#AND we have restocking that needs to be done; we need to be emptying bins; cleaning tables; etc

[fingertipsmp3]

Looking at the rota app thinking well. Tomorrow is going to be fascinating

[nurse-buckley]

Vaccination Day

Fandom: 9-1-1  Word Count: 1,422 Pairing: Eddie x Reader  Warnings: Mentions of the pandemic and needles.  Summary: You get nervous when it’s yours and Eddie’s turn for the vaccine, but he’s right there by your side.  Tagslist: @firemedicdiaz, @fireladybuckley, @pupandangelscoffee, @winterreader-nowwriter, @dayrin085  Written for my lovely @firemedicdiaz​ and beta’d by the amazing @evanbuckos​

“Hey, I thought I’d find you here.” Eddie announces as he pokes his head around the doors to the open ambulance. 

You were busy taking stock and restocking the rig after the last call you’d been on. You were hoping Eddie would forget about your appointment later that day, but unfortunately for you, you weren’t that lucky. 

Deep down, you knew that you needed the vaccine, and it was one step closer to being back to ”normal”, whatever “normal” would be after the pandemic dies down and life returns to normal. 

“I spoke to Bobby, told him we’re going for our vaccines this afternoon and he’s given us the time off,” he smiles. He’s been excited ever since he got the notification through that the pair of you could book in for your first dose. He was constantly scared of passing on the virus to Chris or abuela, and knew this was the first step in reducing that fear. 

His smile falters when he sees your expression. You’re refusing to meet his eyes, focussing on the task at hand. “Y/N? I thought you’d be excited.” 

“Yeah? Excited to be stuck with a huge needle, I’m thrilled,” you snap. You immediately regret your reaction, softening your features as you finally meet Eddie’s gaze. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.” 

Eddie shook his head, stepping closer to you and joining you in the rig. “Want to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours? You’ve been quiet all morning, you’re not acting like yourself.” 

“I’m just stressed and anxious. The pandemic, the endless calls, the covid anxiety.” 

“Shh,” the firefighter soothes as he takes your hands in his. “Take a deep breath for me.” 

You do as he says, following the deep rise and fall of his chest as he exaggerates his breathing for you to follow. You follow his actions for a few minutes, feeling slightly more relaxed as you continue the breathing exercise. “Good girl,” he soothes, smiling as your breath comes slightly easier. 

“Is there anything else that’s bothering you that you want to get off your mind, maybe I can help.” 

You sigh, deciding how you were going to explain your anxieties, knowing yourself they’re not always logical, but anxiety often overrules logic. 

“I know, scientifically, exactly how this vaccine works. I also know statistically that the odds of a serious reaction are less than 0.04% yet my brain won’t stop screaming at me, ‘you’re going to be that 1 in a million’ Eddie,” you choke out the last statement, as the tears begin to fall freely.  

“Mi amor,” he began, moving your chin so he could meet your eyes. “That isn’t going to be you. Logical Y/N knows that, we just need to convince anxious Y/N as well.” 

“It’s going to take a horse’s dose of Ativan to get me through that door.” 

“We can sort that. We’ll get you something to calm your nerves, and we’ll go from there okay? Baby steps.” 

You nod, breathing a little easier now you’d voiced your fears and shared them with Eddie; no longer having them constantly swirling in your head. 

You walk through the doors to the clinic, stopping short as you see the small queue of people in front of you signing in. Eddie senses your hesitation, guiding you forward with a hand on your back, gently coaxing you forward without feeling like you were being pushed into the situation against your will. 

Despite the hand guiding you forward, your feet stay planted on the ground. Eddie takes your hand, moving you to the side for some privacy. He leans down to meet your gaze, placing his hands either side of your arms to ground you. “You’ve got this, I’m going to be right with you the whole time,” he whispers, leaning in close and pressing a kiss to the side of your head. 

He can see the tears welling up in your eyes, threatening to spill over and his heart breaks. “Cariño, nothing is going to happen, I promise.” He says in attempts to comfort you. 

“Do you want me to go first?” the firefighter asks. 

You nod fiercely, not trusting yourself to speak. 

Eddie holds out a hand to you, giving you the option to take it. You do, holding on tightly as if your life depended on it. He guides you to the check in, signing you both in with the volunteer on the front desk before moving to the waiting area to take your seat. 

The way your knee was bouncing up and down didn’t escape the other man. He places his hand over your knee to stop the bouncing, his large warm hand covering your knee and bringing you some comfort. You grab his hand in yours, squeezing it tightly in return. 

“What do you want for dinner after this? We can order in pizza or get takeout from that place you like?”  

You knew what he was trying to do, and you thanked him for the distraction and incentive to get through the vaccination. A few minutes after discussing what the pair of you would be tucking into when you both got home, you were called forward to the nurse who’d be administering your vaccine. A volunteer made an attempt to split you up, but after seeing the death grip you had on the man, they relented, sending you both to the next room that had been freed.  

The nurse's eyes crinkled over her mask, clearly smiling if it weren’t for the PPE obscuring her features. “Alright, who’s going first then?” 

Eddie smiled, raising his free hand in the air, “that’ll be me.” 

“Actually....” you speak up from beside him, “Can-Can I go first? I’m afraid if I see you go first I’ll run.” 

Eddie lets out a chuckle at your confession, but gives you a look to show how extremely proud he was of you for stepping forward of your own accord. He holds out a hand for you, guiding you down into the seat. “Do you mind if I stay with her? Hold her hand, we’re a little nervous.” 

The nurse smiles, shaking her head, “of course, don’t be silly. You’re not the first and definitely not going to be the last who’s anxious today!” 

Eddie kneels beside your chair, turning your chin so you’re locked on his eyes. “Just focus on me, alright? Nothing else matters.” 

You suck in a shaky breath as you hear the nurse beside you uncapping the syringe, no doubt drawing up the medicine. He continued his distraction, talking about everything and anything that popped into his mind. He wished he had Buck with him at this moment, his endless useless knowledge and facts would have been great, but he isn’t completely inept when it comes to trivia. 

“A little cold,” you hear the nurse from beside you as she lifts your shirt sleeve and swipes the cool alcohol swab over your exposed skin. 

Eddie smiled, “just look at me, alright. Deep breath.” 

“Little pinch,” the nurse announces, waiting until you exhaled to insert the needle. 

Before you know it, you hear the clink of the empty syringe being placed into the sharps bin behind you and a plaster being placed over the pinprick. 

“There we are, all done!” the nurse announces. 

You shakily release the breath, smiling at Eddie letting out a small giddy laugh. You knew better than anyone that anxiety often made simple tasks seem insurmountable, but just as Eddie had promised, he stayed with you the entire time. 

The nurse smiles at the interaction as she cleans up and prepares the next dose for Eddie. Allowing you to calm down from the ordeal before she asks for Eddie to take a seat. You swap positions, knowing he didn’t need it but held Eddie’s hand through his vaccination, just like he’d done for you. 

The nurse gives you your appointment cards for your scheduled second doses along with the information leaflet from the vaccine, covering any side effects you should look out for. Eddie takes them both, pocketing them, knowing if you were to look at them you’d likely work yourself up. The pair of you are sent out into the waiting room, with instruction to wait for ten minutes to ensure there were no side effects. When the ten minutes are up, you and Eddie walk out hand in hand, your thoughts on the delicious meal you were going to reward yourself with when you get home.

[shurisneakers]

shut in [9]

Summary: When your high profile mission goes terribly wrong, you’re forced to hide in a safehouse with a man you’ve never met before. With seemingly nowhere else to go, you’re forced to work together to figure out who is trying to have you assassinated before it’s too late. (Sam Wilson x Reader, Hitman AU)

Warnings: cursing, anxiety, ptsd, shooting

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: ok ok ok ok sam deserves the world and im mad that he’s not getting it

i also appreciate feedback so if you would like to, please consider dropping me an ask or comment ly guys!!

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Shut In Masterlist

He was gone.

10:00am

Time had begun to slip past you. Days where you were forced to wake up at 4am were just a dreary memory you didn’t want to revisit. The rough shoves in the morning to have you awake enough to be in training by 4:30am only fell into the category of things you had forgotten over the time you had stayed here.

Maybe sleep wasn’t a luxury you weren’t allowed to afford.

10:30am

By the time you step into the kitchen, the loose structure of the day you had ahead of you was forming. Maybe if you revisited the small makeshift shooting range you had set up for Sam and you to practice. A couple of old soup cans, a flat boulder for them to sit on and you were good to go. He had allowed you to use his giant board for knife throwing too, laughed when you asked for permission before saying it was for the both of you. 

You made a sandwich for yourself, forcing it down your throat with water. Bread was starting to feel like cardboard and the jam just tasted like nothing. Peanut butter was even worse.

Losing appetite wasn’t an option, even though it had eroded a while ago. The best option was to just scarf it down with water. 

11:00am

Sam isn’t in the house, you had deduced. A morning run or maybe just some fresh air.

You checked for the notes he sometimes left for you when he went out. Something along the lines of when he’d be back, or why he’d left, or where you could find him. 

You looked on top of the fridge where he generally left them; someplace he knew you’d see. You didn’t find one.

You shrugged it off. 

Something felt wrong about the arrangement of the kitchen but you couldn’t place a finger on what it was. All the chairs were in its place, trash appropriately in the bin, no bowls were left from soup day in the sink to wash. 

The origami swan you had made still rested next to his paper airplane. Nothing seemed wrong or out of place. 

You pushed yourself to shake off the nerves, to get dressed instead. The shooting range was waiting for you.

12:45pm

When you shoot for thirty and get all thirty, it tends to get a little boring. Not that you were complaining; if even one was off you’d spend the whole day trying to make up for it.

Violent hobbies weren’t ideal. They weren’t even hobbies per se. Just skills you needed to keep sharp if you wanted to survive.

You even shot at the targets that you had hung up on the trees. Dangerous and completely Sam’s idea. Said the wind made them act like moving targets. Nevermind the possibility of a ricochet.

The target board was empty too. Admittedly, knife throwing was a little harder  to get used than shooting to but it still only took a few tries before you were hitting bullseye over and over again.

There just wasn’t anything to do. And you realised it had been this way for a while but you never noticed due to his lively chatter or how competitive it got with stupid games you were making up as you went. 

1:00pm

You learned against the counter as you ate, eyeing the room, trying to figure out what you had misplaced. The air was cold, even more so after the shower, so you threw on an extra t-shirt to aid you.

You made a noise of disapproval when you couldn’t find what was wrong. A quick wash of your hands before you made your way to the TV, fully intending to doze off while watching Megamind for the fourth time. 

You passed by the mini fridge on the way, noting how you needed to restock the ice cubes when you suddenly stopped in your path.

Your eyes peeled back to the small paper bowl Sam had crafted expertly that was still somehow managing to stick together. But that was what was wrong.

The keys were missing.

The fucking car keys and the pocket change you had taken from Pierce’s house were no longer there. 

Your body moved on autopilot, dragging you towards the front door. You yanked it open, door creaking under the pressure you applied on it.

Your heart sank. 

The car was gone.

1:20pm

You had all the possibilities listed out in front of you with the rest scratched out after you had rationalised it.

Someone had come in and taken the car, which wasn’t likely. 

Sam had stepped out but hadn’t mentioned it to you. If he did, why would he need the car?

Someone had abducted Sam, which was absurd on paper but still left a twinge of uncertainty because you couldn’t definitively rule it out. 

He had just left. Decided he was done and left. 

You stared at the last option. 

“Fuck,” you cursed.

You could feel his muscle shift as he looked at you. 

“What’s wrong?” 

You opened your mouth but shut it again. How do you explain it to him without sounding utterly ridiculous?

You wondered if it was that conversation. 

He wouldn’t leave after you told him, would he?

You hesitated before shaking your head.

He’d come back. He would.

1:45pm 

You had added a few more possibilities to the list but discarded it almost immediately.

You now found a place in front of the TV, watching but not registering what was said. Your fingers kept itself busy by playing with the hem of your shirt. You had thrown another one on since his jacket was missing with the rest of him. It had gotten colder.

The woman droned on about how much her husband loved the recipe she was making. It was Sam’s favourite segment, not because it was particularly fantastic or anything, but because it gave him forty five minutes of free content to trash talk.

Your eyes kept glancing up at the clock. Was it broken or was time much slower than you initially thought?

You almost felt like you were in a cognitive dysfunction; you couldn’t do anything other than while away time till you figured out what had gone wrong. 

2:00pm

If you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t have heard the soft crunch of twigs. The whirring of the wheels as it turned gently only made you sit up straight, hands on the gun that rested on the couch beside you.

It came to a stop. The gun was fully in your grip now, TV turned off to determine what the noises were.

It was the most agonisingly slow minute you spent listening as the car opened and shut, muffled by the distance. You were near the door, using the adjoining wall as a hideaway. 

The doorknob shook as someone tried to push their way in. 

“Sam?” you called out cautiously against your better judgement, mentally cringing. 

It took a second for his reply to return. 

“Hey, sweetheart. Let me in, will you? Stupid door’s not opening.”

Of course it wouldn’t. It was fingerprint activated.

Relief flooded your system, letting yourself hold the gun with only one hand as you hastily made your way to open the door.

However, you paused. As much as you wanted to fling the door open blindly, you waited, hand on the knob.

“Is someone out there with you?”

“What?” he sounded confused. “No, it’s just me.”

You opened the door slightly, peeking out through the sliver of open space. 

Sure enough, it was only him. The car was returned to the same spot that it was.

“Where were you?” You yanked the door open. You sounded way more aggressive than you planned to, you were sure. It didn’t matter though.

“Went to the store,” he said nonchalantly, stepping inside, and dropping the keys back where they were.

“What?” 

He was so relaxed about it, like it was nothing. It only irked you further than you already were.

“Drove the car till the highway, walked into town and went to the store.” He set the bag down. “What’d you do all day?”

“You went to the town,” you emphasised. “To the fucking store.”

“Yeah, I figured you would be up by the time I came back.”

“You were gone for hours.” You crossed your arms over your chest, fighting the urge to yell. You could talk it out calmly. You didn’t have to snap

You hoped he had a good reason. You sincerely hoped, for his well being and security, that he risked his life to go to public space.

“We’re way further out than you think. Nearest dollar store’s almost the next fuckin’ state if you’re walking. Had to ditch the car because it’s a little too flashy, even for me.” He lifted up the bag next to him. “Got us some ramen. And juice. That’s all we had cash for anyway.”

You stare at him, mouth slightly agape. 

“You could have been seen, Sam,” your tone was corrosive, the next best you could do instead of yelling. “For all we know, you could have been followed.”

“No one followed me. I made sure.”

That did nothing to alleviate the anxiety that was crawling into your head. 

“You’re ridiculous,” you muttered. “Fucking ridiculous.”

“Where are you going?” You ignored him, turning on your heel and walking to the bedroom. You didn’t care if it was his day that day. He could rot in the kitchen with his stupid ramen for all you cared.

You cursed as you slammed the door behind you, launching yourself onto the bed. 

There was no denying you were relieved that he was still alive and here. But fuck him. Fucking dickhead. 

Fucking juice.

You spent the next couple of hours feeling absolutely embarrassed for yourself. Why did you spend hours worrying if he was safe when he was out there, gallivanting in public for some stupid noodles?

Both of you could have been absolutely fucked if he wasn’t careful. He may have just jeopardised your entire set up.

But deep down, no matter how much it was annoying to acknowledge, you knew he wouldn’t have. He was smart, strategic. 

Why would he do something like this?

How much you were worried scared you. There was no time where it had occurred that maybe you were in danger too. Every possibility you came up with only pushed the thought of him possibly in trouble further into your head. 

But the more you spend time overthinking, the more you realised that him being in danger wasn’t the entire cause of your worry. 

What if he didn’t come back? Why’d he come back? 

He had the means to leave, the will to and clearly was able to go undetected for a while. He didn’t need to return, but he did. 

And for what; to give you some food he bought from the dollar store. 

He seemed excited about it too, before you had closed the door on his face and decided to spend the next few hours self-destructing.

Fucking ramen.

Maybe if you could just lie there until you decomposed, then you wouldn’t have to have a conversation with him about this. That’s what you would have done a couple of months ago. 

But now the idea of communicating had been implanted and implemented several times before. It didn’t feel right to push it away, not when you’d come so far. A chance to heal.

You groaned, shoving a pillow onto your face before getting up grumpily. 

Fuck this man and his stupid, healthy methods of coping. 

___

You opened the door slowly, creeping into the hallway to assess what he was doing. It had been a few hours of silence in the house. He had given you space, not come knocking on the door to explain himself. 

You took note of the kitchen. The table had been laid with two bowls of noodles covered with a plate along with a glass each of juice. It was domestic. Cute.

He was watching Die Hard but the volume was turned down low. If he was anything like you, he wouldn’t have been paying too much attention.

You cleared your throat awkwardly to grab his attention.

His neck craned to look at you, surprise flashing across his face for a second before he leapt up, turning off the TV in an instant.

“Y/N,” he stated as normally as he could.

“Samuel,” your tone was steady. 

He scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Wasn’t sure if you were gonna show up.” 

“Neither was I.” You looked at the table, gesturing towards it with your shoulder. “Watchu got there, Gordon Ramsey?”

Because screw him, but the longer you stood there staring at the bowl, you were starting to understand the lengths he went to to get something other than bread, peanut butter and soup. As much as the prospect of being petty thrilled you, you had survived on nothing but them for the past few weeks.

“Got a few packs of ramen and a gallon of juice from the store. Thought you- we deserve somethin’ nice.” You noticed his quick coverup but didn’t acknowledge it. “It’s not Michelin star worthy, but it’ll do.”

You nodded, avoiding looking at him.

“I-”

“Hey-”

Both of you started at the same time, only to be cut off by the other. You mentioned for him to continue.

“Listen, I’m sorry. I should have told you before I left,” You didn’t expect the sincerity that exuded from every word he let out and you found yourself unable to look away. “I’m not used to people worrying about where I go... but things are different now. I won’t do it again.”

You weren’t used to the feeling of lightness that accompanied an apology. Relief. 

“Thank you,” you said breathily. His face noticeably brightened. “But why’d you come back?”

His small smile left as soon as it came, as his face fell into a frown. “What?”

“You could have just left. You had the car, the-” you stopped yourself from listing out reasons why he should have. “Why’d you come back?”

He looked completely confused. 

“Because I wanted to,” he voiced. “Leaving you behind was never an option. I wouldn’t-”

He trailed off, eyes never leaving yours. 

“You’re stuck with me,” he urged softly. “We’re a team.”

You lingered on him longer than you wanted to admit. He wasn’t lying, you had realised. 

“Care to join me for dinner?” he asked, extending a hand to you.

You rolled your eyes but took it, feeling the heat creep up your neck. He smirked at you and fuck, he was frustratingly cute. 

You understood. You totally understood when you nearly died at the first bite you took, vowing to never take food like this for granted again. It may have been the absolute bare minimum; just the seasoning and noodles he had cooked in the microwave, but it was the best goddamn meal you ever had.

“Good, right?” He looked about as content as he could be. 

“Best fuckin’ day of my life.”

He kidded around some more. You choked out a laugh at some, wholly ignored the others to which he took complete offence. You saw it as a way to humble him.

This was the normalcy you had crushed your craving for so long ago, accepting that it wouldn’t ever happen. A normal dinner with someone who made you smile, no impending doom lurking around the corner and maybe a shot at a glimmer of something happy. 

It was strange that you found it with another hitman in a safe house, hiding from authorities and who knows what else, with food worth a couple of cents. You wouldn’t want it any other way.

Yet there were things that had to be discussed. Conversations that needed to happen.

“Sam, we need to talk about it.” You didn’t have to explain, he knew what you were talking about.

“What’s wrong?” 

“I need to tell you something and I need you to hear me out before saying anything,” you pulled away from him, shuddering at the sudden cold that enveloped you. 

“I’m listening.”

“We do,” he agreed, and you could feel the atmosphere in the room begin to shift. “But we don’t have to do it now.”

He reached across from where he was sitting, hesitantly interlacing your fingers. The sense of fluster you experienced wasn’t healthy, you decided.

You just ducked your head, fighting against the damn smile that was trying to make its way onto your face. You didn’t pull away.

“Okay.”

Next part

[yunhosthetic]

[3:38 a.m.]

pairing: san x seosang

top: san

bottom: yeosang

genre: smut

words: 1463

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

yeosang mumbled to himself while staring at his computer screen. he took a quick sip of his cappuccino and shook his head.

"nope. it doesn't sound genuine enough," he sighed in disbelief and tapped the backspace key a few times to clear out the words he had typed.

waking up at three in the morning with a house full of seven crack heads is the worst decision yeosang has ever made. he would sit in his room writing a fanfic about two male kpop idols being a couple. he wouldn't talk about it to anyone. not even to wooyoung, his roommate.

the blonde yawned out of boredom and being tired and lightly scratched his cheek. looked at the time on the corner of his computer screen.

"three thirty-eight... and i still haven't posted anything in my writing account for a month, except for silly life updates," yeosang complained then closed his laptop and set it under his bed.

"i'm going to grab something to eat really quick. i'm hungry. maybe get another cup of cappuccino while i'm at it."

he quietly left the room and tip-toed to the kitchen. once yeosang made it there, he opened the cabinet of snacks and grabbed his two packs of dried, sea salted seaweed. he opened the other cabinet that was filled with coffee mugs of all kind. some being LGBT and BT21.

yeosang grabbed the shooky mug and set it on the kitchen counter. he opened the bin of coffee beans and poured a cup into the coffee machine, thankful that it wasn't empty. seonghwa and mingi went out grocery shopping recently and hongjoong, san, and wooyoung restocked everything after their necessary walmart run.

while turning on the grinding button, he heard soft taps from the hallway. a tired groaned followed by it.

"sangie," a voice groaned, sounding a little annoyed from the coffee machine being on, "we can't have coffee until six. what are you doing up at this time?"

yeosang looked over his shoulder to san. san was his best friend for five years and his lover for six months. the two met in high school months before graduation and college orientation. san was never the one to make fun of yeosang, unless he's done something weird or being effortlessly funny towards the roommates, and he can let someone be themselves.

he cleared his throat and added water to the boiling water kettle, making a cup for himself.

