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callsign-dexter · 6 months

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Allergic Reactions and a House Divided

Summary: An allergic reaction sends Blizzard to the emergency room. Maverick can't get ahold of Ice and a fight occurs leaving a house divided.

Pairings: Maverick x Daughter!Reader, Iceman x Daughter!Reader, Maverick x Iceman

Warnings: allergic reaction, fluff, angst, yelling, hospitals, swearing, medical inaccuracies

A/N: @callsign-minx, @justabigassnerd, @maverick-wingman get your tissues ready! I'm also very sorry for the emotional rollercoaster....

Blizzard

Masterlist

Rain. Rain in California is unusual due to the hotness of the climate. It was welcomed sometimes helping cool the environment off and stop it from being suffocating. When it rains that means all jets are grounded until it clears. Rain meant that Ice, Maverick, Goose, and the Daggers didn't have to go in but they did anyway due to paperwork needing to be done.

Normally Ice and Maverick would go together but Y/N's preschool on base closed due to bad weather and sickness going around so, Maverick opted to stay home while Ice went in. The daycare base let them know the night before so arrangements could be made.

Whenever Y/N got to stay home with one of her daddies she was always happy. When she got to spend it with both of them she was ecstatic. That little girl absolutely loved her daddies and wouldn't trade them for anything. She hated when arguments erupted and when she couldn't have both of her daddies with her at the same time.

The rain started on a Thursday night and hasn't let up and was going to rain for the rest of the weekend. As much as Maverick loved flying he also loved spending time with his little girl and spoiling her to no end. Ice complains that Maverick spoils her more but they both know Ice does it just as equally.

Friday morning rolled around and the rain brought in a storm that further grounded the jets. Although the jets were grounded that doesn't mean teaching stopped, no the top gun cadets still had to learn and so that meant The Daggers and two RIOs had to go in to teach them. Since the base daycare was closed Maverick opted to stay home and even though Ice was a little bit jealous but allowed it.

Maverick and Ice were the first ones up out of the Mitchell-Kazansky household. They started it out like every morning but this morning it was storms and rain. Maverick rolled over to see his husband sleeping peacefully and smiled, thinking to himself how lucky he was and that he should've confessed feelings sooner.

Ice felt like someone was staring at him and slowly opened his eyes to find his husband just smiling and staring. "Staring is rude." He said and Maverick let out a chuckle.

"Not rude if the person you're staring at is handsome and you're married to him." Maverick said and Ice rolled his eyes but smiled and kissed Maverick and then got up and headed into the bathroom. A few minutes later Maverick was following him.

"Blizzard's preschool sent out an email yesterday saying that'll be closed due to weather and the flu going around." Maverick said as he put his toothbrush into his mouth and Ice spit out the toothpaste in his mouth.

"Do you want to take her to work with us or do you want to stay home with her?" Ice said as he wiped his mouth as Maverick spit out his toothpaste.

"I hardly have any paperwork. I'll just stay home with her. If they need me to come in they can call me." He said and Ice nodded, he knew it was true. They finished getting ready and they both started downstairs to get breakfast ready. Once the batch of pancakes and bacon were done it was time for Y/N to get up.

"I'm gonna go and get Blizz." Ice said and Maverick nodded as he focused on getting plates and drinks ready. When Ice got to her room and opened the door he was met by the sounds of soft snoring and when he opened it up further he found her sprawled out, it reminded him of a starfish and her other father. He smiled at the thought as he walked over to her bed and got down on his knees. "Blizz?" He started while stroking her head but she just rolled over to where she was now facing him. He smiled and tried again "Blizzard. Honey. It's time to wake up." He said and she groaned and shook her head. "Don't you want breakfast and to see Daddy?" He asked that got her to slowly open her eyes and nod and he smiled. He stood up and gently picked her up and they headed downstairs. She clung to him like a koala and buried her face into his neck thinking about going back to sleep. Ice didn't let that last because as soon as she thought about it they were downstairs, Maverick smiled at the two.

"Good morning, Blizzard." He said and she popped her head up and smiled.

"Daddy!" She said and made grabby hands towards him and he quickly accepted it.

"You ready for breakfast?" He asked and she looked at him and nodded. Maverick already had the table set so all they had to do was sit and begin eating. Ice was already in uniform so he could make a quick dash to work but Maverick was in jeans and a nice-fitting black shirt that had everyone swooning over the man.

"Blizzard you're going to be staying home with Daddy while I go to work." Ice said as he took a bite of food and so did she chewed and thought about it.

"Why?" She asked and they both smiled.

"You're daycare called and they're going to be closed." Maverick said and again she thought about and nodded.

"Ok." She said and went back to eating they both smiled and shook their head. She could be easy going or she could be so stubborn, a trait she picked up from both of them.

When breakfast was finished Maverick got up and put the dishes and food that would keep away. Meanwhile, Ice was making sure he got everything he needed for work from his and Maverick's office, once he was sure he got everything. When he was done in there he came out to the sound of laughter and he smiled, that's the sound he always loved. Ice walked out to find Maverick chasing Y/N around the island he could see that Maverick was slightly damp. Maverick caught up to her and picked her up and attacked her with kisses and she squealed and then her eye caught Ice's.

"Papa! Save me!" She yelled out with a smile and Ice just shook his head and sat down his papers and walked over to her taking her from Maverick's grip. Maverick fought back playfully but in the end let her go to him. Ice then started to attack her with kisses the same way Maverick was doing to her just a few minutes ago. After he got his fill of his daughter's giggles it was time for Ice to get to work.

"Alright, Blizz. I've got to go to work but you'll be here with Daddy. I love you." Ice said and she nodded her head and he kissed her forehead and then she kissed his cheek.

"I love you too." She said as Ice put her down on the ground and watched as Ice kissed Maverick.

"I love you." They both said at the same time. Ice grab his car keys and headed off to work. Once they heard his car pull out and they saw him disappear out of view from their position by the window that they moved to as Ice walked out the door.

"Alright, what shall we do first?" Maverick asked as he turned to his 6 year old she turned to look at him look much like Ice when she was thinking.

"Blanket fort and movies." She said confidently now looking like Ice for sure and a little bit of Maverick. Maverick smiled and nodded.

"You got it." He said and they began gathering all the stuff needed to make the fort and put it right in front of the TV. The fort took about 30 minutes to make but with them both goofing off, being the same person, and while putting in their own comments, the fort took an hour to make. Their morning started at 7:30 AM and now it was 8:30 AM. Their morning was filled with naps, movies, and snacks.

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When noon came around it was time for lunch. The storms had stopped but the rain was still coming down. As Maverick was getting their lunch ready he noticed Ice had left his and sighed. So he packed theirs and grabbed Ice's and sat them on the counter. Y/N was upstairs changing and getting ready for the rest of the day since Maverick made her go and change out of her pajamas, if she had it her way she would've stayed in them all day. "Blizzard!" He yelled out at the foot of the stairs and he could hear patters of feet coming down.

"Daddy?" She asked with a look of questioning and confusion, an expression similar to Maverick's most days.

"Papa left his lunch here. You wanna take it to him and eat with him?" He asked and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes!" She said excitedly she would get to see her Papa, Uncle Slider, Uncle Goose, and The Daggers. Maverick smiled.

"Ok. Let's go." He said and she descended the rest of the stairs and followed Maverick out the door while he grabbed the lunches. He sent a quick to Ice.

Maverick: You forgot your lunch. Blizz and I are brining it to you and eating with you.

As he waited for a response he got Y/N situated and then got into the driver's side when his phone dinged.

Ice: Damn. Sounds like a plan.

Ice replied quickly and Maverick smiled and then set his phone down. He opened the garage and started his truck and they started on their way to the base. 20 minutes later he was at the gate and showing his ID and then rolling through and parking in his assigned spot. The rain was now to a sprinkle but it was still enough to ground the jets.

Maverick killed the engine and got out and then helped Y/N out he grabbed their lunches and they headed into the building but first they stopped by the lunchroom. "Bradley! Jakey!" She yelled out and they both looked up and smiled.

"Blizzard!" He yelled back and she went bounding over to him and hugged him. Bradley and Y/N were like two peas in a pod despite their age difference. They loved spending time together and nobody could figure it out but they knew. It was probably because Bradley always gave her things and babysat her a lot when his parents couldn't take her. "Whatcha doing here?" He asked when he released her from the hug.

"Hey there Blizz!" Jake said and hugged her and when they released she answered Bradley's question. Jake had also watched her several times because he was with Bradley and they spoiled that girl to no end.

"Papa forgot his lunch so Daddy and I brought it. We are gonna eat with him." She said and the Dagger's swore their hearts melted. That little girl absolutely loved her fathers to no end. She greeted the rest of the squad as Maverick walked over.

"Blizz, let's go. Papa has a meeting in a few." He said she smiled and said bye to them and skipped along to Ice's office. Maverick greeted his squad and then was off in the direction of his husband's office. Along the way she greeted Slider and Goose and even Beau. Beau may act like he hates everyone but he secretly loves that little girl then again everybody loved Blizzard.

Maverick and Y/N arrived at the door and Maverick knocked and when they got the clear to go in, Y/N didn't hesitate and ran in and hugged Ice. "Hi, Blizz." He said as Maverick walked and held up the food. he pulled a chair up and gave Ice his and Y/N sat on Ice's lap and they ate and talked. When lunch was done. Maverick and Y/N headed home to finish out the day.

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It was 3:30 PM and both Maverick and Y/N were sitting on the couch watching a movie when she turned to her dad "I'm hungry." She said Maverick turned to look at her.

"There is some fruit in the fridge in a bowl if you wanna go and get that and we can eat it together." He said and she nodded and got up and walked into the kitchen and to the fridge to retrieve the bowl mentioned. She then grabbed it and brought it into the living room. She took her seat back next to her dad and they began to eat while watching Tangled. What made up the fruit was some apples, coconut, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, and oranges. Neither of them were paying attention to what they were grabbing.

Y/N grabbed a piece of coconut and put it in her mouth and chewed it and then swallowed it. Nothing happened right away but about 10 minutes later her throat became scratchy and she started to cough. Maverick looked at her "You ok?" He asked looking concerned at her. She nodded her head not trusting her voice which was a mistake. He turned back to the movie but before he could get invested in it again she started to couch and wheeze. She felt her throat swelling and it was getting harder to breathe.

"Daddy." She said breathlessly he turned to look at her and his eyes widened because right in front of him his daughter was turning bright red. She was breaking out in hives and she was wheezing. Her throat was also swelling.

"Blizzard. Baby. What did you eat?" He asked jumping into action.

"Coconut." She wheezed out. It was something she hadn't eaten before and now she was having a severe allergic reaction to it. Before he could do anything she vomited and he tried to catch it but wasn't quick enough but he didn't care at the moment, because right now his daughter was close to passing out on him.

"We're going to the hospital." He said and picked her up and ran out o the garage and put her in the passenger seat and buckled her from the driver's side. He opened the garage door and every second he had to wait the closer to his daughter not being awake. He cursed silently to himself but when it opened he turned the truck on and backed out quickly and shut the door once he was clear. The rain had picked up again and the sky was dark and thunder rolled. "You still with me, Blizz?" He asked and glanced over to her and she had passed out and looked like she was barley breathing. Now he was full on panicking. Luckily Miramar Navy Hospital was close by like 20 minutes and little traffic lights. Maverick made it to the hospital in 10 minutes he didn't care if he got pulled over or breaking traffic laws his daughter was in danger.

Maverick through the truck into park in a parking space that was thankfully open nearby. He killed the engine and raced to the passenger side and opened the door and quickly got his unconscious daughter out and ran into the ER. "Help! My daughter is having an allergic reaction!" He yelled out the nurse at the front desk looked up and her eyes widened.

"I need a gurney! Also page Dr. Bailey!" She yelled out and another nurse came out rolling one in. She must've been the head nurse. As Maverick sat Y/N down on the gurney she turned to him "I'm Nurse Avery. What caused this?" She asked.

"We were eating fruit and she ate some coconut. She didn't start having a reaction until 10 minutes later and it took 10 minutes to get her. So, she's been having this reaction for 20 minutes." Maverick said.

"When did she lose consciousness?" Nurse Avery asked

"About 5 minutes ago." He said and she nodded.

"What out in the waiting room. Dr. Bailey is the best pediatric doctor we have. He'll get her reaction under control." She said and he nodded and she rushed off to deliver the information.

As Maverick sat in the waiting room he texted Ice several times and called him. His calls and texts went unanswered so he called Cyclone and told him what was happening and to get it to Ice ASAP.

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Ice was in a meeting that had been going on for an hour and opted to not take his phone in since it was an important meeting. Cyclone nor Warlock were not in the meeting due to it being for only Ice and a few other higher-ups discussing some new training exercises and missions. Finally 20 minutes later the meeting was over and Ice was walking out of the room when Slider bumped into him. "Hey, Blizzard is in the Miramar Navy Hospital." The RIO said to his pilot.

"When did you find this out?" Ice asked

"Maverick called and told me." Slider said and Ice became enraged and stormed off into his office. He grabbed his keys and his phone and headed to the hospital which was also a 20 minute drive but with the rain and traffic it became a 30 minute drive which put Ice into a further pissed off mood. When he arrived he found Maverick's truck and parked next to it and walked in and found Maverick sitting there. The waiting room was practically empty. He stormed over to him and Maverick looked up.

"Oh good you're here." Maverick said and stood up to hug him and kiss him but Ice stepped back and Maverick looked confused. "What?" Maverick asked him.

"I had to find out from Slider that my daughter was in the hospital." Ice said in an ice cold voice and now it was Maverick that grew mad.

"I called and texted you several times and you didn't answer." He said in disbelief that he was having a fight while their daughter was fighting for her life. Ice took his phone out and saw all the notifications.

18 missed calls from Maverick

Maverick: Please call me ASAP.

Maverick: CALL ME. IT'S AN EMERGENCY.

Maverick: It's about Blizzard. We're at the hospital. She had an allergic reaction to coconut. They took her back and are working on her now.

Maverick: You need to get here quickly. I know you're in a meeting but this is important.

"I was in a meeting and didn't take my phone. You could've called Cyclone and he could've gotten the message to me." Ice said

"I did and he didn't answer the phone." Maverick said just as pissed. Before their fight could continue Dr. Bailey walked out and went to the two after Nurse Avery pointed them out.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Bailey. I'm the pediatric doctor and surgeon here. You're daughter had a severe allergic reaction but we got it under control and gave her epinephrine to reduce her allergic reaction in her body. We also have her on some oxygen to help her breathe along with some IV antihistamines and cortisone to reduce inflammation of the air passages and improve breathing along with some albuterol to relieve breathing symptoms. Her hives should reduce under 24 hrs. I'll take you to her room." He said and they followed him into the elevator as they were riding up to her floor he started to talk again "We did have to intubate her because her breathing did stop. We expect to take her off of it in the morning that way we give the medications time to work, so we put her under slight sedation and will take her off in the morning. I want to keep her overnight afterwards just to keep an eye on her and make sure her body is healed and reacting well. She'll be out of it for the next few days this a major hit to such a little body." He finished as the elevator dinged. Maverick and Ice were speechless Ice was still incredibly pissed at Maverick. All three of them walked out and to her room "If anything happens let Nurse Jade know and she'll page me." He said and they nodded their head.

"Thank you." They both said at the same time and he nodded and left they walked into the room and sat on either side of her. Rain was still coming down and hitting the windows. Neither Ice or Maverick said a word.

"I'll let the squad know how she is." Maverick said but Ice didn't say a word. Once he sent the message he got some right away saying they hope she get's well and they'll come see her when she's well. Nothing happened during the night and neither Ice or Maverick slept too worried about their kid. Nurses were in and out of the room take vitals and making sure everything was running smoothly.

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The next morning at 7 AM Nurse Jade and Dr. Bailey walked in and greeted the two fathers. "We're going to be reversing the sedation and extubating her." He said and they nodded and stood up and back. Once the sedation was off and she woke up they explained to her what was going to happen and she nodded and when they removed it she coughed but took a huge breath and Dr. Bailey smiled. "Hi, Y/N. I'm Dr. Bailey. Do you know where you are?" He asked and she nodded.

"The hospital." She said hoarsely, which was to be expected and they all smiled.

"Good. You had a severe allergic reaction. But we gave you some medication to help you out." He said in a calm voice and she nodded. He turned to where he was looking at her and the fathers. "She's breathing on her own which is a very good sign. I still want to keep her one more night." He said and they nodded and then turned to her "I'll be back to check on you later." He said and she nodded and yawned and everyone chuckled and he left the room. Throughout the day she was checked up on and The Daggers, Carole, Slider, and Goose all came by and saw her but didn't stay long just so they didn't overwhelm her. Ice and Maverick still weren't talking to each other still incredibly pissed but put on a good act for their daughters sake.

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The next morning bright and early they got the all clear for her to be released and go home and rest. Dr. Bailey was also giving them EpiPen's and a prescription for more. Once she was changed into her clothing she had the day before they were wheeling her out to the parking lot. "I'll take her home." Ice said and Maverick was gonna protest but one ice cold glare from Ice and he didn't fight it. Ice went and got his car and drove to the entrance. He parked and got out and then helped Y/N into car and then he drove off leaving Maverick standing there. Maverick walked to his truck and got in and caught up to them both quickly. When they reached the house they both parked outside and the rain actually let up that morning. Ice and Y/N were already inside and she was heading upstairs to lay down once they heard the door shut they turned to each other. "I want you out of the house for a few days." Ice said and Maverick was shocked but then was pissed.

"Excuse me? Were you the one that had to watch our daughter almost die? Were you the one that tried to catch her vomit? Were you the one that got to the hospital in 10 minutes when it take 20 minutes?" Maverick asked

"It doesn't matter. You're the one that gave her the fruit." Ice said

"I didn't know it had coconut in it. We didn't know she was allergic to it." Maverick said as he walked upstairs and grabbed his duffle bag and began throwing clothes in. "You know what? Fine I'll leave. I need a break from you anyways, we need to cool down because we just went through something traumatic. I'll go stay with Goose and Carole." Maverick said "It's not like our daughter needs both of her fathers at this time." He finished heading to the garage and walked through the door and into his truck. Ice heard the garage door open and a car pull out and it shut again.

Ice turned when he heard footsteps on the stairs. "Papa, where is daddy?" She asked and Ice sighed.

"He's gonna go stay with Uncle Goose and Aunt Carole for a few days." He said and she looked at him.

"Why?" She asked

"We had a fight and both need to cool off." Ice said and she nodded and headed back upstairs. He went into the living room and saw everything from this morning and afternoon and started to clean up. He saw where she had thrown up and that made him feel guilty but he wasn't going to apologize he was still pissed that he had to find out from his RIO about his daughter being in the hospital. Yes Maverick did try to contact him but he should've called Warlock since he couldn't get ahold of Cyclone.

