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ultimateaclrecovery · 2 months ago

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Day 9 of Japan! (Still from last November, trying to finish before this years trip….)

More Tokyo

Slow start today with a cool bookstore and crosswinds, and then off to the best pizza in Tokyo. It was in fact as good as advertised. Followed by a cute little museum with great gardens filled with cute bridges. My bf plotted a route thru the gardens to go over all of the bridges becaus he knows I love them.

We then went to kawaii street to look at all of the cute things. I got the best earrings. We also enjoyed this over the top Dior set up near by.

And then it was off to Shibuya sky! We saw great views the sunset and took in Shibuya crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world.

We then got ikatori, or grilled meats and skewers and it was so delicious. I even liked the chicken tail and chicken hearts! I could do without the necks tho. And then on the way home I got this fabulous waffle with ice cream and chocolate panda

Over long travel diary

Day 9

I get pastries with card

Lunch with card pizza

Dinner with card ikatori

Anthony puts 1500 on my ic card

I pay 1090 for panda waffle.

Honestly all I wanted all day was the panda waffle with cute little chocolate panda on top and I am so very pleased.

This was a bit of a haphazard day. We start slowly and head out to a bookstore and some French pastries, it’s supposedly one of the best bookstores in the world. I think it’s a nice book store. The croissants we got were very flaky. I think I don’t actually like good croissants because I don’t really love any crunch in my baked goods.

After we’re done at the book store we head over to a highly recommended pizza store that was featured on ugly delicious and has lots of reviews calling it the best pizza in the world. It doesn’t open until 11:30 but there is already a line at the door at 11. We walk around for a bit before getting in the line at like 11:15. The place is very small with a spiral staircase to go between the floors. We get seated on the third top floor at just about five minutes after elven thirty. The whole place is beetles themed and my boyfriend is so excited.

They only have a couple pizza types so we get a margarita and a Neapolitan. This is unexpectedly a place that makes everyone get a drink so I last minute pick a ginger ale to drink because it sounds the least unappetizing. It’s a little too gingery for me but is otherwise fine.

The pizzas tho are heavenly. I’ve never had such good pizza crust before in my life. I can’t decide which one I like better because whichever one I ate last was my favorite.

After lunch we head over to the next muesuem. The tickets are a little expensive for what it is I think at 2000 yen but it’s fine. They have some lovely gardens (with like eight tea houses scatter throughout) and some cute bridges. Because I like cute bridges my boyfriend charts a path through the winding gardens to go over every bridge. My hearts melts a little.

The galleries are cool with some very very old artifacts and scrolls but it’s a small muesuem with only six galleries. We finish up in about an hour and half.

Then we head over to japans famous kawaii street. It’s so cute but so overwhelming. All of the stores are filled with adorable precious things. There’s one just full of dog jackets for example. And many of cute clothes and trinkets which I love. A lot of them tho are vaguely lollita esque which I don’t love as much but to each their own. There’s also a fair number of animal stores like a hamster cafe and a dog cafe and an otter experience which make me sad because it’s hard to imagine that being a fun thing for those types of animals. We don’t go in any of them. There’s also a store just full of earrings which is honestly a dream. I didn’t bring any earring with me because I wanted to find some on the trip but there’s been basically none anywhere. Must not be much a tourist thing here or otherwise. But I get two really cute purple earrings, one a purple rainbow and the other a purple butterfly with a sparkle. They aren’t particularly Japanese but they are kawaii especially the rainbow ones and regardless will be a good momento that I will actually use.

I am very sad tho because we see the shop for a store that sells super fun animal shaped ice cream (gelato ) cones but they are closed. I am disappointed that I wasn’t able to get any fun shapes food on the street known for cute things.

After our shopping adventures we go to shibuya to go to shibuya sky. It’s one of the best viewing points in Tokyo. It’s 45 floors high. The first couple are a mall and then it’s all offices (imagine working at a major tourist spot like that) and then the top floor is a roof top view with giant glass wall fences. We go just before sunset so we can get daylight views, take in the sunset and then get night views. The views are spectacular although it’s a little too cloudy to see Fuji. There are photo queues at all of the corners with one of them being set up as the official photo spot with roped off queue and an official photographer. Maybe I just haven’t gone to enough popular tourist spots but I’ve never seen anything like it.

I get a couple good selfies and a get another couple to take a couple pictures of my boyfriend and I. He obliges.

It does get very windy and a little cold up there and I feel bad for the Instagram girlies dressed to the nines in their short skirts and skimpy dresses and heels.

I am sad to leave the views but it is so nice to be warm again.

We have a little bit of time before our dinner reservation so we walk around a bit and do the shibuya scramble, the busiest pedestrian crosswalk in the world. The selfies and video taking during the crossing is wild. Supposedly during rush hour over a thousand people will cross every light cycle.

And then we head off to dinner.

We get ikatori for dinner which is just grilled meats on skewers. They have a table fee so give you a snack (crackers and slightly herb butter) while you wait for the food to cook (it takes a while) we also get edamame and a rice dish so we don’t just eat meat. I also get a triple berry sochu that is so delicious I wish I got the large.

We get chicken and green onions, chicken thigh, chicken neck (way more delicious than I thought but also too much cartilage) chicken tail which was just straight delicious, and then chicken skin which I didn’t like and then chicken hearts which weirded me out but were actually delicious. The restaurant also had a “mackerel challenge” where you finish a whole mackerel (a normal amount of food) and then everyone cheers so there was also periodic cheering in the restaurant. It was a basement restaurant and had dive bar vibes with like high class dining. Some of the best food in Japan can be found in very low key places.

On our way home I stop at a food stand that sells panda egg waffles. It’s a waffle with big egg shaped puffs (instead of the grid but same vibe) wrapped into a cone shape and then filled with whipped cream. They have an option (for 300 yen ) to add a chocolate panda bear topping and I do and i am so very delighted to finally have my fun shaped food. The bear is just white chocolate but I love white chocolate so I am pleased. It’s rude to walk and eat in Japan so we stop and eat it on the side of the street and then take the bear back to the hotel in its cute little panda themed wrapper.

The area we are in is so overly panda themed, we think because it is very near to the zoo. The zoo has a set of panda twins that were born in 2021 so I think that’s why they are so insanely everywhere. Plus they’re cute.

#japan #day 9 #travel diary #overly long travel diary

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rockislandadultreads · 1 year ago

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Cookbook Recommendations: Better Breakfast Month

Breakfast Love by David Bez

Breakfast Love contains more than 160 bowls for healthy, speedy breakfast ideas that will set you up for the day. Breakfast Love will make you fall in love with this often over-looked meal, and energize you to create a beautiful bowl of breakfast salad before you start the day. Each bowl is made up of a base of grains, two seasonal fruit and vegetables, some protein, a delicious dressing, yogurt or milk, and an optional topping. There are sweet and savory ideas, and basic recipes to make your own granola, muesli, and dairy-free nut 'yogurt'. Every recipe is categorized as vegan, vegetarian, raw, carnivore, or omnivore so that you can cater to your own dietary preference. With a stunning photo of every recipe, this is a feast for the eyes and fantastically inspiring.

The Brain Health Kitchen by Annie Fenn

Scientific studies show that the choices we make today about what we eat help determine our mental health as we age. In The Brain Health Kitchen, Dr. Annie Fenn gives readers a guide to preserving cognitive ability through food, with 100 recipes to promote mental acuity.

Fenn, a doctor turned chef, has organized the book into 10 chapters representing the most neuroprotective foods: berries, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, and more. This cookbook includes recipes for every meal of the day - from Caramelized Apple and Quinoa Pancakes for breakfast to Glazed Citrus, Almond, and Olive Oil Cake for dessert. And because cooking for your brain health is not about restricting or dieting, anyone can embrace this way of eating, whether they’re vegan or vegetarian, pescatarian, a meat lover, or gluten intolerant. Backed by scientific research and a true love for food, Fenn teaches readers to eat for brain health today, so that the mind stays sharp for tomorrow.

The Healthy Breakfast Cookbook by Shayna Telesmanic

Start the day off right with tasty, healthy breakfasts! Whether you are single or feeding a family of five, preparing a balanced breakfast isn't always a luxury you may have. Fortunately, The Healthy Breakfast Cookbook will equip you with tools and recipes to make a healthy, delicious breakfast - with time left to eat it too.

Filled with delicious recipes like Sweet Potato Breakfast Biscuits and Protein-Packed Banana Pancakes, this cookbook offers something for every type of morning eater - and every type of schedule. You'll find a range of nutritionally balanced breakfasts, whether you're planning ahead or scrambling to throw something together (and even a few recipes for more indulgent weekend mornings). This book - and all of its recipes, tips, and tricks - is dedicated to making the morning ritual as easy and delicious as possible!

The Chickpea Flour Cookbook by Camilla V. Saulsbury

Say hello to the gluten-free flour of your dreams. Exceptionally high in protein, fiber, and iron, and gluten-free, grain-free, and low-glycemic, chickpea flour is the total package. The Chickpea Flour Cookbook is your go-to resource for using this tremendously versatile and nutritious pantry staple. Chickpea flour also known as garbanzo bean flour, besan, and gram flour is simply dried chickpeas ground into a fine flour ready to be incorporated into any number of savory and sweet recipes.

This cookbook has over 80 delicious, healthy, easy-to-make recipes to power every meal of the day, including: Loaded Southwestern Chickpea Omelet (egg-free), Pumpkin Spice Waffles, Brown Sugar Banana Bread, Chickpea Tortilla Wraps, Carrot-Sesame Crackers, Sweet Chile-Garlic Crisps, Chickpea Pasta, Baked Coconut-Chickpea Onion Rings, Pumpkin-Sage Gnocchi, Smoky Backyard BBQ Burgers, Skillet Pizza, Sweet Potato Falafel, Double Chocolate Cake, Molasses Spice Cookies, Brown-Butter Blondies, and much, much more.

#cookbooks #cooking #healthy easy recipes #healthy eating #healthy living #reading recommendations #reading recs #book recommendations #book recs #library books #tbr #tbrpile #to read #booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog #readers advisory

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cantteachanoldguardnewquotes · 4 years ago

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It's Too Early For This

No warnings apply

Read on AO3

"Who took the car out?" Joe asked walking into the kitchen and giving Nicky a quick good morning kiss on his forehead.

"Hmm? I'm not sure, you're the first person I've seen since I got up around seven."

"Maybe Nile and Quynh took it. I thought they were planning something last night but I figured they'd tell us before they went anywhere."

"I'm sure they'll be back soon." Nicky said.

"I doubt it." Booker said joining them in the kitchen and getting a coffee mug from the cupboard. "Look at the text Nile sent me." He showed them his phone, revealing a selfie of Nile, Andy, and Quynh outside a restaurant with the caption 'this better be worth the four hour trip.' under it.

Joe huffed. "They drove all that way and didn't even ask if I wanted to go?"

Nicky tried not to laugh at his husband's dismay but couldn't stop his amused grin. "I'm sure they meant no offense, maybe next time you can join them."

"When did they even leave? Who goes and gets food that far away? I mean they still have to drive all the way back." Booker shook his head in disbelief.

"I can see Nile and Quynh doing something like that, but Andy?" Nicky asked.

"I'm sure Quynh didn't have much trouble convincing her." Joe said with a grin.

"True." Nicky and Booker said at the same time.

"Guess I get the remote all day." Booker said.

"Not if I get it first." Joe took off for the living room with Booker close behind him yelling threats in multiple languages.

Nicky chuckled and went back to making breakfast.

(Earlier that morning)

"Andy." Andy heard Quynh call her name but it was such a faint whisper she was sure she was dreaming.

"Andy." Quynh said again this time with the lightest shake of her shoulder.

Andy sat up with a jolt. "What's wrong? Is someone... Nile? What do you need?" It was so dark out Andy didn't have a clue what time it was, only a faint glow from the hallway allowed her to see Quynh and Nile's outlines.

"Shh shh, nothing's wrong everything's fine." Quynh reassured her. "We just wanted to let you know we're leaving to get some breakfast, you're welcome to join us but you don't have to.

Andy rubbed her eyes trying to process what was going on. "Breakfast? What time is it now?"

Nile bit her lip. "It's, uh, four a.m." She said sheepishly.

Andy groaned and flopped back down on the bed. "I hate you both."

"Quynh pecked her on the lips. "No, you don't." She said with a sly grin.

Andy cracked an eye open, half her mouth quirking up in a smile. "No, I don't." She sighed looking back and forth between the two of them. "You're crazy. What's even open at this hour?"

Nile's grin somehow looked even more sheepish. "The place doesn't open till eight but that's fine cause it's four hours away and it will be open when we get there."

"You're telling me going to drive for four hours? For breakfast?" Andy asked shaking her head.

They nodded in unison, neither of them giving any indication they would change their minds.

"It's alright." Quynh gave Andy a reassuring pat. "Like we said we only wanted you to know where we are, no need to get up."

"Oh, you're not getting rid of me that easily." Andy said, as she pulled off the covers and stood up. "Let me change and then we can go."

"Yes!" Quynh asked too loud in her excitement.

"Shhh. You'll wake the guys." Nile said bringing her finger to her lips.

"Sorry." Quynh whispered. "Really? You're not too tired?" She asked.

Andy snorted. "Yes, really, I might be mortal but I'm not an invalid. Besides, I have to see for myself if this food is worth it or if you both are going on a wild goose chase."

Quynh laughed and kissed Andy's cheek. "It will be an adventure either way!"

"I'll go start the car." Nile said with amusement.

After hours of would you rather, guess my animal, who can finish the alphabet first by collecting letters from license plates and signs, and non stop singing, Andy was finally pulling off the much anticipated exit they needed.

They all needed to go to the bathroom and Nile and Quynh were so hyped up on energy drinks Andy didn't even know how they were sitting still anymore. She'd only had two coffees the whole trip and was feeling every second of the long car ride.

"There it is!" Nile shouted poking her head between the driver and captain seat pointing in her excitement.

Andy cocked her head to the side at the sudden noise in her ear, but chuckled all the same at Nile's unbridled enthusiasm. She parked and they all got out, happy to stretch their legs and backs.

"I hope you're hungry, dear." Quynh said grabbing Andy's hand and leading her towards the door.

It was eight in the morning, but the restaurant was already busy.

Andy flipped open the menu to study it. They hadn't even told her what type of food this place served.

"So, the reason Quynh and I picked this particular restaurant is because it has a huge breakfast and if you finish it in an hour by yourself you get it for free, and we wanted to see how far we could get. Of course you can get whatever you want that's just what they're famous for." Nile explained eyeing the menu as well.

"It ends at ten so we wanted to get here early, since they can get really busy and we didn't want to wait." Quynh added.

"Well if that's what they're known for I'll give it a shot." Andy said.

"Should we choose a prize for the winner?" Quynh asked, leaning forward like she was conspiring.

"The losers each have to buy dinner for the winner, whatever meal they want." Andy suggested.

Nile laughed. "We're not going to want to look at food for a week after this."

"No, expiration date. We'll want to cash in eventually." Quynh grinned.

"Deal."

They ordered and the food just kept coming even Nile and Quynh who had read about the breakfast seemed surprised by the large portion sizes. They were served eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, pancakes, waffles, fruit, hash browns, and coffee. It all looked delicious and smelled heavenly.

"You have an hour to finish if you want your name on the wall." Their server said gesturing to the far wall. It already had a few names on it but not many.

They all shared excited glances, then dug in.

"They have different flavored syrups too." Nile said happily dousing her pancakes in blueberry syrup.

"Is blueberry syrup your favorite?" Quynh asked.

"I like them all, it just depends on what I'm feeling."

"Would you like some coffee with that cream?" Andy teased as Quynh added a ton of vanilla creamer to her coffee.

"You have no room to talk, you put ketchup on your eggs." Quynh shot back grinning and handing her the bottle of ketchup.

"That's how they were intended to be eaten." Andy argued with a smirk.

Nile made a disgusted face. "No, eggs are best with cheese."

"You can still put ketchup on that and it's delicious."

Quynh and Nile shared a 'not on a million years would that taste good' look and laughed.

They ate so much they all felt like they might explode. They were forty-five minutes in and only Andy was still going strong.

Quynh was still giving it her best shot but she had slowed down a lot.

Nile was only picking at her food by now but she had finished a lot more than she thought she'd be able too.

Right before their hour was up their server came over to check on them.

Andy was just putting the last bite of waffle in her mouth.

Quynh and Nile still had some food left over unable to take another bite.

"Looks like we have a winner!" Their waitress said. "Just follow me and you can sign your name on the wall."

Nile and Quynh followed Andy over to watch.

Andy hesitated for a split second trying to decide which name to write then chose Andromache.

"Yay!" Nile cheered and clapped.

Quynh gave her a kiss and congratulated her.

"And if it's alright, we'll take your photo and keep it on the wall for a month." The waitress said.

Andy shook her head. "No pictures, but thank you."

Before Andy could reach the car Nile said. "I'll drive home."

Andy nodded, climbing into the backseat, and laid down. "Thanks, I'm not going to be able to stay awake after all that."

"We'll keep the noise down." Quynh reassured her, sitting in the front seat so Andy would have some more room, and she could keep Nile company.

"Appreciate it." Andy mumbled already drifting off.

Quynh smiled fondly, giving Andy's knee a gentle squeeze. "Sleep well." She murmured.

They started the long drive back to the safe house talking about nothing in particular, music playing softly.

"Was it worth the trip?" Nile asked Quynh.

Quynh thought about how much fun they'd had on the way down, the delicious meal, all the shared laughs, and Andy sleeping peacefully in the backseat. "I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"Me too."

#The Old Guard #Nile #Andy #Quynh #immortal wives #Joe #Nicky #Booker #fic #Twi writes sometimes

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stitch1830 · 4 years ago

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Joy keeps yelling at me to update this story, so here I am. Updating.

Here is the original plus add ons, and Here is where you can read it on ao3 (eventually, still uploading chapters lmao). This is a long chapter, my apologies.

......

First Date

“All right, ready to go?”

Toph muttered and grumbled obscenities under her breath in the passenger seat, and Aang just chuckled as he started the car up and drove off to their first date destination.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Toph finally spoke. “Where are we going?”

“A special breakfast awaits us.”

“You sure you’re not just gonna kidnap and kill me, Twinkles?”

“I mean, let’s see where the day takes us, don’t you think?”

Despite her sleep-deprived state, Toph couldn’t help but laugh. Aang seemed to have that effect on her.

When they arrived at their destination, Aang quickly hopped out of the car to meet Toph outside her door because he was giddy with excitement. Toph raised an eyebrow at her potential kidnapper. “You’re awfully excited for some breakfast food.”

“What, are you telling me that you’re not a fan of,” he paused for dramatic effect, “breakfast food??”

“I am, but unless I’ve stayed up all night, I’d rather not get up at seven to eat,” she groaned.

“Not to worry, date buddy,” Aang began as he wrapped an arm around Toph’s shoulder. “This food will not only wake up your taste buds, but it will fill you with all the love and happiness you’ll need to continue on with the day!”

Toph sighed, “You really are a morning person, aren’t ya.”

“Oh, yeah. If that wasn’t clear earlier, I am most definitely a morning person.”

“Charming.”

Aang continued to grin like a 3rd grade schoolboy and led Toph inside the establishment.

When they settled in their seats, Toph leaned across the table and asked, “Alright Twinkletoes, how are their eggs and bacon here?”

Aang hummed, “Eggs are good, can’t say I know what the bacon is like. I’m a vegetarian.”

Toph’s mouth was agape. “What?”

The man chuckled. “Is that a problem?”

“I mean I’m on a date with a fuckin’ plant eater!” She practically yelled at him, but her tone was facetious and the smile that played across her lips told Aang that she only pretended to care.

“Don’t worry about food though, Toph. I’ve got it all planned out.”

And he did. At the crack of dawn, Aang called the restaurant owner to relay his brilliant breakfast sampler idea.

He also made a few other calls, but those date activities were for later.

An amused but skeptical look graced Toph’s face, and it didn’t leave until the food was presented in front of them.