"i can't sleep. once i'm up, i have to do something like making coffee," the blonde simply answered, cautiously pouring water into the grinded coffee and mixing it with a spoon.

"it's been like for years. i tried counting sheep, but i am an adult. none of that crap works unless it's booze."

san let out a quiet chuckle and took a seat at the kitchen counter.

"well, you have me. you could've just asked for some cuddles. we all know you don't drink. you're a light weight for fuck sakes," he reminded.

"you never had a drink before. not even a fake daiquiri."

"and i don't plan to any time soon. i will forever be an uber to all of you drinkers, including jongho," the older added then stretched and rolled his shoulders while the coffee was brewing into the coffee jar.

"ouch. that hurts my feelings, sangie," san teased, getting up from the stool and walking over to the male. he circled his arms on yeosang's waist and swayed him to side to side, smiling fondly.

a deep red blush covered yeosang's face. he could feel one of san's hands going under his shirt, and his thumb gently pressed against yeosang's nipple, which caused him to let out a soft gasp and closed his eyes.

"s-san, baby, what're you — w-we can't. not right n-now," he whispered helplessly while san placed soft kisses on his neck and shoulder.

"please, yeosang. it's been weeks that we've done it. you've been avoiding me for too long, baby," the other whispered back.

the black and red haired male turned off the coffee machine and pressed his body against yeosang, his chest touching his back as his other hand pulled yeosang's pink lace panties down to his lower thighs. san scooped him up and took him to his bedroom, his foot pushing the door closed once they were in.

the two began making out passionately. yeosang's back against the wall while san held his wrists pin above his head with hand. yeosang moaned when felt precum dripping out of his tip.

"sannie, please, please," he whispered through the kiss as san pulled away to take yeosang's shirt off and cover his chest with hickeys and bites.

"come on, bunny. speak to me. what do you want me to do?"

yeosang felt chills going down on his back from the pet name. he has always been san's bunny. he was hardly a brat in the bed, unless he was impatient with the teasing.

"touch me, please. i need you inside me, san," he begged, rolling his hips against his boyfriend's.

"can i ride you, please? i've been good all day."

san groaned softly from the friction and nodded his head as his reply. how could he say no to an idea like that? what yeosang wants is what yeosang gets.

the couple pulled away and lied down on the bed. yeosang hurriedly took off san's sweatpants and boxers and handed him the condom. he stood on his patiently while san tore the package with his teeth and carefully slipped on the condom.

"are you prepped, bunny," he asked while yeosang sat on his lap and placed his hands on san's chest, straddling him.

"yes, i am. only for you, san."

"good job, bun. you're going to take my cock so well. you won't be walking for a week," san praised, making yeosang bite on his bottom at the idea.

yeosang positioned his hole to san's big cock and slowly slid down, letting out a broken moan. his nails dug onto san's skin while adjusting to his size. san held his waist and groaned at the friction.

maybe san was right. no. he was definitely. yeosang has been avoiding his and san's sexual needs for too long. all the working and errand runnings have took up so much of their time. they'll have to make it up by this and possibly going to breakfast and dinner.

"so tight ~ start moving, babe ~"

and yeosang did what he was told. he rode and bounced on san's cock like there was no tomorrow. the cal king size mattress squeaked, and head board thud against the wall over and over.

the two men were a hot mess. both of their sweaty bodies grinding up against each other, slobbily kissing and leaving marks on their skin that wouldn't leave in a day or two. san flipped yeosang and thrusted deeper inside him. his cock going in and out of yeosang's turning him on more and more till san hit yeosang's prostate.

"right there! right there, san! oh fuck~ 'm cumming," yeosang screamed in pure bliss, close to his orgasm.

a knot form inside san's stomach, and his thrusts became sloppy after giving yeosang permission. he came on his chest and stomach, tears staining the bed sheets. he spasm and panted softly. san pulled out and came into the condom.

"fuck... that was so great, honey. you did so well. let's get cleaned up before hyung catches us."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

san and yeosang slept in that morning, cuddling under the sheets and wearing new pajamas. the sun's ray seeped through the curtains. yeosang groggily opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep off his eyes. his brown orbs stared at san, who was peacefully asleep and had his arms on his waist.

"such a cutie," he whispered and heard a knock on the door.

yeosang slipped out of san's arms and stretched and cracked his knuckles. he walked to the door and opened it just to see jongho with a smug smirk.

"you forgot these panties, hyung," the youngest teased, holding the evidence in a plastic bag.

"i don't know if you know, but i'll say once for you horn dogs. these walls can talk. we heard every little thing."

yeosang blushed in embarrassment and sucked in his teeth. he grabbed his panties and closed the door. he rolled his eyes and turned to see san waking up and getting out of the bed.

"was that jongho? that little shit," san mumbled and sighed.

"where should we go for breakfast, bunny? it's on me today. "

"it doesn't matter. i just wanna spend time with you this week and next. forever actually."

[blankdblank]

Brother Dearest Pt 45

Nausea came in hard and fast and a try to make tea for Norma had her slumped back in her chair at the table waiting to the sound of the water boiling. Something was wrong and the new phone line in the house came in handy as a way to get the Doc on notice of what was going on. “Almost done Jeanie.” You said readying the mug and bag of tea that you poured the warm water over so she wouldn’t scald herself. Some honey was added in a hope to calm her stomach and over to her. The smell however had her stomach lurch and you turned with hand extended to the trash bin that zapped over to float in front of her to catch the little she could get up. Over her back your hand smoothed and you said, “Just breathe, it’s okay. Just breathe.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled accepting the towel you zapped over to wipe her own mouth and catch your eye to the lower of the can. “You made me tea,” with shaking hands she accepted the mug and forced down a few sips.

Beside her you sat with eyes fixed on her in each of her calming breaths to the mental count back to when they guys would be coming home. Dawn was with her family and had taken the kids with her that just left the dogs and even Mr Whiskers who were showing hints that they were catching signals the birth would be coming soon. All attentive and crowded around while she finished her tea and you sent the mug to the sink and rose to help her to her feet. “Let’s get you to bed and off your feet.”

A splash around her feet once up had your eyes drop and in a sway from her your hands steadied her in her groan at the sway of the room. “I’m not doing this on purpose.”

That had you giggle and reply, “Jeanie, I would never peg you for a purposeful splasher in my lifetime. Just mean’s baby is getting ready to come, Ambrose spent about an hour mid labor with her head in the bin. Let’s get you to bed sweetheart.” Against you she leaned as her nerves amped up and right to her bed you went to lay over the rubber sheet she laid over the bed each day in hopes of meeting her child. Carefully you helped to ease off her stockings she refused to stop wearing and her garter belt after she had slipped out of her now wet shoes. As easily as possible you helped to change her into a more comfortable dress she’d picked for the birth for her to lay back in and focus on her breathing between sips of water you ensured she took to stay hydrated.

.

Sight of the Doc’s car in the driveway however had the brothers’ hearts racing and once the truck was parked they both shot out of it not even closing the doors to the truck on their race inside. “Nora?!” Victor called out once through the front door you knew to warn the Doctor to leave propped open.

You came into the doorway with a sigh right into their wide eyed view and calmed them in saying, “Bout five centimeters. Just had to call the Doc she was nauseous for the past few hours, but he gave her something to help.”

Victor nodded and looked to the door that he passed by you hearing, “In bed, Vicy. I feel better now.” Right up against her side he curled with eyes on the Doctor who was explaining the simple powder he’d given her to drink in water you got her. His nerves eased with his hand smoothing over her stiffening belly that was shifting lower revealing signs that the baby was coming soon. Right off he could sense the only issue was the period of nausea that she’d scooted past. Though through the doorway however he caught your pause to rest your head against James’ chest for a melt into the hug he offered with hushed murmurs that he would take you to get something to eat to calm your own tilt to the room at the ordeal that had put off your lunch after a sliver of breakfast due to an accidental knock of your plate by Teddy off the table while Dawn was readying him to go that morning.

Gently he pressed his lips to your temple and with an arm across your back he led you from the door, “Let’s see what we have in the fridge hmm?”

The last of the fish was fixed up with some veggies for a meal you felt a bit guilty size wise that he fixed up to his setting it in front of you with a smile, “Eat up Darling. Been a hard morning. We’re off the rest of the week easy so Teddy can’t steal your meals from you.”

You sighed and said, “I don’t know why I’m so light weight these days.”

Down into the seat beside you he sat with hands on your leg and hand closest to him with eyes fixed on yours, “You are in no way a light weight. You need to eat and you need to sleep. Now eat up and get your strength up before Doc has to come and check on you when you pass out.”

A check of the progress had Victor sent out and had him curiously in search of you and on the empty seat beside you and asked, “Hard morning Pipsqueak?”

While your mouth was full James said, “Teddy knocked her breakfast off the table and lunch was put off.”

Victor softly murmured, “Pipsqueak,” still knowing about the lingering effects any amount of hunger had on your body only compounded by stress, of which you had plenty at the moment that had explained why the doors and drawers in the bathroom and kitchen he noticed had been open upon their return.

“I’m ok,” you said after swallowing. “I am.”

Victor, “Doc said her nausea was extreme and you got her through that, you kept her drinking and sucking on spoonfuls of honey and ice cubes. Thank you, now look at the kitchen.” Your head turned and your lips parted eyeing the open drawers and cabinets you eased shut again mentally then looked to him again, “You needed a break. Relax, Dawn’s off till tonight, Eddie too so I’m going to be in that room with you and Jimmy. Take a breather, pace on the patio, we got some time.”

The Doc however called him back and proved otherwise, merely enough to rinse off your dishes and take a moment in the sunlit patio where Mr Whiskers was stretched out in the warmth.

.

“Hey, what did I say about the face?” You asked the infant lying halfway underneath your propped up shoulders and face that was curling it’s legs and hands to bump into your nose after another waking stretch. Twelve pushes in an awkward array of positions for little Leanora Iris Creed to be born was endured and now Norma and Victor slept after a long night up staring at their daughter who once she had her first meal slept soundly. Two parents so worried about her safety had worried themselves to needing to sleep. The bald little girl with almost shimmering hazel eyes stared up at you with grunts and coos galore in a try to say something to you. Lowly however a chuckle from the returned James with tray of food in hand he had gone to fetch came to take over staring duty for the girl soon to be cradled to his chest lovingly so he could cuddle closer to you. “Come here Petal. Just wait and when you’re grown your auntie Bunny will teach you some serious tips on dishing out bruises.”

“Petal?” You asked with a wide smile at the now smiling man who inched even closer to your side with hands fixed to cradle his niece.

“Vic always wanted a Petal. We’re slipping it in, Shh.” Softly you giggled and turned your focus back to the food as he began to speak to you about any and everything to keep his mind off your own babies you’d have one day he pondered the faces and adorably perfect hands and feet he’d never let go of once here.

Arguments of course ensued with the tiny girl caught in the battle of nicknames, Sunshine vs Petal. Compromise was found by the common renditions of ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to the girl who would have to grow up with two nicknames from her parents related to her first two names. Help was given by means of your dad’s nickname for you contrasting your mother’s. And the early summer found Victor off work to stay with Norma and Leanora while you were granted shifts at the diner again and private drives with your loving husband who on the way back used the privacy to his benefit and took the long way home more than once to always steal just one more kiss.

.

Post signing sales however brought business back to your mind between trips to the comic book studio to Freckled Moose’s headquarters where they shared that availability was being expanded to England and America. Negatives were shipped back and forth again to ready the shipments and restock the shelves to fulfill back orders that by the end of June had your muffled squeak behind your hand to the number on the check sent to you for your cut of the first round of sales on the initial supply printed and bound. James handled the bank trip for you with a massive proud grin at the amount that was agreed to help pay off any tuition for yourself when the amount your father had saved for you was depleted. With the remainder to be added to the funds to come from the rest of the sales of this book and any others to go towards school funds for Erik and your future babies.

There was no way that would ever be a hard sell. Erik wasn’t that much younger than you and needed help to reach his goals and James wanted his daughters especially to be well educated and his sons to be able to have a good footing for their own futures and families they may have. Years ahead you had planned and even with a spreadsheet on a legal pad you had found a huge gap of funds that would be left over you couldn’t comprehend ever having earned that now spoke to how vastly your circumstances had changed from Steve’s watch to being under the protection of the Howlett brothers and Eddie.

Even had you not met James or Victor your future would have been far cushier compared to the nothing that had been willed down to you. All you truly had was that school fund and even on that you would have struck on your own to make a life for yourself under the legal watch of the Brocks until you could be claimed by someone else. Still, for the price near to an ironing board and far less useful in day to day life hundreds of thousands of copies of what you had snapped with an inherited camera for class was now a joining factor in countless lives and stirred conversations once impossible between strangers until that book had been released. Manhattan and Washington however would come calling soon enough as you were guaranteed two dates there as well.

.

“So what do you have planned for school?” You asked Erik in his path past yours in the diner where he’d been back to helping out since the baby had been born once his spare summer month long course had helped to catch him up to the final credits he’d need to graduate on time after being so behind.

Food was settled out for the table of truckers and his empty table had been cleared and wiped down for your paths to meet again behind the counter where you collected the next trays worth of plates and utensils. “Um,” he muttered on your way around the counter again almost reluctant to say his aspirations after his recount of his collected tips so far.

Back again at his side in the break where all the tables had been seen to between the both of you he stood lost with a drifted look on his face after having counted his cut of the tips from his cleared tables. “Erik?”

His eyes snapped up and he grabbed the coins and slid them into the slot of his tip box built into the counter and forced out a grin. “I might just work here a few more years first.”

That had you lean in and place a hand on his arm in the turn of the cook back to his grill after having taken notice of his expression in handing off Dot her lunch she was taking after her cousin had gotten off hers. His eyes widened a tad and you could see the deeply held fight not to cry in them and you said, “If it’s about the money for school I have money left over from the book after the rest of what I have mapped out to spend for mine that I was considering putting in an account for you.”

Instantly his arms shot around you and a smile eased across your lips to his right hug you returned gladly as he mumbled into the top of your head, “I can’t thank you enough I won’t let you down.”

“Oh I never doubted that Erik.”

In his draw back he looked you over ensuring he hadn’t messed up your uniform and said, “I have almost a thousand saved up already so it’d just be whatever’s left over after that. Will that be much?”

“Depends on how far you want to go,” you said with a smirk to his creeping grin.

“Far as I can. I wanna try for Columbia, like you.”

Softly you giggled and turned your head to a throat clearing at he counter to signal politely a need for a refill for a driver needing to go soon but wanted a top up first. In a turning reach for the coffee pot you answered, “Then we can see about the Brocks hiring you at the bar on weekends if you like.”

One more year was all that was left and the seventeen year old couldn’t be more excited to be able to head to Brooklyn with you, hopeful that he could get good enough grades to get into the fantastic school to be closer to his cousin and learn in one of the top schools in this side of the world.

.

Nose deep in the lake you tread water with watch of Eddie on his day off and Teddy in hand letting the boy get his first swim lesson. Victor on the deck sat with hold of his girl to Norma’s bashful drop of the towel around her. Dawn was off at work while James was helping a neighbor with something. Timidly Norma crouched to ease into the water from the deck eager to hide her belly you had been joining her a few times a week for some laps back and forth across the lake. “Norma it’s the water weight, no need to be bashful,” Eddie said luring a smile across her face.

“I just have to be camera ready before the premier in October,” she replied.

“Norma you’d have folks lined up even with Leanora still in your belly.” You said in her dunk neck deep into the water to Victor’s lift of his daughter’s body to kiss her forehead in her grunt at a passing dragon fly. Chatter continued in the cool off break between each lap you ticked off the weekly roster before you went inside to get out of the heat.

Irritating twinges in your belly now had you inside your tub while the hand scrubbed swim suit you’d left to hang on the sink to get the telling blood stain out from the unnoticed streak down your leg Eddie had warned you of on the way back from under the bottom of your towel. There was a promise to wait on babies but still another cycle had come and now you were nose deep in the tub after having scrubbed up and wound your washed hair on top of your head to simply seep in all the warmth of the water while it lasted joined by stray tears. Footsteps from the bedroom had you wipe warm water over your face and stopped in a knock on the door.

Victor through it asked, “Hungry Pipsqueak?” He had questions he wanted to ask but held back to wait for James to get home so he could pamper you back out of this troubling week that even the girls could tell wore heavily on you. Even Norma had suggested her own tips to the guys surrounding her own monthly troubles and painful cycles that had her wondering if you faced the same condition she had been enduring.

“Little bit,” you did reply and leaned back with eyes closing to the stretch of your legs irritating your cramped hips and lower back.

“I’ve got stew on the stove for you when you’re ready.” He paused a moment and asked, “You need anything else?”

Over your eyes your hand laid and you answered, “I am okay, just feels like I’m being stabbed from the inside out.”

You could hear his forehead press to the door in a sigh from a trapped sense of helplessness against this physical pain you faced. “Nothing?”

To give him something to help with you asked, “Do we still have some of those warm honey buns?”

“Honey buns, on it.” Back he stepped and to the tug on the drain chain you heard him sharing with Eddie once downstairs, who let Venom take over and get him into town to the bakery in his own urge to help.

Dried and changed into some comfy shorts and a blouse to join the others in the living room where Erik joined you also smoothing his fingers through his hair while you did the same to yours. Five minutes after Eddie’s return James had returned home with Dawn and your husband caught onto the tell tale signs and adoringly swept away right into extra cuddles and massages between spare snacks he could add to your afternoons and evenings.

.

August was the month to ready and September had the house boarded up for the lengthy drive back to Brooklyn. A couple days were used to freshen up the nurseries as you and James traveled for the two book signings. Washington came first and upon arrival you were taken straight to the Blair House, a guest home to dignitaries and others visiting the President, where you were gifted a lovely room that seemed a bit over the top for this simple stay. You had arrived in late and it wouldn’t be until the next day that Truman could meet with you in the planned dinner after your morning and afternoon for the signing.

A school nearby was used for this backdrop with the auditorium for the questioning afterwards. Far beyond what you had expected collectively over all the eight dollar paperweight now spreading through this country as well as England to those who had expressed some sort of demand had grown to be the unthinkable. True you were about fifty miles below Rembrandt or other staple artists in any country but still it was a bit flattering to say the least that this book and not just your comic books had been picked off the shelves by thousands of strangers.

Even here more children had brought their favorite issues for picture worthy moments to be flooded through papers, including a boy who hijacked his mother’s question time to ask about his favorite now signed comic book. A separate picture however even on your own picture was taken with the President and other members of the White House staff who had their own copies. All of which you signed before and after the planned supper with the First Family who were glad to hear all the details of your travels and possibly catch hints of what your next book might be covering.

.

The train back scattered across the hours had random people that had seen you who milled through the train to pass by and ‘casually’ work their way back to your spot to ask if you would sign something of theirs. After a stop at the house for the night up to Manhattan you went to be on time for the next signing. Familiar faces from random years through the state had come to pop up again with proud grins at their silent ties to the famous face so many had come to greet and hear from. Absolute love however came from your own town and block that by household took turns delivering their books to you if they wanted it signed between others who just wanted to ask about some of their favorite images.

The back of the line however from a fancy car Howard Stark joined the line a few people behind where Albert Einstein stood. The former lingered to the side while you greeted the others between him and the final book clutching guest, Howard. “Refrigerator magnet science, you really put that as how you managed the floating objects?”

With a smirk you accepted the book he held out for you and replied, “Well, I would give you the technical answer but that would be what it would be simplified to anyways. How is the floating car coming?”

Howard sighed, “Not well, been scrapped to help on some tech to help search for Commies.” His hand outstretched to accept the book back again he eased the cover back to smirk at the comment written there with well wishes for his flying car you wanted dibs on the first model up for grabs. “So you’ll have to wait on dibs for the first car.”

“Pity.”

Einstein, “Truly the pity that now battlefields turn to hidden spies on home soil. Can only turn the world darker, brother un-trusting brother.”

James sighed and took your hand in the reminder that the questions were to start after your lunch the duo now tagged along to a nearby eatery with a reserved table set for you. Howard had his hand fixed around a not so shocking shot glass and said to break the silence, “Saw the wedding. Paid a whole ten cents for the ticket to catch that reel before some absurd little ditty filled nonsense I didn’t stick around for.”

That had you smirk and say, “I feel like I should say I’m flattered.”

Howard, “Oh don’t be. I don’t know how you managed it.” He looked to James, “Forty five minutes, I timed it. How did you manage that without screaming?”

James grinned replying in almost a hum, “Almost did, but we waited five years and I’d have waited hours through any ceremony to be hers. The length of the ceremony is irrelevant, I know the traditional ceremony would have made her parents proud while mine would have wished it to be longer, amusingly enough.”

Einstein chuckled and stated, “My wife loved the ceremony. Very beautiful dress, quite close to hers though hers was, silk? I believe, something shiny.”

You smiled and said, “Thank you. I’m just glad we are married now and nobody can add anything else on the ceremony to what they wanted.”

“Ah,” Howard said with a smirk, “And there you are. Didn’t take you as the Princess the film reel made you seem to be acting up to from our meeting. How’d you talk them into filming it?”

James, “King George offered, well, he didn’t really offer, just said the cameras were coming. Even brought their Royal Photographers that handle their own ceremonies, also insisted on noting the title I inherited for the papers from my grandfather.”

Einstein, “Obviously had you chosen the titles yourselves you would have insisted to be named as a Baron upon our first meeting.”

James, “Just a another word.”

Howard scoffed, “No it’s not. If I was a Baron I certainly wouldn’t be out living in a forest. I would be living it up.”

James smirked, “Forest helped to bring me Bunny. Had hundreds of chances to walk away but never could seem to let go of the land something said to stay put. Enjoy the silence and space and just wait.”

Einstein nodded, “Land is always a welcome home to return to. For its small size New Jersey had quite the offer of actual patches of land around houses we chose between.”

“Bet it’s beautiful, we have a tiny patch out back of our place. Thirty by thirty, if that. But the dogs do appreciate it.”

Howard, “You don’t like the yard?” He asked with a smirk.

After a pause that had his head shift to look you head on you said, “I grew up in that building, there’s more than a few of my old neighbors who tend to pass through time to time.”

Howard, “You need a good fence and a new gate.”

Einstein looked to him after taking notice of the food approaching, “She means their souls Howard.” Parting his lips in a glance between you.