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It was now Tuesday and the preschool was still closed due to flooding. Maverick had yet been home and it was putting Y/N in a bad mood since she didn't have both of her fathers with her. Ice noticed this but still wouldn't apologize and neither would Maverick. Ice and Y/N did activates together but she wasn't enthusiastic about it The sun was out so Ice took Y/N down to the beach, he had taken the time off just to make sure she was ok, knowing that jets would be flying by.

When they got to the beach they grabbed their stuff and walked to the sand. The Daggers and the Top Gun cadets were flying over the beach and that always excited her. Ice sat back and watched them as well. Y/N was looking around when she spotted Maverick and smiled "Daddy!" she shrieked out that got Ice's attention and when he looked up she was already barreling towards him.

"Blizzard!" He yelled and got up and took off after her. When he reached them she was hugging Maverick and he was hugging her back in a tight hug. She had her head buried into his abdomen. His eyes were closed and head on hers. Ice stood there and watched them maybe he overacted but he was just stressed out. He was zoned out until Y/N's voice brought him back.

"I missed you, Daddy." She said

"I missed you too, Blizz." He said and opened his eyes and they met Ice's blue ones. "I missed you too, Ice." Maverick said.

"I missed you too, Mav." He said as Y/N released Maverick from the hug. "Let's head back to our spot." He said and they began to shirt trek to spot. Y/N nonstop talked about what they did and they reached their spot she had ran out of things to say. "Hey, Blizz. Why don't you go watch the jets further up? But stay away from the water." Ice said and she nodded and headed out of earshot.

"Look I'm sorry I didn't reach out to Warlock to get into touch with you. I was stressed and panicking. I knew you had a meeting and didn't want to be disturbed." Maverick said every now and then looking at Ice but then turning his attention back to their little girl.

"I'm sorry too. The meeting was stressful because they want everyone to learn to training exercises and maybe have a new missions. I should've taken my phone in with me. I'm sorry for making you leave. Blizzard was not happy with not having both of us together. She hardly slept and was just not acting like herself." Ice said looking at Maverick and watched him watch their daughter smiling and waving when she turned around and waved.

"Am I allowed to come back home now?" Maverick asked as soon as he saw their daughter halfway to them and knew she was safe and away from the water. Ice was still looking at him and he nodded with a smiled.

"Yes. Please come back. Blizzard and I would be happier with you back home." Ice said and Maverick smiled and leaned in for a kiss and Ice kissed back.

"Ewww!" Y/N said and they broke apart and looked at her and smiled and then looked at each other and had a silent conversation. They looked back at her and she pulled a confused look. Maverick grabbed her and then started to tickle her and she laughed and then Ice joined in. They attacked her with kisses and tickles. This is what they both needed and missed.

Ice and Maverick promised not to fight and if they did then they would make up before the end of the day. They never want to split up their family they got a taste of it and they didn't like it. They stopped tickling her and attacking her with kisses and they just sat there watching jets fly by as a family. One happy and whole family.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

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digitalbeachrave · 10 days

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also the day after i arrived, i went to the local shops to buy groceries and toothpaste and shampoo and conditioner and toilet paper and towels etc etc, and the shopping centre had a big wheel thing, and a most people spun it and won nothing and they got a lollypop, and a couple people got $10 vouchers, and i spun it and i won a free session in a sensory deprivation float pool

they took my details (i was carrying a bunch of shopping bags and had to pile them on their table lol) and then booked it for today

it was in a spa, and at first i was skeptical (in my head, didnt say anything to staff) about if it was really free, but it was. before i left they did talk to me about coming back for another session, and i just politely nodded while looking at the screen with the prices and pretending i would come back as a paying customer.

beforehand i had to watch a 10 minute instruction and safety video and then sign some waivers (one if i had an allergic reaction to the epsom salts in the pools, and another if i had hallucinations or seizures while in there) so it felt kinda like I was going into a saw trap.

the room was dark with blue lights and rainforest music, i undressed and showered then got in the pool and floated. i don’t know if I experienced what I was supposed to, i couldn't really relax or shut my mind coz i was stressed the fuck out about moving and everything but it was still nice to lay in the warm water in the dark (it had salts and magnesium and something else so i floated on top). also they thought of everything coz there was a lil spray bottle of fresh water next to the pool to mist my face in case i got salt water in my eyes, and a few times i flipped over like i would in a normal pool and then my eyes burned ahhhh!!!

I asked the guy who was in charge of my session before I went in how I would know when it’s time to get out, and he said that the music would change and that was cue to start getting out of the pool and shower and put clothes on, but I was in there for over an hour and was bored so I just got out of the pool and showered and left the room

afterwards he said I could spend however long I wanted in the relaxation room to decompress, and he got me some tea, which was nice coz i thought they'd be like, ok pal you got your free float, now get out.

overall very good experience, would recommend if you could afford it

my float pool:

#felt really out of my element in a spa and this is so dumb but when that happens i pretend like i'm louis theroux or something #blogshit

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usafphantom2 · 9 months

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Tap pictures to enlarge

☝️ instance, if you had an ear infection, imagine how your ear would feel at 80,000 feet! To ensure that we did not infect our fathers, Habubrats, the children of the crew members, were frequently given penicillin shots. I had so many shots I became allergic.

Sometimes, long flights in the SR 71 were required. On Apr. 26, 1971, pilot Lt. Col. Thomas Estes and RSO Lt. Col. Dewain Vick (he and his family were one of my neighbors at Beale AFB) flew SR-71 #968 15,000 miles in 10 hours 30 minutes non-stop on a grueling marathon mission to test the endurance of the J58 engines and the Blackbird airframe, but mostly to see how many times they could refuel before the liquid nitrogen gave out was the first long flight. Several long missions followed as Colonel Jim Shelton explains in an email he sent me about tube food it wasn’t that easy to eat at 80,000 feet.

Once we completed our A/R, we headed for the Mediterranean. I got a little hungry (I had two tubes of apricot paste), so I opened one. I forgot my science about pressure. The tube looks like a tube of toothpaste with a seal on the end. We are given a plastic tube (which fits into the feed port in our helmet) that screws onto the tube, and as you make the final turn connecting the tube, it breaks the seal, and the apricot begins to flow. As I said, I forgot my science about pressures and altitudes”. The tubes are manufactured at Sea Level, but when we are flying at altitude, our cabin altitude is 26,000 feet, a considerable difference in pressure. Well, when I broke the seal on the tube food, I had an apricot spraying out like crazy, so I stuck the plastic tube into a pocket in my pressure suit to catch it. I only lost about 1/4th of the tube’s continence.

Some of the crew members learned to press their tube food up against the window for just two seconds to warm it up. The food was made by Gerber, the same company that made the famous baby food. we took up a drink of choice. It came in a squeeze bottle like you see with marathon runners and cyclist, and the tube would fit in the right-hand side of the helmet. There was a little Iris. You push the tube through there and you could squeeze out, the water, Gatorade, ice tea, whatever your drink of choice was, this is how you stay hydrated.

U2 pilot on Twitter, NASAWB57PILOT, Explains on his personal page that they didn’t print the expiration dates on the tubes a “puffy” tube you certainly wouldn’t want to eat, especially on a long-duration mission in a full-pressure suit. If you get his meaning, although it is indelicate to talk about, I do know a story about an SR 71 pilot that had a full-blown attack of indigestion while flying a very important mission. Although he was extremely uncomfortable, he did not and could not abort the mission. He suffered silently until his pressure suit was taken off after the flight. Then he promised and delivered cases of beer to the people tasked to clean his suit.

Written by Linda Sheffield

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evermoresversion · 6 months

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ㅤㅤ♡⃕ ﹙falling for you, conrad fisher. chapter one.﹚

A/N Thank you so much to the person who gave me the idea of doing this series.

PAIRING Conrad Fisher x Fem!Reader

TW/TAGS Fluff, implied sex, slight angst.

SUMMARY You are best friends with Belly. Conrad is Belly's great impossible love. The two meet and fall in love with each other, what bad could happen?

SONG Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift.

REQUESTS ARE OPEN | CONRAD'S MASTERLIST | SERIES' MASTERLIST | MASTERLIST

If you had been told that on your first visit to Cousins you would fall madly in love, you wouldn't have believed it.

But in fact you did, although you tried to suppress it at first since it was the boy your best friend has been in love with all her life.

Conrad Fisher. Conrad fucking Fisher.

It seemed absurd to you that Belly spoke so dreamily about the boy, because for you he was just that, just another boy.

But damn his charms, the way in which little by little he knew how to make you fall in love with the small gestures he had with you, such as remembering what you were allergic to or something as simple as your favorite flavor of chewing gum.

Damn Conrad Fisher.

"Close your eyes." He ordered once while the two of you were lying on his bed in his room. There was no one in the house and you wanted to take advantage of it to have more private moments where no one could discover the love affair that the two had.

You did as he asked and soon you felt his lips brush over your eyelid, giving a kiss that lasted longer than it should and he repeated the same process on your other eyelid. His lips wandered to your right cheek and then your left. All this while you swore your heart could burst out of your chest at any moment because of how fast and strong it was beating.

He kissed the tip of your nose and your jaw on each side. The side of your neck, throat, and the other side that hadn't yet fallen victim to the attention of his lips.

You sighed, feeling as if his kisses had remained tattooed on your skin, as if his lips were still on each of the parts of you that he had already kissed. And then the only place he hadn't kissed he did, he kissed your lips softly but deeply like only he could.

His hand remained on your cheek to hold you in place and his tongue made its way to your mouth to explore it. You could taste the mint of your toothpaste and the woody smell of his cologne that he always wore with a hint of Cousins' salty air drifted through your nostrils. It smelled like him.

You gently pushed him by the shoulders so you could take a breath while his eyes were lost in yours.

He was so fucking in love with you, he knew you brought out a better version of him.

It scared him but he wasn't willing to lose you or let himself be carried away by his intrusive thoughts, no, he loved you for good and wouldn't let you go.

"I—" he was cut off by the sound of the principal door opening, you gave him a small smile and he sighed, kissing your forehead one last time and getting off of you.

Of course you had to hide because, as cruel as it seemed, Conrad knew about Belly's feelings towards him, and although he had already let her know that he was not interested, the situation was delicate.

Plus it didn't help that you were Belly's best friend.

That made you stay awake at night, thinking and thinking about what you should do. And just when you thought leaving Conrad would be for the best he knocked on your door to remind you that letting him go was not an option.

"I'm yours, you know that, right?" He murmured, looking at you, his features being illuminated by the pale light of the moon as the tips of his fingers danced softly across your cheekbone.

"Yeah... and I am yours."

There were several nights in which he would sneak through the hallways of the summer house to sleep with you and wake up before everyone so that no one would discover you.

There was one time where Jeremiah almost discovered you both but luckily you were even faster.

Although he wasn't stupid and was starting to get suspicious.

"y/n, what's on your neck?" He pointed to his own and you frowned, leaving your spoon on the bowl of cereal to look at yourself through the front camera of your phone.

It was a fucking hickey that Conrad probably left from the night before.

"I accidentally hit myself with something." You nodded without looking at him and continuing with your breakfast.

"Sure, whatever you say."

That same afternoon Jeremiah and Conrad had agreed to go to the beach together for old times' sake, according to Jere, but what Conrad didn't know was that he was investigating.

And seeing the scratch marks on his back he confirmed it.

"Jeez, bro, were you in a fight with a cat or what?" He joked and Conrad looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"The marks on your back." He explained, pointing to them and immediately the previous night came back to Conrad's mind.

To not make noise and so that no one would know what you were doing, you took it all out, scratching your almost boyfriend's back.

And since then you and he agreed not to have sex at night and wait until no one was there. Plus the new rule of 'no marks or hickeys in visible areas'.

It was too late though and Jeremiah already suspected that you two were onto something.

But he let it go and moved on with his life.

Everything continued the same course until the day before the end of summer.

Everyone had decided to go to a party to celebrate. You were with Belly and the other friends you both had made that summer, and Conrad, Steven and Jeremiah were with their own friends.

Despite being on the other side of the room the tension between you and Conrad was palpable. His gaze caught your attention and apparently so did Belly's. She realized the way he looked at you and that it wasn't just friends, because she looked at him like that.

She didn't say anything at the time but made a mental note to ask you about it later.

The rest of the night you all drank, enjoyed yourselves and had fun together.

Back home everyone said goodnight and went to your respective rooms.

When everyone fell asleep, you sneaked this time to his room to spend what would be your last night together until the next time you saw each other.

"I don't want summer to end." You murmured close to his face. You were lying next to him and he was looking at you carefully.

"Me neither."

You slept cuddling each other and the next morning you woke up to get out of there.

Everyone had breakfast together and after that, everyone finished packing your things so that everyone could go home, ending the summer.

You said goodbye to Jeremiah and Susannah first, while the others were busy with them you took the opportunity to say goodbye to Conrad.

"So I'll see you later, Fisher." You smiled wistfully, gently punching his shoulder and he let out a laugh.

"Come here." He opened his arms and you let yourself be wrapped in them.

To everyone else, you were best friends even though you had barely met each other that summer.

But for you and Conrad that hug meant more. A promise that you would see each other soon.

You separated and smiled sideways, waving goodbye to him. "Bye."

He just waved goodbye and you waved goodbye to the other Fishers in the same way.

The ride home was silent as Belly fell asleep on your shoulder and Steven in the front seat was talking to his mother.

You would definitely look forward to the next summer or the next call you would have from him.

#val's version #evermoresversion #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp #the summer i turned pretty fanfic #tsitp fanfic #conrad fisher #conrad fisher fluff #conrad fisher fanfic #conrad fisher angst #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher imagines #conrad fisher imagine

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leiazher · 2 years

Text

Let me preface:

Ouch.

I don’t know what your equivalent would be, but here in Sweden the apothecary sells peppermint oil, it’s not an essential oil, might be an extract, all I know is that it won’t burn your skin off or choke you to death unless you’re allergic to peppermint, and it’s their own brand, which is inspected by the Swedish medicine board thing and approved for consumption.

That is to say, I take a lot of meds, a lot, 6 different kinds at morning and 4 at evening, in regretfully large quantities. And that makes me nauseous. Very nauseous. Something that helps with nausea is mint. Which is why I’m very glad that I can put a small drop of peppermint oil in a glass of water, vigorously stir it to break it up, and swallow my meds with something that kills the nausea at the same time. Idk how, but it works for me.

I’ve never had a problem with it, sometimes I’ve accidentally added two or three drops instead of one, and yeah, my eyes will tear up and the cold feeling will make every breath seem like it’s -40C and I’m hyperventilating just for the sake of it...

Well, this morning, I did have an issue with my minty cold water. I had swallowed my meds, and was about to drink the last of the water, most of it was in my mouth, when I for some reason coughed, seeing as I had just closed my mouth and had no idea the cough was coming, my mouth remained closed, and where was the water supposed to go, really? There was only one way out. Up. Up through my nose and down over my lips and chin and throat.

Imagine, if you will, the cool sensation of some toothpaste on your lip, or when you have brushed your teeth and then breathe cold air immediately afterwards. Imagine that icy feeling. Now, enhance it by about 50, relocate the sensation to your nostrils, and you’ll have a pretty clear understanding of what I went through.

Let me also remind you that this is oil. Peppermint oil, it has the properties of oil, it has the viscosity of oil, and my dry as fuck nostrils no doubt thought: “Ah, moisture!” in glee, and promptly absorbed the oil that hadn’t left with the water.

My nose was burning, my lips were burning, my chin, all burning cold. I was tearing up, gasping for air, spluttering and coughing and wheezing as I grabbed the kitchen counter in a white knuckle grip so I wouldn’t fall over.

I have been punched in the face two times in my life, one of which resulted in a nose bleed. This? This was so much worse.

And there was absolutely no way to get rid of the sensation in my nose, couldn’t very well wash it out with soap, now could I? And water alone does nothing against oil.

I waited for the worst pain to fade, then finished my glass of peppermint pain, wouldn’t do to be nauseous all day, now would it?