“Okay,” Aang began to explain. “We’ve got lots of options to sample in front of us, all meat free sad to say for you, but all food items are absolutely delicious and have the owner’s honor on them.”

Toph laughed. “What does that even mean, Twinkletoes?”

“Uh, just that he vouches for the food!”

She let out a sigh. “All right. What should I try first?”

And so they sampled everything on the table, smelling and tasting every item with precision and order. Aang somehow planned out every bite to be better than the last, culminating to the pièce de résistance: Belgian waffles.

Now, that wasn’t to say that the other food was subpar. Far from it. But as far as Toph was concerned, the owner of the establishment knew his way around Belgian waffles and it was the absolute best breakfast food she ever had.

As Toph leaned back in her chair, stuffed, she wondered what else could be on the ‘date list,’ considering they just spent almost 2 hours over indulging themselves with breakfast food. Not to mention the pair had spent the entire day yesterday talking to one another. There wasn’t much else to talk about, and Toph was worried they might lose their momentum for the remainder of the date.

She was wrong.

Their second stop on the date was a music museum. One that carried a collection of songs and instruments from around the world.

“Okay, date spot number two, let’s go!”

“And what’s the plan here?”

“We are gonna be traveling all over the world, Toph!” he exclaimed. “And we’re gonna do it in style.”

All of a sudden, a popular trumpet melody and lick blared around the entire museum (empty museum. Apparently it was closed to all except Toph and Aang).

Because of the oh so mushy and romantic gesture, Toph had to scoff at the song selection. “'Come Fly With Me' by Frank Sinatra?” she teased. “What are you, 80, Twinkletoes?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that this is a classic and it was my foster father’s favorite song!” he defended. “And, it is the perfect song for this, because we are going to fly.”

“What??”

“Well, not really, but use your imagination will, you?”

So she did.

They walked around the museum, listening to different types of music around the world. Aang made her pay special attention to the different rhythms of the world, and they went back and forth listening attentively for special sounds in the songs. The museum curator, Chong, apparently gave Aang a list of facts and interesting tidbits about the music as well. It certainly added to the experience, even if Aang was just reading what was on the cards. And while they ‘travelled’ to different parts of the building, Aang put on his cheesy Sinatra song and even skipped around the museum to the beat of it.

It was absolutely ridiculous hearing him dance around the museum, but also absolutely endearing.

When they completed their trip around the world, Toph and Aang drove twenty minutes off campus to a small vineyard. Toph raised a skeptical eyebrow toward her date, then asked, “What’s all this about, Twinkletoes?”

She could practically feel his grin from where she stood. “We’ll find out soon! Come on, I think you’ll really like this one.”

“Well if we’re at a vineyard, you’re damn right I’m gonna like it.”

Aang clicked his tongue at her. “Not like that, Toph. Just wait.” He grabbed her hand and led her into the building. Aang led her through the building and suddenly stopped the two of them. His hand squeezed hers, motioning her to reach out in front of her. What Toph found was something that felt like a large, metal tub. She wrinkled her eyebrows and turned the corners of her lips down. “What is this?”

“It’s a tub filled with grapes. We’re gonna crush them.”

“Crush them?” she questioned. “Like, with a grape stomper—”

“—With our feet!”

The woman maintained her skeptical look. “Don’t they have machines for this?”

“Yes, but stomping grapes with your feet gives the winery more control on the seed separating process. They can control the amount of tannins—”

“—Okay too many fancy words, Twinkles.” Toph playfully put a hand up to stop his ramblings and smiled at him. “What are we waiting for? Let’s stomp some grapes!”

So they did.

They stomped, smashed, and crushed grapes with their bare feet as Toph and Aang held onto each other for support. The grapes poked and tickled at their feet, but it was such a fun experience. Toph even challenged Aang to goof around and jump in the vat of grapes to crush them. A silly dare that ended in near failure (Aang almost landed in the crushed grapes and juice on his ass), but all was well and no clothes were stained during the dare. Toph even promised she wouldn’t hold it over his head… Well, not for long at least.

Once they finished their stomping session, they cleaned off their feet and ventured into the restaurant part of the winery for dinner. This time, Aang promised Toph that she could choose her own meal, and she was adamant on getting a plate that served some sort of meat.

“You deprived me of meat all day, Twinkletoes,” she began. “If this was an all-you-can-eat buffet, my plate would be stacked this high with meat.” Her hand went above her head for her meat tower reference, and Aang laughed at the visual aid.

“Hey, you have to admit, those waffles were good though!”

Toph smiled genuinely. “They were.”

They spent the next five minutes going over the menu and choosing their respective meals and drinks.

“Hey, do we get to taste the grapes we just stomped?” she teased. “Hmm,” Aang jokingly pondered. “Maybe in a couple years, but we can buy a bottle right now to remember the experience,” he offered.

“Make it two.”

Dinner was a delight, and so was the company. It seemed that conversation topics were in abundance for the couple, and the only time they were silent was when they ate their meals (which were delicious). Then, it was time to go home.

As they were driving back to Toph’s apartment, Toph’s mind simply wandered back to all the activities and things they accomplished in the last few hours. It was a sensory overload kind of date. Every activity focused on a different sense, and Toph loved every second of it. So much thought and care went into this day, and she only gave the man 6 hours at most to prepare it all. Needless to say, Toph was impressed with Aang.

When the night came to a close and they were preparing to say their goodbyes at Toph’s door, it was only fitting a bit of banter was thrown around.

“Thanks for not kidnapping me.” She grinned.

“I was close near the middle when we went to Peru, but by the time we were in Acapulco Bay, I decided against it.”

“Hey, at least I didn’t nearly stain my entire outfit by taking a swim in freshly squeezed grapes!”

“I take no blame for that you egged me on! And I didn’t fall in, so it’s not as funny.”

“Still, the thought is funny enough.”

Aang chuckled and smiled at Toph. “I suppose.”

A comfortable silence fell between them, and now was the time for sincerity. For the first time in a long time, Toph didn’t want the day to end. She didn’t want the date to end. Toph broke the silence and began by saying, “Aang.”

Aang looked at her. Even though she only made up a nickname for him yesterday, it was weird for her to use his actual name. He stopped talking and looked at her. “This was…” Toph paused to form the right words, and a great big smile grew across her face. “This was the most amazing day ever. Thank you.”

“I’m so glad you liked it, Toph. It was the best day ever for me, too,” he grinned.

“How did you even reserve some of these activities? I mean, the stomping grape shit? C’mon.”

Aang shrugged. “I’ve volunteered at a lot of places around campus. I guess you can say I’ve got the connections.”

“Wow, who would’ve thought being a good samaritan would pay off?”

“Pretty sure Jesus did, Toph,” he teased.

And for that, he received a good punch to the arm.

“Whatever, Twinkles,” she jabbed. “But if that was the first date, can’t imagine what the second date will be like. High expectations, my fancy dancer.”

“Oh, so there will be a second date?”

It was Toph’s turn to shrug. “Well, you said there was more to me, and there seems to be more to you that I would like to find out.”

Aang couldn’t help but smile at Toph. Goodness, she was something else.

“Date number two can be arranged,” he began. “Although it sounds like maybe this is your date to manage.”

“Absolutely not, I already challenged you to outdo yourself,” she smirked.

Aang playfully groaned. “Fine! But… There is one last thing we have to do before date night is considered over.”

Toph raised a skeptical eyebrow at her date. “What else could you possibly have planned for—”

Her sentence was interrupted by his lips. It was just a light peck on her lips, and when he pulled away, Toph immediately dragged him back to her to kiss him. This time, it was longer and harder, and she pulled him just a little too hard, because they stumbled into the apartment door. But they didn’t break apart for a second. The most exhilarating first date culminated into the best first—er—makeout session?

Their little stumble into the door must’ve been interpreted as a knock, though, because suddenly Katara opened the door and the couple nearly fell into her arms.

“What the fuck?! You guys!” Katara exclaimed. She was rather surprised by the scene in front of her, but not completely taken aback. She playfully chastised her friend and yelled, “Quit defiling my roommate, Aang!”

Aang turned beet red, but Toph just cackled at the inconvenience. She straightened herself and called back to Aang as Katara pulled her into their place. “Night night, Twinkles! Bring your A game next week, will ya?”

The door was shut in his face before he could reply.

But Aang was pretty sure he floated back to his car. He was on cloud nine after that kiss, after the most perfect day.

#taang #toph #aang #toph and aang #continuation #writing #aang pulls out all the stops for this date #it's kind of ridiculous that's on me #but I thought it was kinda cute #katara interrupts their makeout session #lmao #ope she don't feel that bad

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imissjoongsmullet · 5 years ago

Text

Something Better (1/2)

Pairing: Bang Chan x reader

Genre: fluff/angst (will lead to smut eventually because hi hello it’s me writing about Chan)

Summary: You and Chan have been best friends since before you can remember but now that you’re in college, things start to feel strange, especially with the way he acts when it comes to your boyfriend.

Read part 2

Warnings: part 1 of 2 (probably), cutesy friendship stuff, lots of stupid banter, bit of suggestive conversations, a good dash of angst, Changbin as your boyfriend (do you need a warning for that lol), oh and though this one is pretty clean, there will be smut in later chapters.

Word Count: 2k

Author’s Note: Ok so I’m going to try to keep this to 2 chapters but I can’t promise anything. Anyone who follows me knows I tend to get carried away it’s a thing... Also, yes, this is such a cliché trope but BOY DO I LOVE IT! Thanks again for the request. I had a great time writing this!

►

Five minutes to four. Almost there. The old man at the front of the auditorium had been droning on about the history of bleebidiblah wherever for the past two hours and you were very much ready for it all to end and for the weekend to begin. You heard a pencil drop beside you and turned to see your friend pick it back up and place it between his upper lip and nose.

“Looking great,” you whispered, fighting back a smile.

“I know,” he snickered, making the thing drop into his lap for the dozenth time that class.

Chan was kind of an idiot. But he was also kind of your best friend. You’d grown up in the same neighborhood and had been inseparable since kindergarten. He was the first person you’d went to when you’d found out Santa wasn’t real, the first person you’d ever sneaked out of the house to go to a party with and the first person you’d ever gotten blackout drunk with; not to mention he was the only one who knew about your irrational fear of oven toasters. He knew everything about you and you knew everything about him. You were a team, tied together so much so, that you’d even decided to follow each other to the same college.

“Hey,” he nudged your shoulder, “how about we go downtown tonight and celebrate the weekend? I heard it’s prolonged happy hour at GB’s.”

The twinkle in his eyes made you want to say yes; it was a very tempting offer. “Can’t,” you replied eventually, scrunching up your nose at him.

“Come on, why not?” said Chan, leaning in and shaking your thigh, “we can go to karaoke after and you can crash at my place. I bought so many Doritos and they’re not gonna eat themselves.”

You bit your lip. “I kind of promised Changbin I’d go over tonight.” You already knew what was coming.

“Again?” he exclaimed a bit too loudly, drawing the attention of some of the other students, “you stayed over like three times this week already.” He sagged in his chair, rolling his eyes at you.

“Don’t be a child,” you retorted shoving him lightly.

That put some of his smile back in place. “You know, I think this Changbin guy isn’t the one for you,” said Chan, pretending to look pensive, “he’s got shifty looking eyes… and his nose is too big.”

You couldn’t keep from chuckling. Dipping down in your chair out of sight of your teacher, you turned to your friend. “You’re so full of shit, what does that even mean?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “maybe he’s having evil, shifty, big-nosed plans and you don’t even know it.”

“Your nose is big too, you know?” you said, pinching his nose.

He slapped your hand away and pinched you back, which made you cry out so loud the teacher went silent, eyes in your direction. Your cheeks flushed hot but just as you were about to apologize to the entire auditorium, the bell rang, pushing everyone around you into motion.

“Oops,” said Chan, eyes full of mischief as he rose from his chair along with everyone else.

You packed your things and followed him, kicking at his heels pettily.

“Seriously though, all the staying over,” Chan went on once you were out in the packed hallway, “sure he isn’t tiring you out?” The wicked grin on his face told you exactly what he meant.

“Chan, I swear if you don’t shut up,” you started but he interrupted fast.

“I just mean, you’re a studious girl,” he explained, grabbing your shoulders and rubbing them, “you can’t have a shifty-eyed boy like him distract you from your super important studies with sexy times.”

“And you taking me out to GB’s is helping me with my studies how exactly?”

“At least I’m not trying to put my dick in you every single night.”

“Chan!” you yelled out, looking around frantically at all the other students within earshot of your conversation.

“Aww,” Chan chuckled, hugging you closer, putting his lips near your ear, “you’re so cute when you’re all flustered.”

You were extremely happy he was behind you and couldn’t see the look on your face because you were even redder than before, staring eyes-wide into space. For as close and you and Chan were, you couldn’t help but feel shy whenever he mentioned sexual stuff around you. Not that you weren’t a sexual person; you just didn’t really know how to act around him when it came to those things. It didn’t help that you felt him all over you now, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand right up.

“Listen,” you said, shrugging out of his grip and trying to compose yourself, “how about we hang out tomorrow night? I’m sure the drinks will be just as toxic and delicious then.”

He came up next to you. “Fine, but you’re buying,” he said, “you’ve been leaving me lonely far too much. I demand compensation.”

You smiled and shook your head. “Fine.”

[I’ll be there in 10]

You hurriedly typed as you left Changbin’s place. You were meeting Chan for coffee. You were supposed to work on an assignment together that afternoon but you felt more than a little distracted after the previous night hadn’t ended up as fun as you’d hoped. You didn’t even really remember how it had started but you and Changbin had gotten into an argument that had lasted for most of the night. It wasn’t anything heartbreaking; it was just frustrating that your relationship wasn’t going the way you’d imagined it. And now you’d have to face Chan and pretend everything was okay because you were far too prideful to give him the satisfaction of saying ‘I told you so’.

He was waiting at your typical spot in the back of the café, his notebook ready on the table. You were happily surprised to find him jotting things down as you walked up. When you sat down, however, you realized he’d just been doodling obscenities in the margins of his book.

“Good afternoon,” you said, closing his book and grabbing the coffee he’d ordered for you.

You felt his eyes on you as you sipped the burning hot drink. You were just waiting for it at this point.

“So,” he started, amusement dripping down his face, “how was last night?”

“Shut up,” you countered, opening up your own book and looking anywhere but at him.

You and Chan were used to working together. Chan always had problems focusing and you were always there to give him the kick in the ass he needed to get the work done. On the other hand, Chan was the one coming up with the most creative ideas for your projects so, despite your differences, you worked quite well off of each other.

For a while, things were fine: Chan was on his second coffee and the ideas flowed generously; you just had to write them down and turn them into usable content. Things were nice and light as they should be. You took a break and ordered waffles, enjoying them without any mention of Changbin; it was great. You talked about concerts you were excited to go to together in the coming months, showed each other movie trailers of stuff you really wanted to watch together and you laughed at the absolute dumbest things. You thought perhaps it was the caffeine that was making you both so silly.

Unfortunately, after that initial boost of energy, came the inevitable crash.

By the time Chan was picking at the ice at the bottom of his empty third coffee, things were started to shift. You were trying to finish up the assignment but it was clear Chan was starting to get burnt out. Gradually, conversation trickled away from the project at hand and into less productive territory.

“What is it you like about him?” he asked, staring zombie-like into his cup.

“Not now, Chan,” you sighed, eyes on your laptop screen. You felt his fingers at your side, poking lazily.

“No, come on,” he said, voice sleepy, “I wanna know.”

You stopped typing and took a deep breath.

“He’s—” you started, trying to think of something while your head replayed how you’d argued the night before.

Chan let out a chuckle. “Yeah, he sounds great.”

“Oh, fuck off,” you groaned, a little harsher than you’d meant it, “let’s just get this done.”

But Chan didn’t let up. Your inability to define your love for Changbin had apparently made him very eager to tease you and it was getting harder and harder to ignore him.

“I bet he sleeps with his socks on,” he said, sipping his empty drink loudly, “weirdo.”

“Chan please.”

“Tell me he doesn’t.”

“Chan.”

“He totally does, doesn’t he!”

“Chan I swear if you don’t shut up I’m gonna kick you where it really hurts!”

“Fine,” he said, still laughing, putting up his hands in defense, “jeez, I was just having fun.” Then he came closer and, entirely oblivious, wrapped his arms around you tight. “No more coffee for you, it makes you mean.” He gave your temple a quick kiss and, chuckling, got up from his seat.

“Gotta pee, this coffee is going right through me, be right back.”

It occurred to you, as you watched him walk off, how odd your relationship with Chan was. Or maybe Chan was just an odd person? Or maybe he was simply acting oddly recently? You tried to shrug off the confusing thoughts and instead opened up your phone. The last text from Changbin was right at the top. You clicked it and smiled, rereading the sweet message he’d sent you the day before. You should probably make up with him soon, you decided.

After another half hour of half-assed adjustments, you and Chan finally called it a day.

“If you could input your slides right after mine, I’ll do the touch ups and bring it all to class,” you said, staring at your laptop screen, “we should probably go over it together the day before though.”

Chan’s face was in his arms on the table, looking drowsy. “Yeah, sounds good,” he mumbled, “I’ll type them out by Monday, we’ve got most of the stuff down already, it shouldn’t be hard.”

“Good,” you nodded, finally letting yourself sit back and relax. You closed your eyes in a long yawn as you stretched out your arms. When you opened them again Chan was looking at you.

“Tired huh?” he said, his lips curling up into a knowing smirk.

You stared back at your friend blankly. “You know what? Yes, I am actually. I stayed up most of the night.”

His eyebrows rose up in surprise but he didn’t speak.

“And that’s all I’m gonna say on the matter so can we please wrap this up now?” you added, “I think I should go see Changbin later tonight cause— well, we just have some things to discuss.”

“Wait, hold up,” said Chan, straightening up beside you and, finally, all laughter was wiped from his face, “I thought we were going out tonight.”

The memory of your promise hit you, throwing a small dose of guilt over your head. “I’m sorry, Chan, really. I just got some things to do—”

“Some things to do?” he interrupted, now definitely irritated, “you’re gonna ditch your best friend for some mediocre sex?”

“Chan that’s not what this is,” you started but you knew you’d set him off and there was no going back.

“Whatever,” he snapped, “it’s fine I’ll call some people who actually wanna hang out—”

“Chan—” you tried, shocked at the rapidity with which his mood had switched.

“—instead of someone who’ll leave me for the first boy to give her the least bit of attention—”

“Hey!” you said, getting up from your seat, heating up from the sting of his words.

Chan got up as well, the look in his eyes pained. “I said it’s fine,” he repeated, placing some money on the table and walking out.

(part 2)

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zims-left-shoe · 4 years ago

Note

Ackkk I love all your works so much I can’t even they're all so goooooood. Uh, I don’t know if this would be dumb but could you do a Zim x an anorexic reader? Like, the reader has it, and zim just kinda thinks it’s normal at first cause he’s adorably clueless sometimes? Sorry for bothering you haha

You’re not bothering me at all! Thank you for the kind words, it really means a lot. I also apologize for any inaccuracies, I did some baseline research, but we all know that pales in comparison to experience. I hope you enjoy this regardless. :)

Zim. He was an interesting one, to be sure. You could barely recall the circumstances under which you two had met, as life with him tended to move at a thousand miles per minute. You wouldn't complain, at times less opportunity to think made things a little bit easier. What you could remember is being new in town, not hoping for much. Your new home defied all of your expectations in the first five minutes as you had the pleasure of witnessing some guy duke it out with a green kid in the school parking lot before school. That night you had discovered them to live in your neighborhood, by happy accident, of course, as the two were fighting, coincidentally, outside your window. You couldn't help but take a peek. In that moment, you had figured out Zim's greatest secret, that he wasn't human. In hindsight, you thought it was obvious from the start, that you shouldn't have needed to see him without his poorly made disguise to realize. Oh well. From that moment forward, you had set out to become his friend. How cool would that be? Friends with a being from beyond the stars. Eventually, he had become tired of trying to shoo you away, and at some point or another, he even asked to be your boyfriend. Something about studying human courtship. You had agreed, because although it was rather embarrassing to admit, you had developed somewhat of a crush on the Irken.

