#I had leftover corn so I just threw it in there as one does

[sigh-the-kraken]

I’ll raise you a pizza in two parts.

Part 1: The Crust

Part 2: Everything else

[image description:

1. a photo captioned “Part 1: The Crust” of a golden pizza crust in a round 9′ cake tin in an oven with the door open; the crust is in several pieces stacked on top of each other haphazardly.

2. a cropped photo captioned “Part 2: Everything else” of all the toppings for the pizza in a second round 9′ cake tin cooling on the stove top; pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, corn, and garlic float in a lumpy, pale orange-red sauce made of carrots and red bell peppers. The skins of the bell peppers were not blended enough and are visible in the sauce. The cheese melted so thoroughly into the sauce that it was no longer visible. /end ID]

just made the worst pizza ever

[whentherewerebicycles]

top 10 things i cooked in 2023

this year i made 104 unique recipes (plus lots of duplicates when i liked something enough to make it multiple times). the places i went to most for recipes were feasting at home + the NYT recipes app, although i very much liked the weekday vegetarians, love and lemons, cookie & kate, nora cooks, and the foodie takes flight.

my top 10, in no particular order:

NYT ricotta pasta with roasted broccoli and crispy chickpeas (super simple but a great yummy pasta to make real quick for friends. I roasted the broccoli instead of broiling and added lots of extra lemon zest, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a tray of oven-roasted chickpeas)

moroccan vegetable tagine (i blended a bunch of recipes but the one linked was my starting point. this is the one form i like butternut squash in lol. modifications: i went heavy on all the spices but especially the cinnamon and cardamom, added chopped dried apricots to the stew for extra sweetness, and threw in a bunch of extra veggies. yum)

indian-ish nachos with cheddar, black beans and chutney (do NOT skip the multiple chutneys and sauces. it will seem like too much work you will say can't i just make one and be done with it but those sauces are where the magic lies. the great tragedy of these nachos is that i wanted to eat them for DAYS but they do not reheat well. but godddd they were good)

ottolenghi's green pancakes with lime butter (these are SO easy. great for brunch but also make delicious additions to your lunch for a couple days after. also it's a perfect way to eat a pound of spinach and feel very virtuous about it when really you just ate delicious jalapeno-y scallion pancakes. the lime butter is great but it's a lot of work so i usually just top these with some sour cream mixed with a lil bit of lime zest & lime juice)

cauliflower shawarma with spicy tahini sauce (YUM! the tahini sauce as written was too bitter for me with the cholula mixed in. i think i'd try it with sriracha next time so it was a little sweeter. i also added chickpeas yum)

roasted cauliflower daal with chickpeas (my notes say this was "OUTTA THIS WORLD DELICIOUS" but also note that it will "really clean you out GI-wise" lol. lentils always have that effect on me though so ymmv. i added bell pepper, roasted the cauliflower first, cooked the lentils most of the way soft in the rice cooker instead of on the stove, and added two chopped serrano peppers with seeds to give it a lil extra kick. i would recommend halving the recipe if you are cooking for one as there were TONS of leftovers and my GI system could not handle being cleansed that many times lol)

pasta with corn, tomatoes, "onion-bacon," and basil (this method of preparing onions really should not taste like bacon and yet it sort of does????? this was a summer recipe i made multiple times for a range of audiences and it was a hit every time. originally from the weekday vegetarians)

creamy corn pasta (THIS HAS NO RIGHT BEING AS GOOD AS IT IS. IT'S SO SIMPLE AND YET IT'S THE BEST THING I'VE EVER TASTED I COULD EAT IT FOR DAYS. WE ATE IT ALL SUMMER)

ottolenghi's very full roasted veggie tart (it will take you hours to make and no time at all to consume but oh my god it's so good and SUCH a satisfying way to spend a long weekend afternoon. liz and i loved this so much we had to have a serious sitdown to discuss how we would divvy up the leftovers because we felt it could seriously damage our friendship if one of us ate all of it)

bombay burritos (the little sauces and things take a long time to make but you can prep a lot of the stuff a day or two in advance and gosh these are so tasty!! the curried mashed potatoes YUM)

honorable mentions:

ottolenghi's mango soba noodles (skip the eggplant i'd do tofu or something instead)

braised tofu with basil (i made this with a veggie-loaded stir fry and topped it with a fried egg)

this carrot cake (it took forever to make but it was the best carrot cake i've ever had and the only thing i'll ever make on my bday from here on out). she also has a pumpkin cake recipe that is so good and much simpler to make (no grating required)

momofuku's ginger scallion tofu with crispy coconut rice (the recipe is for a shrimp version but we made it with tofu and it was very yummy. i made this at a friend's house and it was so good i wanted to ask to take home some of the leftovers but decided that was too rude ahaha)

and then of course i gotta give a shoutout to my #1 comfort foods this year, SHAKSHUKA (my beloved) + a caprese sandwich with balsamic glaze served on really good bread.

[bomberqueen17]

(casserole anon from… a very long time ago 😅 here to say thank you so much for the series on casseroles!! I have saved all the recipes and I am excited to try them; the pierogi casserole sounds especially intriguing. I hope you’re staying warm!)

ah! yes! i did comfort foods at the beginning of winter... I innovated a new casserole since then!! I should share it!!

Well. It's not insanely innovative. It's just that I took an old family recipe from Dude's family, which we'd made a few times, and combined it with an amalgamation of half a dozen things off the Internet, and have come up with an easier way of eating the recipe than the original one which was off the back of a packet of seasoning or something.

So, I present:

Modified Chicken Parisienne

The main important thing here is the sherry. It's distinctive because of the sherry. I also like to flavor it with thyme. The original recipe had you bake the chicken in the sauce and then cook the rice separately, and then remove the chicken and thicken the cream sauce with sour cream at the last minute.

This seems silly to me when you could just bake the rice in as part of the dish. So I looked up chicken and rice casserole recipes, and am making that now! Since it’s fucking snowing out and the heat’s broken at work and I froze my ass off all day, here’s a good chance to share it!

So you can use basically any vegetables in this. For excitement, I took my bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and browned them briefly, skin side down, in a hot cast iron Dutch oven, in lard, while I got everything else ready, and then left them sitting on a plate to the side while I did the rest of this.

Start with aromatics. I used several small onions and two medium carrots. You could also use like, celery, fennel, celeriac, whatever. I put those in the hot fat for like 5-10 minutes while I chopped everything else.

I diced some garlic and threw that in. Then I cut up a whole bunch of fresh broccoli, dicing the stems really well and cutting the florets apart. I threw those in and mixed them around, and then threw in a cup or two of sliced mushrooms I’d bought special for this because I love mushrooms. You could also use spinach, kale, cauliflower, green beans, peas, corn, I mean, any vegetable you care for. (Ideal way to use up anything in your freezer you have no other plans for.)

I stirred all that around, and then put in 1.5 cups of white rice, and stirred that really well also. I then tossed in about 1/4c of sherry. Stirred that around some, and then put in 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup.

To that I added a cup of water and 2 cups of milk, and then put in a little extra water just to make sure. I added salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary, because I’m almost out of thyme, which lends itself to puns but does make me sad.

On top of that I nestled my 2 chicken thighs. The recipes call for more chicken than that but there’s only two of us and so I don’t bother.  I’d say put a piece of chicken (thigh or breast or leg) per person you’re serving. I don’t bother having enough chicken for the leftovers, as I find skin-on chicken doesn’t reheat appealingly. You could also shred cooked chicken into here if you’d rather, it doesn’t matter.

Then I topped the whole thing with ehhhh like a cup of shredded cheddar cheese, because the chicken casserole recipes call for it and I love cheese. It’s clearly optional here. I had the chicken thighs skin-side-up so I put the cheese around them, not on top of them, in the hopes that the skin will crisp a bit.

Into a hot oven I put the casserole, uncovered. Bake at 350-375 until the chicken is done, 35-45 minutes probably.

Serve hot.

[castielific]

Title: Fancy and the tramp

Story status: Complete, 8 chapters

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Dean/Castiel, Alternate Universe, Fake boyfriends, pretend relationship, homeless!Dean, rich!Cas, family, angst with a happy ending, temporary breakup, getting back together, coming out, past!homophobia, self esteem issues, Dean Winchester has a sexuality crisis, first time, homelessness, bed sharing, pining

Sex tags: anal sex, switching, bottom!Cas, bottom!Dean, first time, frottage, marking, blowjob, fingering, barebacking

Special warning: Contrary to what the title may presage, there are no spaghettis in this story. 

Summary: 

"Okay, let's be clear on one thing from the start. This is not a lifetime movie and I'm straight, so no falling in love, get it?"

"I get it, Dean," Castiel nods.

Well, that's it then, apparently Dean is going to a fancy engagement party with his new fake boyfriend. What a weird day. 

Link to AO3

Chapter 1 under the cut:

************

"Come on Ricky, you owe me that money!" Dean says on his phone, taking a step forward when the line of the coffee shop shortens. 

"I don't owe you shit, Dean. You still owe me the last three months of your rent," his ex landlord says on the phone.

"And I'll pay you, you know I will. But to get the money, I need a job, and to get that job I need some new clothes and-"

"Yeah yeah, I know the deal. You think no one has told me that one before? No bueno, man, I'm keeping your deposit," Ricky grumbles. 

Dean groans in frustration. "Come on, all I need is fifty dollars so I can buy a pair of pants without any holes in it. You give me fifty, I get the job and I pay you back, how does that sound?" he tries to negotiate. 

"Like a fucking lie," Ricky spits just before hanging up.

"No Ric-fuck!" 

The woman in front of him in line sends him a dark look. Dean rolls his eyes at her. Like she hasn't heard worse before. 

Ricky was his last shot. It was a long one, he really does owe that bastard some serious money. Guess he can kiss the job interview at two goodbye. It's some kind of assistant job. It sounds easy enough, buying coffee and picking dry cleaning and stuff. It was still a long shot anyway. Dean's only real job experience is being a bagger boy when he was seventeen and it lasted about two months before his dad decided to move them further east. 

So far, he'd always managed to get by doing repairs or cleaning at gas stops and motels. The older he gets and the harder it gets to find that kind of random job. People are more willing to give a few bucks in exchange for manual tasks to a kid than they are to a nearly thirty years old guy. Now they just tell him to fuck off. 

And since it's always been casual and off the book, the only official work experience he has is the bagger thing. He doesn't even have a high school diploma because he dropped out long before that. Not exactly a stellar resume. Which explains why he hasn't found work in eight month and is currently living in his car. Thank God he has Baby. 

He had been too ambitious thinking he could get his own place. It could only pay rent for about five months before he went broke. He's never had a home before, and had no idea that having an apartment cost so much. In motels, you don't exactly have to pay for water or heat or utilities. There was a bunch of stuff he hadn't planned for that ate up the last of his meagre savings. Ricky threw him out after three months when Dean couldn't scrape up enough money to pay rent anymore, putting a violent stop to Dean's pipe dream of living a normal life. He hoped it would be simpler to get a job if he had an actual address, had even thought about scrapping up enough to maybe get his GED. He's not sure what he's going to do now. 

He's always wanted to be a mechanic. If his dad ever taught him anything, it was how to take care of the Impala. John taught him all the basics and Dean got the knack of it. As a teen, he spent days reading car magazines and working on the Impala, trying to learn as much as he could about how cars worked and how to repair the different parts. He knows enough by now that he could easily work in a garage, but he's got no diploma, and hasn't found anyone willing to hire him on faith alone. 

The line of the coffee shop shortens again, the barista asking her order to the goody-two-shoes in front of him. Dean looks regretfully at the display of sandwiches. He searches his pockets and only comes up with three dollars. Of course, the cheapest piece of food cost four dollars. Dean sighs. Guess just a coffee will have to do today. 

He won't have another choice but to go to the soup kitchen tonight. He hates it there. The food is crap and he wants to punch the prancy people serving it. They always try to give him some Jesus bullshit with his food, like Jesus is ever gonna put a roof over his head and find him a decent job. Neither Jesus nor God nor whatever gives a crap about him. Not that he blames them. Hell, if they exist they're probably not big fans of the guy that used to slip into church as a kid to pick the lock of the donation box

"Just an americano, please," Dean says regretfully when the barista asks for his order. At least it will keep him warm and fill his stomach for a short while.