#personal #peppermint ouch #mishaps #that stuff is POTENT #which is why a 10ml bottle lasts me an entire year #you only really need one drop #and it lends well to adding a drop to some whipped cream to top your hot cocoa for christmas #mostly I use it to avoid nausea #it's VERY strong #the mint not the nausea #the nausea too though #regardless it's strong and I gotta be careful to add no more than one drop #don't worry I've talked to my doctor and he's a-okay with it #green light to go ahead with the minty water

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gabrieldrawsstuff · 2 years

Text

weirdly specific modern day au headcanons that i can't be assed to draw-

eren: tried setting an orphanage on fire once. showers twice a month and owns one pair of sweatpants. definitely ate toothpaste as a kid. doesn't wash his rice and eats it plain. has never been chill and never will. the only thing that keeps him functional is pure spite. does not trim his beard. burns his hands on a stove weekly

mikasa: once did a backflip off of a 4 story building. got banned from local taco bell for psychically maiming a cashier because they were rude to eren. probably goes to sleep with shoes on. voted most unhinged in highschool just because eren already had the most likely to go to jail title.

armin: i can see him getting hit by a car weekly. actually goes to a gym but unfortunately gains no muscle mass since his metabolism is faster than a goddamn jet. doxxes people on Twitter if they annoy him enough. if he feels an emotion he'll die. sleeps in a bathtub at the parties. he actually gets invited to every single one because it's impossible to not like him.

jean: probably into 80s fashion. did a super important presentation about ethical issues in a fashion industry and then added vine boom and fnaf ambience sound effects. constantly made to buy others alcohol because he looks over 21. develops carpal tunnel every so often.

connie: threw a toilet down a cliff. did cinnamon challenge in middle school and then had to go to a hospital. definitely owns a scooter that breaks his ankles whenever he rides it. has never given a fuck in his life unless something involves his mom and is not ashamed by it.

sasha: worked once for the mafia and only realized that two months after she was let go. havent touched make up in her life because her dad told her it would make her acne worse. threw a brick at a nazi. possibly did so twice. possibly did so near a cop and had to book it.

marco: pro police at some point in his life for sure. volunteered at a hospital despite the fact that all the children he took care of seemed to fucking despise him. is a designated driver even tho he cant drive. cartoonishly bad luck. has everyone's blood type memorized

reiner: says hi, goodnight and thank you to the bus driver. gets hurt often enough for nurses at the hospital to know his full name and address. definitely lifts with a suicide grip with some sad rapper songs blasting in his earphones at the gym. his apartment is invested with rats but he's chill with that

bertholdt: wears at least 4 layers of clothing at all times. once was made to read out his poetry in front of the whole class in elementary school and he still thinks about it at night. gets locked in collage library so often it gave him a key to the emergency exit. realized he's allergic to peanuts at 24 because he thought they were supposed to hurt his mouth like that.

annie: the girl with a knee brace at school. gets questioned by the police way too often for a person who never done anything illegal. used dish soap in the shower for solid 4 years of collage yet her hair was never greasy. doesn't have a favorite ice cream flavor but she pretends it's eggnog because armin thinks so. pirates every single movie she watches.

ymir: smells like an old lady's cat. has also tried setting an orphanage on fire once, but it was by an accident and in her defense the childern loved the fireworks. uses ridiculously bad fake ids yet never gets caught. shoplifts at target if she gets hungry, not because she doesn't have money but because she has a personal vendetta against target

historia: the most pathetic wet rag of a woman youve ever seen. uses colorful markers to decorate her notes at school. the only two emotions she has ever felt were rage and rage but slightly to the left. has a ridiculously famous shitpost account on twitter

pieck: gets like 2 hours of sleep a week. makes yeager bombs at 4 am yet never appears drunk. will and can do anything. there's nothing you can do to stop her. could probably kill the president of united states if she wanted and got a nap. she likes to take photos of clouds and has an entire folder for them in her phone

porco: really angry everytime he has to be responsible. makes funny faces at crying children in a bus yet he only makes them cry harder. can only speak one language, but learnt how to curse in at least 20. gets into IKEA bed displays. worked in food delivery at least once.

marcel: got stabbed in elementary school with a pen and still has a piece of it in his tigh. can move his ears and loves freaking out people with it. is lactose intolerant but drinks a gallon of milk a day and doesnt regret a thing. there's a rumor in the school he went to that he died for no reason.

zeke: would be friends with levi ngl they have the exact same dry humor. for some reason can do a flip. can play piano but in a way a person who was forced by their parents at a very young age to perfect an instrument can play.

levi: replies to texts by only typing ok or sending a thumbs up. have never send an email and never will. once felt a human emotion while stargazing with his friends and never recovered. appeared in a local cryptid sighting instagram page twice.

hange: gives themselves ivs if hangover. has glasses held together by a scotch tape and hot glue. missing at least two fingers due to accidents at work. jogs at night. probably got almost kidnapped as a child.

erwin: wakes up like a middle aged dad. gives himself pep talks in the mornings. once discovered a dead body in a public restroom and called the authorities only after he pissed. actually likes mcdonalds sprite. has never felt a touch of a woman and yes his mom counts too.

gabi: she would be way cooler if she had an internet access as a child. bit a homeless man unprovoked as a toddler and still tells this story as if it's something to be proud of. ate an entire stick of glue and was somehow fine.

falco: he's really sweet but talks about dinosaurs too much. when he grows up he drives over speed bumps as if he has extra lives. cries if a teacher is mean to him. is really good at table tennis to the point of concern and maybe even fear of his family and friends.

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citrus-lady · 3 years

Note

Shigaraki and Dabi's (separately) reaction if their girlfriend plays a prank on them. For example, they see her with a false hickey/bruise or "dead". Sometimes I'm ruthless and I want to make these men nervous

You got it!

Shigaraki

Please don’t play dead with this man it is literally his worst fear and he will not think it's funny. He’ll cry and when he finds out it was fake he will be so relieved at first but then he’s going to be incredibly mad. He won’t talk to you for days.

Other, milder, pranks are okay though. Those will only annoy him. Water bucket above the door frame? Whoopie cushion on his gaming chair? Oreo filled with toothpaste? Childish. This might even inspire him to get you back with a couple of his own pranks.

Just don’t pull any pranks on him in front of the league. He will not tolerate being made a fool of in front of his group. If you do he will be furious and you will regret doing so.

If he does start to prank you back, his pranks are a bit more personal. He does things like switching your shampoo with hair coloring and putting fake spiders and snakes where you can see them, totally not so you can jump into his arms for comfort.

He’s a big hypocrite because he will subtly prank you in front of the league. He’ll put hot sauce in your drink or itching powder in your underwear and silently watch you suffer. Then he’ll act like he doesn’t know what's going on. What’s wrong? Something wrong with your drink? Having an allergic reaction?

Eventually, one of you two will take it too far, so it might as well be you. When you put a fake hickey on your neck it's the last straw for him. Shigaraki is a pretty possessive guy and he’s going to flip and go into an enraged tantrum. He’s very insecure so he’s going to assume either one of two things. He’s either going to assume that you’ve cheated on him or that someone has forced something on you, and neither of these options is acceptable to him.

If he’s going with option one then he is going to be so hurt and pissed off at the same time. He’s going to yell and demand the name of the bastard that you betrayed him for, the person who is apparently better than he is, so he can kill them. He’s also going to demand you tell him why you did it, was he not enough?

If he’s going with option two, then he is going to be even more enraged. How DARE someone do something like that to his lover. His first instinct is going to be to assume it was someone from the league Dabi since you two are around them the most. He is going to try and comfort you and coax what happened from you all while wrapping you in his arms before you have the chance to explain it's a prank.

Depending on his reaction to the fake hickey he’s either going to feel relieved or even more pissed. If he thought you cheated he’s going to be even more pissed than he was before. Why would you do that? Why would you make him feel insecure and hurt like that? You should expect to give him some space for a couple of days.

If it's the other option though he is going to feel so relieved that nothing happened to you. Shigaraki was ready to decay a bitch and is filled with relief that it was fake. He’s still going to scold you though, you had him so worried.

After that you better not pull any pranks for awhile. In fact, the prank war is pretty much over per Shigaraki’s demand. Overall, pranks are okay as long as they do not interfere with his work and do not emotionally hurt him.

Dabi

If you try to play dead on Dabi then he won’t buy it. He’ll walk in the door and see you lying face down in a puddle of liquid and shattered glass and he’ll just walk over and grab you by the back of your shirt collar. “ Come on, dummy.” he says as he drags you to the bedroom. Not to say it doesn’t startle him for a second, after all, he is afraid of losing you to something like this. However, he's very perceptive, and when he notices the lack of blood and the slight movement to your chest he puts two and two together. It all just seems too planned.

That being said, most pranks don’t actually work on Dabi, he’s too perceptive to his environment and your behavior. He’s going to instantly notice your avoidance of certain areas or the extra attention you’re giving him to see if he’ll trip the trap. He thinks it’s cute though, so sometimes he’ll act like he doesn’t see it coming to make you happy. He just thinks it's too cute when you act childish and you have that big, dumb smile on your face, showing all teeth.

He’s going to want something in return though, so every time you prank him he’s going to pull you into his arms and bury his face in your neck. He’ll pepper you with soft kisses and serenade you with teasing words. The one thing he thinks is cuter than your smile is your blushing face.

Normal pranks take too much time and effort so he gets you back in a different way, he’s not quite as childish as Shigaraki. So his version of getting back at you is teasing you relentlessly. Teasing gropes, teasing whispers and words, teaing slaps and pinches. He loves to see your blushing face and the way you try to squirm and wiggle away from him. Like you could.

If you do manage to pull one over him he’ll both be impressed and amused. He’ll chuckle and shake it off. He’s impressed because wow, you actually outsmarted him. That or he’ll be disappointed in himself like he really fell for something that dumb?

What he wasn’t expecting was you to put a fake hickey on your neck. Don’t get me wrong, he puts a lot of marks on you, but he also keeps meticulous track of all of them. He’s proud of the marks he gives his s/o, so when he sees one that’s not his, he’s PISSED.

Dabi is both jealous and possessive and his mind, much like Shigaraki’s, goes to the same two options. Except for, either way, he’s pissed. If he thinks you cheated then he is going to show you exactly who you belong to and what you're risking. Don’t expect to be walking any time soon. It’s really up to you to decide to tell him it’s a prank before or after though.

If he thinks someone hurt you or took advantage of you then there is going to be trouble. Whoever did it is as good as gone, a literal dead man walking. You’re going to have to stop him from stomping out the door and explain to him that it’s just a prank. It’s just a prank bro

Once you tell him it’s a prank he’s going to be kinda amused but also take it as a sign of war. He’s going to get you back big time, meaning you two are about to spend a lot of time in bed with him showing you who’s boss.

#dabi headcanons #dabi x reader #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki headcanons #mha headcanons #mha x reader #bnha headcanons #bnha x reader #requests open

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tellmealovestory · 3 years

Text

Cake

Summary: The wedding plans continue as you and Bucky try to decide on a cake flavor.

Notes: It’s been awhile and I’m a little rusty. Part of Something More.

Warnings: Food mentions obviously, but other than that none.

“Bucky!” You laughed, nudging his knee beneath the table. “You’re supposed to share that.”

Mouth full with red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting didn’t stop him from answering. “Maybe you should eat it faster.”

“It’s not a competition.”

“You sure about that?” A goofy grin on his face, a dab of white frosting stuck to the corner of his mouth and you couldn’t believe this was the man child you were about to spend the rest of your life with.

You couldn’t wait.

Lightly swatting his hand away from the sliver of a sample he had left you with you scooped the red velvet cake onto your fork, popping it into your mouth and chewing thoughtfully as you tried to figure out if you liked it more or less than the previous sample; a simple vanilla bean cake that had left your mouth watering when you paired it with the best buttercream frosting you had ever tasted.

Without waiting for you or Ava, your expert baker to explain the next sample he dived into the next piece, a carrot cake paired with the same cream cheese frosting you were giving serious consideration to marrying if your marriage with Bucky didn't work out.

“Yes I’m sure,” you laughed, answering his question. “We’re supposed to be taking our time and keeping track of what we like and don’t like.” You gestured down to the small spiral notebook that rested between your elbows. Two neat columns with a pros and cons list for each of the samples you were working your way through.

So far the only thing written down was a note of no written in Bucky’s messy handwriting next to the mint chocolate chip cake. And next to that in an even sloppier scrawl were the words tastes like toothpaste.

It hadn’t of course, but no matter how much you had tried to convince him of it the mint chocolate cake was out.

“Hard to keep track when all you’re doing is eating the frosting,” he teased, leaning back into the chair, a self satisfied smirk on his face before he thought to add, “Carrot cakes a no.”

Ignoring him you took a sip of water before trying it. Warm spices burst onto your tongue reminding you of autumn days with him by your side and when you bit into a plump raisin you knew that this cake had serious potential of being the one. Closing your eyes for a second you let the spices dance on your tongue as you cut off another sliver.

Carrot cake at a wedding was a polarizing option, but you were willing to take that chance with this piece. It was that good.

“I’m eating more than just the frosting,” you retorted once you swallowed your second bite of cake. It was mostly true.

When you had first started the first bites you had taken were of the frosting, but in your mind it was the best part of the dessert. Whipped frostings, American buttercream, cream cheese, ganache, you weren’t picky. You had always been that way, anytime you went out with Bucky and split a dessert you always dove into the frosting first while he worked his way through the filling. But this wasn't just any dessert, this was your wedding cake, a day you had been thinking about non stop since he had proposed to you on that random Tuesday night. And once you had bit into one of Ava's creations you had been unable to stop eating the cake, each sample somehow better than the last.

“I think the carrot cake has potential and with the cream cheese frosting it could be a hi-,” you started, words getting cut off with a laugh when you turned to Bucky who was shaking his head no, an exaggerated frown on his face.

“Baby, no,” he whined as he set his fork down on the plate with a soft clink. “Nobody likes raisins.”

Parting your lips to interject that you liked raisins, he beat you to it, “‘Cept you. You really wanna serve our friends and family a cake full of raisins?”

Ava interjected, a woman with the patience of a saint when it came to dealing with you and your varied tastes said, "We can omit the raisins. Some people choose to fill it with pineapple and walnuts." Pushing her glasses up her small nose she glanced between you searching for a compromise that would please not only both of you, but also your wedding guests. She was good at her job and as her words sank in you wondered how much extra you'd have to pay her to have her come over and settle your movie night disputes.

At the mention of juicy pineapples and the added crunch of walnuts in an already delicious cake your mouth watered, but Bucky was quick to shut that suggestion down too.

“Nut allergies.”

"You're not allergic to nuts. What about the pineapple at least?"

"What about our guests? No.”

Chewing on your lower lip you knew that he was right, something you weren't thrilled about telling him, but you also knew that it was possible to still have it without adding the nuts or pineapple or even raisins that he was set against.

You had never thought that trying to find a cake for the wedding would be so complicated. Not only did you have to think about yours and Bucky's likes and dislikes, but you also had to take into account potential food allergies of your guests as well as trying to find something that would please the majority if not everyone.

Ava jotted down a quick note and cleared her throat sensing that the carrot cake was a no go even if you weren't ready to give up. Pointing down to the next sample and explaining what it was you half listened, grabbing your pen and in big letters that took up a quarter of the page you wrote yes next to the carrot cake.

“For someone who said they didn’t care about the wedding planning you sure have a lot of opinions, Bucky.”

He chuckled, the tone low and meant only for you he murmured, “What can I say. Picking out a cake is a lot more interesting than choosing silverware and thinking up wedding favors.” Leaning over he pressed his sugar coated lips to the side of our head in a kiss that was as sweet as the frosting you had been inhaling all afternoon.

The last sample lined up was a confetti cake bursting with the bright colors of greens, reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and blues. The small rectangle that sat on the plate made you feel happy just looking at, not even Bucky's amused expression, smirk curling up those stupidly plump lips of his or the memory of the way he had teased you when you first suggested this, asking if this was for your wedding or tenth birthday party could dampen your spirits. Eagerly diving into the piece your eyes closed in bliss and immediately you knew. This was the one.

And even better was the way that Bucky was nodding his head as he swallowed his bite. Finally you thought, a piece that you both had managed to agree on.

Ava beamed a smile at you seeming to know that after an hour of tasting and years in the business the difficult part of her job was almost over. Shuffling through a pile of papers and photographs she slid over a few glossy photos showing the same cake you were eating in different iterations. Naked with minimal frosting, coated in rainbow sprinkles, fondant flowers cascading down the side even one covered in a thick layer of fondant topped with two macarons on top.

"It's not bad," Bucky settled on, popping the last few crumbs into his mouth.

"Could this be the one?" Ava asked, pen poised over her pad, ready to finalize the details.

Licking the frosting from your lips you turned your attention to Bucky. A silent conversation was had, a perk to having known each other most of your lives.

Mentally you went over one more time the samples you had indulged in.

The carrot cake and mint chocolate chip cake were out despite your best attempts at getting him to change his mind. The vanilla bean cake had been simple, but delicious, an instant crowd pleaser as had the red velvet cake, one that had been so moist it had melted as soon as it touched your tongue, much like the double chocolate cake. And there had been the last one and so far your personal favorite, the confetti cake.

The silent conversation stretched on, Ava sat still, pen still poised above her pad before clearing her throat and suggesting, "Of course you don't have to decide today, but the sooner the better."

A shrug of your shoulders as you left the decision up to Bucky.

"We've decided." Mischief danced in his eyes and curled his lips up into a smirk that screamed trouble. “The cream cheese frosting.”

“Excellent choice,” Ava praised, “Which cake are we pairing this with?”

Turning that mischievous look in your direction and with a straight face nonetheless he managed to say, “No cake. Just the frosting.”

Whatever you had thought he was going to say it wasn’t that. Ava had the decency to look bewildered, glancing between you, the poor woman’s expression growing more confused the longer it took you to find your thoughts.

“Bucky!” You spat out, hand slapping his shoulder. Choking back a laugh and willing your face to stop burning you tried to find the words to apologize on behalf of this man child.

For a beat that felt more like an eternity nobody said anything.

“That not what we agreed on?” Bucky asked, his question caused your face to warm to temperatures that rivaled that of hot lava. Beneath the table you kicked at his ankles while thinking of the numerous ways you were going to get him back for this as soon as you left.

“I’m so sorry. That is not what we agreed on.”

Ava was still flustered, but trying her best to appear professional.

“Possible to get extra frosting on the cake?” Bucky asked and for a brief second he seemed to be taking this more seriously.

A quick nod of her head and she jotted it down, underlining it twice. “We can do that, of course it will be extra.”

“The more frosting the better. Wanna make sure there’s plenty when I feed you that first piece.” His mischievous smirk widened into a full blown smile and this time you didn’t hold back.

“James!” You tried to glare at him, but it faltered when that stupid, beautiful, man child turned his smile on you. “We talked about this and you are not shoving cake in my face.”

“We’ll see.”

For a second that felt more like an eternity your surroundings faded into the background when your gaze locked on his.

No longer could you hear the hustle and bustle of the bakery. No pans clanging as they slid in or out of ovens, no voices rising and falling, no bell jingling overhead as customers streamed in. Nor could you smell the sugar of frosting or the sweetness of the cake samples, no richness of freshly baked bread. Nor could you hear the sound of Ava’s pen tapping against her notepad in rhythmic short bursts.

All you could hear was the steady in and out of Bucky’s breath next to you, the low timbre of his voice when he murmured, “Sweetheart.” All you could see were those sparkling blue eyes of his as they searched yours. All you could feel was the gentleness of his touch when his fingers stroked across your still scorching cheek.

No longer was it you, Bucky and Ava sitting in a back room in a bakery in Brooklyn discussing cake options.

For a few blissful, brief seconds it was just you and Bucky, lost in one others gazes.

All too soon though you were being hurtled back to reality when Ava cleared her throat for the second time that day, breaking you both out of your trances. A knowing look rested on her face, one that you had come to recognize as the same one Natasha and Steve and both of your parents used to shine down on you when your stares lasted a little too long for just friends. A look that seemed to say they had never seen two people more meant for each other.

“Have you decided on a cake?” She asked in a not unkind way.

You got the feeling she was ready to be rid of you both and when Bucky’s hand searched out yours beneath the table, the light touch sending a thrill through you you couldn’t help but feel ready to leave and get him alone.

Another glance in his direction, another silent conversation.

Out of the samples you had tried there were only two you had been able to agree on whole heartedly. They’d not only be crowd pleasers, but you also wouldn’t have to worry about food allergies with them either.

The first was the confetti cake. Vanilla bursting with bright pops of color it had been light and airy, reminding you of his mom’s homemade cakes and all the hours you had spent sitting on their kitchen counters licking the spatulas clean of the batter and watching with rapt attention as she frosted the cake, always giving you the first slice much to Bucky’s annoyance. Paired with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream that Ava had mentioned would pair perfectly with champagne you had been sold after one bite. Even better was that he had seemed to enjoy it as much as you had.

The second had been a double chocolate cake smothered in ganache and that Ava said usually came sprinkled with chocolate shavings on top, every chocolate lovers dream she had said. It had melted on your tongue after the first bite and you swore you had never tasted a chocolate so rich before.