The food was settled on the table to ample thanks and he asked, “Your house is haunted? Like murderous ghouls and screaming cabinets and all that.”

“Just a few pass through the yard, mainly on anniversaries. The only screamer we had was when the guys moved the furnace and fuse box.”

James chortled, “Ya, found a buried box Jaqi knew whose son should have gotten after he died, but he was deployed and got evicted when Hildi’s uncle who owned the place stopped renting and boarded it up. Left after that.”

“Ya, he never really got along with his neighbors but he was a good challenger in checkers. Liked to have another Polish speaker close by to ramble off at on occasion.”

Howard, “I don’t get you.” You smirked and he said, “No, every time I talk to you or see you it’s another crazy pony in the derby to crazy town. You don’t match up, I’m a scientist, everything has a pattern and you’re just dots all over the damn page. You were a kid, sent to a war, somehow built this unmatched weapon you won’t share with anyone else that can tear planes out of the sky and tanks apart. Now you have a book on photography of all things, are in school for who knows what and now you live in a haunted house when not living in the middle of nowhere Canada.”

“Well you’re not wrong there, not likely to make sense to many.” You said taking a slice off of your food to the twitch of his eyebrow.

Einstein chuckled saying, “As it should be, if everyone knew all the secrets to the stars no one would look up towards the light in the dark. Mystery is key.”

Howard looked to him and said in his own bite of food, “You are not helping,” making the physicist chuckle around his mouthful.

James said, “Can’t imagine what you would be expecting to find.”

Howard said to him after a glance at you, “No one is that good.”

Smirking to yourself slicing off another bite you said, “Good thing you never met my brother Steve, according to him and his friend I was born a monster.”

Howard scoffed finally lifting his utensils, “You’re no monster. No fairy princess either but not a monster.”

“Trust me if I had magic things would be completely different.” You said easing the fork between your lips while he chewed.

.

Enrollment came around again and your class list had you back in line again wading through the sea of open books you signed and answered a few questions on each. English, English Composition, two Advanced Mathematics courses, Chemistry, Astronomy, Psychology, Literature, Sociology and Rhetoric were your chosen courses; the first two English courses being the only ones alongside Literature actually on Barnard campus. Though each woman married or otherwise took time to bring up the wedding and questioned the honeymoon afterwards and summer that everyone seemed to just love a romantic break away from the city with your adoring husband. And tucked between every few women was the hand off of hushed tips shared on how to have babies to get started on your own little family with the man who clearly loved your nephew and nieces beyond words.

In passing your Advanced Mathematics Professor ensured he had a moment at your side with pipe lowered to ask, “Did I hear this correctly, you have a young cousin near to college years?”

Subtly the end of your brow ticked up under the edge of your bangs and you replied, “Yes, my cousin Erik, he’s got his final year in school starting in a week.”

The smoke from his next listening puff on his pipe billowed between you as he said, “Where is he looking for his studies after he’s graduated?”

“Well, here, actually.”

A smirk eased across his lips and he said, “Well I can’t wait to see what sort of student he is compared to his cousin and uncle. Even Elliot is anxious on the wait. All of us on the admissions essay pool judges are going to keep our eyes peeled for his application. What’s his last name?”

“Lehnsherr, Dad changed his to Rogers when he moved to Brooklyn.”

After a glance at someone calling his name he let out another puff of smoke and nudged his pipe at you briefly to say, “I will remember that name and keep an eye out for it.”

“He’ll be glad to hear it,” you said in his nodding step away that had you glance up at James in his smirking reach for another book from the stack that the freshmen that rushed back with to complete the required textbooks you’d need. “Sounds like fun times are coming. Might as well pick a room I guess for Erik.”

James chuckled and said, “Me and Vic have been sprucing up some of our ground floor rooms he could pick from so he won’t have to be surrounded by babies the whole time.” When he took another book and you gave a soft sigh just making him chuckle again and claim the final book so you had hands free to get your paperwork and sign the paperwork to get the tuition paid for in advance again for the fall and spring semesters.

Dawn and the three babies were waiting for you at home and she relaxed while you and James got lunch ready then took charge of Teddy as the younger girls were down for their naps.

.

Monday this year was the day this semester began on. English on the Barnard campus was how the day began. Ready in a peach dress and cardigan from James tied seamlessly to your figure by a sash you settled into your seat trying to ignore the title of the article that had been apparently counting down on your baby clock since the big ‘I Do Day’. Even now the public’s image that you were a real life Cinderella who had come from the very bottom as a penniless orphan who had nabbed yourself a Baron and had changed your life now simply requiring a baby to make it all picture perfect. You hoped the pressure would die down but where the Congressman’s comments on your roots had high hopes on conceiving fairly early like most Irish women were perceived to be able to simply fall pregnant with ease and would remain pregnant for a good chunk of their lives afterwards until too old to get pregnant anymore.

Mama Brock however recalling the same weight had encouraged her girls to not put any pressure on that movement and to try and spread through town as best they could that the hope would be for you to get your degree first. Halfway almost to getting the first of them most women did accept that a couple years wouldn’t a spinster make as you were still just 22 and had years ahead.

Relief however came in your second class with the same Advanced Mathematics Professor for Trigonometry who welcomed you and the other females up to his course for this and the next three courses on the Columbia Campus until your final class. Minimal female interaction between classes aided in that the men were less likely to enforce that public biological clock countdown. The air seemed different in this upper level course with male students who already knew how talented you are and that you had well earned your seat in their courses and could head up against any guy who tried to test you academically.

A second Mathematics Professor for Calculus came next just a few doors down. Across the campus to another wing you had to weave your way to your Chemistry course that would come up after your lunch break. Portia animatedly upon meeting in her car spilled her exciting new course list and her plans for this year she had used to double up more of her own courses for her own degree.

From desks to stools at stations around the room in groups of three you settled in timidly formed groups. Yourself with two of the left over guys who you’d known loosely in their tries to get to know Portia and your lunch group the hour prior as the other females had grouped up leaving just you and the rest of the male classmates. At least for them they hoped to possibly at the least have some good word shared about them to their hopeful future dates. And around you they took up the stools so you wouldn’t have to be near the gas burner or the sink on the ends and settled in for the first class that would have your first group assignment to warm you all up to the process of each in class experiment and assignment afterwards.

Psychology came next, the most interesting of your classes you had read ahead on in the textbook that could have a great impact at least on some of your own internal struggles and those that your family might have faced. The lengthy class opened with just full speeches and presentations you took notes through to the end when you would have to get up and head across to Barnard for your Literature class you had with Portia. After which the first meeting with the paper came with the proud group who got started in the opening meeting with a list compiled of topics to ready for the paper to be put out in a couple days. Five sketch topics were given to you for various sections of the paper that you had a basic draft of each they commented notes for you to add to each of them through the rest of the days until they were due.

“I’m so glad we’re back in school.” Portia said with a smile you shared on the stroll to the front entrance of the school where James and her driver were waiting. “Been such a long summer apart.” In a glance your way she asked, “James still being as romantic as ever? A couple of my cousins said their hubby’s seemed to switch once they traded rings.”

Softly you chuckled and said, “Surprisingly more romantic than ever.” Widening her smile even more, “He’s excited for me to have another year of schooling under my belt too.”

“Maybe I should take more trips up to Canada for a fella like him.” She teased with a giggle matched by yours.

“I’ll keep my ears open, and two of the fellas from lunch happen to be my lab partners in Chemistry if they tickle your fancy.”

“Oh it’ll take more than small talk over chicken cold cut sandwiches to win my heart in just a year with kind words and flattery. Any man wants to come courting has to step up and set a meeting with my daddy first or they’re all just howling at the moon.”

“Fair tip, send them up to Big Sir for him to bite them into shape.”

She smiled saying, “Exactly.”

Pt 46

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Managed: Part 1

Pairings: Clark Kent x Reader (Henry Cavill Clark)

Warnings: Secret relationship.

Word Count: 4,532

A/N: Doesn’t have a completed end yet, but just giving you more content to try to get myself out of a writing funk. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starting a new job, in a position you knew nothing about, was beyond stressful to a partial introvert with bi-polar, anxiety, and depression such as yourself, but you didn’t have much of a choice. Bills kept coming in even though you lived rent free with your mother, you still had your car payments, and insurance. Your phone needed to be paid, and your medications weren’t just going to fall from the sky. So going to work it was.

“So this is your department.” The assistant store manager of the flooring department, Erica said as she walked you out of the employee break room and training room and on to the sales floor. “You’re going to be shadowing Clark today. He’s the department manager. He’s going to show you the ropes.” You nodded your head and looked away from her as a tall, muscular man turned away from one of the two computers at the flooring ‘desk’ to smile at you.

“Welcome to the team, (Y/N).” You almost gasped at how stunningly blue this absolute God of a man’s eyes were, but your shock came from tripping over a pallet you didn’t see sticking out the slightest bit in aisle. You flew forward into his chest and instantly wanted to die as you scrambled back a step away from him.

“I’m sorry.” You gasped with a shake of your head as your face turned bright red.

“Hey, it’s OK.” He chuckled as he put his hand on your shoulder with a smile that made you want to die just a little bit more. “It actually segways into our first job of the day perfectly. So every morning, when you first come in, we start with the DSHR, which stands for… daily safety and hazard review. Or something like that, I’m not quite sure.”

“That’s reassuring.” You said with a small smile, and once again, you wanted the ground to just swallow you whole when he chuckled and looked over at you.

“My apologies. You have to understand, we deal with more acronyms than I can count. Memorizing the full names of them all is just a waste.” You nodded your head as he pulled a mobile phone from his pocket. “So DSHR. Basically what that you do is each morning, you go through the department and point out any thing that is a safety concern or a hazard. Its easier if you start with 30 and work your way over to 35. That’s all of flooring.” You nodded your head and followed him to aisle 30 to start. “So first things first. I’m sure you at least partially payed attention to the fifty thousand training videos you watched. Can you see anything you think could be a hazard from those?” With a slight shrug, you looked down the 30 odd foot aisle for things that could be wrong.

“I mean, that doesn’t look safe.” You said as you gestured to some rugs that were hanging up down the right side; a few of them only being held up by two or three of the five hooks.

“Usually, you would be right, however this is a special case. Those are on back order through the company and they are taking their sweet time coming in. What else?” You looked around again, doing everything in your power not to look over at Clark, and shook your head when you didn’t see anything else. “What about that pallet that’s sticking out a little bit above your head? That could get pushed out even farther if someone isn’t paying attention on a narrow aisle reach, right?” You nodded your head as he handed you the mobile phone. “So you take a picture, and add the aisle number and the letter of where the infraction is. Then later today, we make sure it gets fixed so that it’s not a hazard.”

“What’s the letter?”

“This one is B. So for all products, they have an aisle number, a bay letter, and a spot it’s in or the bin number. You’ll see this come into play more in the next part of the morning routine. So hit submit there, and that will send me a note that there is something I need to address later on. You with me so far?”

“I mean it seems simple enough.”

“Well then you can do the next aisle. Walk me through it. What’s a safety hazard?” He kindly and slowly walked you the rest of the way through the section, letting you do the job you would need to do yourself one day so you had a better understanding of what you were actually looking for. When you were done, he showed you what he would see once the DSHR was complete. “So next is IRP’s.”

“Irritable… Rabbit People?” Clark paused with he was saying and looked over at you with a slight nod.

“That was actually really good.”

“I try.” You said with a small smile and a shrug as you took the mobile phone back from him to do the next job. “So what are we doing with the rabbit people?”

“Inventory Replacement Plan. So each night, the night shift goes though and scans empty spots on the shelf. And then we go in… well, you will go in and fill those spots the next day. So today we only have three, but that’s because I closed last night. So these three things are items that are blank spots on the shelf. Each one will bring up an information page on the product.“ You nodded your head as he walked you through the page, pointing out the location, the bin number, the product count, and so much more. “I know I’m losing you.” Clark chuckled as he looked down at the slightly glazed over look you were giving him. “So let’s start from the beginning. The rest you’ll get throughout the day. Where is the first IRP located.” With a nod of you, you pulled up the first product on the list and its information page.

“32 Z 15.”

“So what’s that tell you?”

“Aisle 32, bay Z, spot 15.”

“Show me.” With a nod, you glanced up at the aisle number and headed one row over to where you needed to go. The blank space was easy to find, and for some reason, you got a slight shiver up your spine when your supervisor nodded at you. “Perfect. So on the same page, the first line; how many of this mosaic tile do we have?”

“120.”

“Which means they are in top stock. So find the item number on the main page, and then we start looking.”

“Wait up there?” You asked as you looked up at dozens of boxes of tile on the upper shelves of the racks.

“Just wait until you see what you have to do to get them down.” He chuckled as he looked at the item number to refresh his memory from the night before and looked up to find the box he had purposely not pulled so that he could teach. “You’re in for a fun day, (Y/N).”

——

“So how was your first day at work?” Your mom, Kate, asked as you walked in the front door after your first nine hour shift on the floor.

“Long.” You sighed, tiredly, and set your purse and your lunch box down on the kitchen counter. “So very long. So much stuff to learn.”

“Did you do any sales?” You shook your head as you kicked off your sneakers and headed over to the couch.

“No, just spent most of the day learning the department and the products and stuff.” You said as you laid down on one side and pulled a blanket over you. “With the most gorgeous manager I have ever seen in my life.”

“You’re not there to look for a boyfriend, (Y/N).” She said, slightly scoldingly. “It’s work…”

“I know, mama.” You sighed as you pulled the blanket of your head and rolled onto your back with a yawn. “Doesn’t stop him from being hot.” Your mother stayed silent for a few moments, either playing Words with Friends on her phone or scrolling through Facebook, but just like you knew she would, she caved.

“OK, what’s his name?” 

“Oh, my God.” You gasped with a smile as you threw the blanket off and rolled over to look at her with a giant smile. “OK. His name is Clark. He’s the department manager but it’s weird because there’s a department supervisor, and an assistant manager over flooring too. Because we need that many managers for like… I don’t know, seven people? Which is strange if you ask me.”

“They want you to be extra managed.” Your mom teased, which made you shrug.

“He’s really nice. He walked me through the day and what I’d need to do. It’s just. It’s hard ‘cause I don’t know anything about flooring.”

“You’ll learn.” She said reassuringly. “Give it time.” 

“I know.” You said with a nod. “Clark said he’d help.”

“Oh, Lord. We are in trouble.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

——

“So I hear your a transplant too.” Clark said as the two of you closed flooring at the end of your first week. “Where are you from?”

“Umm… Florida. I’m from Florida. Naples.”

“You know, I actually know where that is.” You glanced over at him with your eyebrow raised before looking away to put away a box of flooring from the pallet he had brought down earlier. “Friend of mine from college got married down there few years ago.”

“Where did you call home before this?”

“Well… I hail from a town called Smallville in Kansas. It’s just outside Wichita…”

“I know Wichita. I have a half brother that lives there. Never heard of Smallville though.”

“The name says it all.” He chuckled as he picked up the last two boxes before you could, giving you the millionth chance to look at his muscles and the way his already form fitted shirt tightened around them with every move. “It’s a small farm town in the middle of a fly over state.”

“Sounds peaceful.”

“Should sound busy.” He chuckled as he glanced at the list you had made of things that needed to get restocked before you both went home. “Farm life is intense.”

“I always wanted to live on a farm… but I like my sleep way to much.”

“That, I completely understand.” He chuckled as the two of you backed up to look for two different colors of un-sanded grout. “Looking back now, I appreciate the lessons I learned, but when I was a teen, I hated the responsibilities.”

“I can totally understand that.” You said as you grabbed a tall ladder from the end of the aisle and pulled it over to where the un-sanded grout boxes were.

“So living in Florida, does that make you a Disney girl?”

“Oh don’t get me started.” You laughed as you paused on the second step and looked over at him. “I am a massive Disney girl to my core.”

“I worked there.” You stopped again and stared at him with your mouth slightly open in shock.

“Shut up.”

“Let’s see, I was ‘friends’ with Gaston mostly. And every once in a while Prince Eric… Sweetheart, you gotta hand me the box for it to go on the shelf.”

“Oh, shit sorry.” You said as you grabbed the box of grout you needed and passed it down to him.

“I was the Genie once, but that costume was way to hot in that Florida heat.”

“OK, so you know you have to do the voice for me.”

“Oh no.” Clark chuckled as he took the second box from you and pulled the tab to open it. “I don’t… ‘It’s not right for a woman to read.’ That all you get.”

“Oh my God!” You squealed as you climbed down the stairs. “Oh, I bet you killed so many mothers in your day.”

“Probably.” He laughed as you pushed the ladder or of the way and moved some grout bags forward.

“Is Beauty and the Beast your favorite?”

“That would be Treasure Planet.” He said as he stepped a little ways down on the opposite side of the aisle to straighten up the always messy boxes of mosaic tiles. “You?”

“Little Mermaid.”

“Good movie.” He said with a nod. “But for some reason, I’ve always leaned toward the more underrated flicks. The Great Mouse Detective, Atlantis…”

“Bed-knobs and Broomsticks, The Rescuers.”

“Classics that are under appreciated in the parks and that deserve more recognition in the bigger scheme of things.”

“Right?!” You gasped as you stopped straightening and looked over at him. “Like ‘The Hunched Back of Notre Dame’. How did that movie get just tossed away over time? That movie was beautiful.”

“You know, I don’t think I’ve seen that movie in years.”

“Honestly, neither have I. Sounds like a movie night is in order. So do you consider yourself a Traditionalist or a Purest?” You missed Clark’s glance over his shoulder at you, wishing that you were actually serious about movie night and that he could actually have a movie night with you since he was your boss and all, but he looked away back at the tile before you gave him the exact same look with the same hopes behind it. 

“Honesty, I’m a purest…”

“Oh, boo!” You interrupted with a laugh as you changed your face from a wanting look to one of disappointment. “Come on, and I was just starting to like you.” With a laugh, he shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at you as you came over to help. The two of you easily spent the last hour of your shifts talking about Disney and the changes to the parks past, present, and future. The conversation was easy and comfortable, as if the pair of you had known each other your whole lives and not just a week, and you really didn’t want it to end when you stopped at your car door to go home.

“Well…” Clark sighed as he pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked a black pick up truck a few spots over. “Guess we’ll have to get into the discussion of the whole ‘which park is better’ debacle tomorrow.”

“That’s an easy answer. Magic Kingdom in Orlando is the best.”

“Some would beg to differ, hun.” He chuckled as he took a half step back from you, making you realize for the first time that night that he really didn’t want to walk away from you. “But if it makes any difference in the bigger scheme of things, I am not one of those people.” Your smile grew as you looked down at your feet for a moment.

“Hey Clark?” You looked up at his hum and you wanted so bad to ask your intended question, but changed your mind at the very last second. “Thank you. For making this job a little better. It’s… well it’s kinda shitty without you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He said with a nod as he took a step back toward you. You waited a little expectantly as his question or comment danced on the tip of his tongue, but after a moment, he shock his head subtly and turned toward his truck to head home. “Drive safe, (Y/N). See you in the morning?”

“I’ll be here.” You sighed as you pulled open the door and sank down into your car, disappointedly. With one last glance at the pick up truck that roared to life beside you, you put your car in drive and pulled out of the lot to head home.

——

You weren’t expecting to get hit with it as quickly as you did, but after an absolute day from hell on your exactly one month mark of being at the job, you ran head first into an anxiety wall and almost completely lost it. You were headed off the floor, as a woman yelled at your retreating back for your short comment back to her, but you got commandeered at the last minute by a firm grip on your arm.

“This way.” Clark said gently as he turned you to the left and lead you away from the back room.

“I’m sorry.” You choked as you tried everything in your power not to cry. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you’re fine.” He huffed as he stopped in front of an office and unlocked the door. “I overheard.” You nodded your head and completely lost it when the door latched closed behind him. “Sit here.” He said as he pointed to a small space on the floor beside a filing cabinet. “You’ll be hidden there. I have a phone call to make so you can stay in here as long as you need.” With a nod of your head, you sat down where he told you and curled into yourself as shame washed over you for so many reasons. 

‘You were supposed to be an adult, (Y/N).’ You thought to yourself as you rested your forehead against your bent knees. ‘Adults don’t cry on the job when they get yelled at for no reason.’

“Hi, is this Tim? Tim, my name is Clark Kent, calling from Blue Ridge Home Improvement, how are you?” You looked up at your manager with a small sniffle and hid your red, splotchy cheeks behind your bent knees and folded arms as he pulled a pen from his apron and slowly nodded his head. “Fantastic. Do you have a couple minutes to do a phone interview before you come in for the face to face? Perfect.” You sniffled once more and watched him work, easily falling for him a little more in that short expanse of time than you had.  He was adorable, how could you not? You hated yourself for liking someone that was absolutely unattainable, but damn, did you really wanna break the rules.

‘But at the same time, how could he like you?’ Your brain thought, throwing a wrench in your thoughts and making you hide your face a little bit more in embarrassment. ‘You just cried in front of him. He probably thinks you’re a freak mental case. Which is the truth, after all.’ Your slight smile fell behind your arms for only a moment until Clark looked over at you with a smile. He stuck out his tongue and made a silly face, which got you to smile and temporarily unhide your face. It didn’t last long as your dark thoughts attacked again, and your manager looked at you worriedly as he wrapped up the short interview.

“What are you thinking?” He asked as he hung up the phone with a worried furrow of his brow. You shook your head and shrugged as he glanced at his watch. “Did you take a lunch today?”

“I’m off at four.” You said softly as you looked at your own watch to see what time it was. “Well, I was supposed to be.”

“Meet me at my truck.” He said as he pulled his keys out of his jeans pocket and held them out to you. “I wanna grab some food and show you something.”

“Wait… is that allowed?” You asked as he pulled you to your feet. He paused for a long moment and looked over at you with a sigh.

“Probably not… but all you have to do is say no. You are under no obligation to go with me because I’m your manager, please know that.” You nodded your head a little bit and tucked his truck keys into your apron to hide them.

“I’ll meet you out there.” You nearly whispered as you searched his blue eyes. “And I’ll keep the secret if you will.”