Halloween just went by and the weather is becoming really cold. He should use the last of Baby's tank to go as far south as he can before winter really hits. He probably won't get farther than Wichita though, and the thought makes him shiver. No one wants to get stuck for a winter in Wichita. Maybe he could go and see if he can make a few bucks at the nearest motel, that kind of place always needs a handyman's help. He hasn't tried the one on Corn Street yet. He's noticed only two lights are still working on their sign, he could offer to help with that. If he makes fifty bucks, he might be able to reach Austin. 

Dean stops on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop, pondering if he should walk to the bar a few streets down or the motel. Sometimes Benny, the owner of the bar, lets him use the sink in the back to wash up. If he's lucky, he'll even get some leftovers from last night. It's generally just some stale pretzels, cold fries on good days, but it's still better than nothing. He's got two cans of beans and a car with an near empty tank to his name right now, so he's not picky. 

Dean takes a look at his watch. It's eleven thirty already, the leftovers are probably already in the trash at Benny's. The motel is probably his best bet. 

"I'll give you a hundred dollars if you pretend to be my boyfriend." comes a hoarse voice, way too close to his ear. 

Dean jumps, nearly spilling his coffee on himself. He spins to the right to face the man who just talked and is met with a pair of clear blue eyes. Way too close again. He waits a second for the man to take a step back as he realises as close Dean turning brought them, but the guy just continues to stare at him, head slightly tilted to the side. He's wearing an oversized trench coat over a dark blue suit that looks expensive. He's so close a gust of wind makes the bottom of his coat brushes Dean's shin. 

"Dude, personal space," Dean reproaches, taking a step back. "And fuck off, I don't swing that way," he adds, not meanly. It's not the first time he's getting hit on by a dude. Sadly, not even the weirdest. He's strictly into chicks though, so no dice.

"Two hundred bucks," the man insists. He looks ready to fall on his knees and beg, eyes going wider and wider as he throws a panicked look to the right of Dean's shoulder. "It won't take more than ten minutes and all you have to do is nod along," he begs, making Dean wonders if he's in danger somehow. Maybe he has a stalker or an abusive ex? 

Dean follows his eyes to a woman coming closer. She's very elegant in a grey pantsuit and a long white fur coat as she walks straight toward them. He can feel her eyes judging him even from thirty feet away, looking at him from head to toes. If he wasn't already self-aware of the number of holes in his jeans, he would definitely be under that gaze. 

"Five hundred dollars," the other man whispers just as the blond woman reaches them. 

"Castiel, dear, you should have told me we would have company, I would have notified the restaurant," the woman says, sending a clearly disapproving look toward Dean as she deposits a kiss on the other man's - (Castiel, apparently, what kind of name is that??) - cheek. 

"Mother, let me introduce you to my boyfriend," Castiel says, looking ill at ease. He's obviously not a very good liar. 

Dean blinks a few times as their attention turns toward him. Castiel seems to be trying to communicate something with his eyes, and Dean frowns in incomprehension for a moment before he gets the hint. 

"Huh. Dean. Winchester," he finally says. "Ma'am," he adds when she just continues to stare at him like he has grease smeared all over his face. He's pretty sure that she wouldn't want to touch his hand if he were to offer it to shake, so he doesn't. 

"Naomi Novak," she introduces herself. "What a delight to finally meet Castiel's new companion," Naomi says, her deadpan tone contradicting her words. "Of course, I would have preferred not to be ambushed by such an announcement. Castiel, you know, that Le Délice hates it when we change our reservation last minute. Who knows if they will even have a table for three," she declares, already composing a number on her phone. 

"It's okay, mother, Dean won't be joining us for lunch."

"Oh, is it because your attire isn't appropriate?" Castiel's mother asks, looking at the holes in Dean's jeans and the big leather jacket that used to be his dad's. "I assure you they won't say a word about it if you're with us," she reassures. 

Dean squirms a little, wondering what the hell is even happening. Ten minutes ago he was buying a coffee and going at his day like a perfectly normal person (well, albeit a homeless and jobless one). Now, his fashion sense is being criticized by the mother of a man who is pretending to be his boyfriend. Did a piano fall on his head or something? Has he finally lost his mind?

He looks to the man beside him. He's scratching the side of his neck in nervousness. The move makes his coat fall a little over his wrist, revealing a freaking Rolex watch. Dean looks back to the woman, eyes sliding on her diamond earrings and the huge rock around her neck. 

You know what? That's not okay. His stomach has been crying for food since last morning, and he's what? Supposed to help this stranger by saying no to free lunch at one of the most prestigious restaurants in town? Fuck no. He's gonna eat like a king and make a few hundred bucks off the back of those rich assholes. 

"In that case, it would be my pleasure to join you," Dean announces with his most charming smile. 

"What?" Castiel can't help but bark. "But y-your work thing?" he tries, sweating. The round panic eyes are back. Dean sends him his best shit eating grin. They both know he now either has to invite this stranger to lunch or reveal the lie to his mother. The guy is trapped and may as well continue to play along.

"It's not as important as a chance to finally get to know your mother, honey," Dean answers. "He's told me so many nice things about you, Naomi. Can I call you Naomi?"

"Of course, dear," Naomi says. She looks a little wide eyed too, probably thrown by Dean turning on the charm to the max.

"Perfect! We shall go now, we don't want to miss your reservation. I do hope it won't be too much of a bother for them to add a chair to your table," Dean says. He should probably tone it down with the pompous tone, because he nearly added an English accent here. 

Naomi leads the way, and Dean is going to follow when a hand grabbing his arm makes him fall a few steps behind. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Castiel hisses.

"Acting as your boyfriend?" Dean says innocently. By Castiel's glare, he's not fooled. 

"I asked you to nod silently for ten minutes, not to do method acting for a whole meal," he reproaches. Naomi sends a look behind her shoulder and Castiel smiles at her like there is no worries, indicating for her to lead the way, 

Dean shrugs. "I had some free time."

"I'm not giving you more money than planned, if that's your goal," Castiel says with a suspicious squint. 

"I'm fine with the five hundred as long as you're also paying for lunch," Dean says, wiggling his eyebrows as they walk toward the restaurant. Something passes on Castiel's face that Dean can't quite identify. The other man stares at him for so long that it's a wonder he doesn't trip. He finally relents with a long suffering sigh as they enter 'Le Délice'. 

Apparently, Naomi Novak is prominent enough that they don't mind changing her reservation after all. They're seated at a table near a legit indoor fountain. Dean is looking around, trying not to let show how impressed he is by the place. The walls are made of stone and covered in frescos that he always thought you couldn't see outside of a church or castle. A waiter gives him a leather covered menu and Dean opens it eagerly. After a few niceties to Naomi, they're asked what they want to drink. Dean has an inkling that he probably shouldn't ask for a beer in an establishment like this. 

"Same for me, please," he says after Castiel ordered some wine with a name Dean can't pronounce. At least, he hopes that's wine. Who knows. Hell, in this place the bottles of water are probably more expensive than his usual brand of beer. 

Dean starts to second guess his decision when he realizes that the menu is in french. What is it with rich people and France? He just wants a damn steak, how do you say that in french? Is there even steaks here or is it just frog legs and snails? Oh god, he hopes not. 

"I think I'll take the duck today," Naomi notes. "Nobody cooks it better than chef Francis. How about you Dean? Have you ever come here before?" There is a mean glint in her eyes that says she knows perfectly well he hasn't. Hell, from the side eyes he got from everyone as they crossed the room, everyone here knows he's not from their world. There are three holes in his jeans, threads hanging from the bottom and his dad's leather jacket probably should have ended up in the trash about three years ago. Even now, it's still too big for him and the sleeves are so scruffed that they're nearly paper thin. The original dark brown color has turned to a light beige in most places from wear. His scruff is just the bad side of too long now, and he hasn't had a haircut since April, strands starting to fall into his eyes. At least, he's wearing his best plaid shirt and managed to wash up last night, so he's not smelling too rank. Why would Castiel pick him out of all the people in the street at that moment to play his boyfriend? It makes no sense at all. From the guy's obvious discomfort as he hides behind his menu, he probably realizes it. 

"Actually, Naomi, duck sounds like a delicious idea," Dean says, voluntarily ignoring her question. To be honest, he’s never even eaten duck before, but it's poultry so it probably taste like chicken. You can't go wrong with chicken, right? His stomach certainly likes the idea, gurgling so loudly that he has to hide it behind a cough. 

Castiel ends up ordering some fish and soon their drinks arrive. Dean barely has time to sip at his red wine before Naomi pounces. 

"So, tell me everything, how did you two meet?"

Dean nearly chokes on his drink. Castiel seems to gulp down his whole glass. 

"We met at a coffee shop. Dean was in line in front of me and we started to talk," Castiel explains, not quite meeting anyone's eyes.

"How quaint!" Naomi exclaims, clasping her hands in delight. "I'm just sorry that you didn't tell me about it sooner, Castiel. How long have you been keeping this charming man a secret?"

"Not-," Castiel clears his throat, "-not long."

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you Dean. I sure wish this luncheon will give me the chance to learn everything about you."

Luncheon? Who even talks like that outside of Downton Abbey?

"I do hope I'll get to keep some mystery, we wouldn't want this guy to lose interest," Dean says with a wink. He pats Castiel's hand on the table. Should he hold it or something? How open on PDA are gay people those days? Not that he knows more about how heterosexual couple act in public anyway, especially in those crowds. It's probably safer to keep the PDA to a minimum here. 

"You have to at least tell me some things. For one, what career path are you on?" She looks like a shark circling her prey. 

"I'm a mechanic," he lies. He'd rather stay as close to the truth as possible. It's a little unfair that Castiel is letting him do all the talking when his initial demand was that he stayed silent, especially since it's his skin that Dean is apparently saving, but the guy looks like he's swallowed a potato whole. 

"Oh, that's...interesting," Naomi says in that insincere tone of hers. She looks like he told her he was fucking children’s corpses every full moon. He's two seconds away from telling her that he's actually jobless, penniless, and homeless, just to see her face, when Castiel intervenes. 

"How is Anna's engagement party coming on?" 

Thankfully, this seems to be a subject Naomi loves because she tells them about every aspect of the future party all the way through their meal. 

Duck, as it turns out, is actually very good. It's more like red meat than chicken, which is a great surprise. Although, Dean isn't a fan of the way rich people put tiny quantities of food in very large plates. He eats all the dinner rolls and scrapes every single bit of sauce out of his plate, yet he's still hungry by the end of it. He nearly starts crying when the waiter asks them if they'll take dessert and Naomi declines. He's starting to wonder if that little piece of duck was worth sitting through lunch with her. 

"That sounds like you're turning this into a wonderful event, mother, Anna must be delighted," Castiel compliments. 

"Oh, you know your sister," Naomi waves it off. "It sure feels like a nice opportunity to introduce your new beau to everyone."

Dean frowns. What's a beau? Is that him? That's not him, right?

"I wouldn't dare take any attention away from Anna," Castiel tries to refuse. 

"Don't be daft, you know your sister won't care. Everyone will be so happy that you've finally found-" she passes a long look, over Dean, like she's doubting anyone would actually approve of him. She certainly doesn't seem to, "-someone," she finishes lamely. 

"Oh shoot, I don't think I'm available that night," Dean tries to play off. 

"I'm not sure I've told you the date of it yet."

"Cas did," he says. The other man perks up at the surname, but whatever, 'Castiel' is a mouthful. "And I have this huh work thing, you know? Bummer," Dean says with a fake pout. 

"What kind of 'work thing' can a mechanic possibly have on a Saturday evening?"

Dean tenses up, pursing his lips. "One he can't get out of?"

"Nonsense, you're coming," Naomi brushes off. And that is that apparently. Shit. There is a vein about to pop on Castiel's forehead. "Castiel, dear, you look a little white. Was the fish okay?"

"I-Yeah-I-Actually, do you think we could possibly cut our lunch short? I am indeed feeling quite unwell."