And here you were. You weren't exactly sure when, but the feelings had become less one sided as the relationship shifted to less of an experiment, and more of a commitment. Zim was actually quite expressive if you knew how to read him, and you had caught on to his attachment. How long had it been, a month? Two? Three? Again, your concept of time had ebbed away while you lived life in the fast lane, always jumping from one scheme to the next, going on a date one minute and setting a trap for Dib another. You didn't mind. It was a nice distraction from yourself.

"Welcome home, son!" The Roboparents' cheery and, well, robotic voices broke you from your thoughts as they greeted you and your space boyfriend. The parental decoys stepped aside and retreated to their hangars, allowing you to follow Zim inside his home and alien base. You sprawled out across the couch, kicking your feet up on the armrests. You had been to his place so many times that you sometimes thought of it as your home away from home. Pulling out his contact lenses and discarding his wig, Zim joined you on the couch, pushing you out of the way so he could have a place to sit.

"Hey, I was comfortable." You whined, elbowing him in the side. He doubled over, his strange yet fascinating alien tongue slipping out of his mouth as pain flashed on his face.

"Humans are so bony." He hissed out, clutching his side. You didn't think you had hit him that hard, and figured he was probably just being dramatic. He was the ultimate drama king, after all.

"Maybe Irken organs are just too soft." A snicker escaped you, and you watched as his antennae flattened against his head, his eyes narrowing.

"Are you insulting my SUPERIOR Irken organs?!" His voice may have been raised, but it wasn't in anger. He was just trying to mess with you, in fact the pain hadn't been severe and had vanished as quickly as it presented itself.

"Tell me, what would you do if I was?" This type of banter would occur quite often. You were convinced it was how Zim showed affection. After all, it happened between him and Dib frequently as well, and over time, and those two had morphed into frenemies rather than true rivals.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He muttered, crossing his arms and pushing out his bottom lip in a pout. This pulled a chuckle from you, he was such a baby all of the time.

"Yes, I would. That's why I asked." You pressed him, knowing full well it would result in nothing. Your small talk tended to be teases that went round and round, never resolved, the threats always empty.

"Well, too bad! Instead I will tell you what ingenious plan I have in store for the Dib-stink!" Just like you thought. He wouldn't even consider some sort of consequence for you, he didn't want to.

"Oh, do tell." You had heard these plans a billion times, but you never got tired of listening to the endless list of plans to thwart Dib and conquer the human race. You knew they would all go unfulfilled, all of them did. There was a time when his 'mission' was still a priority for him, when he was serious about destroying Dib. But the longer you were in the picture, the less he cared about that. He couldn't feel himself gravitating away from the whole conquering the Earth business, but you sure could.

"As you know, I've been working on this substance in my lab that will-"

"GUESS WHO MADE WAFFLESSSS!!!" The door to the kitchen slammed open, revealing Zim's faithful robot companion, gripping a mixing bowl and stirring it furiously, batter splashing up the sides of the bowl. It was indecipherable if Zim was more irritated about being interrupted or waffle batter spilling all over the carpet. Before he could reprimand GIR for either, the robot began to scream again. "Come eat!" He stood there in his neon green doggy costume, the hood down to expose his robot head. He looked happy enough, his tongue (why he had one you would never know) peeking out from the corner of his mouth.

"No!" Zim waved him off, hoping he would go eat them himself. Unfortunately, that was not what happened. GIR burst into tears, screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs. Clutching your ears, you felt your face instinctively scrunch up. Who knew one robot could be so loud? It was a miracle blood wasn't dripping from your ears. Luckily, Zim put an end to your misery. "FINE!! We will eat your waffles! Just, please be quiet!" He spoke through gritted teeth, his own hands grasping desperately at his antennae.

"Yaaaayy!" As if nothing happened, GIR skipped away, humming to himself as he resumed mixing whatever contents remained in the bowl. A sigh slipped out as you rose from the couch to follow Zim into the kitchen. He was grumbling under his breath the whole time, of course. Taking a seat across from him at the small table, you wondered how often he was forced into doing this. His chin rested in his hand as he stared out through half-lidded eyes. The only way to describe him would be extremely bored. GIR set two plates down, one in front of each of you. He then brought over a tray of waffles, forking a generous stack onto Zim's plate and then moving over to you.

"Oh, uh, no thank you-" You tried to shove his hand away, the smell of the waffles making you sick. Not because they were poorly cooked. In fact, they smelled delicious. GIR paid no mind to your attempts to prevent him from laying several waffles onto your plate, returning to his position at the stove. No words passed between anyone as Zim forked bites of the sweet sustenance into his mouth in an almost monotonous manner. Clenching your lip between your teeth, your eyes became fixed on your own plate as you poked the stack with your fork. Syrup oozed from every place possible, creating an intoxicating and sickly sweet aroma that made your nose twitch. The longer you stared, the tighter your chest became, your toes curling in your shoes. It wasn't that you weren't hungry. Oh, you so were. Despite your body screaming that you were starving, you couldn't bring yourself to eat. Over time, you had managed to tune out your stomach's endless protests, eating as little as possible.

"They aren't that bad, you know." Zim spoke through bites of waffle, eyeing you. He had been observing your staring contest with the food in front of you for a few moments, under the impression he understood your worries.

"I'm...sure they aren't." You mumbled, grip on your lip tightening as you felt your stomach growl. Shaking your head, you pushed your plate forward and towards the middle of the table. "I'm just not hungry." He nodded, not sensing anything off. He had no reason not to believe you. After all, he had seen you do this many times before. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he had ever seen you eat in front of him.

"Y/n, try some waffles!!" GIR scrambled over to where you sat, taking your fork and some waffle from the plate and moving it towards your face as a parent would do to a baby. You stood up abruptly, pushing GIR back in the process. You had absolutely no desire to be force fed waffles by an alien robot.

"I forgot! I have some family stuff! I will see you tomorrow." You rushed out of the room, hurriedly grabbing your backpack from the living room and heading out the door, leaving an untouched plate of waffles in the middle of the table. Zim shrugged. Humans were weird.

(More under the cut)

Lunch. The worst part of the school day. Apparently humans enjoyed it. The only person who made it enjoyable for me just happened to be stuck in class for lunch, putting some finishing touches on a project or something.

"Tch." My mouth was fixed in a frown as I approached Dib's table. Ever since spending my lunches with Y/n, it didn't feel right to sit alone. Everything was too quiet. I absolutely do not appreciate how admittedly lonely it feels. I dropped my tray, the sound of it clattering causing Dib to jump.

"What do you want?" He stared through me, trying to be intimidating. I took a seat, and despite his attitude, he didn't stop me.

"To sit here."

"But why?" I stayed silent, bringing out my real lunch: the Irken lick stick things, which are apparently very similar to a certain human candy. I only took school lunches to look normal. "Oh, I see. Your lover not here?" He cooed, his tone teasing.

"Shut it." I felt a growl rise in my throat. There was a time when I would refute that phrase; lover. I didn't have the energy for that anymore. "Where's the girl?" I asked, putting one of the sticks in my mouth.

"You mean my sister? Home sick. She's not actually sick, she just didn't want to come to school."

"Hm, fascinating." My words were dismissive, bored of this small talk already. Humans didn't like it either, so why did they partake in it? A silence settled between us as Dib picked up his spoon. I watched as he took a spoonful of the black liquid that passed as lunch and put it in his mouth, swallowing it. I couldn't lie, it intrigued me. Dib and Y/n's habits differed greatly. My current hypothesis was that humans were similar to Irkens, in the fact that they had no real need to eat, they only did it because they wanted to, just like my Tallest. Not eating being normal made the most sense to me, but the more I looked around the cafeteria, a minute amount of doubt settled in. Everyone was eating. Looking back to Dib as he continued to eat, he raised an eyebrow as he caught me staring.

"What?" There was a hint of self-consciousness. Clearly he was not liking how intently I was observing him.

"Why do you eat?" I asked, legitimately curious. He looked to be incredulously, as if he couldn't comprehend my words.

"Because we're not aliens, stupid. We need to in order to survive." He spoke between bites of toxic sludge.

"You do?" The words left my mouth almost immediately, feeling the curiosity only continue to bubble to the surface. Dib only stared at me as if I was utterly clueless.

After a moment, he had decided that I was completely serious, and not just messing with him like I usually would. "How did you not know this, you've been on earth for how long now?" Folding my hands in front of my face, my eyes narrowed in thought. Things were not adding up. There were so many things about human culture that I clearly did not have a grasp on. To Dib, my lapse in understanding was worse than he thought.

"I just thought you were like Irkens, that you don't need to eat but you choose to."

"Why would you think that?" His words were broken by disbelieving laughter. There still seemed to be a part of him that couldn't believe this. I could tell he thought I was incompetent and horrible at my job. "It is unbelievable that you are an Irken elite." He shook his head, his stupid glasses slipping down his nose. He pushed them up with his fingers, a grin spreading across his face.

"Silence, Dib-thing!" If there weren't more pressing things on my mind, I would have made him suffer for that comment. Instead, I settled for a threatening hiss. "It's just, I've never seen Y/n eat before. They don't eat lunch, and anytime GIR offers them food they refuse."

"Yeah, well, I don't blame them for not wanting to eat this shit. I'm surprised my organs haven't melted yet." A chuckle fell from his stupid mouth. He shoveled in another spoonful, regardless of his words. "And I wouldn't trust GIR's cooking either." Even if all that is true, there was something that was still nagging at me. I couldn't let it go, there was something that just wasn't right with the situation.

"But even on dates...they won't eat. Are you sure this isn't normal?" I was surprised at how concern had crept into my voice. I was no longer confident in my theory, rather asking for confirmation that something was off. I thought it was normal. I know of several thousand races that don't require food, that get it from other things. Us Irkens are supplied them by our PAKs, we only eat for the taste. And there are some, very few, but still some, that don't like the taste of snacks, so they won't eat. They survive just fine, lasting as long as any Irken, hundreds and hundreds of years passing by no problem. Dib's cheeky attitude completely dissipated. The air felt heavy, my skin felt prickly, like bugs were crawling all over my arms and legs.

"No, Zim. It's not." His voice was soft and quiet, a stark contrast to how he usually spoke to me. Fine. I'll admit it, I can be just a bit clueless when it comes to humans and their customs. But I am not stupid. I understand basic biological principals, I was a military scientist for years. If a living organism doesn't get sufficient nutrients, the only thing to come will be harmful consequences.

"Oh." After a moment of sitting in silence, my entire body froze. I couldn't believe what I was even feeling. The stupid, filthy human that was only supposed to be a tool, a research-plaything, had turned out to be so much more.

Irkens aren't supposed to care about anyone... I thought, clenching my fist so hard the joints audibly popped. We were always told in the academy that caring made us weak. That wasn't even the worst part. The scariest thing was that I found myself not wanting to stop caring.

You laid on your room floor, hand on your stomach. You couldn't help it. Your eyes drifted to the scale you kept under your bed. You tried to tear your eyes away from it, but you just couldn't. You didn't want to be this way, you knew it was bad, dangerous even. But at the same time, you couldn't grasp that you had a problem. You couldn't stop. You saw the statistics. You didn't want to become just another number, but you couldn't reach out. How could you? Just to have someone call you an attention whore? No thank you. You would rather suffer in silence, lying to everyone including yourself. Did you eat today? Of course! A smile on your face for others always, that grin fading every time you glanced in the mirror. Your eyes were like a funhouse mirror, constantly seeing yourself different than the reality.

The only thing that seemed to brighten your day was Zim. He was a healthy distraction, and he never made you feel bad about yourself, surprisingly. He never chided you for looking too skinny, for not eating. You needed a push in the right direction, but you needed to be encouraged to get better, not harrassed into it. You needed to feel as if you had support, rather than pressure.

The doorbell yanked you out of your mental spiral, but it did nothing for your anxiety. You were home alone, so you continued to lay there, hoping whoever it was would go away. However, that was not the case. After a few moments of silence, the doorbell was rung repeatedly, a constant stream of annoyance that flooded your ears. Muttering curses, you marched your way to the front door, opening it to reveal Zim standing there, uncharacteristically quiet. Immediately your mind went blank. Did you have plans that day? You didn't think so. If that was the case, then why was he on your front porch?

"Hello, human. May I come in?" You would have laughed if you were in the headspace for it. The scene before you was ridiculous, after all. Zim being polite? Couldn't be possible. And yet, he stood there on the step, clawed hands folded neatly in front of him, waiting patiently for your response, a cute and dopey expression lingering on his face. Now you were very concerned. You were even a bit worried that he had done something to his brain in his lab, that some sort of experiment may have gone horribly wrong. It wasn't that you hated nice and calm Zim, it was just...not right.

"Sure, I guess..." You stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him and leading him to your room. He had been there once or twice, but mostly, you both spent time at his place or around town, usually harassing Dib. You sunk down to the floor, Zim following suit. You weren't really in the mood to see him, or anyone at the moment, but you had suspected that, despite the well-mannered act, he would have let himself in regardless. Zim glanced around your room, and you couldn't help but dig your nails into the scratchy carpet. You just felt vulnerable. Deciding to ditch the discomfort, you made an effort at small talk. "So, anything interesting happen at lunch today?" You had already guessed that he would have gone to sit with Dib, you've seen how he despises being alone. Even though he claims to be this independent invader, you've found him to be actually quite needy when it comes to attention.

"Why don't you eat?" Zim cut right to the chase, completely brushing off your own question. His voice was sugary sweet and innocent, and you knew his intentions were pure. His usual grating and over-excitable tone was missing. Still, you couldn't help but be taken aback by his query. He sat across from you, staring expectantly, waiting for an answer. He didn't seem to understand why that question was so difficult for you to answer. You didn't think you could answer. And so you both sat in silence, uncomfortably staring. Your eyes were fixed on the carpet, his on you.

As he stared, he began to notice something for the first time. You were much thinner than your classmates. He had never noticed before, because he was the same way, it was something that was normal to him, but that was due to him being an Irken. Most Irkens were naturally built that way.

"Zim…" You had finally spoken, mouth feeling drier than the desert. Your gaze was still locked on your floor, studying every minute speck of dust and dirt. You absolutely refused to look at him as you toyed with your fingers, nervously debating on how to respond, if you should respond. You thought he would never catch on, because nothing about your behavior seemed to have bothered him. It was all habits he was used to back on Irk. He didn't know any better, he had always been inept at grasping human normalcy. You were embarrassed that he had to see you like this, struggling so hard, unable to call for help.

For once in his life, Zim seemed to understand the nuances of a human. He'd seen that look before, it was all over his home planet. Irkens who felt as if they were completely disgusting when compared to others. It finally clicked for him. He understood that you hated your body. It was a concept he could grasp. Irkens had something similar. For them, the insecurities lie in height. For humans, it seemed, it was their weight. He may not know much about humans, but what he did know is that it didn't sit right with him to watch you go through what you were without anyone by your side. Irkens never considered the concept of comfort. Emotions were always a confusing subject to any Irken, especially Zim, who often wasn't concerned with how his actions affected others. In spite of all that, he found himself itching to give it ago. Watching you sit there and torture yourself made him feel as if he was losing his mind.

"Human. Listen to Zim. This probably won't mean much, but..." Zim reached out to you, pulling you into a hug, his arms wrapped around you protectively, as if trying to defend you from whatever threat you were faced with. You were once again shocked. Zim never liked to be too touchy feely. And in the rare occasions he wished for it, he would never initiate it. Zim, however, knew from his observations that sometimes physical affection made humans feel safe and loved. Thus, he figured he would give it a shot. "It doesn't matter what the outside looks like. It's all flesh and bone, completely uninteresting. The real intrigue is what's in here." He lightly pressed a claw into your chest and then to your forehead, hoping you got what he was trying to say. You couldn't help but melt at his uncharacteristic softness. You felt a single tear roll down your cheek, knowing that there would more likely than not be more to follow.

"I..." Your voice was too shaky, so you trailed off, leaning into Zim's continued embrace.

"Zim wants to assist in anyway he can." Both of you guessed that would be tough, but you were happy nonetheless that he seemed to genuinely care for your wellbeing. You figured that if he had known this wasn't normal human behavior, he would have instigated this talk a long time ago.

After a few more moments of staying silent, you thought you were collected enough to speak. Since Zim was being the most open you had ever witnessed in your time with him, you opted to be as well. "I love you, Zim." Immediately you felt his entire body tense around you, your face buried in his shoulder, just in case you would cry again. Zim was thankful for this, or you would have seen the way warmth flooded his face.

At first, he didn't know what to say. Love was never a thing on Irk. How could it be, when everyone was encoded with programming? There had been rumors of this fatal attraction, sure. But it had been widely decided on that anyone who felt this useless emotion was a defective. Besides, love would never benefit a militarian empire. Because of the stigma, love was never a word that was tossed around lightly on Irk, if at all. Just another thing to add onto the ever growing list of everything that made Zim a 'defective'.

"I...love you too, human."

#invader zim #invader zim x reader #zim x reader #invader zim fanfiction #invader zim fic #invader zim one shot #invader zim oneshot #request #one shot #oneshot #fanfiction #fanfic

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foreficfandom · 5 years ago

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Mystic Messenger - Cooking For MC (Headcanons)

--- Zen ---

He spent the last decade never having to cook, and instead relying on South Korea’s amazing take-out culture to survive. One only has to pay just a liiiitle bit extra when buying meals from convenience stores, or from specific take-out eateries.

But now he has a significant other! And he’s already made a big fuss about how he believes he’d ‘make a good husband’, so now it’s time to prove it. How hard can cooking be?

Unfortunately, Zen quickly realizes that making good meals demands more than throwing rice into the cooker and boiling some sweet potato leaves. Different types of meat from different animals and different cuts needed to be cooked differently, vegetables need to be washed and paired with the right heat and oil, not to mention knowing what spices go with what.

His cooking odyssey starts when the two of you began to get more domestic with each other, and he wanted to surprise you with a home-cooked evening meal rather than going out to eat like the two of you always did up to this point.

Good thing he started early in the afternoon, because his first attempt was a disaster. The catfish fillets kept flaking and getting stuck to the pan, the rice was way too soggy from being overwatered, and he accidentally seasoned the green beans with pickled plum powder instead of white pepper.

Googling saved his ass and he instead steamed the fish with ginger and scallions, fried the beans in sesame oil and garlic, and the rice came out fluffy. By the time you came home, you were greeted with a romantic home-cooked dinner for two. (He didn’t know to remove the stems from the green beans, though)

As time goes by, Zen really steps into that supposed ‘husband’ role and learns to cook properly. His meals are almost exclusively healthy options of whole grains and lean proteins, with no excess salt or oil.

--- Yoosung ---

He can cook! He’s a pretty good one, too. At least, compared to most other students. He doesn’t burn things, or over-salt them. But he never made complicated dishes, mostly due to a lack of time or energy. Still, he did enjoy making the occasional dish of omurice in his dorm. His plating tended to look a bit sloppy, but they always tasted fine.

Once you enter the picture, he finds himself daydreaming about cooking for you, and serving delicious meals over a candlelit home dinner with a sweet dessert to top it off. He imagined being a loving husband wearing an apron, peacefully tossing vegetables in a pan while you came behind him and wrapped your hands around his waist.

And then he’d turn to his pile of dirty dishes still sitting in the sink for the past four days and realize that he’d have to step up his game if he wanted to bring that fantasy to life. He may have the ability avoid food-poisoning in his dishes, but that’s not good enough for you!

So his renewed interest in life was largely spent re-focusing on his studies (while also spending his spare time with you), and after he finally got his diploma and began getting internships, he moved out of the dorm and into a real, actual apartment with a stove that had more than one burner! And also an oven!

When he started cooking for the both of you, he began simple; store bought tteokbokki and gochujang, and into which he’d chop scallions, onions, and clams - kinda like the Korean equivalent of boiling dried pasta, and adding your own ingredients to the store-bought jar of marinara sauce.

He got older and with age came a greater patience for homesteading. His dishes became more complicated, and also better! You always looked forward to the days when he’d cook. And he couldn’t help but brag sometimes about how good of a boyfriend he was, because of his abilities in the kitchen.