“That I can absolutely do.” He said with a sigh of relief as his face and shoulders physically relaxed. With a nod, you headed out of the office and walked quickly back to the break room before you could get stopped by another angry customer for no reason. Your apron went in your locker and your phone and two sets of car keys got tucked into the pocket of your jeans on your way to clock out. You sent a little white lie text to your mother, saying you were going out to eat with friends, and grabbed your purse from your car. You wiped off some stray makeup with one of your emergency baby wipes and tossed it in your trash can just as Clark was walking past your car toward his.

“Thought I told you to wait in my car.” He chuckled as you jumped out of yours and locked it behind you.

“I enjoy being difficult.”

“You’re off tomorrow, right?”

“What, are you stalking my work schedule?” You teased as you tossed him his keys.

“Nope. Just trying to figure out which of my work days is going to be better because you’re there.” You looked over at him with your eyebrow raised as you got in the passenger seat beside him. “You are going to be trouble for me.” He confessed as he turned the key to start his truck and looked over at you.

“I can say the same for you.”

“Well good thing trouble likes company.”

“Pretty sure the saying is misery loves company.” You pointed out as he pulled out of his spot and the parking lot.

“Whatever.” He laughed as he looked over at you. “At least we’re in it together.” You nodded your head and looked down at his middle console, where he had laid his hand, palm up on the leather.

“We could lose our jobs…” You pointed out as you looked up at him again.

“I would.” He countered. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would. You’re…” You cleared your throat and sighed with a shrug. “You’re the only reason I keep coming in.”

“I’m not forcing you to do anything…”

“You never had to.” You breathed as you finally reached out and slid your fingertips up his palm to lace your fingers with his. He nodded his head and tightened his grip around yours and used both your hands to gesture toward a fast food restaurant.

“You ever eaten here?”

“What is this place?” You asked as you looked up the slowly spinning sign for the restaurant ‘Cook Out’. 

“Awesome burgers, and even better milkshakes.”

“Classy first date.” You teased as you turned in your seat to see the menu. “Fast food in a pick up truck. You could write a country song about it.”

“OK, I had like thirty seconds to choose this.” He laughed before he leaned out the window to place your orders. You hadn’t even pulled your purse off the floor to get your wallet before he was pushing your hand away and grabbing his from his jeans pocket. “My treat.”

“Well thank you Mr. Prince Charming.”

“You’re very welcome.” You took the food and drinks from him so that he could drive, and daringly reached out to turn on the radio. “Oh, thank God.” You sighed as country music filled the cab.

“Kansas boy.” He chuckled as he headed back toward your job and toward town. “It’s in my blood.”

“Well you just made me like you even more. Two points.”

“Oh, I like this game.” He chuckled as he reached across the console and took your hand again. “Where else am I winning points and is there a max number I can win?”

“No max.” You laughed. “But you got points for being a Disney nerd. And for being adorable.”

“Just adorable?”

“Let’s just put it this way. There are so many other descriptive words I can use but they all would sound like words coming out of the mouth of a porn star.”

“Oh, fuck… don’t say shit like that, hun.” He groaned as he turned up a windy mountain road that was close to your house.

“I’m an innocent angel, Clark. I don’t know what you are talking about.” He hummed and nodded his hand as you squeezed his hand and looked out the front window. “So where are we going?”

“One of the best places in town to watch the sunset.” He said as he took the corners like a seasoned pro. You felt safe beside him, comfortable, and for the first time in a long time, wanted. “Welcome to Jump Off Point.”

“Oh, Jesus.” You gasped as you looked around the overlook at the gorgeous mountain ranges that surrounded your new hometown. “God, I still can’t believe I live here.”

“It’s beautiful, right?” He asked as he turned his truck around and backed up to the rail. “I come here on my lunch breaks every day. It’s nice to just get away from people for a while.”

“I can relate.” You sighed with a nod as you picked up the bag of food and your milkshake, and opened your door. “I have bipolar, anxiety, and depression and somedays like today, it kicks my ass.”

“I'm sorry you have to deal with that.” He started as he passed you your food container. “I don't deal with it personally, but I went to school originally to become a therapist.”

“Why’d you change majors?” A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he bit one of his fries in half.

“I umm… well I met a woman. A journalist. We ended up in Asheville when I was about 21 and half way through school. Because of course at that age…”

“You know everything.” You finished for him with a small giggle. “Yea, don't I know it.”

“So we lived together for three or four years, until she got a job offer in New York at a paper she really wanted to work for. And she thought it would be ‘better’ if I stayed here while she got her feet under her. Never heard from her again.”

“Oh, Clark.” You breathed, but he quickly waved you off.

“It was a long time ago, sweetheart. I've recovered since then.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, I was 19, and dating a guy way to old for me. That was… phew, that was an interesting time of my life. Moved out of my parent's house, went off my meds, went completely manic for a few years and crashed and burned in a psych ward in Pennsylvania. Don't ask, I still don't know to this day how I got there. I black out in my mania, apparently.”

“That's atypical, but it happens. And since we are talking about it, let the record show that if I get a little councilor-y on you, please feel free to shut me up.”

“Will do.” You laughed before taking a bite of your burger. “Is that…. ummm…. well is that why you like me? Why you are drawn to me?”

“What, because I'm a shrink in training? No, not at all. I like the mischief in your otherwise innocent eyes.”

“Well I got a whole lotta that. Just you wait and see.”

Part 2

[elizabeth-234]

Iron Dad Bingo

Previous Chapter: Tony Finds a Job

Hello! Here is the next chapter of our Coffee Shop AU! :) Hope you enjoy.

One in which Peter decides to adopt Tony.

The Split Bean -

Chapter Two: Tony Finds the Kid

The cover he built up wasn’t blown yet.

It was surprising, and he was slightly worried about the people’s judgment, how much a collared uniform, apron, and no glasses concealed his identity better than his typical Starkfit as Rhodey called it. His preferred form of going incognito was a baseball cap and sunglasses but they didn’t work nearly as well as his Split Bean visage. The pin Doug gave him with his name engraved in the metal completed the barista outfit.

His shifts at the Bean became a necessary part of his schedule. The hours gave him a direction, given it was small, but it was for him.

His regulars greeted him with a smile no matter how grueling their days were. Sally ordered a regular whipped chai latte to get through her nursing shifts and he pumped an extra shot into Qadan’s coffee on his drive home from work.

He was Anthony there as stated on his pin. A plain guy working to make a living. Doug and him reminisced about past lives. They commemorated Doug’s passed partner with a makeshift Irish coffee before his shift one night, talked about his distanced daughter, and discussed the vague details Tony was willing to part with.

It was with the encouragement from Doug that Tony went to his first meeting. The man had given Tony his own silver chip. His wrinkled hands trembling as he handed the coin to Tony with steeled eyes.

“You do this for that girl you’ve got back home.” He’d said. Doug closed his hands around Tony’s fingers. “Most important though is you do this for yourself. You’re a good kid, a hard-worker and you will be after this too.”

Meetings came and went. It was hard and Tony struggled but The Bean was there for him. Pepper was there for him.

He was doing it. For Pepper, for himself, and that’s all that mattered.

This particular evening began no different than any other in the past six months.

Tony got off the subway a stop early and walked the rest of the way to the shop trying to expend some excess energy before his shift. He stared at the lights and people as he walked down the sidewalk. His eyes lingered on the advertisements outside a liquor store on his way. Fingers clenched around the chip in his pocket but he continued to walk forward.

He would be late if he stopped now.

Keep walking.

At the café he donned an apron and settled behind the counter. He tapped his pocket feeling the outline of the disk and wiped down the counter. Doug made his way to the back after checking in on him.

Sally was the first guest of the night. She ordered a shot of expresso citing that her son kept her up the night before with a case of ‘exorcist-like vomit.’ A line of people followed and the café went into the quieter hours.

Tony was left to restock between cleaning and refilling drinks.

The doorbell chimed. Bent over a case of cups, Tony yelled a welcome and finished up his task.

“I’ll be with you shortly.” He said.

Job done, he smoothed down his apron and turned to the counter.

He racked his brain and didn’t remember ever seeing the boy in front of him before. Large doe eyes peered at him from a face painted with freckles exacerbated under the lights of the shop. His hands fidgeted with the ends of his sleeves as he mumbled something Tony didn’t catch. Those impossibly wide eyes darted from the menu back to Tony.

“What can I get you?” He said.

“Can I please have just a black coffee. Small, please.”

Tony smirked and typed in the order on the tablet.

“And can I see some ID?” The boy’s face drained of color before his brows crunched together. “I’m kidding, kid. We don’t serve alcohol here and I doubt you’re old enough anyway.”

“Oh.” He responded and Tony saw him slide his ID back into his pocket. “Yeah, I’m not.”

He snorted.

“Will that be all?”


“Yes, thank you.”

He watched as the kid took out a small leather pouch and counted out the three dollars in quarters.

“Sorry.” He said under his breath as Tony plopped them into the register.

“You gave me an extra dollar.” Tony extended his arm forward but the kid made no move to take the money. He shuffled back and forth, and looked up at him from under the mop of curly hair on his head.

“You can keep it.” He turned his back on Tony.

“Hold on there, kid.” He said and the boy stopped, retracing his steps so Tony could see the bright flush on his cheeks. “I’m not allowed to take tips.” He held up his hands and waited.

“Really. It’s okay.”

His statement wasn’t strictly true. Tips were encouraged amongst all the baristas but he declined them and if the person was adamant, he would give them to another barista working at the time. Tony smiled and slid the money into his apron.

“I also didn’t get your name.”

Tony held up the cup for his order at the frown the kid made.

“Oh, uh, it’s Peter.”

“Thanks, Peter. Order coming up.”

The kid glanced as him nodding before walking to where the drinks were served.

Tony poured his black coffee and watched as he settled down in the very seat he sat in at the café. Peter grabbed a laptop covered in dents, one Tony was sure was popular when he was in grad school, out of his backpack.

Throughout the next rush Tony’s attention came back to the kid sitting in the corner seat. He nursed the original cup of coffee for all the money it was worth. His fingers never rested for more than a minute as he worked early into the morning.

The end of his shift neared and the café was nearly empty besides a few stragglers. The morning people, Tony shuddered, wouldn’t come until his replacement came in. He didn’t know if he would get along as well with the morning crowd.

He finished wiping crumbs and splotches of drinks off the counter and tossed the rag back into the bucket hidden behind the trash. Tony grabbed the pitched of black coffee. The kid’s eyes didn’t move from the screen he was engrossed in until after Tony poured him another cup. His hand came up to wave Tony off.

“But, I can’t…”

“On the house, kid” Tony said winking. He went back to wiping down the tables ignoring the tremble in his hand. The growing itch in the back of his neck.

At five a.m. the kid moved from his station. He closed his laptop tucking it away into a backpack with duct tape holding the straps together and stood up from the chair. Trash was thrown into the bin and Peter brought his cup to the counter to clear his table.

“Have a nice day.” Tony called as he spotted Peter leaving.

The kid stopped with his hand on the door and cocked his head enough so Tony could see a small smile on his face. He waved and was gone before Tony blinked.

Past six Doug came in bagels for everyone working and Tony grabbed one before he headed out.

He walked down the street, bagel in hand, yawning. The sun glinted beyond the buildings of the city and Tony thought about the kid bent over the laptop in the small café. How he insisted on tipping Tony when his backpack was on its very last thread.

Pepper smiled when he slid onto the couch beside her.

“Are you going to tell me where you were?” She said and passed him a glance of orange juice. Tony noticed how her eyes still strayed to the liquid cabinet and tried to quell the knot in his stomach.

“You would never believe me” He said and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading to bed.

-

“Ma’am, it’s a better deal if you get the medium latte and add a shot of espresso than ordering the double threat special.” “Young man, I’ve been drinking coffee since before you were born. Please, don’t tell me what to order. I asked for what I asked.”

Tony’s already thin lips tightened further and he stamped the order into the computer. The woman stepped aside with a jerked nod. He tapped his finger against the counted.

“Can I please have just a black coffee. Small, please.”

Peter stood before him wearing the same backpack. His head was pointed down but Tony could tell the kid was smirking.

“Something funny?” He said mirroring the expression of the woman before. Lips tight and puckered with eyebrows raised at the incompetence of a local barista.

The kid’s smile shifted wider and a giggled flowed from his mouth.

“No.” He said but his smile widened as they spied the woman pacing back and forth on the other side of the café. Her eyes glued to the pair of them as they laughed like conspirators in some great plot.

Peter counted out the three dollars and thirty-five cents for his coffee and slipped an extra dollar in. Tony offered the money back, not sure exactly how to tell the kid he didn’t need it nor want it.

At his insistence it ended squished next to the other dollar he received the night before in the front pocket of his apron. It appeared the kid had a stubborn streak.

Peter settled in the same corner seat by the window, pulled out his laptop and got to work. Everything besides the slight stoop in the kid’s shoulders went the same as the previous night.

The shop emptied around the same time besides a few people doing some work. Doug was in the back taking inventory and going over the books, and Tony was wiping down the counters. He paused every so often to take a lap around the store. The window was covered in some type of paint advertising their specials. Through the paint strokes he could see the bare sidewalk and noticed the vacancy signs across the street.

Someone coughed and he began his trek back to the register. Peter was sitting hunched over his laptop. The sounds of sighs and clicking greeted Tony as he walked forward. He stood a few feet away behind the kid and watched the words appear on the cracked computer screen.

He startled back into his seat at the sound of more coffee being poured into his cup. The action earned himself a frown which, at a wave from Tony, turned into a soft smile.

He counted it as a win.

“What are you working on, kid?” He asked.

Peter ran a hand through his hair. A piece stuck up in the back and Tony bit his tongue so he didn’t say anything.

“School’s just…” He waved his hand, grappling for the right word

“Hell?” Tony guessed. The kid nodded. His eyes took on a vacant quality as he stared at the screen. He coughed and Peter looked back at him with flushed cheeks.

“That would be an understatement.” He sighed again. Tony remembered the late nights and ever-present angst bubbling under his skin. That itch to learn and be better; be something more. He could see the same drive in Peter. How though he paid in quarters he shoved extra money in the stack for a tip. The way his back curled as the night progressed but still he continued working.

Something in this kid spoke to Tony.

Maybe he was crazy but maybe this was one of the reasons he’d found The Split Bean.

Tony reached out and put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. He patted it once and let go before swiveling the chair to face Peter. The coffee put went on the table and Tony braced his hands under his chin.

“Lay it on me, kid. I’ve picked up a few things along the way and might be able to help.”

Peter bit his lip and after glancing back and forth between his laptop and Tony, turned the screen around to face him. Tony brought it closer. Formulas and the principles of physics glared back.

“Ah, these ones are little bastards, but if you look at them this way then it should make more sense.” He pointed to the screen and moved some parts of the equation around before launching into an explanation at a small nod from the kid.

Soon they were necks deep in physics and relativistic effects. More coffee was poured and the two of them were sucked into the world of high school science, though this was much more difficult than Tony remembered at his school.

The kid hung onto his every word. It was almost amusing to see Peter try to decide whether to keep his attention on Tony or write verbatim everything Tony was saying down on his notebook. His head whipped back and forth as they continued the impromptu lesson.

Costumers came and went but because it was so late, or early depending on how you looked at it, they were few and far between. Tony got up to serve them and as he made his way back to the corner table couldn’t help the smile cross his face at Peter waiting for him.

The kid packed up around the end of his shift. This time Peter was the one to give a farewell and waved as he walked out the door. He thanked Tony for the help, shuffling his feet on the rug leading out and with a small wave was out the door.

The same process repeated for the next week. The kid, as he was beginning to realize, was polite in a reserved manner and laughed at Tony’s poor attempts at making a joke. Each time Tony refilled his cup the frown and protests would recede quicker and an automatic smile on Tony’s arrival replaced them before long.

There would come a time when the shop emptied out and everyone had their drinks. It was then Tony would make his way over to the table and see if the kid needed any help. So far, they’d covered not only physics but some chemistry. They’d stepped into the world of Shakespeare one morning.

It was another regular day when Peter made a request of Tony that knocked the breath from his chest.

They were sitting around the table in their usual seats. The coffee was poured and Tony tapped the coin through the material of his pants.

Peter hadn’t laughed at the joke he’d made with the order. He didn’t even smile and his money scattered on the floor when he tried to count out the change.

“Everything okay tonight?” He asked. The kid glanced up with wide eyes and nodded before moving to his spot. Not a word was spoken between them besides that.

He was quiet as Tony explained what a massless particle was, not writing any notes down.

Tony stopped talking and leaned forward.

“What’s the matter?” He said. If only the kid would look at him.

Peter played with his napkin and rocked back in his chair. Tony had the urge to reach over and gentle the chair down.

The kid mumbled something and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and despite the knot growing in his stomach Tony smiled at the patch of hair sticking straight up again. Peter grasped the table and finally his wide eyes met Tony’s.

“Okay. This is weird. Like really weird, but I don’t have anyone else. May’s busy and, well, you’ve been great. I mean not the typical barista and see there’s this thing at my school and…” He paused to catch his breath. “Did you get any of that?”

“Not a damn word, kid. Who’s May?”

Peter smiled.

“May’s my aunt. She raised me and she’s working so she can’t make it but I hoped, and I know I’m overstepping my bounds as costumer, that you could help… possible?”

Tony had a million questions, demands, of the poor kid but he saw the wide set; the hope in Peter’s eyes and knew they could wait.

“Anything you need, Peter. Lay it on me.”

Peter nodded, serious, and folded the napkin in quarters.

“Would you come to career day at Midtown?”

-

It was nice, strange, invigorating. All of the above. The small smile, the way the kid’s lips quirked to the side and his eyes lit up at him changed something in him. His chest felt lighter during those hours; his bones younger.

And he was crazy because of it.

Here he was working at a coffee shop but not any coffee shop. He was working at a café in Queens for an old man who could barely pick up the chairs anymore. That would have been enough for anyone but not Tony. No, there was the kid. This shy child whose smile was making his shift’s brighter and when he’d asked Tony to come to career day knowing only that he made coffee for a living.

Well, who was Tony to say no?

Thank you!

Chapter Four: Tony Finds the Kid Part Two

[imagineredwood]

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5    Part 6    Part 7    Part 8   Part 9       Part 10    Part 11  Part 12   Part 13   Part 14  Part 15  Part 16   Part 17  Part 18   Part 19 

Pairing: EZ Reyes x Camila (OC)

Warnings: None 

Word count: 2.5k

***There are two people in the tagglist that I cannot tag for the life of me. I know the names are right but they just won’t show for me to tag 😭***

Translations: “Siempre bella.” – Always beautiful.  “Siempre mía.” – Always mine.

Camila huffed quietly to herself as she looked down at the books on the floor of the aisle, tossed down without a care by someone that couldn’t be bothered to put them back or at the very least, give it back to her so she could restock them. She leaned down and picked up the books, looking over them to make sure they weren’t damaged. The third one caught her eye, a sci-fi novel that seemed like something EZ would be into reading. She walked back to the front desk and placed the one by her purse, the others going into the bin to be stocked after closing. 

She had accepted Mr. Salvatore’s offer about becoming manager and was starting to settle into the role. Keeping the holds on books in order, re-ordering books as necessary, keeping up to date with securing the latest releases. Sometimes though she still found herself slipping back into her old role, simply wandering the aisles to make sure everything was orderly and neat. It was Friday and she had been in the role of manager all week. Though she was happy with the promotion, she couldn’t deny that the extra responsibility came with extra work though of a different kind, and she was looking forward to the weekend. Mr. Salvatore had agreed that she would be the acting manager and he would simply step in to cover for her on the weekends, allowing her to enjoy them. Running her hands over the front of her blouse, she gave a smile as two women walked in, going to the café area and placing their order.

She looked around trying to find something else that needed to be done, something else that needed to be cleaned and she came up empty, rapping her nails against the countertop. EZ had promised her that he would be taking her out for dinner tonight, no doubt to spend time with her after Marcus’ vow renewal had gone south. They hadn’t spent as much time together this week as they normally did, her busy with her new position and EZ busy with whatever he did with the club. Tonight, though they had made it a point to make sure that they spend time together, just the two of them and Camila was more than looking forward to it.

Camila looked up as the bell on the door rang. In walked Angel, all smiles as he made his way over to Camila behind the front desk. He opened his arms up wide, motioning to her as a grand gesture.

“Look at miss jefa, working at the desk.”

Camila shook her head with a laugh and walked around to the other side, wrapping her arms around Angel’s middle as he threw his around her shoulders. They embrace for a moment before letting go, the two leaning against the desk.

“So,”

Camila cocked her head to the side, wondering what he was referring to.

“So.”

With a shake of his head, Angel eyed her.

“How’re things with baby bro?”

His tone was questioning, wanting to know if things had worked out and if she was still upset. She gave a shrug.

“They’re fine.”

Angel tilted his head and looked at her with pursed lips, clearly not buying her response. She laughed and held her hands up.

“I’m serious. Everything’s cool. We talked, I got my feelings off of my chest and we’re good now. He knows it was rude and swore to never do it again. We’re good.”

Angel’s face relaxed and so did his shoulders, nodding in acceptance of her answer.

“I talked to him, told him what a dick he was that night.”

“He’s just a people pleaser.”

“Yeah well, sometimes he focuses on pleasing the wrong people.”

Camila didn’t have anything to say to that, knowing that Angel’s comment seemed to be true. He had known his brother far longer than she had and she knew that no matter how close she and EZ had gotten, Angel was likely speaking from experience that she couldn’t negate. Changing the subject, she reached over and tapped the back of her hand against his chest with a smile.

“What do you say about coming to the house this Sunday if you aren’t busy. Figured we could cook breakfast together.”

Angel nodded, eyes shining.

“You bringin’ pops over again?”

“Nope. Just you, me, and EZ.”

She saw him hesitate for a moment before smiling anyway.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I just thought maybe-“

“No, no. I’ll be there.”

They both grinned and Angel stood back up straight, slapping his hand on the tabletop once.

“Well, I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you Sunday, Chiquita.”

He reached forward with his right hand and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her toward him and kissing the top of her head. Camila smiled gently at the show of brotherly affection and nodded as he stepped away from her, walking backward to the door as she watched.

“Excuse me, miss?”

Turning back around, Camila smiled as she faced a customer, answering her questions about their new poetry selection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

“You look beautiful.”

Camila looked down at herself. White tank top, blue jeans, and her Cortez. She looked back up at him with a smile and a laugh.