"Of course, my dear," Naomi says, leaning forward until her hand touches his forehead. "You're as clammy as a fish. I should come home with you, and make sure you're okay," she announces, taking her napkin off her lap and deposing it on the table, ready to stand up. 

"No!" Castiel stops her, a little too brusquely. "I-Dean will take good care of me, don't worry," he says, getting up and grabbing Dean's arm so he does so too. Dean follows his lead, all too happy to get out of here. "Stay and enjoy your tea, mother."

"If you say so," Naomi says, sending an unsure look at Dean, obviously upset at being brushed off in his favor. "Call me this evening, or I'll worry all night."

"Of course, mother," Castiel acquiesces, kissing her cheek. Dean hovers behind him. Is he supposed to kiss her too? Wave hello? Shake her hand? 

"Dean," she says as what is apparently a sufficient goodbye. Thank God. "I'll be sure to see you on Saturday," she reminds just as they're walking away. 

Cas turns on him as soon as they're outside the restaurant. 

"What was that?!" he asks, not quite yelling. He starts pacing, rubbing a hand through his already pretty ruffled hair. 

"You owing me five hundred bucks? Dude, you're lucky I don't charge you more for the fresh hell I just lived through."

"You went through hell? You?!" his pacing gets faster and Dean has an idea that if he stops pacing he might punch him in the face. 

"That's what you get for asking this kind of stuff from a perfect stranger," Dean shrugs, pushing a pebble with the point of his shoe. His red sock is peeking out from a tiny hole near his big toe. It's such a contrast to how grand everything and everyone looked in there. It's making him feel like shit. He's maybe feeling a tiny bit guilty for trapping Castiel like that too. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, albeit one with a psycho mom.

Cas turns on him, eyes glaring and mouth open in what will probably be a flow of reproaches. He stops himself before he says anything though, seeming to deflate. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breathe instead, shoulders falling. "I'm sorry. You're right. I should be thanking you. I have no right to make you any reproach when I brought this on myself."

"It wasn't so bad, though, was it? I mean, I think I sold it?" Dean asks, a little hesitant. He even used pedantic talk and everything. 

"You did as well as could be expected."

"That's not much of a compliment…". 

"I shouldn't take more of your time," Cas apologizes, taking his wallet out. Dean goggles at the amount of cash in there. 

"You really shouldn't have that much cash on you, that's, like, asking for trouble."

Castiel squints at him like he's wondering if that means Dean is gonna rob him for a moment, before he hands him a wad of cash. 

Dean's eyes bulge out, "That's way more than five hundred dollars."

"There's also an advance in there to buy some clothes for the engagement party."

"The what now?" Dean blinks dumbly for a second until his brain catches up to what is happening. "Dude, no, I'm done!" 

"You were the one to push it so far in the first place," Castiel reminds. Accuses, really. 

"I just wanted to eat fancy food, okay! Not, like, go steady."

"There will be lots of food at my sister's engagement party," Castiel tries to persuade. Badly. 

Dean gives him a nonplussed look. The cash feels heavy in his hand. He's never had so much before. This could help him get a new start. What's a night of playing Downton Abbey compared to the many many nights he might not have to freeze his ass off in the backseat of his car thanks to it?

"Why are you even doing this anyway? And why would you choose me? Do I look that desperate for cash?"

"No," Cas says after what's definitely a too long pause. Dean scowls. "You were in front of me in the coffee shop line. I heard you talking on the phone. You said you needed some cash to buy a new outfit for a job interview. Begged, really."

"Where the fuck do you get on listening in on other people’s conversation?" 

"I didn't listen, I just heard."

"You know, what? Fuck you," Dean spits, "I don't need that bullshit in my life right now." He has enough cash to get to Austin and replenish his stock of food, even buy some new clothes. At least this way he can keep his dignity rather than being insulted by a bunch of rich assh-

"Please," Castiel begs, following him as Dean storms away. "You don't understand…"

"Oh I understand perfectly," Dean says, stopping and turning around so brusquely that they nearly bump into each other. "You think you can shit on other people from your high horse and that they'll still do your deed for a few hundred bucks. Well, I'm not your freaking puppet, man."

"I have never shitted on any-" he stops himself with a frustrated groan, before turning on the puppy dog eyes. "Dean, please. Listen to what I have to say at least?"

"I know what you're gonna say. I've seen that movie before, Cas. You're going to bring me to that party, so you can parade me around like I'm some earned price or some shit. Meanwhile you get to appease mommy dearest and the clan of hyenas putting pressure on you to find a husband, while still having the satisfaction of giving them a huge fuck you by bringing a guy like me instead of the golden boy they're dreaming of."

"I-" Castiel stops himself, pursing his lips. "That's actually not that far from the reality."

"Of course it isn't. Told you, I've seen that trope before. Except this is real life and your plan sucks, so you can keep your money and I'll keep my dignity. Just grow a pair and tell them all to fuck off, will ya?"

"You sure do like saying that to people," Castiel sulks. "Are you sure you can't do it for me?" 

"Oh believe me I would love to tell your mom to fuck off, but I like my balls attached to my body, so that's a hard pass."

Castiel laughs slightly at that and Dean can feel his own anger start to abate at the sound. "Good self-preservation instinct on your part," Cas mumbles. The puppy look is still there, except now it's making him feel like he's kicked the puppy.  

"You know, we're in the 21st century, right? You shouldn't feel pressured to the point of inventing a boyfriend. Who gives a shit about that nowadays?"

"My family does," Castiel answers in a long sigh. "You don't get it, how could you... I have three brothers, Dean," Castiel explains. "Two sisters. My little sister, who is just nineteen, just got engaged. I was already seen as the irremediably unwed one and now I…," he pauses, sending a nervous look at Dean, looking ashamed.

"Oh come on. How hard can it be? You're rich, objectively good looking. Do you have weird kinks or something?"

 "I-I wouldn't know. I've never even been in a relationship before," he confesses, looking at the ground.

"When you say 'relationship', you don't mean you've never…" Dean inquires. Cas' cheeks redden, and Dean blows like he just got punched. "Wow. That sucks."

"Yes, it's very pathetic."

"What? Eh no, it's not pathetic. Surprising, yeah. But, to each their own, you know?"

Cas inclines his head like he's not sure he does know. 

"I'm sorry I tried to drag you in all of this. You seem like a good man. You don't deserve-"

"-to be served on a platter to your family?" Dean asks, searching Castiel's gaze until they exchange a smile. 

"Yes. That." The man is still looking dejected. The money is still in Dean's hand. That duck really was good. Damn it.

"The food better be freaking awesome," Dean relents with a frustrated grunt. Castiel seems instantly relieved. "And you're not pretty woman-ing me," he warns, pointing a finger at the other man. "I'm choosing my own clothes and I don't give a shit if I don't know which fork to use for fish."

Castiel's head is tilted and he's blinking owlishly, like he doesn't understand a word that Dean is saying. Figures. He's not sure how he could convince anyone that he's this dork's boyfriend, honestly. Naomi certainly looked like she wasn't fooled. 

"I'm sorry for the way my mother behaved toward you. I assure you, being yourself will be amply sufficient to the task."

"Dude, the way y'all talk, where do you come from, Victorian England?"

"I-I don't think I have English ancestry, no. Why?"

They blink at each other for some time. 

"I must be a freaking masochist."

Cas' face scrunches up even more in incomprehension. 

"Okay, let's be clear on one thing from the start. This is not a lifetime movie and I'm straight, so: no falling in love, get it?"

"I get it, Dean," Castiel nods. 

Well, that's it then, apparently Dean is going to a fancy engagement party with his new boyfriend. What a weird day... 

You can read the rest on AO3

[cullen-collective]

(teamjacobthot) fic prompt: it’s quil and embry’s turn to cook sunday dinner for the pack and they still don’t know what to make

Thanks for this @teamjacobthot! It was a fun one! <3

They were ready. Side by side in the borrowed car, they broke nearly every traffic law as they hurtled toward their destination. Their mission was of the utmost importance, and it required that they stay focused, alert, and above all, fast. The car skidded to a stop, tires squealing on the pavement, and Embry turned to Quil, hands shaking on the wheel. 

“Are you ready?” he asked, swallowing hard. 

Quil nodded, looking a little pale. “As I’ll ever be.” 

They thrust the doors open, and Embry got caught on the seatbelt as he tried to exit the vehicle, nearly falling out onto the asphalt, which caused Quil to burst out into hysterics. He hastily undid the buckle and stormed out of the car, flipping Quil the bird as he marched toward the Safeway. 

“It’s not going to be nearly as funny when the guys tear us limb from limb for coming home empty-handed,” he said when Quil caught up to him. The other boy’s leftover giggles went silent. Time to focus on the mission: dinner. 

The pack got together, rain, shine, or other, every Sunday night for dinner. Emily and Sam used to host every week, until Jared and Kim moved in together and wanted to do it occasionally. And then Paul had gotten his own place, and then Embry and Quil got their tiny apartment, and then Collin and his boyfriend, and Seth and Jacob shared a house with Leah, and everyone had scattered all over the rez. So they rotated, and tonight’s meal was up to Embry and Quil. 

Usually they were much more prepared for this, what with Quil being the culinary genius he was, and Embry limping along beside him with his high school level hospitality class. But Quil had spent all week in Arizona on Tribal Council business, and hadn’t prepared anything; and Embry pretty much relied on him to know how many calories and food groups and whatever else they all needed. Embry was mostly good at appetizers. 

They wandered through the grocery store, with Embry occasionally pointing to random ingredients and Quil waving him off. 

“No, we don’t have enough time for me to make lasagna,” he said, sighing deeply. 

Embry shrugged. “The frozen one only takes forty minutes.” 

Quil looked like he’d been slapped across the face with a white glove. “The fact that you could suggest that to me at all is rank, dude.” 

Embry held up his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying, if we needed more time, we should have come earlier.” 

“Yeah, well, you needed a swift kick in the ass and Mortal Kombat wasn’t going to play itself.” 

“But I won most rounds,” Embry pointed out.

“Irrelevant,” Quil said, still strolling through the aisles. 

They meandered around, growing more and more panicked as the time everyone was supposed to arrive loomed closer and closer, and the frozen lasagna started looking incredibly appealing. It came to a point where Embry was putting things in the cart and Quil was removing them. They got into a shouting match in the vegetable aisle, Embry insisting that no one wanted to eat a cauliflower pizza, and Quil gathering bunches of the stuff anyway. A store employee had to come and tell them to be quiet. 

“Dude, we have to find something. They’re coming in like, an hour.” 

“I know! You don’t think I know?”

“You’ve rejected any viable option and tried to feed a bunch of hungry wolves cauliflower as an entrée.” 

“I just haven’t seen the right thing. It’ll come to me.”

Embry seriously doubted that. 

Until they came upon the seafood counter. Quil walked up to it reverently. “Embry, Embry, Embry, come here. Do you see that?” 

He was pointing at a little sign on the glass. 

Crab Legs, 2 for 1! 

“Do you know what this means?” Quil asked, his voice filled with joy. 

Embry’s brows knitted. “Bad shellfish?” 

Quil punched him in the arm, which made Embry growl and tenderly run the sore spot. 

“It means we’re having a freaking boil, dude.” 

Half an hour, forty bucks, and several missed stop signs later, Quil unlocked the door to their apartment and immediately began bustling around the kitchen, demanding that Embry bring him things from the grocery bags and directing him to make crudite that people could dip in the sauce. Embry, to his credit, just got busy doing as he was asked, instead of calling Quil a crazy Gordon Ramsey wannabe, like he wanted to. 

There was oil, lemon, thyme, parsley, paprika, cumin, allspice, cayenne, salt, onion, garlic, and dismembered shellfish everywhere. It was an absolute nightmare in the cramped kitchen, as Embry scooted behind Quil to put the toast points (his own personal addition) in the oven to toast. The crudite was all cut and lightly brushed with olive oil, and he decided to start cleaning up the mess Quil was making as he cooked. 

There was a knock on the door as he threw away the last of the shrimp shells and veins. 

“Hey, man,” Seth said, not waiting for an invite in when Embry opened the door, opting instead to head straight for the living room. “It smells great in here.” 

