circles around the coffee table, freezes, looking around expectantly after recognizing his father’s name. His disappointed frown falls on y/n when no sign of Harry comes up, and he's stumbling over to her with his arms outstretched.

"It's a bit freaky huh?" She laughs, lifting Arlo up onto her thighs. He squishes as close as he can to her, his tummy pressing into her swollen one and head dropping against her chest.

Gemma nods, smiling softly at the little boy. His frown deepens, dramatically whimpering and turning to hide his face. "Harry used to do that too," she comments "but with our dad. He was always really clingy and attached to our mum. He'd whine and be grumpy whenever we were left without her."

Y/n strokes her fingers over Arlo's little back, giggling when he shivers and gurgles into her tee-shirt. "This one's always a little grumpy," y/n says, "even when he's with Harry. If Harry does something he doesn't like he'll be so hurt with him."

"Really?" Gemma asks, eyebrows raising in surprise. "I didn't think Arlo could ever be mean to Harry."

"He likes to guilt trip him," she explains, goosebumps rising on her skin when Arlo's tiny fingers begin to rub over her belly, tickling her. "Like the day after fights if Harry's a little beat up Arlo gets mad and will fight with him when he tries to ice bruises and stuff. He's getting into a hitting phase now so he'll smack Harry too."

"And then give him those big green eyes huh?"

Giggling, y/n nods. She thinks Arlo's realized how affected Harry is by his baby having his eyes and he definitely uses it to his advantage. There's a reason Arlo's been eating nothing but bananas and peas this week and it's that puppy look he's perfected.

"Speaking of Harry's fight," Gemma clears her throat quietly, "do you think it'd be okay if I brought someone to the match tomorrow?"

Taken aback, it takes y/n a moment to respond. "Of course. I think Harry would love that actually." He'll feel like Gemma's showing him off, bragging about him and y/n knows that will really make him happy. "Who is it? If you don't mind me asking?"

Gemma's cheeks blossom pink, and her lips curve up shyly. "This boy that lives in the building with us. We've talked a few times and I really want to ask him out. Heard him mention how much he loves sports so I figured this would be cool."

Y/n can't help but beam, being a hopeless romantic. There's just something so sweet about seeing someone blush over their crush. She's about to grill her for more questions when the baby presses against her tummy, wiggling around and Arlo let's out a shocked grumble. His head flies up from where it was resting on her, eyes wide and curious as he glares at her belly.

"That's the baby Arlo," she tells him, peeling up her shirt so he can press his hands against her skin. Tentatively, he rubs his fingers into his brothers temporary home, tilting his head when he feels more movement. "he's just saying hi."

"Oh that's so darling." Gemma mumbles, giggling when Arlo presses his face into y/n's belly and grunts nonsense at the baby. This time he doesn't move away when the baby kicks at his palm, instead just mumbles again. Then he looks up at y/n, nose scrunched up in annoyance.

"Baby." He murmurs to her, struggling a bit on the a, but still pronouncing the word Harry's been working on with him for a few days. She's not sure if he's letting her know that there's a baby in there or if he's complaining about the baby, but either way she leans forward to kiss his nose. Just like Harry does when she kisses him on his nose, he shivers and then the pinch on his nose melts away and he smiles at her.

"You better not be complaining mister," she warns him, "because daddy will be so hurt if you get mad at him for this." Gemma laughs, and Arlo gurgles, and y/n hopes Harry's feeling as happy as she is.

It's weeks before Harry can drag himself to y/n's apartment. He told himself to stop counting the days since he last saw her, yet he knows it's been exactly 17. 17 days of him sitting like a corpse in his apartment, doing the bare minimum at the gym, and doing even worse at fights. He got used to seeing her at them and knowing she wouldn't ever be back unless he went to get her really threw him off. After losing three fights, the latest of which actually ended in him blacking out, he knows he was stupid to break up with her because it hurts a lot more to not have her with him than it would if she broke his heart.

Which is how he found himself on Saturday afternoon in front of her apartment door, sitting on the doorstep because she's not home and she hasn't answered his calls or texts. Fifteen minutes of knocking and pleading for her to open the door, followed by her neighbor popping out to tell him to shut up because she went out, and he's been huddled against the wooden door for about a half an hour, shivering in the cold.

It feels like a mirage when he finally spots her climbing the cement stairs, head shooting up to look at her and his sore neck prickles in pain. She's wrapped up in the same coat she was wearing the night of his birthday party, a maroon beanie he used to steal from her on her head, and a pair of knee-high boots that echo throughout the platform. Harry scrambles to his feet, stumbling when his eyes go temporarily black and his head pounds.