“I always look like this.”

EZ nodded, that charming grin on his lips as he looked at her.

“I know.”

He took three steps toward her, stopping as he ended up toe to toe. He reached and took her chin in his fingers, lifting her face slightly as his eyes raked over her every feature.

“Siempre bella.”

He accentuated the sentence with a kiss to her lips.

“Siempre mía.”

Camila blushed slightly under both his gaze and words, pushing her head down slightly so she could kiss the fingers that had held her chin. He sighed happily and pulled away, walking back toward her front door as she followed. She locked up the door behind her while EZ made his way out to the bike. He climbed on and began strapping on his helmet as she walked over to him. He gave a crooked smile.

“Let’s take the bike.”

Camila eyed him and the machine, apprehension visible on her face.

“What if I throw you off balance?”

“You won’t. You just gotta stay real close to me. Press yourself against my back, hold on tight, move with me.”

It was her turn to grin now, a small smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

“I mean, it sounds like a good time.”

EZ chuckled and gave his head a shake, holding another helmet out to her.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. I’ll go slow, take side roads.”

He could see her ready to agree, just a little hesitance left and he let his smile retreat a bit, his look more serious as he locked eyes with her.

“Would I ask you to do something if I thought you would get hurt?”

Camila shook her head then, a strand of hair falling into her face. Her eyes were soft and she stepped up to the bike, their eyes still on each other.

“No.”

EZ gave a nod.

“That’s right. Never.”

His words sold her, and she took the helmet from his hands, placing it onto her head and doing the strap. She climbed onto the bike behind him with ease, settling against him but not close enough. EZ reached back and wrapped his fingers around her knees, gently pulling her closer to him. Her chest was now against his back, her thighs on either side of his hips and he couldn’t hide his smile as her arms snaked themselves around his middle, her hands pressing against his tummy as she held him.

“You good?”

“I’m good.”

EZ started the Harley and soon enough they were pulling out of her driveway, the California sun warming their skin. EZ rode much slower than normal, feeling her tense arms around him slowly relax. He smiled to himself and kept riding, taking back roads and longer routes. He wanted to spend more time with her like this where it was just them, the feeling of her so close. At some point, she had relaxed entirely, her chin resting against his shoulder as she watched the buildings and traffic pass. Before long, EZ was pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant and they were hopping off the bike, Camila all smiles as she pulled off the helmet and handed it back over to EZ. His smile mirrored hers as he looked at her exhilarated face.

“Have fun?”

She nodded enthusiastically and he laughed, hanging both helmets on each handlebar before reaching over and smoothing down a couple of stray strands of her hair that were out of place. Her smile stayed as he reached down to grab onto her hand, both walking into the diner. They went to the back and sat down in a booth, EZ facing the door as he always did, wanting to always see what was happening around him. He had offered to take Camila out somewhere nice, somewhere fancy to make up for his neglect of her at El Padrino’s event, but she had declined, asking to go to her favorite diner instead. He’d relented eventually and now here they were, the diner that served the absolute best bacon burgers and French toast, in Camila’s opinion. A waitress came over to hand then menu’s Camila shaking her head with a smile as she sat forward on the booth, hands resting on the seat beside her in anticipation.

“Oh, I don’t need one, thank you. I already know what I want.”

The older woman smiled in return and faced toward EZ holding a menu for him as well.

“And you, do you need a minute?”

EZ shook his head politely.

“No ma’am, I’m ready.”

The waitress tucked the menus back into the rack to the side and pulled out her notepad and pen, ready to jot down their orders. EZ ordered for them both.

“She’ll get a bacon cheeseburger, no tomatoes with the seasoned fries,”

He glanced at Camila just in case he had gotten something wrong but she nodded, smiling at both him and the woman.

“And I’ll have uh, the same but with onion rings. Both with coke.”

The waitress finished writing down their order and then turned away from them, the two lovebirds now alone at the table. EZ clasped his hands together on top of the table as he looked at Camila.

“So, how’s work jefa?”

Camila giggled and shook her head.

“You and Angel keep calling me that like I own the place. I’m just the manager.”

At that EZ shook his head.

“You aren’t ‘just’ anything. You’re a hard worker that’s passionate about what you do, and people see that. Sal sees that. You’ve been a benefit to that bookstore and you’re only going to become more and more valuable once they see how good you are.”

Camila nodded at his words but looked down at the table, a lopsided grin tugging at her lips.

“It ain’t that serious, EZ.”

Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his and held it, eyes locked with hers as she looked up at him.

“It is that serious. You’re young and passionate and smart. That’s what a place like Sal’s needs to keep going and stay at the top. Think about how many people have worked there and passed through and Sal never made them manager, but he picked you didn’t he?”

Camila nodded and so did EZ.

“There’s a reason for that.”

Her eyes twinkled as he spoke to her, pride and love in his voice and she pulled her his hand up to her lips, kissing his knuckles.

“You’re my biggest fan.”

EZ nodded with a prideful smile.

“The biggest. Except for like, my dad. He’s probably your number one fan, actually.”

They both shared a laugh and Camila looked out the window of the diner back to EZ’s bike before returning her gaze to him.

“Well, I’m very thankful.”

EZ’s eyes twinkled as he looked at her, the waitress coming back with their food on a tray.

“So are we.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

“Ayyyy!”

Camila smiled as Gilly called out, arms raised in the air as she walked towards the bar in the clubhouse, EZ behind her and shutting the door. He placed his beer down on the bar top and stood from his stool, taking her into his arms as she came up to him. He hugged her tightly and lifted her off the ground, a cackle coming from her. EZ grinned as he came up, loving to see her having fun with the people that had become his family. There was a slight pang of worry that hit him then.

What would happen if the club ever found out the truth about why he had joined? What if they found out about his deal and not only was he kicked to the curb or worse, she would lose the family she had learned to love as well.

He swallowed around a suddenly dry throat and pushed a smile again, choosing not to let the moment be tainted by his worries. He watched as she made her way around the bar, giving hugs and kisses to Taza, Bishop, and Tranq as if they were tíos she had known all her life. They regarded her with a warmth that made his heart swell and he stood there, stuck in his own head. His life had changed so much in the last year, he could barely keep up sometimes. Everything had been a complete roller coaster for the last 8 years, more time low than high and now it seemed that his luck was finally turning around. He was blessed with freedom, with the ability to be back with his big brother and father, to get a second chance at life and now he was blessed with Cam. A woman that loved and nurtured him while not taking any of his shit either and he was beyond grateful for the way things had started to look up for him.

To the side, Angel watched him, a small smile coming to his lips as he looked at the one worn by his baby bro. He’d been through a lot in the last decade and while there were still feelings of resentment that Angel harbored for his brother from their childhood, they couldn’t be overpowered by the feeling he got seeing EZ happy. To see him happy made him happy and he looked away from EZ to find that Camila had said all her other hellos and had gotten to him, at last. Her smile beamed as she looked at him and he mirrored her, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he tugged her into his chest, one arm holding her in a gentle chokehold as her laugh rang out and bled into the sound of music, laughter and family. 

Tag list: @caramara3   @lostgirl219 @mrsjaxtellerfan   @actuallyazriel   @vannabanana1995   @unnecessarypineapplesstuff  @thegreat-annamaria @negansdirtygirl22 @svintsandghosts @piccasoe @tobesurroundedbysplendidthings @jadert15  @lovejn29

[quicksilversquared]

There’s No Camembert in Tibet: Chapter 11

A sequel to Plagg and the Butterfly Costume

With Hawkmoth defeated and school out for the summer, it’s time for Ladybug and Chat Noir plus their newly-assembled team of superheroes to head to Tibet to try to rescue Mrs. Agreste. Hiking, magic, and adventures await them, and hopefully at the end, they’ll be returning to Paris with Mrs. Agreste in tow.

as like normal recently, links will be in the reblog.

Their day of rest and regrouping and restocking was...well, not very relaxing, at least for the humans. They had to go through their bags and unpack everything, pulling out things to wash from their own backpacks and removing the empty cans and rice bags and other trash. The old Rat- named Dorjee, they had learned- had said that they could offload their trash and they would take care of it, which meant that they wouldn't have to keep digging through empty bags and cans to try to find what food they had left. While the teens did that, Master Fu had headed out with Sabine and Tsomo to buy some fruits and vegetables from the Rats' neighbors to replenish the fresh food in their supply.

"It'll be nice to have some fresh food in our meals again," Marinette said as she sorted out the pile of trash, separating the cans from the empty plastic bags. "And it'll be nice not to worry about how much we'll have left. I know we got a lot at the start of the trip, but still..."

"We've been eating a lot," Adrien agreed, finishing her sentence. "With all of the hiking, especially. It'll be nice to be restocked, even if we are losing a day of travel."

"I'm sure that having Tsomo's help will take off more days than the side trip here has added," Alya pointed out reasonably from where she was hand-washing her laundry in a basin filled with soapy water. It hadn't taken long for them to figure out that the house had no electricity, so while they had a stove to heat up their water and a pump to get as much water as they would need, doing laundry wouldn't be as simple as tossing their things and some soap into a machine and pressing start. It was one of the reasons why they would be busy all day, since everything had to be done by hand. "And Wayzz clearly needed the break."

They all looked towards the counter, where Wayzz was still sleeping. He had passed out the evening before after munching on veggies for several hours and had yet to wake up. Master Fu didn't seem overly concerned about it, so presumably his kwami would wake up soon.

"We're probably not going to be able to transform into Ladybug and Chat Noir for a bit after we get back," Adrien said, glancing over at Marinette. "Our kwamis will be too tired. But I suppose that's for the better, so no one looks at when the superheroes were gone and when we were gone and put things together."

"Except they won't have been working nearly as hard as Wayzz has, since the trip back is supposed to be shorter, and they'll have the entire plane ride back to relax. But we could wait on going out as Ladybug and Chat Noir again," Marinette allowed. "You're probably going to have a harder time sneaking out with your mom back, after all."

Adrien's expression closed off slightly as he nodded, and Marinette realized her mistake. They had all been trying so hard not to assume that the spell would work, just so they wouldn't be getting Adrien's hopes up in case something went wrong. It was just getting increasingly hard to remember to do that as they drew closer to the temples, because she was feeling increasingly optimistic about their chances of getting there and succeeding.

But they weren't there yet, and the spell hadn't been done to free Mrs. Agreste. It would be- no, it was- irresponsible to actually voice her optimism out loud and get Adrien's hopes up now, even if they now had a guide to direct them straight to the temple. Even if Duusu, as the kwami with some predictive sense, was getting a good feeling about the outcome of the trip.

Even if everything did seem to be going right for them, momentary scare from the Rat aside.

With the trash sorted and put in the bins that Dorjee had indicated, Adrien and Marinette repacked the large bag of food and supplies and then moved on to laundry. Chloe was just visible through the doorway, looking rather displeased as she hung her own just-washed clothes up.

Marinette stifled a giggle at the memory of when Chloe had been told that there was no washing machine in the house and everything would have to be hand-washed. They were each doing their own clothes too, so Chloe had had to get her hands wet and had been less than pleased about that. Even though it wasn't pleasant to hear her whining, it did at least assure all of them that Chloe hadn't been taken over by body-snatcher aliens or anything. Marinette had been starting to wonder, especially when Chloe had accepted her mom's offer for a haircut and then hadn't complained about the result at all.

The rest of the morning flew by as they washed their clothes and hung everything up to dry in the courtyard, then took turns taking showers while the rest of the group made lunch. By the time Tsomo, Master Fu, and Sabine returned, the group of teens was sitting at the table, listening to stories that Dorjee was telling them and Adrien was translating. Marinette was sure to keep an eye on her boyfriend to make sure that he wasn't feeling drained by the constant translation at all.

Thankfully, the return of the rest of their group meant that Sabine could step in and Adrien could sit back and take a break. He and Marinette moved to the back of the group, where they could listen but still sit back and talk about something else if they wanted.

"It's interesting that so many people in his family were Chosen," Marinette commented as her mom started translating. "And that they picked so many more to go through training. I wonder why?"

"And I wonder if that was common," Adrien added. "If it was just the Rat's family or others as well. Master Fu hasn't ever said anything about other members of his family going to the temple."

Marinette worried her lip, glancing over at the old Guardian. "It's possible that there were other members of his family there and they were killed in whatever battle broke out."

"There weren't," Tikki assured him. "He was an only child, born of parents who were only children. There were past holders in his bloodline, but his parents hadn't been picked to stay and work on learning magic, or to be holders of their own."

"Actually, they chose to leave," Wayzz corrected as he floated past and happened to overhear their conversation. "They had completed their training, but didn't agree with what the temple was trying to do. I believe that they hadn't wanted Master Fu to go, but finally relented. After all, change is best implemented on the inside. It is unfortunate that he didn't have the opportunity to produce that change in a peaceful manner, but I doubt it would have been easy. By the time Master Fu went through, the temple leaders were very set in their ways."

"So was it common for a lot of people from certain families to go through?" Adrien asked, frowning. "Why?"

Wayzz stayed silent for a few seconds, clearly thinking his answer over. "Well, there are side effects of having a Miraculous. You're exposed to magic- a great deal of magic- on a regular basis. And that has a lasting effect, and even passes down to offspring."

"It's why we don't exactly encourage passing a Miraculous down through a family," Tikki explained. "That residual magic builds up over time. It's good for being in tune with magic and being able to cast it without being a Miraculous holder or even working in tandem with a Miraculous holder, and there were theories that if someone had many ancestors who were holders, they might manifest untold powers, or even be able to transform without a kwami's assistance."

"But the leaders of the temple didn't care what we said," Plagg added. There was a scowl on his face. "They wanted to push the boundaries. And really, Master Fu shouldn't be beating himself up so much over the temple's fall. Sure, he was the one who tipped the balance that last little bit too far, but the actions of the temple over the centuries before that had started the process."

Marinette and Adrien exchanged a glance. "So whoever it was who attacked the temple, they had had a lot of holders in their family?" Marinette guessed. "And so they were really good at magic?"

Tikki nodded. "And they were angry that they hadn't been Chosen, too, since it was seen as such a...well, as an expectation, at that point. They were kept on as a Mage, though, and entrusted with several texts."

"I can see where this is going," Adrien said, sitting back and looking at Marinette. "They created and then recruited kids with some tendency towards magic, and then when some of them were rejected in favor of others, they got bitter."

"Something would have given eventually," Tikki agreed. "And we warned them! Duusu warned them! But did anyone listen? No!"

"Wait, so what about the Rat and the other Miraculous that have been passed down through families since the temple fell?" Marinette wanted to know. "They're bound to have powers, right?"

Tikki shook her head, then paused before nodding and then shaking her head again. "Technically, yes? But their kwamis wouldn't have told them what to do to access those powers if they weren't needed. And they would need training to even realize that they had powers at all."

"And more recently, with longer lifespans, the Miraculous aren't passed down to the next generation until after that generation had children," Wayzz chimed in again. "So then it doesn't affect the generation after that. It gets diluted back out over time."

"So if the kwamis were warning them against recruiting so heavily from the same families, why didn't anyone listen?" Adrien asked. "Why were they trying to breed magic kids?"

"Well, they wanted to be well-defended," Tikki started. "And the kwamis had made no secret that they didn't want to be confined to the temple from the start. So their 'compromise' was that once they had enough powerful Mages, our Chosens could venture out in search of trouble more, accompanied by either another holder or a paired Mage. And- well. The second part was just conjecture, really."

Adrien and Marinette sat up and listened, interested. Tikki made a face, clearly not eager to say any more. Plagg looked uneasy as well.

Wayzz glanced around before answering, making sure that the others in the group still weren't paying any attention to them. "There was an idea that maybe, after enough generation, people would have powerful enough magic that it would pull in some of the kwami that were created when the universe was born, but never really solidified here on earth as physical beings like Tikki and Plagg and I and the others in the box." Wayzz gestured to the other kwamis. "They thought, how cool would it be to have more Miraculous, to have more powers to work with? It was a poor idea from the start, though. I suspect that given another generation or two, the tendency towards magic in non-holders would either plateau or become too much for a single human to bear."

Marinette worried her lip as she considered the new information. The more she heard about the temple through the kwami's point of view, the more she agreed that it was a good thing that it had fallen. It kind of sounded like despite their original good intentions, it had warped into a power-seeking group. It was truly fortunate that they hadn't tried to regroup with what members they had left, and that Master Fu apparently hadn't had the same ambitions as the other leaders of the temple.

"They discovered a lot of useful information about kwami powers and how they could be used, to be sure, and recorded everything they learned so that future generations would be able to access it," Wayzz told them after a minute. "It wasn't all bad. And I quite liked my Chosens. It was just that they got very stuck on what they considered to be a good idea and didn't listen to us."

"So what are the effects of two Miraculous holders having a kid?" Adrien asked, and Marinette's cheeks warmed when she realized that he was glancing her way. "When neither of them have had ancestors that were holders, I mean."

Wayzz opened his mouth to answer, but Tikki beat him to it.

"Actually, Marinette's family has some traces of magic. It's enough to make me think that you probably had maybe two or three ancestors who went through the temple," she told Marinette, making her eyes widen in surprise. Tikki had never told her that before.

"And Adrien's dad, obviously-" Plagg started, but Tikki cut him off.

"That doesn't count, Plagg! And you know that," Tikki scolded. "It only counts when they're users before they have kids."

Plagg looked contrite at that.

"The kids would be able to do some minor magic without a Miraculous, but nothing major or anything worth worrying about," Wayzz told Adrien. "And like we said, they would have to be trained to do magic in order to actually use it. There's no need for you to be concerned."

Plagg's downtrodden expression quickly vanished and he flashed a toothy grin at Adrien. "Were you planning on it being something to be concerned about soon?"

Adrien turned red, and Marinette could feel her own blush darkening. "Plagg!"

The rest of the group turned to look at them, and the two of them only turned even redder. Adrien managed to make an embarrassed hand flop towards his kwami, and the rest of the group's gazes shifted to the kwami as one before they nodded and turned back to pay attention to the Rats as they continued their stories.

Marinette leaned against Adrien as they settled down to listen to the stories again, dropping the topic of the Miraculous children at least for now. Adrien's arm wound around her back to pull her close, and she dropped her head down onto his shoulder.

This was what they had needed, after over a week of hiking and another week before that of travel to get to the start of the trail. Just one day to eat properly, and sleep in a room instead of a cramped tent, and to talk to some new people.

Just one day, and then tomorrow they would be heading out again.

  Even if they hadn't planned for it in the first place, just one day wasn't nearly enough to get everything done that Master Fu had wanted to do. They had all overslept, exhausted from the days and days of physical activity, and then the shopping for more fruits and vegetables took longer than anticipated. Thankfully the teens were willing to help out with removing the trash from their food bag and with washing their own laundry, but then the food bag had to be repacked carefully, so that the food they had just bought wouldn't get squished in the bottom. He had to get his own things cleaned and hung up to dry in the summer sun, and then of course there were the discussions with the Rats about how much money he owed them for their hospitality and all of the food their group had eaten and figuring out the logistics of having Tsomo tag along with them on the last stretch to the temple, since he would need to bring along his own camping gear as well.

Master Fu was also trying to see if he could arrange to return in a future year to talk more with Dorjee about the history of the temples and the people who lived there, because the other man was so interested in hearing about it- and, well, because he wanted to know more about the family and what the future plans were for the Rat Miraculous.

One couldn't be too careful, after all. If Dorjee had heard from the past Rats about the magical powers that could develop in families with a lot of Miraculous ancestors... well, he didn't want that to start up again.

Dinner flew by in a flurry of conversation and translations back and forth, and then Tsomo headed off with Dorjee to make sure that his uncle would be all right on his own for a few more days. Master Fu took the opportunity to make sure that his group was prepared for the next few days.

"I just want to remind you all that the trip home will be very hard on all of the kwami," Master Fu started seriously. He gestured to where Wayzz was hungrily munching down on a pile of fern fiddleheads on the table. "It'll drain them, being transformed for so long. I did my best to prepare Wayzz before our trip, and I wouldn't be surprised if he goes into a bit of a hibernation once we're done. So no using powers just for fun. If an emergency comes up, only then should you consider doing anything more than just keeping your basic transformation."

All of the kwami looked very serious. Plagg made a face and flopped onto Adrien's shoulder, clearly distressed at the idea of so much work. Marinette raised a wary hand.

"...yes, Marinette?"

"Chat Noir and I were wondering about if we could get Tikki to create an actual wakeboard for us to use while crossing any large lakes we come across," Marinette said, looking a little anxious. "So does that mean that we have to give up that idea and find a piece of wood every time instead?"

Master Fu considered that. "Well, we don't know for certain if we'll be crossing lakes," he started. "It is likely, I have to admit. But I would say don't use your Lucky Charm for that until we have such a crossing, and then of course keep it afterwards for future use."

Nino frowned at that. "Wait, won't we definitely be crossing a lake, though? Or are we heading back out to the trail a different way than we came in?"

"I have not asked." Master Fu admitted. "There may be a different path that the Rat has in mind. But if we have any more lakes, then that might be acceptable."

Marinette and Adrien grinned. A few of the other teens looked a tad jealous.

"And another bit of bad news," Master Fu said, trying not to look as downtrodden as he felt. He hadn't been looking forward to delivering this bit of news, but it was necessary. "I've been talking to Wayzz, and after a week and a half out on the trail, he's started to suspect that the more weight I'm carrying in the shell, the larger the toll it takes on him. So we're going to have to alter our routines just a bit."

"No more rides in the turtle shell?" Chloe asked.

"No more unnecessary rides in the turtle shell," Master Fu clarified. "Not unless we're just doing a short shot at high speed. And you'll have to transform with your big backpacks, so that those aren't in the shell. Some rides won't be avoidable, of course- the Rat will have to ride with me in order to keep up with the group, and Mrs. Agreste will as well- but we don't want to exhaust Wayzz."

The group nodded, looking serious. Master Fu knew that they probably weren't thrilled, especially since they were getting more and more tired of hiking all of the time and it was so much easier to just ride along than it was to run or jump or pole their way across the landscape.