Jake and Leah trailed in behind him, Jake bearing the traditional two-buck chuck, and Leah with a tequila bottle. Oh, so it was going to be one of those nights. 

“What’s cooking?” she asked, setting the bottle on the table and leaning onto the kitchen counter. 

“A cajun seafood boil with crab legs, scallops, shrimp, potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob.” Quil didn’t even look up from where he was stirring as he spoke. He took a spoon and dipped it in the sauce, coating the back of it. He took a quick taste, and then started adjusting spices. 

Jacob’s eyes raised. “How does he always make the best stuff?” he asked.

Embry thought back to their panicked run through the store, the potential cauliflower disaster, and the heavily discounted crab legs. 

“Divine intervention.” 

[shhhlikeme]

Hi there!! Welcome to the writing committee! I just wanted to say you’re so beautiful and i love what you’re doing so far! Here’s a request for you, maybe with Bokuto where him and his girlfriend sneak out for a late night snack. Thank you so much and keep it up 😊

Thank you so much babe it means a lot! 😘 Bokuto is a jewel omg. Hope this suffices!

————————————————

Bokuto & Operation: ‘Sneak My Girlfriend Out of Her Strict Parents House for Late Night Snacks’

Bokuto x Reader

——————————————

“So, your code name is ‘Sexy Thighs’. And mine is ‘Thigh Guy 6000.’” Your boyfriend Bokuto whispered seriously. He easily lifted you through your ground-floor bedroom window to join him outside.

Your heart was racing due to the slight adrenaline rush. You clung to his strong arms until your feet met the ground of your backyard. You turned and stuck an arm through your window so you could cover the open space with a pillow. You had to leave the window open so you could crawl back in upon return.

“I agreed to sneak out but I draw the line at cheesy code names—“ You whispered back to him. You dusted off your outfit and finally looked up at your sulking boyfriend. Immediately, you caved.

“Fine. We can use code names.” You whispered.

A wide smile crept up on his face and he lifted both of his arms in the air in triumph. “HEY! HEY! HEY! Operation: ‘Sneak My Girlfriend Out of Her Strict Parents House for Late Night Snacks’ has officially commenced!”

“Shhhhhhhhhhh!” You swatted your boyfriend on the arm when he whisper-yelled his famous battle cry, glaring at him to quiet down.

You loved him, but he was sooooo loud all the time sometimes.

Bokuto nodded and grabbed your hand. Holding it tightly, he crouched down by the side of your window as he motioned for you to crouch down too.

Humouring him, you did. You followed him as he glued the side of his body to the side of your house and stealthily tip toed over to the end of the brick.

“I’m going to check if the coast is clear, and on my word we make a run for it. Got it?”

You stared up at your boyfriend in the dark and only now realized he was decked out in all black, including a black beanie that covered his familiar grey and black hair. God he’s dramatic. But you had to admit he looked super cute since his handsome face stood out more without the visuals of his unique hair. You gave him a nod letting him know you were listening to him. ‘Go.’ You mouthed.

Bokuto proceeded to peer around the corner like he was in a Spy Kids movie. He leaned slightly to check but he must have seen something because he quietly gasped and whipped his body back behind the wall. He shut his eyes in fear. In an instant, his arm jutted out in front of you like a shield, pushing you flesh against the wall too in an act of protection. You panicked.

“What?!” You whisper-yelled. “What is it Bokuto?! Do you see someone???” Your life flashed before your eyes because if your mom or dad caught you sneaking out you were DEAD dead. Bokuto didn’t respond.

“Bokuto! Who is there???”

Your boyfriend stuck his nose up in the air, turning away from you in a dismissive pout. He was purposely ignoring you.

You sighed in exasperation, pinching your nose and closing your eyes. “Boku—“

“That’s not my name.” He snapped in a whisper. He shook his head childishly.

You grit your teeth together to keep yourself from stomping on his foot. “Okay. I’m sorry, Bokut—I mean: Thigh Guy three thousand–“

“Six thousand!” He corrected you.

“Thigh Guy 6000.”

You watched Bokuto’s pout transform into an ecstatic smile. You continued. “Did you see someone over there?”

He looked down at you. “Oh.....no. I was just practicing my protection pose in case I did.”

You swat him harder on the arm than the last time and he winced.

“You know, for such a small chick you are really strong.” He rubbed where you hit him.

“Poor baby.” You whispered sarcastically. “And can I just add that you don’t need to practice a protection pose for me— if my parents really were there it’s you that would need to run for your life.”

Bokuto chuckled quietly. “Sexy Thighs, need I remind you that I’m one of the Top 5 Ace’s in the Country? I think I can handle a little dash of strict parents.....”

You rolled your eyes at your conceited boy even though he couldn’t see it in the dark at 1:30am.

You watched as he peered over the edge of your house again.

“The coast is clear, Sexy Thighs. We ride east at 0600 hours.”

“We’re going west, and that’s not how military time work—“

Your boyfriend interrupted you. “Let me live, will you?! Let’s go.”

Operation: ‘Sneak My Girlfriend Out of Her Strict Parents House for Late Night Snacks’ phase one: Escape was a success ✅

You and Bokuto were able to walk downtown easily in the cool night. Summer was transitioning to fall so it wasn’t cold enough for a jacket, but it definitely wasn’t warm enough for a t-shirt. Your boyfriend looked very attractive in a his hoodie, shorts and beanie while you settled for a skin tight blue thermal zip-up, and black lululemons.

Bokuto loved when you wore leggings for obvious reasons.... and he couldn’t resist smacking your ass a dozen or so times in the 15 minute walk downtown.

Barely anyone was on the street on your peaceful night walk

You both loved it. The night sky, the quiet, the fact that you felt safe pressed against your man and he felt elated whenever he got to see his girlfriend outside of your parents’ strict ‘boyfriend time’ hours

Once you both got downtown it was flooding with College Student’s leaving the bars. It was very loud and bustling

Bokuto anxiously looked around to check if the coast was clear and you were far enough from your house so he could,

“Hey! Hey! Heeeey!” He exclaimed to no one in particular. People looked at the crazy boy screaming and you put your head down from embarrassment. “Man.” He smiled. “I hated whispering that before. So I had to.”

Bokuto took your hand in his again and pulled you in the direction of the food stands.

On the way, unfortunately, you were cat-called and whistled at quite a bit by obnoxious drunk college boys leaving the clubs

Bokuto gripped your hand tighter

He wanted to rip their faces off but he knew he couldn’t risk going to jail tonight or getting you caught by your parents

He just held you closer to him and shot death glares at the guys who backed off

You loved him omg

Past the clubs, Bokuto practically skipped to a stop in a food truck line. He was smiling again and you couldn’t help but smile too

His energy was so infectious

You asked him what food you two were getting and he just told you it was a surprise and to trust the process

Bokuto was so happy to be with you he could barely contain himself. He was bursting at the seams at the fact that you actually agreed to sneak out with him. His parents were the opposite of yours and it was hard to date you when yours had such strong restrictions but he would do anything if it meant spending time with you.

In the line, he leaned down to pick you up so you both were face-to-face

“I love you, Sexy Thighs. Y’know that right?”

You squealed when he picked you up but melted at his words. You kissed his nose.

“I love you more..” You smiled.

“You love me more, what?” He waited.

“I love you more, Thigh Guy 6000. Now put me down.”

He didn’t listen to you and kept you propped up in his arms as the line started moving forward. He loved having you flushed against him like this. The guys that were cat calling you would know that you were his, and It also gave him a handful of your amazing ass.

To bystanders, the public display of affection wasn’t even that odd — you two just looked like a young couple that are very much in love

Which is true

You rested your head in the crook of your boyfriends warm neck. As much as you hated when he showed a mass amount of PDA, you were so comfortable and happy in his arms. You nuzzled into the neck and absentmindedly placed soft kisses there.

“Sexy Thighs....” Bokuto warned, holding back a groan. “You know what that does to me....”

you pulled your lips away from his neck.

“Sorry. Habit.”

Now at the front of the food stand line, Bokuto used his one strong arm to support your weight and used the other to point to the menu. You could hear him ordering

“Can we please get a number 2, a number 8, another number 2, and a number 11. Oh, and two hot chocolates please. One with extra marshmallows.”

You smiled. You’ve only mentioned that once in passing and he remembered you were a simp for hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

He paid. 5 minutes later you heard who must be the food truck worker say,

“Here you go sir.”

Bokuto reluctantly had to put you down to collect his order.

You saw him thank the worker exuberantly and drop a great tip into the the tip jar. The worker thanked him profusely.

That’s one thing you loved about your boyfriend—his attitude was literally addicting and it spread to anyone he was near

He took your hand again and walked you to the river that was close to downtown. You noted that there were other couples here, holding hands, stargazing and talking. Bokuto found an empty bench and you both sat down

“Babe, you cold? You want my sweater?”

You shook your head. You felt absolutely fine and the hot chocolate made you feel even better. He was such a softie, always worried about you. It made you feel like royalty, honestly.

“I’m perfect.”

He smiled before unpacking the bag of late night snacks. You looked down at everything that was displayed in front of you.

You saw churros, deep friend oreo, a deep fried mars bar and caramel corn. Your favourites.

You smiled at him before leaping up to hug him. He chuckled again and ran a hand down your back.

“We don’t have a lot of time, Sexy Thighs. Your parents usually check on you at some point so we should hurry.”

Nodding, you kissed his cheek and turned your attention back to the snacks. You fed eachother and ate as much as you could until the sweets were too much.

You thanked your heaven sent bf again as you threw out all the leftovers.

You were on cloud nine it was an amazing date !!!!

Well, most of it. Bokuto tried feeding the churros to the birds who would not eat it lol

When you realized it was almost 3am the two of you rushed back to your house

Bokuto almost immediately went back into Spy Kids mode and even did a front roll to land in front of your bedroom window again.

You clasped a hand over your mouth so no one could hear you giggle.

Bokuto looked backs at you expectantly.

Knowing what he was silently asking for, you threw caution and your dignity to the wind and copied his somersault to land beside him

You beamed at eachother before Bokuto fixed your disheveled hair and leaned in kiss you—

Suddenly you were interrupted by hearing your bedroom door swing open

The two of you froze in terror as you listened to your fathers voice from outside of the bedroom window

He sounded like it was speaking from your door entryway

You both covered each other’s mouths with your hands.

“She’s dead asleep, honey.” Muttered your father tiredly. “She has the covers over her entire body like she used to do when she was a kid. She must be really tired.”

Then you heard the click of your door that signalled it was closed again.

Since you couldn’t move, Bokuto checked for you. He sighed in relief and only then did you let out the breath you’ve been holding in.

“Sexy Thighs, you are brilliant. How did you think to put pillows in your place on the bed?”

You told him you saw it in a movie and he looked at you like you were a superstar

Bokuto helped you back up into your window silently

You thanked him and you both leaned through the opening to kiss eachother goodnight.

“So I guess Operation: ‘Sneak My Girlfriend Out of Her Strict Parents House for Late Night Snacks’ was a success, huh?” He whispered onto your lips, leaning in for another kiss. He really didn’t want to leave. “I can’t wait until we move into together, Y/N. We could do this all the time.”

You smiled lovingly, kissing your boyfriends nose again. “I can’t wait either. And I also can’t wait until your next mission, Mr. Sexy Thighs 6000.”

Bokuto’s eyes lit up. “Really? Have I corrupted you?” He smirked when you mouthed ��maybe.’

“Well I’m glad to hear that you don’t mind being my partner in crime because my next mission is called Operation: Send Your Boyfriend a Booty Pic in your Panties Because He Loves Those Leggings on You And He Wants To—“

You interrupt him with one more chaste kiss. “Goodnight, Bokuto.”

As you shut the window you can hear your boyfriend whisper-yell: “You know if you want to keep calling me ‘Sexy Thighs 6000’ I won’t complain!”

You blew a kiss his way and waved to your boyfriend through the window before shooing him away.

He salutes and you laugh as you watch him stealthily somersault out of your view.

[croissantbae]

April 16, 2021

It’s been both a great week and a horrible week.