--- Jaehee ---

She grew up in a household that almost exclusively dined on home-cooked meals, so it was with great internal shame that she had to resort to take-out when she began working at C&R. Take-out can be filled with preservatives, sugar, and salt, not to mention the depressing image of eating off plastic trays all the time.

Before the two of you began living together, but after beginning plans of opening a cafe, Jaehee began cooking a lot more. She’d experiment with cafe recipes of sandwiches, baked goods, desserts, and artisanal coffees. You were her favorite taste-tester.

As the cafe managers, you and Jaehee don’t cook everything sold at the cafe, and most of it is too sweet or carb-filled for Jaehee to serve it at home. So she busted out her family’s old notecards (or, like many families, nobody ever wrote down classic Korean dishes on notecards so she had to call her parents to ask how to make sundubu jjigae) to serve to the both of you.

She truly believes in the value of home cooking. It’s so much healthier and wholesome. And being able to cook something for the both of you to sit down and enjoy is so domestic and peaceful.

You two manage the cafe takes up many days of the week, but usually not the whole day, so there’s time for at least one cooked meal at home every day. Sometimes you cook, but mostly she does. She missed the freedom of this particular creative expression.

Her favorites are replicas of dishes she grew up eating - hand-made dumplings, beef noodle soups, roast dakjjim, seaweed salads. Her mood is just so much better since leaving C&R, and she’s gotta believe that’s partially due to her improved diet. You being in the picture is another big part of it!

--- Jumin ---

Surprisingly, this pampered 1% CEO-in-line can indeed cook some specific dishes. Home-ec was part of his schooling, and he’d retained the lessons he’d learned to this day. During the first few days you stayed in his penthouse, he had made a stack of strawberry pancakes that tasted perfectly fluffy and sweet, almost mathematically calculated to maximize their pancake-ness.

And technically it was in fact calculated, since that’s how Jumin approaches cooking. Measurements are precise and exact, temperatures to the perfectly right point. Which is also why Jumin knows how to cook, like, four different dishes and nothing else. He was more interested in treating you to his private chef’s gourmet meals, and only wanted to cook when he thought a personal touch would be appreciated.

Pancakes were one of the recipes he learned in junior-high home economics. The other three were; beef stroganoff, frosted cinnamon rolls, and tteokguk. He can cook them to exact perfection ... which is, they don’t taste gourmet nor mind-blowingly fantastic, but instead ‘perfect’, with perfect temperature and perfect seasonings. Nothing more, nothing less.

He’s aware that he can’t cook something that has anything particular to offer. He’s always struggled with being creative, and his cooking is no different. It’s hard for him to deviate from established tried-and-true recipes. It’s even harder for him to tackle new ones.

Living with Jumin means little opportunity for him to cook. Or for you to cook, for that matter. If Jumin’s chef isn’t booked for the day, chances are the two of you are eating at some five-star restaurant. His penthouse does have a very fancy and equipped kitchen (is that a soda gun??) so one day you decided to encourage Jumin to exercise his creative skills a bit more.

With your help, he modified his pancake recipe for the waffle maker, and customized a fruit syrup using his gut feelings and not a written recipe. It came out fantastically and lovingly delicious. He was so happy to have created something special for once, and named the dish after you.

--- Saeyoung/707 ---

He never had any reason to cook before he met you. He lived off of a trash diet that only the nastiest of gamer geeks would stoop to. But when his life turned around and you entered the picture, he realized that he needed to clean up his act sooner or later.

You’ll almost certainly cook more than he ever will, but he’ll step up to the plate once and a while. “Seven, work today was brutal and I’ll be coming home late. Can you cook up something for the both of us?”

“Ah, never fear! I’ll make sure you’ll be fed something nourishing and delicious. Trust in your god 707!”

By ‘nourishing and delicious’ he meant pulling out a box of buchimgae mix, and frying it with sliced zucchini and onions before serving it with dipping sauce. He had to cheat and quickly buy a box of barbecue chicken wings to go with it.

It’s a simple and quick meal, but it tastes perfectly decent. And simple dishes are as far as he’s willing to go, ‘cause he never wants to make something gross and force you to eat it out of gratitude.

He has a list of easy recipes stored in his brain in case he’s assigned to cooking duty - ham fried rice, oven-roasted chicken legs, Japanese curry, anything that has less than five steps to complete. And he pays little attention to things like sugar and salt levels, so its no concern of his if a meal is less ‘healthy’ than another.

If you’re a cooker, he ends up absentmindedly copying your recipes and methods for when you need him to make meals, and he’s pretty good at backwards-engineering a dish to figure out how to make it himself.

In the beginning, he kept making weird noob mistakes in his cooking, like accidentally leaving the small stickers on the ginger root he’s boiling in the broth, and not knowing you should peel daikon before stewing it.

But he’s perfectly satisfied with the fact that he eventually settles into a position of ‘decent emergency housecook’. But he’ll always prefer to eat what you prepare for him UwU

--- Saeran ---

Back during Mint Eye, Ray had tried his best to make the most beautiful and delicious meals for you. And he mostly succeeded, carefully following recipes for marinated apricot pork, butternut squash ravioli, and lemongrass scallops the best he could.

It was a steep learning curve. He hadn’t really cooked before this point, so for your sake he decided to run before he knew how to walk. But he’s a smart dude, so his dishes always turned out pretty okay at the very least. He was so happy seeing you enjoy them.

So when Saeran settled in with you, he began cooking again. He found it therapeutic after a day spent hacking. Very quickly he started getting into even more complicated dishes just for fun; roast duck, elk medallions, fluffy angel food cake from scratch. Sometimes things failed, but mostly his dinners were something to look forward to.

He doesn’t cook a whole lot, and in the beginning he even skipped the meals you’d prepare for the both of them, because he’s depressed and sickly and it’s hard to summon up the appetite for regular breakfast and lunch. And even afterwards, he keeps odd hours which meant dinnertime might overlap with his work, leaving the job to you.

But the times where the two of you can actually sit down to a meal he’s made are some of the most peaceful and happiest moments of the day. He still loves caring for you, and creating food you truly enjoy is a particular source of love for him.

Surprisingly, he’s a lot less talented when it comes to baking. His cookies come out mealy and stiff, his cakes dense and eggy. Something about dedicating so much of the process to the oven just messes up his ability in the kitchen. Even though his stovetop cooking always turn out pretty freaking amazing, he can’t be trusted with desserts.

And unfortunately, he always hates cleaning up afterwards. It’s a pet peeve of his. Why can’t dishes ever wash themselves? He and his brother purchase like, two different dishwashers, and overclock them as well, so he can avoid washing dishes as much as he can.

--- Jihyun ---

A trustworthy cook, who loves to replicate recipes he’s tasted from abroad. But he can’t backwards engineer dishes like Saeyoung can, he has to rely on a recipe for most of the cooking process.

And it can be somewhat a struggle to find the proper ingredients for dishes he wants to make, such as fresh green cardamon for Tibetan lentil soup, or anchovy syrup for authentic Italian pizza. When you began living with Jihyun, the kitchen slowly became packed with foreign spices and ingredients. “Jihyun, what the heck is this thing I found in the freezer??” “It’s a pack of frozen chorizo I’m planning to make into a mash, put it back before it defrosts!”

Grocery shopping involves 40% of buying the essentials, and 60% of Jihyun walking up and down the isles, hunting for rare and obscure ingredients. If he finds something, he likes to excitedly drag you over and show off the hidden package of blue stilton cheese he managed to find, and talk about his memories of visiting the United Kingdom, and learning about how historical and special this cheese is.

Life as an established photographer means his work schedule is pretty irregular. Sometimes, he has huge stretches of days where he has nothing to do, and sometimes he’s got entire weeks in advance where his professional skills have been hired. Not to mention his own schedule involving traveling the world and finding new subjects to photograph. So the times when he can cook for the both of you are kinda unpredictable.

When he does, he always insists on cooking from a culture different from any recent meals you two have had. If it was American potato salad yesterday, its Moroccan tangia tonight. If yesterday’s lunch date was spent in a traditional Japanese cafe, then today’s home-cooked lunch is gonna be Swedish potato pancakes.

And of course, he takes pictures of his especially successful dishes, to put on his personal instagram. If he can get your hand, or other subtle pose in the shot, it makes him 300% happier.

#mystic messenger imagines #mysme imagines #mystic messenger #mysme #zen mysme #yoosung kim #jaehee kang #jumin han #saeyong choi #saeran choi #jihyun kim

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sarahhamilton · 4 years ago

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Lifesaver - Part 1

The wind blew in Rebecca’s frizzy, amber hair like water rolling down a freshwater stream. The sun reflected on the ocean’s horizon, setting a path for fishing boats to take off to sea. Rebecca started the first few things in her routine. A run, meeting the other lifeguards for their morning instruction, and setting out beach chairs for the foreseeable vacationing families.

The rest of the day, she is blowing her whistle at little kids to stop fighting in the water, placing bandaids on their scabs after the fight, and then politely asking the parents to control their hooligans.

A distant voice crashed in the waves on her run. A vision of a young man’s head bobbed in and out of the water. He was the only one there.

To the nearest lifeguard station was a rescue tube. Placing the tube under Rebecca’s arm, she dove headfirst into the sandy water. The waves crashed over her slender body like two forces colliding. Catching his wrist, her fingers wrapped around him like a python ready to kill the next victim. Pulling the six-foot guy above the waves, she wrapped his broad body on the tube.

Safely on shore, his bare chest moved up and down. Relieved, but his eyes were shut. Shaking the guy like a cocktail, he opened his red distressed eyes.

“Are you okay?” Rebecca leaned over his peculiar birthmark, painted above his collarbone.

Coughing up what seemed like a pint of water, he mumbled, “Yeah.” He released the rest of the salty water, swallowed by his lungs. “I think... Thanks for saving me. That current is crazy this morning.”

Rebecca’s shy, small voice developed into a bear’s growl. “I’m glad I was there. There was no one else around to hear you.” She said, wiping her freckled face from the water that dripped down the sides of her sunburnt skin. “You can’t swim in the ocean without a lifeguard. There are signs everywhere. Did you not see them?”

“I had no idea it was this bad.” The guy studied Rebecca’s face like it was a Victoria’s Secret magazine. “You look familiar.”

“Im Rebecca, pretty sure we had a class together last semester.”

“I’m Ted. I’ve seen you before… Where have I seen you?”

Grabbing Ted’s arm, she lifted him from the ground. Can he not hear?

“I go to Keiser University. We had a class together last semester.” Rebecca said.

Ted thought for what seemed like too long of a minute. “Oh, right! You sat behind me... How can I repay you? I mean, you did just save my life. Can I get you a drink? Cash?”

Rebecca shook her head in disbelief. Cash? Is this guy crazy? Does he think he can use daddy’s money to buy his way out of everything?

“This is my job. So I’m happy to help, you don’t need to repay me.. Especially cash… well, if you’re alright, I’m going to meet my coworkers.”

***

“Sorry guys, I just had to save someone this morning. Do people really not see all the signs around?” Rebecca said, closing the circle of lifeguards.

“Oh, we saw you, Rebecca. You saved THE Ted Rudolph… lucky,” Lucy said with a smirk. “Did you give him mouth to mouth?”

“Uh… no. Not lucky. He could have died.”

Lucy rolled her eyes, looking back at the leader.

“Thank you, Rebecca. I’m glad to have you on the team. What happened? Does he need any more help? Ambulance?”

“He was getting pulled out from the current, but he seems to be okay.”

“Good.” The leader looked at the eight lifeguards and said, “Everyone should know, if you save a life you get the remaining day off. Recuperate and take it easy. We will see you Tuesday, Rebecca.”

***

Rebecca looked toward the houses lined down the beach. Compared to the mansions on the other sides of her home, her small, but normal blue house stood on wooden slabs. Jogging up the old steps, she swung open the creaking wooden door. Aroma of rosemary and lemon circled around the kitchen from her nightly cleaning fiasco. Now what?

Rebecca picked up her phone to call her mom. “I’ll be there in ten mins.”

She got in her silver dented sedan and turned on the ignition. The flashing light came on again. “I’ll fix it later,” her everlasting voice said.

Mornings at Pressley’s Seafood Cafe were typically slow. A restaurant that serves seafood for breakfast isn’t the most appetizing. Fish and waffles, cornbread pancakes with oyster sauce, and avocado toast and sardines.

The third red leather booth that lined down the cream walls was her favorite spot to sit. Not too close to the restrooms, not too close to the payment counter, and next to the salad bar. She looked at the six-sided menu like she’s never seen it before. Eyebrows up, eyes wide, and top lip raised told you her take on the food. She slid the menu to the very end of the table.

“Hey mom, can I just have a cup of coffee? No breakfast for me. How are the new items coming together?”

Her petite frame leaned into the table and said, “I didn’t think anyone would like these things… look around. There’s three tables being taken right now. People are trying the new items and are loving it.” Rebecca’s mom said.

Looking over her shoulder, Rebecca wanted to see the type of people to order such weird things. An older couple sitting in the first booth drinking cups of black coffee. Typical. A mom wrangling her three kids sat by the windows in the far back of the restaurant. Typical. Two guys sat across from the bathrooms. Why on earth would anyone want to sit by the bathrooms? She stared at the guys longer than the others. Looking at one of the guy’s hair, a familiar dirty blonde, muscular build, reminded her of Ted. She wasn’t sure.

Waiting for her coffee, she smelt the delicious, dark roast coffee beans brewing in the kitchen. She looked back toward the guys again as they were sliding out of their seats. Yep. Thats Ted. What’s he doing here? He certainly couldn’t be eating biscuits and crab gravy. Slouching in her seat, she turned her head towards the wall lined with sea bass competition portraits.

“Rebecca?” Ted said, leaning in to get a better picture of her. “Haven’t you had enough of me already?” He said with a smirk.

Rebecca giggled, “I’m here visiting my mom. I got the day off from saving you.” Rebecca said, shifting in her seat. Her cheeks turned a cardinal red. “What did you end up getting?”

“I got the biscuits and crab gravy. As weird as it sounds, it’s pretty good. Eggs, crab, sausage smothered on a biscuit goes well together.”

Ted’s friend chimed in, “Yo, the sardine avocado toast is gnarly too. You should try that.”

“Maybe,” Rebecca replied, looking for her mom across the front booths.

Ted hesitated, “Well… hey, I know you said I don’t need to repay you, but why don’t I take you to dinner tonight? You know, you saved me and all. It’s the least I could do.”

“I’m not sure. It’s my job,” Rebecca stopped mid-sentence to her mom coming in with a steaming hot cup of coffee. “Oh, hey mom.” Relief.

“Thanks so much for breakfast. I wanted to hand you this instead of leaving it on the table. This was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time. And I think family owned restaurants are dope.” Ted said. He handed Rebecca’s mom an envelope with cash in it. A hundred dollar’s worth.

“Oh, wow, I can’t accept this. This is too much.”

“Take it. I hope it can help. Maybe you could take Rebecca to a nice dinner. She won’t go with me… I told her I wanted to repay her since she saved my life this morning.” Ted said.

Rebecca’s mom wrapped her arm around Ted’s waist, patting the middle of his back. “Thank you so much! Go to dinner with him, Rebecca. What could hurt it?”

Rebecca looked at her mom with fear in her eyes. “Okay… okay.” Rebecca said.

“Yo Ted, we’ve got to go. It’s already ten o’clock. We’re going to be late for practice.” Ted’s friend said.

“See you tonight. Five o’clock sound good? Where should I pick you up?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Rebecca said, pushing her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “My house… uh… yeah, It’s the small blue one with a yellow roof by the ocean. You can’t miss it. Just five minutes down the A1A.”

***

Rebecca’s mom sunk into the booth like a feather falling on a bed of leaves. Her unkempt hair, secured with a pen, was becoming loose by the minute. She placed her server’s book on the table and picked up Rebecca’s hand, caressing it between her clammy fingers. “So… are you going to tell me about how you saved Ted’s life?”

Rebecca slurped her coffee, a warm bitter taste rolled down her stomach. She looked down at the table. “Why did you persist in going on a date with him? You know how I am with boys. I either talk too much or shut off completely. I’m already a nervous wreck.”

“Honey, you’ve got to mingle with people. It’s great you are happy by yourself, but this will be good for you. If you want to cancel, then do that. I was just trying to help.”

“It’s whatever. I’ll go to this dinner, and probably never hear from him again. You just wait.”

“Rebecca, that’s not true. You are so likeable and beautiful. Give yourself credit.”

“We’ll see.” Rebecca said with a deep exhale. She slouched back into the seat, staring blankly at the booth in front of her. Silence had taken over the conversation.

“Keep your phone on you. I won’t be home to help you get ready. Can you be back here at the restaurant by ten?”

“Yes, that sounds good.” Rebecca said, getting up from the table. The glass door shut, causing the two little bells to hit the door.

***

4:45 o’clock

Rebecca passed back and forth in the section between her twin bed and her desk. Hair in a loose French braid, baby hairs contouring her round face. She wore a white dress that’s been in her closet since high school. The only thing that looked decent enough to go on a date with Ted. Let alone anyone.

4:50 o’clock

The clock ticked. Her bed squeaked like a mouse as she sat down.

4:51 o’clock

Back in the bathroom, looking at herself one last time. She grabbed her lip gloss and placed it on her pink plump lips. One more spray of her Justin Bieber perfume dripped down her neck. Rubbing it onto her wrists, her heart started thumping. It’s almost time.

Rebecca wasn’t much for getting dolled up. She knew makeup would come in handy for times like this, but it was never normal for her to wear it. Brown eyeliner to line the tops of her eyes. Not too dark, not too light. A BB creme covered her pasty complexion, smearing away her pores, but sheer enough to show her freckles. Her emerald eyes enhanced with an enchanting eye shadow.

Even though she loved to read, study Edgar Allan Poe, and have an introverted soul. She had a side no one ever saw, a makeup tutorial loving, Hallmark Movies, girly girl.

4:55 o’clock

The doorbell rang.

4:56 o’clock

Well, maybe not, “one last time” Rebecca stood at her mirror picking up her feet to get a whole glance of her outfit. With the wedged heels, she was just a hare above five foot nine.

4:57 o’clock

“Hey Ted,” Rebecca said with a smile.

Ted had a bouquet of white roses in his hands and handed them to Rebecca. “Wow, Rebecca, you look great.”

Rebecca let no one see this side of her before. Everyone at campus was used to the nerdy girl with glasses, hair in a ponytail, dark circles under her eyes from studying too much, and athletic t-shirts.

“That’s very sweet. Thank you.” Rebecca said, looking down. She held the roses in her hand, smelling the perfume that ascended from them. “Uh… Come in… I’ll put these in some water.”

“What a cozy house you have.” Ted said, looking around the den.

“Yeah, pretty small and cozy if you want to say that.” Rebecca’s two-inch heels squeaked in the kitchen, finding a vase for the flowers.

“Where are we planning to eat?”

Ted came around to the kitchen and leaned on the refrigerator.

Rebecca glanced at him, making way up to his broad shoulders. His arms crossed right at his chest. A tall, handsome guy in my house? What is this second life I’m living?

“I was thinking I would take you to a location that you’ve probably never been to. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, only if you don’t kill me. I read too many murder mysteries.” Crap! Murder mysteries? I’m already losing it.

“Definitely not wanting to kill you.” Ted said, with a chuckle. “Would you be down to ride in a helicopter?”

“A helicopter? Where did you find that? I’ve never been in a plane, let alone a helicopter.”

“I have my connects.” Ted said with a smirk.

#lifeguard #romance #short story #hot #beach #ocean #sea #boat #date #dinner #saved #book #novel #writer #read #shy

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exobyharu · 5 years ago

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PCY - Ch2

Chapter 2: Sometimes, it works that way

(Part 1)...(Part 3)(Part 4)(Part 5)(Part 6)

Summary: Chanyeol vs the world and Chanyeol vs himself, featuring his well-planned attempts at damage-control. You don’t make it too easy for him.

