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goliath-de-senfina-sango · 1 year

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Lovers' Wrath

Danny is feeling a bit chilly, but that doesn't stop breakfast conversations from getting heated. The plan to find and help Elle is going smooth as ice, but the day may go up in flames thanks to a furious pair of ghosts casting a shadow over Danny's day.

Welcome to Chapter 5 of A Phantom Adopted! Find it also on ao3

A gift to @floralflowerpower and @five-rivers

Danny woke up groaning for several variably unpleasant reasons. The sun was shining directly into his eyes, he was hungry enough to eat an entire pig all by himself, his core - that’s what Toby called it - felt like his legs after a day of running from Dash before the accident, and he was pretty sure his room was a balmy 50°F.

About average for a school day.

First thing was first: stretching and a hot shower. Even turned up as hot as it would go, it felt warm at best. Danny phased the water off of himself before he’d finished turning the shower off. He bundled up in a white long sleeve covered in red and blue stars with his longest socks before heading downstairs, rubbing his arms.

When he got down to the kitchen, Danny was met with Jazz pouring over a book. He shot a text to Tucker and Sam to let them know he was about to eat and beelined for the fridge.

“Hey Pep-step, why’s the A/C on so high?”

“It’s set to 69 degrees, as usual, because dad is about as mature as you are. Feeling cold, Spangled Star?”

Danny snorted, looking at everything on the shelves. “Feels like Halloween night in here. Ya think it’s safe for me to eat the ectoweenies?” The animated sausages growled at him, but Danny bared his teeth – four of which were canines twice as long as natural – in a grin at them.

Danny could feel Jazz’s stare on the back of his head, but he decided to follow the internet’s amazing advice: if it’s not text, it's not real. Jazz could give him all the weird looks she wanted, but Danny was trying to enjoy his summer and that meant as few awkward talks as possible.

“I did suggest you eat ecto-contaminated food, and doing just that clearly gave you a major boost of energy. Please at least cook them though?”

“Well duh, cold meat tastes weird without ice cream.”

“Oh god, do you still mix up your food like that? Danny that’s absolutely disgusting.”

Danny ignored Jazz’s fake gagging noises with all of the maturity she claimed to have while he grabbed the Tupperware the weenies were in and quickly tossed them into the phase-proof air-fryer, ignoring all of their snarling and slapping down the few that managed to nearly escape. The ecto-weenies cooking, Danny went back to the fridge and pulled out some ingredients, humming a Dumpty Humpty song to himself while he prepared an omelette. Glancing at Jazz, he arched a brow to match the Look she was giving him.

“What? I’m eating my normal greens and my ghostly greens, isn’t that amazing of me? Since, ya know, some of us actually know how to cook in this house.”

“I know perfectly well how to cook, Danny.”

“Oh yeah, sure you do. I meant from scratch, not microwaving things, but we can call that cooking.”

Jazz glared at him and Danny chuckled, oiling up his pan. Danny turned the shells of the eggs intangible and tossed them in the trash once the contents hit the pan, and he stirred carefully. When he looked back at Jazz – head turning further than humanly possible, because why not – she was once again nose deep in her book.

“It appears Axiom labs is patenting nanobot technology. That’ll be an amazing revolution for so many aspects of life! Nanobots would make an amazing surgical tool!”

“Mmm, yeah, if they can get the controls right. Fixing up a human body is delicate work, and I feel like they’d focus on the 3D printing aspect of it first. Oh stars, you know Mom and Dad are gonna make their own if they find out.”

“True, but don’t you mean when? Mom does still read publications of research papers and breakthroughs.”

Danny shrugged, nodding as he chopped up his veggies while the spatula kept mixing up his eggs. A shiver ran down his spine and frost collected on the blade of his knife. “Yeah, but they’d go for a bugbot design for variety, and they’d start at least a centimeter big.”

When Jazz debated him on the pros and cons of insectoid minibots, he knew that whatever it was she wanted to talk about wasn’t going to be fun. She saved the unpleasant conversations for when Danny had a full stomach, or at least as close to full as he could get. At least he’d get to eat his breakfast before he froze that too.

He shivered and pulled the spatula away from the pan just in time. The green glow had flickered to blue in a wave, and everything sticking to the spatula went rigid as steel. It hissed when he put it back in the pan, along with he vegetables, but that was fine.

Jazz described some kind of medical procedure in polite amounts of detail while Danny devoured his food. The ecto-weenies tried to bite back, but their teeth was made of cooked flesh instead of something sharp.

Once Danny finished his food, he descended into a fit of shivers, blue light covering everything he saw instead of the usual green when his powers acted up. Even his sweater felt like a fridge, and Jazz eyed him with enough concern that he felt worse for it.

“I-I guesss Cole’s little l-l-lesson on thec old really shook me up inside. Guess I need to ask him how he keeps warm when his fa-fashion is so breezy.”

Jazz sighed, shaking her head as she closed her book. Danny felt that excellent puns were not grounds for the Dissapointed Look Jazz hit him with, especially not as he shook the table trying to warm himself up. He floated up to the kitchen light and grabbed the bulb, pleasantly surprised that it didn’t hurt. That was probably a bad thing though.

“Danny, Tucker tells me that 2 weeks ago, you met a clone of yourself, created by Vlad, who you turned over to the side of good before letting her fly off dramatically into the sunset. Elle, apparently? Who you neglected to tell me about.”

“Uh, yeah, I just didn’t think you really needed to know about her?”

Jazz narrowed her eyes and the bulb was room temperature at best now. Fuck.

“In my defense, it never occurred to me that she hadn’t figured out something from Vlad’s lab on how to stabilize herself. Ghosts are held together by the will to live. I never exactly imagined anyone losing that, let alone Elle.”

“Danny, do you even know where she planned on staying? How old she is or appears to be? Does she know how to get a house or apartment?”

Danny sighed, shrugging as he rubbed his arms up to his shoulders. He turned on the stove and held a hand over the flames, soaking in the heat as much as he could.

“She looks like me, if I hadn’t transitioned, and I’m pretty sure she’s got copies of my memories or something, but she’d only be a year old at most and I dunno how to do those things, so she probably doesn’t. I dunno how to survive on my own, Jazz, I barely know how to get by with you guys. What was I supposed to do?”

Jazz threw her hands in the air, whisper-shouting now – their parents must’ve been in the lab then. “You could’ve told me! I could’ve helped, I could've had Tucker forge her some documents and use my and Sam’s connections to get Elle into an adoptive home, safe from our parents at least, with gear to keep her safe from Vlad!”

Jazz’s eyes were misting up now and Danny wasn’t sure what to do. He’d dimmed an active lightbulb with his hand and the stove’s flame was flickering even as it grazed his skin. Danny had no intention of finding out what touching skin would do.

“Danny this isn’t the same as when I insisted that I’m more of an adult than Mom and Dad, or when I threw myself into trying to help you guys ghost hunt. I can in fact help you and your friends with things as a person with more life experience, who is actively looking toward the future! I’m your big sister, I’m supposed to protect you, to help you! Please, just… let me help.

“Please.”

Danny focused on the cold spreading through his body in waves, imagining a frosty blue fog, and demanded that it retreat back into his buzzing core. The cold receded for a moment and Danny rushed over to pull Jazz into a tight hug, rubbing her back. Jazz squeezed back, and he did his best to ignore the warm heat of tears hitting his sweater.

“I’m sorry, Jazz. I promise, from now on, I’ll tell you when I think I need help. Stars know I’m in over my head all the time. I just got used to trying to deal with it all with just me, Tuck and Sam, but I’m gonna do better from now on.”

Jazz sniffled and nodded, and for a long moment they just held each other.

The doorbell rang and they pulled apart, Jazz wiping her tears away and turning to the stairs.

“You let them in, I’ll go up to the Ops scenter so we can get started on searching for Elle.”

Danny nodded, turning off the stove and dumping his dishes in the sink before he went to the door. He didn’t need his folks yelling at him on top of this emotional morning.

When the four of them arrived at the observatory using the freshly remade porta-portal, Sam called out to Toby, and they all braced for a needlessly dramatic entrance. What they got was a small bird flying in from the roof and growing quickly into a man, who looked a bit different from last time beyond the layers of clothes he was wearing. A feathery mess of hair that was now black, brown, red, and blond instead of the simple blond of the past couple of days, and when Danny squinted, he could swear that Toby’s eyes were both more than one color, and still different from each other. Tucker whistled at the sight of him and Danny rolled his eyes, waving.

“Well, you certainly know how to dress up for an occasion. Did you do something to your hair, or is there an optical illusion going on?”

Toby laughed and leaned against one of the somewhat intact glass cases in the lobby.

“My appearance changes a lot, shifting around with my mood and the environment. The Liminal Plane doesn’t exactly have a sun and it’s generally pretty cold, so I was a bit bulkier, hairier, and pale in there. This is about what I usually look like.”

“That’s so cool! I can stretch myself out and open holes in my body in ghost form, think you could teach me how to do that shapeshifting thing in human form?”

Toby shrugged with a warm smile on his face before he cleared his throat and waved at the others. “Incoming.” Danny managed to cover his ears and close his eyes just in time for a CRACK to fill the air and shake the building, blinding light shining right through his eyelids for a second that took ages.

“Hey, some of us have eardrums that don’t regrow after a good night’s rest!”

“You do not need to teleport like that, I know you don’t!”

Cole held up his hands in surrender, rolling his eyes at them all as if he was the one who got his ears fucked up. Danny was mildly surprised the man wasn’t deaf from his own magic.

“Alright, no more thundersteping between planes. Anyway, you got the location for this Elle girl? We should get to saving her as soon as we can, an I don’t like our chances of scryin her without teachin Danny how to scry. We’ve never met her and that makes it hard.”

Tucker held up his PDA with a smug grin and Danny first bumped him.

“No need, I’ve connected my PDA to the Fenton Tracking Satellites and found Elle myself. We’ve even got a spare porta-portal that we can use to get to her.”

“We were just waiting for one of you to get here so that we could go from finding and convincing her to go to actually getting to this Far Frozen place. We can get to Elle in minutes.”

“Man,” Tucker said, looking over at the porta-portal in Sam’s hands, “The Fentons really aren’t focusing on the right aspect of their inventions. This could cut down on the need for most planes and trains, get us into space - the possibilities are endless, and so is the cash flow!”

“I never thought of it like that… I could start building a moon base tomorrow!”

“Focus, boys. We’ve got a kid to save, yeah?”

“Sam’s right, as usual. Let’s-”

A power chord screeched through the air and shook the building so hard that pieces of the ceiling fell and Danny’s teeth rattled. He split in three, grabbing his friends and sister to phase and fly out of the building immediately, and to his relief Toby and Cole were both outside with them in a blink. Looking up, Danny couldn’t help but be confused and irritated.

Ember Mclain hovered above the observatory, her pupils and iris swallowed up entirely in green, her hair a dark violet that burned hot enough to distort the air around her. Somewhat nearby, Technus was surrounded by a hurricane of stolen technology, and Danny watched in horror and bubbling rage as the telescope in the observatory was ripped out of the building, alongside the control consoles, melding together into legs, a torso, and arms. A 30 foot tall mechanical insect built itself in front of them, leveling the observatory to nothing, and Danny growled as he rose up and merged two of his duplicates into one, leaving the other near his friends to keep them safe - and slip on his Fenton phones like the rest of them were doing.

Danny flew up to just between both the mech’s face and Ember, hands blazing green. “Gotta say, I never expected the wannabe pop-star to team up with an idiot who thought he could cont-”

Light, pain, and the duplicate was gone. Danny practically froze from the echo of being electrocuted into goo and raised a shield around him and his friends just in case.

“You!” Technus’ robot pointed down at Cole, Toby taking a few steps back from his husband. “You killed our man! Do you know how hard it is to convince someone to re-form after they get mauled like that?”

“You killed our boyfriend and he’s barely pulled a core back together! It’s time you go quiet, forever!”

Cole held his hand out and a hammer with a spike coming out of one end of the head appeared in his grasp. Violet flames engulfed him, and the grass beneath and around him lit up.

Cole laughed, and with a swing of his hammer, a wave of blue light swept out and hit Ember and Technus both, covering them head to toe in ice. “That guy that wanted to skin a kid and mount his head on a wall? That’s who you’re pissy about?”

“I have to say, y’all have no taste. That’s no excuse to go trying to kill my husband though, bad taste in men.” Toby got down on all fours as his clothes melted into his body and he grew, slamming down a paw as his tail flicked behind him. In the blink of an eye, Toby was a fucking triceratops, just as big as Technus had made himself. He charged, and with a crunch of metal, punched right through Technus’ mech, which fell on its back with a loud yelp from the ghost inside.

Toby followed up his assault with a stomp onto Technus’ leg and Cole flew so fast his body smeared through the air like a cloud and slammed his hammer into Ember’s gut with crack.

Danny sucked in a breath and flew up to where he’d have a clean shot on Technus and fired off four ghost rays at him and Ember both, managing not to hit the Lumanos. “When the hell did you guys get this strong?”

Danny dropped his shield and his friends scattered, each of them popping off a shot at Ember. Two of them struck true, the other sailing just over Cole’s head.

Ember shrieked and struck another chord on her guitar and Danny hissed from the noise, flinching to cover his ears. Cole, however, raised his weapon again with a war cry that bled from human voice into rolling thunder. In two strikes, Ember was knocked back several feet and her flames flickered back to blue for a second.

Technus’ mech popped open its shoulders and 12 little missiles flew out of its silos, slamming into Toby from above. “Foolish beast of a man, I, Technus, shall not be defeated by a mere dinosaur!” Toby took a few steps back, then slammed his front paws into the ground. The ground next to the right shoulder of Technus’ mech burst up into the air like a fountain and rocks rained down on the mech, eliciting loud and angry cries from the ghost in the machine.

Deeming Technus dealt with, Danny circled around Cole and Ember, firing off a couple of shots, once of which even rang true, followed up with a volley of shots from Sam, Jazz, and Tucker. “You said you got Skulker to re-form, what’s the big deal? He’s still around, isn’t he?”

“Barely! If Skulker didn’t have a sanctuary, he’d’ve been gone for good! Say, you big ol windbag, let’s see if we can’t point all that rage elsewhere.”

“Shit - Cole, don’t listen to her music!”

Ember was already playing, though, and Danny hissed as many swears as he knew when Cole went rigid, then relaxed entirely. Cole turned burning red eyes not on Ember or Technus, but on Toby.

“Let’s make it even: you take out your husband and we’ll call it an even deal for taking our boyfriend.”

Cole pointed the head of his weapon at Toby and a bolt of lightning struck the triceratops in the back of the neck, thunder rolling afterward. He followed that up with a dive and a swing that cracked something.

“Not this again!” Toby growled as he transformed into a ball of fire, which twisted up into a pillar of flames, engulfing Cole entirely and all but slapping at the man. Cole growled, flying backward and Toby swiped at him again, leaving several flames all over his husband.

Technus’ mech raised a hand and fired off a laser that completely covered Toby and Cole’s bodies, and Danny was certain he never wanted to hear fire scream in pain ever again. He shivered, first from horror, and then from cold that was welling up inside of him and spreading to every inch of his body, twice as bad as it had been in human form.

“I-I d-d-don’t have time f-for t-thi-this.”

Danny flew up at Ember, deciding that if nothing else she would either burn away the cold or get swept away by it. He focused, dragging that cold to his hands the same as he did for the heat of his ectoblasts, and an icy beam of light slammed into Ember, chilling down her hair from violet to blue and back at its normal size. Frost spread over Danny’s suit, and he dropped several feet in the air while he shivered.

“Aw, looks like you could use some help warming up there, dipstick!” Danny’s vision became nothing but blue waves as flames washed over him, and his problems flipped extremes pretty immediately. He screamed, flying up high to try and get away from the heat, but the flames were on him they were in him.

Danny heard that unholy screech of flames in pain and a sizzle like water striking a pan, followed up by the charging whine of machinery and the buzz of electrical discharge. It was impossible to follow whatever the hell was going on though, what with the being on fire bit.

“ENOUGH!”

Well, it was hard not to understand that at least.

Thunder roared all around him and rain pelted Danny in sheets, dousing the flames and forcing him to go intangible. When he reoriented himself, he saw… well he wasn’t sure what he was seeing. He knew that he sensed Toby, above him and around him, but that was largely impossible because Toby had sofar only turned into animals and a walking bonfire. Whatever it was above Danny wasn’t any dinosaur he’d ever heard of.

A being carved from clouds, wind, rain, and lightning, taking on the shape of a gargantuan serpent with multiple sets of wings cut through the sky, stirring up a storm in its wake like tidal waves in the ocean. Danny flew down to the ground, certain only that he didn’t want to be a notable target, and he split once more to grab his loved ones, pulling them away as fast as he could. When he was certain they were far enough away from Technus and Ember that whatever this was wouldn’t mistake them as fellow prey, Danny stopped, wrapping them all in a green bubble that rocked against the howling winds.

The Serpent coiled around the area that Technus and Ember were in, and opened its gaping maw to roar loud enough Danny was certain he’d go deaf. They all looked away as pure incandescence painted everything white, and when the flash faded, Danny couldn’t even see Ember. Then the coiled mass of thick cloud slammed down onto Technus’ robot, and it shattered into countless pieces, shaking the whole park - and probably the whole town.

There was another flash, this one of blue-green light, and Danny couldn’t feel Ember either, though Technus felt like he was just as everywhere as Toby did. Alarming, but something he’d think about some other time. He had bigger problems, and he wasn’t sure how he could even fight something like this.

They got away, the cowards.

“Oh, cool, the storm snake is talking,” Tucker said, clinging to Danny’s arm with a death grip. “Cause we needed it to talk too.”

I heard that. I have one more thing I need to do before I relax, though.

Danny would like to simply never hear thunder and wind and crackling lightning forming words ever again so long as he lived, really. Of course, he was at least a bit surer of what his ghost sense was trying to tell him now.

“Guys, I think that’s Toby.”

“Toby can turn into the Leviathan?”

“I dunno, Jazz, he just. That’s Toby!”

The air buzzed with energy that built and built, growing thick enough to feel against Danny’s shield, against his skin. Power swelled all around Toby and exploded in a wave that swept away his storm clouds, rainbow light bathing all of Amity Park. In the same moment, there was a flash, and Toby was at the very least the same size as he had been when they’d met.

Cautiously, Danny left a duplicate with his friends and flew invisibly over to check on the Lumanos. Luckily, it looked like they were physically fine, and neither of them tried to kill him when he turned visible again, so that was a plus. Still, that left the question.

“What the fuck was that?”

They looked at him like deer caught in headlights for all of a moment, before shrugging. Cole grinned and said the most nonsensical of words.

“Toby somehow managed to turn into a copy of my sire. They don’t have a gender, but that was the part they had to play in, ya know, me being born so I call them my sire. I’m impressed though, I didn’t know you could do that.”

“I didn’t know it either… I just transformed the way Danny showed me, snapped you out of the charm, and… reached for something to end the fight with. I was just so fucking mad that they’d turn you against me like that.”

Cole rubbed Toby on the back and Danny cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “This is the most haunted city in the country. Ghosts sometimes do the whole ‘mind control’ thing, though it’s rarer than I expected it to be. You were uh… joking about that storm snake thing being your parent though, right?”

“Nope. Dad was an adventurer too, after all.”

Unsure what the fuck that meant, Danny decided he didn’t want to know, and used the porta-portal to skip the distance between the Lumanos and his friends. Toby patted Danny on the shoulder, muttering something in a language Danny couldn’t figure out for the death of him, and a surge of warmth flooded Danny’s body, and in seconds he felt absolutely amazing.

“Whoa! That was pretty great! What can’t you do?”

“There’s things… apparently fewer things than I remember, but things. Healing is a trick of the trade though. Everyone ok? I know that storm was probably a lot and I’ve never really made one that big before.”

There was a chorus of “Yeah”s before Toby relaxed, leaning on Cole and hitting him with a similar wave of gold-green magic. Sam cleared her throat, flexing and relaxing her fingers.

“So, what exactly was that last thing you did? I know it cleared out the storm, but it looks like you also fixed the Observatory and the park in general, and the air’s never been this fresh before.”

Danny floated a little higher and saw that not only were there no signs of Ember torching the grass, but everything was better than it’d been when they arrived that morning. He saw bees and butterflies and wasps flying all around flowers that he knew weren’t in the park before.

“Well, I figured that since I was feeling powerful beyond my least reasonable assumptions, I reached out to the local earth, plant, water, and air spirits, as well as the memory the land had of the animals nearby. Then we cast Wish together, and I think that’s what exhausted me out of Elder Tempest form.”

Cole narrowed his eyes at Toby, tilting his head to the side. “When did you learn how to cast Wish?”

“Oh, you know,” he said, waving off the question, “Valdan’s got a lot of books on him. I don’t read em all to you.”

“As amazing as all of this is,” Jazz said, pitching her voice just slightly above the crazy magic men’s volume. “I do believe we still need to go find Elle and bring her to a doctor’s appointment?”

The Lumanos nodded, and Cole patted Danny on the shoulder, frowning slightly. He shrugged, and gave him another pat.

“Two doctor’s appointments. Let’s go! You guys still got the location and shit?”

Tucker quickly scanned through his PDA and pulled up the coordinates again, before putting them into the porta-portal. They fired off a shot, and a flat circle of radioactive green light unfolded in the air, filled with a void that swallowed up all the light that hit it. He gestured with his stylus and a grin.

Danny returned to human form, rolling his eyes, and walked through the portal first, since he wouldn’t cause a panic. Besides, it was his little sister they were saving.

Technus seethed from his safe hiding spot in the global net, his anger spawning glitches in the abandoned forum page of some Amity Park native he’d found while frantically fleeing. Oh what a low blow it had been to be forced into fleeing in the first place.

“I am Technus, I am the Master of Technology! No tree hugging beast shifter or cloudy brute should be able to bring me harm! No target of my true fury should be able to make me run! I even had help!”

The fight - barely two minutes long - played back in the form of a video before him and he ground his teeth at the recollection. They were two of the most powerful ghosts he knew, they should’ve been able to handle a couple of mere mortals from another dimension!

“It seems that even I, Technus, have allowed my emotions to cloud my judgement and my logic. This is no mere playfight game of ‘superhero’ with Phantom, these are clearly warriors with powers I do not know the limitations of. Revenge for what they did to Skulker will have to be calculated, perfectly planned.

“I know exactly who to make plans with.” Gridlined grin in place, Technus flew through the web at nearly the speed of light, making a trip from Ohio to Wisconsin so trivial as a step.