"And I just want to remind everyone before we start out again that we should get into the habit of only referring to each other by our superhero names when transformed," Master Fu continued, figuring that he might as well get the rest of his comments out of the way. There were fewer complaints about the shell news than he had expected, though perhaps that was because they had seen how tired Wayzz had been. "I know that I haven't set a particularly good example with that from the start of our journey, since I didn't discourage people from using my civilian name while transformed, but it's something we should do. And I would even extend that into the time that we're not transformed, in case Mrs. Agreste overhears us talking while we're in the tents."

"That'll be easy enough for when we're talking to Ladybug and Chat Noir, I feel," Nino joked, gesturing at Adrien and Marinette. "Since we were used to calling them that for ages. Same with the Rat. The rest of us, though..."

"Well, that's why we have to start now." Sabine glanced over the group. "I'm sure we can get used to it."

Fu hoped so. It wouldn't be the end of the world if Mrs. Agreste discovered the identity of almost anyone in the group- Ladybug and Chat Noir being the exception, of course, and it not being a huge deal would only hold true if the entries in the journal were accurate and she didn't have any designs on any of the Miraculous- but he would prefer that they all stayed undiscovered. It was safer that way.

Thankfully, it seemed that Ladybug and Chat Noir were already in the habit of using only superhero names when they were transformed, and the others in the group were so used to considering Ladybug and Chat Noir as completely separate from Marinette and Adrien that they weren't likely to trip up there. He was naturally more used to using superhero names rather than their given names as well. But there was still a chance that one of the newer superheroes could mess up and spoil their cover.

"I also wanted to remind you that in the event that we succeed with our mission, we will have to be careful about what we talk about," Master Fu continued before the group could get into any sort of debate about who was or wasn't most likely to slip up. "No mentions of what grade you'll be entering or what school, or names of your friends, or where you live. It probably won't take her long to figure out that we live in Paris, at least, but maybe we can keep the neighborhood a secret."

There were nods of understanding all around, and Fu had to hope that they would all remember. It was easy enough to say now that yes, they weren't going to say anything that might give Mrs. Agreste any hints about their identities (and yes, the Miraculous magic would protect them, keeping Mrs. Agreste from making any connections too easily, but it wasn't foolproof). It would be harder to actually do it.

There couldn't be any more offhand comments of oh, we should get together with Rose and Juleka and Mylène or I wonder how many races Kim and Alix have done so far this summer or I'm gonna spend the rest of the summer lying next to the pool on top of Daddy's hotel and not walking at all. No references to designs that Marinette was drawing, or Alya's work on her blog now that Ladybug and Chat Noir were semi-retired, or Nino's work on an entry for a music competition, or Tom and Sabine's bakery.

It was harder than they would think it was. Fu knew from experience, when he was fleeing from the falling temple and couldn't tell the people he met on his travels about his previous life. Even now, well over a hundred years later, there was so much that he couldn't bring up with normal people.

He could say that he was originally from Tibet, of course. He could say that he grew up there, but not when. He couldn't mention why he had left. It was important for him to not reference too many experiences and trips, because then people started to wonder how he had fit in so much when he was just a humble massage and herbal therapy business owner.

"Is that it?" Chloe asked after a few too many moments of silence. "We just have to not do anything stupid that might give us away. We've all heard of the Superhero Code of Functioning or whatever. Keep your secret identity secret is, like, number one on the list. Basic stuff."

Master Fu caught sight of Marinette rolling her eyes at that while Adrien looked exasperated and tried not to smile. The two of them knew full well how hard it could be to keep a secret identity secret from people they knew. It could take some practice to not just blurt out things that they would normally say, and only the two of them and him had any experience with that.

"That is it, and I'll remind everyone again once we get closer," Fu told Chloe. "And just to remind everyone, we'll be starting out bright and early tomorrow so be sure to turn in early."

"And Tsomo is coming with us?" Alya asked, just to confirm. "To show us the fastest way to the temple?"

Master Fu nodded. "He will be. It will be nice to have another guide, one who is more familiar with the landscape than I am." Heaven knew that it had been ages since he had been in the area. "And we'll be able to go faster all the time. It'll shave a few more days off of our journey, for sure."

The grins that he got in response to that said it all. Fabulous.

  Just like they had on every other day on their trip, they set out early. Dorjee saw them off, waving from the doorway as they all transformed and headed off at the approximate speed of a speeding racecar, squinting against the chilly early-morning wind. The Rat rode in the shell behind Jade Turtle, clutching tight to the shell as they raced over the landscape.

"We aren't going to try to do the rest of the trip at this speed, are we?" Rena Rouge called, voice raised to be heard above the wind. "I don't mean to complain already, but it's really hard to keep up like this."

"What, can't you swing it?" Queen Bee taunted. She was flying behind Master Fu's shell, hanging on with one hand and letting herself be pulled along. Lycaena was doing the same. "This speed is fun!"

Rena scowled. "You're not even doing any work!"

"Girls, please," Jade Turtle cut across before Queen Bee could respond. "Once we get back to where we were when we met the Rat, then we will probably slow down a bit again. After all, he's never taken the trail at these kinds of speeds before."

"It looks slightly different as a blur, huh?"

Rena Rouge rolled her eyes at the smirk on Queen Bee's face and refocused her efforts on running as fast as she could. She and Paon had the hardest task out of all of them, really. Jade Turtle of course only had to focus on steering- the speed didn't seem to take any extra work or concentration from him at all, the Rat got to ride along since he couldn't run at super-speeds, Queen Bee and Lycaena got to get dragged along by the shell as long as they kept themselves in the air, and Ladybug and Chat Noir- well, they had managed to get into a routine of poling and yo-yoing across the landscape as a team, and they were making it look completely effortless.

And they were somehow managing to look cute together at the same time. It was utterly unfair, really, but Rena couldn't help but smile a little as she glanced over at the superhero duo.

They were every bit as cute as Rena had thought they would be, though she couldn't say for certain if she was referring to what she had thought Marinette and Adrien would be like or what Ladybug and Chat Noir would be like when they finally got together.

It was a mix of both, really, if perhaps leaning a little more towards the Ladynoir dynamic. There was a level of comfort there that hadn't been present between Adrien and Marinette before, and banter that Alya hadn't expected from them. But knowing what she did now, well...

Their level of comfort with each other- and Adrien's tendency to turn to Marinette for support- made perfect sense.

"I wish we could double up like them," Paon called to her, speeding up briefly so that they were jumping and gliding side by side. "Ladybug and Chat Noir look like they aren't even trying, don't they?"

Rena Rouge nodded as her boyfriend perfectly echoed her own thoughts. It was frustrating being hardly able to keep up with Jade Turtle- and how odd was that, that a turtle could go faster than a fox? perhaps it was just a matter of seniority- and she was going to get exhausted really fast.

It was too bad that Trixx and Duusu couldn't lend their energy to Wayzz so that she and Paon could just ride along in the shell like they had before for the entire journey. That had been fun.

So Rena Rouge ran, jumping and running and hoping that she wouldn't land funny as Jade Turtle sped over fields and through narrow trails. She got to hop back in the shell as they went zipping over the lake that Chat Noir and Ladybug had wakeboarded over on the way towards the Rat's house. Ladybug and Chat Noir fell behind briefly as Ladybug summoned a wakeboard, and then the duo was zipping across the water after them. Both shell and wakeboard sent up a plume of water behind them, and Rena Rouge reached out behind them, trying to catch some of the water on her arm. Even through the protection of the suit, she could feel a bit of the water's bite, harsh enough that it would probably hurt quite a bit if she weren't transformed.

Then they were jumping out as they got to the shore and jumping straight back into their all-out sprint. Then the lake was fading into the distance and they were zipping over a familiar blurred pile of rocks as they reached the same part of the trail where they had left off. The Rat scooted forward and started saying something to Master Fu, and their course altered, just a bit.

They must already be starting their shortcut. Rena perked up. Maybe they would slow down soon, and then she could actually enjoy their journey again.

They went up a ridge and then skimmed over the rock maze that they had been approaching earlier on, forcing Rena Rouge and Paon to watch their steps as they jumped from one rock fin to another. Ladybug and Chat Noir yelped as Chat Noir's baton skidded on the rock and sent them tumbling down a crack. They were back up seconds later, and then Ladybug slingshotted the two of them over the rest of the rock maze. Chat Noir whooped as they flew over the rest of the group.

"You guys are show-offs, I just want you to know!" Rena Rouge yelled after them, even though they probably couldn't hear her. "Freaking show-offs!"

Paon laughed. "At least they can't be smug about it, seeing as how they fell ass-over-teakettle before that."

They were over the rock maze before long, and then they were slowing down as the Rat needed to look for smaller, more easily missed landmarks.

"Oh, thank goodness," Paon breathed, stumbling a little as he adjusted his speed. "I like moving fast, but there is a limit. It's only really fun for short bursts."

Rena only nodded, too tired to do much else.

"Okay, we'll be stopping for lunch soon," Jade Turtle called after another hour as they slowed further. They were drawing close to a forest, with towering trees and deep shadows. "We'll get a bit of a break then before we continue."

Rena Rouge blinked. Was it really lunchtime already? It couldn't possibly be, could it?

"I could go for a bit longer," Ladybug said, echoing Rena's thoughts. "We're on a roll right now, why stop?"

Jade Turtle nodded. "Okay! We can keep going and stop in the forest, then. It'll be cooler there anyway. It probably wouldn't be pleasant sitting out in the sun while detransformed."

"And yet, we're fine when we're transformed!" Paon said appreciatively, long-jumping and landing well out in front. "Thank goodness for climate-controlled supersuits!"

Rena laughed at that, running and jumping after her boyfriend. He was right, of course. Her suit didn't feel cool, exactly, but she didn't feel hot and sticky anymore. It was probably a smart feature- after all, if a holder was half-dying from the heat and humidity (or the cold), then they wouldn't fight very effectively. If they were at least comfortable (and especially if their enemy was not), then they could fight properly.

...not that she would be a terrific fighter even with the temperature absolutely ideal. She just hadn't had that much experience yet, and honestly, the chance that she would get that experience was... not high.

They plunged into the forest, flashes of colors between the shadows of the trees. A few times, Rena only barely missed colliding with a trunk of a tree when she tried to move too fast.

(A crash and some muffled swearing told her that Paon hadn't been quite as successful at weaving between the trees. Rena resisted the urge to turn around to make sure that he was all right, but a) she knew that the supersuit would protect him, and b) if she lost concentration for even a second, Rena knew that she would be the next one slamming into a tree.)

They ran (and jumped, and poled, and flew) for nearly an hour again before stopping for a late lunch. It was nice to have fresh food again, and for once Alya savored her lunch instead of scarfing it down in order to not actually have to taste it.

She was going to spend ages eating an enjoying her mom's cooking once she got home, Alya knew it already. Her entire family would no doubt think it strange, since staying with Marinette's family suggested getting to eat meals cooked by her world-famous great-uncle, but she wouldn't be able to help it.

Maybe she could claim missing the familiar flavors of her family's favorite dishes. That would make sense, wouldn't it?

"It's nice to have a change of scenery," Nino commented as he polished off his sandwich. He gestured to the trees around them. "We've been doing mountains and fields and rocky stuff for ages."

"We had forests at the start," Adrien pointed out. He had already finished his food, though Alya suspected that it might have been more of a defense mechanism to prevent Plagg from stealing all of the cheese from the sandwich before Adrien had the chance to eat it. "But yeah, it's nice to be back in the shade. It's hard to pole my way along, though," he added, waving a hand up at the tree limbs. "I can only go so far up before I would start hitting a ton of branches on the way down. Open fields are better for that."

"Ladybug could swing you guys along, though, right?" Alya asked. "I know you wouldn't be able to swing as far or go quite as fast as you do in the city, but with your yo-yos, especially now that you have two of them..."

Marinette blinked, startled, as though she hadn't thought of that. "Oh, yeah! We could try that. The trees are mostly tall enough for it."

Adrien punched the air in mock triumph. "Yes! I can hitch a ride for a bit! That'll be great."

"If it works."

As Alya finished his meal, Adrien wandered off to talk to Chloe for a bit. Alya felt a twinge of guilt as she watched. Even though Chloe had admittedly been helpful on the trip, both as a source of money and as a scout, and she hadn't been that bad at school for the last bit of the year (particularly after she got Pollen), most of the time the four of them hung out as a group. They tended not to include her much, but then again, it often seemed that Chloe didn't exactly want to hang out with them.

Still, they had been on the trail for nearly two weeks at this point, and two weeks was a lot of time to spend largely alone and isolated from other people- and they wouldn't even be finishing the trip at the end of the second week. Plus there had been that initial week of travel out via plane and road, and they would have the same thing going back. Maybe she should try harder to actually talk to Chloe and include her.

(Were they going to be the best of friends after all of this was over? Definitely not. There was just too much bad history there. But Alya could play nice for the duration of the trip, as long as Chloe wasn't in a bad mood.)

With lunch polished off and their leftovers tucked back into Master Fu's backpack, they all transformed again and were off. Rena Rouge grinned as she watched Ladybug swinging easily from tree to tree like a kid on the monkey bars at the park, Chat Noir clinging to her like some sort of oversized kitty backpack. It really hadn't taken them long at all to adapt to the new way of moving, but considering how experienced they were as superheroes- well, Rena wasn't really surprised.

Above the treeline, Lycaena and Queen Bee were tracking their progress, flying in a straight line without having to dodge tree trunks and branches. Rena felt a bit jealous about that, really. Neither of them had to pay that much attention to where they were going in order not to smack right into a tree.

And speaking of flying, ladybugs could fly. So why couldn't Ladybug? Maybe that was an experience thing, too-

"Ow!"

Rena tumbled and hit the ground after her shoulder smacked into a tree following a misjudged jump, sending her off balance. She tumbled, quietly swearing under her breath before she found her footing again and kept going.

She had changed her mind. Rena Rouge hated the forest. Meadows were much better, even with their hidden uneven ground and roots sticking up from bushes, just the right size for her toes to get snagged. At least her suit had protected her from the impact.

"I think this bird is tired of the forest, too," Paon told her, slowing down to glide by her side. "Which is funny, really. Don't peacocks live in forests?"

Rena wasn't sure. "Do they?"

"I don't know!"

She had to laugh. "Didn't you look it up at all?"

"Nah, I had better things to do before we left. Studying, mixes that I meant to get done during the school year that I needed to get done before I forgot about them, hanging out with Adrien..."

"It would have been a two-minute Google search, tops."

Paon just grinned, utterly unrepentant.

Up ahead, the Rat said something and Jade Turtle sped up. Rena Rouge did her best to keep up, stretching to her limits. To her surprise, now that she was not nearly as tired as she had been in the morning and could actually focus on what she was doing, she found the suit's powers stretching as well, giving her more power behind each step and jump. She had no trouble keeping up with the new pace, which...

Well, if they weren't in the woods, with hitting a tree a serious possibility, she would have tried to push even harder to see how fast she could really go. It would be fun to try, and to see how much she could push herself and Trixx before it started affecting them.

It took all of her focus to keep up the speed, keep an eye on Jade Turtle and the Rat so she could follow them, and dodge all of the trees and roots that popped up left and right. She hopped over a short bush and kept running, eyes flashing back and forth to make sure that she didn't get lost. She had just gotten into a routine- look, jump, glance to Jade Turtle, check landing, step, step, repeat- when a loud crack followed by a dual yelp, two thuds and then a larger thud had them all skidding to a stop, feet plowing up dirt as they turned to see what had happened.

What they saw were the two Heroes of Paris sprawled on the ground, a large dead branch pinning them down. Ladybug's yo-yo was still wound around the branch, and the large end was cracked off.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Ladybug had accidentally snagged a rotted branch that couldn't hold their weight, and it had come down on top of them, surprising them enough that they couldn't manage to get out of the way before it landed. Both superheroes were groaning as they worked to untangle themselves in the cramped space under the branch and slowly push it off. The Rat hopped out of the shell and hurried back to help them, levering the large branch up so that Ladybug and Chat Noir could crawl out, both dusting bits of bark from their hair but otherwise none the worse for wear.

Rena couldn't help it, she really couldn't. She burst out into laughter at their grouchy expressions, clearly a bit embarrassed by the accident.

"I can't believe I thought you were cool once," she told them as they joined her and Paon next to the trail. "Biggest lie ever."

"Oh, shush," Ladybug grumbled, but Rena could see the corner of her lips twitching. "We're cool. Right, chaton?"

Chat Noir perked up immediately, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah! Super cool!"

Rena Rouge rolled her eyes properly at that. Esteemed superheroes of Paris or not, they were such dorks.

Ah, well. She loved them anyway.

[suckonmybalz]

Nightmares - VM

It was super late. All day, he'd been out. From friends, to friend groups, to a mini-party and home. The time currently read 3:05 AM. Which was way past his common bedtime.

Vinny was a man of fun, a man of the hour or most hours at a party. He enjoyed being with friends, and liked to live the party life when he wouldn't be robbed of too much. It was exciting to even be on the guest lists, even if no one wrote those out anymore. It made him feel special, at the least.

Point being, undressing and showering rapidly was not his forté at such an ungodly hour like this. Hence why he referred to it as something to be acted upon quickly. Once he was done, he was bound to knockout. That was his favorite part of cleaning himself up before bed. The bed part.

Sliding his shorts off, and his hoodie off over his head, Vinny crawled into the shower. It was a bathtub, with a shower head that could be detached and used as a hand held, but he preferred it to remain on it's hook. There was also a huge spout for the bath! Crazy idea, using a bathtub for actually bathing. Wow, things never ceased to amaze. There was three bottles in the shower and a few shaving razors. A shampoo and a conditioner that were all nice and natural, rose scented. For some reason, he couldn't find the chamomile one he'd bought last time. It smelt like the perfect nap, or something along those lines. Beside the conditioner sat his little tube of shaving cream. Scented like lavender and vanilla, it was purple and it helped save his life so often. Shaving your crotch was scary enough, but have you ever tried to do it without any cream? We don't even talk about what happens when he forgot to buy shaving cream. Not appropriate, and there's no need to dig up old traumatic showering moments. Stepping into a cold shower after a super physically hot day was quite literally better than having a massage. It felt similar to one, in Vinny's case. So he aimed the little shower head at him, and made sure his hair was evenly soaked before pumping the shampoo to lather some up for his hair. Running his hands through his hair, and evenly getting that squeak from all sections was how he knew he was good to rinse. A nice sigh escaped his lips, when he stood there rinsing his hair. The solitude and the comfort of showering was an art. No one could judge his thighs that he disliked, or his messy hair that when wet made him looked like a trampled rat. It was so cold, too, perfect on his disgustingly and once awfully sweaty skin. Sweat like that risked acne, and he didn't even suffer that bad since tenth grade. Now moving onto conditioner, and making sure to use just a single pump of it. The reason being that when he used far too much, he couldn't stand his hair. It flew all over, and would end up even frizzier. He wasn't a hair specialist, but driving with windows down still requires you see the road to drive. He pressed it into his hair, making sure that he felt his scalp occasionally to check that he was evenly getting his head. The dude was a slight perfectionist when it came to his hygiene, what was wrong with that? After letting that rinse, he squeezed extra water out and gently tied it with a little hair tie to keep it away from his neck and back. So he could dry his body easier. The dripping hair only made things rough.

Leaving the shower was so awful. He was always left shaking and cold, regardless of the temperature of his shower and the rush for some clothing was traumatic. Grabbing his big hoodie, and a nice pair of sweatpants with new and clean boxers of course, he got all ready for comfortability in his bed. After making his way into the bathroom again, he brushed his teeth. Of course, making sure to clean every nook and cranny he could see and comprehend in his mouth— including his tongue. Before spitting and washing out the yucky water in his mouth. Yawning was the final straw. He needed to rest now.

Crawling into his bed, he tucked himself in with his comforter on top and his sheet close underneath. His feet under his comforter too, to keep the heat in. Not to mention, his cozy and fluffy special grey blanket his mother bought for him around his arms, chest and neck. It was a good babushka disguise when he needed one, too. He wrapped the fluffy blanket around himself too, and closed his eyes to rest. He was turned on his side into his big pillow, so he didn't deal with the sunlight of the next day.

The second he fell asleep, he wasn't aware he'd regret it.

The second he awoke, he'd never hated closing his eyes so violently.

The same scene to his fraction of his dream replayed in his eyes, like a broken player.

The man who visited the store he also visited had begun yelling at him. A customer who happened to get mad at him, while he was also a customer. After Vinny tried his hardest to calm the circumstance, and make enough light jokes to distract without being fully dismissive.

Yet this had turned out to be a crappy tactic, considering that this angry customer had hit him. Slapped him right across the face, his right palm colliding into his left cheek and making a nice noise too when it happened. It nearly knocked Vinny back, the shock alone could have completed that job though.

"You didn't have to do that dude, I didn't do anything wrong. I'm just being patient as you are—" On that note, Vinny can see himself in third person now, as if he's floating over his own self and watching these awful things happen as a ghostly figure would. The man had hit him right on the back of his head in the most accurate spot to directly knock him unconscious. With that, the man drags him right out of the building through the open back entrance. That very second the two leave, a worker of the store returns to the front desk. To see a dropped lightbulb, and a few PVC connector pieces on the counter. The lightbulb was Vinny's, and the PVC connectors and pieces were belongings or possible belongings of the other customer who had hit him.

The worker casually takes the connectors and tosses them into the restock bin, while the other grabs a broom and a little sweep pan. They work together, one holding the pan and the other gently and carefully sweeping the lightbulb's remains into the pan. One of them empties the pan, and unhooks the tiny to go vacuum from the wall to hand it to the other worker. They vacuum right over the area, and empty the vacuum's canister into the trash as well. The cardboard label to the lightbulb is scanned, and the bulb was damaged out. Not a single acknowledgement of anything wrong. No one saw anything.

What are the odds? Totally not in Vinny's favor.

This customer has Vinny in the back of his large van, a construction type van. The customer had clearly been some sort of worker, he had paint and dirt on his clothing and to be knowledgable about his purchase. If he needed PVC connectors, Vinny could guarantee having no knowledge about it whatsoever. The truck was speeding down a highway that they'd managed to get onto only moments ago. The leave from the store had been twenty minutes or so towards the highway.

Vinny lay limp, and weak in the back of this van. Which smelled of cigarettes, and very passionately of it too. His head hurt so terribly, and from the moment he'd gained any sense of not being stable and alone, he whimpered. His hands weren't to his own access, and his upper body swung so roughly with the car's motions. This highway was so torn up, and all the shaking was amplified by the speeding. It didn't help.