⏰ 11:12 AM 🌏 Hotel (S), City of (L), but you transferred to the 38th floor now 🌤 Sunny, summer morning, and it’s almost as sunny as Chanyeol’s mood 👥 YN, Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin (mentioned), Kim Junmyeon (mentioned), Chanyeol’s sister (mentioned)

Notes: This is part 2 of my PCY series. Hope some of you like it! He’s much nicer (to you) now, at least at the end (sort of). PCY may have dropped a couple of curse words here and there, but that’s all I have to warn you about. PCY says he’s sorry!

Words: ~1,900

💙💙💙

Chanyeol hated it, that his new composition was turned down yet again, by their over-qualified and impossible-to-please producers at SM Entertainment because, for probably the fourth time this month, it’s about time you stopped making your lack of experience show in your love songs, no matter how heartfelt you think your lyrics are.

He also hated it, that his sister borrowed his Mercedes Benz without permission, and only called to inform him that she had unintentionally defaced it once again by crashing it against a tree – and it’s even the same tree as last time.

Jongin also left a voice message earlier that evening to tell Chanyeol that he had misplaced the keys to the private studio. But it’s okay and there’s no need to panic because the interns and some staff members volunteered to help me look for it. Jongin apologised for always losing and breaking his senior’s belongings and promised that he won’t let anything like that happen again. Newsflash: Chanyeol hated his promises too.

When all of that happened in a span of three hours, along with Baekhyun’s persistent calling and mindless whining as the sweet cherry on top, it was only last night that Chanyeol finally discovered how things would blow up.

There’s a distinction between a bad mood and an ill temper, he would constantly remind himself. There is a limit to what behaviour is acceptable. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that he forgot to give himself the pep talk recently. This was why his adviser’s worst nightmare finally came true: Last night, on the balcony of this suite room, Chanyeol abandoned all caution, emptied himself of patience, and mindlessly acted on his frustrations as if the world owed him a proper outburst.

The rapper was weak on his knees when he remembered how he lost his shit and ended up taking it out on whom he thought was one of their group’s obsessive fans. What made it worse was that you apparently turned out to be an unsuspecting stranger who was not even up to anything remotely intrusive. Chanyeol was certain that whatever transpired from last night’s interaction with you was most probably typed out already, in some group chat or online page and it was only a matter of hours before his phone was ringing to a call from his enraged manager or worse, from Junmyeon, who always preferred to express his brotherly concern by packaging it as a mouthful of obscenities instead.

Much like last night, Chanyeol spent the early hours of the day, collapsed on the suite’s ridiculously oversized bed, pondering and unable to think of answers for his life’s profound existential questions.

How many ex-girlfriends did he need on his badge to write a love song that would pass SM’s extensive quality control? What kind of genius did Jongin have to be in his past life to be so remarkably scatter-brained now? Bench presses were bench presses. How was he going to teach Baekhyun how to cheat on his reps when he, himself, never did? Most importantly, why was his sister such a terrible driver?

The whole process was mostly a one-way conversation with the luxurious finish of his suite room’s coffered ceiling because much like the answers he could not produce for himself, he had to accept that some things in general were simply beyond his control.

He could try to cut down that stupid tree, though. The dumb task was two bumper repairs overdue.

With newfound resolve, he also made sure that he spent the next few hours after his morning shower rehearsing the, albeit extra kind, words that he would use when explaining to his manager, to Junmyeon, or even to the company’s CEO, if you had managed to blow the whole thing out of proportion. When he called for room service to have breakfast delivered, he even inquired about how to send a massive bouquet of flowers to the occupant of the suite room beside his, simply because fuck ups like last night were not allowed to be in Park Chanyeol’s record. Ever.

About a few minutes later, a delicious tray of espresso waffles and sides finally arrived at his doorstep, along with a message that the suite room right beside his had been emptied just last night. It was at this moment upon hearing the hotel staff’s message about the female occupant transferring to another room, that the rotting sensation at the center of his chest returned in an instant. He ended up not eating much of his breakfast and crushing his face against the silk on his pillow seemed to be the best course of action instead.

This is all your fault, so you fix, he thought incoherently, hoping that blaming himself again brought more clarity. He thought back to last night, trying to remember how much he had told you and if it were truly enough to rile you up, prompt you to file a report, and transfer to another room.

He could not even recall if he said a couple of bad words or not.

Pursing his lips as he walked the tightrope in between discouragement and desperation, it did not take long for him to decide to give it a go and call the front desk. Even though he was familiar with hotel policies, and even though it was another item on his endless list of things that he hated, not to mention too much against his principles, it looked like he was willing to overlook the misuse of his VIP status to have his way just this once. It was promising that his phone had not buzzed since he had woken up, but the fact remained that it was now, or later, when irreversible damage was done and Dispatch was already camping out at the hotel lobby downstairs.

So he did as he rehearsed, and it was almost nauseating how it took too little effort to get the details that he wanted. Something in his gut roiled when he had to emphasise his name as if his identity were a badge that can be used to proclaim himself qualified to make such a special request. Your full name, YN YLN, along with other personal details that he did not ask for, were disclosed to him without the need to impose or even lie.

Nevertheless, he got what he needed and Chanyeol hoped that it was worth the brief moment of shamelessness. Again, he comforted himself that damage-control in itself was a pain in the ass. And even though hating himself for resorting to this method was even more exhausting, it had to be done in order to move forward with his plans of setting things straight.

Press 0, and then after the beep, 3815.

He did not expect it, but it plunged his nerves into a state of panic when he started dialling your room number. Maybe he was afraid of you and what you had to say - more specifically, about how many of your friends already knew about last night’s exchange. Were you even going to speak to him? Did he even want to speak to you? The compromise was to put the phone down after five rings and send the damn flowers instead.

You answered exactly after four long rings. “Hello?”

“Yah!” he yelled, the couple of rehearsed lines he had prepared, instantly forgotten. “Why’d you move?!” His nerves pretty much took over and Chanyeol knew that he was not angry. It was beyond him if this distinction was not clear to you.

Still, your voice on the other end of the line remained impeccably calm. “Um, may I know who this is?”

“It’s Chanyeol.” In his years of performing in front of cameras and audiences, the rapper had never thought that introducing himself could elicit so much frustration.

You paused. “��I’m sorry?”

“You don’t remember last night?!” he yelled again. Immediately, the distant sound of his own voice made him cringe. It was an effort to ignore how it reverberated inside the room. He tried to clarify much more kindly now, but his attempt gloriously failed the moment he started. “It’s Chanyeol! Sexual Fantasies, Park Chanyeol!”

Your sigh that followed was a bit over-dramatic and it looked like he had done it again. “I know, okay?! I mean I know it’s you! You made last night pretty hard to forget, and I don’t mean it the way other girls in your head do. I was just unsure about apologising because you’re the one who explicitly told me to stay out of your way.” You were clearly getting worked up and it was too bad, because so was he.

“And you really thought I meant that?!”

“I still think that, seeing that you wouldn’t stop yelling at me! I only transferred to make the both of us happy, okay?”

“Do I sound happy to you?!” It was not a pleasant feeling to hear you sigh after every sentence because he realised that it was no longer just his reputation on the line. Chanyeol was not called the Happy Virus for nothing and he genuinely felt that he was putting down a lot of people by causing someone else’s distress. Ironically, this infuriated him even more. “You didn’t have to change your room and I’m not happy that you did!”

“Then that makes only me.” Your voice from the other end was dismissive and dripping with contempt. “Looks like your day will suck, Mr. Park, but please, let me enjoy mine.”

“Yah! Don’t put the phone down!”

“Seriously, Chanyeol, what do you want from me?!”

“Just stop hating!”

“I will if you leave me alone!”

“It doesn’t work that way!”

At this point, the conversation became all about talking over the other. It took a few more out of the both of you before Chanyeol realised what an idiot he had been for the past two minutes. Stress had really done a number on him lately.

Relax.

Catching his breath in the brief silence that ensued, he allowed his pride to crumble in the name of ending all this bullshit between the two of you. He was just tired, more than anything else. Releasing the tightness on his throat, he modulated his voice to suit the tone that he would effortlessly use when speaking to a fan – or his mother.

“Just… meet up with me, will you? There’s this café at the top floor.”

“No thanks. I’ve got stuff to do.”

“What stuff?”

“Stuff that’s none of your business, obviously.”

Your answer made him press a hand to his forehead. You mean stuff that’s non-existent, obviously, he thought with a roll of his eyes. What kind of idiot did you think he was? Though it did not look like much on paper, he decided that all the painful overthinking and planning had already gotten him this far and it was impossible for him to take no for an answer.

“Tonight then? I’ll be there by 7.”

“No, Chanyeol. I won’t be there.”

“That’s great! I’ll wait for you.”

And then he hung up the phone too soon, which was his underhanded way of making sure that you did not have the change to decline any further. What he did was almost rude, but Chanyeol promised to make up for his bad manners tonight instead. Even though he would not consider the conversation a step towards the redemption of his ruined first impression, if he got you to show up, he was sure to not waste his chance. Now, all he had to do was figure out what stunt he was going to pull off in order to make up for being a stupid shit last night.

💙💙💙 - to be continued -

#chanyeol #chanyeol scenarios #park chanyeol #exo scenarios #exo #park chanyeol scenarios #exo fanfiction #kpop fanfiction #kpop scenarios

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having-a-freddie-time · 6 years ago

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save me

summary: Y/N is trying her hardest to get out of an abusive relationship without telling anyone. However, she can’t always hide the bruises, especially from her best friend since childhood, Ben Hardy. Once he finds out, he tries his best to help her out without her getting hurt.

warnings: doctor talk, fluff, tiny bit of angst, very sad family reunion, tears lol, some cussing. angst at the end tho lol

a/n: this part will be both fluffy and sad! also, it makes me so happy that so many people are wanting to be tagged in this!! please feel free to shoot me an ask, message or comment if you want to be tagged!! enjoy <3

word count: 2.8k

••••••••

"Mummy...?"

You couldn't believe what you were seeing right in front of you. Your mom, dad and twin brother were standing right before your eyes. Tears poured down your cheeks, your vision blurry from the salty liquid. You stood up from the wheelchair and ran into the arms of your family. You all held onto to each other, you ignored the soreness coursing throughout your body as you felt tight arms wrapped around you. You bawled into your dad's shoulders as your brother rubbed your back and your mom ran her fingers through your hair. Ben watched, his heart growing warm as he witnessed you in your happiest state. You dreamt of seeing your family again, although it was under better circumstances, but that didnt matter. They were finally there, holding you and making you feel safe.

After five minutes of crying and grabbing at eachother, the four you finally pulled away from one another. With tear stained cheeks, red and puffy eyes, you smiled brightly and help your hand to your heart. You figured Ben set this all up and made a mental note to make it up to him. Your brother, James, came up to you and placed his hands on your cheeks, wiping the tears from your eyes. You smiled and put your hands on top of his, looking him in the eyes. He had changed quite a bit from the last time you saw him. He had scruff growing all along his face, making him no longer look like a baby. You used to make fun of him for being a late bloomer, calling him "baby face" and pinching his cheeks. Now your baby brother, who was born a minute after you, was a big man. Although just 60 seconds apart, you always made him know that you were older.

"Look at how grown up my baby brother is!"

"You're only sixty seconds older than, you're not that cool." He chuckled and rolled his eyes playfully. He planted a small peck on the top of your head, taking advantage of his towering height over you. You smiled and leaned into him, scratching his back as he planted his chin on the top of your head. You both stayed in the position for awhile. Soon enough, tears formed in your eyes as guilt washed over you. You had always longed for warm and sweet hugs from your brother. His hugs had always made you instantly feel better if you were having a shitty day. He had always been taller than you, which made his hugs better. The sight made your mother cry as well, finally seeing her babies together again. She always took pictures of the hugs you and James shared. Her excuse as to why was to make y'all remind each other that you actually loved one another when you two got into typical brother/sister arguements. Everyone knew deep down that she took them for herself.

"I have missed you three way more than words could ever describe. I hate myself for never contacting you guys. I was just so-"

"Afraid? It's okay, Lily, Benny told us what we needed to know. He didn't go into too deep of detail in case you wanted to say more." Your father proclaimed, bringing you into his embrace. You wept as he held you, feeling a mix of a million emotions. You gripped your father's back tightly, as if you were going to lose him again. You cried as you heard him say your nickname he had given you at the age of three. You took in his fatherly scent, a mix of after shave and lavender. For some odd reason, your father always smelt like lavender, you never questioned it because you didn't mind it at all. It was a comforting scent you've grown to love.

The two you pulled away, looking into each others eyes. You and your dad had the exact same eye color. A mix of light blue and emerald green, almost identical. Everyone always complimented your eyes, you always bragged about how you had the exact same eye color as your dad's. James even had the same eye color, which left your mum's chocolate brown eyes out of the picture. However, your brother and you always looked more like your mum than your pops.

Your father planted a kiss on your forehead and gave you a nice big squeeze before pulling away and turning towards Ben. He clapped a hand on his shoulder and drew him in for a hug. He had always been the hugging type of man, if he shook your hand, he probably didn't like you. So coincidentally, he shook Trevor's hand when they first met, which should have been your first warning sign.

"Thank you for taking care of her, Benny." He whispered to him, just so he could hear. Ben nodded, turning his head towards you. His heart melted as he watched you and your mum holding onto each other like a mom koala and its baby. If it was possible, his pupils would have been in the shape of a heart. To nobody's knowledge, Ben had been feeling something different for you lately. Something he'd never imagined feeling about you. It made his heart flutter at the sight of you, his knees buckle when you laughed or smiled, his cheeks flush when you touched him, and his heart grow more each time you spent time together. He couldn't even begin to express his feelings for you because he didn't exactly know what it was. He had spent countless hours trying to draw up some type of conclusion. He failed nevertheless. When you had first told him about Trevor and his abusive ways, he wanted to break down right then and there. His heart broke into a million different pieces, but he had to tape it up to stay strong for you. He would go home and cry into his pillow, guilt coursing through his veins as he couldnt get the images of someone hurting you mercilessly out of his head. He shuddered at the thought and snapped out of his daze when he felt James wrap an arm around his shoulders. Ben smiled and brought James into a tight embrace. James was like the brother Ben never had. When the three of you were in high school and you were beginning the stages of womanhood, he spent a lot more time James as you spent more time with girlfriends.

A week later...

Your eyes flitted open, adjusting to the bright sunlight peaking through the curtains. You looked around, smiling at the fact that you had finally been discharged. You were discharged the following Friday when your family visited. Sadly, your parents lived five and half hours away and your brother lived even farther than them. They stayed until Friday morning, helping you get ready to leave. You spent that entire week, catching up with them and making plans for when you start feeling better. In this midst of that, Ben was off with Gwilym, making some plans of his own that you had zero knowledge of. He came back that Friday to take you back home to his flat. While you were in the hospital, James, Gwil and Ben had been moving your stuff out of your flat after it had been released by the police. You admitted to Ben that you were too afraid to live there anymore. Thus creating the idea of you moving into Ben's flat. He had two more spare bedrooms that you live in. You basically lived with him anyways so there wouldn't be that much of a difference. So you agreed, after arguing with Ben about you paying rent and him insisting that he doesnt give a damn. The two of you finally came to the compromise you paying fifty fifty of the rent with him each month.

Taking a deep breath, you swung your legs over the bed, throwing your comforter off of your body. Disconnecting your phone from the charger and slipping on some house shoes, you made your way downstairs to see Ben in the kitchen cooking the two of you some delicious breakfast. Which contained waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs, english muffins with strawberry cream cheese (your favorite), and tea. You shot him a warm smile as you walked towards the kitchen island and jumping up to plop a seat on it.

"What are we gonna do today?" You asked, reaching your hand towards the english muffins, only for Ben to smack it and tsk you. You creased your eyebrows and pulled away, playfully pouting. Ever since you got out of the hospital, living with Ben had been such a breeze. You were still on medical leave from work and Ben didn't have many big things in his acting world at the moment so you both spent quite some time together. He helped you sell your old flat and put all of Trevor's shit into a storage unit. You hadn't seen Trevor since you saw him being arrested after the attack. It was quite the heavenly sight to see, though the events that led up to it were horrific. You still had nightmares from the attack, causing you to wake up at ungodly hours in a sweat and tears. Ben wasn't aware of these nightmares because he slept like a rock. The only way you could calm yourself was to walk around the house, to become aware of your surroundings, to know that you were now safe. Often, you'd find yourself sitting outside of Ben's door, tempted to knock and crawl into his arms. Just knowing he was in the room comforted you. Luckily, he let you have the room that was closest to his, making it accessible for the two of you reach each other quickly.

"Maybe shopping? Need to get some more groceries then maybe we could go to the mall?" He asked, looking at you while carefully making you and himself a plate. Usually you'd argue about going shopping but since selling your house, you had some money in the bank. Along with the house, you also had money from your last check from work and your paid medical leave. When your boss had found out about your situation, he insisted on making it a paid medical leave as he wanted you not to worry about anything. You shrugged your shoulders in agreement. You had lowkey been wanting to do some retail therapy here lately. Usually, you'd be at the bottom of a vodka bottle, but it made you shiver at the thought of who you used to be.

"I wouldn't mind that, been wanting to go shopping lately. Retail therapy is the best way to go." You joked as you stabbed your fork into your waffle and bringing it to your mouth. Ben watched you, a smile rose on his lips as he did so. Each day he felt like he was falling harder and harder for you. He wanted so badly to ask you out but considering your trust for men has decreased dramatically, he decided against it and was willing to wait for you. He could never imagine pushing you and making you uncomfortable. It was the last thing he had ever wanted. All he wanted was to make you happy, together or not. Seeing your smile after going through a hurricane, made his heart sing.

"After this, don't forget to take your meds." Ben reminded as he started cleaning up all the dirty dishes he used to cook with. You nodded as you took a sip of your tea, not breaking eye contact with your phone. You had gotten a couple of sweet direct messages, emails and comments from Ben's fans every now and then when he post about you. His recent post was a picture of you in the wheelchair as you were leaving the hospital. You had a thumbs up and a soft smile. The caption always made you smile when you would read it.

'Strongest gal I have ever known. You're the bestest. @yourusername.'

You turned your phone off and put it face down, finishing up your breakfast and tea. You stood up, grabbing your cup and plate and placing them in the sink before heading to the upstairs bathroom. You let Ben know you were going to shower before you two would leave. He nodded and headed up to his room to get ready. When you made it to your closet, you tapped your index finger against your chin trying to decide what to wear for the day. You opted on an old vintage Queen shirt paired with some rocky denim shorts and cute wicker platform sandals. You set your outfit aside on your bed and undressed, getting ready to shower. Turning on some music, you turned the shower nob, making the shower piping hot just the way you like it. You hopped in, dancing and singing to the music that blared throughout the bathroom. You used a shampoo bottle as a microphone as you blared lyrics at the top of your lungs.

"Thank you for coming tonight. See you next time!" You announced to yourself in the mirror, trying to mimic crowd noise as you began to get ready. You dried your hair off with a blow dryer. You french braided it on both sides of your head, joining the two braids into a low messy bun. You pulled some baby hairs from your head, styling up the look a little better. After fondling with your hair, you began with your makeup. You swiped some concealer all over your face, blending it out with your sponge egg. You set the concealer with some powder and popped some nice and shiny highlighter on your cheekbones and inner corner of your eyes. You popped on some mascara, making your lashes POP and eye color beam. Finally done after applying a layer of chapstick, you slipped into your outfit. You wore a cute pastel yellow lacy bralette that went perfectly with your sandals and tshirt. Taking one last look in the full length body mirror, you nodded in content with the way you looked and finally made your way downstairs, after grabbing your wallet and phone.

Your sandals clicked against the tile as you skipped down the stairs. Ben was already done and ready to go when he saw you come down the steps. His heart lurched out of his chest at the sight of you, he couldn't help but smile at you.

"Ready to go?"

You nodded and slipped past him, beating him to his car. You waited for him to unlock it and slid into the passenger seat. You felt like today was going to be a great day. Nothing could stop the happiness you felt when hanging out with Ben.