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little-fics · 3 years

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Bee

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Stucky x Reader; platonic!uncle!Tony

Summary: Reader is teetering the edge of a slip when her buddies Sam and Clint are mean to her, daddy stucky to the rescue

Warnings: age regression, scary bees, bottle, pacifier, anxiety, a little violence, angry!Steve (not at you), mean!sam and mean!clint, I may have missed some, read at your own risk

Word count: 2.2K

A/N: I had fun with this one! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer for my blog!

Life with Bucky and Steve was great, you'd officially been together for about a year, and they'd been your daddies about half that time. You didn't always regress, just when the world got a little too big and you needed to leave it all behind. The avengers didn't know about your coping mechanism, at your own request, save for Tony who has programmed Friday to detect when you're little and were about to do something that babies shouldn't do, such as cooking or showering because babies makes messes and get hurt. It was something you'd kept private and to yourself for a long time, and it took months to feel comfortable enough to talk with Steve and Bucky about it. You weren't always feeling little, and had the capability of being a very vital part to the team, but on your days off, it was easy to find yourself slipping into that headspace.

That's how you got to sitting on the balcony, slowly slipping into that headspace after a difficult mission. You'd woken up between Steve and Bucky, crawling out of the bed quietly, not quite feeling small but you know it's coming. Clint and Sam find you outside, sunbathing and staring at the clouds. Sam is the first one to come outside, Clint following close behind.

"Mornin' sunshine," Sam sits next to you, Clint moving to the other side of you, relaxing in his seat, Sam holding out a glass to you, "want some lemonade? I know that coffee makes you jittery on your days off." You take the glass, smiling at the yellow straw poking up from the top, "Thank you! And a straw!" You twiddle with it gently, pulling it out to take a sip. "Gosh," your shoulders sag and your head leans back in ecstasy, "Clint's lemonade is the best, thank you." Clint pointedly looks at Sam, smug, "Why thank you Y/n, I'm blushing." Sam scoffs, "You wouldn't have even made it if I didn't beg!" Clint shrugs, "I made food," he looks to you, "speaking of," he has you a plate with a sausage and egg biscuit. You tentatively take it from him, "Oh thank you, are you sure?" Clint laughs, leaning back in his seat, "Yeah, honey, me and Sam already had some."

Once you finish your biscuit, you're back to staring at the pretty sky, sipping on your lemonade listening to Sam and Clint bicker back and forth. A bee comes out of nowhere, eliciting a small yelp from you and you're quickly standing from your seat. They're laughing, which hurt your feelings, the fear of the bee causing you to slip fully. You try to go inside but hear Sam speak to the AI, "Friday, lock patio doors under code Falcon," before you make it to the door. When you pull on it the door won't budge. "Sam," your voice is meek, "that's not funny," you whine and shake the door again, getting nervous over the buzzing around your lemonade on the table. "Friday, open the door." Clint laughs again, "It's just a bee, you've been shot before and you can't handle a bee?" A tear slips down your face, and you feel your heartbeat pick up.

You shake on the door, trying to get away from your mean friends, wiping a tear away, "Open the door Sam." He's laughing, he thinks this is funny, "It's just a bee, it'll be gone in a minute Y/n, it's fine." You shake the door more violently, and it's clear Sam wasn't going to open the door. You bring your hand to the bracelet that lays around your wrist, a fail safe if something is wrong, to immediately notify Steve and Bucky that you need them. You find the tiny sun charm, pressing the tiny button that notifies your daddies of your state of mind and that you're in trouble, different from the other charm, a moon, who notifies your boyfriends of an emergency.

Bucky is the first one to hear Friday, "Mr. Barnes, Mr. Rogers," he groans groggily, "Friday, it's too early for this, what is it?" Bucky reaches over to find just Steve, no tiny baby to love on as he hears Friday once more, "I am sorry Mr. Barnes, but it seems munchkin has requested your presence with signs of distress." Bucky's eyes snap open at the use of the programmed name for when you're in your little space, throwing the covers off and slapping Steve's shoulder. "Bucky, what the-" Steve stops when he realizes that Bucky is already out the door, he's quickly behind him, not bothering to put a shirt on, as Bucky hadn't.

"Friday, where is munchkin?" Bucky spits, FRIDAY speaking up once more, "Munchkin is on the patio with Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barton." Their brows crunch together in confusion, Steve finally speaking up on their way to the patio, sleep still heavy in his voice, "Is something wrong?" Bucky shrugs nervously, "Friday said she was showing signs of distress." The system speaks up once more, "That is correct. Munchkin's heart rate seems to be elevated and she is showing signs of high stress. She notified me by her emergency contact Sun Ray." At this, Bucky and Steve speed up, trying to get to you as quickly as possible.

The bee is still there, attracted not only to the lemonade, but the brightly colored pajamas keeping its attention as it flies back and forth between you and the lemonade. When it flies towards you, you hide in the corner of the patio, screaming, running to the other corner to hide from it when it follows you, a tear streaking down your face. Sam sees the stray tear, immediately his stomach sinking while you're piddling with your bracelet, ignoring the tears on your face, not hearing Sam when he stands and calls out gently, "Friday unlock the doors." Sam's in front of you, "Let's go inside, come on." When he reaches for you, you flinch back from him, causing his heart to break a little. You're now frantically pushing the button on your charm.

"Mr. Rogers, Mr. Barnes, munchkin has sent a distress call 13 times, up to 17, 23," and then they're at the doors to the patio, slinging them open.

Bucky takes in your appearance, you look afraid, tears freely streaming down your face, now surrounded by Clint and Sam, who are violently moved by Bucky. He's lifting you by your thighs, bringing them around his waist, glaring at Sam and Clint before carrying you inside. When you're back inside, feeling the rush of AC, you let loose, heavy thick tears falling with sobs. "Shhh my little bunny, I've got you."

Steve remains on the porch, staring at a shell shocked Sam and Clint, "What happened?" They shrug, "It was just a bee, we didn't know it would scare her so bad." Steve rolls his eyes at the men, following Bucky back to your room. When he gets there, you're straddling Bucky on the bed, hands tucked under you, fists balled up tightly, hiccuping sobs. "'S mean," Bucky is rubbing your back, shushing softly while you try to explain what happened, "wouldn't let me 'nside daddy, I try." More sobs erupt from you, Steve's brow furrowing, wondering what you meant.

"Friday, show me what happened with munchkin on the patio before Sun Ray was activated." He watches as the TV screen starts playing the scene, fury creeping up in his bones, while Bucky continued to console you, but matching the fire Steve has in his eyes. Steve saunters out of the room when the TV shuts off, heading straight for Sam and Clint. Bucky holds you closer when you whimper, "Oh doll, dada will be right back, he's just gonna go get you something to drink." You continue to sob, you refused to take your pacifier, dropping it out of your mouth every time he tried to put it in, sobs not allowing it to stay. "Baby baby baby, you're okay, that little bee isn't gonna getcha in here, only daddy." He tries to tickle you, but you just sob louder. He's thankful for the soundproof walls, knowing you don't like to draw attention.

Steve finds Sam and Clint in the common room with Nat and Tony. Tony stands when he sees Steve, anger on his face still shirtless. Steve comes up from behind Sam and Clint, grabbing their shirts roughly, pulling them up and off the couch, feet dangling a foot above the floor, turning them to face him. They're shouting, trying to get Steve to let go. Tony is trying to pull Sam away from him, Nat trying to hit his weak spots so he will drop Clint but he doesn't budge.

"Did you think it was funny?" Steve spits, bringing his face closer to theirs, "Did you? You think it was funny when she cried? Think it was funny when she screamed and pulled on the door? How would you feel huh? If someone laughed at you because you were scared? If your friends laughed at you?" Tony and Nat are confused, "Steve calm down, what happened?" Steve scowls, overpowering the men easily as he turns them around, still holding them in the air. "Friday, pull up the patio clip and my bedroom feed on the common room television."

"Voice identification confirmed. One moment." The video starts playing, but all they can hear are your sobs, not able to hear the small consoling your daddy is trying or the talk from the patio clip as it plays. "Is it still funny bird boy? Is it still funny when you know you're the reason she's like this? No? Good." Steve throws them down on the couch, Tony is furious, Nat is scolding them, and Steve's on his way into the kitchen.

Tony follows Steve after shutting off the video feed, Nat still scolding the two perpetrators. Steve is piddling around, heating up some milk in the microwave. "You okay man?" Tony asks, placing a hand on his back, when Steve glares at him Tony sighs. "Man you can't go back to her seething like this." Steve lets out a huff, "I've never wanted to throttle someone like I do right now." He grabs the milk from the microwave, mixing some hot chocolate power in it, something that frequently happens when you're having a very bad day. Tony hands Steve a bottle, hidden in a thin cabinet, only unlocked by four people in the tower; Uncle Tony, your daddies, and you. "She's your baby, and she hasn't stopped crying because her buddies were mean to her and she doesn't understand, if you go in there angry, she will think you're mad at her." Tony chides, Steve, resonating with Tony's words, takes a deep breath, filling up your bottle and continuing to shake it. "Want me to come cheer her up with you?" Steve sighs, "Let us calm her down a bit, get her feeling right and we'll play some games later yeah?" Tony starts to rummage through the fridge, "Have Friday notify me." Steve nods, leaving Tony and going back to his baby.

When he opens the door, you're still crying, but when Steve sits he pulls you into his lap, holding you like a baby and rocking you. "Shhh, it's okay baby, I know they were mean, but papa's here now. It's okay," he's rubbing your face gently, your sobs turned to weak whimpers. "That's it baby, you want some milk?" You nuzzle into his chest, Bucky taking a sip of the bottle making sure it's not too hot and gives it back to Steve. He holds the tip to your lips, you instantly wrap your lips around it and hum happily.

"There she is, sweet girl," his fingers tangle in your hair, massaging your scalp gently while Bucky rubs your legs with a feather light touch. You hiccup on the milk, Steve moving it away from you and wiping away a stray tear. Your fingers clutch around his shoulder, whining, "Papa." He coos at you, "Drinking too fast aren't we love?" You let out another whine, your bottom lip wobbling, "Pease papa." He traces your jawline before bringing the bottle back to your lips, "Slower, you hear me dove?" You nod gently, closing your eyes and continuing to drink the bottle.

You're teetering on the edge of sleep, Steve wiping away a drop of milk that finds its way to the corner of your mouth. He takes the bottle very carefully, stopping when you suck on it a little harder, trying to hold it in your mouth. "Bunny," Bucky's voice sings to you, "let daddy have that, okay?" Steve tries to pull it away again, this time with no fight, Bucky pressing your pacifier to your lips, which you take happily. He clips it to the top of your pajama shirt so if you drop it, it'll stay relatively within reach. "Friday, put on munchkins lullaby playlist."

Soft music starts playing through the room, bringing you all the way under, soft snores against Steves chest alerting them to your slumber. "Mr. Rogers, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barton are outside, requesting entrance." Bucky rolls his eyes as he slides back down into the bed, "Friday, decline entrance and leave us be to nap for an hour." Steve moves you to Bucky, your sleeping form habitually wrapping around him and his warmth. Steve huddles behind you, wrapping his arm over you and resting it on Bucky, rubbing small circles. "She's gonna be a handful today," Steve comments, letting Bucky know that he thinks today is going to be one of those days where you regress further than usual. "She's gonna have such a good time with Tony." Bucky laughs, his eyes flutter shut, "Don't count her daddies short."

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lillianfromaccounting · 3 years

Text

This ended up being a very long post and I'm on mobile, so I'll fix the read more in the morning when I get on the computer.

TW: covid, depression, Thanksgiving, a lot of food talk

-----------

Today, we officially called off Thanksgiving with family (it had pretty much been decided but today we called the few people to confirm it).

Some background: my family only started celebrating Thanksgiving because I wanted to. We're Chinese, so growing up, it wasn't a thing for us, plus my mom wasn't fond of turkey.

At the age of 13, I picked up a bread baking recipe book at a Scholastic book drive. Up until that point, I had been baking stuff from box mixes, so making bread from scratch was a huge deal for me. Age 14, I told my parents I wanted to do Thanksgiving the American way. We qualified for a free turkey at our local supermarket anyway, so why not? To make it more palatable, I incorporated Chinese elements into the menu--various Chinese vegetables (choy) instead of green bean casserole, sticky rice (loh mai fan) stuffing--and i would bake fresh bread. There would always be white rice.

I have a huge extended family and on the weekends, my parents would have family and friends over to play mahjong, so Thanksgiving went over great because they loved trying all these new foods, and I loved trying new recipes. We always had a rotation of at least thirty people, so the food went. I think one year, I counted just over fifty people--it was like a revolving door at my parents' house, some people would pop in around lunch time and hang out until they had to go to their own family's Thanksgiving dinners, some came for dinner, and some came for dessert and coffee with a side of mahjong.

As the years went on, my menus got more and more elaborate, and I would enlist my younger siblings (I have three) to be my sous chefs. It was a THING. Thanksgiving was my thing.

The college I went to is very involved with the Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloons, and while it would have been an awesome experience, it required giving up your Wednesday night and most of Thanksgiving Thursday. That was a deal breaker for me. That's how much my Thanksgiving ritual meant to me.

Some of my favorite memories are waiting in line at DiPalo's (before they expanded, back when it was just the corner storefront) with my sister the weekend before Thanksgiving to get fresh mozzarella and ricotta and parmigiano (lasagna was a huge hit with my family). The longest we waited was three hours one year.

Another year, this was after I had graduated and moved out and was working. My work let us out early (around 2pm), but this asshat in another department ensured me that he needed these numbers so he can work over the weekend. I ended up running out to DiPalo's to pick up my order and going back to work, working to 9pm to get those numbers out, before going back to my parents' house to start cooking. The asshat didn't look at them that weekend (we get the Friday off too).

Mind you, it's not that I couldn't get the ingredients in Jersey, I just honestly had no idea where to go. My parents did the bulk of their grocery shopping in Chinatown and DiPalo's was right at the border of Chinatown and Little Italy.

As I said earlier, my menus got more elaborate over the years. Everyone kept eating the loaves of fresh bread for breakfast, so I made Thanksgiving an all day affair, with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.

One year, the theme was fried foods (fried turkey legs, homemade mozzarella sticks, etc.). I always tried new recipes on Thanksgiving, because honestly, what I enjoyed most about it was the process, the production of creating something delicious.

My siblings started sending me recipes throughout the year. One year, I made a vegan raspberry cheesecake (the base was cashews and almonds).

My siblings also said that they knew my now husband was a keeper because he had not only survived Thanksgiving at my parents' house, but he rolled with it (I'm pretty sure I put him to work too).

After we got married and bought our house, I claimed Thanksgiving for both sides of the family (there were no objections, because I didn't care about Christmas, so they had Christmas). My husband's family had been getting their Thanksgiving meals catered for a few years at this point, so they didn't mind not cooking.

But including his family meant I had to start making sacrifices to my process. One person only liked Stove Top stuffing (don't get me wrong, Stove Top chicken flavor is amazing, but so is a sausage stuffing from scratch). The year my second child was born, I think I was a bit burned out by everything, so we ended up ordering a whole pig (think spit roast, but Chinese style) and some roast ducks that year. We were told the next year that some people would prefer to have turkey. One year, we decided to smoke our turkey, and the feedback we had gotten was that some people really preferred oven roasted. So the following year, we did turkey three ways (roasted, smoked, and deep fried) and we started getting feedback that we were doing too much variety. This happened with the sides too. Heirloom vegetable recipes (guys, I used to watch the Food Network religiously) were reduced to sauteed green beans or asparagus. We were told to reduce the variety of things, so the only pasta dish that kept making it onto the menu was mac and cheese, because that was someone else's preference. And I couldn't even play around with the mac and cheese, because the family's recipe used Velveeta (yes, I know I sound like a food snob, and it's because I was back then).

But year after year, the creativity of the menu decreased and decreased, to the point where my husband and I felt it wasn't enjoyable anymore.

This morning, after we had called the family (it was really just my and his parents, whom we have been seeing during this whole time because we live close and do shopping for them, etc.), part of me was excited to finally make a menu and my husband and I agreed on a very small menu, because it's just us and our two kids.

And by the time I went to bed, I was excited again for Thanksgiving because we will be cooking things that we want. There are three, possibly four varieties of scones on the breakfast menu right now. I haven't mentioned this yet, but my menus are always too ambitious. I almost never get every single dish on the table, but the important ones get there. The experimental ones get ranked in order of what I want to taste.

After all these years, we have established staples. We always have bacon cheddar scones with breakfast. My sons requested chocolate chip and vanilla, respectively, and I want pumpkin. We'll see how many varieties actually get made. I always make fresh cranberry sauce for the sole reason of baking it into a crumb cake for Friday morning. We also eat the Ocean Spray jellied (with whole berries), and I serve it in slices. My husband is the mashed potato king, so he handles that. The King Arthur masala chai pumpkin pie recipe has been a hit year after year, so that is a staple now. I was excited to be able to cook what we wanted again.

It even inspired a Thanksgiving chapter in the fic I am writing. (I am so, so, so happy and excited for this chapter now.)

But as I was going to bed tonight, I was thinking about those memories at DiPalo's and cooking with my siblings, and pandemic sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. I cried hard. I miss my siblings. I miss the hospitality of it all. Just like my parents' house was a revolving door, when my husband and I took over Thanksgiving, it was an unspoken rule that extended friends and family were welcomed. My siblings' friends from high school and college would stop by. My one sister's friend would even ask to be on the menu distribution list (I usually drafted a menu and my family members would vote on which dishes they wanted, and that was partially how the menu was created) and invite himself over lol.

I miss that company--the people who understood my Thanksgiving--my family. I haven't seen (in person) one sister since January and the other since March. And while we're constantly talking to each other and do the occasional video chat, it's just not the same.

If you read this far, thank you for your time and energy.

I don't have a point to this post, except maybe wear a fucking mask and stay home, so we can eventually beat this pandemic and resume some semblance of pre-covid life.

And I know this post is very much a first world problem. We have enough to eat and a warm roof over our heads. I am very grateful for that. But I am allowed to be sad too. This year would have been my 25th anniversary with Thanksgiving.

Writing all this out really helped though.

#personal #Thanksgiving #food #long post #depression #covid 19 #thanks for reading #i finally feel like i might be able to sleep now #also katiekeysburg would probably agree that my menus are ridiculous #and yeah some of it is excessive

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dammitadolfnomorecake · 3 years

Text

Once Bitten Twice Stupid Prt.86

Stumbling out of bed, Keith staggered from his bedroom to the bathroom, then to the kitchen. His bed had been devoid of Lance, and he didn’t like it. Making a beeline for his boyfriend, Keith crashed into him, sliding his arms around him. Lance was cooking something that wasn’t coffee, chuckling at him as he turned from the oven. Wrapping his arms around him, Lance kissed his forehead at his hairline

“Good morning, you”

“Nghmmm...”

The time was a little after 6. Dressed in his shirt and boxer briefs it was too cold to be awake. The sun shining through the window unwantedly

“Coffee’ll be ready soon. You’ll have to let me go if you want me to pour you a cup”

Keith didn’t want to Lance go. Dragged along in the kitchen, Lance worked around him, making sure to give him plenty of cuddles as he waited for the coffee to drip through the machine... that Lance had gotten out the box and set up

“You weren’t in bed...”

Cuddling in front of the light creeping in, Keith kept his face hidden from it. Had Lance not been making breakfast than they could have gone back to bed

“I know, babe. I wanted to make you breakfast... I had a nice night last night. I’ve missed snuggling with you”

“Missed you too...”

“You’re doing well without your coffee. Ready to shuffle back, I think it��s done now”

“Don’t wanna move”

Lance kissed his hair

“I feel honoured, but you need your coffee”

Shuffling round clinging to Lance turned into shuffling around trying to have his boyfriend and his coffee. Guided from the kitchen, he was tricked into sitting at the dining table

“Whaaa...”

Lance dropped a kiss on head

“Drink your coffee. I’m going to finish making breakfast”

Catching his boyfriend before he could dart away, Keith pulled him closer, whining

“Youuuu...”

He wanted to tell Lance to sit down and cuddle. Only English was hard and words didn’t want to cooperate

“Meeeee... will be back with breakfast”

“Kiss?”

Taking his face in his hand, Lance pressed half a dozen kisses to Keith’s lips with a smile between his words

“Now, be good boy and wait for breakfast”

Lance cooked up a feast for breakfast with ingredients Keith didn’t know they had. His boyfriend sitting across from him as Keith ate. Shiro’s and Curtis’s breakfast sat in the oven keeping warm seeing it wouldn’t be long before Shiro’s alarm went off. With his leg drawn up, Lance had his chin resting on his knee, his half drunken cup of tea in his right hand

“This is good. You should have cooked yourself some”

“Nah, I ate as I cooked. Had to make sure I wasn’t about to accidentally give everyone food poisoning”

Keith’s plate was full to the point of nearly over flowing. Scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sliced sausages mixed into fried tomatoes and toast

“At least have some bacon...”

“I made it for you”

“And I want to see you eat something”

Lance shifted his leg so he could lean across the table, Keith holding out a piece of bacon for Lance to take with his teeth. Leaning back, Lance tore the bacon smiling as he chewed, both of them in a comfortable silence until Lance finished the piece

“Not to brag, but I’m kind of good cook”

“I know you are. You didn’t have to make breakfast”

“I wanted to. I was so tired last night that I totally brushed off Curtis and couldn’t wait for Coran to leave”

“So this is an apology breakfast?”

“Not really. It’s more of a “I love you guys and wanted to cook”. I never sleep as well as I do when I’m with you”

Keith smiled at his boyfriend. Lance’s birthday was right around the corner now. Pidge and Hunk had added him to a private chat over what they should do for Lance’s birthday. Pidge had suggested an “18 again” party, that Hunk shot down thanks to Lance having requested for them not to. He was still yet to pick out a present for his boyfriend, but he’d gone ahead and booked a hotel for the night, and even if it wasn’t very romantic he’d made a reservation for three at a restaurant with good reviews for him, Lance, and Miriam. He didn’t want to share Lance, but Lance didn’t know how many more birthdays he’d have with his mother. And unlike Krolia, Keith didn’t mind Miriam being there. She had all sorts of stories about Lance that he wanted to hear.

“Is that breakfast I smell?”