Like a dead pig in storage similar some sort of animal or such produce, his arms were hog tied up. Mass immobilization was the key here, and he’d no clue how long they’d really been in this van. Point being, he wasn’t stoked. Thankfully, his phone was in his pocket and shortly he’d request an update on the circumstance but couldn’t count on survival. This moment in time had to be the weakest one he’d physically suffered. There was no blood in his upper body, there was nowhere to go. The back doors to this truck had huge locks on it. Ropes and blood spatters from what he assumed were other cases where other people happened to have pushed their luck.

The van stopped and before he could say anything, the back doors were unlocked and popped open. A sharp inhale was managed, and...

He woke up, with a fit of heavy breathing and wide eyes.

Not a bone in his body desired to find out whether he lived through that or not, and he wasn’t seeking answers in a part two either.

Rushing to his bathroom to wake himself up became crucial. As he washed his face in cold water, he hoped that it was over. Nothing could hurt him now, generously did the man practically pray.

[directionlessbuthappy]

Dawn of the Draugr: p6

Modern AU: Alex H. Anderson x Reader

Warnings: depictions of graphic violence, blood

Prev. part

Tagged: @missrobyn81 @steadypiepsychicflower  @idrivebettyblue

The first time I shot one of them, it wasn't with my back against the wall. It wasn't one of those trembling experiences where everything goes in slow motion as I make my choice of whether or not I could kill someone. It was quick...and it was only terrifying afterwards, because I realized how easy it truly was for me.

Alex was telling me about them. Draugr, he called them. When a person was bitten, the disease worked within a 24 hour period, turning you into a draugr sometimes in minutes, sometimes hours. Marco and I were debating on what made the disease go from airborne to direct infection while we sat on the truck bed. We waited for Jordan and Alex to drive into town; Jordan wanted to restock before we leave for Strawberry tomorrow. Once the guys walked out of the front door and across the yard, I gathered my legs into the bed and crawled to the back. The truck was a two seater; no room in the cabin, so me and Marco would be riding western style.

I glanced at my rifle. Alex warned me that since the draugr were drawn to sound it was very dangerous to outright shoot them, because it would almost always attract more. I didn't really want to shoot one anyway; I hadn't yet. I still saw them as people. Sick human beings who needed help...

Jordan shut the drivers side door behind him, jolting me out of my somber thoughts. I realized Alex was leaning over the side of the truck, about to climb in but looking right at me.

"You scared?"

"No," I mumbled. It wasn't convincing like I'd wanted. He sighed, grinning and wiggling a finger at me. I smiled slightly and leaned down to give him a kiss; he gave me one to remember, like always.

Marco made a vulgar moaning noise behind me. The second Alex's lips released mine, I swung around and threw my fist into Marco's crotch. I didn't know he was so good at opera.

We drove towards the freeway. Jordan planned on stopping around the little shops leading into downtown. All the big box stores would either be cleaned out by now, or have people in them, and we didn't want to run into either problem. I was so nervous about shooting a draugr I didn't even wonder if I'd have to shoot a healthy, living person. It can be a lot to process for a person, though, when I look back.

We drove onto the off ramp. It was odd, not having to follow road signs or anything. Jordan wasn't driving too fast; we had to maneuver around the stationary cars along the road. It was a six-lane ghost town on the freeway; vehicles were either in pieces along the sides of the road, or patiently rotting in the lanes. I'll admit, I shut my eyes when we drove past a few cars that obviously had blood and viscera on the windows. I shut my eyes for the school bus too.

After taking another ramp onto the main streets, we rolled up to the parking lot plaza later in the afternoon. Nobody was around; the plaza had trash strewn around, broken glass windows everywhere. A few cars were sitting around; one was halfway in the wall of the minimart on the corner. I hopped out of the truck from the side and held onto the rim of the bed to steady myself. My boots crunched glass beneath them.

"Watch your step Lees," Jordan warned as he stepped out. I nodded to him in understanding and followed. My gun swung over my shoulder while we approached the eerily quiet shopping center. We stuck together, entering a small drugstore first.

I took up a basket to Alex's amusement. "What?" I asked when he laughed.

"We're not going shopping Elyse."

"Were you going to carry your supplies in your hands?"

I stumped him; he gave me a curt grumble in realizing it. His brothers chuckled as they walked off, mentioning something about sticking together. Alex followed me as I casually strolled through the shop. I did take a pause before going down one of the aisles though.

"This is..strange."

"What?" Alex asking. His hand twitched to the gun he carried.

"Its just the store. Being empty...knowing you can take anything and not be in trouble for it," I shrugged. But it did bother me a bit.

"The clepto in you must be thrilled," he teased. I scoffed and waved my hand, walking into the last aisle against the store wall. I scrolled my fingers down a wall of lipsticks while Alex snorted.

"Really Elyse? Makeup, now?"

"You know, if you got your head out of your ass and stopped assuming I was looking for makeup, you might learn something," I snipped. It just made him chuckle.

"Girls..."

"Will you stop that?" I said sharply, pulling a tube of chapstick out out of the wall. I was allergic to shea butter. It made looking for balms and things alike difficult.

"Stop what?"

"Making those comments about 'girls.' Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean shit. Not all girls are alike. And I wasn't looking for makeup."

I slathered my lips in chapstick, partially angry with Alex while he smile faltered. He was wrong about the makeup assumption. What a surprise.

"You're just...c'mon Lees, you know what I meant. A lot of girls do a lot of the same-"

"Oh cut the shit Alex and just admit you were being an ass," I interrupted him. He sighed at the ceiling, long and drawn out.

"Fine fine...I'll cut back on giving you my sarcastic humor."

"Shit. You were giving me shit," I corrected and offered him the chapstick tube. "Wanna try?"

He came over and took the chapstick from my fingers. I was about to flick some chapstick residue off the corner of my lip, but he kissed me before I could. Surprised, I blinked up at him while he swiped his tongue over his top lip.

"Grapefruit huh?"

"...shut up," I replied. This gained me a hug from behind while I shoved the tube back in my pocket.

/

"Maybe we should get you some Plan B while we're here eh?" Alex suggested. As much as I wanted to crack jokes, that was one of the most responsible things he'd suggested. However I was one step again.

"I actually...don't need it."

I couldn't see his face from his stance behind me, but I couldn't carry the conversation further. Something broke glass in one aisle over; with Jordan and Marco in the back of the shop, there was nobody else here but us. There shouldn't have been. 

I walked around the aisle's end and peered over. My knees started to shake. A draugr was dragging itself slowly across the floor. With no legs.

I swallowed harshly and my shuddering hands clutched the rifle on my shoulder. The sick...thing...was crawling right towards me. They weren't very fast, but in my terror they didn't need to be. I was a willing victim with how terrified I felt. I heard Alex swear behind me and take his gun off his shoulder. He went over, muttering something about my eyes, and took the butt of his sniper rifle to the draugr's head. Grey brain matter and what looked like darker, rotten blood spouted from its head. It was dead instantly and ceased its supernatural crawling.

Alex shook off the gore from the end of his gun before turning to me. I must've looked ghost white. He returned to me, setting the gun on the top of one of the aisles.

"Hey, Elyse...its okay. Look at me," he said to gain my attention. "Its okay now. I told you not to look, but... You gotta see this stuff honey. You can't freeze up like that, if-"

Jordan came around the corner with his pistol drawn; we threw our hands up quickly as if we'd been caught. He lowered the weapon and looked at the gory remains of the draugr at our feet.

"You guys okay?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. Snaking an arm around my waistline, he turned to his brother with a big grin on his face. "Just a little pest problem."

"She okay?"

"She's fine Jordan. Go back to the heavy lifting. Elyse needs 'girl stuff' and doesn't need you or me to watch her," he insisted. Jordan blushed and darted back to the staff only door.

Once I shook off the surprise I scowled at the back of Alex's head. He walked towards the next aisle and ushered me on. "You didn't need to tell him that!"

Alex was generally quiet the rest of the trip. He wasn't angry with me...I know because I asked him. Several times. But he was adamant I was okay; there was something bugging him and he couldn't figure it out. I worried he was lying but didn't push him. If he wanted to talk, I made it clear I would listen, and that was all I could do.

We gathered everything we could possibly fit in the truck. The boys were outside finishing up the tie downs; we had to stack the boxes a certain way to give the person in the back room. We could fit three people in the cabin of the truck, so it would be a solo trip for whoever was sitting in the back. We hadn't rock-paper-scissored for it yet. I left the guys to finish up their packing since I was done with mine; I went back into the store to look for something out of want instead of need. There were these little chocolate things Alex told me he liked and after his search, concluded the store didn't hold them. I didn't believe him though and wanted to look for myself.

I took my gun with me. I wasn't totally unsafe. Going up the candy aisle, I crouched down, got on my tip toes, did everything I could to search. I'd given up and started walking back when I found a little box nestled in the clearance bin. Little chocolate candies that had a single peanut in the center; these were it!

I was so glad to have found them I spun on my heel towards the door. And froze when I saw it. 

A draugr crawled behind the counter of one of the abandoned registers. Its eyes were gone and it struggled with the left half of its body. I couldn't scream; loud noise meant more company. I swallowed and took out my gun, shaking so hard there was no way I was going to get a good shot. Even if I tried, from where I stood the bullet could fly outside towards the truck from here. It was too dangerous.

The draugr groaned and hissed at me as I tried backing away. I stumbled to my knees on a box and fell, hands scraping against the large tile to get myself away. This sick person was faster than the last, and more...vocal. It terrified me. I felt the floor vibrate slightly as it moved quicker towards me and looked down at myself. I realized I had a boot knife; Alex's gift. Taking the handle out, I held it to my chest defensively.

If you freeze, you die. You can't freeze again.

[wordtowordtoword]

How to Organize My Small Pantry: 17 Tips on Organizing Small Pantry

Small pantries are hard to work with. You only have limited space at hand and you have to ensure that everything that you store in the pantry is easy to reach and doesn't clutter the space.    Pantries usually have a lot of food stored in them, so much food that you don't even know if some of them have expired. If you haven't cleaned out your pantry in a while, it could look like a complete mess with stuff all over the place. This can make it a nightmare to find things, not to mention to find room to store new stuff.    Getting organized is a good way to ensure that you are using your pantry in the best way possible. You don't want to be over-organized, because this may make it difficult to live with. That being the case, not having the pantry organized at all could make life really stressful for you. This is why you need to seek a balance between the two.    Organizing small spaces can be a difficult task and if you are working with a small pantry, you could have your work cut out for you. Hence without further adieu, here is our list of 17 tips to help you make the most out of that small pantry.  

  1.Clear Out the Clutter

One of the first things that you would have to do when organizing a pantry is clearing out the clutter that is already present. This might mean taking everything out from the pantry and weeding out the expired goods and the goods that you no longer want.    This can be a very time-consuming process, however, it is the first thing that you have to do. Before you make any changes to your pantry and start organizing the goods, you have to empty it out and weed out what you don't need.    You can clear out your dining room table and use the space that you have to work out exactly what you want to keep and what you are looking to throw out.    You want to check and each and every item for expiration dates and keep the ones with the dates closer to expiry in a separate pile. This is because you want to use the soon expiring stuff first and would ideally store them in the front of the pantry.    It is also a good time to relocate the stuff that you stored in the pantry that doesn't really belong in the pantry. This is a great decluttering technique for it allows you to regain the space in your already small pantry.    Don't simply assume everything is still in date. Take the time to check the products one by one and ensure that you don't have expired stuff. At the end of the day, you don't have room to waste.    While everything is empty, do a gentle clean of the pantry and vacuum out any crumbs and pieces which may have spilt on the shelves.   

2. Sort Through the Stuff

Now that you have taken everything out of the pantry and have weeded out the stuff that you don't need, it is time to sort through everything and categorize them into piles. This will make it so much easier for you to store everything in your small pantry.    With a small pantry, you don't have a lot of space to work with. This means that you have to ensure that you aren't cluttering the space with a can of soup here and a can of soup there.    Keep all similar items in one place; this is a real space saver and an excellent organizational skill.    For instance, if you are looking to categorize your content, you can break them down into categories such as,   - Baking items - Snacks - Pasta - Grains - Canned Food - Breakfast Food - Chips - Fruits/Nuts   When you are sorting through everything and categorizing them, what is important is that you take your best interest into the equation. What are the types of things that you would benefit from keeping together? Do you eat a lot of chips, in which case you may benefit from having a separate chip pile?    You can even sort and organize your small pantry based on the meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks). This can be a good way to organize your small pantry. Figure out what type of sorting works best for you and your family and go with that. You don't have to stick to our list of categories we provided; that was just to help guide you.   

  3. Make a Plan

When you are working with a small pantry, it is important that you have a plan in place to ensure that you are able to store everything you need.   For this, you would need a rough idea of how big the pantry is and how much stuff you can store in it. Take a quick measure of the shelves of the pantry, such as the height, the width and the depth. This will give you a good understanding of how big your small pantry actually is and how much stuff you can store on each shelf.    You would also be doing yourself a favour by measuring the shelf space, for it will enable you to purchase the right size of bins, baskets and organizing containers. Make a note of the measurements when you are shopping for these organizing items to ensure that what you buy actually fits into your pantry.    This is also a good time to work out a plan of action. When looking for inspiration, try to steer clear of pantries that look amazing; looks can be deceiving. What you need to do is think of functionality first. Try to understand what works for you and go with that. Don't simply try to turn your pantry into a photo of a pantry you saw, because you thought the photo looked cute.    Now is a good time to answer some of those questions that you might have about how you want your small pantry to look. You may ask yourself, what items in the pantry take up the most space, so can award the right shelves for the right stuff. You may also want to ask yourself if you want to use containers and if so clear containers or not. Clear containers will help you see what is held on the inside without you having to dig in and check every time.   Would you like labels on your food or jar? Would you prefer using containers or glass jars to store your grains and pasta? How do you want to decorate your pantry, do you want wallpaper or a colour scheme.    These are all questions you should be asking yourself. Remember, now is the time to plan things out. Hence take the time to understand what you need and ask yourself those questions about how you want the outcome to look.   

4. Get Some Storage Bins and Containers

Whether it is bins, containers or baskets that you want to store things in, you need something that will put an end to those bulky boxes and bags. This will tremendously help your decrease the amount of clutter in your small pantry.    These pantry organizational items can be very affordable. Hence you don't have to go out of your way to spend too much money on them.    These organizational items will make your task of maintaining an organized pantry much easier. It will ensure that you store the right stuff in the right container, which will make it so much easier for you to find what you are looking for.    One of the most annoying things that can happen is not being able to find what you were looking for and having to pull almost everything out of the pantry in search of this one item. Using organization items helps you prevent this completely because everything you store will have a designated container in which you store them.   

  5. Get Yourself a Can Organizer

If you are looking to store a lot of cans in your pantry, you should really get your hands on a can organizer. This can go on the bottom shelf of your pantry and can hold all your canned goods in one place.    A can organizer can be a great way to keep cans organized, making it easier to find the can that you are looking for. Again, when you are looking to purchase a can organizer, you want to keep your pantry measurements in mind and purchase something that fits in your pantry.    A can organizer can really help you save space on the shelves for other items. It also makes it easy for you to keep track of your inventory, for you would be able to clearly see what you have in stock and what you need to restock on.   

6. Throw Away Large Boxes

When you are looking to store chips and snacks that usually come in large boxes, you would be losing a whole lot of space if you look to store the whole box in the pantry.    Simply storing everything in the boxes they come in can be easy, however, you would find yourself wasting so much space.    It is best to simply take the stuff out of the boxes and store them in containers. That way, when you are running out of stock, firstly you would be able to see that you are. Secondly, you don't have a whole box taking up space in your pantry when the box only contains one bag of chips.    This is a great way to free up space in the pantry and can give you a need lease on life. It will work to make your pantry look nicer and more organized.   

  7. Find a Space for the Spices

When it comes to organizing your pantry, you don't want to forget your spices. If you store your spices in your pantry, you might know how inconvenient it can be when you can't find the spice that you are looking for.    Hence keep the spices separate. That way, you won't spend precious minutes while cooking, looking for that one seasoning in the pantry that you knew was in there somewhere.    The best thing that you can consider when looking to organize and store spices are lazy susans. It can work to make life so much easier for you. You would be able to quickly see all the seasonings that you have and give it a quick spin to search for what you are looking for.    Lazy susans come in tiers, so again, check your measurements and pick the size that works best for you. You can store all your spices, salt, pepper and condiments. You can even store taller seasoning, jars and cooking sprays in deep lazy susans.   

8. Leave the Extra Space

You don't have to clutter the whole space and fill everything up. In fact, you should leave some room for growth and changes that may come about. This little extra space could mean the difference between you shoving everything here and there and finding a small space for a new item in the pantry.    We know, when you are dealing with a small pantry, extra space almost doesn't exist. However, if you have done things right, you should have made effective use of the space and should be able to source out a few empty corners if not anything else.  

  9.  Try a Pegboard

When you are working with a small space, you should make use of every square inch that you can find. This means trying your hands on a pegboard. Now you may be thinking, how can you hang food on a pegboard?   Well, there are two ways of thinking about this. Firstly, the pantry and the cleaning closet can be one and the same thing for many people. For those who store cleaning items and rags in your pantry, get your hands on a pegboard. You could even try installing a pegboard on the door of your pantry if it appears feasible. Otherwise, a few hooks might serve the purpose too. This will allow you to hang the cleaning items on the pegboard or hooks to help you save pantry space.    Another way in which pegboards can be used is bags. You can bag the stuff like chips and fruits and nuts and hang them on a pegboard. Though you have to go the extra length of having to go through the bag and doesn't sound as fancy as pulling something out of the pantry, it can be a real space saver. So long as you break everything into workable categories, this should be an organized means to store more stuff.   

10. Label Everything

When you are using clear containers and are storing things in bins, you want to go the added length and label everything that you have at hand. This will make it so much easier for you to find what you were looking for.    Imagine not being able to find the container that you are looking for and having to go through each and every container. Labelling the containers can be a real time saver.    A well-organized pantry is always well labelled. Hence go the extra length, make use of that handy label maker and make some nice labels that will make it easier for you to find what you are looking for.    Sure, using clear containers may make it easier for you to spot what you are looking for. However, adding labels to the containers really doesn't hurt. Trust us when we say this, it is a real time saver.   

  11. Use Airtight Containers

You can use airtight containers for your cereal, biscuits and even sugar. It works well to prevent things like cereal from going stale and ensure that they are maintained fresh.    They also prevent things from leaking, which can easily attract pests. For instance, if you store sugars in a bag, it can be easy to spill inside the pantry, making a mess.    Hence opt for airtight containers. It will make storing things in your pantry so much better. Think about it, the less spilt in the pantry, the less you have to clean, the more likely you would have a cleaner pantry and the more organized it will remain.   

12. Keep Your Kids Stuff Separate

This may be a useful thing to do with a small pantry. If you have kids and they tend to go snooping through the pantry for snacks and treats, the best thing that you can do is add a separate container for the kids.    This way, they don't pull this and that out from the whole pantry and make a mess. You can restock this container every so often and the kids can simply reach into this specific container and get what they are looking for.    Less of a mess, the more organized the pantry shall remain and everyone is happy. It is a win-win situation.   

  13. Hang Things

If you aren't using the hanging spaces you aren't using all of your small pantry. Install small hanging baskets and you can store your nuts and snacks in them.    If you have the option to hang stuff in your small pantry, you should. This can be a good space saver and can work to add additional space to your pantry.    You can use hanging clips to hang open bags of chips and pretzels. The snacks would then hang and dangle freely where you have ease of access to them.   

14. Use the Back Door

One of the more overlooked things, when you are organizing a small pantry, can be the back door. The back door often has room for you to store more things in but usually doesn't come with holders.    Install some holders to the back of the door and you will have even more room in your small pantry. This can be a great way to expand on the amount of shelf space that you have and can provide plenty of room to store things.    You can store some of the things that are most accessed on the back of the door for ease of access. This way, every time you reach for something you frequently use, it is found easily behind the door and not somewhere inside where you might have to dig and search.    Use the back of the door, it can be a great space saver and an excellent way to add more space to a small pantry.  Read the full article

[rgvjanitorialservices]

Best Janitorial Services and Cost in Edinburg Mission McAllen TX |RGV Janitorial Services

More Information is at: http://www.rgvjanitorialservices.com/best-janitorial-services-near-me.html

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 BEST JANITORIAL SERVICES IN EDINBURG MISSION MCALLEN TX

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Best Janitorial Services near Edinburg Mission McAllen TX: No janitorial jobs in Edinburg Mission McAllen TX are too big or too small for RGV Janitorial Services. We are proud to offer our janitorial services to any and all Edinburg Mission McAllen TX area companies and facilities, regardless of their size, premises, or location. And with our flexible contract options, you can customize your NE janitorial services based on the needs and demands of your business or office.

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●       Dusting air vents and returns along with ceiling fans

 Who will be cleaning our business or facility?

Best Janitorial Services near Edinburg Mission McAllen TX: Our highly trained Edinburg Mission McAllen TX janitors are professionals that adhere to the highest standards of cleanliness and quality. We conduct thorough and rigorous background checks on all our employees before hiring them, so you can rest assured that your facilities are safe and secure, even after hours. In addition, they undergo extensive training in how to use cleaning equipment, how to properly clean all different types of office facilities, how to treat different types of surfaces, and how to remove different types of stains.

 RGV Janitorial Services COMMERCIAL OFFICE CLEANING SERVICES

Best Janitorial Services near Edinburg Mission McAllen TX: We are a privately-owned commercial office cleaning company in NE, and we have been providing personalized and quality cleaning services for years in the Texas area. While other companies offer a wide range of cleaning services, we focus specifically on commercial cleaning because we understand that cleaning an office is very different from cleaning a home.

 Professional Cleaning Services

Did you know that a clean and healthy office environment leads to improved morale in the workplace? If you did not know this, do you now think your office could use a janitorial service? If your answer is yes and you live anywhere in Edinburg Mission McAllen TX look no further than RGV Janitorial Services for any and all of your commercial cleaning needs!