The whole day consisted of laughter, shopping at the most random places, and loads of ice cream and random food trucks. This had been best day you've had in such a long time, all thanks to Ben. You were both strolling along inside the mall, when you spotted a Build-a-bear. You instantly started dragging Ben into the little store. When you were younger, your parents both bought you teddy bears. Ben, being the masculine boy he was, acted like it was too girly for him. Although when alone, he'd cuddle the bear close to chest and would yell at his mum if she tried to get rid of it.

"I have to get one!" You exclaimed as you went to choose your bear. Ben watched you adoringly with a loving smile on his lips. The way you stuck your tongue out of your mouth when you were trying to decide which bear you wanted made his knees want to pull below him. You ended up choosing a simple golden colored bear with green eyes. You stuffed it just enough for it to form but soft and cuddly. Finally, you got the choice of whether or not you wanted it scented. You chose not to because without anyone's knowledge, you planned on going home and spritzing it with Ben's cologne. When you were satisfied with how your bear turned out, you paid and the two of you finally ventured home.

"Today was so much fun Ben, thank you." You smiled and wrapped your arms around his waist, bringing him into a hug making him drop all the bags on the floor. He smiled and hugged you back just as warm and tight as you did. You pulled away far enough to look into his eyes. God his eyes always drew you in. You could stare at them all day long. Ben felt the same, you both were blessed with the most majestically colored orbs anyone could have. You smiled at him and brought your hands to his cheeks, softly pinching them.

"You're the best benny." You whispered as you laid your head on his shoulder. He planted his hand on the back of your head, lightly tangling his fingers in your hair.

"Come on, let's put this stuff up and go to bed."

••••••••

lol yay for shitty chapters bc i cant think straight

taglist: @benhardyisdaddy @monochromedeacon @queenbbarnes @haileylansley @shesakillerquueennn @onexlittlespark @zcars777 @loveandbeloved29 @beatlezrcool @likeit-or-leaveit @mrsmazzello @caborhapch @jacqueline1916 @thegarbage-queen @fatbottomedboi

perm taglist: @benhardyisdaddy @haileylansley @queenbbarnes @beatlezrcool @ezmina98

#having a freddie time #borhap #ben hardy x reader #ben x reader #ben hardy #bohemian rhapsody #gwilym lee #bran writes #save me #enjoy dis #ily to whoever reads this #please reblog #feedback is greatly appreciated #reblog

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chiefninjamentality · 1 year ago

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Five Types Of Waffles- A Delicious Way to Start the Day

What is it about a waffle that makes us love them so much? Waffles may seem like a pretty basic breakfast item, but they have a pretty interesting story. Waffles have evolved from communion wafers: after all, the familiar “honeycomb” pattern that appears on waffles was designed to represent “interlocking crosses.”

Thomas Jefferson brought the waffle iron to the U.S. from France during the late 18th century, and shortly after, waffle parties were all crazy. Later innovations, including the electric waffle maker and the frozen waffle, further popularized waffles as well-liked food items. The nooks and crannies that the waffle possesses make it the right vessel for butter and syrup. Additionally, the firm, crisp texture of a waffle is the ideal platform for heavier toppings as well.

In fact, waffles are much more than just breakfast food. They can be savory as well as sweet. Several waffle toppings work for waffles, and this versatility allows waffles to be consumed as a morning treat, a lunch or dinner meal, or maybe even as an indulgent dessert.

Here are 5 Types of Waffles To Start Your Day With: –

Blueberry Cheese Waffle Sandwich

Blueberry filled, layered with gourmet cheese, and a freshly baked crispy waffle sandwich is the perfect sweet treat. This sweet sandwich is great to serve for a special breakfast or brunch! The crispiness of a waffle paired with the creamy filling makes it hard to resist.

Nutella Waffle Sandwich

Experience the authentic taste of Europe! This Belgian waffle features a special recipe of Freshly Baked Crispy Belgian Waffle topped with delicious Homemade Nutella & crushed nuts served with Vanilla Ice Cream.

KitKat Waffle Sandwich

Freshly Baked Crispy Belgian waffle drizzled with a mix of Homemade Nutella, White & bittersweet chocolate, and Crushed KitKat pieces served with Vanilla frozen dessert. The Belgian waffle with crushed KitKat is a winner. It makes for a wonderfully sweet and crunchy bite.

Triple Chocolate Waffle Sandwich

The TWC White, Milk, and semi-sweet chocolate waffle sandwich has a chocolate base and is freshly baked to perfection. This waffle is the perfect choice for those with a knack for sweet savory desserts.

Peanut Butter Waffle

Served with a scoop of Chocolate Frozen Dessert, this Freshly Baked Crispy Belgian Waffle is topped with Peanut Butter & Homemade Nutella. It’s the best of both worlds – healthy and delicious at the same time.

We can all agree that waffles taste great whether they’re savory or sweet, eaten with our fingers or with a fork, covered in syrup, or dusted with powdered sugar. We hope you have gained a deeper appreciation and understanding of the best waffle sandwiches to order whenever you are in Delhi. We can always count on The Waffle Co. to offer fresh, delicious, and healthy waffles and other desserts in Delhi.

READ MORE...The Waffle Co The Waffle Company Food Franchise The Waffle Co

#The Waffle Co #Five Types Of Waffles

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sizzleitupwithmaria · 6 years ago

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here you go @baura-bear (i’ve also definitely done these before but i know i’ve changed so)

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

i’m kind of a hoarder so all of them?? but mostly mugs and water bottles

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

CHOCOLATE

3. bubblegum or cotton candy

cotton candy slaps

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

very shy but a good learner

5. do you prefer to drink soda from cans, bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

soda sounds really unappealing right now so none?

6. pastel, boho, tomboys, preppy, goth, grunge, formal, or sportswear?

a combo of boho tomboy and grunge

7. earbuds or headphones?

earbuds

8. movies or tv shows?

i don’t have the patience for either, podcasts are superior

9. favorite smell in the summer?

i walked by this couple yesterday who had ice cream and just... the smell of sugared cream and waffle cones.... delicious

10. game you were best at in pe?

volleyball maybe, but i still wasn’t good at that

11. what do you have for breakfast on an average day?

a granola bar, which sucks bc my first period is choir this year so i won’t be able to eat first period!!

12. name of your favorite playlist?

“oh boy i’m pining for someone”

13. lanyard or keyring?

my keychain is so heavy that wearing a lanyard would slowly break my neck

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

GUMMI BEARS!!!!!!!

15. favorite book you’ve read as a school assignment?

either romeo and juliet, to kill a mockingbird, or and then there were none

16. most comfortable position to sit in

i like legs crossed but i also like just the ideal Leg Bounce position

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

my grey converse high tops

18. ideal weather?

like... 60 degrees and mildly cloudy

19. sleeping position?

on my side or occasionally on my stomach

20. preferred place to write?

in a notebook, writing on my laptop gets old after a while

21. obsession from childhood?

MAGIC TREE HOUSE or dolls in general

22. role model?

eva fucking noblezada

23. strange habits?

i like to shake my foot when i see something i like (is this stimming? probably and i kind of like it)

24. favorite crystal

emerald but just bc it’s my birthstone

25. first song you remember hearing?

probably something off of rumors by fleetwood mac

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

i hate warm weather but i like shopping

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather

go to school?? i kind of feel like my outfits are the coolest in winter and that gets me a lot of compliments

28. five songs that describe you?

just pick five random queen songs and it’ll probably be pretty accurate

29. best way to bond with you?

literally just talk to me. i can ramble for hours about shit you probably don’t care about

30. places that you find sacred?

my bedroom and the two giant woods in my hometown

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

basically just blue jeans a flannel and a black tank top. not very cool but i feel nice in it

32. top five favorite vines

all i can think of rn is i’m gonna munch i’m gonna crunch so there’s that (stream revolution lover)

33. most used phrase in your phone?

fdhslfhdjslkfdk or any other keyspam

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

i have adblock lmao

35. average time you fall asleep

like 12:30 now that it’s summer

36. what is the first meme you remember seeing?

ehrmagerd or however you spell it

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

duffel bag

38. lemonade or tea

both, including when they’re combined (arnold palmers slap)

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

cake

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school

high school: this past year’s senior prank which did give me a mental breakdown but it was kind of hilarious

middle school: The Smell

41. last person you texted?

my dad

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

pants, i always feel like shit will fall out of my jacket pockets

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket, or bomber jacket?

hoodie and cardigan, Maximum Coze

44. favorite soap scent?

i kind of like dessert scents

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy, or superhero?

none of them??

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

my fav flannel which is very soft and underwear

47. favorite type of cheese?

the one that comes on pizza

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

....... a watermelon? i look pretty appealing from the outside but i’m actually 92% water

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

andre deshields’ three rules to longevity from the tonys :,)

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

i can’t remember but i’ve definitely peed myself laughing in like... elementary school

51. current stresses?

“am i waiting too long to snap back my crush” and “OH SHIT I HAVEN’T STARTED ANY OF MY ESSAYS”

52. favorite font?

helvetica or comic sans if i’m in the mood

53. what is the current state of your hands?

i last washed them like 30 mins ago, my left hand’s nails are painted black, and my right pointer finger is bleeding

54. what did you learn from your first job?

i haven’t had one yet lol

55. favorite fairy tale?

i have no idea

56. favorite tradition?

i don’t really have any noteworthy ones

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

That Time In October 2017, The Week Of May 6 2019, and The Week Of Mamma Mia Auditions And The Week After (those are the official titles in my brain lmao)

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

i have a good fashion sense, people tend to like my art?? i’m good in a choir?? and i guess i’m a bit naturally smart

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

something like “i’m gay”

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

some combination of yuri on ice and ouran high school host club

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc?

i particularly like that one dude in hp and the sorcerer’s stone that was described as a toothless walnut

62. seven characters you relate to?

uhh my mind is really drawing a blank rn

63. five songs that would play in your club?

like... a combination of 70′s queen, cousin simple, and memes that’ll make people go buckwild

64. favorite website from your childhoos?

girlsgogames

65. any permanent scars?

(small tw) i have a scar on my left middle finger from when i tried to change razor blades and i just noticed today i have one single self harm scar left on my left leg and nnnnnnnhhhhhhh

66. favorite flowers?

roses and ik ferns don’t count but ferns are v pretty

67. good luck charms?

i have the shittiest luck lmao

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

i’m infamous for never trying new foods

69. a fun fact you don’t know how you learned?

idk, pretty much every fun fact ever?

70. left or right handed?

right

71. least favorite pattern?

like.... stripes of any kind make me look fatter than i am

72. worst subject

physical science, but it’s all bc of my shitty teacher

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

uhhhh fries and a wendy’s frosty?? or sometimes i squeeze a lemon into my coke

74. at what pain level out of ten do you have to be at before you take a pill?

hahahahahahaha i can’t swallow pills so i suffer

75. when did you lose your first tooth

i have no fuckin clue

76. what’s your favorite potato food?

fries!!!!! good!!

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

ferns or cacti

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

neither?

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

my school id but only bc i don’t have a license yet lmao

80. earth or jewel tones?

earth

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

fireflies

82. pc or console?

pc?? although all i play on is my laptop which isn’t technically a pc

83. writing or drawing?

neither rn, i’m feeling uninspired

84. podcasts or talk radio?

P O D C A S T S

85. barbie or polly pocket?

neither, i was a liv doll kid

86. fairy tales or mythology?

mythology but i can also dig some like... brothers grimm shit

87. cookies or cupcakes?

both but it depends on my mood (i could really go for a cookie rn)

88. your greatest fear?

experiencing eternal blackness after death

89. your greatest wish?

move into an apartment with my soulmate and act for a living

90. who would you put before everyone else?

nobody really rn

91. luckiest mistake?

coming out to my parents maybe? although it wasn’t a mistake, i would defo be in a bad place if i was closested at home

92. boxes or bags?

i have no clue

93. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight, or fairy lights?

fairy lights!!

94. nicknames?

none but if any future partners can come up with one for me i will marry them instantly

95. favorite season?

fall or spring

96. favorite app on your phone?

instagram or tik tok (KILL ME)

97. desktop background?

a nice landscape one of my fav artists painted

98. how many phone numbers have you memorized?

just my own lmao

99. favorite historical era?

60′s/70′s (i hate to be that bitch but that’s when music was at its peak)

5 notes · View notes

stanx24-blog · 5 years ago

Text

How to lose weight

For most people who are overweight or obese, the safest and most effective way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. If you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. It's as simple as that. There are no magic pills. Diets that sound too good to be true are just that.

Effective weight loss plans include several parts. You will find tips for achieving these goals in the next sections.

Eating less: Unless you eat fewer calories than your body uses, you will not lose weight.

Physical activity: Any good diet plan will include physical activity. Physical activity burns calories and is one less opportunity to eat during the day. You should exercise for at least 30 minutes, five times a week. Regular exercise also has many other health benefits.

Change in habits and attitudes: Most people have enough willpower to lose weight for a few weeks. To lose enough weight to improve your health and keep it off, you will need to change the way you think about food and exercise. As you eat, try to understand some of the hidden reasons you eat. You can learn to spot situations in which you overeat and head off the overeating. You can learn to enjoy eating less and being active.

Support: Many people find that enlisting friends, family, and coworkers for support is helpful in losing weight. Others prefer groups such as Weight Watchers or Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) to keep them motivated. The important thing is to seek the support you need to achieve your goals.

Drastic changes in eating habits, such as not eating at all (fasting), are usually unsuccessful. Eating too few calories causes your metabolism to slow down, meaning the body burns fewer calories.

Don't believe claims about losing weight while you sleep or watch TV, or plans that claim to cause weight loss without dieting or exercise. Such gimmicks just don't work. They may even be unsafe or unhealthy.

Of special interest to women who have gained weight during pregnancy is that breastfeeding helps you shed some extra pounds. It is good for your baby too.

4/9

Eating Less

Pay attention to serving sizes (portion control). Read food labels to find out how many calories and fat calories are in a serving. Keep a food diary or log to find ways to eliminate extra calories.

Eat fewer calories. By decreasing calorie intake by 500 per day, you will lose 1 pound a week. One way to eat fewer calories is to limit your fat intake. No more than 30% of your daily calorie intake should be fat calories.

Foods that contain large amounts of fat might surprise you. Many types of baked goods, such as crackers, cookies, cakes, pancakes, waffles, pastries, and special breads, have high fat levels. So do many prepared, convenience, and take-out foods.

Fat-free foods are not necessarily low-calorie foods. Fat-free versions of popular snacks often contain simple carbohydrates that are rapidly absorbed and converted to body fat if consumed in excess.

Eat fat-free or low-fat dairy products such as cheese or frozen yogurt. Consider changing from whole milk to skim milk.

Substitute egg whites or a product such as Eggbeaters for whole eggs.

If you eat meat, eat it in moderation. Lean meats, skinless chicken and turkey, and seafood are good choices.

Avoid high-fat foods such as popcorn, potato chips, snack crackers and cakes, cookies, cakes, pizza, cold cuts and other fatty meats, pancakes, waffles, sour or sweet cream, cream cheese and other whole-fat cheeses, butters and oils, peanut butter, olives, oil-based sauces and salad dressings, nuts, special breads and pastries, and fried foods.

Replace high-fat foods with the same quantity of low-fat, low-calorie food.

Prepare foods with little or no oils, butter, or other fats.

Remember, however, that some fat is necessary for a healthy body and mind. Doing away with all fat is not desirable.

Low-fat foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes will help you feel full. This helps you lose weight or control your weight.

Avoid sugary foods such as candies, jellies and jams, honey, and syrups. These foods offer little nutritional value and tend to be converted to fat quickly.

Limit alcoholic beverages, which provide empty calories -- calories that have no other nutritional value. Women should have no more than one alcoholic drink and men no more than two alcoholic drinks a day. An alcoholic drink is 4 ounces of wine, 12 ounces (one standard bottle or can) of beer, or ½ ounce of distilled liquor.

Don't stop eating altogether. Fasting may result in rapid weight loss, but most of this weight will be water and possibly even muscle. Your body slows its metabolism, making it very difficult to maintain any weight loss.

5/9

Healthy Meals for Weight Loss

Smart dietary guidelines

The American Heart Association recommends the following dietary guidelines, which are suitable for most adults.

Eat five or more fresh fruits and vegetables each day.

Eat six or more servings of grains (preferably whole grains) each day.

Eat fat-free and low-fat dairy, legumes, seafood, and lean meats.

Avoid foods with more than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.

Balance your caloric intake with your energy expenditure.

Limit junk food, which is high in simple carbohydrates and low in nutrition.

Limit foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Eat less than 6 grams of salt each day.

General food preparation and meal planning tips: Try to eat servings of fruits and vegetables at every meal. Besides being delicious, they are full of nutrients and fiber. They may even help prevent certain cancers.

Boil, steam, bake, roast, or broil foods rather than frying in fat.

Use unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils, rather than saturated fats such as butter, shortening, and lard.

Use olive oil spray rather than cooking oils to prepare foods.

Eat white meat chicken or turkey, lean meat, fish, or seafood. Trim the skin from poultry.

Use low-fat or nonfat dairy products.

To season foods, choose lemon or lime juice, vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, plain tomato sauce, salsa and other sauces low in fat, or mustard. Use garlic, onions, ginger, and herbs and spices to flavor foods.

Avoid high-fat and high-calorie condiments such as mayonnaise, oil, ketchup, salad dressing, or prepared sauces.

Drink seltzer, water, caffeine-free soda, tea, or coffee with meals.

Breakfast suggestions

1 cup of juice or fruit

Egg whites or an egg substitute scrambled or prepared as an omelet in olive oil spray

Oatmeal or any sugar-free cereal with 6-8 ounces of skim milk

Low-fat cream cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, or nonfat yogurt

Caffeine-free tea or coffee

Lunch suggestions

½ cup of cooked vegetables, such as peas, string beans, asparagus, broccoli, summer squash, escarole, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, or carrots

½ cup of a leafy vegetable, such as spinach, kale, or chard

Green salad, plain or seasoned with fat-free dressing, vinegar, lemon, or any combination of these (no oil) -- include greens and raw vegetables such as tomato, bell peppers, cucumber, sprouts, radish, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, and celery

½ cup whole-grain pasta in meat-free tomato sauce

Sandwiches made of whole-grain or sourdough bread

2 ounces of water-packed tuna or salmon

Two slices of a low-fat cold cut or deli meat

1-2 ounces of low-fat cheese

Supper suggestions

½ cup of cooked vegetables, such as peas, string beans, asparagus, broccoli, summer squash, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, or carrots

½ cup of a leafy vegetable, such as spinach, kale, or chard

½ chicken breast, baked, or four slices of turkey, skin removed

White fish, such as snapper or fillet of sole, baked or steamed in plain tomato sauce, lemon or both

Two slices of whole-grain or sourdough bread or ½ cup of a whole grain such as brown rice

1/3 cup (or less) of fat-free yogurt or fat-free sour cream

For dessert

One small slice of cake or one cookie, low-fat or fat-free and cholesterol-free

½ cup of fat-free ice cream or fat-free frozen yogurt

Fresh fruit

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation (no more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women).

To satisfy hunger between meals, eat unlimited quantities of celery, lettuce, mushrooms, green or red peppers, asparagus, cauliflower, cucumber, and broccoli.

Eating away from home

When eating in a restaurant, plan ahead. Think about ordering low-fat, low-calorie foods. Remember that most restaurants serve portions much larger than an accepted serving size.

Ask for a doggy bag or take-out container when you order. As soon as the food comes, set aside half (or more) for future meals. Then eat what is left on your plate. This will help keep you from overeating.

Skip the breadbasket and the appetizer.

Ask for foods to be prepared without frying or sauces.

Avoid high-fat side orders such as french fries, coleslaw, and garlic bread.

Order salad dressings on the side and dip your fork in the dressing, then spear the salad.

Drink plenty of plain water.

6/9

Increasing Your Activity Level

Moderate physical activity, such as walking, helps you lose weight and keep your weight down. At least 30 minutes of exercise a day is recommended.

Try to exercise at least five days a week.