Shiro came shuffling out his room, left arm stretching up as covered his mouth with his right, yawning widely as Curtis came up behind him. Breakfast was so good he didn’t want to share... also, he was enjoying having the apartment pretty much to themselves, and Kosmo

“Lance cooked”

Shiros face lit up. Their cooking skills were lacking, and often they couldn’t be bothered with much more than toast

“Really?! Thanks, you didn’t have to do that”

Lance ducked his head

“It’s fine. I’m really sorry I bailed early on you guys last night. I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow”

When Keith climbed into bed, Lance moved automatically to cuddle into him with a mumbly sigh. Keith loved I knowing that Lance only cuddled him like that. That he felt he could be vulnerable enough not to stir properly. Nosing his way under the blankets, Kosmo liked to sleep near Keith’s butt.

“It’s nice to see you, awake Lance. Thank you for breakfast. I’ve really missed your cooking”

Curtis followed after Shiro to the kitchen, Shiro then heading into the bathroom as. Curtis opened up the oven

“I’ve missed cooking. Three meals a day. Blood was a little rationed, but it was nice to taste red wine again. Matt and Rieva are pretty easy to please. Yeah... it’s not the same though, without you around. I never thought I’d miss having a full house”

Keith picked up his cup of coffee, asking

“What happened to hating people?”

“I still do. But it was nice... I don’t have someone to watch soap operas with anymore. So that sucks”

Keith couldn’t get into them. Curtis called out from the kitchen though he didn’t need to

“I am sorry that I’ve remained in Platt. Staying with you is the most at easy I’ve felt in some time”

“That’s because it’s your official second home now. I mean, Keith is my boyfriend and it’s his home and your dating and his brother, but even if you weren’t, you’re always welcome there”

Keith stabbed at the fried tomatoes on his plate

“It’s my home?”

“Dah. I don’t have to hide who I am now. The only reason I have to leave is to either be with you or because I’m on the run. Pidge is moulding into the sofa again. She wasn’t there yesterday, but that’s because I left before she got up. I didn’t tell them about the mission. I’m still not okay with my house being “Amateur Hunters-R-us””

“They haven’t given up?”

Lance rested his chin back on his knee. Keith didn’t like that the others were investigating, yet there wasn’t much he could that wouldn’t get them into spades of trouble

“Nope. Oh, and guess what, Pidge now what’s to do a video explaining ghost hoaxes on top of all the stuff they’re already doing. She wanted me to do the effects because I’m so fast”

“That doesn’t sound fun”

“I’ll take a night of discomfort over a night of them investigating any day of the year”

“They’re still being cautious right?”

“No one’s turned up on my doorstep yet to tell them to stop, so I assume so... It’s not like they have a lot to really work on”

That was a relief. As long as they didn’t dig too close to Lotor’s affairs then they should remain relatively safe

“Are you headed back after we see Lotor?”

“Kind of have to. I want to see Mami though. She didn’t want me coming back if you weren’t with me. I think she likes you better than me”

Keith couldn’t work out how that was possible. Not when Krolia hadn’t tried to talk to him and she was his own mother

“I doubt it”

“I don’t. She literally told me not to come back without you”

Lance’s pout carried in his tone

“Do you want me to come?”

“Only if you want to. I’m hoping to take her to mass this afternoon but I know that isn’t your thing”

“Maybe we could meet up after?”

Lance offered him as warm smile making Keith’s heart go weird

“I’d really like that”

Heading to VOLTRON after breakfast, Coran greeted them with a bag of blood. Lance happy to eat because damn he was starving. Those weird wings took a lot of energy to put away, and the mission it’s self had been draining. Part of the reason he’d woken up so early was thanks to his hunger. Twisting off the cap of the bag, he fell into step with the group, comfortably beside Keith

“Now. The Blades came by last night to examine both items. I’ve taken small samples and photographed everything. Krolia and Kolivan will both be present as you talk to Lotor. I did try to dissuade them, but both of them were stubborn. Lotor is already here, Allura is currently with him”

Lance nodded at Coran’s words. It made sense they’d want to be there to gauge Lotor’s reaction. He still felt dirty about stealing from a nun, even if she was long gone. Religion had been such a big part of his life for so long, and the woman deserved to have her items treated with respect. Walking through to the conference room, Krolia and Kolivan were suited up like Keith and Shiro were. Lance feeling instantly nervous at the sight of Krolia and somewhat wary about being shot again

“This is where I leave you. I’ll wait on Coran’s office”

Curtis should have been allowed in if Lance had his way, but he understood that thanks to his curse Curtis couldn’t speak freely and may reveal too much. It wasn’t fair on him. He was a great guy and Lance missed him around the house. He hadn’t offered Curtis to come back thanks to his budding relationship with Shiro. That and the fact the others were snooping into Lotor at home. He didn’t want to put Curtis in danger, despite him being a hunter and all that. And he kind of thought it might be triggering for Curtis seeing he’d been cursed by werewolves. Quickly draining half a bag of blood, Lance passed it over to Curtis

“Can you look after this until we’re done? I feel like Lotor wouldn’t approve of me drinking out a blood bag”

“Sure thing. Good luck in there”

“Thanks. I think I’m going to need it”

The first thing Lotor did was look him up and down. Lotor was in a different suit, Lance in the same one he’d worn the day before with one of Keith’s shirts instead of his own. Sitting directly across from Lotor, Kolivan placed down the Bible and locket in front of Lance, Lance then sliding them across the table to Lotor. Calmly picking up the locket, Lotor crushed it in his fist, smiling as he did

“Thank you for that. I had hoped you’d be successful”

Dropping the balled up piece of metal, there was no recovering the locket or what had been inside

“You mean you’re happy to see we can be trusted, though it was so simple it was barely worth our time”

Lance sounded bored. Lotor’s ego may of gotten the better of him the previous day, today was a new day and he was letting his ego flare

“My generals will be rather disappointed, they of course thought you’d run home with your tail between your legs”

“Your generals don’t know me. What you mean to say is that you thought I’d run home”

Lotor smiled

“Perhaps. You of course know either item had any particular meaning”

“I know you like to fuck with people you think lesser than yourself”

“After yesterday it is refreshing to see such unguarded hostility. You’re not quite the quivering little lamb you lead on”

Lance let go on his ego, letting his teeth and nails extend. Beside him both Allura and Keith drew away slightly

“Not when it comes to what belongs to me. We completed your first task. You said you had two”

“All business makes for a rather dull conversation”

“A dull conversation with a dull partner. I hardly see why you’re called “The Prince of Europe”. Honestly, what do you gain from sending us to do mere grunt work? I see no ensured mutual destruction in last night actions”

Lotor laughed, wiping a fake tear from his cheek. Lance was starting to feel the same dreaminess as the previous day, but wasn’t about to let his concentration slip

“You are most entertaining. Very well, for the laugh I shall give you your second task. This one is for you and Allura. You are to go collect something much more interesting this time...”

Lotor drew a black business card from his pocket, sliding it over to Lance

“... These are the details of the address. A companion will be require for entry, and perhaps a change of dress... Some sense of something more fashionable then this current off the rack ensemble”

“Something gaudy would be insulting to the senses. When are we expected?”

Lotor was ruffled at Lance’s dislike of his fugly purple suit. The suit was only ugly because Lance had a fair idea that it was a useless show of money

“This Wednesday night. If you miss your opportunity, there won’t be a second one. Dress your companion accordingly”

Nope. Keith wasn’t dressing like a scantily clad pet. He’d ask his boyfriend what he was comfortable and they’d go from their

“I will dress my companion how I please. If that is all, then there is no need to waste further time on this”

“On that we agree. Leash and muzzle will be acceptable”

Keith wasn’t being muzzled. He wouldn’t be Lance’s first choice as a “companion” purely because he loved Keith as an independent person. His boyfriend wouldn’t let him go on a mission with Allura without him tagging along. Waving his hand airily, he enjoyed knowing he was getting right under Lotor’s skin. It was easier dealing with Lotor when his ego decided it didn’t like how Lotor made him feel so had to play up

“Such tacky taste. You would have thought our people would have moved past such archaic things. Never mind. We’ll be there”

“Then we have an agreement. Allura, absolutely lovely to see you again. I do hope to see you again quite soon. Lance... everyone else... thank you for your... time”

Allura offered to walk Lotor out, Lance sighing as Lotor left the room and he was able to lean back in his chair. He didn’t like how hard it was to keep his head with Lotor around. Being in the room with another vampire was exhausting

“What was that?”

Lance sighed again. Kolivan sounded kind of annoyed

“That’s what happens when you put two vampires in the same room”

“You were supposed to question him, not insult him”

“Yeah. Well. If you couldn’t tell me ego was talking for the most part”

Keith reached out and placed his hand on Lance’s

“You did good, babe. I’m not keen to dress as a pet again”

“I don��t want you dressed as pet either. We’ll need to look the part, but I figured for the most part I’d let you... no, sorry. I hate my stupid poxy ego. You’re not my pet and I don’t ever want you to feel like that. What I mean is, you can pick what you want to wear...”

“You’d know better than I do how pets dress”

“And you’re not a pet. I don’t like the idea of you having to dress like one”

Keith squeezed his leg comfortingly

“I’ll be okay. What’s on the card?”

The black business card was to a lower vampire club called “Club D-L-A”. The name in silver cursive. On the back was the club hours, leaving the card as probably their ticket in there, not that he’d have much trouble. Passing it over to Keith, Krolia intercepted

“We’ll send agents in to watch over you”

They’d be made on the spot. Not only would they be new faces, they’d be new faces the same night as other new faces

“No. Don’t. They’ll be made by scent. A place like this means you’ve got to be dead to be there, or a pet. Allura isn’t human, so she’d pass. Werewolves in a vampire club would be problematic. I’ll get us in, and I’ll keep Keith safe. Babe, I know you hate it, but we’ll have to go shopping... and I’ll have to get another suit. I think I offended him by wearing this one twice”

“I think it looks good on you”

His boyfriend was the sweetest. Keith shouldn’t have to put up with his ego. Krolia sounded cheerful as she invited herself along

“Then we should go today. We can fit your clothing with tracking, audio and visual”

Keith’s gaze flicked up to his mother

“Lance and I have plans today”

“Plans more important than your mission”

“Yes”

Lance’s heart was warmed at the thought Keith considered Mami so important

“We can go tomorrow?”

“No. You wanted to see Miriam today...”

“But this is important”

“So is she. Maybe we could go after?”

That’d be undoing the whole going to church thing. Keith needed a muzzle and collar... which meant a trip to the closest adult store

“Why don’t we visit Lance’s mother together. I would love to meet the mother of the man dating my son”

Keith snapped at his mother

“You can’t invite yourself along”

Lance didn’t want Keith and Krolia fighting...

“Babe, we’re not going to win this argument. Krolia, we planned to take Miriam to church. If you’d prefer, we can meet after?”

“Who doesn’t love a good visit to church? I’ll pick you both up after Keith has changed. Let’s say, half an hour in front of your apartment building? Good? Good. I’ll drive”

Yay... Keith was going to be cranky for the rest of the day... He’d done it this time.

#once bitten twice stupid #oncebittentwicestupid #ashratherose

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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1057

survey by lets-make-surveys

1 - When was the last time you had a roast dinner? What kind of meat or vegetarian option did you have with it? That’s not really a thing we do here, but for our noche buena dinner we did have roast chicken with rosemary as one of our dishes. It was surrounded with bangus (milkfish), lumpia with cheese, callos, baked macaroni with cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy. My family has never been traditional when it comes to Christmas food and I’ve never tried hamon or queso de bola.

2 - When was the last time you drove or travelled for over an hour? Where did you go? It is for sure going to be today because we’ll be driving to Laguna to visit my dad’s family wearing our face masks, face shields, equipped with alcohol and hand sanitizer, and ready to follow social distancing.

3 - What’s your favourite kind of coffee to order (eg. cappuccino, latte etc.)? I’ve been ordering caramel macchiato in the last...6–7 years. If a coffee shop doesn’t serve it, the next thing I go for is whatever sounds like the sweetest drink on their menu, like a chocolate chip truffle frappe or something like that.

4 - When you get old, are you going to let your hair go grey or dye it instead? I will probably dye it for a bit, like what my grandma used to do. But I guess it’ll also depend; I might end up liking grey hair and not feel the need to change how it looks.

5 - What genre was the last book you read? Was it any good? I can’t remember which one it was but it was definitely a wrestler’s memoir; I must’ve read around four this year. The best ones I read are always of Chris Jericho since he has fantastic stories but he also knows how to write well. A lot of wrestlers have great stories, but are so-so in writing.

6 - Did you ever wear braces on your teeth? Yeah, briefly from the end of middle school to freshman year of high school. I need to get braces again, though.

7 - When was the last time you were relieved about something? What caused you to feel that way? Continued from earlier today. We brought both dogs to my dad’s family’s place today and I was glad that they were fast asleep on our drive back home and that neither felt bad and puked.

8 - Where was the last place you went that required you to wear a mask? Are you used to having to wear one now? Everyone is required to wear masks as long as they find themselves outdoors, period. I wear one even if I’m just walking one of my dogs in our backyard. I’m definitely more used to it now, compared to months ago when I had just started going out again and would be forgetful when it came to masks.

9 - How often do you receive calls from unknown numbers? Do you ever answer them? I get them a lot more often now that I’m working and have to coordinate with third-party people...I get unknown numbers once or twice a week. As much as it irritates me, I have no choice but to answer all of them now.

10 - What’s your favourite condiment to have with sausages or hot dogs (or the vegetarian equivalent)? Whenever I have a sausage/hotdog in a bun, I’d be glad to simply have mayonnaise on it.

11 - Which fictional character can you relate to the most? Is this a character from film, TV or a book? Monica Geller from Friends.

12 - Do you groom your eyebrows? If so, how? Nah, haven’t in a long time. It’s just not something I’ve ever particularly cared about. Whenever I have to, I just shave them. I also haven’t had a trichotillomania episode with my eyebrows, which is a relieving thing to realize.

13 - Did you get “told off” for anything the last time you went to the dentist or was everything okay? My last trip went smoothly. I just had a tooth extracted and there wasn’t really anything to reprimand me for since the tooth was already damaged.

14 - Would you rather get a starter or dessert? Have always been more of a savory girl than sweet, so I’ll go with the starter.

15 - Have you ever been involved with the police? Did you find them to be helpful? I mean...I guess? Kind of? I wasn’t arrested by any means, but I was a journalism student, so *shrug* pretty self-explanatory lol. There was one time in one class where we were all required to write a story covering the police beat, so I had to stay at a police station in Manila and wait for any tips or leads to come in. I was in freshman year and was absolutely scared, but I did have a classmate/friend with me ‘cause we were in the same class and she needed a lead as well.

16 - Are you tired at the moment? Is there a specific reason you feel that way? I am extremely tired and would pass out in a second if I let myself. But I had been out all day and didn’t have the chance to do anything I wanted to do whether it was doing embroidery, watching 2 Days 1 Night, or taking a survey, so I’m making up for all the lost time and powering through this survey.

17 - Are you big on colour coordination? Does that just apply to your outfits or to the rest of your life as well? It rarely comes to mind. It’s not something I feel the need to maintain, precisely because I’m very inconsistent with maintenance. Even though I know I possess the necessary effort and patience to organize a group of items by color, I also know it would be disorganized in less than a week.

18 - What shoes did you last wear? How long have you had them? Puma sneakers. Yep, I’ve had them for the past two years.

19 - When was the last time you wore make-up? What kind of make-up was it? September, for my first job interview. My items were simple; just an eyeliner pencil and some lip gloss.

20 - Have you ever slipped or skidded on the ice? Did you end up getting hurt? Continued from last night because I’ve been so sloppy at taking surveys lately, loooool. I’ve slipped a few times on ice skating rinks before. I don’t know if it’s the same experience, but whenever it happened to me I usually felt more embarrassed than hurt. It only hurt quite a bit when the cause of my fall was crashing into someone on the rink.

21 - Do you wear glasses or contacts? I wear glasses, but I already need to change mine since my eyesight has gotten worse and the lens that are on my current pair aren’t for me anymore.

22 - Do you own any photo albums? Are they dedicated to special occasions or just a random selection of photos? My mom made several photo albums for her kids from our childhood days so each of us have lots of photos from age 0 to about 7 or 8. I haven’t made a photo album just for myself, though I really should. Making memories with a film camera and having them developed still sounds very appealing to me.

23 - What was the last reason for you using a spoon? I was mixing my coffee to make sure all the granules are mixed into the water.

24 - Did your state/region go into lockdown or similar back when Covid hit in March? What did you do to pass the time while you were stuck at home? Of course. I would be more surprised to hear of a city or region anywhere in the world that did not go into lockdown. March was a livelier, more optimistic time, so I tried out lots of new things while the lockdown was still fresh and no one had any clue for how long it would actually pan out, and continue to pan out until the literal end of the year. I played the Switch for longer hours, tried making dalgona coffee, watched Descendants of the Sun, pulled more all-nighters, revisited computer games from my childhood, and did my thesis chapter by chapter with Andi.

25 - What’s your favourite meal of the day - breakfast, lunch or dinner? In my family, lunch and dinner are very identical so I’d go with either of them.

26 - Who was the last person you texted? How do you know that person? I have not touched my phone in a while, believe it or not...I haven’t needed it much during the holiday break. I think it was my cousin? He’s a relative, so I’ve known him since birth.

27 - What was the last thing you put in a sandwich? A hotdog.

28 - What was the reason behind the last time you shouted or raised your voice? I was at my dad’s family’s last night and I had ordered four boxes of empanadas from their business, and I was trying to hand over the P500 bill to my aunt (the total was like P300, but I gave them bonus to serve as my treat and my gift). I kept trying to give it and she kept rejecting it and putting it back in my pocket hahaha, so it became like a game for me to see which tiny space in the house I can squeeze the bill in so she can stop retorting. It turned into a funny cat and mouse situation and I ended up raising my voice a few times.

29 - Are you a citizen of more than one country? Would you ever use that advantage to move abroad? No.

30 - Do you know how to change a tyre? Could you do it without help? HAH, no. I am fucked if it ever happens and when it does, I really hope luck would be on my side that day and have a kind stranger that knows how to change tyres walk or drive by.

#survey #surveys

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ilovemygaydad · 5 years

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title: repeat (again and again)

summary: virgil sanders relied on a very specific weekly routine, and when a new server messes that up, he isn’t sure how to feel

pairing: analogical, background royality

word count: 3.2k (this.... got out of hand)

warnings: male eating disorders (talked about without many specifics, but it touches a lot on reasoning and the real-world ramifications of it), eating disorders, relapse, unspecified anxiety disorder, obsessive behaviors (such as obsessive cleaning, dislike of change, reliance on routine behaviors, etc.), anxiety, crying, sadness, self hatred, swearing, self disgust, panic attacks, food mentions, eating, mentions of stomach flu/illness, chronic dumbass disease, flunking college, therapist mentions, and possibly something else

a/n: i used my Insider Info from @fandomsandanythingelse to write this for their gf, @trifilingass-ailantofmyemotions! they said that the best thing that i could write would be analogical and oblivious mutual pining so bad that they needed to be told to get together. i kinda.... went angsty and long on this, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ sue me ig

---

Virgil Sanders needed things to be a very particular way. All the time. His clothes were folded the same way every time, and if he messed up even the tiniest bit, he would have to refold the whole thing. His dorm was spotless; his bathroom was disinfected every morning. He hadn’t changed his personal style since he was sixteen.

Most of all, he loved routine. On the same day at the same time every week, Virgil would go to the diner on the corner of 7th and Main, sit in the same booth, and order the same thing.

For over a year and a half, Virgil would arrive at Patton’s Diner between 1:55 and 2:05 in the afternoon on Saturday. He would sit in the booth furthest from the door, and exactly five minutes after he arrived, Patton would take his order. He ordered black coffee, pancakes and eggs with a side of turkey bacon. The eggs and bacon had to be on a separate plate to prevent them from touching the pancakes, and everything needed to be made away from the other food. He felt bad every time that he ordered because he knew that he was creating so much work for Patton and the cooks, but he was always reminded of the first time he’d gone to the diner.

He had thought that everything would be fine. Well, Virgil had hoped that things would be fine, but he was desperate for something to eat, and he had already used up his meal tokens for the week. He’d heard that Patton’s had good food for dirt cheap, so he’d gone there. It wasn’t a big deal. He was just eating out.

Except it had been a big deal because when his plate of food was delivered by the bubbly server, he had started sobbing because the eggs were touching the pancakes, and those foods don’t mix, and now they were both ruined, and he’d spent all of four dollars just to waste both his money and the diner’s time because he couldn’t even eat some damn food like a normal person. He was a fuck up with too many standards for such a shitty person and--

“Oh my goodness, kiddo, what’s wrong?” Patton asked, and oh god, Virgil was crying in front of the owner.

“T-Touching,” Virgil said vaguely.

“I’m sorry, hon, but I don’t understand. Can you explain a bit?”

“Th-Th-The eggs,” he stuttered out. “And p-panc-c-cakes.”

“Oh,” Patton said, and Virgil knew that he had fucked up. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you wanted them separate.”

Virgil opened his mouth to speak, but Patton cut him off by saying, “Hey, how ‘bout I take you to the back, and you can tell me exactly how you want your food? My husband has a lot of issues with food, too, and it always helps to work together to make sure everything is okay. Maybe this will help you, too.”

So, despite all odds, Virgil followed the man into the back, and they made a very detailed plan on how to make Virgil’s order for whenever he returned (and an additional plan for if he wanted to order something else--which he wouldn’t because he knew that he liked pancakes, eggs, and sausage, so why would he order something else). After seeing that Virgil liked to sit in the same booth, Patton had even begun to steer people clear right around when Virgil would be coming in. Every time that Virgil walked into Patton’s Diner, he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

And then it wasn’t.

---

Virgil had entered the diner at 2:01 on Saturday. He sat down in his booth, and he browsed his phone for five minutes. And then it had been seven minutes with still no Patton. At ten minutes, Virgil had become so anxious that he had focused on folding napkins into little paper boats.

“I apologize for making you wait so long,” a voice to his left suddenly said, making him jump. He looked up and saw a young man that he didn’t recognize with a notepad. “There was a miscommunication in the kitchen that I needed to attend to. How may I help you?”

“Um,” Virgil said very eloquently. “Where is Patton?”

“He came down with the stomach flu yesterday and asked me to take over his shift today so that he could stay home. Well, I requested that he stay home to take care of himself and risk getting any of our customers sick, but that is besides the point.”

“Oh.”

The man nodded his head and brought his pen back to his notepad. “What may I get you? Do you want to start with something to drink?”

How was Virgil supposed to put this politely? “I, um... I don’t--I’m not sure if I want to eat here right now.”

“What? Why? Have I done something to dissuade you from eating in our restaurant?” The man’s expression almost looked hurt.