“We have,” Bucky said slowly and for the first time today taking it seriously. “We’ll do the chocolate cake.”

“Perfect!” Ava gushed, jotting it down as she bobbed her head.

As her and Bucky talked amongst themselves finalizing details and asking follow up questions you leaned against his side, mentally crossing another thing off on your wedding to do list as the date grew ever closer.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fluff #my writing

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mixedfandomer · 3 years

Text

So I translated a phineas and ferb episode way to many times try to guess which one it is p.S I would love to see someone make this

(I don’t know how to add those continue reading things so you don’t have to scroll for a long time sorry)

Phineas: And how do you like red and blue toothpaste?

(A mysterious capsule falling from the sky)

Phineas: Wow. Hmm, it looks like it just fell out of the sky.

(shows the color of an umbrella)

Phineas: I think so. Open it and check the contents.

(Farb jumps out of an umbrella and goes to the box. He tries to open it).

Phineas: Wow. It's a day full of questions. First the toothpaste, then this.

Color: And of course, "Where's Perry?"

Phineas: Yes! do you know what i said? We are in the secret wing!

(from Perry's shop)

Major Monogram: Oh, Officer P. Glad I came here. Duvenschmilz was unavailable for a long time. Do something right or cheat. Man, it was a little sudden. Sometimes I feel like taking on assignments here.

(Phineas and Ferb cross the garden. A scream is heard.)

Phineas: Oh, the dress. He will break this third rule with an ax. Sorry Dumpio.

Dampamir: The name is Dampamir!

Baljeet: Wow! You can't log in because the content makes you more attractive!

Phineas: Don't you know? Fortunately, Farb is working on a special Z-ray machine that can see every substance on the periodic table. It's a great test, so it's best to wear this bulletproof lead jacket.

(fire car)

Color: Well, we can't see the haircut, but it has holes in the second molar. Looks like Ms. Shapiro is making Garcia Creplach's tortillas.

(Court:)

Doofenshmirtz Evil is involved! ??

(Perry enters. Dr. Duvenschmilz is missing.)

(The flashbacks begin in black and white. Duwenschildz is on his bad blog.)

Duvenschmilz: (A blind man grabs it and screams)

(Perry saw a new prisoner. Duwenschildz was covered up. Perry saw Duwenschildz's footprint).

Duwenschmilz: Hey! This is my lunch!

(Pine and Ferb in the courtyard. There is a piano in the box).

Phineas: I think I'm really running out of ideas here.

Isabella: You play the piano.

Baljeet: Can I buy a flute pipe?

Buford: the secret to making room for a new printer!

Phineas: Is that so?

Buford: Ok! As you know, the Van Stom family has been the holder of the secret knowledge and the holder of the Secret Box for generations. The 13th century turned the Templars' wrath into a massacre. Our family kept it hidden from uneducated people all their lives. When we did, all we found was a key that could reveal the secrets of the box.

Baljeet: Is that true?

Buford: No, just kidding. On the other side I found a wall. When the coffin fell from the sky, I saw the lock drop.

Phineas - Worth a try.

(pear cut)

Main Monogram: Great job. Agent P. Karl scans a fingerprint from Doof's apartment.

Carl: If you have a variability analysis, there seems to be a lot of caffeine molecules. with rainwater.

Large Monogram: Our only meaning is coffee and rainy sky. It can happen anywhere!

(The stop is in a darkroom with Seattle, WA. Duvenschmilz Barrel Accessories)

Duvenschmilz: Uh, hi! Who is here? Mark! You must be in heaven! This should be a satisfying explanation when I'm done, or when I'm blogging!

(Cut down the pine and Ferb's garden. Ferb puts the key in the chest.)

Phineas: Yes, honey!

Baljeet: What is your secret? Maybe a dozen missing Schrödinger cats?

BUFORD: But I didn't have privacy.

(opens the capsule)

(all pants)

Baljeet: Why do you smoke like that?

BUFORD: And why are we all suffering?

Cornelius: Oops, sorry!

Crazy Old Man: What do you think you did?

Phineas: Who are you?

Crazy old man: It's me! from the future!

(all pants)

(Cut the spleen into a quilt. Remove the mask from the shadow mask)

Duvenschmilz: (panting) Peter Panda? Oh, that was my good chance. That's all. While. And it was terrible, everyone was staring with crooked noses and had to talk about it.

Suspect: Hello, Duvenschmilz!

Duvenschmilz: Hello, what do you get, the black figure walking in the dark?

Suspicious Character: Mystery Professor, it's me.

Duvenschmilz: I understand.

Professor's Secret: Did Panda Stone Take My Name?

Doofenshmirtz: No, but I don't really speak. Can you tell me why you kidnapped me? Hmm bye! I know you are still here. I can't see the apple of your eye. What is silence? It is very unconventional.

Professor Secret: secret.

Duvenschmilz: Oh. This is going to be a fun interview.

(The courtyard of Phineas and Ferb)

Phineas: Please stay a while. Do you want to know what's happening to my nose?

Crazy old man: Don't worry about our nose ... This. Hear it when a hamster runs, a black hole breaks control and something breaks. You have now opened my hamster area! It's just a moment before it slows down!

Baljit: Wait, is a hamster allergic to air?

Crazy old man: Trust me!

Baljeet: What?

Crazy Old Man: Because I'll be here in the future!

Baljit: Wait, won't I be Indian in the future?

Crazy old man: "Okay! See you in the future.

Isabella: Yes, it doesn't make sense.

Grandma: Stop telling people about you from the future!

Phineas: Who is it?

Crazy Old Man: I'm just Dennis. ignore. There is no future person.

Dennis: I heard it! Hi guys, sorry if I disturb you.

Crazy old man: there is no time to waste!

Dennis: Calm down, Bernie! Don't forget your blood!

Bernie: What did I do to you? So what slows down?

Dennis: Oh, go! I am a sick hamster who rules our lives!

(The box beeps.)

Phineas: What is there without batting an eye?

Baljeet: Not good.

Buford: Well, you've played a lot of pianos.

(Put the professor's husband in a moving box and bite into the scented sponge).

Duvenschmilz: Seriously, what was the kidnapping? And what good is a temple hanging over the petro panda?

The Professor's Mystery: Why I'm Peter Panda's Enemy.

Duvenschmilz: (pants)

The Secret Professor: Are you surprised?

Duvenschmilz: Sure. But if you know anything about the enemy company, please do so. I don't want to be another bad scientist. (See Professor Inator of Mysteries) Oh! Enjoying! Why does he do it?

The professor's secret is a secret I cannot reveal.

Duvenschmilz: ... your beauty. Yes, I know. Will you give me your advice before or after trying to catch Peter the panda? It's just ... Even in the research phase.

The mystery of the teacher: I don't say anything. The secret gun ... it's mine

Duvenschmilz: But he's your enemy! He knows what bothers you! So this is a generic title! What do you expect from her with your story? (The secret has been cleared.) Don't stay, oh no. Don't tell me, you've never told your inner story! ok i have a problem! This is your problem!

The Professor's Mystery: What?

Doofenshmirtz: Lack of communication. Give me a shot (a rhythm is established and a chorister appears out of nowhere).

(song: talk to him)

Duvenschmilz - you can do it in secret

You don't have to be so selective. ??

Chorus Girls: Too erratic! ??

Duvenschmilz: Make history your secret enemy;

For all the reasons why ...

Duvenschmilz and the girls' choir: rotten eggs. ??

Doofenshmirtz: (ooh while the choir girl is in the background) not enough to show her skill;

You have to tell him how you feel. ??

I guess you will be surprised that their attention is being held

I can only understand

Tell him about all the bad plans you have for ...

Duvenschmilz and the showgirl: you have to ...

Duvenschmilz: Talk to him

Choir Girl: Oh! ??

Duvenschmilz: Tell him ...

Duvenschmilz and Chorus Girl - all my plans came to mind

Duvenschmilz: Talk to him

Choir Girl: Oh! ??

Duvenschmilz: Announcement ...

Duvenschmilz and Chorus Girl: Give her everything you fear. ??

Duvenschmilz: Talk to him. ??

Now...

Duvenschmilz and the Chorus Girls: Stay there like a rock. ??

Doofenshmirtz - he has two furry ears to wear

Dancing girls: wear it! ??

Duvenschmilz: I know you really want to hurt him

Choir girls: Dig! ??

Duvenschmilz: But I think I'll lose you if I don't speak

Dancing girls: I want to talk

Duvenschmilz: communication is essential

When you open you can understand

And maybe it bothers me.

Duvenschmilz and Chorus Girl: you're right! ??

(The number ends and the girl has disappeared).

Mystery Professor: How did you get this girl to dance?

Doofenshmirtz: These are the unions, they are leaving.

(Go back to the courtyard where the hamster slows down.)

Bernie: (while Finna holds on) there's only one way to beat him! and listen with your ears! (A red bird in the wind comes out of your beard.) Hey Velleius, I found your bird!

Velleio: Really? where he was

Bernie: How boring! However, there is only one way to improve it! (crying and screaming)

Isabella, Buford, Baljit: No!

Finius: Hurray, everyone! Get the tree!

(They do.)

Isabelle: What are you doing now? !!

Baljeet: This is definitely the only time the camera has disappeared again!

Buford: Yeah, bad model break!

Isabella: Well, she is not a model! Subsequently, the model will disappear.

(remote effect)

I mean, Candice!

(Candice enters the room where she is still listening to the music. Then Chaos looks through the window and walks straight into the box.

Candice: (pants) mama mama mama mama mama !!!

(she goes back to the mysterious cave).

Mysterious Professor: The last person I recommend, you are a hostile thief!

Duvenschmilz: You can't undo it with a musical instrument. Hmm! I'll say it's not my fault that you and Peter are in trouble. It's yours!

The Professor's Secret: (Active Inator) The Secret Inator is an active lens wrapped in a real lens, I know who it is! Under favorable circumstances you will be nervous and full of revenge!

Duwenschmilz: (sigh) Yawn! So I was more concerned if I knew what was going on. YY-Become a man (sighs again)!

Secret Professor: Hmm?

(Burned by a plague on the wall. Peter Panda has come to the other side).

Duvenschmilz: Peter Panda! Wow, I'm not very happy to see my rainbow enemy.

Mysterious Professor: Peter Panda is not your enemy!

Duvenschmilz: Yes. He is not the enemy. H-h-this is a slow project.

Mysterious Professor: Do you want it to fall like this? (Peter accuses him) Do you understand? I am touched! Here it is, Duvenschmilz! (sighing) Yes, it is! (another shot) Do you understand? feel good. What did you give that I couldn't give you?

Duvenschmilz: A bad part of the internal dialogue!

Mystery Professor: What?

Duvenschmilz: Communicate! Oh cry! In any case, tell me what makes you turn off!

Mystery Professor: What? Oh yeah! There is no author!

Duvenschmilz: What? !! ??? ?? !! Hey, I'm worried! Clock! Communication I can do it.

(Perry finally enters, flips the switch, shoots from the ceiling, bounces a space pin.)

(He goes back to the terrace.)

Buford: I can't take it anymore! one day my friend

("Tough Gum" Song (Instrumental))

Advertiser: Durable Shoelaces!

Buford: - Wash! He lifts the branch and flies away.

(Once in line, Inator throws a bolt of lightning at the box, and once in line, Candice's mother follows him into the yard.)

Candice: Hurry up, Mom! To move on! What? !!

Baljeet: I didn't get hurt like I expected.

BUFORD: Yes, thankfully.

(Modest case where Mysterio and Peter talk so that Douffensmritz and Perry can see each other from the window.)

Mystery Master: So my parents accidentally created a black hole, got hooked on it, and went into orbit so that there was no danger to the planet, but in the process. At first I'm furious about it, and in the end you make me a nonexistent emperor, whom you killed tonight! Wow, what fun to tell someone!

(A crazy old man comes out of the yard to see him.)

Bernie and Denise: Son!

Mystery Master: Mother? Father? !! They will be called back! (hugs her).

Velleio: Oh ...

Mysterious Professor: Meet my enemy Peter Panda.

Bernie: Do you have any archenemies?

Denise: All of our kids are adults!

Bernie: Why is it a panda?

Dennis: Bernie!

Bernie: What? I was just thinking.

(Doofenshritz and Perry drop them).

Doofenshmirtz: Come on, Platypus Perry. Let's go home, I talk to you a lot, right? Yes, maybe you are right.

(He goes back to the terrace.)

Linda: Kids, why don't you come for lunch? And if he meets your father, ask him to come with us.

Candice: But, but, but ... Okay.

Finius: Intense, color. Planets can also explode and break the space continuum. I hope you have not suffered any real damage. (The bears appear next to them.) Oh, father! If you want to join, mom is having a lot of fun!

Polar Bear (voice of Lawrence): Oh boy, very good. I'm a bit bored.

Finius: Maybe the cake is still there.

(Another sees Phineas' back hole as the boy goes through the hole, proving it is true that Phineas and Ferb are working on a machine that turns humans into flies.)

Vera Finnius: W Noteworthy! What was the fate! We did

True color: can't. Here Phineas has four white shirts and you only have three.

Phineas: Okay. It must be said: Our father is not a bear.

#baljeet tjinder #buford van stomm #candace flynn #ferb fletcher #isabella #phineas and ferb #phineas flynn #pnf #owca #perry the platypus #perry #doofensmirtz #dr doofenshmirtz #google translate #major monogram #carl karl #peter the panda

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remmushound · 3 years

Note

Okay so I offered a headcanon about 2018 Mikey being a therapist for Clearly Clinically Depressed 2003 Mikey and here are the details:

the Rise kids see 03 Mikey in an obvious RSD episode where he's hiding his frustration and rage at himself, and the 03 brothers are oblivious because their Don didn't actually investigate it enough.

So Dr Feelings, with Dr Delicate Touch right behind, makes 03 Mikey do stim play with his art supplies.

The other Rise kids have a "conversation" with the others, with 03 Raph scoffing and 03 Leo rolling his eyes. Rise Raph not happy.

...

This isn’t based on personal experience LOL nope nah (I went from 03 Mikey to 18 Mikey)

“Hey hey hey hey guys look!” Mikey held his Nexus trophy in one hand while his other arm was wrapped around Leonardo holding his own trophy, “He won his world’s battle nexus! We’re trophy-twins!”

Leonardo smirked, eating up the attention just as much as Mikey was. “You hear that Donnie? He wants to be my twin!”

“Good.” Donatello groaned from where he sat with Donnie. “Maybe you’ll finally leave me alone.”

Leonardo shot forward and hugged Donatello’s shell, rubbing his cheek against Donatello’s and making the softshell groan his annoyance at the obnoxious loving. “I could never~”

“Get off me, Nardo.” Donatello growled and shoved Leonardo off of him and back to Mikey.

“My god there’s two of them now.” Leo shook his head as he looked over Leonardo and Mikey.

“How do you think I feel?” Raphael joked with a laugh, “I got three of them! Speaking of which, where’s Mikey?”

Raphael looked around and it didn't take him long to find the box turtle sneaking up on an unsuspecting orange cat.

“Come here kitty, I just wanna feel ya!”

“MIKEY LEAVE THAT POOR CAT ALONE!”

Michelangelo jumped on the cat as it woke up scrambling and held it tightly against his chest so he could pet it. “But it’s so soft!”

“You’re allergic to cats!”

Michelangelo was already sniffling, but didn't care. “It’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

“Oh my God— Donnie, you leave that mutant’s things alone!”

Donatello had both arms full of various machines, and his spider arms held onto various more. “He said I could have em!”

“Actually, I asked you to please not take my things—“

“Shush, other me!” Donatello pressed a metal claw to Donnie’s lips to shush him.

“Donnie, you put that stuff back right now or so help me—“ Raphael glanced back to where Leonardo and Mikey had just been, but only found the latter. “Where’d Leo go?!”

Mikey shrugged.

“CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, LOSER!”

Leonardo blew a raspberry from where he hung upside down in a doorway, flipping off and landing on his feet while making a come-hither motion.

“I can—you know I can— I have bigger legs than you!” Raphael jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Leonardo, only for the slider to slip right through and jump up on his shoulder.

“And I’m a slider!” Leonardo jumped off and slid away before Raphael could catch him again, skidding toward Mikey and grabbing the box-turtle by the arm to use him as a body shield against Raphael.

“Leo— get your tail— out here— now!” Raphael tried to dance around Mikey’s shield unsuccessfully while making a grab for Leonardo.

“Hey— watch the trophy!” Mikey tried to protect his trophy from the struggling brothers. He yelped as Leonardo pushed him aside and made a dash for it, the Nexus trophy knocked out of his hands and clinking to the ground.

“Sorry!” Raphael called as he ran off after the difficult mutant.

Mikey scrambled to grab his trophy quickly off the ground and hold it protectively to his chest. “Careful! This is the nicest thing I own!”

“It’s just a trophy, Mike.” Raph laughed, still offering a hand to help Mikey to stand up. “It’s not that important.”

Mikey stuck out his tongue. “Dude, I won the shell freaking Battle Nexus!”

“So have hundreds of other creatures.” Donnie pointed out as he was starting to replace the stuff Donatello had taken, “There’s a new winner every three years.”

“Well, yeah, but…” Mikey looked down at his trophy and sniffled softly as he tried to buff out a scratch.

“It’s not that big of a deal, Mike.” Leo said, “We have bigger issues than a scratched trophy.”

Mikey hung his head and didn't speak again. Raphael caught Leonardo but before anything could happen, Leonardo pointed out the sad box turtle to Raphael and both stayed silently watching. Donatello snuck up beside them with the same thought on his mind that none of them needed to voice. Michelangelo was the first of them to notice and was already on his way over to the other mutant, taking Mikey by the arm and offering a wide smile.

“Hi! Did your trophy get scratched?”

“Yeah.” Was all Mikey said, not looking at the smaller box turtle.

Michelangelo humphed and grabbed Mikey firmly by the hand to guide him away toward the bathroom while Mikey blindly followed without looking up from his trophy.

“That’s okay!” Michelangelo cast a furious look back at the other turtles before rounding the corner and disappearing. “We can fix it!

****

“See?” Michelangelo held the trophy up to Mikey, beaming at the newfound gleam on the surface, “No more scratch! Toothpaste takes it right out!”

“Thanks…” Mikey accepted the trophy, staring back at his reflection for a second before quickly looking away again and dropping the trophy into the sink.

Michelangelo frowned and stared at Mikey another moment before taking his hand and yanking him once more to guide him.

“Ah— hey little dude.” Mikey laughed weakly, “Where are we going?”

Michelangelo didn't answer. He stuck his tongue out in concentration and hummed loudly, looking around until he found the kitchen and continued to pull his new friend along. He grunted and shoved Mikey down into a chair.