I’ll start with the bad: the lack of sleep. There was one night where Dani only slept for 20 minutes from midnight to 7 am. Then when she went to bed at 7, naya came rushing in the room at 730 and woke us up. Dani was so tired she started screaming crying. Then there was another night where Jason took the first shift and Dani didn’t sleep the entire time. I took over starting around 12. And she finally fell asleep at 2:30. Then at 3 naya started crying, telling Jason to get out of the bed so that I could sleep w her. She was screaming and saying “appa bye”. Normally I let Jason calm her down so that they continue to sleep but this time she was going nuclear. So I go over and lay w her. Then Dani starts crying. So Jason goes over to Dani and calms her down. Then he wakes me up at 4:45 so we can switch bc he needs to get some sleep before work.

we’re both terrified of the nights because we just can’t predict what’s going to happen. Some nights Dani is fine and some nights she refuses to sleep. Some nights naya is fine and some nights she’s a ball of terror.

Nayas also acting up more and throwing more tantrums again. There was one day where I had to yell at her twice. Once because I took away a bag of popcorn and put some in a bowl. She took the contents and threw it on the ground and threw the bowl too. It was ugly. Then there was a time when we came back from the farmers market and I needed to feed Dani but naya told me to put Dani down so I could be w her. Crying hysterically. Jason tried to take her so she could take a bath which she needed badly but again she refused. Writhing while he was holding her. We had to wash her so I just rubbed her legs with water to clean what I could while she was wriggling in the air with Jason holding onto her. Thank god we have some formula now so even if I don’t have breast milk pumped Jason can use that.

Alright now the good: memory is short so I had to kind of force myself to recall the foregoing bad stuff. We had a great day today and it makes all the bad stuff seem like a distant memory. Today we met Naomi and Robyn at Americana and the girls had a blast. Naya also played w this Armenian girl who was like an unni and really sweet to naya. There was sunshine, coffee for the adults, and lots of laughter and happiness for the kids. Great feeling. Thank you suburbs. There’s book reading for the kids on fridays so I think I’m going to try to take naya weekly.

Then afterwards at home we feasted on some leftover wagyu jimmy brought home (wrapped them in spring rolls) and jimmy and christine played w Dani and naya. They seriously love on our kids so much I’m sooo thankful. Naya loves christine. And I think christine is the only one who really adores Dani so for that I am thankful too. I feel bad for the neglect dani gets sometimes haha.

The day before we met Naomi and Robyn at the sopas farmers market and again the girls had a blasttt. We ate too much food. Think we need to give the farmers market a break so we don’t get sick or the food. Jason bought churro kettle corn. That was pretty dang delicious. Naya loves to copy what somi does. I’m so grateful that somi is a sweet kid so naya imitates her good behavior.

Then the day before we met Eileen and Jordon at the Descanso gardens and it was gorgeous. We’re trying to plan Fun weekly things to do before Eileen and Jordon move to Fullerton (ugh still sad that’s happenin). That one was a good outing. I have to think of what we’ll do for next week...

Jasons mom joined us too and I think she was originally considering not going so she doesn’t have to drive in the dark but it was so great she came. It’s always great having her but for some reason this past Wednesday was particularly pleasant. I made us a Dutch baby for breakfast and said I’d try to make something American / different next week for Jasons mom to try when she comes since she’s always making us Korean food. We then went out to pick lemons and made lemonade with naya. Umuneem made us ddukgook and then before we knew it it was time to go to Descanso gardens. It was just a fun activity filled day. Naya was also very into Halmuni. Sometimes naya can be standoffish but this day she was playing so well and it was all so pleasantly harmonious.

Also naya is way too big for this but I just carried her in the Lille carrier the entire time. I know otherwise she’d just make me carry her anyway so may as well not kill my arms. I also checked and the weight capacity is 45 lbs for the Lille so we good for another year lol. Hopefully jk.

Ok this wasn’t really a thoughtful reflection it was more just a regurgitation of events (poorly written) but this is all I can muster right now. Goodnight.

[athedemonsqueen]

The King and Queen of Kattegat (Vikings)

Season 2

Chapter Fourteen

It is an early fall morning in Kattegat. Women are picking pumpkins in the fields, corn is the new currency among the fish, and comfort spices fill the air with such a delightful scent. The smell of the ocean did not compliment the smell, but one grew used to it. While all of Kattegat enjoys the festivities, my marriage was failing.

Ivar and I sat down to an early breakfast, we have been distant, trying for a child has made us turn against each other. Ivar cleared his throat,

"I'm going to lay down, I'm not hungry." He struggled to get up and began to walk towards the door.

"You do not want to spend the morning with me?" I asked.

He turned swiftly, "No, I don't think I'll spend the morning with you!" He said, sarcastically.

"You don't have to be mean about it!"

"You know I could have a thousand wives that could give me a son, but you, why not you?"

I got up slamming my hand down to the table, "Yes, and you married me! It's not my fault we are childless!"

Ivar threw his fist down on the table, "Yes, it is!"

I gasped as his fist came down and hurt by his words, he knew what he said got to me, and I quickly walked out of the Great Hall leaving him there.

I began to hysterically cry as I ran through the streets of Kattegat. I suddenly bumped into Hvitserk, but I did not waste time as I tried to getaway.

"Hey, hey, hey," Hvitserk said. He put his hand around my face and wiped my tears with his thumb.

"What happened?" He whispered.

"He is truly a monster, Hvitserk!" I cried, he sighed, "Ivar?"

I nodded, he sighed again, giving me a tight hug, "He is just as frustrated as you, I'm sure." I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed deeply.

"Come, let's find a place to talk, privately, there are eyes here." I picked my head up to see the people were staring at us.

Hvitserk and I went to our favorite spot, and everything seemed to slip away. I like being around Hvitserk. He is fun, he likes to climb the trees and hang from them as I pass by. I noticed he goes out of his way to make me smile. As we came to the cliff I sat in my spot in the flowers and he started throwing stones into the sea.

"Whatever happened to Thora?" I asked he sighed, putting his head down.

"We weren't meant for each other."

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know," I said, getting up.

"It's fine, there is one girl I see, but-" Hvitserk stopped throwing a bigger rock into the sea.

"But?"

"She is unavailable," he said. "You're the Prince, you can simply take her," I declared.

He chuckled, "It is not that simple."

I licked my lips nodding, how I know I torture this poor boy, and I know I do and I don't know how to stop.

--

Ivar's P.O.V

Tears rolled down my cheeks and into my leftover stew as I began to regret my actions towards Yrsa this morning. The more and more I thought about it, the more it hurt me. I deserve it though, I have not been very supportive in this situation, and I know Yrsa has not enjoyed the sex. I knew that was going to happen and I do appreciate that she does not mention it.

I was in trouble. I know I was. All we've been doing is arguing and she is floating away from me. The other day, during sex I could tell she was in so much pain, and after we were done she took the sheets and slept in the other room. I knew it wasn't as pleasant for me and I hated that she put that on me. We fought all night for the sheets.

Three nights ago, I made a comment about how I had a hard time pushing into her, blaming her for my fault. "It's not my fault you're a cripple!"

I had to admit that stirred an old feeling in me, I wanted to hurt her, I felt like it was Sigurd making the comment towards me. I remember throwing a bowl at her as I fell to floor crawling after her as she ran, and then shouting,

"Sigurd!"

This isn't her fault, none of this is her fault. I've been a horrible husband, and I think having a child would destroy our marriage. A life without Yrsa will be an empty life, and I can't handle her being with another man. The mere thought sent shots into my heart and throughout my body.

"Ow," I groaned softly, rubbing my legs. Even my legs felt that heartbreak.

"I need to talk to her," I said, getting up. I went to the small garden we have in the back and picked some flowers for her. She likes yellow honeysuckle and white daisies, she puts them everywhere! She puts them by my bedside every morning, they've been easing my pain when my eyes turn icy.

I made my way to Hvitserk's house, she always runs to my brother when things go wrong. I picked my head up to see her and Hvitserk walking down the road together. She was smiling and laughing with him. It bothers me that Hvitserk dumped Thora and I know why nothing would get rid of my brother's feelings for my wife.

I walked over to Yrsa with my head down and handed her the flowers, "You know it gets rid of my pain, and I hope it gets rid of yours," I said. She took them, she seemed surprised by my act. She put them to her nose and smiled, looking over to Hvitserk.

"Well, little brother it seems you do have a soft heart behind that hard exterior."

"I can be just as romantic as you!" I said.

"You both are so handsome, and kind, I know women envy that I have Ivar and they crave Hvitserk because he's a bachelor."

Hvitserk laughed, as he blushed. Only Yrsa could make him do that. I then suddenly had a crazy idea. Odin struck me like a bolt of lighting, only he could come up with this idea.

I know a way how Yrsa can conceive a child. In many ways, it is a good idea and I don't see any fault in it and it does not bother me in the least bit. It would solve my problems for both Hvitserk and my having a child with my wife. I knew it would work.

I have an idea.

@youbloodymadgenius

[luniellar]

Sorry Not Sorry - Chris Evans X Reader (One Shot)

Summary: Chris may be your boyfriend, but it sure doesn’t feel like so. You guys have been apart for months since he started his filming schedule again. Thankfully, Chris was finally coming back home tonight. A short fluffy and smutty one shot.

Warning: Smutty

Word Count: 2K

He was right. It was definitely colder now. I should have packed a “poofy” jacket.

Chris’ way of saying “poofy” as he pouted his lips together replayed in my head. What a dork.

I tucked my hands inside the pockets of my denim jacket and pressed my shoulders together to bundle up. The slim black work pants I was wearing provided minimal wind chill protection, but I forgot to do laundry last night and this was the only pair left. Unless I was planning to show up to a client meeting in jeans. I wasn't planning on losing my job anytime soon.

The sun was setting in the background and the sky was doing its magic again. Behind the historic building that towered the city, the pastel purple and pink hues splashed the late autumn sky. Every single purple and pink color was somewhere up there, even the ones that didn’t get a dorky crayola color named after it.

As I got to the steps of the apartment, my phone buzzed in the butt pocket. Darn it, my hands were just getting warmer.

“So sorry, but you are going to have to do dinner without me.”

With a soft sigh, I stuffed the phone with hands back in the tiny jacket pocket. The text clearly impacted my mood because I was annoyed at my stupid jacket pockets. Why did anyone even bother stitching a pocket if it was only going to fit a third of a normal human being’s hand?

“Just try to look at the bright side?” Chris’ voice echoed in my head.

Biting my lips, I ran through the positive scenarios of not having Chris around. No company for dinner meant that I could eat anything for dinner and get away with it. Thoughts of cinnamon toast crunch and frosted flakes ran through my mind as I seriously contemplated each option as I opened the front door of the apartment. The familiar, but faint scent of leftover morning coffee lingering hit my nose.

I dropped the keys on a small table by the door and dragged my body to the living room. I threw my work bag on the floor and immediately went over to the thermostat. Chris was going to kill me, but was it my fault that he was gifted with body heat and I wasn’t? I was always freezing and having Chris around was like having a personal space heater, but he hasn’t been around the past few months with all the filming he was getting back into. And, I was the master of guilt tripping him.

I grabbed my phone and texted back.

“I hate you, I miss my heater.”

I did. I really did.

I settled on frosted flakes for dinner because I was craving the cereal milk after a bowl of corn flakes. I also finished the last of the remaining oat milk in the fridge. You know how people say, TGIF? Well, in this case, thank god it’s Friday because our fridge needed restocking and I could finish that on the weekend.

When Chris wasn’t around, it was hard to find time to do anything. Without him, I resorted to what my life was like before he came into it. I resorted back to binge watching random Netflix documentaries and going to bed at 9pm. On days I felt extra adventurous, I would head out to the gym, but that was very rare. I rolled into the couch in the living room and laid there blankly staring at the plain ceiling.

Yesterday, I was hoping that around this time we would be getting take out for dinner and bet on who would orgasm first before the food arrived. Loser would have to wear their underwear to answer the delivery guy.

Last time we played, I gave him the best head ever and he lost before I even got fully undressed. But, he kept on arguing through the entire dinner how he purposefully lost because he didn’t need anyone seeing me in my underwear. Sure, Chris. Whatever you say.

I rolled to the side and faced empty TV screen. I thought I had turned the TV on, but I must have dreamt of doing that because I fell asleep after the last blink in the sweet memories of us.