“No! I, uh--I have really strict... dietary restrictions, so Patton always makes my food special for me.” Virgil noticed that the man’s eyes narrowed, and he hurried his speech up to dig himself out of the monumental hole that he was in. “I mean, like, I’m sure that you’d be totally good at making the meal, but I don’t want to put the work onto you. It’s a really big task, and it always takes Pat forever, so, like, I’ll just buy some instant ramen from Kwik Trip or whatever. I’m sorry for wasting your time--”

Virgil scrambled to stand up and run from the diner, but the man held up a hand, effectively freezing him in place. “You’re the one who can’t have his food touching, correct?”

“Yeah...” Shame crept into his voice despite himself.

“Patton left me with directions for you. I’ve already prepared your meal--that was actually why I was stuck in back for so long. The others were trying to help, but they kept messing things up by accident.” The man smiled, and Virgil felt his heart melt.

“Oh... Thank you, um...?”

“Logan.”

“Virgil.”

Logan gave Virgil a kind handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll retrieve your food right now.”

---

“Are you studying at the university?”

Virgil glanced up from his environmental science homework to Logan, happy for a distraction from the horrible problems spread in front of him. Logan had started to show up more often when Virgil was visiting; Patton would come to quote-unquote “take his order,” and Logan would bring it to the table. “Yeah. I’m majoring in Psychology and Counseling, but there were a few summer courses I wanted to try. Do you go to school here, too?”

“Ah, no,” Logan said, suddenly looking sheepish. “I flunked out of school first semester.”

Virgil, you’re a fucking idiot.

“Oh my god, I’m so--”

“No, it’s okay. I’m... I think that it’s more important that I’m recovering than working myself to death in school.” Logan placed Virgil’s food down and sat in the booth across from him. Absently, Virgil wondered why he worked on Saturdays now since there were more than enough servers and cooks on shift.

“I don’t know if this is inappropriate for me to ask ‘cause, like, we’re pretty much strangers, but... what happened?”

Logan smiled reassuringly. “It’s alright. I actually went to MIT on a full scholarship in biomedical engineering. It upsets me to no end that I ended up throwing that incredible opportunity away, but the past is in the past, right?

“When I was seventeen, I somehow got it into my head that I was overweight. The thought is completely illogical because I was at the ideal weight for my height at the time. I almost completely cut back on eating to lose weight--I’m certain that you’re familiar with anorexia nervosa--and told myself that what I was doing was best for me.

“Things seemed fine for a while. I was accepted to college and graduated high school with high marks, and I was seemingly crawling towards my ideal weight. In my mind, my life couldn’t have been better.

“But once college hit, I pretty much stopped eating altogether. Without the energy to function properly, my grades started slipping. When my grades started slipping, I began to throw myself into days-long study binges where I neglected food and sleep completely. By the end of the semester, I had worked myself into the ground, and I ended up needing to go to rehab for nearly a year until I was stable enough to return home.”

Logan took a heavy breath, grounding himself for a few moments before he continued. “Patton insisted that I moved in with him and his husband so that I could be nearby and for proximity with a trusted therapist. You know Dr. Emile Picani, don’t you?”

Virgil nodded. “Yeah, he’s one of my professors.”

“He’s been my therapist since I moved here in April. He’s proven to be extremely helpful for my recovery, but I suspect the main reason that Patton wanted me here was so that he could protect me. I’m his little brother, and he worries about me.”

“Patton’s your brother?!” Virgil burst out, clamping his hands over his mouth to control his volume.

“Yes?” Logan cocked his head. “I thought that was obvious.”

Rolling his eyes, Virgil smiled brightly. “Just because you know that you’re brothers doesn’t mean that I know that you’re brothers.”

“I regret befriending you.”

Virgil’s heart fluttered in his chest, but he disregarded it. “Aw, so you do like me!”

With a groan, Logan stood up and began to walk away. “I never said that.”

“Wait, Logan!”

“Yes?” Logan asked, glancing over his shoulder.

“I’m glad you’re getting better.”

---

“Patton? Where’s Logan?” Virgil didn’t like how his voice quavered. He told himself that it was simply because his routine of over two months had been broken, not because he missed talking to Logan. All of his nerves were because school had started up again, and he was still getting used to it. That was it.

“Roman took him to the museum today, kiddo. There was a new exhibit about stars added, and Logan...” Patton’s words faltered, and he placed Virgil’s plates down to cover. “Well, I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it next week, alright?”

“Yeah, of course. Thanks.” The two smiled at each other, and Patton walked back to the kitchen.

Virgil took a sip of his coffee and tried to drown the icky feeling in his stomach.

---

“Logan!” Virgil cried as soon as his friend walked into the diner the following Saturday. Logan found himself with his arms full of Virgil, who held him tightly. “Where were you last week? You worried me sick... Please don’t break routine without telling me in advance next time.”

“I apologize. I didn’t realize that I had become a part of your routine, or I would have stopped by before I went to the museum.” Logan’s skin felt cold when Virgil pulled away from the hug, and he followed his friend to their usual booth.

“Dude, of course you’re part of it!” Virgil scoffed. “You’re, like, the most important part.”

Logan felt a bit faint, but he chalked it up to having a difficult few weeks. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

“Shhhh! Stop with the sappy shit and move on to telling me about your museum date with Roman.”

“It was nice,” Logan said, powering through the thoughts that were telling him to shut up, idiot. “Roman wanted to take me out because I... had been relapsing for about two weeks, and he knew that I needed something to help my spirits.” Hot, uncomfortable tears welled up in his eyes. He didn’t enjoy feeling weak, and relapses were lapses of time where he was only weak.

A cool hand placed itself over his as he squeezed his eyes closed. “It’s okay for you to be upset right now, Lo. Eating disorders are very difficult beasts to overcome, and you are fighting that battle with courage. Relapses are are a natural part of all recovery.”

Choked laughter forced its way from Logan’s throat. “Who are you, and what have you done with Virgil?” He opened his eyes and caught Virgil’s worried gaze, which quickly shut him up.

“Seriously. It’s okay.”

Logan nodded slowly, moving his hand in Virgil’s to squeeze it. “It’s okay.”

Everything is okay with you.

---

“Guess who fuckin passed, bitch!” Virgil yelled as he burst into the Sanders’ apartment. Logan was sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a fluffy blanket, but he jumped up to catch Virgil’s tackle.

“I knew that you would, Virge.” Logan gently set Virgil onto the couch and sat next to him. Their new routine during winter break was for Virgil to come to the Sanders’ apartment every day at five for dinner, and they always watched an episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved before the food was done.

“Whatever. I owe it all to you and Picani for helping me trudge through this semester without having nearly as many panic attacks as I would have otherwise.” Virgil sighed, leaning into his best friend’s side. “Speaking of Picani, how was therapy today?”

“It was good. Those ‘affirmations’ that he’s been having me do are really helping.” A happy feeling fluttered in his chest as he pressed back against Virgil. Life felt really good.

Patton and Roman erupted through the door not a second later, making even more of a racket than Virgil had. Logan secretly despised his friend and family for being so unnecessarily loud every single god damn day. He did. He really did.

“How are my favorite boys?” Patton asked as he dropped his bags of groceries on the kitchen table.

“Virgil passed all of his exams, and I have been struggling to keep warm all day.” The body pressed into his side nuzzled closer.

Roman dramatically placed his own bags on the table, draping himself on his husband. “We missed Virgil’s entrance again! At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to teleport to and from his dorm.”

“You miss me every day.” Virgil rolled his eyes. “Maybe you should think about planning your schedule three minutes earlier.”

“Um, rude! We feed you, and this is the thanks we get? Sass and endless cuddling with Logan?”

Both Virgil and Logan nodded.

“You two are the worst.”

“Trust me,” Logan said, allowing Virgil to finish.

“We know.”

---

“Logan, kiddo, can you come here for a second?”

“Just a moment,” Logan called back, gently placing the spring-themed cookies into the fridge to cool. His brother was sitting cross-legged on the desk, holding a picture frame in his hands. “What do you require from me?”

Patton took a deep breath. “What do you like about Virgil?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Patton said. He looked at the ceiling as if to gather his thoughts. “Why did you decide to befriend him? What traits drew you to him?”

“Simple. He’s kind, caring, and intuitive. He is wise beyond his years, yet humble due to his anxiety. Although he likens himself to the bad parts of thunderstorms, I feel as though he doesn’t truly grasp that his presence can be healing and soothing. His emotions can be volatile at times, but he is able to recognize his faults and strive to do better. Overall, Virgil is a good person, and that is why I befriended him.”

“Mmmm. Do you love him?”

Logan cocked his head. He must have misheard Patton. “What?”

“Do you love Virgil?”

“What?” Logan repeated. “Where would you have gotten that idea?”

Patton shook his head, glancing lovingly back at the frame in his hands. “Friends--even best friends--typically don’t go on long tangents about what they like about their friends where they basically wax poetic for a minute.”

“I--What are you insinuating?”

“I think, kiddo,” Patton said, hopping off of his desk to stand in front of his brother, “that you’re in love with Virgil.”

“I don’t--I can’t be in love with Virgil!” Logan protested. Patton gave him a Look, and all of the puzzle pieces clicked into place. “Holy shit, I’m in love with Virgil.”

Outside, one of the workers called, “Regular’s here, Pat!”

“Kiddo, I think it’s time to tell him how you feel.”

Logan vehemently disagreed with that statement. “Absolutely not, Patton. What if he rejects me? Guys tend to stray away from me because--you know.”

A deep frown marred Patton’s usually cheerful face. “You’re scared, and I understand that, but you need to take chances every once in a while. You’ve known Virgil for almost a year. He’d been nothing but supportive of you.” He had that stupid expression that meant that he was going to be all wise. “Those are just cognitive distortions in your brain, honey. You can’t listen to them. You’ve got this.”

“Cognitive distortions,” parroted Logan. “You’ve got this.”

“Go get him, Lo!” Patton cheered, shooing Logan to the front of the diner.

Virgil was sitting at his normal booth, and for the first time since they had met, Logan realized how absolutely stunning he was. While Logan was all sharp angles, Virgil’s features were soft and round. His slight form was obstructed by his giant hoodie, but his face was pulled into a concentrated scowl as he scribbled something in a notebook. A tiny portion of his tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth.

It took what felt like an eternity for Logan to muster up the courage to sit across from Virgil. Patiently, he waited for Virgil to finish writing. In all actuality, Logan was grateful that he didn’t have to speak for a few moments, so he let his mind wander. His eyes drifted out the window, watching as pedestrians walked past in calming waves.

“Lo? Hey, you there, bud?”

Logan’s attention snapped back to the present. “Yeah, sorry. I zoned out for a second.”

Ever perceptive, Virgil’s face creased with worry. “What’s on your mind?”

You can do this. It’s like a Band-Aid. That’s what Virgil always says.

“It has come to my attention that I...”

No. He couldn’t do it. Virgil was going to hate him forever, and--

“Hey now, star-shine.” Virgil set his hand next to Logan’s so that they were only millimeters apart. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Logan moved his hand at a snail’s pace, wrapping it around Virgil’s as lightly as possible. It would be okay. He could do this. “Virgil, I harbor romantic feelings toward you.”

“Oh,” Virgil breathed, and for a fraction of a second, Logan thought that he had messed up, but Virgil’s tone turned to loving awe. “Oh, Logan. That is the stupidest way to say that.”

And Logan had been right all along. “If you are going to reject me, would it be impossible to be kind--”

“Lo, no, I love it. I love you, I just hadn’t realized it until you said it in that ridiculous, scholarly way of yours.”

It was Logan’s turn to say, “Oh.” Neither of them seemed very good at communicating right now.

A very doofy smile spread across Virgil’s face, and he laced their fingers together for real. “We both know that I hate breaking routine, but... I think that it’s time to make a new one. Saturdays at two pm are for dates at the diner. How does that sound?”

“I think that it’s the best idea that you’ve ever had.”

#sanders sides fic #analogical #virgil sanders #logan sanders #m writes things #royality #roman sanders #patton sanders

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orenonahaichigoda · 4 years

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I had a rough day, and came to a realisation. I will say a bit about my own experience, and then, after having to lay the groundwork of explaining 400 things about Japan because American schools and media think the whole world is the US, Western Europe, and places to blow up, making explaining necessary, will tie it to Ichigo, or at least how I portray him.

I'm Post Dankai Juniors, growing up in Japan. So's Kubo, actually. The boundaries of this Japanese generation are roughly '75 to '85, Yutori, the following generation that's always translated and localised as Millennial, pretty solidly set as beginning at '86. These things are always fuzzy because you can't vivisect living brains and find the part that likes char siu buns and the part that likes jazz fusion. I *majored* in Social Science. You'll have teachers who say "it is absolute that we date people who are similar to us because we're all actually narcists." (It *might* be because they're like our beloved family or community. Narcistic Personality is not universal) But it really just is fuzzy, and that teacher/book author is an idiot. Anyway, Yutori is always translated as Millennial. I don't know the end boundary. Post Dankai Juniors covers almost totally a debated throe for Germanic nations (I know Britain, Germany, and Nederland use the same generations as America, and their languages are Germanic) because of how fuzzy it all is, though.

Anyway, so since coming to the US, my interactions with other Asians, again, how is this defined when China, Mongolia, Japan all border Russia and West Asia includes Jordan and Saudi Arabia, South Asia is India's area, Southeast Asia is Laos, Thailand's area, I mean, find the Arabic kanji. I don't think Thailand even uses soy sauce. What the heck IS Asia, really? (Or "Middle East" when half of that's Africa and the other half shares plate with Europe? )

Anyway, my experience with Asians that are Boomer ages tends to be people who immigrated as adults, who more identity with a generation like "Dankai" or "Sirake." My experiences with Latinos older than me... I've never actually asked if the generational labels are even the same.

The thing about that is that when the name is the same, it means enough cultural traits are shared.

My biggest experience with people who grew up under the term "Boomer" are Black and white.

I've noticed a unifying trait.

If they're something oppressed (Black, gay), their attitude tends to be"it is mandatory to stand up for *my* demograph...but kicking the person behind me on the ladder in the teeth is wholesome, pure, and fun."

Outing me to large groups and saying I "speak Asian" seem to be the most common two. Calling me "Chinese" long after I've cleared this up for them is a close third.

I mean, don't get me wrong--my experience with Italian Americans past GI generation has been that now acquiring the "white" label, just like biphobic/aphobic/transphobic cisgays, they're more often staunch priveledge defenders than cishet people of Anglo descent! And it's just as true for X and Y as it is for Boomer (for the latter, one need only look at NYC destroyer and trump defender Giuliani) I actually don't really identify with my Italian side at all because I was kinda locked out of making any meaningful connection.

But back to my point that even in so-leftist-it's-almost-not-America Bay Area, Boomers are still like this!

The kind of stuff that flows out a X/Y TERF's mouth, or the mouth of an X/Y person with a Confederate flag on his wall, American-raised Boomers say with ease regardless of their alignment! It's banananas.

(Please note that I also just have not met a whole lot of Native Americans, period, nor enough people significantly older than me from any one place in Africa, that was an omission of lacking data, not intended as erasure)

How I tie it to Ichigo--

So Kubo avoids specifying birth years for anyone.

When I see something like this, I generally assume date of publication, as do most people in most fandoms (which of course gets screwy when you have something endlessly rebooted like Superman or Batman or something eternally unchanging like Detective Conan)

Anyway, the first Bleach something published was the comic in '01.

I generally assume it was supposed to be the start of a new school year, as Ichigo doesn't know many of his classmates until at least the first test scores come out. So it's probably April or something.

If Ichigo was 15 then, he'd also be Post Dankai Juniors, just barely. If Ichigo TURNED 15 shortly after, during his adventure, he'd be undebatably Millennial.

Now, there is still something up with Dankai and Sirake. PM Abe is the latter, b. 1954. A lot of his age-peers are behind him. This is the guy who supports remilitarisation and was caught funding a private militarist/fascist high(?) school that teaches that people from countries Japan conquered during its brief phase of trying to beat colonial Europe are less than dogs.

Now, I left there as a teen. Clinton was US president. Scandals still got people kicked out of public office in Japan. I hadn't figured or come out yet. Sure, I got bullied for being mixed, but kids will pick if you like different singers than the "cool" ones. They'll pick based on what's in your lunch. That data is sausage.

I'm not 100% sure what Ichigo would face day-to-day sociopolitically as he grew up/aged. I haven't had living family since'95 there, and friendships don't get deep enough to ever last distance until at least high school. For me, adulthood.

But I've kept/caught up enough (you try keeping up in the South before the internet was more than ten University sites!) that I know he'd face fascists (c'mon, the guy takes on a martial law government to save a new friend--that's anarchist, he just doesn't seem anarchist in his own world. He only fights humans in defence) I'm not sure how he'd feel about the JSDF, but he only fought the sinigami's war out of feeling like it was his responsibility because the adults around him kinda made it so. I super don't see him being for *starting* wars. In a human war, I see him actually being like Sugihara Chiune, a historical figure who died when I was a kid who I majorly admire. He worked at a Japanese embassy in Nazi territory, and when the embassy was evacuated,he continued throwing passports to Jewish people to go to Japan from the train he was departing on,and is hidden from Americans in the same spirit that Martin Luther King is...pulled the teeth out of. (PS, speaking of,go Google Steven Kiyosi Kuromiya)

Also, Ichigo's whole schtick is defending those worse off than him. He's not someone I see defending Yamato Japanese priveledge. Heck, I could see him joining Uchinanchu efforts to get Parliament and the US base to leave them alone. I can easily see him sticking up for a Filipino domestic worker he met thirty seconds ago.

To this end, I think regardless of what he is, he'd have a large rub with Japan's equivalents of Boomers.

Not to mention that Abe supporters tend to be very sexist and queerphobic, which isn't even homegrown but imported from Américanisation. I mean, there were female warriors--assasins, which is what Yoruichi and Soi-Fon are styled after, and go look at some Ukiyoe, like Utagawa Kitamaro. Quite a few artists in the 200-ish years of the Edo period depicted life in the queer districts. I've also had people posit that Noh might've been a welcoming draw for trans people the same way drag was all over the US in the twentieth century and still is in rural areas, where there's less cisgay gatekeeping. But this isn't something I can reasonably research without access to plenty of older and not well known dusty documents, and lots of time, and I live in the US many years now. And do you know how much round trip airfare alone is!? Also, the language changed so much and I can't read anything before Meiji without dropping words. Rukia, Byakuya, Yoruichi all have made for TV old-sounding Japanese like period dramas. Actual 18th Century Japanese would be unintelligible to the unspecialised.

So this stuff isn't really native, but Abe and a lot of people his age support all these -isms.

I super don't see Ichigo being happy about this.

(I also feel like Issin's old enough to remember before these -isms, but that's my own thing. In my project, he was in those districts, but that's me)

At the same time, I'm still writing this through my own lens. Also, not still being there, I just don't have enough data on Yutori in adulthood, or the grown Yutori lens. Honestly, even most other immigrants I meet are older than that. Or older than that and their adorable three year old children. So I have no clue.

In the early 2000s, I got myself from the South to CA and began to reconnect, but began to is the key phrase. I can tell you right now that Abe is as much of a second phase of Nakasone as trump is of Nakasone's buddy Regean. But what shifted when, I can't say. I'm not entirely sure how Koizumi ran the ship, as it were. I know some things, but not enough to say.

But whenever things shifted however, and whichever year Ichigo was born, I just cannot imagine him being any more on board with current events than really anyone in my area not born between 1946-1964 and raised in America.

I feel like he'd probably be too tired or self-effacing to fight for himself, but he'd take on, loud and proud, any bigotry against *others.*

I...also can't really say I'm much different, except my joints are held together by the power of wishes, so I'm more like "get the victim to safety" than "give the attacker plenty of regret." So, I can only do anything in limited ways.

Ichigo is also entirely fuelled by the power of love. Lost his ability to protect and feels like his sinigami friends ditched him? Mondo depressed, however much he wants no one to notice--which most do a great job of ignoring! Everyone in his world turned against him for a guy who has attacked people close to him? Terrified, and murder can now be an answer. (Fullbring Arc)

I was going somewhere with that. I've forgotten, but I'll leave it.

But anyway, I feel like he really only comes close to fighting for himself when others are taken away from him in a way that's also wronging them.

So yeah, I super don't see him happy with current events or Sirake gen.

I'm not sure how much I see him fighting for himself as mixed panromantic grey-ace. I mean, we know he fights people who are about to punch his face in for his looks, but what else can you reasonably do at that point? Get your head bashed in? I'm not sure how much I see him fighting hateful words pointed at him versus resigning himself to "people are the worst." I mean, when he talks about being picked on, he kinda seems resigned, or at least like it's a fact, like shoes being for outside or something.

I guess I tied it to Ichigo a lot better than I thought!

But also, the struggle against people born just after the war is not just you, and not just America. It's a major problem.

And it's likely that Ichigo would agree.

#out of body #musings #baby boomers #generation x #millennials #Japanese generations #Japanese politics #queerphobia #colonialism #moritomo gakuen scandal #sugihara chiune #japanese history #yoruichi shihouin #edo period

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bytheangell · 5 years

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This is the Coda that Never Ends... Part 8

(Read on AO3) (Read from the start!)

“Luke knows. How does Luke know? Do you think Alec told him?” Jace is at the Institute heading into the cafeteria for a quick brunch with Isabelle and Simon. It isn’t so much that they planned the mid-morning meal to be a brunch specifically, just that they all freed up at such scattered times throughout the morning it’s the first chance any of them have to eat.

“I don’t know,” Izzy admits, biting down on her lower lip. “He’d tell me if he was.” There’s a doubt in her tone that neither of them acknowledge. “Right?” “Right.” Jace agrees, though he feels the same doubt. “But how else would Luke find out? And mom, too. You know she’s going to come by later and want to talk now.” He groans, thinking of the texts he got from her that morning and the lengthy explanation he’ll have to give to get out of this one.

“I dunno, maybe none of you managed to stay away like we agreed,” Simon suggests, the slightly bitter undertone of his words more than justified (as is the pang of guilt Jace feels over them). All this time Simon stayed away from his best friend because it’s what they all decided should be done, knowing memories he could’ve kept with her were taken as well, for her own safety. And now it’s looking like Jace may not be the only one who didn’t hold up his end of that agreement…

Jace feels rotten about it, of course he does, but there isn’t anything he can do to fix it now. Instead he looks down at the selection of food in front of him, eager for a topic change. It’s too late for a proper breakfast, but not quite late enough to catch the lunch rush, and what results is a tray with some breakfast leftovers and the start of the lunch options in a less-than-appetizing mix.