“Stay!”

Michelangelo reached into his belt and pulled out several paint bottles and little baggies.

“Uh, okay?” Mikey huffed and rested his chin on his hand, “Whatever you say, little dude.”

Michelangelo hummed brightly as he inserted some paint into the bags, choosing the best and brightest colors he had and filling three bags full so he could use each and every color without the bags being too crowded. Then he rooted through the drawers until he founded just what he needed— tape!

“Here!” He taped the baggies to the table in front of Mikey so that the full beauty of their colors were showing. “Play with these while we talk!”

At first, Mikey stubbornly refused. Michelangelo didn't mind, and he only smiled when he saw Mikey starting to glance at the bright colors with a longing gaze in his eyes, though he had yet to start to play with them. Michelangelo decided to just give it some time.

“So.” Michelangelo sat in front of Mikey. “Tell me about your trophy. How’d you win it?”

“My brothers and I fought a whole bunch of other dudes in the Battle Nexus!”

“And you won?”

“Yeah! Out of thirty-two dudes and dudettes!”

“Really?” Michelangelo’s eyes went wide, “That’s a lot of people to beat.”

“Well I only fought four of them— half the guys would get eliminated every round, so it wasn’t really that difficult…”

“Still, out of all those people you made it to the end!”

“It was just a fluke— a lot of other stuff was going down and I just won by default…”

“Other stuff?”

“Yeah… Leo got poisoned and there was this whole usurper dude and a time vortex — it was weird, man.”

Michelangelo put his fingers to his lips. “I see.”

“I mean, it’s not like it was my fault!” Mikey hardly noticed how his hands automatically went to the paint bags and began to press them around, “And I won the other rounds fair and square, and beat Kluh in a rematch!”

“So you did earn the trophy.”

“So what if Splinter surrendered?! That was his choice! And so what if I tricked Raph— I still beat him!” His focus became more attached to the colors he was moving around.

Michelangelo leaned back and stuck his feet on the table as he relaxed.

“And I… I know I’m not as strong as Raph or as smart as Donnie or as bossy as Leo— so what?! I’m my own turtle!”

His features scrunched up as his teary eyes locked onto the table, the many colors that had once been separated now spiraling into one shape, mixed together and creating various new shades.

“You’re right!” Michelangelo quickly noticed the paints reaching the end of their usefulness and pulled out a small hunk of orange playdough to offer to the other box shell, who took it and started to mold it without stopping his rant.

“I’m Michelangelo Splinterson and I’m a party dude!” The playdough quickly started to take the shape of a cat, “And I like pizza, and I hate bullies! I know they don’t mean to be mean, but it still hurts!”

Michelangelo nodded along solemnly. “Have you told them that?”

“Well— no.” Mikey sighed and deflated, “And I don’t think I want to…”

“Is there a reason?” Michelangelo latched onto the opportunity and scooched closer to Mikey.

“Well, I’m the fun one.” Mikey’s molding of the clay slowed, “Nothing fun about complaining and yelling…”

Michelangelo experimented with a gentle touch to Mikey’s back before attempting a hug, which Mikey returned with a great force.

“You don’t have to be happy all the time.” Michelangelo said from his squished position, “I mean, you can’t be!”

“I’ve gone twenty years being happy! I— I can’t just suddenly be sad!”

“But… you weren’t all happy during that time. You can’t have been.”

Mikey looked away.

“There had to have been at least a few times you were angry or upset…”

“Well… before the rematch against Kohl I was kinda… scared. And… and I tried going to Master Splinter and Raph and Don about it, but they just… made fun of me. But I was really scared! They just didn't care…”

“So you’ve felt fear before— that’s different than happiness, isn’t it?”

“Way different.” Mikey laughed weakly, “And there was that time Donnie uh… double mutated and we didn't know what to do.”

“Double mutated?”

“He was mutated again and turned into a gross monster and we couldn’t figure out how to turn him back because we couldn’t read his notes.”

“And that made you feel sad and scared?”

“Yeah…”

Michelangelo hugged Mikey again the minute he felt the box turtle slipping into guilt again. “Hey, that’s okay! It’s okay to be sad when something like that happens! I get scared too when Donnie gets hurt.”

“Your Donnie got hurt?”

“Well, he’s really soft.” Michelangelo giggled, trying to encourage a smile back into his friend, “So he gets cut easy— that’s why he wears that cool shell thing!”

“Radical!” Mikey smiled.

“And whenever he’s not wearing his armor I get suuuuuper scared that he might get hurt. But he’s always okay after, and then I feel better. But that doesn’t mean I never felt sad. I feel sad lots of times. And sympathetic and mad and scared and ambitious and all these other things! And you do too, you just don’t want to admit it.”

Mikey gave a nervous laugh as a darker green blush crept into his face. “I… I guess. I just wish my brothers would understand that.”

“Well, they can’t understand if you don’t tell them how you feel.” Michelangelo said softly.

“Oh… uh…” The anxiety returned fast, “I don’t think…”

“You don’t have to tell them now— you’re still upset! You don’t even have to tell them today or tomorrow or this week— just when you feel comfortable. So when something like this happens again, they know what you’re going through, and they can help you.” Michelangelo put his hand on Mikey’s, “Trust me: they’re your brothers, and they love you.”

Mikey gave a raspy churr before grabbing Michelangelo and pulling him into a hug. “Thank you for listening, little buddy!”

****

“Hey!” Raphael didn't mean to be so loud, but his voice echoed like thunder off the wall. The three box turtles looked at him with bewildered expressions and Raphael quickly waved them over. “A chat, please.”

Donatello and Leonardo loomed at Raphael’s side like two angels on his shoulders, except judging by their expressions they were both demons.

“Yeah?” Raph huffed as he and his brothers took a similar stance, except with Leo in the center and him at the shoulder.

“Did you not see what just happened?” Leonardo leaned on Raphael’s shoulder and motioned to where Michelangelo and Mikey had disappeared to. “What you just did?”

“We didn't do nothin’!” Raph snarled, pointing a finger at Leonardo, “Yous made him drop his trophy.”

“And you criticized him for getting upset over it.” Raphael said quickly in his brothers defense, “What Leo did was an accident, what you guys did wasn’t.”

“So? It’s just a dumb trophy.”

“Raphael.” Leo warned gently to his brother before finally getting a word in, “Mikey is fine— he’s probably off skating with your Mikey right now.”

“Actually, statistics indicate that even if they are off skating right now that doesn’t mean everything's fine. Studies show that physical activity can help manage meltdowns if handled correctly—“

“Meltdowns?” Raph interrupted Donatello, “That ain’t no meltdown. That’s my baby brother getting upset that his toy was scratched.”

Leonardo gasped dramatically. “Exsqueeze me?! A trophy is not a toy! It’s a declaration of how awesome we are!” Leonardo held out his Nexus trophy for the box turtles to see.

“So you just wear that around everywhere you go?”

“Uh— duh! Gives me bragging rights! And if I ever meet a cute boy or hot girl, I have a conversation starter~” He waved the medal mockingly.

“Not helping Leo.” Raphael said gently, looking to the younger turtle before going back to their counterparts, “It doesn’t matter if it’s not a big deal to you— it clearly was a big deal to him. You should apologize for making him feel upset. It’s the brotherly thing to do.”

“Um… in my humble opinion, mister snapper Raph, I don’t really think I did anything wrong…” Donnie said softly.

Raphael offered a gentle smile and kneeled to Donnie’s level. “That’s alright— you won’t always recognize when your words hurt someone, but if they did you should still apologize. Make sense?”

Donnie nodded and smiled in turn. “Makes sense.”

“What about the rest of you?” Raphael looked around to adress the rest of the box turtles.

“I ain’t apologizing.” Raph stuck up his nose stubbornly.

“I just don’t see why I should.” Leo said, not nearly as agressively.

“But… you’ll apologize?” Raphael appealed to Donnie.

“Uh… y-yeah, I will when I see him next.” Donnie agreed.

“Good fella.” Raphael gave him a head pat out of habit.

“Uh… thanks.” Donnie flushed and looked away to hide his embarrassed look.

“I still say you were major jerks,” Leonardo pointed his odachi at Raph and Leo.

“But we can’t force you to apologize.” Raphael finished with a sigh.

“I probably could, but that might be crossing the lines between what is classified as ethical and what might put me on the same wavelength as Draxum or Sergei Briuk-honenko and his dog experiments.”

#omg #I ran outta room #noooooo #lord help me #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #rottmnt #Tmnt 2003

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fanficks-from-fictives · 3 years

Text

The call comes in as Midoriya is trying to hop into his pants and brush his teeth at the same time.

The noise he makes when he answers couldn't technically be called a word, but it gets the point across that he's ready to listen to the caller.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Mineta asks after a moment of silence. Midoriya swears he hears a sad sniffle. Is Mineta crying?

"N-" Midoriya chokes on toothpaste so he quickly spits it out and rinses his mouth. "No, I'm getting ready to go to my early morning training. Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I just haven't been able to sleep."

"Like at all?"

"At all." Another sniffle followed a muffled cough interrupt Mineta's train of thought. "Sorry, I have a little bit of a fever, probably stress related. Also probably why I couldn't sleep. Sorry to bother you, I just got bored of scrolling through Tumblr and was kind of lonely since Tokoyami turned off his music and went to sleep."

"You're not bothering me. But uh... All Might is going to be overseeing my training this morning to make sure I don't like, break my arm again or something; do you want me to tell him you're sick so you can try to sleep through classes today?" Midoriya is now successfully in his pants and wondering if he should maybe check in on Mineta.

Midoriya is sure he doesn't know Mineta all that well, but something tells him Mineta is one of those people who likes to pretend he feels better than he does so he doesn't worry anyone.

And, ironically, that worries Midoriya more.

The silence from Mineta drags on for a just a moment too long and Midoriya opens his mouth to ask if he's still even on the phone, but Mineta finally speaks.

He sounds out of breath, but the small, "that would be great, thank you," is counted as a victory by Midoriya.

Mineta continues with, "sorry for not responding right away, I muted myself to cough."

"You're fine. Do you need anything?" Midoriya is out of the bathroom and walking towards his own room to return his towel to its rightful place.

"No; thank you though."

"Right, well... if you need anything feel free to call me again!"

"Thanks, Midoriya, bye."

Midoriya hangs up, and the second the line goes dead, painful sounding coughing erupts from Mineta's room.

No way in hell is Midoriya letting Mineta be alone when he's sick. Not if he can help it, at least.

He shoots a quick text to All Might, letting him know he won't be at training or in classes today so he can look after Mineta, waits for confirmation, and then goes to gather a glass of water and some fever reducers.

He runs into Iida while he's in the kitchen.

"What are you doing up so early, Iida?" Midoriya asks, filling a glass.

"Getting ready for an early morning run. I see you're getting ready for your early morning training." Iida responds as he stretches.

"Actually, I've had to cancel that. And I was wondering if you could take notes for me today? I won't be in class either." Midoriya finds the fever reducers right where they're supposed to be and grabs the right amount for Mineta.

"Are you ill?"

"Huh? Oh- no. Mineta is. I'm staying to look after him, though."

"You are a very kind and devoted friend, Midoriya. Don't worry, I'll take notes and gather the work for you two."

"Thank you, Iida!"

And with that, Midoriya is off, back to Mineta's dorm.

---

Mineta is sitting in his bed, knees drawn up to his chest, arms around his legs, blanket draped over his hunched back as he scrolls listlessly through his favorite subreddit, enjoying the wholesomness of this tiny corner of the internet. He brings a wadded up tissue to his mouth to cover the chesty cough that racks his frame for far too long, then forces his breathing to regulate again before he goes back to his phone.

A knock at his door snaps him back to reality.

Whomstive the fuck is up at this ungodly hour? Besides himself, of course.

"Mineta? Are you still awake?" Midoriya's voice calls softly from the other side of the door.

Oh yeah, Midoriya wakes up stupid early. And Mineta had called him just a few minutes ago. 'What the fuck, Minoru, why are you forgetting what you did like, 10 minutes ago?'

Mineta slides out of bed and opens his door. "Hi." God he's so awkward.

Midoriya stands in the door with a cup of water and a couple pills in his hands. "I wanted to bring you medicine, and, ya' know, take care of you. Can I come in?"

This is how Mineta dies, he decides as he steps aside to allow Midoriya in.

God he's glad he has such a great poker face.

Midoriya places the medicine and water on the table and produces a thermometer from his pocket.

Oh shit, Midoriya means business, huh? 'What are you talking about, Minoru, Midoriya is always serious when it comes to his friends' well being!' Does Mineta really count as one of Midoriya's friends? 'Apparently so.'

"You said you thought you had a fever, so I figured we should keep an eye on that." Midoriya explains, offering the thermometer to Mineta.

Mineta takes it and sits on his bed, motioning to his desk chair. "Feel free to sit," he offers to Midoriya before putting the thermometer under his tongue.

Midoriya thanks him and makes himself comfortable in the desk chair and Mineta makes himself comfortable in bed.

"Your workspace is really well organized." Midoriya comments.

Mineta glares at him and huffs out through his nose.

"Sorry I didn't mean to offend you!"

Mineta angrily looks away.

"Ah-! Please don't be mad at me!"

The thermometer beeps and Mineta takes it out. "Don't compliment me when I can't thank you. It makes me feel rude." He looks at the numbers on the thermometer and winces, then hands it to Midoriya.

"I'll keep that in mind. Sorry about that." He accepts the thermometer and is instantly beside himself when he sees the number. "38.5?"

Mineta can tell he's trying to whisper to himself, but it's still pretty loud. Midoriya isn't very good at being quiet, he never has been.

He feels like he blinks, but suddenly Midoriya is holding out a pill and the water for him to accept.

How did he move so fast? His quirk, probably.

"I brought fever reducing medicine; please take it."

How the hell is Midoriya so fucking cute?

Mineta accepts the medicine and takes it with a sip of water, trusting Midoriya to not poison him.

As Mineta still has the water to his mouth, Midoriya's hand strays to his forehead, where it lingers for a second before moving to his neck.

"You're burning up, Mineta." Midoriya frets.

Mineta nods as Midoriya sits by his feet. He brings them in. "I said I had a minor fever."

His breath catches and he presses his tissues to his mouth as a coughing fit overtakes him. Midoriya takes his water from him and pats his back.

"38.5 isn't as minor of a fever as you seem to think it is." Midoriya says once Mineta has his breath.

Mineta breathes in to huff angrily, but another coughing fit consumes him.

He's gagging by the end of it, but swallowing it all back, having decided throwing up in front of Midoriya is too embarrassing for his liking.

"Oh Jesus! Are you okay Mineta? Do you need to go to the restroom? Do you have a trashcan in the room-" Midoriya anxiously rambles until Mineta cuts him off.

"I'm fi-" he gags and swallows again, "I'm fine. I have a sensitive gag reflex." He doesn't actually, he could deep throat a corn dog- not that he's tested it; totally not.

"Are you sure you're not going to throw up?" frets Midoriya, placing his hand on Mineta's leg.

Mineta nods. He's worn out from coughing all night, but his fever is making it impossible for him to sleep- he's too uncomfortable.

Midoriya seems to catch on to his tiredness, because he comments, "should I get you some sleeping medicine?"

"I've already taken some." Mineta shakes his head.

Midoriya is silent for a moment, then he shifts and crawls into Mineta's bed next to the wall.

Mineta's face explodes into a blush as Midoriya explains, "cuddling with my mom usually helps me get to sleep when I'm not feeling well, and, while I'm not my mom or yours, maybe I can be as comforting?"

The reddening of Mineta's face being so apparent, Midoriya freaks out a little, "is your fever rising? Are you allergic to the medicine I gave you? Should I-" He cuts off when Mineta snuggles into him wordlessly.

It only takes a couple of minutes of Midoriya scrolling through tiktok on his phone and petting Mineta's hair until Mineta is unconscious.

#bnha fic #bnha minoru #minoru mineta #izuku mydoria #midoriya izuku #mha fic #mha sickfic #sick mineta #caretaker izuku #long post #emeto mention #emetophobia tw #emeto tw #emeto warning #mild but tagging anyway

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atonalginger · 2 years

Text

You what's fun? Flossing with some new floss from the dentist goodie bags Nick and I save and having an allergic reaction to it and /not knowing what the irritant was/...

About 45 minutes ago I flossed with a Colgate floss that was mint flavored and wax. I don't usually use minted floss because the mint oil stings the corners of my mouth but nothing too bad so I think why not give this a whirl.

I floss first, then brush teeth and tongue. By the time I'm done brushing my tongue it feels like it's on fire. Then my nose starts running in a way I'm not used to and sneezing like crazy. Nick even commented it was a not normal and was asking if I was okay.

I rinsed my mouth with mouthwash for a minute hoping it helps my tongue and it does, sort of, so I go to the kitchen to get some ice to suck on to numb my tongue.

At this point I have not put 2 and 2 together and am wondering if somehow I brushed my tongue too hard and it caused the pain and sneezing fit because what else could I have done... ... ...

Then I go back to the bathroom and see I have hives forming on my neck and face and Nick finds them on my back. This is 5 minutes after I flossed. I finish the ice, tongue no longer hurts but feels slightly swollen but I just sucked on ice so yeah...then I looked at the mirror again and see my lower lip is close to twice the size. I look like I'm Perma pouting. Two points in particular appear to be swelling.

Two spots where floss would be touching the inner lip. Where visible "tracks" can be seen if I roll them down.

I'm not Panicking just weirded out and I sit on the bed and focus on breathing to see if there are issues that need professional intervention. No, breathing is doable.

About 10 or 15 minutes after I flossed I remember we have benadryl in the house so I go grab a Benny and focus on staying calm.

Even before I took it the worst was clearly over, half my lip was going down and the hive stopped forming.

I'm an hour out now from flossing and my lip is still swollen not clearly going down, underside of tongue is still swollen but only a little, gums look irritated but no itching or pain, and hives are going down. Breathing is still good.

Overall a mild bordering on moderate reaction. Over floss....or I assume the floss it the culprit. I've been using the toothpaste for years and didn't eat or drink anything that's ever given me issues but the floss was new and the reaction was so sudden and lines up. Also people having irritation and reactions to toothpaste and floss are thing that can happen. Either the mint flavorant they use or the wax.

I'll go back to my unflavored or-b wax floss. Never hurt me.

And before I go I want to take a moment to say I'm really proud of myself over how I handled this. Nick is recovering from a small elective procedure and isn't in mobile shape to go grab things but was comforting. I didn't panic. I even think panic would be understandable and warrented considering how sudden this all happened. But I didn't, even as the child parts started getting scared I took a deep breath and just handled it. I observed, I checked swallowing and breathing, I took otc medicine to see if it helped, and I stayed calm. Well more like I soothed and comforted the scared parts with reassurance we could handle it and whatever we needed to do.