Not exercising will sabotage any weight loss plan. Add movement, even in short 10-minute bursts throughout your day to get in 30 minutes a day.

Simple measures such as parking at the far end of the parking lot and taking the stairs instead of the elevator eventually add up to help you lose weight.

Exercise strengthens your muscles and improves the function of your heart and lungs.

If you are obese, particularly if you are inactive or have medical problems, check with a health care professional before starting an exercise program.

Walking

When walking for weight loss, distance is important, not speed. Wear a pedometer to measure your steps and then find ways to add steps during your daily activity.

To exercise, walk at a pace and distance that puts no strain on the body. Set reasonable goals. If you walk until you become tired, you will be exhausted when you stop.

Walk with smooth, rhythmic motions at an easy pace.

Each time you walk, walk slowly for the first five minutes to warm up. After five minutes, walk for 10 minutes at a faster rate if you can. Do not overdo it. You may stop to rest at any time.

When you have walked for 10 minutes without stopping, your first goal has been reached. The new goal should be to walk for a little longer time (say, 12 minutes). Continue to set new goals without overdoing it. It is important not to walk too fast or too long.

Chart your progress.

Other activities

Ride your bicycle to work or to the store.

Buy an exercise bike and pedal while watching TV or talking on the phone. Keep track of your mileage.

Join an exercise class appropriate for your level of activity and your medical condition. Water aerobics is a popular choice. Start slow.

Even weekend chores use calories if you do them the physical way.

Skip the riding lawn mower and use a push mower.

Wash your car manually.

Use a rake, hoe, and shovel for gardening chores.

Exercise tips

To let your skin breathe during workouts, wear loose clothing. Wear comfortable jogging shoes or sneakers.

Drink plenty of water before and after exercising. This will replace water lost by perspiration and prevent dehydration. If you want to carry a water bottle, you can drink while exercising.

Check your pulse rate frequently (every five minutes) while exercising.

Normal resting pulse rate may vary between 60 and 90 beats per minute.

Your pulse should increase somewhat while exercising. The pulse rate may increase up to 120. It is normal to become somewhat short of breath. If you are so short of breath that you cannot speak comfortably, stop for a rest and then continue at a slower rate.

While exercising, make it a point not to hold your breath. Holding your breath deprives the body of oxygen. Inhale with one movement, and exhale with another.

Do not continue exercising if you feel pain. Stop and take a break. If you continue to feel pain, talk to a health care professional.

Keep a record of your activity. You will see progress over time.

SLIDESHOW

Top Diets: The Best Dieting Tips Ever

See Slideshow

7/9

Changing Your Habits and Staying Motivated to Fight Obesity

Changing your habits

Eat slowly and chew your food well. This helps you feel satisfied with less food.

The amount of food you eat is more important that the type of food. Think portion control. Familiarize yourself with official serving sizes, and measure and weigh foods accordingly.

Keep a record of when you eat, what you eat, and how much. This will help you spot situations in which you tend to overeat.

Avoid or limit comfort foods which are easily eaten foods (such as macaroni and cheese, ice cream, chocolate) that are used to modify your mood.

Don't give in to food cravings. These are typically foods with a high sugar content that cause your brain to release hormones that temporarily make you feel happy. These foods have addictive properties, so once you start eating them, it's difficult to stop.

Do not skip meals, especially breakfast. You will just be hungrier and more likely to overeat at the next meal.

Do not read or watch television while you eat.

Reduce your appetite by drinking one glass of water 30 minutes before each meal. If your stomach is not empty, food does not look as appetizing.

Drinking tea (especially green tea, white tea, and pu-erh tea) has also been suggested as a weight loss aid. Tea may contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant. Tea also has no calories (assuming you don't add sugar or milk). Much like drinking water, drinking tea can make you feel full, thereby suppressing your appetite and reducing food cravings.

Stock your refrigerator with healthy, low-calorie foods. Snack on baby carrots instead of microwave popcorn. Don't keep high-fat snacks around the house.

Put a sign on the refrigerator that will help you think twice about snacking.

Reward yourself for specific achievements, such as exercising longer than you had planned or eating less of a tempting food. Of course, the reward should not be food.

Staying motivated

People often set unrealistic goals for themselves, only to feel guilt when they cannot stay on a diet or exercise program. Make changes in small steps. Look for small gains (that is, weight losses). Losing 1 pound a week is a reasonable goal.

Losing even 10% of your excess body weight can significantly lower your risk of obesity-related health problems. This is a good goal to start with.

Do not weigh yourself too often. Weigh yourself only once a week in the morning. An increase in weight of 1 pound or 2 may not be a true weight gain. It may be the result of water retention.

Group support programs such as Weight Watchers or TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) give you the support and encouragement of others with the same problem. They also promote healthy living practices.

For those who don't have the time to make it to support groups, there are now many free or low cost apps available for the iPhone, iPad, or Android which help determine and track calories, nutrition, and calorie expenditure. Try LoseIt!, Weight Watchers Mobile, Restaurant Nutrition, 40:30:30, Diet Point, or Noom Weight Loss Coach.

It is perfectly normal to go off your plan on occasion. Don't be too hard on yourself, and don't quit! Get back on track the next day.

8/9

Diet Plans: Beware

There are too many weight-loss diet plans to address each of them here. A few are discussed below.

Dean Ornish Diet

This is a very strict low-fat diet. Besides causing you to lose weight, it also decreases your cholesterol and has been scientifically proven to reverse coronary artery disease. Some people on this diet have decreased the size of the plaques in the arteries supplying the heart, thereby avoiding the need for open-heart bypass surgery.

The diet involves intensive lifestyle changes.

A vegetarian diet that includes 10% fat calories

Moderate aerobic exercise

Stress-management training including yoga and meditation

Smoking cessation

Group psychosocial support

Caution: The American Heart Association cautions that very low-fat diets may increase triglycerides. Increasing exercise and taking a flaxseed or fish oil supplement can minimize this risk.

Very low-fat diets may be difficult for all but the most motivated and disciplined people.

The Atkins Diet

This diet restricts carbohydrates. The introduction phase (two weeks or more) restricts carbohydrates to less than 20 grams per day. This excludes most fruits and vegetables and relies on a diet of mostly animal fats and protein.

It is true that simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and white flour, pasta, and rice, and alcohol, are rapidly absorbed and cause weight gain when consumed in excess. They should be avoided by people who are overweight or obese.

On the other hand, complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, brown rice, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and soy products are rich in fiber, which slows their absorption. In moderation, they are excellent food choices for overweight and obese people. They should make up a significant proportion of the diet. And yet these are also strictly limited by the Atkins diet.

Numerous studies have shown that excess animal protein in the diet increases the risks of breast and prostate cancers, heart disease, kidney disease, and osteoporosis. Fats and proteins break down in the body to substances called ketones. The large amounts of fat and protein in the Atkins diet are likely to cause an excess of ketones in the body, a condition called ketosis.

Caution: This diet may not be appropriate for people with diabetes, and its safety in pregnant or breastfeeding women has not been established. It also establishes unhealthy eating habits.

The hCG Diet

Human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced during pregnancy. This new diet plan claims that HCG can suppress appetite. The FDA, however, has not approved HCG for weight loss, and it must be prescribed by a physician. Over-the-counter preparations are often labeled as "homeopathic" but contain very little, if any, of the actual hormone. People lose weight on this diet because the plan calls for a restriction of calories to 500 per day. This is not healthy, and one is likely to regain any weight lost during the severe calorie restriction.

9/9

Medications and Surgery for Obesity

For people who are overweight and have been unable to lose weight with diet and exercise, consulting a weight-loss clinic may help. There are several prescription diet pills that are now available.

Sibutramine (Meridia) is a prescription medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996. It may be recommended for people who are more than 30 pounds overweight. In clinical trials, people who took this drug lost an average of 5%-10% of their body weight. It may also help to keep weight off. It works by making the person feel full and thereby decreases food intake. It may cause an increase in blood pressure and should not be used by people who are on a number of other medications, such as antidepressants.

Orlistat (Xenical 120 mg by prescription or Alli 60 mg available over the counter) is a medication approved by the FDA in 1999. Your doctor may prescribe it if you weigh more than 30% over your healthy body weight or have a BMI greater than 30. Over one year, people who followed a weight-loss diet and took orlistat lost an average of 13.4 pounds, almost 8 pounds more than people who used diet alone to lose weight. It works by reducing the absorption of fat from the intestine. Diarrhea and incontinence of stool may be side effects of this medicine.

Lorcaserin (Belviq 10 mg one to two times daily) was just approved by the FDA in June 2012. It may be considered if your BMI is 30 or greater or if you have a BMI greater than 27 with weight-related conditions. Studies demonstrated that almost half of patients lost an average of 5% of their body weight when combined with diet and exercise (compared to 25% of patients with diet and exercise alone). Lorcaserin works by activating the serotonin 2C receptor in the brain, which helps you feel full after smaller portions. The most common side effects were headache, nausea, and dizziness.

Qsymia (combination of phentermine and topiramate) was just approved by the FDA in July 2012. It is only approved for those with a BMI greater than 27 with weight-related conditions. When combined with diet and exercise, studies have shown that half of the participants lost 10% of their body weight and four-fifths lost 5% (which equates to 12 pounds in a 227-pound person). Topiramate is associated with a high risk of birth defects such as cleft lip and palate. Phentermine (an appetite suppressant) was one of the ingredients in fen-phen and is associated with an elevation in heart rate. Because of these potentially serious side effects, Qsymia is only available through mail order. Other side effects include tingling, dizziness, alterations in taste, insomnia, dry mouth, and constipation.

Surgery to correct obesity (known as bariatric surgery) is a solution for some obese people who cannot lose weight on their own or have severe obesity-related medical problems. Generally, surgery is recommended only for morbidly obese people (body mass index 40 or greater) or for those with a BMI of 35 and greater or who have weight related-conditions. This generally means men who are at least 100 pounds overweight and women who are at least 80 pounds overweight.

#Blogging #life #how

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valkyrieofsmut · 6 years ago

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Engel de la Gargouille Section 1 part 5

Engel de la Gargouille (Gargoyle’s Angel)

Kurt Wagner/ Nightcrawler x Female OC

Types: Smut, Angst, Mutual pining, Pregnancy, Romance, Love, Insecurity, Long as hell…

Overall series warnings: Smut, bit of violence, swearing, German (translations provided, but I have bad grammar… Sorry native speakers…) (Will be added as they come up) Chapter warnings will be added individually as well.

A/n- Homelessness. Murder, talk about rape and dismemberment, drugging, a tiny bit of groping while drugged (having to do with a serial killer). Self hatred, thoughts of suicide. Pervert trying to be perverted, but stopped, moral dilemma.

Masterlist Series Masterlist

Story!

Her birthday that year fell on a friday, and she had most of the library to herself where she was, as the mothers who brought their children were downstairs in the children’s section, the businessmen and women were mostly in the conference rooms, and the college students were studying on the other side of the floor.

Her nose was stuck in a book about the French revolution and other history topics, fascinated by all of the amazing things that had happened in the world that she had somehow never heard of, when a man stopped by her table.

“Hello, sweetie,” he greeted.

Angeline looked up at him in surprise, but flashed the perfect smile her mother had made her practice for hours at a time. “Hello, sir.”

“What are you doing all the way over here? Why aren’t you studying with your friends?”

Angeline flashed another smile. “I’m not a college student,” she told him.

“No?”

She shook her head. “I’m just reading, I’m not old enough to be a college student.”

“How old are you?” He asked.

“Sixte- seventeen,” she amended. “Today is my birthday,” she explained her confusion.

“It is?” He asked, and she nodded. “Do you have any plans? Dinner, with family, or friends, maybe going out with your boyfriend?”

She schooled her expression and looked down. “I don’t have a boyfriend, and… no, this is my only plan for the day.”

He sat down, trying to see her face as his eyebrows touched. “You're not going to do anything fun?”

“I-" She looked up at him, holding her perfect smile in place. “This is fun. Later, I'll find somewhere to stay for the night, but for now, I'm just enjoying this book.”

The man's brows raised. “What do you mean, find a place to stay for the night?”

Angeline held her face, not letting anything show. “I don't have a home.”

“Home- homeless? Then- you have to let me take you out for dinner tonight!” He told her with a cheery look.

“I couldn't-"

“I insist,” he told her, smiling.

He insisted, not letting her say no, and he seemed genuine enough, she told him that she'd meet him at the restaurant later, being careful to avoid being alone with him in a place where she wouldn't be able to get help.

She did arrive at the place he'd told her, at the time he'd told her. It was a rather nice restaurant, and she had to wait outside for him, knowing that as beautiful as she was, they still wouldn't let her in with her backpack, especially if they thought she was homeless.

She stood by the doors, near the valet, and the man did arrive, suggesting that she put her bag in his car so she didn't have to worry about it.

She accepted with a smile, and they went inside, leaving the valet to park the car.

When they were seated, he told her to order whatever she wanted.

The conversation was light, at first, but as their food arrived, he admitted to Angeline that he had a daughter a few years younger than her that he never got to see, due to his ex-wife living in another province and him having to travel often for work.

“I see her every chance I get, but it is not as often as I'd like. When you said that it was your birthday, and that you were homeless- I just thought of my daughter, and I hope that someone would treat her to something nice on her birthday, if she were in your situation.”

Angeline smiled to him. “Thank you,” she told him. “The food is delicious.”

He laughed. “I must say that I'm surprised,” he admitted.

“Oh?” She asked.

He nodded. “I said you could have anything, and you ordered waffles. Many would have taken me up on that and ordered the most expensive thing on the menu.”

Her smile renewed its vigor. “It's a tradition, one that I didn't think I'd get to continue,” she confided.

As they finished, Angeline politely sat until the man stood, but when he did, he told her, “Let me get you something for your birthday.”

“No, thank you, the dinner was enough.”

“I must insist.”

“I can't bear to think that I'm taking away money that you might spend on going to see your daughter, I've spent enough of it already,” she told him.

“It's not the money that keeps me away; it's the time. I have enough money to spare you a trinket for your birthday.”

He wouldn't accept her protest, so they walked down the street, since she was still wary of being alone with him in a vehicle.

“What would you like? A necklace? Pierced ears, with a nice pair of earrings?”

“I don't need anything like that,” she told him.

“Oh, I know. What about some new shoes?” He asked, nodding to her feet where it was obvious that her shoes were starting to wear out; she'd walked many miles in them, and had gotten them some months before, after wearing out the pair she'd ran away in.

“I could use some,” she admitted.

He led her to a store and opened the door for her. Though she tried to refuse, he bought her a few pairs of tight jeans (“That's how the kids are wearing them these days, right?” He’d asked, making her laugh) and a new pair of stylish, long-lasting walking shoes.

Afterward, they went back to the restaurant and she put her new things in her bag, thanking him many times before refusing a ride and turning toward the shelter where she was going to inquire about space for the night.

… … …

The shoes she had gotten on her birthday lasted nearly a year, and probably would have lasted the whole year, but it was unseasonably cold, starting to snow and rain much earlier than usual where she now was, and Angeline had to buy another pair of shoes after the holes in the sides started letting in the cold water from puddles.

The new shoes were warm on her feet, but when she looked in her pocket, she saw that she wouldn’t have enough to stay at the motel that night.

She told the friends she had been spending time with since about the time she arrived in this providence, but they were staying at a shelter that was already full.

A man that she had never met before, who looked like he was only a couple of years older than her, walked up to them.

“Hey, George,” her friend Dillon greeted, and the two girls, Brigitte and Adalyn, waved at him, but stayed back.

“And who is this beautiful lady?” George asked.

“Hi, I’m Angeline,” she introduced herself with the perfect smile her mother had made her practice for hours every day since she was five.

“Why hello,” he greeted back with a charming smile of his own.

There was more small talk, and the girls shifted, pulling their coats closer around them. “Ah, probably time to move to somewhere warmer,” George commented before asking, “where are you all staying?”

“Oh, that shelter down there, you know,” Dillon told him, gesturing, and the girls nodded in agreement.

“I’m not sure,” Angeline admitted. “I guess I could go to the park and see if there is somewhere sheltered there.”

“No, that’s too dangerous,” George told her. “Besides, look at the clouds; it’s probably going to snow tonight.”

“Oh,” she murmured. She wasn’t from this area, the other side of the country actually, so she’d have to take his word for it.

“You should come with me,” George said. “I don’t have a lot of space, but you don’t look like you take a lot of room, I could probably fit you in for the night.”

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“Sure,” he told her.

Angeline walked down the street, waving goodbye to the others. It may be strange to people who had a home of their own and didn’t ever worry about where to sleep that she might go to a stranger’s place and stay the night, but he had been a part of the homeless community, and what they had, she had always found that they shared so they could survive together. Besides, she had been on the street for nearly two years, and felt that she had a pretty good handle on taking care of herself, plus, Dillon knew him, and Dillon was her friend; he wouldn’t let her go anywhere that she would be hurt.

They got to a small, suspect looking building that was obviously low rent apartments, and George lead her up the stairs and into the building.

They walked into his apartment and she saw that it was one room, a little crowded with a couch, bed, and a set of shelves over a small fridge and sink, and a door off the kitchen leading to a tiny bathroom.

She sat on the couch when he gestured, looking around and seeing how the apartment looked like one of those eternally dirty places, that no matter how much you cleaned, too much filth had already settled in.

He smiled and she smiled back. “Would you like a drink?” He asked, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of dark grape juice.

“Sure, thank you,” she told him politely, looking around around the room again as he poured the glasses.

He handed hers to her and sat next to her, sipping the cold drink.

She took a sip as well, and ran her tongue over her lips to get the rest off of them.

“So, Angeline, how long have you been on the streets?” He asked.

“About two years,” she answered, taking another drink.

“And how old are you?”

“Seventeen,” she answered.

He nodded. “Must have been rough there for you to leave so young… Did you have trouble at home?” He asked. She didn’t answer, so he told her, “that’s why I left. My parents were so overbearing, not letting me leave the house at all, not letting me listen to English music, they would yell at me; “we speak French here!””

Angeline smiled around her mouth full of juice. “I heard the opposite from my mother; “we are sophisticated here, English!” But then she would speak to me in French about my stepfather behind his back, nasty things.” She shook her head at the memory and noticed something strange.

She blinked and looked at George as he asked if she wanted another glass of juice. “Ah, I don’t want to drink all of your juice,” she told him.

“It’s ok,” he insisted. “I have another bottle.”

She downed the last of the glass as he held out his hand for it, and handed it to him. She watched him walk to the counter under the shelf, take the juice from the fridge and fill one of the glasses before coming back to her.

She expected him to hand it to her, but he leaned over her and set it on the small table next to the couch.

Angeline’s eyes fluttered as the world seemed to double around her.

She tried to clear her eyes, but nothing helped, and she realized that she had been drugged.

A hand touched her arm through her coat, and she batted him away.

George was in front of her, smirking as he pulled her arms behind her and pulled her coat down, trapping them and her wings behind her.

She blinked desperately to clear her mind, but the doubling had turned to tripling and quadrupling, and she couldn’t make sense of his form moving in front of her.

“It’s fitting that you’re seventeen,” he told her as her head swam. “Since you are my seventeenth.”

Angeline looked at him and tried to focus. “What are you going to do?” She asked with a slur.

“My lady, it will ruin the surprise. But…” He grinned, obviously very pleased with himself. “I suppose you’re about to pass out anyway.” He pulled her shirt up to show her bra covered breasts. “First, I’ll take your body, I’ll touch you and tie you, then we’ll spend the night having fun. Or, I will, at least.” His grin was disgusting across his two faces.

Angeline blinked, realizing that her consciousness was coming back.

He obviously didn’t think that it should be, and continued to fondle her breast. “Then,” he made a motion across his neck, “it’s faster if you cut the throat; all the blood comes out faster. Then, well, I can’t just have you around here, small though you are, so then I’ll practice my surgery skills and you’ll be much smaller and easier to hide.”

Angeline’s eyes widened. “I’m the seventeenth one?” She asked, in shock that he’d done this sixteen times before and gotten away with it.

He laughed. “Yes. Your age is just so perfect, it had to be fate.”