“You know if you asked them to make some of the lunch food early, they would. You are the Head of the Institute, what good is it if you aren’t going to get some perks?” Jace grumbles, eyeing the slightly hardening waffle on his plate next to some carrots and dip.

“Because with the trouble we’re potentially in here, I want to save all my good will and favors for something that matters, not for fresh french fries at 10 am,” Izzy returns, and Simon laughs at the comment before sobering up pretty fast (pretty fast for Simon, at least).

“You don’t really think this is going to be trouble, do you?” He asks, glancing between them. So much for the topic change, Jace thinks to himself.

“I don’t know, Simon. And I’d rather be safe than sorry and prepare for the worst.” Izzy says the heavy words with a sigh to match.

“...and what is the worst?” Simon prompts.

Izzy remains silent, as does Jace. He doesn’t know about his sister, but Jace has no idea what a worst case scenario would be here. Would it be Clary remembering and finding her way back? Would it be Clary remembering and deciding to stay away? Or trying to use her runes again, to communicate with the Angels? Is the worst case scenario the Clave finding out they knew and kept it from them, or the Clave not knowing and acting on their own before the few of them who already know have a chance to step in and stop them?

He’s starting to think that no matter how this plays out, each option has a potential for disaster, and while they wait on the sidelines for things to play out naturally all he can do is take his frustrations out on the unfortunate food selection in front of him, poking at a sausage link with his fork but not picking it up to eat.

Simon allows the silence to sit and drops the question. There’s still hope there, Jace can see it on his face. Hope that this is all going to be alright, that Clary will remember and they’ll get her back and everything will go back to the way it was before. Simon is the only one of them without a worst case scenario already in mind, and Jace wishes he could hold onto that sort of optimism. There was a flash of it back at the art gallery, a moment when Clary said his name in that alley where he thought maybe--

“There you are!” The words are quiet to the point that Jace doesn’t even realize he’s part of the ‘you’ being addressed until Underhill is sliding himself into an open seat across from him, next to Isabelle. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”

Andrew’s words are rushed but quiet, and anyone who doesn’t know the particular reason he might be seeking out the three of them wouldn’t be able to see anything to worry about in his neutral expression. He does, however, glance around once just to make sure no one is close enough to listen before continuing.

“I think we may have a situation,” Andrew says. Jace puts his fork down, food forgotten. “I was going back through this morning’s footage and saw her walk into the old Jade Wolf restaurant.”

Jace, Simon, and Izzy exchange tense looks.

“It’s still under construction, the diner isn’t even open, what could she possibly being doing there?” Simon asks, more rhetorically than actually expecting an answer.

“How long did she stay?” Isabelle follows up, and this time they all turn to Andrew for the answer.

“She’s still there,” he informs them.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not upset about walking away from this enticing meal.” Already standing up from the table Jace pats his pockets to feel for his stele and the hilt of his seraph blade, just in case.

“Jace, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea--” Izzy starts, but falls silent at the shake of his head.

“I’ll be more careful this time. Someone has to check up on her, though. I can glamour and stay out of site. You need to keep your distance from this in case it blows up in our faces.” This sort of thing is expected from him, but Izzy has a reputation to uphold now. She can’t be caught in the middle of this if things go south. “I’ll be fine. I wasn’t exactly trying to stay out of sight before when I thought the glamour was enough. I know better now.”

Izzy’s hesitant but they don’t have many options. If the wrong person shows up to that diner, a werewolf, or a vampire who might hold a grudge, or…

“Go. Zero contact, report directly back to me the moment you have an update.” Izzy must be thinking along the same lines as him, and he’s grateful for it.

It doesn’t take him long to reach the restaurant, but when he does he immediately has to hide behind the side wall because Clary is exiting the front door. She looks upset, tucking hair behind her ear and turning her head back in sharp, on-edge movements as if she expects to be followed. He waits long enough for Clary to vanish from view and to make sure no one is about to come chasing out after her before going in the door she left through a few minutes prior.

“I thought I told you to--” The voice that greets him is a familiar one, though he isn’t used to hearing it so distraught. Normally Maia is the very picture of calm and collected, even in the face of danger. Perhaps more so in the face of danger.

He crosses his arms over his chest and doesn’t break eye contact. “Please, don’t stop on my account. I’d love to hear all about what you told Clary.”

Maia falls silent in front of him. He doesn’t yell or demand answers, but he doesn’t react with any sympathy either while he watches her falter. If she went behind all of their backs and was talking to Clary, befriending her again when they were supposed to stay away, then she doesn't deserve understanding.

“I fucked up,” Maia says finally. “But when she just showed up out of the blue I couldn’t bring myself to kick her out.”

“Why was she even here?” He's ready to go off on her, a lecture on bringing Clary back into their world when she should know better, but he needs to hear her admit to it first.

“I don’t know. She doesn’t know, not really. She just said she felt drawn here, or something. But you didn’t see her, Jace. She looked so lost. I couldn’t -- I had to let her stay.” Jace isn’t sure who Maia is trying to convince more - him or herself.

“So let me get this straight. As far as Clary knows she jus wandered into the under construction diner of a total stranger who let her hang out for an hour?”

“...well when you put it like that…” Maia shrugs.

“Shit, Maia. You can’t just--” Jace starts, but stops just as quickly. He doesn’t have much right to lecture, after all. And it isn’t like Maia went to find Clary. Maia didn’t invite her here.... She didn’t ask for this. She also isn’t telling him the whole store.

“She looked upset when she was leaving…” Jace prompts, giving Maia a chance to explain on her own before he turns this into more of an interrogation. He’s been down that route with maia before and he doesn’t want it to come to that.

“That’s because I kicked her out after she painted this-” Maia turns and heads toward one of the back rooms, not bothering to stop and wait to see if Jace will follow. He does, stopping abruptly in the doorway at the sight of the voyance rune on the wall.

Jace immediately pulls out his phone, snaps a picture, and sends it to Izzy and Alec and Simon, with the caption: ‘Our favorite artist left this at Maia’s. I don’t think waiting is an option’.

“She said she didn’t remember painting it and wanted to stay and help me cover it up, but I panicked and told her to leave.” The slight widening of Maia’s eyes and the faintest tremor of her bottom lip are the only tells of the fear she’s kept from her voice so far. It comes through when she finally works up the nerve to ask what she’s been thinking this entire time. “Jace, what’s happening with Clary?”

Jace wishes more than anything he had an answer to that question.

#shadowhunters #jace herondale #maia roberts #isabelle lightwood #simon lewis #clary fray #i wanted to do more this week but i got sick today #so we're leaving it at this for the week sorry!#elle writes a few deadbeat lines

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higuchimon · 5 years

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[fanfic] It Started With A Break-In: Chapter 2

That same thought remained on Juudai’s mind as he slept. Vivid imagery of agile winged rabbits flying through the garden and landing on his lap to clean his plate filled his thoughts, while a demon sat behind him and giggled wickedly with every breath.

When he woke it was a great deal nearer to noon and he stared at the sun-drenched garden visible through his broad window. He could see one of the guards out there too; he’d been told that the only reason he was allowed a room with a garden view was because of his elite bodyguards. He wasn’t sure of the reasons why, though. But it gave him something to think about now.

Juudai snuggled back down into his blankets, trying to put all the tiny pieces together. It probably wasn’t bunnies, not real ones. Well not ordinary bunnies. He’d heard about magical types of rabbits.

They can’t fly, though, can they? He didn’t know. He didn’t remember ever having heard about flying rabbits, just magical ones. Some could damage you just by looking at you, he’d heard.

So. Either it was some magic rabbits of some kind – who could probably fly – or someone made them fly – why would they do that? - or someone was making people think there were rabbits in the garden and stealing from it.

He wasn’t all that great at logic. But he wanted to figure out why they would do that. Nothing he thought of made any sense. If someone was all that hungry, why couldn’t they just go home and eat there? Their food wasn’t all that different from anyone else’s food. They did have more of it, because there were a lot of people to feed in the palace, but still, couldn’t whoever was stealing this just ask?

Bunnies wouldn’t ask. Magic bunnies can’t even talk. Though he’d never met a magic bunny and if they were magic, maybe they could talk.

He flipped over and stared up at the ceiling, trying to work this out and not doing the best job of it. None of it made sense, so Juudai decided that tonight he would do what he’d done already: he’d wait out in the garden and he would make sure this time that he stayed awake and could see what happened.

For now, he wriggled out of bed and padded to his washroom, planning on how to pull this off. He needed to do it right this time. So he needed something so that he wouldn’t fall asleep, and maybe something that bunnies wouldn’t want to eat. If they didn’t want to eat it, then they wouldn’t, and he could see them when they came to check it out.

Sausages. Rabbits wouldn’t eat sausages and he loved them. His stomach rumbled just at the thought of having one now.

He’d barely formed the thought of having sausages for breakfast when the door opened and one of the servants walked in, carrying a plate of food, with sausages very clearly present there. She smiled at him when she saw him scrubbing his face.

“Hello, Your Highness. I hear that you were trying to catch rabbits last night?” She settled the tray on his favorite table. “Did you have any luck?”

“Nope.” Juudai groaned theatrically at that. “I’m gonna try again, tonight though.” He peered up at her. “Think I can have some sausages tonight? Bunnies don’t eat sausages.”

She chuckled. “I wouldn’t be so certain of that. But if you like, I’ll leave a message for the night staff. You should make sure that you get a lot of sleep, too. You don’t want to drift off, do you?”

Juudai tried not to blush. He wasn’t all that successful. He focused his attention on his food instead, settling down in front of it and starting to eat as quickly as he could. He hoped that he could talk to his parents about this before he went out there again. If magic flying talking rabbits existed, then he was pretty sure that his parents would know about it and could tell him.

He hadn’t quite finished eating before Queen Kaien poked her head into his room, smiling at the sight of him. “Good noon, Juudai.”

“Hi, mother!” Juudai chirped, waving brightly. At least he tried to say that; it was a little difficult with his mouth full of food. He swallowed, trying so hard not to choke, and washed it all down with grape juice. “Did you hear about the talking flying magic rabbits?”

Queen Kaien tilted her head to the side. “The what?”

Oh. Right. Juudai perked up even more at that. “That’s what it has to be! Flying magic talking rabbits! Because they have to fly to get up to where I was and they have to talk to ask if they can eat and that means they’re magic!”

The queen moved farther into the room, a smile teasing on the edges of her lips. Juudai thought that smile meant that she didn’t believe him and she might not let him try to find the magic rabbits again. He drew in a breath, ready to launch his deeper explanation – once he figured out what that was – but she quieted him down with a shake of her head.

“You think we have magical rabbits in our garden?” Kaien sat down at the table. Juudai quickly finished up his food and leaned forward, eyes bright and cheerful and so eager to tell her what he’d thought of.

She listened quietly, not interrupting, until Juudai finished up with asking if he could sit outside again. Her answer didn’t come right away and Juudai wanted to ask if he needed to go over everything again when she finally spoke.

“The weather mages informed your father and I that tonight there will be a rainstorm sometime after midnight. It will be cold as well. If you wait, we’re going to have to make certain that you’re protected from the weather.”

Juudai pouted right away. “I’ll be fine!” He’d never been out in a rainstorm before, but he’d seen them pouring from behind the windows. It would be amazing to go out there and see it for himself. If only he could! If only she’d let him, without whatever protection she wanted him to have.

“You’re going to have a rain-cloak and a few defensive and warming gems, regardless of what the weather is like. And I’ll make certain that your shelter is waterproof.” Kaien gave him a very stern look. “If you don’t agree with me, then you’re not going to stay out there until the rain’s passed. it’s not a good idea to get wet like that and you wouldn’t enjoy it.”

Juudai sort of wanted to test that for himself. But his mother very seldom backed down and he let out a very put-upon sigh. “All right.” He wiggled one napkin a little. “Can I keep the magic talking flying rabbit if I can find one?”

“We’ll see. If they can talk, then you can ask the rabbit if they want to be kept.” Kaien rose up. “You should sleep today. It will help you get ready for tonight.”

“I know. Already got told that.” Juudai glanced outside; it didn’t look as if it were going to rain. Blue sky from horizon to horizon, not even a hint of a cloud, and if it did rain, it would probably be warm. Those weather mages probably got their predictions all mixed up with winter weather.

Kaien chuckled. “I thought as much. I’ll see you this evening, son. Be careful of the flying talking magic rabbits. They can be quite a handful.”

“Have you ever met one?” Juudai asked, poking at his plate for any stray pieces of sausage that might have been left behind.

“I’ve met one or two rabbits. But none that can fly or talk or use magic.”

Juudai grinned at the thought of being the first person in his family to meet that kind of a rabbit. And he would definitely find out if it would like to be kept as his pet. Maybe he should clean out an area of his playroom to keep his new rabbit in? He couldn’t sleep all day, could he?

Well, he’d be willing to try. He’d always enjoyed sleeping and to be able to do it when he normally didn’t excited him. He wasn’t even sure if he could sleep with how excited he was.

A couple of hours later, his mother and father peered in to check on him. Neither of them were all that surprised to see him curled up in the middle of his bed, sound asleep, with a book about rabbits on the pillow next to him. King Aodh chuckled.

“What are we going to do with him, Kaien?”

“Hope that he doesn’t want us to get him a magic flying talking rabbit if this turns out to just be a clever thief?”

Aodh nodded. Perhaps Juudai would be satisfied with a puppy.

To Be Continued

Notes: A puppy wouldn’t help. But a Yubel might...

#fanfic #higuchimon writes #ygo gx #yuuki juudai #yubel #yubel x juudai #juudai x yubel #soulshipping #chapters: it started with a break-in

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hiei1300 · 6 years

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An Avenger’s Secret

Chapter 3: Breakfast

Pairing: Loki x Female Reader

Summary: Being the epitome of professional, you have one rule that must be followed to the T; Never mix business and personal. But how will your integrity fair against meeting the Avengers, or better yet, a certain Avenger’s brother?

A/N: I drew a little quick sketch of what I thought the outfit and hair would look like.

Word Count: 3066

Warnings: One bad word

Chapter 2

The morning came quickly, the sounds of begrudging shuffling and the water running in all directions of the building. You smiled to yourself as everyone started to wake up. Being an early riser yourself, you were up and about long before the sun peeked over the horizon. Seeing as you were off for the weekend, you had let your hair flow down in a curtain like fashion around your face slightly covering your left eye, tying it together at the ends just below your waist to keep it from fully falling forward. Wearing black leggings and a comfortable soft cotton T, you were set for the day. A soft hum resonating from your being, you smirked to yourself when you heard feet shuffling toward you in the kitchen.

“Good morning, Mr. Stark. Did you sleep well?”

Placing a mug of hot coffee in front of the obviously worn man, he gave a low hum as his response. Not long after he took a seat in front of you had more figures shuffled in. You were happy to see them all in the pajamas that you laid out for them, Natasha looked cute in your oversized shirt, their hair was still damp, Clint still almost fully wet. Everyone greeted each other a good morning as they sat around the kitchen, you placing coffee, creamer, milk and sugar for each of them.

“Thank you, (Y/n).” called your boss, beginning to wake up with the help of the caffeine. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Does anyone remember how we got to bed last night? I’m drawing a blank.” Asked Steve, pouring a reasonable amount of sugar into his mug.

Coming around to place a towel over Clint’s head, you refilled Tony’s cup with more coffee.

“I remember floating.” The archer called from under the cloth, not bothering to move it as he took a sip from his beverage.

“Same here.” Agreed Bruce, opting to drink his coffee black.

Giving you a questioning look, you gingerly shrugged at your boss, taking your leave, a smirk playing on your lips. Entering in your place, Thor was followed in by Loki and Bucky, the only three not in pajamas this early in the morning.

Thor was in his usual attire, minus the cape and hammer. Bucky was comfortably wearing a fitted black shirt and dark blue jeans that complimented his body well. And then there was Loki, he walked in wearing an all-black suit with a satin emerald green tie and gold cufflinks. It was honestly quite amusing to see the three standing together like that.

“Your jokes are starting to lose their edge, brother. I would surely remember if that happened.”

“Hey, Thor, do you remember what happened last night?” Sam walked up to the three, handing Bucky a mug for his coffee. “None of us can seem to remember how we all got to bed.”

“According to my brother,” he started, everyone turning their attention to him, “(Y/n) carried us all to our rooms.”

“What? No way.”

“There’s no way she could do that, look at us.” Gesturing to the men in the room, you were much smaller than they, save for Ms. Romanoff. “I can believe she carried Nat, but there’s no way she could lift the rest of us.”

Laughing into his mug, Tony looked away from Nat who was looking at him skeptically.

“Did she, Tony?” she asked, the others looking for him to answer.

When he just smiled at the wall, their skepticism was starting to waver.

“It’s true.” Commented Loki, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. “I saw her take every one of you to your rooms. Looking like children being carried off by their mother.”

“And what makes you think we’d believe you?” Clint glared at the God. “Your track record isn’t exactly trust worthy.”

“Take my words as you wish, I speak the truth. It was quite amusing, actually.” He smirked.

“Hold up,” Steve cut in before a fight could start, “Tony, did (Y/n) take us to our rooms or not?”

“I’m not sure.” The man stated with a shrug. “I was unconscious. Buuuut, I know how we can find out.”

Getting up from his seat, everyone followed Tony into the living room. Pulling up the TV, he called out.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. pull up the events of last night.”

The screen flickered to life as surveillance footage showed everyone passed out on the couches and floor. Forwarding it a little, Tony played it when you came into the picture. Looking on in shock, they watched you file in and out of the room, carrying each of them to a separate direction.

“Wow, she’s pretty strong.” Commented Clint when they saw you carry Steve off into the other room.

“Do you believe me now?” mused Loki, standing off to the side, a cocky smile plastered on his face. Before they could respond he cut off. “Oh, this is my favorite part.”

Turning back to the screen, you were laying out Thor and tying his feet together.

“What is she doing?” questioned the God, the others not having any idea either.

Suddenly they burst in a fit of laughter as they witnessed you picking up the large man and carry him like a fresh kill.

“Holy shit!” Laughed Tony. “I didn’t know she could do that.” Pausing the screen showing Thor over your shoulders, an embarrassed hue crept onto the man’s face.

“Oh good, you’re all here.” Pulling them from the screen, everyone turned to you.

“Where did you disappear to?” asked Sam, chuckling still from what they seen you do.

“Laundry.” You stated simply, walking over to the stove. Switching it off, they now noticed that it was on this entire time. “Take a seat.” You instructed, opening up the oven.

Seeing you in this comfortable attire, you left a positive impression on the trickster and dark soldier. The shirt hugged your body perfectly with the collar coming low to show a sensible amount of cleavage, your hair casting an air of playful mystery. The black clothing accentuated your assets very well when you turned around to bend over in front of the stove.

Coming around, the group watched you pull out trays of food, laying them out for everyone to see. Eggs, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, chicken, you name it, it was there it seemed. There was enough to feed a small army.

“Whaaa…?”

Walking over to the fridge, you pulled out cut fruit, yogurt, and the milk and orange juice.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, but I hope it’s to your satisfaction.” Pulling down plates and cups, you placed them in front of everyone to serve themselves. “Enjoy.”

“When did you have time to make all this?” piling on pancakes and fruit, Steve leaned against the counter to eat.

“I’m an early riser.” You stated, serving yourself some oatmeal with fruit.

“Thank you, (Y/n).” Ms. Romanoff, along with everyone else, was really surprised by all the effort you put.

“And thank you for taking us to bed.” Added Bruce. “I didn’t think you were that strong.”

Peering at the screen, you turned back to the others.

“You didn’t watch all of it?”

Stopping mid chew, they looked at you in question of what you meant. Striding over to the TV, Tony, Natasha, and Thor noticed how Loki tensed up some when you grabbed the remote. Pressing play, they waited patiently for what more there was to see.

With a spit-take, the group burst in a fit of laughter as they saw you stride away with the ebony haired God in your arms. Said God looked miffed to say the least, straightening his suit jacket some to collect himself, you were trying your damnedest to not laugh or show any indication of amusement from it all. Taking a seat at the couch, you turned off and raised the screen from view so you could marvel at the sight of the glowing city.

Coming over to join you, the only man that you didn’t carry to bed sat next to you.

“I’m glad to see you well, Mr. Barnes. I was a little worried when I didn’t find you amongst the others.” Your eyes never left the skyline, this was the best part of the mornings in the tower, seeing the colors brighten into the beautiful blue.

“I turned in early.” He stated simply, taking a bite from his plate.

“Mmmh, do not let her go Tony.” You heard Mr. Wilson call over to your boss. Everyone seeming to enjoy your home cooking. Even Loki was eating waffles, obviously with a little effort from his brother.

“I don’t plan to.” He answered between bites.

It wasn’t long after Bucky sat did you get up, you finished eating before the others, surprising everyone but Tony, seeing as how Thor is usually the one to finish his meal. Cleaning your bowl and putting it away, you left the others to their food.

“You alright there, Buck?” coming over to take your vacant spot on the couch, Steve gave his friend a sympathetic smile.

“I made an idiot of myself last night, didn’t I?” Though his features were neutral, his eyes and voice were somber.

“Nah, pretty sure you didn’t say anything stupid. Though I only caught the end of your chat with her last night.” He laughed lightly.

“The only thing I remember was her mentioning something about a kaleidoscope. After that, I just remember heading to bed with you guys all laughing.”

“You could always ask if you’re that unsure.”

“And have her laugh at me? Yeah right.”

“Somehow I don’t see her as the laughing type.” Added Sam, walking over to join the conversation. “I mean she’s kept a serious face through all of last night and now. Girl doesn’t even crack a smile.”

“Hey, Tony, you sure you didn’t build another robot without us knowing?” Steven joked, enticing the others to come around and join the three on the couch in the living room.

“Trust me, I’m not that good. Vision was a strategic accident, (Y/n) is just very meticulous.”

“So, tell us more about her, Tony.” Nat enquired, bring her mug to her lips as she tucked herself under the large shirt. “How did you find her?”

“After Pepper kinda got rid of mostly everyone, the mess was starting to build up. I carefully put out an ad for a cleaning party, hers was the first to pop in, 15 minutes after the ad went up. I set a meeting, had Happy took the interview and let me know that it was just her and that he liked her. When I finally met her, you know I was expecting her to get all giddy when she saw me but no. With the most indifferent expression I had ever seen, she shook my hand and let me know before I said anything that she could start that day.”

“So, no family? Kids? Nothing?” chimed Clint, leaning against Nat on the couch, still eating.