It was confusing and scary and frustrating but I'll be okay and the floss is in the trash and I didn't panic. That's a big deal for me so I wanted to celebrate that because my therapist would want me to and because I am just so gosh darn proud of all my parts not descending into chaos and instead they (me) trusted me to handle it and I did.

Okay so now I think I'm going to cry and try to sleep.

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burning-clutch · 4 years

Text

King Of Spades Or King of Spuds

Pairings: None Trigger Warnings: mild cussing Author: @burning-clutch (Team Ghost) Total word count 3020 Prompt by: Lexiepiper / LexiePiper AO3: Alexa_Piper, FFN: Alexa Piper

Stupid humor, Wes is trying, Danny is a troll, summoning

When they tried to summon the King of All Ghosts, the last thing they expected was the sudden appearance of a very familiar, very human boy wearing spaceship pajamas and with a toothbrush halfway to his mouth... -.-.-.-

"You know this probably isn't going to work how you think it is right?"

"Shut up and just do your job nerd."

"If we get killed-"

"That's why I stole this thingy from Fenton, duh." The raygun was waved casually around like it wasn’t an actual weapon.

"Just do your thing and we see if you're being real with us or not. If you can't even be truthful about this how are we supposed to believe anything else you say? You said you tried this before and it worked right?"

The wirey teen runs a hand through his orange-red hair and sighs deeply. "The summoning works you just have to make it clear who you're trying to get… I've ended up with the wrong ghost before…"

“Then you’ve already got experience, more than us anyway” The dark haired jock called over his shoulder from where he had been fussing with a candle.

"Come on Wes you should just feel lucky we're talking to you after everything." The blonde A-lister huffed with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Star's right you know. Now if what the book from that goth creep said was true then if we summon the king we can make a deal with him."A Latino beauty with an accent said, hardly looking up from her nail file. “Anything we want so long as the king accepts the payment.”

“Yeah, and we got the nerd here to film it, cuz ya need proof of contract or whatever..” A large beefy blonde jock piped up with his two cents.

Wes sighed and gave Mikey a sympathetic look as he shakily set up a tripod and a small digital camcorder, While Kwan continued to set up the candles around the vacant basement room.

“I just really think summoning the ghost king is a bad idea, I mean you remember that invasion last year? Wasn't that the ghost king?" Wes urged only to get punched in the arm by the blonde jock.

"Not the real king, you saw how all the ghosts fought him, idiot," Dash commented with a huff. “Kings are loved by all, Being the king of Casper High I should know!”

"Ghosts just fight each other regardless! It's what they do!" Wes shot back glaring at the larger teen.

"Regardless I want to make it so Phantom Falls madly in love with me and I can have my fairytale ending with him." Paulina waved off the ginger's worries. "A deal with the devil, so to speak, is hardly of any concern."

“A de- Are you hearing yourself?” Wes called out waving his arm frantically towards Paulina. When the girl only looked up from her nail file to glare at Wes the basketball player deflated. “Fine whatever. If we call become ghosts my obsession will be kicking your asses for all eternity I hope you know.”

“Ha! You’ll be lamer than the crate creep when you keel over” Dash spat poking the end of the ecto-weapon into Wes’s chest to accentuate his point.

Wes swatted the gun away, while Kwan stood back up to admire his handy work with the candles. “Right now we light them right?” The Asian asked. “Who’s got the lighter?”

Star tosses a small pink plastic thing to her boyfriend, who caught it easily. Kwan gives his girlfriend a finger gun with a quick ‘Thanks babe” Before he began lighting up the candles.

Mikey, seemingly satisfied with the camera, scrunched up his face as he watched the small pillars of wax ignite. “What’s that smell? I hope that those aren’t made with Benzaldehyde…. I’m allergic to-”

“Can it ugh, no one cares.” Star snapped to the other boy.

“They’re vanilla scented! I thought it would be nice.” Kwan answers in turn.

“Yes, I know that I’m not nose blind.” The nerd snorted out a laugh. “Benzaldehyde is a chemical used in the making of fake vanilla scents an-”

“How much longer until we can summon this king guy? The humidity down here is making my hands all clammy” Palina interrupted callously “You” She pointed her file to Mikey, “Hit record and you,” She pointed the file to Wes next. “Say the stuff that makes this happen.”

Wes muttered something under his breath causing Dash to punch his arm again. “Fine!” He hollered before beginning the summoning. Latin words warbled out from the teen’s lips, echoing around the room before suddenly, the candles started flickering as if being disturbed by the wind. The teens all watched with wide eyes as the candles suddenly flicked green and blue rapidly before going out. A wash of smoke came up from each one to condense in the centre.

With bated breath, they watch as the smoke forms a shape in the ring of candles. Paulina had a fleeting thought that they should have done this outside in case the ghost king was far bigger than the room could hold.

Though once the shape stopped glowing, and became clear to see, it was obvious they needn’t have worried. A quiet splash is heard, as if someone had dropped a glass of water on the ground, followed by a yelp from a new voice, before Dash’s shout of “Fenton?!”

Danny pulled the toothbrush from his jaws and turned around blinking at the people surrounding him before making a nervous face as he took notice of the candles surrounding him.

Star frowns and makes a disgusted snort noticing where the water spilling noise had come from. “Did you spit on the floor?” She asks angrily. “You are cleaning that” She points to the bewildered Danny.

“Um…. Hi?” Danny tried, wiping a bit of foamy toothpaste from his lips onto the sleeve of his rocketship patterned pyjamas.

“Of course it’s Fenton. Why wouldn’t it be Fenton.” Wes grumbled pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Love you too Wes, but seriously what happened?” Danny asks, taking a step forward only to yelp as his foot touched the circle line drawn by the candles. “Jeez, what the heck?!”

Wes perked up at that. “You’re stuck? You can’t cross the barrier!” He called out excitedly.

Paulina assessed the dark haired teen a moment before humming. “I didn’t think this thing could summon humans as well as ghosts.” She mused taping a perfectly shaped nail to her lips in thought. “I wonder if we can summon celebs?” her eyes went wide at the possibility

“What? No! This thing is only to summon ghosts! And Fenton showed up, and can’t cross the barrier so-” Wes prompts eagerly waving his arms at the sleepy teen in the circle.

“It means you either screwed up the spell and brought us a nerd or that dweeb is somehow the ghost king!” Dash spat back angrily.

Danny blinked out of his sleepy stupor as those words filtered into his brain. “Wait why were you trying to summon the ghost king?”

“Because you can make a deal to get anything you want duh,” Star answered in first.

“Shouldn’t you know that Danny? Your parents are ghost hunters after all…” Mikey piped up from the camera shutting off the device, figuring the whole thing was a flop and didn’t want to waste any more of the mini DV tape.

“What? No that…” He trailed off a moment as he became lost in thought. “Actually that might make sense… It would explain why Plasmius would try to free Pariah Dark…” he muttered to himself more than to the others in the room.

“Who and what now?” Kwan asked Danny while simultaneously Dash snorted.

“‘Ey. The nerd made a funny!” The blonde said acting bewildered.

“Seriously?” Wes groaned burying his hands in his face.

“Though as much as I hate to say it the ginger whiner is right. He definitely said it right to summon the ghost king. ‘Animum quoque regis’, or the royal spirt, or spirit of royalty was who he called out to not you.” Paulina said with a huff.

When she was given a few raised brows she shrugged it off and simply said. “I’m good with Latin. What? Can’t a girl be beautiful and intelligent?” she huffed as if she had been insulted.

“Can I go home? I was kind of hoping to actually get some decent sleep tonight…” Danny said stopping an argument from breaking out.

“What? No! You’re stuck there until you admit to being a ghost.” Wes shot back to him.

Danny sighed deeply and rolls his eyes. “Fine,” Danny cleared his throat before raising his hands to wiggle his fingers in a ‘spooky’ fashion, thumb holding the toothbrush. “I’m a ghost~,” he warbled out sarcastically “There, happy? Can I leave now?”

Wes scoffed at the display before getting as close to Danny as he could without crossing the barrier and loomed over him threateningly. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!” He hissed.

“Maybe he’s like a ghostly secretary?” Kwan asks after a moment. “I mean his parents have the ghost portal right? So maybe that’s why we got Fenton?”

“That’s the stupid-” Wes started but was cut off by Star’s affirmative.

“Hey yeah! Fenton’s the ghost’s go between!”

“I’m a what now?” Danny asked stifling a yawn.

“Ohhh! That makes sense! I knew you were connected to my ghost boy somehow!” Paulina chirped out.

“Yea! That’s true the ghost boy always shows up around you” Mikey added with a slightly bewildered gaze.

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying for so long now!” Wes called out excitedly.

“Yeah, and actually… I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of you in the same place,” Kwan said with a hum, placing a hand on his chin in thought. Danny blinked at him trying to push down the nervousness rising in his chest.

“Yes! Yes!” Wes cheered.

“And Fent-toenail did get summoned by a ghost spell thing…” Dash mused glaring down his favourite punching bag with a frown.

“Exactly what I was saying!” Danny glared at Wes with a murderous look.

“So... What? The Fenton Dweeb’s a ghost?” Star scoffed looking to Wes with an exasperated face. “I doubt it.”

“What? He clearly is!” Wes complained flailing about like mad towards a now snickering Danny.

“I’ve seen shapeshifting shots before… How do we know you’re the real Danny?” Mikey asked eyes wide.

Danny blinked at his classmates in wonderment. They had just handed him an out, and who was he to not take advantage? Threatening up his stance and puffing out his chest and using a bit of his ghostly body control he makes himself appear smokey. “Alright ya got me,” Danny said with a shrug

“What?!” “Wait, what?”

“You’re dead?!”

Danny used his abilities to stretch his smile a little wider then what should be normal on a human. “I was hoping if I took an unassuming form you all looked down on I could throw you off but you win, you got me.”

“Fenton I swear…,” Wes growled, while Danny did his best to stick in that uncanny valley zone.

“So you are the ghost king?” Paulina asked excitedly.

“What? Oh ancients no, I’m one of the contenders for the throne though,” Danny said, pulling his hand across his hips before falling into a deep bow channelling his inner medieval prince, he introduced himself. “I am…. Barrybum Roblix.” Danny stayed in his bow much longer than necessary to hide the smirk on his face. Once he got his features under control he stood straight once again, tilting his head too far to the side, “Just Barry is fine.”

Wes was flabbergasted. Was this really happening? He finally gets Fenton right where he wants him and the half ghost has the gall to try and weasel his way out!? “No one’s buying this Fenton! So save your breath!”

“What are you talking about? I speak the truth,” Danny chides crossing his arms and lifting a little off the ground to float within the confines of the circle.

“Fenton can’t float.” Dash scoffs.

“So, if you’re not the ghost king then this whole thing was a flop! How will I ever be able to get even a kiss from my ghostly prince charming now? You were supposed to be the king…” Palina pouted.

“Well I’m able to shapeshift, If you release me from here I can imitate the one your thinking of.” Danny offered. “I’ll even give you that kiss”

“Ew no, I don’t care how good you are at imitation I’m not kissing some random ghost.” Paulina shot back with a disgusted look on her face.

“I think it’d be cool to have a pretend Phantom hanging out with us, imagine how much our popularity would skyrocket!” Star offers. “Think if we got him to imitate phantom and took a group photo-”

“Oh~! I looove~ that idea Star! Then yes! We’ll release you if you can imitate Phantom.” Palina nodded eagerly.

“Then ya got yourself a deal, we just gotta shake on it. Well, the one who read the spell does” Danny practically sing songed out as he stared down to Wes with a shit eating grin.

“Go on! Shake the ghost’s hand” Dash said cracking his knuckles threateningly.

“Wait, what!? He was brushing his teeth when he came here! This is clearly Fenton trying to trick you! How do you not see it!? There’s toothpaste spit on the floor…” he trailed off as he noticed the puddle of slop was no longer on the floor, and the toothbrush had disappeared. “Turning it invisible doesn’t mean it no longer exists.” Wes huffed.

Danny shrugged in response to the redhead’s ranting.

“Come on Wes just shake his hand so we can take some cool pictures!” Star says shoving the taller teen forward in annoyance.

With a sneer, Wes approached Danny who’s grin hadn’t faltered the entire time. “I hate you” He growled out as Danny took the ginger’s hand in his cold one.

“I know buddy” Danny chastized before letting his transformation rings wash over him.

Wes glared at Danny, Now turned Phantom with renewed vigour, before the halfa flew upwards knocking Wes down as he does. The ginger made a disgusted face as he realized he’d landed his arm directly on the toothpaste slop Danny had spat out.

The A-listers (plus Mikey) were over the moon seeing ‘Phantom’. “Huh, I’ve seen the real one and he’s definitely taller, but the face is almost spot on so no one will know if you float,” Dash says astutely.

“Oh, I love it!” Paullina cooed. Hold still I want to get a full body shot! Throw a thumbs up and- Yes like that! Perfect! Okay now, Star! Take one with me in his arms!”

And so it went, for a good twenty minutes with all the people in the room excitedly snapping pictures, Someone even stole Wes’s phone and took one of him behind Danny as the ghost lay on the ground with a wide grin.

Once all the teens were satisfied with their snap happy adventure, and couldn’t think of any other pictures to pose with ‘Phantom’ the group prepared to bid ‘Barry’ goodbye.

“This was fun but now that I’m in the human world I have people to meet and places to haunt. Etcetera and so forth…” Phantom said with a wave, smacking Wes on the back knocking him over once again, before disappearing from view.

The only person who really noticed phantom’s departure, however, was Wes the others were too engrossed in the photos they had taken. “Oh my gosh look at this one! Oh, that one is so cute!” Star cooed over the camera roll Paulina had on her phone.

Not that Dash and Kwan were any better, “No way man this one is sooo much cooler! Look at you here that one is bomb!”

And even Mikey was furiously typing away on his phone as he blasted his ‘phantom photos’ all over his social media accounts.

All the while Wes just sulked. He was so close! Everyone was heading towards the right conclusion only to have Fenton rip his victory like so many times before! It was infuriating! And just… “UGH!” Wes groaned and laid on his back in the circle where Danny had once been.

“Oh! Let’s go upstairs and print off the best ones and make a college!” Star exclaimed excitedly jumping about like a rabbit that was given caffeine. “And you, nerd, can leave my house,” Star said shooing Mikey away.

The nerdy teen simply nodded and began to gather up his camera and tripod. Once he was finished that task he left without another word. His voice echoed from upstairs as he began talking on the phone to someone nattering on about how he got photos with a Phantom, not Phantom.

“Wes when you’re done wallowing you should leave too, you’re bringing down the whole vibe, man,” Kwan said to the dejected redhead on the ground.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it…” he groaned out.

Wes watched the group of A-listers go with a deep forlorn sigh. He laid on his back for a good solid ten minutes before he felt he had sufficiently wallowed enough. He rolls to his side and pushes himself into a standing position before letting his shoulders droop.

With a final annoyed sigh, he began to walk forward. He got two steps before he was zapped. The redhead let out a yelp of surprise from the electric zap he had received. It wasn’t painful but it was a surprise.

With a frown, he reaches out with a hand and rests it on the semi translucent barrier. It tingled through his skin and he couldn’t break past it. Wes couldn’t help but blink in confusion. “Wait… He didn’t…”

He pounded on the barrier a few times with his fist and kicks at it a few times before groaning out in exasperation. “Damn it, Fenton, I have to pee!” He yells up to the ceiling, well aware the other teen was long gone by now.

It didn’t stop him from glaring blankly ahead as if he could hear his nemesis’s chuckling and see that ever present shit eating grin.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Complete

Total word count 3020

#Phic Phight 2020 #Danny phantom #Danny #Mikey #Wes Weston #Paulina #Dash #Kwan #Star #A-List tries to summon a ghost

57 notes · View notes

artificialqueens · 4 years

Text

Wondrous Creature (Branjie) - Athena2

Summary: Brooke and Vanessa are roommates crushing on each other, both with no idea that the other likes them back, or that the other isn’t human.

A/N: I am officially in the spooky mood and finished this to celebrate it! This is loosely based on the web comic “Fangs” by Sarah C. Andersen. This is pretty weird and chaotic, so apologies in advance. I would love any feedback or comments if you have any, though! Writ is the best beta and brainstorming partner and I love them. Title from Monster by Florence + the Machine.

read on ao3

“Brooke!” Vanessa sighs in relief when her roommate shuffles in, tossing her purse on the kitchen table, shoulders dropping after her overnight shift.

“What?” Brooke asks around a yawn.

“Have you seen my black boots?” Vanessa’s been sliding around the apartment in her pizza socks, toothbrush dangling from her mouth, because her boots are not in her closet where she’s fairly sure she left them. But if anyone will know where they are, it’s Brooke. She could find anything from boots to keys like a bloodhound.

Brooke’s eyebrows wrinkle as she thinks. “Did you check under your bed?”

“Oh!” Toothpaste flies out of her mouth and splats on the floor, and Brooke rolls her eyes fondly before wiping it.

“You’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached to you,” Brooke mutters.

“I know!” Vanessa runs to her room and peeks under her bed. There, past Riley’s elephant chew toy and her old knee brace and a bag of chips, are her black boots.

Vanessa happily puts them on, and Brooke snorts behind her.

“You could make a game out of finding stuff under your bed,” Brooke teases. “Two points for clothes, three points for food.”

“Five points if the food is still edible.”

“Vanessa, don’t you dare eat those chips–”

Vanessa removes her toothbrush and crunches as loud as she can, making eye contact with Brooke all the while. Even with the lingering minty taste, the chips are still good. But even if they weren’t, she still wouldn’t be harmed, for reasons Brooke doesn’t–and can’t–know.

“Okay, how about you brush your teeth for real, in the bathroom?” Brooke suggests, and Vanessa nods.

They stand side-by-side in front of the sink, because Brooke brushes her teeth after work every morning for some reason. Vanessa doesn’t mind. It’s nice having the bathroom to herself for most of the morning, not having to fight for shower times or counter space. This little routine is enough, and Vanessa likes the rhythm they sink into, the way Brooke sways along to Vanessa’s Get-Ready Spotify playlist, the way Brooke grins at her in the mirror. Today, the grin is wider than normal, and Vanessa’s grip slips, toothbrush swiping across her cheek and sending Brooke into a fit of laughter.

They spit in the sink, and Vanessa sees drops of bright red clinging to the porcelain.

“You’re bleeding,” Vanessa says.