 RGV Janitorial Services CLEANING SERVICES

RGV Janitorial Services Cleaning Services can develop a cleaning service plan specifically for you regardless of the size of your facility. Our current client roster includes:

●       office buildings

●       schools and universities

●       retail facilities

●       banks

●       medical offices

●       computer firms

●       industrial lofts

●       and other commercial dwellings

 Considering that every commercial building has individual cleaning needs, we strive to adjust our methods and scheduling to accommodate those needs. We offer a daily, weekly or monthly cleaning, as our RGV Janitorial Services cleaning service places a strong emphasis on personalization.

 What We Offer Your Company

Best Janitorial Services near Edinburg Mission McAllen TX: Our office cleaning service can serve you on a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly schedule and RGV Janitorial Services will create a plan that suits your business needs. We know that when it comes to office cleaning, NE businesses are conscious about green energy and environmentally-friendly practices. RGV Janitorial Services shares this passion and offers eco-friendly office cleaning service to our clients to make sure that we fulfill your needs and values.

 Office Cleaning Services

RGV Janitorial Services believes that a cleaner work space is a safer work space. And cleanliness increases productivity so we offer all the necessities that standard janitorial services entails, such as vacuuming, trash pick-up, mopping, interior window washing, and bathroom sanitizing and restocking. Fees will vary depending on the frequency of your cleaning schedule. RGV Janitorial Services is licensed and insured to protect your business equipment and property from theft and damage.

 Building Maintenance

RGV Janitorial Services Cleaning Service provides you with building maintenance services that keeps your place of work safe and functional. Maintenance includes emptying trash, sanitizing restroom fixtures, dusting and polishing furniture and blinds, window cleaning, mopping, vacuuming, and dusting air vents. Contact RGV Janitorial Services for a spotless office building.

 COST

 HOW MUCH DO YOU EXPECT A JANITORIAL CLEANING SERVICE IS WORTH IN Edinburg Mission McAllen TX?

Best Janitorial Services near Edinburg Mission McAllen TX: The average national hourly rate in the United States for house cleaning services is $25 to $90 per individual, or $50 to $90 per hour. The size and cleaning state of your house will greatly impact the price of these cleaning services.

 In Edinburg Mission McAllen TX the standard rate for a one bedroom and one bathroom apartment is around $119 flat fee. It’s a different rate for a typical house with a minimum square footage of 1750, then the fee is starting at $179 on average.

There are various chores you can have a professional cleaner do around your home. To ensure a great deal, you should consider getting quotes from several companies, as others might offer package deals or special rates and discounts depending on the season and other factors.

 For your reference, here are average cost for common services by home size and type from house cleaning companies in Edinburg Mission McAllen TX:

One Bedroom, One Bathroom Apartment - $119

Two Bedroom, Two Bathroom Apartment - $149

Three Bedroom, Three Bathroom Apartment - $159

1750 Square Foot Home - $179

 2000 Square Foot Home - $209

2250 Square Foot Home - $239

2500 Square Foot Home - $269

2750 Square Foot Home - $299

3000 Square Foot Home - $329

3250 Square Foot Home - $359

3500 Square Foot Home - $389

3750 Square Foot Home - $429

Commercial Cleaning is $60 per hour

 RECURRING SERVICES

If you hire a professional service or individual to clean your house on square footage, then you're looking at a different price range depending on a few factors. One, will you be hiring one person or a service? Two, how often do you hire them in a month to clean your house? Once a week? Every other week? Once a month? While you can calculate an average and standard flat rate, it's good to know what you might be paying on a weekly or monthly basis, just in case. Some companies do offer discounts for recurring or so-called returning clients in their succeeding cleaning bookings.

 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 What types of buildings and in what industry do you clean?

 We provide commercial cleaning and janitorial services for a wide range of buildings, suites, and settings including offices, medical offices, retail spaces, data centers, automobile dealerships, banks and financial institutions, daycare and learning centers, fitness centers, data centers, and more.

 Are their scope or size limitations to your services?

We professionally clean spaces of all sizes and types and in many different industry settings.  We pride ourselves on delivering agile cleaning solutions for most situations.

 Do you offer one time cleaning services in addition to contract cleaning?

 Absolutely.  If you’re in need of a one-time cleaning service, a short-term contract, month-to-month services, annual contract or longer term commercial cleaning requirements, we offer all options.

 Can you provide all of my building maintenance needs in addition to standard cleaning and janitorial services?

 Yes. We bring value to our customers by managing all of your building maintenance needs. Instead of contracting and managing separate office cleaning, window cleaning, carpet cleaning, floor stripping and waxing services and more, you can choose RGV Janitorial Services to effectively manage all these services.

 Does RGV Janitorial Services offer Day Porter Services?

 Yes, we can provide highly trained Day Porter’s to support your scheduled and rotational cleaning maintenance needs. This often applies to building common areas and public spaces.

 What happens if an issue or concern arises?

 We communicate openly and honestly. A conversation with the company decision makers is only a phone call away. Our goal is to be supportive and productive in finding solutions and resolutions to issues and concerns. We respond rapidly.

 CALL FOR US:

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BEST JANITORIAL SERVICES IN EDINBURG MISSION MCALLEN TX

RGV JANITORIAL SERVICES

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[janitorial-services-tacoma]

The Importance of Cleaning

Office & Building Cleaning

​

Your employees and customers deserve the best, which is why you should depend on Community Clean for your office and building cleaning. A clean workplace is a happy workplace, and it encourages employees to be productive and efficient in their day-to-day tasks. It also displays that your company cares about the health and safety of its workers. These points are invaluable to companies that thrive off of productivity and motivation.

Are you struggling to keep your office or building clean?

​

Are you wondering if Community Clean cleaning services can help?

If you run a small business, you may be conflicted on whether you should invest your hard earned money in janitorial cleaning services. Although you may not realize it yet, there are a lot of benefits of using a professional cleaner in your building.

​

Below we’ll look at the top 4 reasons you need to have commercial cleaning services for your business.

​

1. Ensure a Great First Impression

​

One of the top benefits of using our professional cleaning service for your office is that it will help ensure that you give an excellent first impression to any clients or associates who enter your office.

First impressions can be crucial when it comes to business. A poorly maintained or dirty office can give business prospects and leads the wrong idea.

By hiring Community Clean, professional cleaners, you’ll always be working in a clean environment and will present a high image out into the world.

​

2. Make Your Team More Productive

​

With Community Clean, your workplace will also be more productive. When the cleaning staff comes in, they won’t get in the way. They’ll be mostly unnoticed, helping to make things go more smoothly behind the scenes.

​

When using Community Clean company, your employees will no longer waste their own time on cleaning tasks. There won’t need to be a designated time for employees to clean up the office space. Employees will be able to focus on other essential duties that move your business forward instead.

A clean, uncluttered office will be much more comfortable and easier to work in and will lead to your workers getting more done.

​

3. Commercial Cleaning Services Are Much More Thorough

​

Our cleaners will dig deeper and make your office much cleaner than other employees likely would be able to. They are professionals after all, and they know exactly how to look into the nooks, crannies, cracks, and crevices that you may miss.

​

Keeping equipment, bathrooms, break rooms, and other areas clean now can help your office avoid the need for costly repairs or renovations later on. During their cleaning, they’ll be able to check for any maintenance that is needed, and if any additional cleaning supplies are required, they’ll be able to handle that as well.

​

A poorly maintained office environment can build up a lot of grime over time, but a cleaning staff will be able to ensure your office stays in tip-top shape.

​

4. Keep Your Employees Happy

​

Keeping your employees happy should be a top priority, and the truth is that they will probably be a lot more comfortable when you hire professional cleaners. They’ll no longer have to worry about the cleaning tasks that some of them may begrudgingly do, and they’ll thank you for it.

​

Working in a thoroughly clean environment can be a big help, and a clutter-free work space can make them more productive. A clean and uncluttered work space can have a surprisingly good impact on employee morale and their mental well-being when working.

​

Community Clean cleaning services are an excellent choice for small businesses, and it can be well worth the expense. Commercial office cleaning comes with a lot more benefits than you may realize at first glance. It can make your business brighter, more productive and more comfortable than ever before!

Here is a summary of what we can do to help keep your business clean:

Office Areas

Wipe clean, dust and disinfect horizontal & vertical surfaces

Dust office windowsills

Wipe clean, disinfect and polish drinking fountains

Disinfect push plates Clean water dispensers & sinks

Clean entrance & exit glass doors

Spot clean walls behind garbage cans & hand washing areas Sweep, mop and disinfect all hard floor surfaces

Remove trash and debris from entry way

Empty all trash and recycle bins

Spot clean glass

Dust office chairs

Vacuum all carpeted areas Vacuum carpet mats

Kitchen Area / Break Rooms

​Wipe clean & disinfect kitchen counters

Wipe clean & disinfect tables

Wipe clean & disinfect kitchen appliances

Wipe cupboards of visible messes

Wipe clean & disinfect sinks

Restrooms

Wipe clean & disinfect sinks, toilets & urinals

Clean & polish paper towel dispensers, mirrors & fixtures

Spot clean walls

Empty & clean trash receptacles Dust tops of partitions

Empty and disinfect sanitary napkin receptacles Restock all paper products & liquid soap

Sweep & mop floors

Monthly Cleaning Maintenance

Dust baseboards

Descale toilets, sinks & urinals

Low dusting

High dusting

Polishing

Keep it clean with Community Clean! The last cleaning company you will ever need to hire!

Our professional commercial cleaning company offers a 100% satisfaction, money back guarantee. We offer competitive pricing accompanied by attention to detail, quality cleaning! You will rest easy knowing that we are fully licensed, bonded and insured. We have a three-step hiring process that includes conducting employee drug screens and performing back ground checks. With our unique Swept app, you get direct communication with the owners that ensures immediate response times!

Professional Janitorial Services in Tacoma WA ~ Call Community Clean today (253)324-3420, book an appointment here or fill out our form for a quote and we will contact you!

Community Clean is a full-service janitorial cleaning company providing office cleaning, bank cleaning, church cleaning, medical office cleaning, restaurant cleaning, gym and fitness facility cleaning, dental office cleaning, YMCA cleaning, auto dealership cleaning, building cleaning, hospital cleaning, floor cleaning, industrial cleaning, warehouse cleaning, post construction cleaning, community center cleaning, daycare cleaning and private school cleaning in the community.

Proudly serving our local PNW community of: Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Midland, Summit, Frederickson, Lacey, Olympia, University Place, Lakewood, Orting, Gig Harbor, Auburn, Kent, Algona, Pacific, Renton, Parkland, SeaTac, Burien, Federal Way, Des Moines, Dupont, Bonney Lake, Eatonville, Spanaway, Normandy Park, Maple Valley, Covington, Buckley, South Hill, Steilacoom, Ruston, Fife, Graham, Tukwila, and the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation.

Community Clean, LLC

11012 Canyon Road East

Puyallup, WA 98373

(253)324-3420

www.communitycleannw.com

www.facebook.com/CommunityCleanNW

www.twitter.com/_CommunityClean

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www.linkedin.com/company/CommunityCleanNW

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https://www.yelp.com/biz/community-clean-puyallup-2

[cearyfloyd]

Fridge Organization Using Bins and Mason Jars

Create a functional and organized fridge with these easy fridge organization ideas.  Using refrigerator bins and mason jars makes it so much easier to find what you’re looking for and will help to cut down on food waste and food prep time.

I don’t think there’s anything quite as satisfying as a pretty, organized fridge – especially after a big grocery shop! {Okay, maybe a few things.}  BUT, I still think that putting a little time and effort into developing a fridge organization system is super helpful and will end up saving you a lot of time and money in the end.  It doesn’t have to be as structured as ours is, but even a few simple steps can make a big difference!  It’s all about customizing it to what you want for the perfect fridge organization system that works for YOU!

NOTE: This post does contain affiliate links for your shopping convenience.

Why is it helpful to organize the fridge?

An organized fridge definitely looks nicer than a disorganized one, but there are actually lots of other benefits to having an organized fridge space.

Food is more easily accessible.  If everything has a specific spot in the fridge, it will be much easier to know where it is. You’ll save time {and patience!} by not having to rummage around the fridge looking for what you need.

There’s less food waste. Using bins and other containers helps to prevent foods from getting “lost” in the very back of the fridge {only to be found a month later in a less than appetizing state}.  Also, you’re more likely to use up the food you have when you can easily see it and proper food storage will help your fresh foods last longer. Less food waste is better for the environment and great for your bank account!

It’s easier to eat healthier. I’ve been trying to eat healthier for the last little while {and actually just started a 30 day no sugar challenge!}. I really notice that it’s so much easier to eat better when all of my food is organized. Having good, healthy food options right in front of you when you open the fridge, makes it much easier to grab some fruit or veggies rather than reach for the bad stuff.  If I keep all of my fruits and vegetables in the crisper drawers, I just tend to ignore them.

Basic Fridge Organization Tips

Getting a good system for your fridge organization will likely take a little bit of playing around.  How you organize your food items {and what you organize with!} will vary depending on the size of your family, the types of foods you frequently eat, whether or not you typically have leftovers, etc.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just start with a few changes and build from there.  Like any new habit, it will take some time to get used to things, so don’t give up!

To help get you started, I’ve put together some basic fridge organization tips for you.  Before you get going, you might want to write down the food items that you know you will always have on hand and start with those.  It’s also helpful to think about what items you currently have the most trouble storing/organizing so you can come up with some organization solutions around that.  Finally, before you do any shopping, make sure that you do some measurements of your fridge space so you know what will actually fit!

Ready to get organizing?  Here are some of my top fridge organization tips…

Get in the habit of doing a quick fridge clean-up before every grocery shopping trip.

It’s obviously a lot easier to clean the fridge when there are less food items in it. In addition, to being able to wipe down any spills, cleaning your fridge allows you to clear out any old food that may have expired and determine what food items you actually need to restock on.

Try to cut down on packaging when possible.

Packaging takes up a huge amount of space – especially when the containers are only partially full.  In addition, all of the various sized packages and containers can be difficult to organize and fit into the space that you have available. Whenever possible, remove any access food packaging before placing your items into the fridge.  Even better, try to buy products that use less packaging or go for bulk items.  If containers are close to being empty, you can always transfer the contents to smaller jars that take up less space.

Food prep.

Doing some basic food prep immediately after grocery shopping definitely takes a little extra time initially, but it will totally save you time in the long run.  Chopping up vegetables or tearing up lettuce makes it so much easier to quickly grab a healthy snack or prepare dinner on a busy weekday night.  The chopped veggies also take up less space and are easier to organize into storage containers.  Many fruits can also be prepared ahead of time, washed, or taken out of the original containers and stored in mason jars.  {NOTE: If you’re washing fruit, be sure to dry it well before storing to prevent rot.}

Have a dedicated space for everything.

One of the biggest things that you need to decide when you’re coming up with your organization system, is where you want to store everything.  When you’re done with your organization system, each food item {or category of food item}, should have a specific location in the fridge where they’re consistently put.  You can use this guide to give you a starting point, but sometimes you just have to go with what works best for your fridge design.  It’s recommended that milk, for example, not be stored in the fridge door since it tends to be one of the warmer areas in the fridge.  However, in our fridge, the door just works best and I have never once had a problem with the milk spoiling or not being cold.

Play around with the shelving heights.

Most fridges have adjustable shelves, so play around with different shelving heights to truly maximize your space.  If you find that you always seem to have extra space between shelves, try adding one of these pull out drawers for extra storage.

Place less used items at the back of the fridge.

Obviously, it’s a lot easier to grab things from the front of the fridge, so design your layout so the items you use the most are most readily available.  If you tend to buy larger bulk packages, try using a mason jar to hold a couple of week’s worth of food, and store the larger, bulkier package in the rear.

Choose your food storage containers wisely.

A good food storage container will help to preserve your food better and can really help to keep things neat and organized. Before you go out and buy food storage containers, think about where you will put them in the fridge and what space is available.  Try to only buy one or two sizes of containers as this makes it much easier to stack and organize, and avoid buying the storage sets that come with a ton of different sizes/shapes of containers.  Look for stackable bins as well so they take up less space when they’re not in use and being stored in your cupboards.

I really like these Lock and Lock containers.  Our fridge will fit 6 of this size and they hold quite a lot of food.  You can even get them with dividers if you choose.  I also have a few of the next size down if we don’t have too much to store. It’s actually the same width and depth {just the height is less} so the lids are interchangeable between the two.  It really does pay to invest in high, quality food storage bins as they’ll last longer and preserve your food better.  We’ve had these ones for over three years and they’ve held up well.

Label, label, label.

While you don’t need a label for absolutely everything, they do help to remind other family members where to find things {and where to put things away!}.  I created these free printable fridge labels almost three years ago and still use them.  I have replaced them once during this time as they were getting a little grungy, but the first set lasted almost two years.  You can find all of the instructions for how to print them out and what materials you need HERE.

You’ll also need to label items that are taking out of the original packaging if it’s not obvious what it is.  For items that have an expiry date, add that as well.  Depending on your memory, you might also want to label leftovers with the date that they were prepared.  I just use a simple label maker for mine and place the label on the lid.  They’re quick, inexpensive, and easy to remove.  I’ve also tried these mason jar chalkboard tops which also work well – I just personally prefer the plastic tops.

Options for refrigerator bins and jars.

When it comes to choosing what bin organizers you want for your fridge, there are lots of options out there.  Start with what items you would use the most and build from there.  It’s a little bit pf a puzzle to figure out what arrangement works best, so play around with it a bit and experiment until you get it just right!

Pull out bins.

Pull out bins help you to group similar food items together and makes it way easier to grab the items that you need. Look for clear bins so you can quickly see what’s in them and a handle or pull tab to make them easier to grab.  Ideally, you want the bin to extend to the full depth of your fridge so you don’t waste any space or have items trapped in behind.  These come in a variety of sizes to accommodate almost any fridge space.  Be sure to figure out what you want to store in the bins first and then measure to make sure they’ll fit.  I wish my narrow bins fit the large mason jars, but I have to use the pint sized ones.

Egg containers.

Many fridges come with a built in egg tray, but often this space can be better utilized by other items.  I like the egg bins because they keep the eggs well protected and you can store items on top of the egg tray as well which will increase your storage space.  They also give you the option of moving around where you want to store your eggs if you need to switch things up.

Lazy susans.

I love having a lazy susan in the fridge and it makes it so much quicker to grab items towards the back of the fridge. Since the lazy susan is round, this works best for storing round containers – mason jars, yogurt containers, sour cream, cottage cheese, etc.  I tend to put everything into mason jars for a cleaner look {plus I think it helps with food preservation as it’s always sealed up}, but you don’t need to do this.  We have a small amount of space behind the lazy susan and I use this for storing items that we don’t need often {ie. mason jars of bulk seeds, nuts, etc. that are used to refill the jars in our pantry}.

Mason Jars.

I’ve been using mason jars for a while to store a lot of our veggies {especially lettuce, spinach, cut carrot sticks, etc.} and berries.  I also use them frequently to store nuts, juices, nut milks, and any other items that I want to transfer from other containers {i.e. yogurt, sour cream, parmesan cheese, dips, etc.}. They really help to prolong the life of the food as well as make everything super visible, easily accessible, and simple to organize. Personally, I prefer the wide mouth mason jars {I mostly use these and these} and like to use plastic lids rather than the metal rings.

  Stackable Containers

It’s always nice to have some stackable options to optimize the vertical fridge space.  I have a couple of them that I use for sandwich meat and sliced cheese.  These ones are not air tight so you do have to protect the food inside.  Usually the meat and cheese comes in resealable bags so I just keep them in those and the bins keep them nicely contained.

Weck Jars

Weck jars tend to be a little bit pricier than the standard glass jars, but they are SO cute!  I love all of the sizes, but the juice jars are perfect for storing salad dressings and other sauces.  I also like the little tulip jelly jars {these use the same lids} for storing small amounts of sauces, dressings, dips when you don’t need a big jar. While I love the look of the glass lids and metal clamps, the plastic lids are definitely more user friendly if you have kids.

What we have in our fridge.

Every fridge design will probably be a little bit different to suit your individual needs and fridge model, but I thought I would list exactly what we have in our fridge.  Things can get a little pricey once you start to add everything up, but you definitely don’t need to buy everything at once. In fact, it’s probably even better if you just start with a few organization products and then add more as needed.  I’ve purchased mine gradually over the past couple of years.

    Most home goods stores will sell some kind of fridge organization bins and food storage so you can always look around to find what you like the best.  If you’re lucky, you can often find a lot of fridge organization bins at HomeSense {HomeGoods}, Marshall’s, and other discount stores.  Or shop during sales or use a coupon {Bed, Bath, and Beyond carries a lot of these items as well and often has coupons}.

For those of you that prefer the ease of online shopping, I’ve linked the items that I have below.  Everything that I purchased is either from Amazon, Target, Bed, Bath, and Beyond or from finds at HomeSense.  If you have any questions about any of the items, just let me know.

Top Shelf

covered egg holder {there is also this size which might work better in some fridges}

narrow pull out refrigerator bin

large pull out refrigerator bin {This fits two of these mason jars across so you’d be able to get 6 of them in with extra room to spare}

clear, stackable containers

Middle Shelf

narrow pull out refrigerator bin

Lock and Lock food storage containers {we use this size the most but also have this size}.  You can also find these at Walmart.

plastic bin for breads, buns, etc. {I think I just picked this up at HomeSense. It’s not specifically for the fridge.}

Bottom Shelf

divided fridge storage container {this fits string cheese, the short wide mouth mason jars, individual yogurt containers, and other snacks}

lazy susan

Ball collection Elite Spiral canning jar {You can also find them HERE}

Wide Mouth Mason Jar Plastic Storage Caps {I also have these Tough Top wide mouth lids. They’re a little more expensive but give you better grip if you have difficulty opening jars}

Refrigerator Door

Weck juice jars

Weck tulip jars

plastic lids fo Weck jars

Whew!  This post ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated but hopefully it helps you out and inspires you to get organizing.  Once you get started, it’s kind of fun to come up with the best ways to optimize your storage space!

More Kitchen Organization Ideas

Why stop with organizing just the fridge?  Now that you’re on an organizing roll, try one of these kitchen organization ideas…

8 Steps to an Organized Kitchen

How to Organize Under the Kitchen Sink

20 Things to Declutter from the Kitchen

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