“The closest thing to family is her best friend, I met her once when she came to pick up (Y/n) from work. Nice girl, that was the first time I actually saw her smile.”

“Well, now we know she isn’t a robot.” Steve nudged Bucky playfully.

“She’s very careful to keep personal information out of work, I’ve asked her several times to hang out or invite people over, but she won’t.”

“Have you done a background check on her? Seems a little sketchy.”

“Fury did. Nothing came up. Graduated top honors in Princeton for Business then topped at SVA in Media Design and Animation. Before that, nothin’.”

“Like, she just popped up out of nowhere?” there was a slight uneasiness in the air when Sam said that.

“Guys, look, I know it sounds off but I trust her and so does Pepper, Fury didn’t find anything and she hasn’t done anything.”

“Prehaps she’s running from something.”

Everyone looked to the God that spoke, his brother looking slightly uneasy by the growing tension in the air.

“You don’t know anything about this female, and yet you let her waltz right in here like she owns the place.”

“I hate to admit it, Tony,” agreed Steve, “and I mean I hate it, but Loki has a point. This is beyond your average maid, hell, she can lift Thor without hesitation.”

“You just don’t know her, that’s all. Watch, give her time to warm up and you’ll see what I mean.”

“I don’t think you know her either, Tony.” Added Nat, Clint nodding in agreement.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

“Then how about this,” chimed Loki with a calm demeaner, “you trust her with everything while everyone else seems a bit put off by her lack of information. Why don’t we all stay here in the tower with you? If I recall, you’re not home very often. This will give everyone a front row seat in how she really is.”

“I like that idea.” Sam smiled, there was some murmurs about it all but in the end, it seemed like the best option.

Before he could retort further, they heard you walking in, humming to yourself as you started prepping to clean the dishes and put away left overs.

“Um, hey, (Y/n).” Tony called over to you.

“Yes, Mr. Stark?” even with your eyes fixed on the man, you kept pace with your task easily.

“Seeing as today is your day off, why don’t we all go out? You included.”

Raising a brow at his invitation, you noticed how everyone seemed a bit tense waiting for your answer. Recognizing the situation, this was the same feeling Pepper had when she first met you, before she trusted you to work for them.

“I have a few errands to run today, when I’m finished I’ll come back here.” You stated simply.

“Then is there a possibility that you’d require assistance?” chimed Loki, a grin playing on his lips.

“Thank you but I don’t think walking around with the Avengers will help me get my to-do list finished any quicker. I’d be faster if I did them myself.”

With everyone getting up from their spots, they gathered around you in the kitchen. Loki and Thor lagging behind.

“Brother, I haven’t the slightest what you are thinking, but I implore you to cease.” The blond God whispered to his counterpart.

“What ever do you mean?” feigning innocents, Loki took his strides over to join the others, a smirk evident.

“What if just two of us tagged along with you.” Offered Sam, nudging Bucky with a smile. “That way everyone else can plan out what we can do.”

Their concern was understandable, a stranger that has access to everything in the tower could be a threat if given the opportunity. Still the thought of being out in public with any of them wasn’t sitting well with you. Not seeing a way around their offer, you folded.

“Who amongst you is less conspicuous?” the dishes were quickly scrubbed and put aside, Steve coming over next to you to dry and put them away.

“Uhhh…” there was a silence as everyone tried to think who wouldn’t be spotted easily walking around New York.

“I could go.” Volunteered Loki, earning a glare from Clint and a tense response from both Mr. Rogers and Mr. Stark. “After all, I can blend in quite easily in the crowds.”

Turning your gaze to the man, his body was surrounded by a soft bright green glow before turning into a completely different person. Though you didn’t show it, it was really impressive to see.

“No wa- “

“Okay.” You chimed, cutting off Tony. Everyone looking at you with surprised concern.

“Then how about Bucky?” suggested Steve next to you. “He isn’t well known to the public and we can get ahold of either of you if we need.”

“That’s fine.” You agreed, finishing up and draining the water. “Give me a moment to put the clothes away and we can go.”

“What clothes?” asked Clint.

“Yours.” You said simply.

Leaving them to collect themselves, they group all turned to Loki.

“You’re not going.” Stated Tony, his arms crossed in disapproval.

“And yet, she agreed.” He chimed happily, turning back to himself.

“Bucky will be with them, Stark.” Steve added. “For now, what did you have in mind for the rest of the day?”

“How about playing a game?” suggested Sam. “We can play volleyball or something, if (Y/n) joins that’s five per team. Plus, it will give us a chance to include Kylo Ren over here.”

“As fun as that sounds, it’s not very fair.” Natasha laughed. “Not mentioning that Yin and Yang don’t know any of our sports or their rules, there are four super powered beings here, there will be need to be handicaps set if we do come up with something like that.”

Both Gods exchanging looks, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

“And that’s not including that (Y/n) might not want to play at all.” Added Bruce. “Other than reading, she hasn’t mentioned anything about what she likes to do for fun.”

“Maybe that’s something we can hint at.” Bucky said. “When we’re out with her, we’ll try and see what she likes to do.”

“And get to know more about her.” Added Loki.

None of them were on board with letting him leave the building with you but they were a little easy on the idea since Bucky was tagging along. Walking back in, a backpack slung over your shoulders, you caught their attention.

“I’ve placed your clothes on your beds, I’ll let you know when I’m heading back. Are you two ready?”

Walking over to you both men nodded.

“You guys have pockets, right?” you questioned as the three of you stepped into the elevator.

“Yes…?” Bucky answered.

“Can one of you hold these? I don’t feel like constantly taking on and off my bag to dig them out.” Holding out your phone and wallet, Loki took them and placed them in his jacket pockets before Bucky could fully process what you asked.

“Thank you, Mr. Laufeyson.”

“Loki, my dear, please.” Smirking at the man on the other side of you. He glared some as the doors opened on the ground floor, both following you out of the building.

Chapter 4

#loki x reader #loki #tony stark #thor #natasha romanoff #clint barton #bruce banner #sam wilson #bucky barnes #steve rogers #avengers

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alliebruns-blog · 6 years

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Crafty Fox Marathon, Downslink Ultra and Pacing a Pal…..

Well, I’ve been shit at this, haven’t I? I’ve just had loads on and so have totally not had time to do the writing thing that I love doing the most. I have, however, been doing a fair bit of running. September saw the inaugural Crafty Fox marathon - a classic White Star marathon ish in the lovely village of Ansty. For reasons known to nobody apart from myself, I decided to wear a fox tail. Calm down everyone, it’s not a real one. I left that at home. This was 2 loops of a beautiful working farm, with cows and views and posh schools and loads of lovely runners.

TAIL!

It was my first marathon in a couple of weeks, and my training had been less than satisfactory. At this point in the year, I’m just trying to keep things ticking over rather than win stuff or beat my PB’s or even do anywhere near ‘well’. My “A “races have been done, and I have achieved what I set out - there’s just the small matter of 3 weeks of running across deserts and jungles in November to deal with, so ultimately I need to keep fit for what will be day after day of ‘challenging’ endurance running.

HILL!

I turned up with about 30 miles in two weeks under my belt, telling myself it was “only” a marathon (epic mistake). I also didn’t pack anything substantial to eat because, again, I just thought it’s “only” a marathon. I am a twat. As is the way with White Star races, this was not flat. I was running with Julius, who was taking it easy as he had the half marathon the next day (where I was marshalling) so we set off, almost immediately walking up a massive hill. The course was lovely - farmland tracks, mega up hills and cows trotting next to us. The downs were as steep as the ups and, after about 6 miles, I started to get hungry. The aid stations had the usual mix of WSR stuff, but I really needed a sandwich and I didn’t have one. The fact that I was hungry, basically meant my run was a slog. It took away from the beauty of it - all I could think about was food. As it was a test race, the usual Love Station was less full than it would have otherwise been, which led this vegetarian to eat 71 mini sausages on the first loop. Sorry everyone, but a girls gotta eat. If I am honest, I hated that second loop, but it is my fault entirely. Food is important.

Another hill.......

Not a cult......

This is a beauty of a race - as long as you’re not starving. The race village felt like a party zone - so many great faces and the brilliant Piddle Brewery delivering the goods on the booze front. The medal is awesome too. Would I do it again? 100%. Will I make sure to eat and get a bit more training in? Yes. As I said, I am a tail-wearing twat.

MEDALZ

After a month off events with weddings and other stupid normal human stuff in the way, it was time for the Downslink Ultra. This is an event run by Jason McCardle - A Do-Badder and all round good egg. A race director who is also an endurance runner is a good thing - they know what’s what. I had been promising him for ages I would do a Sussex Trail Event, and had to this point failed, so I was really looking forward to this. It’s basically 38 miles down a disused railway track, running from Guildford to Shoreham-On-Sea. It’s flat - I LIKE FLAT! And I totally loved it.

Start line pose.....

The wonderful Lorna Spayne (Head of Bailey Crew OBE) picked me up in the morning, and drove me to the start, and then went off on marshalling duties. She’s so brilliant. I love her. The run is point to point, so Julius had parked his car at the end and got a bus up to meet me at the start. Clever ain’t we?

Dream team....

Navigation is simple - follow the signs. The route is packed trail, with some stunning trots through forest and old tunnels. Although it’s a long, straight line, it never gets boring to look at - the weather was AMAZING - we lucked out with one of those cold, sunny autumn days, but once again my lack of midweek running was showing, and at times I found it a struggle. The start was at the top of a hill (approved) where we all whizzed down sandy trails and across very quiet roads to reach the first aid station at around 6 miles.

I mean..........

Dat Autumn sun filter....

At the second aid station, I bumped into Jay and mentioned how lucky we were with the weather - the day before had been appauling. “I know” he said “I ran it yesterday to check the route”. That’s what you want - and RD that does that is a keeper, and believe me a lot of them don’t!

Aid stations were stocked with stuff for everyone - props on the vegan bites Jay! - and with super lovely marshals. I can only compare this to White Star for it’s organisation and support. You can tell Jay is a runner - he knows what runners want to eat for a start. The other runners were great and happy to chat as we clattered along - no Salomon men here (well a few but I didn’t see them because SLOW). Once again, Julius ran with me - I am trying to train him to run slower for the longer races we have booked in next year - not easy. He reminds me of my dog. I have to shout “WITH ME” every 5 mins when he tries to run off. I don't have a lead for him though. Not that sort of party.

Welcome to the jungle....

A train......

This is a race for people that like to be sociable. Of course, it’s a great course for a PB - it’s flat and trail - nothing stopping you smashing it out - but it’s also very social, with wide paths and loads of space. It would be great for groups of people wanting to take on their first Ultra, as the cut offs are pretty decent and you don't have to run in single file at any point. I think if I had been on my own I would have got bored at points, but the autumn light was so brilliant and the changing scenery also made it seem less like a never ending railway track.

Countryside......

It’s alright this.......

We went through fields, trails and small towns, under tunnels and through bits of ‘british jungle’. The main aid station is right next to a pub, and holy shit was it epic. Everything from sandwiches and mini wraps to cheese and pineapple on sticks to melon. This time, I had been sensible, and packed sandwiches and snacks and nuts, but I didn’t need too. There was even coffee! I was so happy I gave Jay a cuddle and 11 out of 10 for aid station glory. He just looked at me, confused.

Pro running shot courtesy of Lorna!

After this point it started to get a teeny bit more industrial on the run into Shoreham - not the worst end to a race I have ever experienced (Newcastle anyone?) Head of Crew Lorna met us about 2 miles from the end and ran us in. I was pretty happy with 7.14 on the back of no events the previous month and the chilli at the end was delicious, as were the showers. Sussex Trail Events know how to put on a good value, fun and achievable event. It’s safe, beautiful and genuinely a runners race. Jay understands what we want and need, and there’s nothing more to it. I am now eyeing up pretty much everything else he has on offer for next year - go and have a look for yourselves here.

The following week I had the pleasure of being asked to pace my good friend Dan at his first 100 miler - the Autumn 100. As many of you know, this was my first 100 mile event this time last year and I was over the moon to be asked to help Dan out from the 50-75 mile mark. I know what a huge deal your first 100 mile race is and I know how important those pacers can be, so I was both scared I would fuck it up, and thrilled that I got to be part of his story.

Dan looking better before I got to him......

The Ridgeway is leg 3 of a 4 leg race. It’s 50 miles in to the A100. Usually runners run it in the dark - and it is DARK up there - no light at all. I worked on a pace plan with Dan in the weeks before, giving him an A, B and C plan so he wouldn’t feel he was failing at any point. I worked out that to be on course for a sub 24 hour time, he should be with me at Goring at 8pm and ready to go at 8.10. If we could do this 25 mile leg in 6 hours, he would be on for that sub 24 with 7 hours for the final leg (always keep an hour for aid station faff and procrastinating).

I got to Goring at 7pm (just in case) and had been watching his tracker like a hawk all day - he looked like he was on target. Sadly, in the last part of the second leg, he slowed slightly and came into Goring 40 mins later than planned, which means we didn’t leave until 8.50. I would have to try and get him through this leg slightly faster than planned and let his next pacer Kieran know that he was going to have to think more 6 hours than 7 for leg 4.

Being a pacer is frought with difficulties. I know Dan quite well and I love him, we have run together before a lot - he came and ran with me on the Thames Path for 40 odd miles - but working out how far you can push a person is hard. I didn’t want to piss him off, but I had a job to do. We weren’t allowed to crew the runners - that means you can’t touch them, help them get changed or get them food and drink. They have to do it themselves or get a centurion member of staff to do it - that is massively frustrating. I got him out of the hall as soon as I could, and we started walking at 14 min miles up the hill towards the ridgeway. I explained we were late setting out, and we would have to do some running. Dan did not look impressed. He has already run 50 miles. I was fresh out the box.

Halfway through the night shift.....

I was so worried about time and I tried to make Dan run as much as possible, but it was hard. When we walked, we walked at 13-14 min miles and I made him run down most of the hills. I could see him flagging. That far away look you get in your eyes - he had it. I kept on trying to be helpful. You need to be able to read when it’s ok to chat and when you should shut up. I pushed him to run as much as possible, and tried to get him to eat more. He wasn’t eating or drinking enough - I know exactly how he felt - but I also know you have to keep shovelling it down. The second half of the leg featured our best friend the “hammering side rain”. We were cold and wet - I ALWAYS run through this weather - to get out of it quicker - but Dan was only managing 2 mins running and then 5 - 10 mins walking. I texted ahead to tell Kieran to get ready to smash the next leg out in 6.30 rather than 7.

As we came to the end of my leg I did a bit of home truth chat. I told him he could do it in sub 24 IF he could manage to do a 6.30 on the last leg. I told him about how you feel towards the end, and I hope that I helped him and didn’t scare him. We got in to the hall at 6.06 for my leg. Kieran was waiting, got him fed and changed as quickly as possible and got him out. When I saw him in the light of the hall I felt terrible I hadn’t fed him more. He was flagging. He had been running for almost 17 hours and he was half the Dan he usually was. I gave him a cuddle and went to get in the car home. It was 3.30am. Dan had over 7 hours more running to do.

The last leg was appalling for Dan - the weather was awful and his feet were playing up very badly. Despite this, he managed to get back in just over 25 hours - which is a fucking epic time for a first 100. I was lucky on mine - I didn’t have that driving rain and wind. With it, it would have been a very different story. Dan has achieved what 99% of people can’t, and for that I am immensely proud. I loved pacing him and being part of his journey and I learnt a lot from it. Huge thanks to Kieran for bringing him home in one piece. And thanks Dan for allowing me to annoy you for 6 hours.

So that’s where we are at! Next up for me is the Thames Path “Trot” - 50 miles of Thames Path - because we all know how much I love the Thames Path right? (Kill me now) Then I am off to New York for the marathon. And then Namibia and Panama. Jesus christ, will this hell never end? (I hope not…..)

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tinydooms · 6 years

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YOU WANT PROMPTS???!!! fuck you here we go, pick one and run with it: 1) belle's christmas, when she's about 8 years old; 2) a trash!prince christmas spectacle; 3) a garderenza christmas story, post-curse. run free, writer-person

I have NO IDEA who could have left this ask. ;-)

@sweetfayetanner @lumiereswig @hathor-frozen @morgaine2005 @fadedelegance @batbobsession et al.

MyFamily’s Christmas:

AnEssay by Belle Durant, age 8

ForMademoiselle d'Eleve’s class

Christmasis a very special time for my family. Papa and I live at Madame andMonsieur Thierry’s boarding house in the Rue de Boulangerie here inVersailles. Madame and Monsieur Thierry love Christmas very much andtry to make it as festive as possible for everyone in the house.Since Papa is my only family, we join in as much as possible. I amgoing to tell you about how we spend Christmas, starting on the daybefore Christmas Eve and ending with Christmas Day.

Everyday, Papa wakes up at dawn and walks up to the palace, where he worksas an artists. The King has ten thousand paintings, and all of themneed to be looked after and kept beautiful, and besides that, thereare always new things that need to be painted. Normally I get up,too, and go to school right after breakfast, but today, Decembertwenty-third, is different. Today I go to the palace with Papa, tosee the Christmas festivities. I wear my very best dress: it is darkgreen wool, and Madame Thierry helped me to embroider the hems withyellow thread that I got for a penny at the market. Madame Thierrybrushes and braids my hair, and gives me a hot bun to eat while wewalk, because it’s not every day that I get to go to the castle.Maybe I’ll even see the queen, she says! Papa chuckles and says“Maybe”.

It’sjust getting light when we leave the boarding house and head towardsthe castle. There are farmers and tradesmen setting up for theChristmas Market and they wave at Papa and me as we go. It doesn’ttake us long to get to the palace gates. The gatekeepers know Papa,since he’s there almost every day, and they wave us through. Thenit’s a long walk up the drive and through the gardens to theservants’ entrance, where Papa and I go into the sitting room for theartisans. Papa shows me where to hang up my cloak, and brushes me offa little to make sure that I’m presentable. Then he picks up his boxwith all of his tools in it, and we head out into the kitchens.

VersaillesPalace is always in a tizzy. There are ten thousand people in it, allof them trying to get breakfast ready for the King and his courtiers.Plus there are hundreds of valets and maids trying to make tea andchocolate and coffee for their masters and mistresses, so that thekitchens seem to be filled with thousands of voices, each oneyelling. I don’t like the kitchens much. But Papa whisks me rightthrough, out into the palace itself. He is allowed to roam it,because he helps take care of the paintings. It is still early, so noone important is up, and Papa takes me on a tour to show me all ofthe big rooms and the paintings in them, and the Christmasdecorations. I think that the palace is very beautiful, all hungabout with glass and mirrors and paintings, and draped withevergreens and ribbons for the season. There is a four hundred yearold creche in the chapel, where the Virgin lies on a little bed whileeveryone else worships the baby Jesus, because she worked hard onmaking that baby and needs a rest. I wish that we had a creche.

Afterthat, the royals all wake up and Papa and I have to go to work. Papahas a workshop in the attic and we spend some time restoring thevarnish on some old portraits, and touching up the faded colors in acouple of hunting scenes. I’m not allowed to help, since these arethe King’s paintings, but Papa wraps me up in a big smock so my dresswon’t get damaged, and I mix his paints. We do that until lunch time,which we have in the kitchens. Then Papa takes me on a walk throughthe palace, and we look at the royals having lunch. Anyone can dothis, since royal meals are public. I think Papa looks very dashingwith a sword in his belt, but I feel sorry for the people gettingstared at while they’re trying to eat their lunch. We don’t see theKing, but we do see the Queen! She has some visitors, including avery pretty lady who I think was a princess, and that lady’s littleboy. He’s about my age and I noticed him because he had golden hairand he was telling his friends at the table a story. It was aboutdragons and fairies and a dashing hero, and I would have stayed tolisten, only you’re not allowed to do that. You’re only allowed tostay in line and keep walking. It was a good story, too.

Afterthat, Papa is free to do whatever he likes, so we go look at the restof the palace. But it is very full of people, and eventually we gettired and go home. I like Versailles Palace, but it must beexhausting to live there.

OnChristmas Even day, we help Madame and Monsieur Thierry make thehouse beautiful. I help Madame bake cakes and Christmas bread and allsorts of treats in the kitchen, and Papa and Monsieur hang upgarlands so that the house smells like a pine forest. Madame hasboxes full of tin baubles that she hangs on the garlands to dressthem, and she lets me help her. When it’s dark, Papa and I bundle upwarm and go out to the Christmas market in the town center. I havebeen saving my pocket money for this since October. All of the lampsare lit, and there had hundreds of little stalls set up in the squarein little winding streets. They sell things like oranges and nuts andribbons and gloves and all sorts of pretty things. Papa and I visitone stall, where they are selling the music boxes that Papa makes.They only have one or two left, so Papa and I will be reasonablywell-off for the next few months, which is nice. Then we wander on,and Papa buys us both a cup of hot mulled cider, and I spend some ofmy pocket money on beignets covered in sugar. I only have beignets atChristmas. They are hot and sweet with cinnamon and sugar, and I eateach one as slowly as I can, to make them last. There are peoplesinging and playing music, and people dancing to the music, and a bigcreche in the center. We walk until we’ve seen the entire market, andthen Papa takes me back to one of the stalls and buys us each a plateof soup and a roll, and we stand at the public tables and eat. I getchicken stew, while Papa prefers pea soup with bits of sausage in it.After eating we go back to some of the stalls, and I make Papa turnhis back while I buy him his Christmas present. (I made him aChristmas present, too, but I didn’t save my pocket money only fordoughnuts!) Then we go home, because our feet and faces are too coldto stay outside anymore.

At home,all of the boarders gather in the sitting room to sing carols. MadameThierry plays the spinnet and we sing lots of songs. In dulci jubilo,O come o come Emmanuel, Il est ne le divin enfant, O come all yefaithful…we sing and sing until Cora, the maid, comes in toannounce dinner. (We always have dinner before the Christmas Mass.)Dinner is everything that I helped Madame Thierry make earlier. Wehave roast chicken and potatoes and brussels sprouts and roastedvegetables and gravy. We have Christmas cake and sweet bread with jamand jam doughnuts. I eat everything, because it’s all yummy and wewon’t get another big feast like this until Easter. Papa even lets mehave a little wine, though he waters it down a lot.

Afterdinner it’s time for mass. We all get our coats and cloaks and hatson and walk through the streets to church together. Père Antoinemeets us at the door, smiling Christmas greetings, and we all getquiet as we go inside. The church is beautiful, all decorated withthousands of candles and with Christmas garlands. It is a differentkind of beautiful than Versailles Palace. I asked Papa for the wordto describe it and he said it was majestic. We sit in our pew andlisten to Père Antoine give a long sermon about peace and brotherlylove, only I fall asleep, because it was a long day. Papa wakes me upfor the singing, though, and carries me home afterwards and puts meto bed. I go right to sleep.