“I am?” Brooke shrugs. ��Must’ve brushed too hard.” She rinses the sink, tells Vanessa to have a good day, and collapses into bed, the frame squeaking under her weight. She’ll get a few hours of sleep, Vanessa knows, before waking up and writing. She does fashion and news pieces for some media site—she told Vanessa it’s like a low-budget Buzzfeed—and her stuff’s pretty good, from what Vanessa’s looked up on nights she was bored, desperate to have more of Brooke through words on her phone screen. Brooke likes her job, even if she has to work overnight grocery store shifts to keep herself afloat. Vanessa thinks of Brooke curled up in bed and wishes she could help her sleep more, get rid of those gray circles constantly under her eyes.

But Vanessa will be late soon, and she grabs her travel coffee mug and heads to work, thinking too much about Brooke’s smile and the blood in the sink.

Maybe she isn’t the only one in the apartment with secrets.

—

Brooke wakes around 2 with both cats sprawled across her legs. She sits up and pets them absent-mindedly; the cats had to stay in her room because Vanessa is super allergic, “sneezin’ and wheezin’ and itchin’ allergic, Mary,” in her words. It’s easier for everyone to just keep the cats sequestered to Brooke’s room; she gets to cuddle them more, and everyone gets to avoid Vanessa’s sneezes, which are loud enough to send small children running in fright.

She pulls out her laptop and checks her work emails, making notes for her new piece. Nina runs the media site—West’s Best, home to culture, fashion, humor, and more, according to the description Brooke wrote—and Brooke is one of her best writers. But in the name of Brooke’s secret, she lets Vanessa think she’s an underpaid intern, scraping for any piece she can get. She doesn’t like lying, but it’s a necessary evil; under the cover of her “overnight job,” she’s free to spend her nights with her friends, doing things Vanessa can’t ever know.

The blood this morning was a rare slip-up—a remnant from last night’s drink. Brooke has to be more careful. It’s been six months since Vanessa moved in, and Brooke knows she doesn’t suspect anything about her being a vampire.

Hiding it isn’t as hard as Brooke thought it would be. The overnight job lie takes care of most of it, and Brooke stores her blood supply at Nina’s, because she doesn’t think she could lie her way out of that if Vanessa found it. She keeps stories about her past generic, mentioning that she used to dance but not that the dancing took place in a speakeasy 100 years ago. Or how she rode horses sometimes as a kid, leaving out that they were an actual mode of transportation. She’s sure Vanessa doesn’t mind the lack of details; her own stories are over the top enough for both of them, making Brooke laugh until her stomach hurts.

So no, not hard. Just a tiny secret. Though one that’s growing hard to keep, admittedly, because of another secret.

She has a crush on Vanessa.

The crush is a recent development, though her friends insist Brooke’s had feelings for longer, brought on by Vanessa asking opinions on outfits and nights yelling at reality shows together and all the times Vanessa lets her towel hang a little too low after a shower. Brooke’s never been around someone so fun and lively, who finds joy in something as simple as fresh laundry, burying her face in warm, lavender-scented clothes.

But secret number two has to remain secret because of secret number one, obviously, and Brooke just ignores those feelings. Her heart’s been cold a century, after all; it’s not hard to do.

Her phone buzzes with a text.

Vanessa: Can we make grilled cheese tonight?

Two emojis follow it: a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese.

Vanessa: There’s no grilled cheese emoji but you get the idea

Brooke grins, and she thinks her dead heart skips a beat.

—

“This is one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had! You could open a grilled cheese food truck,” Vanessa says around a mouthful of bread.

Brooke shakes her head. “Sometimes I swear you were raised by wolves.”

Vanessa crosses her arms and pouts indignantly, but there’s a glimmer in her eyes, like a laugh she won’t let escape.

“Just ‘cause you drink tea with your pinky curled—“

“I do not.”

“Do so.”

Brooke smiles, taking a bite of her own sandwich. Vampires could eat human food, and Brooke likes to. It just doesn’t fill her the way animal blood does. But she’ll make up for it tonight, while Vanessa thinks she’s at work.

“Oh, that vanity you ordered came today,” Brooke says.

“Yes!” Vanessa fist-pumps the air. “Wanna help me put it together?”

Brooke thinks of the time she helped Nina put together her bedroom set and wound up with a giant splinter in her thumb, a smashed finger from Nina’s lousy aim with the hammer, and a bag of extra screws that Brooke hopes to this day weren’t important (Nina’s bed hasn’t broken yet, so it’s probably fine). Brooke has no desire for furniture-building again, but for Vanessa and those big brown eyes…

“Sure,” Brooke says.

Which is how she finds herself nudging aside clothes and magazines on Vanessa’s bedroom floor, Vanessa’s dog licking her leg and 20 pages of instructions fluttering in front of her.

“Come on, Brooke, what do we do?” Vanessa swings a hammer aimlessly, waiting for something to hit.

Brooke frowns, trying to make sense of the instructions and all the pieces and nails–could this thing need that many nails?

“Um, I think this big piece goes first…” Brooke grabs a square of wood and passes it to Vanessa. “Then we put on the sides.”

“What about the legs?”

“Shit.”

After nearly two hours of reading, Googling, YouTube tutorials, swearing, and Vanessa pretending to be Thor with her hammer, the vanity stands strong and sturdy in the corner.

“We did it!” Vanessa cheers. “Teamwork makes the dream work, baby!”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Fair.” Vanessa cackles. “You’ll be okay at work, right? I didn’t tire you out too much?”

Brooke swallows hard. Is that gleam in Vanessa’s eyes from concern, or does she know exactly what she’s saying? Does she have the same feelings Brooke does?

“I’ll be fine,” Brooke says.

She doesn’t see Vanessa for the rest of the night, and slips out when Vanessa is breathing softly in her bed.

—

The best part of Brooke’s overnight shifts is that she’s not there to wonder where Vanessa goes at the full moon.

She, Silky, and A’keria pile in an Uber and go to the edge of the city, then walk to the woods. Vanessa loves the city, loves all the people and shops and places to eat, but there’s something about the woods. Everything is calmer out here, still and silent except for the occasional rustling of leaves or an owl’s hoot. There’s a sort of peace between the trees, freedom to just breathe and think and be.

The silence is a little too eerie tonight, her thoughts too loud. Or maybe it’s just because she can’t stop thinking of Brooke. There’s been nothing unusual about the past few weeks, but something feels different. They made cupcakes last week and spent hours on Saturday sucked into a 90 Day Fiance marathon, yelling and roasting the couples. Vanessa found herself enjoying it all more than usual, unable to take her eyes off Brooke. She knows what it means, but that’s not an option. Not with her secret.

“Vanessa, it’s almost time!” A’keria yells.

Vanessa snaps up and sees the moon is almost at its highest as it shines through the trees. She pulls off her clothes and sets them in the bag at the base of the largest tree.

“What’s with you?” A’keria asks in concern.

“Nothing.”

“It’s about Brooke, isn’t it?” Silky guesses, and she and A’keria trade looks.

“What’s with the looks?” Vanessa demands.

“It’s nothing,” A’keria says.

“We think Brooke’s a vampire,” Silky says, dodging the furious arm A’keria swings at her.

“You think she’s a vampire?” Vanessa laughs out loud. She can see where they’re coming from, admittedly. Brooke is tall and pale and quiet, with a dry sense of humor and a wardrobe that’s almost entirely black. She can be broody sometimes, especially when Jeopardy! isn’t going her way. She glides around the apartment so silently Vanessa wants to put a bell around her neck. And there’s a mysterious air around her, maybe from how secretive she is about herself–so much so that Vanessa truly doesn’t know much about her past.

But the idea of Brooke being a vampire is ridiculous. Her Netflix recently watched list is just Jane Austen adaptations and The Princess Diaries, and she keeps the freezer stocked with Ben and Jerry’s and pizza bagels, not bags of suspicious liquid or anything like that. Hell, when Vanessa got a paper cut a few weeks ago, Brooke practically flew out of the room to get her a Band-Aid, eyes avoiding the blood. And she uses a baby voice when she talks to her cats and falls asleep cuddling them, for crying out loud—the woman is hardly a horror movie figure.

“Look, she’s not a vampire, okay?” Vanessa keeps one eye on the moon as it shifts imperceptibly, her muscles tingling as they prepare for the transformation. “She goes out in the daytime and stuff.”

Silky rolls her eyes. “Vampires can do that! Sun hurts them, but it only kills them after a long time.”

“She’s fine in the sun,” Vanessa insists. “She doesn’t go out in it much because it gives her a headache and her skin’s really sensitive, so it burns easily.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s sunburn.”

“And an overnight job? Could it be any more obvious?”

Vanessa huffs. “Enough, okay! She’s human!”

Silky shakes her head. “You just don’t want to see it because you’re in love with her.”

“I am not!” Vanessa shouts, but she can’t even kid herself, let alone her friends, who are staring at her pointedly.

“Got a big old lesbian crush,” A’keria says with a grin. “So big you can’t even see your roommate’s a blood sucker.”

Vanessa sighs, knowing that vampire or not, her feelings for Brooke are filling the entire forest. “Look, I really like her, and she probably doesn’t feel the same way. It could ruin everything if I tell her. It just… it just can’t happen.” She shakes off how small her voice is getting.

“I think you should tell her, V,” A’keria says softly. “Vampire stuff aside and everything. How could she not like you back?”

Vanessa wants to believe it, but she shakes her head. “She’s my friend, and she’s human, and I’m–” The rest of her sentence is cut off by a groan as the pain starts. Vanessa’s gotten used to it now–the way her bones stretch and muscles clench, her whole body on fire–but it doesn’t make the pain any easier. She curls into a ball as her claws emerge, as fur sprouts, until finally a thick brown wolf stands tall beneath the moon. Vanessa nods toward the other two, and they traipse through the forest.

Vanessa keeps her mind when she transforms; she normally likes the way everything gets sharper, the way she can smell moss and flowers and animals, can see even the tiniest bugs flapping their wings. Tonight, though, she wishes she could turn it off, because all her thoughts of Brooke are heightened too. The sheer beauty of her soft, smooth skin. The way her hair shines like gold in the light and always smells like tea tree oil. Her rare laughs, the way her shoulders shake with the movement and her green eyes sparkle. How much Vanessa wishes she could see Brooke’s pale skin uninterrupted by clothes, melting into Vanessa’s sheets, before falling asleep in Brooke’s arms.

Vanessa sighs, running through the trees and leaving it all behind.

She really can’t be in love with her roommate, but it’s too late.

—

Brooke is extra careful the next few weeks. She rinses her mouth carefully before entering the door each morning. She eats half the garlic bread Vanessa makes one night. She even goes shopping with Vanessa, rare sunshine beating down on them. The only reason Brooke manages without pain is because of the special sunscreen her witch friend Yvie made, but Vanessa doesn’t need to know that. Brooke just wants to flaunt it, hey, look how human I am. Vanessa is blissfully unaware, and that’s what Brooke needs. No threat to her secret, no chance she’ll have to run and leave her friends behind.

“Brooke, can you help me make posters?” Vanessa gets home one night with her arms full of construction paper and Crayola markers. “They’re for the dog shelter.”

Vanessa volunteers at a dog shelter every Sunday, coming back with fur on her clothes and a bunch of videos of dogs playing fetch and running in circles. She loves going, yapping about all the dogs after, and even though Brooke is more of a cat person, she listens anyway.

“I’ll help,” Brooke says. It’s only fair after Vanessa made yesterday’s dinner when Brooke was busy with work.

Markers roll across the table as Vanessa lays her supplies out, and they get to work.

“What’s that, a hippo?” Brooke asks at Vanessa’s drawing.

“It’s obviously a dog, Brooke!”

“A dog with a hippo’s nose.”

Vanessa sticks her tongue out at Brooke and Brooke bursts into laughter. The night continues as they pass markers back and forth and Vanessa pops enough popcorn for a movie theatre, ending when Vanessa begins her nighttime shower and skincare routine, the one that leaves her skin soft and glowing, smelling of citrus and coconut. Brooke’s head is full of those scents when Vanessa calls her from the bathroom.

“What do you need?” Brooke asks.

“We’re out of towels.” There’s a smug tone to Vanessa’s voice. “There should be a clean one in the laundry basket, if you wanna bring it to me.” Brooke can practically see Vanessa batting her eyelashes through the door.

Brooke opens the door a crack, extending the towel. She can’t look at Vanessa, she can’t–

“Thanks, Brooke!” Half of Vanessa’s broadly-grinning face peeks out, running into the soft lines of her collarbone and gentle curve of her shoulder. Brooke’s dead heart almost jolts back to life. She wants to blast the door off its hinges, grab Vanessa, and throw her on the bed–

But the alarm on Brooke’s phone goes off, reminding her to get ready for work.

—

Brooke slides up to the corner table, her vampire gang awaiting: Nina sipping her drink, Priyanka checking women out, Kameron deep in thought. Red neon signs flicker on the dark walls, glasses of blood and beer sliding across the bar counter. Whoever thought of a vampire bar is a genius, in Brooke’s opinion, and being here with her friends is one of the best parts of her day.

“Sorry I’m late. Got caught talking to Vanessa.”

“How is she?” Kameron asks.

“Fine! She’s fine.” Brooke laughs nervously, reins her voice in before it rises another octave. No need to share what almost happened. They’ve all heard more than enough about Vanessa–Vanessa made cookies, try one; Vanessa scored 42 points when we went bowling; Vanessa made the worst pun ever, you have to hear it–and Brooke knows it’s not helping her in the ‘just a crush’ department.

“You know, Brooke,” Nina says slowly, like she’s been sitting on this a while, “sometimes I think Vanessa isn’t fully … human.”

Brooke scoffs. Vanessa, who cries over movies and gives old people her seat on the subway and can’t sleep without fuzzy blankets or a squishy pillow, is one of the most human people Brooke has ever met. Then she looks around the table and sees Kameron and Priyanka matching Nina’s cautious, thoughtful expression.

“What, you think she’s a witch or something?” Brooke barks out a laugh. “There’s gotta be a cleaning spell she would’ve used in her room by now.”

“Not a witch,” Nina continues, being the spokesperson of the group. “We think she might be a werewolf. Kam saw her in the woods last full moon.”

“So what?” Brooke asks, playing nonchalant even though it is odd that Vanessa would go in the forest at night. “She can go in the woods, it’s not my business.”

“I’ve gotten wolf vibes from her before,” Priyanka says.

Brooke shakes her head fiercely. “She’s human. She just really likes dogs–”

Nina purses her lips.

“–and her table manners leave something to be desired,” Brooke continues, “but she’s human. Besides, I’d know if she wasn’t.”

Kameron frowns.

“What?” Brooke demands.

“You can be kind of oblivious sometimes.” Nina takes over. “I mean, Kameron had a crush on you for months before…” she cuts herself off as Brooke and Kameron look anywhere but at each other, not needing the reminder of their old fling. If vampires could blush, they’d both be flaming.

“But that’s fine now,” Kameron says quickly. “I have Asia, and you have–”

“–A crush on Vanessa,” Priyanka interrupts.

Brooke sighs. She knows her face can’t feel hot, but somehow it does anyway. She knows she has a crush; knows she rushes home after nights with her friends just to see Vanessa before she leaves for work, knows she laughs over the stupidest things just because Vanessa does them. But it hurts to hear it out loud when she can’t do much about it. Vampires and humans didn’t mix. If they had any kind of relationship, Brooke wouldn’t be able to hide the secret forever, and Vanessa would probably run when she found out. Who wouldn’t?

But Brooke doesn’t know how much longer she can keep her feelings inside, pretend she feels nothing when Vanessa sings to herself in the shower, or plays with her dog, or tells Brooke to listen to new songs she discovers, both of them huddling around Vanessa’s phone and smiling.

“I really think you should tell her you like her, Brooke,” Nina says, and Kameron nods.

Brooke shakes her head. “Nothing can happen.”

Priyanka winks. “I think it can. I see romance in your future.”

“We all know you just pretend to be psychic because you’re in love with Alice from Twilight,” Brooke mutters, and she lets the erupting laughter distract her from Vanessa.

—

Silky and A’keria’s paranoia rubs off on Vanessa for a while. She keeps Brooke out in the sun for hours, bumps Brooke in front of mirrors, “accidentally” makes too much garlic bread. She stops just short of running at Brooke with a cross. Brooke’s human, just human, even if Silky and A’keria aren’t convinced.

Vanessa decides to make breakfast to gloss over any odd behavior Brooke might have noticed. Brooke usually eats a protein bar before she goes to bed each morning, and Vanessa wants her to have a real breakfast.

The idea of telling Brooke her feelings runs through Vanessa’s mind as she flips pancakes. Her being a werewolf is just a small secret, really. A lot easier to hide than her feelings. Lately it’s been all she can do to stop staring at Brooke’s soft skin, to not grab her and finally see how her lips feel.

Keys jingle in the hall and she knows it’s Brooke and her keys with the cat keychain. It’s just a stupid little detail, but Vanessa’s heart swells with love for Brooke, and it makes her mind up for her.

Vanessa sets the pancakes and scrambled eggs on the table just as the door creaks open.

“Vanessa?” Brooke blinks in confusion. “What’s this?”

“I made breakfast.”

“You didn’t have to do all this,” Brooke says, but she’s already drowning her pancakes in syrup.

Vanessa sits across from her. “I wanted to. I wanted to make sure you ate a real breakfast.”

Brooke raises an eyebrow.

“Protein bars aren’t breakfast and you know it!” Vanessa’s yell morphs into a laugh that Brooke matches.

“Okay, okay.” Brooke grins. “These pancakes are amazing, by the way.”

“I know.” Vanessa laughs.

Brooke sips her coffee, and maybe Vanessa bumps the table, maybe she doesn’t. Maybe Brooke’s sure, steady hands just fumble a bit. Either way, there’s a spot of coffee soaking Brooke’s shirt, and when Brooke grabs a washcloth, Vanessa stands up, legs wobbling.

“Maybe you should take that off,” Vanessa says, watching Brooke drop the cloth in the sink.

Brooke raises an eyebrow, her eyes gleaming devilishly. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Vanessa breathes, “maybe you should take that off.”

Brooke bites her lip, and Vanessa’s heart speeds up, wondering if she’s made the wrong move. But then Brooke grins. “You first.”

Vanessa’s whole body is on fire as she lifts up her shirt, her face bright red when Brooke’s eyes linger.

“Bed. Now,” Brooke commands, and Vanessa runs.

—

Vanessa doesn’t realize until later. How could she have realized when Brooke’s hands were roaming her body, when her cool lips touched Vanessa’s, when her ears were full of nothing but her own gasps and moans?

No, she doesn’t realize until later, when Brooke is at work and Vanessa’s head is finally clear again, able to think of something besides the blonde hair that Vanessa’s hands tore through and left messy, the soft lips she finally got to kiss, the arm that wrapped around her waist until she fell asleep.