“Y/N”

I eyes were too heavy to lift as I was still coming out of the sleep haze, but I knew that voice. My heart was already thumping, it recognized it too.

“Babe,” he whispered. This time his warm breath tickled my ears. His lips pressed against my forehead and I groaned.

“I hate you,” I muttered and rolled over to the otherside. My eyes were still pressed closed and I sure as hell was not going to wake up to greet him with happy arms. In my mind, he was a traitor.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He was always the first to apologize.

This was one thing I personally loved about him the most. Even in the worst of the fights, even when I knew I was in the wrong, he was the level-headed being who had the mental stability to pause and apologize. Sometimes, I just want to fight and crush everything we built together, but he would never allow that. I don’t know what I would do if one day he didn’t apologize. I would take that as his way of breaking up.

I didn’t answer him back and I heard some rustling behind me. Chris let out a soft grunt as I heard his body touch the carpet. His hand ran through my hair softly. I opened my eyes, but I kept my eyes forward. The living room was pitch dark and the only source of light was the moonlight that came in through the apartment balcony glass doors.

“I missed you,” he said softly still playing with my hair.

“I didn’t,” I replied, trying to sound cold as possible.

I heard him chuckle and the familiar sound instantly warmed up my heart. “Huh, I definitely have a text here somewhere about how you miss me.”

“Chris! How dare you use that-” I ragingly turned around and met his sapphire blue eyes that still glowed in the darkness. I forgot the rest of my raging sentence.

He smiled and moved his hand to caress my face. “There she is.”

I looked at him completely speechless. He was wearing a baseball cap that framed his face perfectly. The moonlight hit his high cheekbones and the square jawline that I loved kissing was glowing and mocking me. His long eyelashes that were too good to be real on a human tore my heart apart and pieced it back together again. I had to fight the urge to grab on to his face and press mine against it.

“She’s mad at you,” I managed to get out with all the thoughts screaming inside my head.

“She still loves me.” He replied like how someone would answer “yes” to the question if the Earth was round.

“She does not,” I lied.

“She does.” There it was again.

“Actually, she wants to go back to sleep. That way, she doesn’t have to look at your face.”

His smile turned into a full grin. “You are so fucking cute when you are lying.”

I felt my cheeks growing hotter. No, Y/N. Chris is the enemy. Remember, Chris is the enemy. I pressed my lips together and narrowed my eyes at him.

“I want to kiss you,” he whispered like we were playing footsie underneath the Thanksgiving dinner table.

I couldn’t resist that.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head forward and felt his soft lips against mine. When our mouths opened, I tasted coffee in his breath. Hey, I needed the caffeine kick. Even though I was positive it didn’t work like that. My tongue found his and playfully teased around it. When he pulled away first, I was a tiny bit upset. Okay, I was very upset, but I sure wasn’t going to show him that.

He clearly saw the discontent on face and smiled a sly smile. “God, I missed your taste.”

“I missed yours more,” I argued.

His eyebrows arched at my desperate thirst response. “You know what else I missed the taste of?”

Then, his eyes shifted across the couch. His eyes looked in the direction of my legs, more specifically, the space between them. He slowly got up from the carpet and sat on the edge of the couch. He slipped his hand into my plain boybrief pjs and his finger grazed my cotton underwear. I already knew I was soaking wet just an inch lower from where his hand rested.

Keeping his eyes glued on mine, he slowly moved his fingers until I felt the warmth of his hand through my cotton underwear. I let out a soft moan from my throat that I couldn’t even control. This wasn’t fair. I wanted him so much.

I reached out a hand to grab a hold of his forearm. Underneath my grip, I felt the tensing of his individual muscle fibers against my skin, twitching and fighting the urge to rip off my underwear.

“Hey,” he spoke and his velvet voice echoed around the empty walls of our tastefully decorated minimalistic apartment.

“Yeah,” I replied with as my mind was going crazy about the fact that he was really trying to tease me.

“How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop?”

There was a strange moment of silence before we both erupted into laughter. Our happy sounds were echoing around the entire floor. Other than the fact that this might have been the worst “let’s have sexy time” comment he said, I treasured moments like this. These were the times that lingered around my memories for a long, long time.

I got up from the couch and tore his hand away. “Okay, Mr. Evans. You definitely hit an all time low with that comment. It really sucks out all the intimacy.”

He moved his body closer to mine and kissed my cheek. “Ironic, it was supposed to get me sucking your pussy.”

The way he said pussy sent chills down my spine. I was getting ready to jump on him any moment now. “I mean technically… you can still do that,” I replied, nonchalantly.

He smiled and pressed his lips against mine. Our lips went at each other like we were in high school again trying to show off who was the better kisser. It was sloppy, wet, messy, and a lot of biting. It was still perfect. By the time he pulled away, we were both panting to catch our breaths. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and planted a sweet peck on my neck. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he already knew the cue. His arms dug underneath my back and knees. He effortlessly got up from the couch, holding me close to his chest.

I looked up at him speechless as he casually walked me through the hallways and kicked the bedroom door open. It was dark here too, minus the moonlight filtering through our bedroom window placed on either sides of the bed. He walked over to our California king bed and gently placed me down.

I bit my lip as he stood by the edge of his bed. He dropped his cap first, revealing a messy bed of hair underneath. In one quick motion, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. His pale skin glowed. The moonlight reflected off his broad shoulders and firm chest.

My heart wouldn’t shut up.

His body snaked over time and pinned me down between his legs. Each hand tightly gripped my wrists. The heat from his body was pouring down mine. He arched his neck and placed a kiss on my forehead. Then, he moved over to the tip of my nose, my lips, my chin, and then down on my neck. His warm breath tickled me.

“I’m sorry for being late,” he paused.

“But, I’m not apologizing for how I’m going to ruin you tonight.”

[missguomeiyun]

Homecookings [May ed.]

Cheers to the end of another month~

I had my 2nd staycation of the year in mid-May, & it was productive! I got a lot done, for real! I did some watercolour practice~ Below are some works I did during this month; I used my Korea photos as a guide. It was fun!

I also watched some Kdramas; I highly recommend Rugal! If you’re into Kdramas like The K2 or City Hunter, you’ll like Rugal. There’s action, a little bit of sci-fi, crime (gang/organizations vs NIS teams), & excellent cinematography. Born Again is another Kdrama I watched; it’s not done airing yet so I guess I’m still technically ‘watching’ it. Despite low ratings, I am enjoying it! I like the 3 leads A LOT!

As you all know if you’re in Alberta (/Canada), things started to reopen. I’m not sure if it is a wise decision, but I will still keep on practicing social distancing. I mean, that only means I’m going to/from work anyway - again, this whole thing hasn’t impacted me all that much. In fact, when my BFFs & I had another video chat session to catch up/celebrate a birthday, a question discussed was “how has quality of life changed during the pandemic / how it’ll affect short term and/or long term QOL once it’s all over?” Tbh, my QOL has improved! Not significantly, but there has been some positive changes. I actually feel happier to be seeing less ppl (friends included). This reclusive life while keeping in contact via “wifi” has been the best of both worlds for me. I do miss going to Hmart... lol but other than that, I’m pretty self-sufficient at home. I’ve got loads of coffee, adequate amount of snacks, plenty of books to read, not running low of art supplies anytime soon. .. I’ve literally got everything that I need, you know what I mean? I even have things that are on my to-do/to-try lists that I can start if I want to *shrugs* I consider myself one of the lucky ones that aren’t affected, & I’m super grateful for it.

PS: I do need to watch out for the “Quarantine 15″ HAHA but I don’t think that will be an issue for me. Actually, who knows.. . continue reading this post & let me know if you think I’ll gain the Quarantine 15 :P

^ This is my cocktail consisting of cold milk, hot chocolate powder, instant coffee powder, & the cappuccino honey. It’s basically a cold mocha (not iced! Bcos I had no ice in it!). It was refreshing~ Some days in May were hot!

^ My homemade kimchi wrapping (cut up) pork loin. The kimchi I made (the 1st jar that I opened was kinda sour so it paired well with meats or to be eaten on its own; not the most ideal for soups). This was very refreshing! I only lightly seasoned the pork with salt & fresh ground black pepper. Then I peeled longitudinal strands of my napa cabbage kimchi & wrapped small pieces of the pork loin. Excellent appetizer, if I do say so myself :D

^ Hearty soup! I’m slightly surprised I haven’t shared this on here yet (at least I don’t think so). You know the Campbell brand creamy Thai chicken & rice soup? I LOVE LOVE LOVE that soup so much. I’d say it’s in my top 3 of the ones I’ve ever tried. Anyway, on its own, it is too salty for me. So what I do is dilute it with more veggies + water. Using about 1/3 of the can each time, I add anywhere between 1-2 cup of water with it into a pot, then add in whatever veggies I have: green cabbage, napa cabbage, mixed frozen corn/peas, tomato, cauliflower, & broccoli. These are my main choices. The amount I add depends on what else I have for the meal. The natural sweetness from the veggies give it a very good flavour, but the “background” Thai taste is still present.

^ My fancy hot chocolate with a book.. . This is my 3rd Sophie Kinsella book. I didn’t think I would be into her books but surprisingly I am.. . Her female protagonists are all kinda similar lol at least for the ones I’ve read anyway. But umm the fancy hot chocolate! It is a gourmet hot chocolate mix I purchased from the Butterdome Craft Fair back in December. I put it away & then the holidays passed.. . anyway, this was the Noel-blend, so it has a very chai feel to it with nutmeg & cinnamon. I tried a little bit of it before, & got no allergic reaction from it, so I up’ed my amount this time.

^ Random May afternoon snack while on staycation.

^ 2-ingredient baked wings. There are a lot of Asian-inspired sauces for marinating/cooking meats, I find. Like you always hear soy garlic, honey garlic, or ginger sesame, teriyaki, etc.. . you know what I mean? 1st of all, as a Chinese person, do I particular cook with these combos of condiments/sauces? No... lol I think it’s a very Westernized concept... OR the other good one is, “drizzle sesame oil on everything!” Which I also don’t do... Recently, there has been a lot of wings happening in my household, so I’m trying diff things with them. For these baked wings, I marinated the wings in (diluted) hoisin sauce + fish sauce. Hoisin sauce is sweet, while fish sauce is super salty. I think I added about the same amount of each...then added some water. Marinated these 8 wings for 5-6 hrs, then baked them for ~40mins. I didn’t turn them around, so only the skin side is dry-ish, while the bottom is moist + juicy.

PS: I prefer this 2-bone wing piece (rather than the drumlette, aka the mini drumstick that’s attached to this wing piece). How about you?

^ Upgraded rice cake + dumpling soup. I added cheese, furikake flakes, as well as 3 kim-mari’s (deep-fried seaweed rolls).

^ Simple fried rice (just egg + leftover rice, with a tsp of soy sauce)

^ Grilled meat (pork + beef), kimchi, rice, & radish + pollock soup. 1st time using the electric contact grill in 2020! It has been around for so long, but we just don’t use it; so it made its way down to our basement storage...... It now resides in the kitchen but unsure how long it will stay........ Mom thinks it’s in the way, esp for such an infrequently used appliance. Tell me, what else should I use it for so it can stay around for longer?! :P

^ Jjapa-guri wings! THIS WAS SO AMAZING! Okay, have you guys watched Parasite? If not, that’s ok, just familiarize yourself with “jjapa-guri”. Long story short, it is a combo of 2 instant noodle (flavours): blackbean sauce + the Neoguri powder. The name is a compound term of the 2 essential components. For these wings, I used my blackbean sauce (from jar), with the Nongshim (instant noodle) kimchi powder. Can’t see the redness bcos the blackbean sauce is so dark. But anyway, I pan-fried the wings, & then they’re about 50% cooked, I added spoonful of the blackbean sauce & added some kimchi powder in (also some water so there’s a bit of a sauce created). So tasty!!!