In themorning, when I wake up, my stockings have been filled by Père Noel.Inside of them are a little bag of almonds and walnuts andhazelnuts, an orange, a few coins, two peppermint sticks, and a little box ofchocolates containing four truffles, which I’ve never had before. Healso gave me two sets of hair ribbons: one red, one pink. Père Noelis very thoughtful and kind.

Papahelps me to get dressed in my best green dress again, and braids myhair for me. I tie my new red ribbons to the ends and we go down forChristmas breakfast. Madame Thierry’s Christmas breakfast is alwaysgood: she cooks a big fish that sits in the middle of the table, andwe all take bits of it. There are platters of meat and cheesecutlets, and baskets of sweet rolls, and pots of jam, and jugs ofcoffee and hot milk. There are two different kinds of pate, and lotsof cheese, and tasty little mousses that Madame bought at theChristmas market. I eat until I am stuffed silly. We don’t always eatlike this; only at Christmas, and only because Madame raises the rentin December so that we can afford the feast.

Thereare presents at every place setting. I gave everyone at the boardinghouse (that’s eight people, including Papa and me) a handkerchiefthat I embroidered with their initials. Madame Thierry declares herstoo pretty to use and kiss me, and Monsieur Marchand says that he’snever known an eight year old to embroider so well. I gave Papa aknitted scarf, which I made in red wool, and a picture that Ipainted. It’s of a windmill, since I know that he and Mama used tolive in one, and he misses her. Oh, and I gave him a pair of nice gloves that I bought at the Christmas market the night before. Papa gave me two whole books! Theyare not new, but they are wonderful. One is a collections of StoriesFrom Shakespeare, which we will read together, and the other is abook of maps, so that I can look at the world from my bedroom. Thatbrings my personal library up to five books. I am very happy.

Thereare other presents, too, from the other boarders: more hair ribbons,three pencils, a new copy book for school, a new dress for my dolly,and a pair of blue wooly mittens. It’s a lot more than I expected,and I am very happy.

We spenda long time at the table, eating and laughing and talking, and thenPapa and I get dressed and go for a walk. It is nice to walk afterall that food! We go all the way to the palace, and walk in thegardens that are open to the public. I wonder if the King and Queenare having a happy Christmas, and that pretty princess and her littleboy with the big imagination, too.

Later,Papa splashes out and rents us both a pair of ice skates, and we goskating on the pond outside the town. I fall down a lot, but we havea lot of fun. Then home for a quiet lunch, and I read my books, andPapa has a nap. In the evening, we all gather in the sitting room andsing more carols, and tell each other stories. I love Christmas; it’ssuch a lovely holiday. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal,but for right now, it’s all magic.

MerryChristmas!

#Beauty and the Beast #my fanfics #Christmas

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flslp87 · 7 years

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A Family Addition for Captain Swan - Cravings

Having a baby can bring every emotion from exhilaration to terror. Come along on the journey with Emma and Killian as they experience all the emotions that creating a new life can elicit. Chapter 1- Pregnant -Emma’s POV - here, Chapter 2 - Pregnant - Killian’s POV - here, Chapter 3 - First Doctor’s Visit - Emma’s POV - here, Chapter 4 -First Doctor’s Visit- Killian’s POV - here, Chapter 5 -Heartbeat - Emma’s POV - here, Chapter 6 - Heartbeat - Killian’s POV - here ; Chapter 7 - First Movement - here; Chapter 8 - Ultrasound - here; Chapter 9 - Cravings - here; Chapter 10 - Delivery - here.

It can also be found on FF as well as on AO3.

Special thanks to @duathadun for the lovely aesthetic and to @hellomommanerd for beta skills.

Dedicated to my friend @kmomof4 for allowing me to use her craving for Pink Lemonade while pregnant to have some Captain Charming fun.

Cravings

As soon as they found out the news Emma was carrying twins, Killian had added What to Expect When Expecting Twins to their weekly reading. The time had been one of discovery about the challenges women face carrying twins as well as the challenges they will face once they are born. He and Swan had a big task ahead of them but nothing they couldn't handle, together.

He had to admit that the thought that he, a 300-year-pirate, had given his wife two babies at once had caused him to walk a little taller. However, when he discovered that his seed had nothing to do with the fact that there were two, he had been a bit disconcerted. He had rather enjoyed the possibility that the most wondrous of miracles had been because of him, but alas it was not to be. All the credit for that feat belonged to his lovely wife.

He was, however, pleased that it was his seed that was responsible for the gender of their babies. He hoped each little lass had his Swan's blonde hair and green eyes and loved their papa as much as he already loved them. He didn't care that they kept him and Emma awake making their presence known with their little kicks. Nor did he care that they preferred Henry's music to his sea shanties. What he did care about was that in less than two months’ time, he would be able to hold them in his arms.

Healthwise, Emma had blossomed, as had their babies, but diet wise, he found that half the time what his wife claimed Twin A craved made him cringe, most especially when she combined it with what Twin B craved. The memory of the search for the sponge cakes Twin B wanted and then, having to go right back out because Twin A needed a type of pickle they didn't have in their kitchen, caused him to shake his head. Who knew there were so many types of pickles?

He was on his way home from checking on the Jolly when his phone vibrated and something told him Emma was craving some new food. Taking a deep breath, he checked the text,

E: Twin A really wants corn dogs.

"Corn dogs?" The name left him perplexed. "What's a bloody corn dog?"

He wasn't quite sure where one might begin to look for a corn dog, nor was he sure what one would look like. Was it a dog made out of corn, were they two separate things? Should he start at the market? Should he ask at the animal shelter? Unsure how to proceed, he did what any sane man would do. He called his father-in-law.

"Hello," David answered the phone.

After making small talk, Killian got right to the point, "Where would one go to procure something called corn dogs?"

"Emma has you on food errands again, I see."

"Aye, and if I don't bring her corn dogs, she might make me sleep on the sofa."

David groused but told him where to buy corn dogs and as soon as they hung up, he stopped by the market and picked up their last box of corn dogs. "A sausage covered by a thick layer of cornmeal batter on a stick," he read off the box and shuddered. Who would even consider putting one's sausage on a stick, anyway?

Arriving home with the sausages, Emma's smile made the trip worthwhile and he watched her quickly consume several of them. Twin A, he learned preferred a yellow concoction slathered on it, while Twin B, liked that red paste Henry liked on his fries. What's next, he wondered? After tidying the kitchen, they made their way up to bed.

~~~~~~

A few days later, he knocked on the door of the farmhouse. David opened it and glanced around as if looking for someone else, "Killian, com.." But then he must have gotten a good look at his face because he changed thoughts, "Ah oh, what happened?"

Walking into the farmhouse, Killian found himself stepping over baby paraphernalia and realized soon this would be his house. Clearing a chair of several stuffed animals, two toy trucks and an assortment of farm animals, he flopped down onto a chair. "I've lived for 300 years and have learned to repair sails, replace rigging and waterproof my ship, yet I failed in constructing my children's cradles." His disgust and frustration at himself was evident in not only his body posture but also the clipped pronunciation of his words.

Laughing, David handed him a glass of rum which he downed in one drink, "I fail to see anything humorous about my predicament. But thanks," he held up the empty glass."

David sat down next to him, "I'm laughing because the same thing happened to me."

Killian had been studying the ground around him, but the remark brought his head up, "It did?"

"Oh, yes." He smiled at the memory, "Emma and I were trying to put together Neal's crib and made a total mess of it."

"And what happened?" Killian was actually pleased to be privy to the information as it made him feel as if wasn't a total imbecile.

"Snow called Marco." He somberly replied. "Same happen to you?"

"Aye," Killian lamented, still frustrated but not nearly as much as he had been when he arrived.

When his phone rang, he pulled it from his pocket, "Hello, love."

"Killian," Emma's voice came across the line sounding quite frantic. "I ran out of pink lemonade. Can you bring me some, please?"

For the life of him, he couldn't fathom how she could run out of that pink concoction that she carried around with her all the time, but it seemed he was wrong. "I will bring you some lemonade, Swan."

"Pink lemonade," she reiterated the color once again, "don't forget."

"Aye, love. Pink lemonade." Killian told her, his voice meant to be soothing.

"You know what it looks like, right Killian?"

"Aye love. You've been drinking it for a while now." He was starting to feel a bit impatient with all the questions.

"And what it tastes like?" she asked, her voice starting to rise with impatience.

"Aye, love. I will get you some pink lemonade. Why don't you take a nap until I get home?"

"I think I will. Hurry."

They said their goodbyes and he hung up the phone, giving his father-in-law a disgruntled look.

David smirked, "You have no idea what pink lemonade is, do you?"

Shaking his head back and forth, Killian put his hands on his hips, "No bloody idea. Now what?"

David mimicked the stance and looked around his kitchen, "We're two reasonably intelligent men. Surely we can figure out how to make this pink lemonade for your wife."

The men busied themselves in the kitchen and David finally located several packages of powdered lemonade. The picture on the front showed a pitcher with the sour drink but it was yellow. "Let's try this. Maybe you mix this into the yellow lemonade and then you use something special that turns it pink."

Killian took the package and read the back of it to see if anything sounded familiar, "Nothing on here about making it pink. Perhaps we should mix several, just in case.

They got to work locating several of Snow's pitchers and mixed three containers of lemonade. Once the crystals had dissolved they were slightly disheartened when they didn't magically come out pink but persevered in their work.

Killian studied the containers on the counter, "Now, I assume we should add something that will turn them pink." He looked over at Dave, "Have anything that will change the color?"

David looked around the kitchen until suddenly he snapped his fingers and his eyes lit up with an idea, "Neal likes that fruit punch drink that always turns his mouth red. I bet that works." He searched the cabinets until he found the boxes of fruit drink and they squeezed one box into one pitcher of lemonade.

The color of the lemonade changed, but more red than the pink of Emma's drink. Killian pulled out his flask and upended some of the contents into a clean glass. David looked at the flask, then at the glass, "Why is your flask, that held rum for 200 years all of a sudden holding pink lemonade?"

Killian felt the heat climb up his neck, but with nothing to say except for the truth answered, "Well, there were a few times when we were not home and Emma ran out, and it wasn't pretty," he shuddered, "and this kept her from being upset and earned me some favors." He smirked at the Prince.

"Watch it, Pirate. Well, go ahead," he motioned for Killian to taste the concoction.

Picking up the glass with the real stuff, he took a drink. Then he compared it to the glass they had mixed.

"Well, did we succeed?" He was asked impatiently?"

Shaking his head, Killian set the glass down. "No, any more brilliant ideas?

"You sound like you're worried about something, Hook. You're not scared of your wife, are you?"

Killian side eyed David, "Were you scared of your wife when she was pregnant?"

A pained expression flitted across David's face before he gave Killian a sympathetic smile, "Point. Now what?"

They spent the next few minutes working on ways to try to get the other two pitchers of lemonade to turn pink without changing the taste. David found some old strawberry lollipops of Neal's and let them dissolve in one pitcher and Killian mashed up strawberries and tossed them in another. While both changed the appearance of the liquid, neither gave them the taste.

Leaning back against the cabinet, Killian thought about what he'd seen Emma do with her drink. "Perhaps we should have used pink lemons."

David rolled his eyes, "Lemons are yellow."

"I know that," Killian gave him an annoyed look, "but what if she uses magic to turn them pink?"

"You're not thinking straight," David chided him, "she wouldn't have asked you to bring home pink lemonade if she could magic it."

Sighing, Killian picked up a lemon and tossed it in the air, "Washing it with something red, like often happens with laundry?" He posed to the prince never once assuming he would be taken seriously.

David looked toward the laundry room with a contemplative look on his face, "Maybe," he said slowly as he picked up a lemon and left the room.

Killian followed him into the laundry room and watching as he tossed a lemon and a red cloth into the machine and turned it on. While it was going through the cycle, they cleaned up their mess in the kitchen and waited for the wash to power down. As soon as it stopped, they ran to see if their lemon was pink. Flipping up the lid, David reached in pulling out a rather, soggy looking----yellow lemon.

"Bloody Hell," Killian exclaimed! "It didn't work."

"No, it didn't," David sighed. "But the washer smells nice. Think Snow will notice?"

"Think Snow will notice what," the woman herself came in the back door carrying Neal and all of his baby stuff.

Deciding that David didn't have the answers he was searching for this time, Killian turned to his mother-in-law, "Emma wishes to have more pink lemonade and we were trying to make her some." He gave her a sheepish smile hoping she would take pity on him.

Snow didn't say anything but went to a cabinet, reaching behind some cans and pulled out a container. Opening it she showed them the pink powder inside. "Minute Maid, pink lemonade. One scoop and water and voila, pink lemonade."

~~~~~

Killian walked into a quiet house and after leaving the prized lemonade in the kitchen went in search of his wife. He found her sitting in the rocking chair in the room she was turning into the nursery. He watched her as she slowly moved back and forth, her hands rubbing circles on her distended belly staring at the evidence of Marco's hard work.

The brand-new cradles lined one wall and even he had to admit they looked well put together. "They look nice." He noticed it came out with a hint of admiration, causing him to rethink his frustration from earlier in the day.

Emma looked up at him with a beautiful smile on her face, "They do, don't they?"

Killian grinned as she tried to push herself up from the rocking chair but with the way the seat was tilted back and her huge stomach, she couldn't quite get the leverage she needed. "Do you need some help, love?" He asked holding out his hands for her to take.

She rolled her eyes at him as he pulled her up, "Thanks. Did you --"

"---get your pink lemonade? Aye." He kissed her quickly and nuzzled her nose, "Let's get you to bed and I'll bring a glass to you."

Taking his hand, she let him lead her to their room, "Before you get me a glass, can you help me with my boots?"

"The lasses in the way?" She nodded her head and sat down for his help. His Swan was always so independent that he had rather enjoyed being able to pamper her. He knew it wouldn't last for his little lasses would be here in about two months and their lives would never be the same. He couldn't wait for that day to hold them in his arms.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think. Stay tuned for Delivery.

#cs baby story #cs ff #daddy killian #momma emma #cs crew #cs mafia

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mikebyler · 7 years

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A Boy for Flowers

Pairing: Bill Denbrough x Richie Tozier

Words: 1.6k

Warnings: Swearing

Par: 2/?

A/N: yes, i’m changing some canon stuff. but then again, this entire thing is set in the modern world and bill is homeschooled. was it ever really following canon?

Bill stared at himself in the mirror. It was the next morning, and he’d just woken up after a long night. Long, because he kept waking up from dreams about that stupid Richie Tozier. Bill splashed water on his face, a thousand thoughts running through his head. Why couldn’t he shake the image of the tall, wild haired boy from his mind? This wasn’t a crush. Bill had had crushes before, besides, he was straight. He’d never been interested in boys, so why would he be now? Bill heard his mother calling him down for breakfast, and he gave one last sigh and splash of water to his face before running down the stairs.

“Billy, guess what!” Bill’s younger brother Georgie called out when Bill walked into the dining room.

“What is it, G-Georgie?” Bill asked with a smile.

“I’m gonna be helping out you and mommy at the store today!”

Bill sat next to the small boy and ruffled his hair. “Is that s-so? Well, be careful, mom likes to muh-make us kids do all the work.”

Bill’s mother gave a short chuckle from the kitchen, where she was finishing cooking some sausages.

“Mommy, that’s not nice!” Georgie pouted.

“Now look what you’ve done, Bill,” his mom said, shaking her head as she came into the dining room.

Bill laughed. “I’m only j-j-joking, Georgie. Mom does her fuh-fair share.”

Georgie gave a suspicious look to his mother, but quickly forgot about the whole thing when his plate was filled with food.

“So,” Bill’s mom said as they ate. “Any plans for tonight, sweetie?”

Bill shrugged. “I’ll p-p-probably hang with Eddie again.”

“Didn’t I hear Mike mention something about a party tonight?”

“Next week.”

“Ah,” Bill’s mom nodded. “Well, I might need you to stay a bit later at the shop tonight, maybe until closing. Hopefully not, but maybe.”

Bill sighed. “Fine. Will I g-get paid extra?”

Bill’s mom nodded. “Your dad is thinking about giving you a raise, too.”

Bill threw his head back and sighed with relief. “Fuh-finally!”

“Now eat your breakfast and go get ready, I’ve been a little behind today. We’ve got to get going.”

Bill hurried and scarfed down the rest of his meal and hurried up the stairs to shower and get dressed. As he came out of the bathroom, scrubbing his head with a towel, he noticed his phone buzzing on top of his dresser. He checked it, saw it was Eddie calling, and picked up.

“What’s up, Ed?”

“Richie Tozier has been idling outside your store for about 15 minutes.”

Bill froze. “Wuh-what?”

“Yeah,” Eddie continued. “He’s got a boy in the car with him, his boyfriend, I’m assuming, and they’re just sitting there.”

“He’s p-p-probably just wanting to get more fuh-flowers and didn’t know we open later on Saturdays?” Bill suggested.

“Dunno,” Eddie sighed. “I just thought I’d let you know, since you were so interested in him yesterday. Thought you might be excited he was there.”

“Sh-shut up, Eddie. I’m not interested in him.”

“I tease, dude.” Eddie laughed. “Anyway, see you tonight.”

Bill nodded. “See you t-tonight.”

The line went dead, and Bill shook his head as he pulled a shirt over his head. Richie was obviously just there for more flowers. Even though coming back for more flowers the day after was a little weird. Maybe his boyfriend didn’t like the flowers? Bill frowned. Why was he so worried about it? It’s just a guy coming in to get flowers.

“Bill, we’ve got to go!” Called his mom from downstairs.

“Cuh-coming, mom!” Bill yelled back, quickly pulling on some pants and grabbing his shoes, dashing down the stairs to the car.

The drive to the shop wasn’t long, and as the car came around the corner, sure enough, there was the head of curls that had driven itself so deeply into Bill’s mind sitting in a beat up old truck, sitting next to someone who Bill felt was slightly familiar. His mom pulled around the back of the shop, and Bill hopped out to help Georgie out of the car.

“Billy, I don’t need help!” Georgie pouted as his older brother help out a hand for Georgie to take ahold of.

“Juh-just checking, Georgie.” Bill laughed, stepping to the side and closing the door as his little brother ran into the shop after his mother. Bill sighed and followed.

After completing all the tasks he needed to do before opening the store, Bill walked to the front and flipped the switch on the “Open!” sign. He glanced up and saw Richie through his car window, and the boy waved. Bill gave a small wave back, staring hard at (who he assumed to be) Richie’s boyfriend, who had his back to him. Why did he seem so familiar?

Bill sighed and walked behind the counter as Richie got out of his car.

“I’m going in the back, you’ve got the counter?” Bill’s mom said, handing a small bundle of flowers to Georgie.

“I got it.” Bill replied. As she walked out of the main area, Richie came through the doors.

“Big Bill!” He said loudly, coming to the counter and leaning forward. “How are ya today?”

Bill smiled. “Hey, Ruh-Richie. Back again?”

Richie nodded. “Jason liked the flowers so much he thought he should get some for his mom, she’s been having a rough time at work. He didn’t want to come in for some reason though...”

Bill’s eyes narrowed. “Jason?”

“Yeah, I’m dating Jason Bowers.”

Bill stiffened. “There’s the r-reason he didn’t want to come in, then.”

Richie recoiled slightly. “Okay, I can literally feel a chill coming off of you. What the hell just happened?”

“You’re dating a Buh-Bowers, that’s what happened. I’m s-s-surprised you can get away with that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means his fuh-family is th-the worst, and I’m surprised his d-dad would let one of huh-his sons date another g-g-guy.” Bill felt his cheeks flush and his insides twist into a knot. He let out a frustrated groan. Every time the Bowers family came up this happened. He should be over this by now, he should be fine…

Richie spoke up, getting Bill’s attention. “I don’t know what you mean by “his family is the worst”, they’ve been nothing but nice to me. I mean, his brother Henry is kind of an asshole, but-”

“Kind of an asshole?” Bill hissed, slapping his hands on the counter and causing Richie to take a step back. “H-Henry Bowers is the muh-most foul, t-t-twisted person I’ve had the m-muh-misfortune to look at! He’s… he’s the reason I’ve g-got this s-s-stupid stutter, he’s the ruh-reason I’m homeschooled, and his d-d-dad is the reason mine doesn’t have a juh-job!”

Richie stared at Bill, wide eyed, leaning away slightly. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s n-none of your business. Buh-besides, I don’t want to t-t-talk to anyone wh-whose judgement is impaired enough to duh-d-date a member of the fucking B-Bowers family.” Bill ripped off his apron and stepped around the counter, pushing past Richie, throwing open the front door and rushing down the street, not caring what his mother would say when she discovered he’d left.

Bill hadn’t lost his temper like that in a long time, and he hated himself for doing so in front of an almost complete stranger. His hands shaky, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Eddie’s number. He promptly picked up.

“What’s up? Aren’t you at work?”

“N-no. Can I cuh-c-come over?”

“Of course,” Eddie’s voice was tight on the other line. He could tell Bill was upset, his stutter was sounding bad. “The front door is unlocked, and my mom isn’t home, so we’re fine to talk about whatever.”

“Thanks,” Bill said softly, hanging up and starting a jog to Eddie’s house.

Bill arrived at Eddie’s house about 10 minutes later, and he was immediately greeted by a nervous Eddie as soon as he pushed through the front door.

“What the hell happened?” Eddie asked. “What’s gotten you upset?”

Bill groaned and threw himself face down onto Eddie’s couch. Eddie sat gently next to him and rubbed his back.

“Bill?”

Bill turned his face outward so he could speak. “R-R-Richie brought his buh-boyfriend in today.”

Eddie’s face was confused. “You’re jealous?”

Bill sighed. “Dammit, Ed, I don’t like him. H-his boyfriend is Juh-Jason Bowers.”

Eddie sat silent for a moment. “And it ended up setting you off.”

“Yeah,” Bill replied, pushing his face into his hands. “I was s-so angry at Richie for duh-dating a Bowers, but how could h-he know? Now I feel bad and st-stupid for blowing up at him.”

“Then tell him why you were so upset, otherwise he’ll think it was his fault. That’s the kind of person Richie is.” Eddie said.

Bill shot a sideways glance at his best friend. “I k-kind of did.”

“Explain it to him completely. I can tell you want to be friends with him, but I also know you don’t want anything to do with the Bowers. Maybe telling him will get him to break it off.”