Her eyes meet his, and if she’s surprised to see him, it doesn’t show. "You look awful." Is her greeting, eyeing the split above his eyebrow and the dark bruises littering the expanse of his face. Harry takes the cardboard pizza box from her hands, the warmth of it's contents soothing his frozen fingers.

"Had my ass handed to me last night," he murmurs in explanation, grateful when she finally gets her door open and let's him follow her in. Even after how terribly he treated her, she's still willing to let him in. "deserve it though." He closes the door behind him, toeing off his Nike's in a hopeful move that she'll let him stay long enough to not need them.

Y/n makes a noise of agreement, removing her jacket and beanie and tossing them into a heap on the couch. She fits herself into a chair at the small dining table, unzipping her boots and Harry takes that as a chance for him to set the pizza on the wood top and sit next to her. Once her boots are off, she leans back and crosses her arms over her chest, waiting.

Harry can't bring himself to look at her as he speaks. "I got scared," he admits shyly, "and I know that's not excuse to hurt you but I didn't know what else to do."

"You could've just talked to me," she replies, her previously emotionless tone opening up to show hints of compassion. Harry frowns, upset at how easy it sounds. Speaking. Simple. Actually doing it? Not so much. Y/n must sense this, because she changes the subject. "What were you scared of Harry?"

He knows the answer to this. He's practiced it all day knowing he'd need it to win her back. "How I feel about you." Glancing up at her, he’s relieved to see a bit of warmth radiating off of her. Fueled by her understanding, he continues. “I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re on my mind every minute of everyday. And night.

“I can’t even fight anymore without you there. If I’m not fighting for you, what’s the purpose?” Y/n has uncrossed her arms, leaning forward on her knees to be closer to him.

“Because it’s something you love.”

Harry shakes his head. “Not like you. Got my ass kicked last night because I couldn’t stop looking for you. When I didn’t find you I just gave up.” In a bold move he tentatively reaches out for her hands, eyeing her for any signs of discomfort. Her gaze remains warm as he intertwines their fingers.

"Is that why you're here?" She asks incredulously, "To give you?"

Harry immediately shakes his head, scooting closer to the edge of his seat to be near her. "M'here to fight for you. I made a mistake, a big one, and I want to take it back. I want you back...if you'll have me." He doesn't shy away from her intense stare, ignoring the nerves fluttering around his stomach. He can trust her, he doesn't need to hide from her. "I won't ever hurt you again, I promise darling."

"Pain is a part of life Harry," y/n murmurs as her hands release his to cup his face. "it's going to happen whether we want it to or not. We're going to hurt each other but it doesn't have to be heartbreak and it doesn't have to mean the end of us.

"We'll fight, and we'll piss each other off, and we'll hurt each other, but you're the only person I want to fight with."

His heart leaps in his chest, and despite how hard he tries to stop it, his lips curl up. "You still want me?"

Y/n presses a sweet kiss to his lips, not protesting when he swiftly pulls her into his lap. "I'll always want you Harry Styles. Always."

One truth. One honest truth. Harry feels like he has a million but they all get caught in his throat when he tries to speak. He just needs one though, one that'll make him feel a little less heavy.

Dr. Wells waits patiently, a kind smile on his lips while Harry racks his brain for something meaningful. It's Anne's fidgeting next to him that finally spikes his thought process. Clearing his throat, he eyes her out of his peripheral vision.

"I feel like I can't trust you."

The words hang heavy in the air, but Harry doesn’t regret them. He already feels lighter, relieved to have finally admitted it to her face. Letting out a pleased sigh, he relaxes back into the couch, unable to stop the tiny smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Anne nods, looking to Dr. Wells for help. “Very good Harry,” he compliments, “Anne, trust is very important to Harry. I believe the first step to him welcoming anyone into his life, is absolute trust. If you would even like to hope at healing the relationship with him, you need to show him that he can trust you.”

Anne murmurs something else and Dr. Wells expands on his statement about Harry as if he weren’t there. He doesn’t mind it though. It gives him time to detach, to just think. Trust. How did he learn to trust again? He thinks of Nick, who fed and housed him. Liam, who trained and supported him. And y/n, who’s always loved him, mended him after fights, held him when he cried, stood by him when he felt like he was falling. Reliable. He’s always been able to rely on them. Even when he did all he could to push them away, they stayed with him.

His heart sinks to his stomach at the revelation, dejectedly looking at Anne. He trusts those that stand by him, even in his lowest moments. And she didn’t do that. She left him when he needed her. No matter how much he wants to trust her, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to.

For some reason, that insight takes more off his chest than his truth did.