^ Basa fillet stir-fry with rice. The stir-fry contains: choy sum stalks, green cabbage, bell peppers, & thin rice cakes. For the sauce, I used abalone sauce + sugar. Abalone sauce is more salty & has a more deeper flavour than oyster sauce, so a little bit goes a long way (at least the brand we have anyway). For my singular serving amount of ingredients like this for a stir-fry, I normally add 1 almost-overflowing tsp of oyster sauce. I added the same amount of abalone sauce & it was too salty for me personally. So I added sugar (not sure how much I added.. . maybe 2 tsps?). I don’t think abalone sauce is very common to the Western population, but it’s an item easily purchase-able at Asian grocery stores! Next time you’re in one, you should buy a small bottle & try it out!

^ “Hotpot leftover special”. Threw some leftover things from hotpot & made it into a soup. Over a bed of instant noodles :P Bcos it is my staycation, so I’m eating 2 instant noodles within 1 week *gasp*

PS: I normally like the plain white surface for my photos. What do you think about this colourful tablecloth? Personally speaking, too colourful, vibrant, summer-y & bright for my liking.

^ Nestle drumstick (the fudge flavour). 1st one in 2020~ Does anyone know how long these can be stored for in the freezer? No expiry or best before date on the box; this was a Costco product & there are 18 drumsticks (9 fudge; 9 caramel). 1 box of 18 probably lasts us like... 7 months HAHA bcos we eat it so infrequently. It’s crazy, I know. Looks amazing in the photo, but the cone part is like getting kinda soft. Esp at the bottom, it’s kind of.. . chewy. Still tastes fine & everything; but the cone is softened. 

This is it for now. Hope you’re staying healthy & safe, wherever you are.

[what-the-ship]

Tickling the Ivories: Chapter 2

Dakota and Cavendish share a brain cell but Milo has full custody.

Thank all of you for the support the last few days. Part one: Here

Sunday was laundry day. The Laundromat they liked to use was moderately clean, plus it had a vending machine that was always well-stocked. Several people were milling around not speaking a word to each other. Each wrapped up in their own story.

Leaning against one of the tables Dakota glanced back and forth between the muted television hanging from the ceiling to their sloshing clothes. It was kind of trippy seeing the bright red and orange swirl together with the muted hunter’s green. When he got bored of that he would read the awful subtitles to the soap opera playing. Cavendish had the foresight to bring a book.

Long legs stretched out in front of him he was reading the book with both hands. Reading the cover Dakota noticed something about the title.

“Why’d you get a book with a misspelled title?” He asked before popping another corn chip in his mouth.

“What?” Cavendish asked in his usual Im-so-done-with-this tone. Dakota gestured to the cover with the hand holding the bag.

“They spelled ‘worm’ wrong.”

Cavendish glanced at the cover before sighing loudly.

“It’s an old English word term, that usually refers to huge limbless and wingless serpents. Over the years the meaning has been changed to refer to dragons apparently. From what I’ve gathered the author seemed to think the wordplay was worth being inaccurate with the title.” Cavendish explained barely looking up from the text.

Dakota’s possible next comment was interrupted by a bale of hay with the Murphy Trio hurling through the large glass window. Zack tumbled kicking the book right out of Cavendish’s hands right into an open dryer. The momentum forced the door to shut and caused the internal mechanism to start the unit on the hottest setting. In seconds the book began to smoke and the machine stopped.

“Sorry Cavendish,” Zack said retrieving the text. He pulled out the book only for it dissolve into a pile of ash on the floor. “Again, sorry.”

“Great now I’ll never know if Griff gets turned back to normal.” The tall man complained throwing his hands up.

“Oh? Are you talking about that Nicholas Flamel book? Its actually very interesting-“Melissa was cut off by being shushed by a fussy older man.

“No spoilers.”

“MY GOODNESS IS THAT THE TIME?” Milo exclaimed noticing the clock before it fell off the wall.

“Got to get this to Amanda before the competition.” He pulled out a pink polka-dotted present before slipping it back into his backpack.

“So planning on doing anything with your girlfriend tonight?” Tease Melissa making kissy noises.

“No. I’m going to watch my parents compete…from home.” Realizing he was ending the conversation on an awkward he turned to the two-time travelers. “Bet you two have an interesting night planned. You two are always doing something interesting.”

“Nope. This is it.” Dakota moved the hay bale where he wanted it to sit down. Cavendish sat next to him pulling out his phone.

“Besides. Why would we do anything for Valentine’s day?” Cavendish asked rhetorically still not looking up from his phone. Zack and Melissa looked at each other to mouth ‘I thought they were’ ‘Yeah me too’ to one another. Milo gave the two a hard stare, out of the corner of his eye Dakota saw a look that pierced his soul.

He knew the truth Dakota refused to acknowledge and he wasn’t pleased.

The God of mercy remembers Dakota existed and granted him a small blessing in the form of Milo’s phone ringing. Expression changing from scolding to joy Milo answered his phone.

“Hey, mom. Right. Oh, that does sound serious. Right. Yeah, we’ll find you a replacement. I love you too. Bye.” Milo still had grin as he announced his dad was on his way to the hospital and they now needed a replacement for the ‘last couple standing’ competition.

“Don’t look at me. My parents are out of town.” Zack waved his hands.

“Same.” Melissa nodded.

“Mm. If only we knew of someone else.” Milo gripped his chin thinking.

“Eh?” Melissa asked motioning to the two men now. Zack shrugged.

“Say, Dakota.” Milo took a step towards them. He fished out a flyer to hand to them.

“Not happening kid. I don’t know what it is but we want no part of it.” The teens look taken aback a little. Cool, laid back Dakota was being curt. Cavendish looked up from his phone to see what was written on the flyer.

“We’ll do it,” Cavendish announced taking the flyer from a stunned Milo. Ignoring the four puzzled looks the Brit folded the paper like a letter before tucking it into his coat.

“Alright see you at 6!” Milo smiled before leading his friends out of the Laundromat.

“Since when do you go for things like that?” Dakota exclaimed half crushing the rest of his chips.

“Not like we have anything better to do.” Cavendish had pulled out his phone again. “Might as well enjoy ourselves.” Dakota could feel his eye twitching under his shades. Unwarranted fury began to boil up inside him. All this time he’d been walking on egg shells and just…gah! Too many mixed signals man!

“I’m gunna lay down,” Dakota announced making his way to the van.

“Have a good lie down then. I can finish here.” Cavendish called out to his friend’s retreating back.

%%

Stretched over the entrance to the High School football field was a banner announcing, “The last Couple Standing”. Seeing the font they used Dakota felt a bubble of unease in his stomach. That font didn’t look too friendly. A small protest exited his mouth only to be drowned out by Cavendish hollering at him to hurry up.

“Let’s get this over with,” Dakota complained unbuckling himself to follow after.

%%

“Well, that went as well as expected,” Cavendish mumbled dragging his heels back towards the van.

“I’m starting to think Murphy’s Law is contagious.” Dakota moaned nursing his arm. The two looked like they fought a flame thrower wielding grizzly bear. Licking his fingers Cavendish put out his smoldering mustache. It all started with a single firework that started a series of events Rube Goldberg would be proud of.

“Just as we were winning too.” The grey-haired man scowled leaning back into the mostly empty van.

Leaving the doors still, open Dakota sat next to his partner to tap out a few pebbles that got lodged in there by the exploding fish tank from earlier. Who brought a two-gallon fish tank to school event anyway?

“Hey. I still don’t get why this stupid contest meant so much to you.” Dakota snapped digging wood shrapnel from his curls. Still lying on his back Cavendish pulled out the folded up flyer from earlier. Dakota unfolded it to read over the entire flyer. In the bottom left-hand corner in a spikey purple blurb, it stated the grand prize was a fifty dollar gift card to Rita’s Burritos.

“You seemed rather down lately. So I thought maybe a gift card to your favorite restaurant might help make you feel better.” Cavendish threw his arm over his eyes to give them a rest.

“You did this…for me?” Dakota was not choking up. He refused. Remembering he had picked up something earlier he reached behind one of the crates still leftover from yesterday’s clean. “Hey, I got you something too.“ It wasn’t wrapped so he just set on Cavendish’s middle taking the air out him slightly. Uncovering his eyes he saw a black orange keyboard lying in his lap.

“What’s this then?” He turned it on eager to hear what it sounded like.

“Obviously we can’t get a proper piano so I thought I’d improvise.” Dakota gestured to the three-pound instrument. There was a pause between the two of them.  Heart sinking his toothy smile faded to nothing. “You hate it.”  

In response, the taller man leaned forward to give a proper hug. He gave a small nuzzle before turning his face a little to-

They both froze for a second. In a flash the two separate wearing mirroring red looks on their faces. In an attempt to break the tension Dakota suggested a song. The two of them played several versions of ‘Going to the Zoo’ before they called it a night. Both smiling wide the two of them messed around with the keyboard well into the night.

[grailacademy]

Welcome To Grail Academy - Chapter Thirteen: Dearest

There is a tradition in almost all cultures of Remnant, fairy tales and legends shared between families that spread like wildfire, of silver-eyed warriors. Though the details and truth of this anomalie have been lost to time, the power of the words spoken is still there. People destined for greatness, being blessed with the mark of an old god. Those who believe in the magic of silver eyes were often old enough to hear the stories when they were first written. But this is not the only myth that was orated, at least in the old days. Just because the story of bright-eyed warriors is the tale that has survived the longest, doesn’t mean it was the only fable told. These same people, the elders, the old crones, the cooks, the hermits, the lineages of old families, may know another story. One with a much darker history...

Long ago, before the Great War, when the brother Gods still roamed the land with their creations, on the continent of what would soon be known as Menagerie, lived a man and a woman. They lived simple lives, secluded in the virtually untouched territory. The man was a farmer with a small plot of land, enough to grow his crop and keep himself well fed. His home was nestled on the Northern side of a large hill. The woman was a trapper with a sack full of pelts from animals that she had caught, ranging from rabbits to wolves. She lived on the Southern side of the hill. The man and the woman never crossed paths, they never saw each other, never walked around to see what was on the other side of the hill. For what reason would they have to investigate what wasn’t bothering them? They had all that they needed to survive on their own, they were happy.

One night, the farmer decided to have a meal made up of his fresh harvest. He shucked ears of corn, plucked bean pods from off their vines, harvested leaves of parsley, diced tomatoes, and pulled stalks of rice plant from his garden to make his dinner. When he was finished, he threw the leftover seeds, husks, and beans out behind his home, right where the hill started. The next day, when the farmer rose from his slumber, he was surprised to see that the pile of leftovers he had thrown away was growing sprouts, 5 tall stems breaching the loam. “I’ve never seen a crop grow this fast,” he said to himself, “the soil on this hill must be perfect for farming.” That day, the farmer planted rows of seeds, farther and farther up the hill.

The previous night, the trapper caught a large deer during her hunt, and planned to eat it for her supper. She skinned the hide, cleaned the meat, trimmed the fat, stoked a fire, and roasted the venison. When she finished her meal, she threw the leftover parts of the animal, the flesh left on the antlers, the hooves, the eyes, the inedible parts that she did not plan to eat, out behind her home. The next day, when the trapper rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she was surprised to see that 5 foxes were eating the scraps of meat and marrow she had left out. “I’ve never seen so many animals gather for scraps,” she said to herself, “there must be lots of burrows and bushes on this hill where they hide.” That day, the trapper set snares with bait, farther and farther up the hill.

As the farmer and the trapper made their ways to the top of the hill, the trapper spotted the top of a straw hat, and the farmer discerned the hood of a fur cloak. The man and the woman met at the very top, and the two of them locked eyes for the first time in both of their lives. Neither would admit it until much later, but they were smitten with the other. They began to exchange and share their spoils with each other, having dinner together every night. They taught one another the skills of their trades, raised chickens, and fashioned a comfortable life together. Over the course of many years, the two built a house on the very top of the hill where they had first met, and soon, they were husband and wife. They continued to live quietly, hunting and farming for only what they needed, and giving back to the land all that they could. The farmer and the trapper had never been so happy, they had never thrived so much before, they had never experienced a love like this. They wanted to stay like this forever.

The only thing they longed for was a child. They tried, 5 times, to no avail. It brought them sadness to think that they would never be able to share their love and wisdom with anyone else. This was the first time either of them had ever felt sad. Looking out at the 5 small mounds of loose clay in their yard brought them such grief that they could barely look at each other.