“That’s puh-pretty sinister, Ed.”

Eddie shrugged. “As annoying as Richie was when we were kids, I liked him enough to not want him to date someone from the Bowers clan. Those are just some people you shouldn’t get mixed up with.”

“I d-d-don’t have any way to get in contact with him.” Bill said, weakly trying to get out of talking to Richie.

“I know where his house is. I’ll give you the address, you go when you’re ready.” Eddie smiled. “I’m here if you need anything.”

Bill smiled at Eddie, then flopped back onto the couch.

“G-guess I’m gonna be telling a stranger my life story now, huh?”

Eddie laughed. “That’s how we became friends, isn’t it?”

Bill nodded. “Yeah. I was way t-too open back then. Still am, to buh-be honest.”

“It’s charming.” Eddie said, pinching Bill’s cheek. “It shows that you’re trusting.”

Bill swatted Eddie’s hand away with a small giggle, but inside, Bill really didn’t feel trusting at all.

i hope you enjoyed!

tags: @skeletontozier

#a boy for flowers #bichie #bill denbrough #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak

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aoibaratraveler · 5 years

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UK Road Trip Week 6.... plus the final two days! (first two days of week 7)

Day 36:

We drove from Inverness to Fort William today. The road there was gorgeous with lots of lochs, valleys, and mountains. I mean, it’s nothing we hadn’t seen before on the NC 500, but I do feel bad about not filming it. I was just so focused on admiring it myself. I do need to get the hang of filming more of the amazing sights I see if I want to start a youtube channel at some point though. I did film a herd of sheep with their shepherd so that was cool. Shortly after that, we saw a fenced-off area full of male and female deer. We think they’re being protected. The antlers of a stag are just so beautiful. Whenever I see a stag I think of Harry Potter or Princess Mononoke because they look so magical. Once we got to Fort William, we drove through the city centre and came to the decision that we’d be hiking Ben Nevis the following day. We grabbed lunch at Aldi and then drove to Glenfinnan which is just the next town over and home to the Glenfinnan viaduct where the Hogwarts Express famously goes over in the HP movies. We explored Glenfinnan station and I bought a postcard to add to my postcard collection of all of the cool places that I’ve been to. Later on, we walked down to the viaduct for photos. It was pretty interesting and not as crowded as I thought and I pictured the Hogwarts express going over. Luckily we parked near Glenfinnan station and were actually able to watch the train go on the tracks near there and through the valley. Afterward, we drove back to Fort William and had a bite at the Costa and tried to watch the fourth Harry Potter movie, but couldn’t get through it, I had just read the books so I was too confused by how much they skipped and it was hard to watch. We ended the night with the usual, by finding a layby and pitching up.

Day 37:

We hiked Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland and the British Isles! I’m glad we managed to in the end. We were both somewhat apprehensive about it because we were so tired and weren’t sure if the weather would stay decent enough for it. We took our time getting ready which isn’t smart when you’re going on a long hike but what can you do when you’re tired. We wanted to make sure we’d had our coffee this time. We finally set off at 10:36 on the hike. It actually took us about the same time to hike it as it did for Snowdon even though Ben Nevis is 260m taller but that’s because we didn’t have to walk through as many valleys and ridges with Ben Nevis as we did with Snowdon. It was a bit steeper though, but we didn’t have to scramble up anywhere like Snowdon either. The bf tells me that I shouldn’t compare the mountains because they’re different but I can’t help it because I’ve never done hikes before like this and none that were more than a couple of hours at most. It certainly wasn’t as crowded at the Ben Nevis summit. But you still had the inconsiderate fools smoking there and during the hike which made it harder for people like me who have sinus/breathing issues to breathe after a strenuous hike. It was honestly pretty upsetting that there was such a large amount of people smoking everywhere on the trail. Then we also had two young girls playing music loudly on speakers that were inside their bag and then the foolish tourists wearing the most inappropriate clothing for a hike (dresses, fancy sandals, jewelry, flats, jeans.etc). Ugh, I sound bitter, I’m not. Really. I should know that with a tourist mountain like this one, unfortunately, that there are gonna be fools. Overall, even though the weather wasn’t as great as when we did Snowdon, I really enjoyed it and I’m proud to say that I did it. It reaffirmed my wish to try and hike many more mountains and definitely a bunch when I get to Japan; especially Mt. Fuji. The bf and I even met some older men on the trail that had just come back from hiking Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. We were pretty impressed since they said they did it twice. The bf and I would definitely like to hike that too someday. I mean he’s already done it, (he’s done many hikes, I’m pretty jealous) but he said he’d do it again with me. At another point on the trail, we met someone doing the 24-hour peak to peak challenge where one tries to hike Snowdon, Scafell Pike, and Ben Nevis in 24 hours…I couldn’t do that…I wouldn’t want to do that, I mean kudos to him but why would I want to kill my legs like that for no reason. I do love hikes and I feel so good after a hike, exhausted, but overall good, you know? If I did something like that without rest though…I feel like I’d be bedridden for at least a week afterward. I’d rather enjoy myself and the wilderness and just accomplish major hikes like that one at a time with lots of rest in between. My goal is to start doing nice long hikes/walks in the lake or peak district every other or every weekend before I leave the UK. Our knees were destroyed by the time we got down from Ben Nevis so I definitely need to buy knee braces before my next big hike. We ended the day by watching the Liverpool game and taking it easy.

Day 38:

Today we rode the Hogwarts Express! Aka the Jacobite and well not the exact model apparently but similar and..actually kind of a waste of money, but I’ll get to that in a bit. I woke up at 6:30 am and I was super excited about what lay ahead, but I also woke up so early because I was restless all night and awake until 2 am. It was the first hot night we’d experienced in a while and I just felt hot and dry all night and not to mention sore and in pain in my legs/knees from the Ben Nevis hike. Eventually, the bf woke up and we drove to Fort William station to get ready for the train ride. What struck me as disappointing right away is that it looked nothing like the Hogwarts Express from the inside unless you were to be seated in first class where they actually do have private carriages. The rest though just looks like a regular, old, worn (emphasis on old and worn) train. You’d think from the amount that it costs that they’d be able to afford to do some upkeep on it but nope. It is purely a cash grab that sets you back 40 pounds. It was a complete tourist trap. There were so many loud tourists, it was so crowded and people kept constantly trying to hog the window space for stunning views outside. Yes, the views were lovely, but it’s really hard to enjoy them from how loud and stuffy it was in there (since it clearly is an old train, no air conditioner). You could tell that half the people on there weren’t even fans or there for the views (which you could have gotten for much cheaper on a regular Scotrail train I bet), but just to say that they’d ridden it which was a bit annoying. There were people sleeping and elderly/middle-aged people drinking or taking selfies and I just kept asking myself what they were doing there. Curiously though, there were hardly any people from our age group, you know the people that grew up with the fandom, books, movies, etc. It was just a really disappointing experience since I had been looking forward to doing this ever since I arrived in the UK so I’m sorry, I know I sound bitter and annoyed. I’ve ridden much nicer, quieter, scenic and less expensive trains in Japan and have gone to the wizarding world of Harry Potter at Universal Studios there which I think is a much better use of my money and had a great time. I shouldn’t really compare though but it’s a shame because I honestly don’t think it was worth our time or money. They even got the HP story wrong in the 1 pound tour guide book that we bought!

We would have been much better off just finding a good spot and filming the train from there which we kinda did but a shot over the Glenfinnan viaduct would have been the perfect shot and the only thing worth doing unfortunately but I’m glad I know I suppose although I guess I should have done my research on the train journey before buying a ticket. Once we got back to Fort William on the train’s return leg from Mallaig, we hopped in the car and decided to drive South toward loch Lomond. The drive there was excellent. We drove through valleys and mountains and that paired with the good weather made me feel better about the lousy train trip. I definitely want to invest in a proper camera for my next travels because so far I have just been using my phone and I’m running out of space for photos and videos so I’m forced to have to use my phone camera very wisely for the next 5 days so as to not run out of space before the trip is over. When we arrived in loch Lomond, we found the perfect layby, made some noodles and just chilled for the rest of the night.

Day 39:

It’s great waking up knowing that you’re going to have a scenic drive, that’s why I love staying overnight in a national park or AONB, it’s just a lovely thing to wake up to. The plan today was just to drive from loch Lomond through Cairngorms national park and finally to Aberdeen. We decided to cut out Cairngorms for today because we figured that take too long and just save it for tomorrow. We were both really hungry so we decided to stop at a cafe called “Skoosh” along our drive in the loch Lomond national park. We both decided to get full Scottish breakfasts. We were able to choose from a list of breakfast items. I chose everything that wasn’t pork essentially while the bf chose a typical breakfast with sausage, bacon, fried egg, etc. I did also imply to the waitress that I couldn’t eat pork by asking if something that I ordered contained any and then ordering it when she said it didn’t. Unfortunately, when our order arrived, both our plates had bacon. I really enjoy ordering full breakfasts (of the veggie variety but with haggis when I’m in Scotland since the only thing I can’t eat is pork) so it was a shame that I couldn’t eat half my plate because the bacon/bacon grease was touching/mixed up with the other stuff. I didn’t complain but in retrospect, I should have said something. I just gave more than half my plate to the bf to eat and tried to eat the rest myself but felt physically ill at the thought that what I ate may have touched the bacon grease on the plate. It’s more of a psychological thing, but I felt uncomfortable and couldn’t enjoy anything else. I hate food going to waste too; I couldn’t eat my mushrooms and tomatoes because they were with the bacon and the bf didn’t want them either because he doesn’t like them in a restaurant/cafe fry up. When the waitress came to collect the plates I told her what happened and why I had left items on my plate. She apologized and then we could hear her telling the cook what we said. It was a small cafe so the cook herself came to give us the machine when we went up to pay. She half-heartedly apologized and said she must have gone into “overdrive” while cooking. I didn’t really get this because the bf and I had ordered a good 10 minutes before any other customers came in and we were the only ones in the shop at the time so it’s not like she was busy but it’s whatever, it’s my fault for not bringing it up right away. I suppose I would have just liked her to show a bit more empathy. We drove straight to Aberdeen after that. We weren’t really in the mood to sightsee and just wanted to find a place to shower and chill. After a bit of searching online, the bf found a park and ride just 5 miles out that apparently had showers. When we got there we saw that the place was huge and so oddly clean. I looked it up properly and apparently, it was built in 2017 by the city council to help combat congestion and has 1000 spaces, but unfortunately, it’s not popular for whatever reason which is a shame. It is only used by seven people a day! It had free 36-hour parking, the building itself has a big waiting room, two big washrooms for men and women with a shower stall in each and the place is spotless. It is supposed to have free wifi and hot water but since it is hardly used the council stopped providing these things. We were the only ones there so we decided to spend the next several hours chilling there and have a shower (seriously, no one else came in except for one bus driver at the end of the night for the toilet). We made dinner and it was nice to have a big, quiet space to ourselves that wasn’t the car for a while. It sounds bizarre to hang out in a park and ride, I know, but if you come here then you’ll understand what I mean. It had a soothing atmosphere to it after spending so long in the car. It was like going to a campsite and you were the only ones with access to the facilities. Later on, the bf even gave me some driving lessons in the huge car park. I have my full license in driving automatic vehicles but I have only once before had a go at driving a standard vehicle and that was also with the bf, in 2017 when I studied abroad here during my degree. Driving a standard vehicle is a lot harder then I give the bf credit for and it was pretty nerve-wracking to think about when to use each gear and the clutch but it was still a lot of fun to be back behind the wheel since I haven’t driven since I left Canada. I definitely have more respect for the bf now when he drives especially on long trips like this one or when he’s on the road with awful drivers and is always able to keep his cool–well, for the most part (mild road rage). I can’t wait for my next lesson though, I’d like to become as good at driving standard as I am with automatic and besides I just enjoy driving and don’t want to get out of practice. It wasn’t until nearly 1 am that we decided to call it a night and pitch up at a nearby country park.

Day 40:

Today was essentially a transit day to get back down to England and continue from Carlisle for the final 3 days of our road tour. The drive was about 5 hours long. Honestly, I was exhausted the whole time. My legs are still sore and swollen and I even fell asleep for an hour. I still enjoyed some of the mountainous views of Scotland and I felt a bit sad to be leaving. Scotland has had the most beautiful scenery in the UK and just all of Scotland in general, particularly the highlands is just my favourite place by far to explore in the UK. Once we got to Carlisle, we wandered around the city for an hour and a half to stretch our legs and to play pokemon go. Later on, on our way to finding a layby in the North Pennines AONB to pitch up, we stopped to try and help a mother and daughter jump-start the battery of their car. They had parked it in Tesco’s for two weeks (the mom works there) while they were in France on holiday and the battery had gone completely flat because the daughter forgot to turn the lights off. The mother seemed to be a French national and was really funny and friendly and interested in our travels. She reminded me a lot of what my mom can be like. After that, we made our way to the North Pennines and just before parking up we came across a sign that said:e “Castle Carrock, please dance”. We had to do a double-take when we saw it - literally, the bf applied the brakes and reversed back to be sure he read the sign properly (it was late at night on a country road, so no risk of a car being behind him!).

Day 41:

Today was meant to be the day that we try and see, again, if we could hike Scafell Pike. Sadly, the bf and I were still sore from Ben Nevis because all we’ve done since is pretty much just sit in a car which has also led to our ankles and legs being very swollen; we haven’t really done ourselves any favours really. Although we managed to hike the tallest peaks in both Wales and Scotland, it seems that Scafell Pike, which is shorter than both at 978 meters (Snowdon is 1085 m and Ben Nevis is 1345 m), is also considered to be the toughest owing to it being incredibly steep in some parts. So…we’ll just save it for a little later on after we’ve recuperated from this trip. Besides, it rained today anyway and I prefer dry weather on hikes. Instead, we chose to go national park/AONB hoping to ultimately end up in Whitby. We started off by driving through the North Pennines AONB. Honestly, I must be out of steam because not even 30 mins into this first AONB and I fell asleep for almost an hour. I felt bad for the bf because he does all the driving and it really isn’t fair to him. We’d gone through all the rolling hills of the North Pennines and stopped for coffee at Starbucks and I finally convinced the bf to get a Starbucks card since he buys coffee there at least once a day. We then set off to continue through the Yorkshire Dales National Park then the Nidderdale AONB and finally through the North York Moors National Park before arriving in Whitby. The scenery of the National Parks/AONBs was very similar especially since it was raining and foggy. Lovely, huge, rolling hills, lots of sheep messing about; the usual, but still great and worth a visit again in good weather. I’ve probably seen more sheep on this trip than I have seen, or any other animal for that matter, in my life. Once we arrived in Whitby, I decided that the first order of business was to get some fish and chips. I found a well-rated and cheap one online called Silver Street Fisheries. The customer service there was amazing, probably the best I’ve experienced in the UK and certainly the best fish and chips I’ve had here too. I mentioned to the woman behind the counter that I’d never had mushy peas before and wanted to try them and then she said that people here either love them or hate them and so she scooped some up in a cup for me to sample them. I didn’t absolutely hate it but it wasn’t something that I wanted to pay for either so I passed on that but she also gave me a sample of curry sauce and gravy to try which I much preferred and she said I could keep the samples (they were really big samples to be fair). The fish and chips themselves were so crispy and delicious. The batter on the fish was amazing and not doughy at all. The cod that I got was also full of flavour. I learned during this experience that I like vinegar on chips and regret not having put it on my fish (I realized this after I finished my fish). As for the bf, he ordered a large sausage and chips with curry sauce. The sausage came battered which he didn’t ask for but doesn’t regret because he also really enjoyed how crispy the batter was. After our dinner, we walked it off by strolling through Whitby and trying to find the hotel where the bf’s grandmother used to work which is unfortunately now owned by Wetherspoons. After that, we climbed the 199 steps up to Whitby abbey and then set up there for a bit and watched the gorgeous sunset over the town. We had a lovely and somewhat romantic end to our day and I’m happy that I finally got to see Whitby, I really liked it there. I hope I’ll be able to go back there soon for some awesome fish and chips!

Day 42:

I awoke to find that we had pretty much pitched in the middle of nowhere. Technically, we’ve been doing that a lot by parking in national parks/AONBs overnight but even as I sat there waiting for the bf to wake up and then eventually falling back to sleep myself, hardly any cars passed when normally there would be a few cars every few minutes. We drove to a shopping park in York to freshen up and grab some coffee and then grabbed lunch at Aldi (it was pretty late by the time we left the place we had parked). We managed to park near the city centre of York and began ambling towards there while hunting pokemon and working on the Jirachi quest. Our main three goals for the day was to see the York shambles which was a spot highlighted on google maps that looked interesting, general exploration of York, and to try “Britain’s second-best burger” at a place called “Burgsy”. We arrived at the shambles first and right away (with the help of all the Harry Potter shops) we noticed that it was the filming location/inspiration for Diagon Alley in the HP movies! We, of course, explored all the HP shops, the bf and I talked about how we’d like to buy the series with the newly redone illustrations on the covers. I pined over the Hufflepuff letterman’s jacket (I’ve taken the Pottermore test twice, can’t remember why, but each time I got a different result, once my result was Hufflepuff and the other was Gryffindor) and a little figure of Hedwig in a birdcage that I’d love to have at my bedside table. We soon found that the shambles was too crowded with tourists for our liking so we escaped to Burgsy for some refuge and burgers. The bf and I ordered two burgers to cut in half and share. Now, they were super delicious, yes, with great sauce and delicious patties, but the bun was mediocre and I don’t think the overall burger should be qualified of the “Britain’s second-best” title (a quick google search is what told us this). I did still enjoy them but they were rather expensive and I’ve had better burgers made at home by the bf so I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to go there again. Afterward, we wombled about and played pokemon go. My adventure sync doesn’t work while the bf’s does so he was able to easily complete the mission of walking to evolve Feebas during the Ben Nevis hike while I can only walk my buddy/hatch eggs when the app is open so that’s annoying and what I was trying to do during our stroll through the city. We later decided we were craving some Five Guys fries so we went to go get some. I wasn’t really paying attention when our order was given out but when a number was called out, the bf seemed so sure of himself and grabbed the bag and then proceeded to grab some mayo but I thought I saw something that said relish on the sheet of paper attached to the bag so I was confused but just trusted that the bf had grabbed the right bag and then took a fry out to eat it….but he hadn’t grabbed the right bag…when we sat down, we looked inside and realized this wasn’t our order because there was a burger and when looking at our receipt we saw that we were order 41, not 43 which was the number on the receipt attached to the bag that we were given. I felt so guilty for not saying anything when I was confused earlier so I rushed back to the counter with the bag to apologize and give back the order we took while getting our correct one. The employee asked if I touched it and I said no…I lied but I only took one fry out, that’s not the end of the world, you could see that we clearly hadn’t opened the burger wrapping so he could have just taken out the fries if need be and, I don’t know, eaten them himself or something (I’ve worked in fast food, it happens) and then put in new ones. He seemed like he was going to accept the bag but another employee immediately took them from him and gave it back to me, asking me to throw it away…I suppose because of food safety and they couldn’t be sure how much we had actually touched but I’m sorry I’m not going to just waste food like that and I felt bad but we took it for ourselves and had much more fries than we had bargained for. We ate it outside and watched as crowds lined up for an apparent ghost tour of of the city. We ended the night by venturing over to the peak district to pitch up.

Week 7

Day 43:

Today was the unofficial last day of the trip and I say unofficial because we plan to be on the road tomorrow. I’d been wanting to check out the peak district for a while and here I was waking up in it. I’ve heard lots of people talking about it all year so I wanted to go for a walk in it but we were both very tired so I settled for a short but steep one in Bamford, up Bamford hill. There’s a spot at the top called Bamford edge that’s a rocky platform that is popular to take photos on. It was a nice little walk especially because no one else was around but it was terribly windy so we didn’t stay up there long after taking photos. From there, we drove to Sheffield to spend a few hours walking around the city, grabbing a coffee (mine was really bitter, very few Starbucks in the UK seem to be able to make an americano properly), and check out a popular park for playing pokemon go. Sheffield was very much an industrial city…with interesting people. It was definitely full of characters. It also felt like Sheffield never left the 90′s in the sense that no one seemed to have any sense of style/very out there kind of style/no one cared about their style. Now don’t get me wrong, I love 90′s grunge and was a fan of how Rachel, Pheobe, and Monica from Friends dressed, but for me, the 90s felt like a time when no one cared about their style…either that or the early naughties. Once we were done in Sheffield we made instant noodles for lunch and went to our final sightseeing stop which was Sherwood forest, just outside Nottingham, and the place where the legend of Robin Hood started. We were honestly so drained and tired by this point, we could really feel that it was the last day so we just had a lazy walk around the forest and completed a couple of missions on pokemon go. It was a pretty good day to call our last day. At around 6, we decided it was a good time to head down to the North Wessex Downs to find a place to park up for the last time since we had plans to see the bf’s friend in Reading the next day.

Day 44:

Well, today was…something. I’m writing this five days in the future owing to the stressful time we had on the last day of our trip. The day was meant to go smoothly as all days should really, no one plans for accidents to happen, they just do. That’s why they’re called accidents. We got up, went to a services area to freshen up and met with the bf’s friend from university who currently lives in Reading. We stayed there for a couple of hours and had a nice time. His friend is really nice and loves animals which makes him a stand-up guy. He also had a big, funny, orange, cross-eyed half Maine Coon cat that I got to play with. From there we finally made the journey home. It wasn’t too long of a trip and when we were about 30 minutes away we stopped for a snack at Lidl. We weren’t even five minutes into the drive from Lidl when we got into a car accident. Yup. What a way to end a road trip, am I right?…..Yea, well it’s been tough dealing with the aftermath of that. I truly don’t believe the bf is at fault but it was our car that crashed into another one. I was on my phone up until the last few seconds so I’m not sure of what exactly happened but traffic is being diverted onto a smaller much narrow road owing to road works and as you go onto that small road there are traffic lights which we stopped at and then five seconds after there is a give way area and I’m sure the bf noticed and only looked away for a second but all of the sudden the car in front stopped and the bf was quick to press on the brakes with enough time but (maybe because the tires were worn from our long time on the road) the car just slid and crashed into the car in front. We were so shaken up and in disbelief at what just happened that it didn’t help that the guy we hit came out and yelled at us and berated the bf and was just a complete chav…..well long story short, the car is a write-off and the bf is currently trying to find a new one while we stay with his grandparents. It was such a freak thing to happen and unbelievable because we spent so long on the road and this happened only 15 minutes before reaching home but they do say that accidents always happen close to home, right?

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