Through all the gasps and touches and excitement, Vanessa’s heart was a bird in her chest, fluttering frantically in response to each and every touch. But when she thinks about it, there was no pulse thrumming through the still rivers of Brooke’s veins as her wrists brushed Vanessa’s body. When she thinks about it, all she heard from Brooke’s rib cage was silence.

Brooke has no heartbeat. And they need to talk.

—

Nina’s mouth hangs open when Brooke walks in the bar that night, no doubt knowing what just happened. “Brooke, you–”

Brooke sits down and rests her head on the sticky bar table. “I had sex with Vanessa,” she groans into the wood, knowing they’ll hear her.

“I told you bitches!” Priyanka yells.

“Shut it, Miss Cleo,” Brooke says, raising her head and taking in everyone’s expressions–all of satisfaction and acceptance, not a shocked face in sight.

“What are you gonna do now?” Kameron asks. “Does she know? Did she notice you don’t have a heartbeat?”

“Hers was going fast enough for us both,” Brooke says. “Besides, she wasn’t close enough to my chest to hear anything… I don’t think so, at least.”

“What are you gonna do?” Nina asks.

Brooke groans again. “I don’t know. I’m hoping it’ll be a one-time thing and we’ll go back to normal.”

“And if you don’t?”

Brooke sighs. If Vanessa wants a real relationship after this, it wouldn’t be fair to her to do that. Brooke would have to run, and she looks around at her friends and knows she never wants to leave them, just like she never wants to leave Vanessa. She forces those thoughts away. “I don’t know. What am I supposed to do? Get a cake that says ‘Hey, I’m a vampire?’”

Kameron shrugs. “That’s how I told Asia,” she says, so deadpan Brooke can’t even tell if it’s a lie.

“You can’t do a cake, you gotta do some classier shit,” Priyanka says. “Cream puffs are classy, right? Do cream puffs.”

Kameron suggests eclairs, and Priyanka insists that cream puffs are better. Brooke buries her face in her hands. If she wasn’t a vampire, her friends would’ve given her a stress-induced heart attack by now.

“Okay, cream puffs and eclairs are basically the same thing!” Nina hisses until Priyanka and Kameron quiet down. Nina then turns to Brooke, a hand on her arm. “Look, things are still new, you don’t have to tell her anything yet. Just… do the romantic shit. You’ve been single for decades, just be in love for right now.”

Just be in love for right now. Brooke considers it. She hasn’t had anything remotely like love since her and Kameron had their brief thing in the 90’s, before deciding they were better as friends. Before that, well… Brooke doesn’t think she ever has. There were crushes, sure, like the waitress at that diner who knew Brooke’s coffee order, the grocery store cashier that always flirted with her. But they were human, and Brooke knew nothing could ever happen, that she could never have anything with them. But something about Vanessa, human or not, makes her want to try.

“You’re right,” Brooke says to Nina. “I think me and Vanessa need to talk.”

—

The sun is shining when Brooke gets back to the apartment, and Vanessa is standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips.

“Everything okay?” Brooke asks. Vanessa obviously has something to say, and Brooke’s stomach lurches with the fear that it’s something bad. What if Vanessa wants to move out after what happened?

“I think I should be asking you that, considering you have no heartbeat,” Vanessa mutters, clenching her fists.

Brooke gulps, rubbing through her actions the past week, wondering if she did something to reveal it, because how does Vanessa know? It doesn’t make sense, and she decides to turn the tables.

“How do you know I have no heartbeat?” Brooke demands. “You would’ve had to be right against my chest to notice, and you weren’t. Unless…” Nina’s theory runs through her mind, and it’s like a fog clears right in front of Brooke. “You’re a werewolf!” Brooke yells, pointing at Vanessa. “That’s why you have advanced hearing. That’s why my cats have to stay in my room!”

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vanessa tries, crossing her arms.

Brooke crosses hers too. “Then I don’t know what you’re talking about either.”

They’re in a standoff, and Brooke isn’t going to give first. She’ll stay for decades, if she has to. She narrows her eyes at Vanessa, who’s having trouble holding her expression as the seconds tick.

“Fine!” Vanessa yells. “I’m a wolf.” Her face softens suddenly, and she looks at Brooke with love in her eyes. “But I promise I’ll never hurt you, ever. I keep my mind when I change, and I go far away, just in case. I’d never put you in danger.”

Brooke’s head spins with it all. So Vanessa really is a werewolf—but from the steps she takes to protect herself and others, she’s clearly as kind and caring as she always has been, helping old ladies cross the street. And what does it matter, really, that Vanessa isn’t fully human, when Brooke isn’t human herself? And if Vanessa isn’t human, Brooke being a vampire won’t matter to her, and Brooke warms at the thought. She moves closer to Vanessa, pulls her into a hug. “I’ll never hurt you either,” she promises. “I only drink animal blood. I just didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to scare you.”

It seems so stupid now, considering the secret Vanessa’s had this whole time, and Brooke can’t believe she didn’t notice. Maybe she really is as oblivious as Nina said. But maybe, from the love in Vanessa’s eyes, it doesn’t matter.

“It’s hard to scare a wolf.”

“I’m stupid, aren’t I?” Brooke sighs.

Vanessa shakes her head. “I’m just as stupid, don’t worry. Silky and A’keria told me you were a vampire but I didn’t want to see it. All I saw was you, and I knew I couldn’t have you because I’m—“

“A wolf,” Brooke finishes. “I didn’t see it either. I really should’ve, though, considering the mess you make when you eat.”

“Hey!”

“And how every dog in a 3-mile radius runs to you.”

“Says Miss Brooke Lynn ‘I only wear black’ Hytes!” Vanessa yells, and Brooke snorts.

“I wear gray sometimes!” Brooke protests, and Vanessa rolls her eyes.

Brooke squeezes her gently, breathing in her apple shampoo, letting it calm her. Vanessa looks up at Brooke and grins hopefully. “So can we do this, then? You and me?”

You and me, Brooke thinks, slightly daunted by how large those words seem. With Vanessa being a wolf, the risk of a human knowing her secret and being in danger is gone. Werewolves even age abnormally slow, so her and Vanessa will have lots of time together. And they already live together, already cook together every night and share their lives each day. How different can it be to make it a full relationship, let their feelings show instead of dancing around them?

“We can do this,” Brooke says.

Vanessa reaches up and kisses her, and Brooke has never felt so human.

#rprdr fanfiction #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #nina west #kameron michaels #priyanka #silky nutmeg ganache #akeria davenport #branjie #lesbian au #supernatural au #fluff #implied smut #wondrous creature #athena2 #tw blood #concrit welcome #submission

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daughterofanarcissistwoman · 4 years

Text

So how do you know if your mom was a narcissist?

Here are the some of the signs.

She’s the center of the universe and everything in your family revolves around what she wants. My mom decided everything— what clothes we would wear, who we could be friends with, what activities we would participate in, what we should enjoy doing, eating, reading, watching on TV, and on and on. She controlled the purse strings despite not earning any money or working outside the home, and she was a real tight wad.

You felt invisible. In my family, both of my narcissistic parents saw their children as clones of themselves or their spouse. Our dreams, wants and needs were not recognized or validated. In order to be loved, we had to do and like everything that our same gender parent did or liked or recommended, because their narrative was that we were exactly like them. To this day, the stories that our parents tell about our childhood doesn’t sound at all familiar. For example, for years my mother told a story about how I wanted a horse when I was a girl. I never wanted a horse. I was afraid of horses and I was allergic. In fact, it was my mother who proposed that I should get a little pony several times. I wasn’t interested. I wanted an aquarium with seahorses like a friend of mine had. I even researched the care of seahorses and picked out their names—Napoleon and Josephine. After months of talking about an aquarium, my dad got me a small aquarium with goldfish— which was fine! Because I never wanted horses. And of all the stories she could have told about my childhood, I never understood why my mom was so fixated on my wanting horses, but she told this story at least once a year — always with me in the room. I denied it every time— and every time she insisted it was true. When she was in her 80s, and dying, she even told her hospice nurses that I always wanted a horse. I felt erased, for lack of a better word, as if I never existed, and this imaginary child who always wanted a horse existed in my place.

She doesn’t listen to you. I am quiet. I didn’t notice until I was an adult that my parents dominated conversations. I began to realize that was probably why I am so quiet. They talked for hours, without letting anyone get a word in, and I am not exaggerating. I timed it once -- over three hours with my husband and me just nodding our heads. It would have gone on longer if I hadn’t cut them off. This was at a time when I had some major things going on in my life, and they were the kinds of things family talked about. It was this that led me on a quest to find out why my parents weren’t interested in anything that happened to me—good or bad. We couldn’t talk about things that mattered, because if it didn’t involve them, it didn’t matter. I was used to this as a child, but when I became a parent, their lack of interest in my life hurt. I realized just how dysfunctional and devastatingly empty my relationship with my parents actually was, compared to my relationship with my children and my husband’s relationship with his parents.

She didn’t respect boundaries. My mom went through my stuff, used my things, kept them, ruined them, and gave my things away to other people without asking me. She also volunteered me for things I didn’t want to do. For example, she gave my beloved collection of Dr. Seuss books to my cousin when I was a little girl. When I was twelve, she volunteered me to take care of a neighbor boy for the summer without asking me. Worse, she arranged it so that this boy’s mother would pay her, and I never saw a cent of the money I made babysitting. This was a forty hour a week commitment! When I got married, my husband and I left our wedding gifts at my parent’s house while we were on our honeymoon. When we got back, I learned that she had unwrapped everything, looked, then rewrapped our gifts so I wouldn’t know. But she just couldn’t contain herself and had to brag about her cleverness in rewrapping the gifts afterwards. It was a big joke to her. To this day, I don’t know if she kept some of our gifts for herself or not— but I assume she did. My parents moved out of state after we had been married several years. When they moved away, they expected to be able to visit and stay at our house indefinitely— which ended up being months sometimes. Often my mother took objects from our home when she left. I would only realize later that she had taken these items when I went to visit her in her home, and saw my bowl, windchimes, books, family pictures, etc. Occasionally, she took my things and gave them to my brother.

Gaslighting. Though she admitted to opening my wedding gifts at the time, years later she totally denied it and said I was making it up. I must have imagined it, she said. She would never do such a thing. She also never admitted to taking things from me. She insisted I told her she could borrow these things. I probably would have let her borrow them if she had asked, but she didn’t. Much of my childhood has been misremembered or imagined according to both of my parents. I have brought up some of the events on this list over the years, but they only denied everything. In most cases. I’ve let it go, because it’s a waste of time. They won’t admit anything. They get offended and accuse me of imagining it.

She couldn’t control her temper. My mother took offense easily and you never knew what might set her off. Her temper tantrums were monumental and legendary within our family. When she flew into a rage, it was scary. She would scream, swear, slam doors, mock you, and call you names. There are too many to recount here, but one of my earliest memories is of her throwing food at my dad and him ducking to avoid being hit. She also had total meltdowns in public with onlookers.

She criticized you constantly. My mom often told me that I was ugly, sassy and whiney, and that I was stupid. If I cried during the verbal abuse, she would mimic my crying and tell me how ugly I was when I cried, or she threatened to really give me something to cry about. When I was little, I didn’t get regular baths—because it is a parent’s job to bathe their children or to teach them that bathing is required—which didn’t happen in my case. She often told me that I stunk. She said she wished she never had me. She wished I was a boy. She compared me to my brother, my cousins and her friend’s children, and I always came up short in some way. Even after I became an adult, the criticism continued. She would notice that I was getting wrinkles or that I had put on a few pounds, or that the color I was wearing made my skin sallow. When I was an adult, her criticism was always couched in what she thought of as helpful advice, but it was meant to hurt.

You were neglected. In my case, the neglect was subtle. We usually had clean clothes to wear and were fed—not nutritious foods, but we weren’t starving. We weren’t poor, but I remember eating crackers for breakfast because there was nothing else to eat. It wasn’t unusual to run out of food and toothpaste. I often went to school hungry. My dad made a good income, so it wasn’t because they couldn’t afford food. It was because buying food wasn’t as much of a priority as buying alcohol and cigarettes. Where we lived you could only buy alcohol at the liquor store and it closed early on Fridays. My parents made a weekly trip to the liquor store to stock up on the booze on Fridays because that was my dad’s payday—and it was always a rush to get there before 5pm. A grocery store was in that same strip mall. As an adult it is hard for me to understand why we often ran out of cereal midweek, or toothpaste, but never gin or vodka. We had a second car and Mom didn’t work outside the home. The grocery store was within walking distance. Also, our parents left my brother and me home alone as young as eight and three while they went out drinking. Three is the earliest I remember, but they might have left us home alone younger if we were asleep, for all I know.

You felt unsafe or responsible for your own safety. Something I will never forget is watching my mother vacuum the carpet, moving a chair and finding a burn hole in the carpet about the size of a dinner plate underneath the chair, with a cigarette butt in the middle of it. Why the chair didn’t catch on fire and burn the house down was a mystery, but it apparently burnt itself out. My dad was a three pack a day chain smoker and it was clear that he fell asleep while drinking with a cigarette in his hand at some point during the previous week. Beyond that, there were too numerous to count times that my dad drove us while drunk and times he abandoned the family to go drinking. One time in particular, I remember being with a friend at a fair at closing time. We were about ten, and too young to be left alone at a fair at night. Dad had dropped us off and was supposed to pick us up. A security guard tried to kick us out and finally tracked Dad down at a nearby bar after I suggested he might be there. This isn’t a “mom” story, but it could have been, because moms who are narcissists can be equally neglectful, putting their children in danger, which begs the question --- Since my mother knew my dad was an alcoholic, why did she allow him to take two little girls to the fair, knowing that he would disappear into a bar somewhere while we hit the tilt-o-whirl? Remember SHE was the one who decided everything that happened in our family. If it was that obvious to me where he went when I was only ten, shouldn’t it have been obvious to my mom that he would spend hours in a bar, and then drive us home while intoxicated?

You felt unloved. My mom never told me she loved me until I was an adult and she overheard my mother-in-law telling me she loved me. Then— if my parents happened to be around when my in-laws were around, she would say she loved me in front of my in-laws, as we said good-bye. But she never said it when we were alone— and not ever when I was a child. She didn’t hug me, read to me, play with me, or cuddle with me when I was little. Her “loving” was conditional on having an audience.

You received no encouragement of any kind. My behavior was largely ignored—good or bad. I don’t recall ever being noticed for a job well done, good grades, winning a spelling bee, doing well at a piano recital, or anything positive. Mostly, I was left unsupervised. By the time I was a teenager, I started becoming promiscuous, drinking alcohol and taking drugs. I began stealing from stores. I gave up trying to please my parents, because none of the good things I ever did got any recognition. Not that I could have articulated it that way as a child, but looking back, I know that’s how I felt. Unfortunately, none of the bad things I did were noticed either.

You were made to feel like a burden. Everything I ever wanted was too expensive. My clothes and school supplies were too expensive; my shoes were too expensive; going anywhere was too expensive. My glasses were too expensive. Medical and dental care was too expensive. Because I heard this so often, one time I commented to my mother, that if she and Dad didn’t buy alcohol and cigarettes all the time, they could probably afford some of these other necessities our family needed. I was nine, and I was truly trying to be helpful, thinking that maybe they had not thought of this. She slapped my face.

You witnessed cruelty. We had a little dog, a mutt, and when we moved away, we had to leave our dog with my uncle. A few weeks later, after we got settled in our new home, my uncle sent our dog to us by train— which took about a week. But the entire time the dog was away from us was about six weeks beginning to end. Within the first week of the dog coming to us in our new home, she peed on the carpet. To be sure, it is frustrating when an animal pees on your carpet, but this dog was really stressed after spending so much time in a different home with my uncle, and then traveling across the country alone by train to a new home. I watched my mother literally throw our dog about ten feet outside onto a cement patio while screaming, “Your days are numbered, little bitch!” The dog limped around the rest of that night. The next day, our dog was put down. Mom told us the dog had become sick and the vet recommended putting her down. I never believed my mom, because of what I saw. We had several cats disappear over the years too. They always “ran off” while we were in school. The one cat my mother “loved” was left to fend off raccoons and wild animals outside during the winter, while my parents traveled for months at a time after retirement. They basically abandoned it. If I could have caught the cat, I would have taken it in. I tried but it was scared and hiding somewhere.

She lied. To make herself (and the rest of the family) look good, she told her friends lies about us. For example, she told them I was a concert pianist. She told them I had a good career and was management level. She told them my son was gifted and that he got a scholarship to a competitive university— “a full ride!” She used to keep this piece of pottery that she bought on her windowsill, and she told them that I made it. There was always just enough truth to whatever lie she told that it could seem plausible to others— if they didn’t think too hard or look too closely. For example, I did play the piano as a child but wasn’t a concert pianist. My son did go to college but didn’t get a scholarship and he wasn’t a genius. I did take an art class and learned how to use a kiln, but not how to throw pots. I worked part-time. I wasn’t in management. The lies were endless. I didn’t even know about some of these lies until after she died.

More lies. She told a bunch of weird little lies that had no point, such as the horse story, but also being able to get from point A to point B in record time—which was impossible unless she took a helicopter. When presented with facts, she would become enraged. The only reason I used this lie as an example was because it was so easy to prove wrong, and it was so ridiculous and pointless. Showing her the facts in black and white led to a three-hour tirade and meltdown.

Everyone loves her. One of the more frustrating things about having narcissistic parents is that they are the most charming people— in public. Most everyone loved my parents, especially my mother. They had many friends and threw many parties. But the friendships were all mostly superficial. A normal friendship, for them, would begin with them being impressed with someone who had more money, more success, more status, intelligence, humor and creativity. . . than they, and that person could do no wrong. This was Mom’s infatuation phase. Eventually the bubble burst. Then the ugly phase began, which entailed vicious gossip and complaints behind their backs, while Dad continued to enjoy their company and drinking with them. This second phase sometimes lasted decades. A few of their friends “ghosted” them over the years. They just disappeared never to be heard from again. Mom would imagine all these wild, elaborate stories about what might have happened to them. More than once, she was certain different friends must have died in plane crashes. But that wasn’t the case, because I Googled them and it turned out they were still around. Knowing how my parents were, I am sure that some people caught on that she was a pathological liar, and a gossip with with a really bad temper, and that he had a drinking problem, or that they were both the most self-absorbed people anyone could ever meet. The bigger surprise to me is that most of their friends remained true to the end, and never knew how much my mother couldn’t stand them.

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-know-if-your-mother-is-a-narcissist/answers/174878844?ch=10&share=c2fb4810&srid=C7yPi

#narcissistic mother #narcissistic abuse #covert narcissist #cptsd

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