She struggled, but couldn’t get free, her wings were trapped in her shirt, which was twisted around them somehow, and her coat made her arms pin them to her, and her tail was trapped in her pants.

Panic was washing through her.

Her healing was making her metabolize the drugs faster than a normal person, but he was going to do things to her, and she couldn’t stop him.

His fingers slid down her stomach and found the zipper on her pants, sliding it down, his fingers trying to get in to touch her, but not able to get far.

He unbuttoned her pants, pulling them down a little, and her tail shot out, wrapping around his throat.

“What the-” He stopped as he was choked, kneeling in front of her, face to face, hazy and a bit blurry in her vision.

His face started turning red, and Angeline knew if she didn’t stop, he would choke to death.

Tears of fear and panic started filling her eyes, which stared at him in horror as he got redder.

Her tail started to loosen, but then him laughing about raping and murdering, then dismembering sixteen girls and planning on doing the same to her came to her mind. She shook her head, the room still swimming a little.

She tightened her tail, and he started gasping, groping at her tail in desperation as his face turned a dark purplish red.

She could get away without harming him, but if she did he might try to do this again, to some poor girl who couldn’t defend herself like she could.

She couldn’t bear the thought, and her tail tightened as she stared into his eyes.

She saw the life leave them, a chilling sight that made her feel dirty and need to get away from the wrong feeling surrounding his lifeless body.

Her tail tossed his body away and she stood weakly, her arms working themselves free, and rightened her clothing as she looked around and grabbed her things through her nearly returned vision, quickly leaving the apartment and walking out into the street.

The snow fluttered to the ground around her, the cold air surrounding her, but she was already numb, walking down the street as though she was a hollow, empty shell that had contained the girl called Angeline.

The snow melted on her cheeks as she walked through the night, and the grey dawn sky greeted her when she finally looked up from the ground.

She blinked, not even realizing that her clothes were soaked and that she’d walked to another town entirely.

… … …

Angeline turned off the water in the pool shower she’d broken into through the skylight, walking over to the changing area and drying off.

She pulled on her underwear, standing and going to the mirror to comb her hair. She looked at the mirror, her face blank and actions still stiff, even after about six months had passed since she had escaped death.

As she combed down, her comb ran over her collar bone through her hair, and she blinked at the weird feeling filling her.

But it wasn’t from the comb; it felt like there was a flap on her, like when a label starts peeling off of a bottle.

Her fingers moved over the spot near her shoulder, but felt nothing. She finished combing her hair and just stood there, staring at herself.

She’d had this feeling before, but had shrugged it off, thinking that it was in her mind. She reached over again, grabbing with her hand and mind, imagining pulling it from her as she stared at herself.

She felt like she was taking off a long coat like the one she wore to cover her wings, and suddenly- she fell to the floor with wide eyes and a horrified expression.

“What- wha- wha-?” She gasped, scrabbling to crawl backward.

What was that thing that looked like her in the mirror?!

Her face was the same, her body the same, except her feet, which had gotten longer, her toes short with claws, and now she saw the claw at the side, like an animal’s dew claw at her ankle. Her fingers had short claws, making it easy to continue using her hands, but looked normal otherwise.

She looked back up to the mirror, staring at herself, there were horns coming from the top of her head where she’d wear a headband, sweeping back over her head, she turned her head to see that they were short, but they were still there. Her eyes had darkened, still blue, but a deep blue that reminded her of the pictures of galaxies that she’d seen in the books about space in the library. She could see the fangs through her parted lips, top and bottom, and stared at them.

Hesitantly, she pulled her tail where she could see it, half expecting a spaded tail, but it was worse; two spikes, one sharp and round, the one a little higher nearly the same, but sharp along the edge, to cut. They were only about a foot long, maybe ten inches, but they still scared her.

The last part- she looked back up and slowly opened her wings. The feathers had fallen off, leaving them a dark grey black, but they were wrong.

Instead of how a bird’s would look without feathers, hers were more bat like, demon like.

She was a demon- she had changed from an angel to a demon.

“No,” she murmured.

Why had this happened?

Her hand touched the mirror and she closed her eyes, trying to pull the coat back on, wanting to look like herself.

She felt something, and dared a peek. Her wings were feathered again, her horns gone, her body back to normal.

She touched her head, trying to feel where her horns were, but they were gone. Her hand touched her head and nothing got in the way.

“I’m a demon,” she whispered. She stared at herself as she stood. “Of course I’m a demon- I killed someone…”

She stood and stared at herself, feeling for the coat again and pushing it off. Her hand touched her horn, and it was definitely there.

The memory of pestering her mother about who her father was surfaced, and she remembered her mother snapping at her that he was a gargoyle.

She had thought she was just irritated with her and telling her outlandish things but…

A tear ran down her cheek. “I’m a monster… No wonder I could kill him… That’s what monsters do…”

She stared at her body, taking in the changes that had apparently always been there, waiting for her to peel back the wrapper.

‘Maybe… maybe I should stop myself from killing before I start…’ She thought as tears flowed down her face. ‘I should just end it now… I could find a quick way, so it won’t hurt…’

… … …

Angeline flinched away as a man asked if she was alright, and it took her a minute to realize that he was speaking to her.

She shook her head and walked away, wanting to stay as far away from him as possible.

She had known that adult men were pigs, most of them, anyway, but now that someone she’d thought of as not a threat had tried to kill her…

She looked up as the sun played peek a boo with the clouds, her thoughts dark and dreary.

She was probably experiencing some sort of post traumatic stress thing, even though it had been a few months, but she couldn’t seem to pull herself back to reality.

She wasn’t sure if she could trust anyone. She wanted to stay away from men- forever. She wasn’t too sure of women either.

She wandered to a park and climbed on top of a pavilion, wanting to be away from people.

She was mindlessly watching the families run around, children playing tag and swinging, running over the play equipment.

If only she could be a child, when she didn’t have to worry about things like this- but…

With her mother, she’d been shown off inappropriately at that age, too.

Angeline noticed a mother who seemed to be panicked, looking around for her child with a jacket in her hand, and looked around as well, seeing children playing, most parents close to their children, a family eating a picnic snack on a blanket, and a man leading a little girl to the bathrooms.

She did a once over again and saw that the little girl on her way to the bathrooms was one of the few without a jacket on, and inspected the man more.

He seemed to be hurrying a little, which was normal with a child who might have waited too long to tell a parent that they needed to go, but they passed the door, going to the small fenced area behind the building that hid the garbage cans from sight.

Angeline stood and pulled her coat off, giving a few strong pulls of her wings and landing next to the building, hurriedly putting on her coat and stepping around the corner.

“Excuse me,” she said, and the man froze. “Do you know this man?” She asked the little girl.

“He’s going to show me his puppy,” she excitedly explained.

“I’m sure,” Angeline said flatly, looking up at the man.

He was not intimidated by her short, slender stature. “Yes, I live on the other side of the fence,” he told her, his look telling her to mind her business and go to hell.

“Let her go, pervert,” Angeline told him.

“I think you’ve got the wrong idea.” He gripped the girl’s hand tighter.

“Now,” Angeline demanded.

He laughed at her. “You are a little dog, thinking you are a big dog. Shoo, shoo little dog,” he told her, brushing her away with his hand.

Angeline dropped her shoulders, letting her coat fall from them as her wings spread out. “Let the child go,” she told him as the little girl gasped in amazement.

The man was so startled he dropped the girl’s hand, and Angeline reached for it.

The girl came to her and took her hand, and Angeline pulled her close.

“Give her back,” the man demanded as he came back to himself.

“You’re disgusting,” Angeline told him.

“Give her back!”

“Eat shit.”

“Fine, then I’ll find another one,” he told her, making a point as though she had stopped nothing.

“What?” Angeline asked in surprise.

“Yeah, I’ll just go find another one,” he repeated.

Angeline felt the pressure in her stomach as she looked at him.

He’d just do it again.

“You’ve done this before,” she murmured, and he just smiled.

Someone needed to stop this man.

The problem was that the police would need proof that he had done the things he did, and they hardly ever got enough to charge, let alone convict…

Someone needed to stop him permanently, but what were the chances that that would happen?

Not very high, unfortunately…

But someone had to do it.

She could do it…

She could protect this little girl when no one else could.

“Your costume is falling,” he told her, pulling her back to reality as her wings drooped.

Angeline’s eyes went back to his, her wings flinging themselves out straight again.

He stepped back, startled as they moved on their own.

Her tail wrapped around his throat, pulling him to the ground at her feet.

“Angel?” The girl asked, looking up at Angeline.

The look on her face said she didn’t think Angels were supposed to do this.

Good thing she was a demon, then.

“You don’t need to see this,” she whispered as she covered the girl’s eyes and held her against her.

The man's face started darkening as he reached for her tail, and panic, fear and aversion filled Angeline's stomach.

She couldn't do this!

She couldn't do this; she couldn't kill someone- not again, she couldn't dirty her soul any more than she already had-

She nearly sobbed.

She couldn't protect this little girl, she couldn't protect the ones he'd go on to do this to, she couldn't stop the monster-

No-

She was a monster.

And if anything could stop a monster, it was another monster.

She had to stop him, she had to protect this little girl, all the little girls, from him.

She couldn't do it like this, as her frail hearted self- but the monster inside her could.

Determination filled her, and Angeline let the cloak that surrounded her go to stand in her demon form, making fear flood the man’s eyes.

Her tail tightened around the pervert’s throat and tears filled her eyes as she watched, feeling the fear well up inside her, too, at seeing the life flicker and leave his eyes.

“He will never hurt anyone again…” She tried to comfort herself.

She pulled the cloak back over her, letting go of the girl and pulling her coat to her and pulling it on.

Her tail wrapped back around her waist, where it had stayed since she’d been caught without it ready, prepared to defend herself.

Or others.

She looked down at the girl and turned her toward where her mother had now gotten a group of people looking, coming toward the bathrooms.

“Mommy!” The little girl cried as she jumped into her mother’s arms.

One of the group saw the dead body and gasped.

They all saw what the person had been looking at and gasped, hiding any children’s eyes that were present.

“What happened?” Demanded the girl’s mother.

“It was an angel!” She cried, pointing to where Angeline had been standing. “She’s gone- she was an angel mommy!”

Angeline looked down on them from the tree she was perched in. “Not an angel… Maybe a nice demon…” She murmured.

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happydelusioncollection · 6 years ago

Text

Little Sister - Tony Stark

Pairings: Tony Stark X Sister!Reader

Warnings: None

You had just finished your crappy job and was on your way home. You decided to pop into the grocery store a couple of blocks away from your apartment block. You were exhausted and therefore decided to buy some bits and bobs that would form your dinner tonight. You decided to buy some chicken, pesto and pasta, because tonight was chicken and pesto pasta. Not an original, but still easy as hell. Once you were done with being in the store, you began the semi long trek home.

Once you got into your apartment, you kicked the uncomfortable heels off of your feet and left them lying by the front door. You didn't have the most luxurious apartment, but it was cosy and affordable. It was your home. You limped into the living room and flipped the light switch on, only for you to have the biggest fright of your life.

“AH, GET OUT YOU BASTARD!” You yelled throwing your purse at the figure in the living room. The figure groaned. “Ow, Y/N! You hurt me!” You looked at the figure to find that it was no intruder but your older brother, Tony. You hadn’t seen him in months.

You let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God.” You panted, walking over to your brother and apologising. “Sorry Tonto, I got a fright that’s all.” You hugged him and proceeded to limp on into the kitchen. Tony rolled his eyes at the nickname you gave him, “I hate that name!”

“What happened to your feet?” He questioned. You looked at him and then your feet. “Oh, this? It’s nothing, just my stupid heels.” You muttered. He nodded his head and sat down at the kitchen island. You turned to look at him.

“I gotta change out of this stupid uniform.” You mumbled, walking out of the kitchen and to your room. Five minutes later you came out in a pair of sweatpants, tank top, makeup free and hair out of its tight bun.

You began to cook your dinner, when Tony decided to pipe up. “So, what’s my little sister up to these days?” You glanced at him and sighed. “I still work at that stupid office, boss is an absolute a-hole, and I still wear those death traps called, heels.” You explained. The pasta was cooked and ready and so you drained it out.

You placed a pot on the cooker and poured a small amount of oil into it. “Why don't you just quit it then?” He asked and you sighed. “I need the money to pay for food and rent every month.”

You placed the diced chicken into the pot and began to mix it about. “I’ll pay for it, or better yet, come live with me.” He proposed. “Tony, I don't want to take money from my brother, I want to be able to fund for myself.” You tossed in the pesto and began to stir, adding in seasoning along the way.

“Okay, but it’s not my money, it’s our money, remember?” He pointed out. You put in the pasta and stirred. “I’ll think about it.” You muttered. “You hungry?” You placed some pasta on a plate for Tony and yourself. You and Tony began to eat up dinner.

“I forgot how delicious your cooking is.” He moaned. You smiled at this. You and your older brother, chillaxing and having fun. Eventually, it got late and Tony needed to head back home. You led him to the door and gave him a hug goodnight before locking up for the night.

THE NEXT DAY

The following day, you woke up at 9:30, realising that you had a day off. You got out of bed and walked out to the living room to watch some TV, when you decided to do something better, head on out and grab some breakfast with your brother. You pulled out your phone and texted your brother. He replied a couple of minutes later telling you that he was coming to collect you in ten.

You rolled off the couch and began to get ready. You had gotten ready in under ten minutes and so you were sitting waiting for your brother to come and get you. You heard a knock on the door three minutes later and you opened the door to find Tony standing there with a bouquet of your favourite flowers.

“Aw, Tony, you didn't have to!” You exclaimed, giving him a hug. He chuckled and grabbed your hand. “C’mon, I need FOOD!” He yelled. You giggled, he has never changed. You walked out to the street below and found a black car sitting in front of the building. Tony walked to the back side of the car and opened up the door. You gave him a look but still got into the car, Tony following suit. In the car you met a man in the drivers seat. “ Oh, that’s Happy.” He said, answering the first half of your question. “He’s my chauffeur.” You nodded, your head and muttered a hello. Happy gave a small smile and started driving the car.

You spent a half hour eating up your waffles and sipping on your cup of coffee and the rest of the day hanging out with Tony, going about doing some sibling type of stuff. Pranking one another and competing in a races around the city. Tony’s phone began to ring and he gave you a sorry look. You waved it off and let him answer his phone.

As soon as he was done, he noticed that you were beat. He checked the time and noticed that you had been out for a long time. He decided to bring you back to your apartment. You sat down on the sofa and put on a movie, while Tony was talking on the phone.

Tony finished the call and sat back down next to you. “So pipsqueak, I have something that I’d like you to come to.”

“Yeah? What?” You mumbled, concentrating your all on the TV screen. “I’m hosting a gala tomorrow and I’d love for you to come." He explained. "Um.. Sure why not?" You said.

Tony gave you a hug and hopped off the sofa. "Great, I'll get you a dress and a ride to the event." He said, pulling out his phone. You turned back to the movie playing on the TV. Soon after the movie had ended, Tony left and you retreated to your bedroom.

The following day, you woke up, got ready for work and left the house in a state that only the Stark siblings would understand. Once you got to work, your stupid boss began harassing every employee for no reason. By the time he got to you, all you did was give him a glare and he was off to another employee. You sighed and got back to work.

Once the working day was over, you were the first one out of the door. You didn't want to let your brother down by being late to the gala and so you ended up running. In. Heels. You knew that your feet would be dead by the time you got home.

You sighed to yourself and opened the front door, doing your daily routine of kicking your shoes off around the hallway. That's when you heard some noises down the end of your hallway.

You creeped down the hallway and peeked into your living room to find a load of people hustling and bustling around. You looked around and found a railing holding a load of dresses.

You gave a cough and grabbed everyone's attention. Everyone stopped hustling and bustling and looked at you. A strawberry blonde woman walked over to you and held out her hand.

"Y/N, right? I'm Pepper Potts." She said introducing herself. You nodded your head and shook her hand. "Mr Stark has sent over a team of people to help get you ready." She explained.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Pepper led you to different people, who gave you the look of a goddess. By the end, you had your hair done into a lovely updo, your makeup was on “fleek” and you had the dress that many would die for. Once you were ready to leave, the team of professionals came up to you and gave you a hug. You felt so happy, yet, so afraid.

Pepper and you walked out of your apartment building and parked right in from of you was a black limo. You gave a small gasp and looked at Pepper. She smiled at you and led you up to the car. The door was opened by the chauffer and you both entered.

“I’m shocked.” Was all you could muster. Pepper giggled. “Don't worry hon, this is the life that Tony leads.” You noticed that she hadn't addressed Tony as Mr. Stark but you dismissed the error. The car ride was pretty short and before you knew it, you were walking down a red carpet and getting your picture taken. I guess it was mandatory for them to take your picture.

You walked into the building and into a large room filled with many famous faces. You had lost Pepper and was now alone. You wandered around looking for something or someone. You walked up to the bar and ordered a glass of red wine. As you waited on your order, a tall figure walked up to you.

“What’s a beautiful girl doing here all by herself?” You turned to face a blonde bombshell, with striking blue eyes. You smiled and turned to face the bar. “Just waiting for my drink to come and save me from boring guests.” You shrugged. The man lifted his hand and the bartender quickly finished his order and rushed over to the man. “Steve Rogers, how may I help you?” He asked. “The drink for the young lady.” The bartender nodded and poured red wine into a glass.

“Thank you.” You mumbled, downing the glass of wine. “I’m (Y/N) (L/N).” You stuck out a hand and he shook it. “Steve Rogers.” You giggled. “Let me show you to my friends.” He said. Not letting you answer you walked with him to a group of people. A dark-skinned man noticed you. “Well, I guess Steve got a chick.” He joked. You smiled and waved. “Team, this is (Y/N) (L/N). (Y/N), meet, Sam, Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, Wanda, Maria, Bucky and where’s Tony?” He said looking around. You smiled and shook each hand. You spent some time chatting with the team and joking.

Then there was a stop in the music. And then you heard his voice. “Thank you everyone for coming to the Maria Stark Foundation gala.” You smiled at the thought of your mother. “For many years, people believed that there was only one Stark in the family, but in fact there are two.” Your smile immediately dropped, people whispered amongst each other, most likely asking themselves who that second Stark is.

Tony cleared his throat. “Yes, there are two, and without any further discussion, could (Y/N) Stark, please come up to the stage. The room suddenly became dark and a bright light shone upon your being. You looked to Tony, who nodded his head. You could feel the eyes of Steve and his group of friends gaze onto you. You walked up to the stage and lifted the hem of the dress. Tony held your hand and brought you to the microphone. You looked at the crown and back to Tony. Tony held your shoulder and whispered to you. “Think of mom.”

“Maria Stark was an angel sent from heaven. Always ahead of us. She loved being with Tony and I, playing the piano and having little shows for the family. She adopted me when I was nothing more than a 3 week old baby and I have to admit, that’s one of the most caring things she’s done.” You said. “I’m glad that Tony has taken Maria Stark’s love and life into one big event for all to witness. Thank you so much.” You said and hugged Tony, eyes tearing up. Tony walked up to the mic and ended the speech. The two of you walked down off the stage and to the ballroom floor. People began to surround you asking questions and while being happy to answer them, you soon became afraid. Tony pulled you to safety and to Steve Rogers.

“Steve this is (Y/-” “Stark. I understand we haven’t met.” Tony frowned and looked at you and Steve. “No, I don't believe I have met, (Y/N) Stark.” You smiled and shook his hand. Tony was pulled away by some elites and you were left with the team.

“You are a Stark?” They all questioned. You grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the waiting staffs tray. “Um, yeah, I’m... I’m a Stark, but (L/N) is my birth name, from my biological mother.” They all nodded, waiting for more. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to being in the spotlight that often. Tony is the famous one.” You explained. They smiled, hugging you tight.

Tony walked over and gave a questionable look. “We were just giving her a welcoming hug.” They said. Tony smiled, but it suddenly fell to a frown. You quickly understood, running up to him you hugged him from behind.

“I missed you so much Tony.”

#tony stark #tony x reader

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