Y/n's fingers are familiar and soothing as they stick tape around his knuckles. Harry watches her fondly, elbows dug into his thighs that are parted around her own. Liam and Nick are chatting behind her, but Harry can't bring himself to listen. Placing a delicate kiss to his pinky, she moves to grab his other hand. Harry flexes his fist, testing out the tape and nodding in approval when he realizes it's been perfected. Not that he'd expect anything less from her.

"Feels like it's been awhile since we've been here." Y/n says softly, eyes meeting his for a brief second through her eyelashes. "Just you and me."

Harry smiles cheekily. "And our unborn child of course."

She chuckles. "Of course," tearing the tape around his middle finger, she smooths the edge down "but you know what I mean."

Harry does know what she means. Despite Gemma and Anne being gone for a few weeks, they've had few moments where it felt like Harry and y/n again. Nodding, he pulls his hand from her hold, cupping her jaw tenderly. Pads of his thumbs brushing over the soft skin of her cheeks, Harry whispers, "I love you so much, ya know that?"

Y/n wraps her fingers around his wrists, pressing her lips against his inner forearm. "I love you just as much, if not more Harry." He leans forward to slot his lips against hers, their kiss being brief but lingering, even after they've separated. "And m'so fucking proud of you."

His lips curl up cockily, eyes twinkling, and if it weren't for the weight of the wedding rings around her neck and his baby in her stomach, she'd be back in the day they first met. "Mm how proud of me?" Harry whispers teasingly, nosing along her jawline. "Gonna show me? Show me how good I am?"

"You know how good you are."

Her words pull a deep chuckle out of his chest, pulling back to grin boyishly at her. "Could use a reminder darling." Simpering she pecks his mouth and cheeks, working her way up his jaw until her lips brush his ear.

"You're gonna have to earn it."

Harry's eyes flutter shut, eyebrows knitting together almost painfully and his fingers dig into her waist. "Yeah?" He murmurs gruffly, "gonna make me show off for you darling?"

She hums, vibrations tickling his sensitive skin. "You used to love showing off for me baby-"

"Still do." He cuts in, chuckling.

"and there's a big crowd out there. Show them who's the best, Harry. And then I'll spend all night reminding you."

A shiver runs up his spine, Harry blinking heavily and a tremor in his breath when y/n pulls back, smiling sweetly at him. "I am the best, huh?"

"Always."

He gives her that shit eating grin, contrasting the wicked curl of his mouth with a tender kiss to her forehead. "Should get out there," he mumbles, "gotta make sure I'm good enough to take home the prettiest girl in this joint."

Y/n nods, and Harry rises from the couch, taking her hand as he pulls her up from the coffee table. He locks their fingers together, pulling her towards the door but she tugs him back. Looking over his shoulder at her, he quirks a confused eyebrow.

"You're more than good enough Harry."

Y/n loves Gemma's date, so much so that she's considering inviting him to every match rather than Gemma herself. From the moment y/n joined them in their seats as Harry took the ring he's had this explosive energy that typically isn't present at these matches. He shook her hand with a beaming smile and a quick rush of "Nice to meet ya love, I'm Niall! Heard a lot about that Harry of yours! Saw him on TV once..." and he's been chatting about Harry ever since. Not that she minds of course. She loves talking about Harry.

And she's not the only one enjoying Niall's hype. By the way Harry's fighting, bouncing on his toes, ducking and diving around his opponent with ease, throwing hits packed with more strength than she's seen from him in awhile, she knows that Harry's buzzing from the praise. Every move he makes earns some shout or cheer from Niall, who then either high fives or lightly chest bumps y/n. Of course their celebrating brought Nick to his feet as well, hollering at Harry as well. And the rest of the crowd followed, including Gemma and Anne.

She knows Harry's buzzing with it. She can feel it radiating off of him, pulsing through his veins as he moves around the ring with grace. Like usual, he lives for the praise, the smirk on his face growing with every holler of his name. Harry gets his opponent pinned in the corner, rapidly firing punches against the man's shielding arms. Over the man's shoulder she can see Harry's face, flush cheeks and creased forehead lined with sweat. The chant of his name grows louder, rattling the stands as Harry's hit grow even more ferocious. Hands clasped in front of her, gnawing on her lip in excitement, y/n is bouncing with nerves when Harry catches the man's jaw, sending him to the ground in a heap of bruised and sweaty limbs.

The crowd around her is deafening, and through the chaos of Niall and Nick wrapping her in a hug while they sob with pride, she meets Harry's pleased gaze and smug smirk. Even when the ref throws Harry's fist into the air, his eyes remain on her, always on her.

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