Many decades passed, and the Great War had begun and concluded without their knowledge. Then, one night, while the couple was having supper, the trapper stood from the table. “I wish to have a child. You know this. I am tired of waiting, if we cannot bare one ourselves, we shall grow one from the land.” That night, as they were sleeping, they heard whispers. Words resonating in their dreaming minds, coming from a voice deep inside the hill. When they awoke, they told each other of their dreams.

The trapper explained how she heard the voice of a woman, guiding her through the steps of a ritual, some kind of ancient magic that could bring life where there was none. The farmer talked about his visions of a dark haired woman, pale skinned and smiling, who waited for him with open arms at the end of a long cave, sitting next to a warm fire. The couple decided what they would do.

The trapper put on her fur cloak, and took a steel-jaw trap and a bow and quiver before leaving. She spent all day and night in the woods surrounding their home on the hill, watching and waiting in the pouring rain. It wasn’t until the moon was high in the center of the sky that she saw movement in the underbrush. It looked like one of the 5 foxes that lived in the warrens on the southern side of their hill, who constantly pestered their poultry at night. The creature caught its leg in the teeth of her trap, and before it could cry out, she shot an arrow to silence it and finish the job. Then, more rustling shook the surrounding bushes, and the other 4 foxes stepped into view to investigate their fallen brother. Quickly, she released 4 more arrows and shot all 5 of them.

While she was hunting, the farmer prepared a plot of soil on the top of the hill, where he knew the richest part of the land was. He dug a hole, 5 feet deep, in the center of their plot directly where North and South meet to represent the child’s parents. He planted Adder’s Tongue for healing, Bachelor’s Buttons for love, Caper for luck, Daffodil for fertility, and Ebony for protection, all around the hole. In the pit he placed 5 pomegranate seeds, for life and death. He worked there, on his hands and knees in the mud and rain, and waited for the trapper to return.

When the trapper reappeared over the hill, she flayed the 5 foxes of their fur and cleaned their pelts. The farmer uprooted the long-settled silt of the oldest grave, lifting a crumbling form no bigger than his forearm up into the rain. Delicately, the two of them wrapped the fragile frame in the fox pelts, and placed it down gently in the newly dug cavity. The soil they deracinated had turned soft and pulpy in the rain, and they scooped the mud and mire over the small shape with their hands like a blanket.

For 5 days and 5 nights, the couple waited for their desperate act to come to fruition. They were patient. At the end of the 5th night, just as the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, they heard soft crying out in the yard. A strange feeling of fear overtook them for a moment, instinctually rushing to follow the sound. There, in the acreage where they had committed which was unheard of to the world, sat a baby. Miniscule in her mother’s arms, but round and portly like a plum, the infant cried and held its arms out, grabbing at the air. They had done it. They were a family. The farmer, smiling, allowed his newborn daughter to grab hold of his calloused finger. As the child opened her eyes for the first time, she was greeted by the sight of 2 loving strangers, and the warm feeling of the sun on her head.

As the girl grew, her parents found themselves losing track of their own lives. All of their crops and spoils of hunts went to feed her, all of their pelts and flowers were used to clothe her, and all of the love they had for each other went to worshipping her. Their daughter slowly hoarded everything they had, until the farmer and trapper had withered away for good….

Of course, this is only a fairy tale, a folk myth used in the earliest days of Remnant to warn children about trusting strangers, and to teach their communities about the dangers of greed and indulgence. But this does not mean murmurs in small towns spread, speaking of black haired banshees and pale mistresses in their sights

[always-the-little-spoon]

Sterek A-Z Challenge: one word prompts

Week 21: U - Useless

Stiles completely lost his shit on a Wednesday. It was a week after he had been released from the hospital, and at first, he’d loved the sudden increase in attention, and had been shameless in taking advantage of Derek and his dad’s sudden need to dote on him. It had been fun to watch Derek scurry around the apartment at a mere suggestion or a quiet sigh. Even his dad had begun to willingly make healthy meal suggestions and choices to lessen Stiles’ apparent stress.

Relegated to cherished invalid, Stiles was waited on, hand and foot, twenty-four seven by his boyfriend and his dad, which included a myriad of increasingly ridiculous tasks from being carried from bed to couch to kitchen, cuddled by his favourite living, breathing, fluffy wolf-pillow, and sponge-bathed daily since his nearly full leg cast couldn’t go in the shower.

His dad had only tried to help sponge him down once, and that had been enough. Apparently, it had been more than his dad ever wanted to see of his adult son, and Derek had happily, almost eagerly, taken over the duties. Not that Stiles could deny his boyfriend the honour of sponging his naked body because the end results usually lead to a little more clean up.

But then, the had guilt set in.

Every pained whimper etched another crease into his dad’s already worried brow and sent Derek’s protective instincts into overdrive with his need to take care of Stiles. Derek and his dad did everything for him. Stiles wasn’t used to sitting back and doing nothing because he liked to be in on the action and throw himself into the fray. Relax hadn’t been a part of his vocabulary for a long time. Beacon Hills saw to that.

Moving to New York to attend Columbia had been a huge lift on the pressure and stress, a break in the nightmare of fighting for his life every single day, but he had thrown himself into his work, both school and job, to fill the sudden emptiness. No time to slow down. He planned to graduate with honours. But then, a little girl had chased a balloon into a busy street, and it hadn’t even been a choice for Stiles.

Stiles had woken up in the hospital almost a day later with a terrified Derek and his worried dad, who had flown across the country, at his bedside.

It was a little after two in the afternoon, and Stiles was lying in bed in a pair of boxers, and nothing else. It was difficult to fit pants over his caste, and shirts were a little too warm in the unseasonably warm weather they’d been having. His cast was elevated on a short stack of pillows, and another pile propped him up against the headboard.

A large black wolf was curled up beside Stiles on the bed. For whatever wolfy reason, scent possibly, Derek’s nose was tucked into Stiles’ armpit, and the occasional puff of hot air tickled.

Stiles pet Derek’s soft fur, running his fingers through the dark strands and played with the pointed ears absentmindedly while he read aloud from the latest novel in the series they were reading. His voice calmed Derek. It was something he learned a few months after he and Derek moved to New York. They hadn’t been dating yet, just friends. Inordinately close friends, but friends nonetheless.

Derek had woken up from a nightmare, a strangled roar echoing through their apartment. Stiles had been cautious in climbing the stairs to the little loft bedroom Derek had claimed, the same one his dad was staying in now, to find torn sheets and a partially shifted and trembling Derek gasping for air. He hadn’t recognized Stiles at first, bright blue eyes glowing in the dark. Stiles had crept across the floor, hands out in front of his body until his hand made gentle contact with Derek’s shoulder, and he had suddenly found himself pinned to the mattress with Derek growling down at him. Derek’s nostrils had flared, and then his nose had been buried in the juncture of his neck and shoulder, deeply inhaling his scent.

For a long while, Stiles hadn’t done anything beyond what he was doing now, eventually finding a book and reading aloud to Derek until the werewolf breathed easy.

A muffled cheer from the television drifted into their bedroom from the living room where Stiles’ dad was watching the game. Which game, Stiles wasn’t sure. He’d never paid much attention to sports outside of his high school lacrosse team or occasionally watching Derek play with a few of the neighbourhood guys down at the courts a few blocks from their apartment.

Stiles’ stomach rumbled quietly, and Stiles whined as he rubbed his belly. He realized too late his mistake. Derek had already shifted back on the bed beside him, completely naked.

“What? What is it? Are you in pain?” Derek asked quickly. He placed a hand on Stiles’ forearm and frowned when there was no pain, beyond a little trickle of the ever present dull ache, to drain.

“No,” Stiles said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He refused to be hopped up on painkillers, and had only been taking half doses.“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Stiles?” Derek’s nostrils flared as he scented the air.

“It’s nothing,” Stiles insisted, but his stomach gave another twinge of hunger, and his heartbeat no doubt betrayed him because Derek narrowed his eyes.

“Stop lying,” Derek snapped. He rearranged and plumped Stiles’ pillows. “Are you uncomfortable? Do you need another pillow? Did you want to move? I can carry you to the couch?”

Stiles sighed, and Derek’s expression fell.

“Do... do you want me to leave?” Derek asked. His voice cracked.

“No!” Stiles cried. He sat up abruptly, sending a stab of sharp pain through his abdomen, and he clutched the bandage that bound his cracked ribs. “Ow, shit. ”

Bright blue glowing eyes stared down at Stiles as Derek eased him back down onto the bed. A low growl rumbled in the werewolf’s chest.

“God, Der,” Stiles grunted. “Fuck, calm down. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine!”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “It’s just my stomach,” he said, but even as the words came out of his mouth, he could already see Derek’s eyes widening in panic. “I hungry, that’s all,” he added quickly.

Teasing Derek wasn’t fun anymore. Sending his boyfriend on errands or running for a glass of water had been amusing at first, but now, Stiles deserved to have his head slammed into a steering wheel again. Derek’s hands were clenched tight at his sides, his brow deeply furrowed, and his jaw tight. Stiles’ big bad beta boyfriend was seconds from an alpha sized meltdown in the middle of their bedroom.

“I’ll make you a snack,” Derek said, already making a hasty retreat. And who was Stiles to argue?

With one of his legs in a cast, an arm in a sling, cracked ribs and collarbone, fractured skull, and his body a living, breathing Rorschach test, Stiles wasn’t in peak fighting form. In short, he was useless. If a rampaging alpha burst through the door, the best Stiles could do would be to fall out of bed.

“Derek, clothes!” Stiles called after his boyfriend, but Derek had already disappeared behind the curtain wall that separated their bedroom from the main living space of their apartment.

“Jesus, Hale,” Stiles’ dad shouted, and Stiles snorted. “Put some clothes on, son.”

A few seconds later, Derek slunk red-faced back into their bedroom while Stiles snickered gleefully from the bed.

“I did try.” Stiles grinned, and the werewolf paused to glare at Stiles, then grabbed a pair of loose basketball shorts and tugged them on, completely freeballing it. “My dad just doesn’t appreciate a true work of art when he sees it.”

Before Derek could rush off in pursuit of food again, Stiles’ dad pushed into the room. “Is he alright? Is something wrong?” he asked in a rush.

“Oh my god,” Stiles said. He threw his one good arm up, and then immediately winced when it jostled his cracked collarbone.

Stiles didn’t have a chance to settle back into the pillows because Derek was already draining his pain and gently easing him down while his dad adjusted the pillows and checked his sling.

“Does he need another painkiller?” Stiles’ dad directed the question to Derek and smoothed back Stiles’ hair.

Derek frowned. “Probably. It’s been a few hours. He complained about his stomach hurting from hunger.”

They continued to debate the best course of action over Stiles’ head while they smothered him with attention and care, while simultaneously acting as if he weren’t there. It had become apparent to the that Stiles needed an entire meal, more painkillers, another sponge bath, clothes, and his hair brushed. His dad would warm up the leftover salmon steak in the fridge while Derek stripped him down and washed him. At least they were getting along. A few days ago, his dad hadn’t even known they were dating, but Stiles’ idiotic heroics had bonded them for life.

Stiles huffed and batted away Derek’s hand. “Seriously. Enough!” he shouted. His stomach dropped when Derek flinched back, eyebrows drooping like a scolded puppy. Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Sorry. No, you know what, I’m not sorry. I’m not fucking sorry. I’ve been trapped in this bed for days. I need to get out! I’m going crazy. You’re not even listening to me. Not really. I just want a snack. Maybe some popcorn while we watch a movie or I kill some aliens or something. Anything. Derek, I love reading to you, I do, so don’t walk away from this with a giant ball of man pain thinking you're forcing me, but the bed has a perfect imprint of my butt. I love you both, but you’re driving me nuts.”

The room was silent. The steady tick of the ornamental clock in the other room echoed through the loft. Derek’s shoulders were stiff, his muscles coiled, ready to bolt, and his eyebrows were scrunched in uncertain worry.

“Der...” Stiles started.

“Why don’t you carry Stiles to the couch and get him settled, son,” Stiles’ dad interrupted. He clapped Derek on the shoulder, and to his credit, ignored the werewolf’s visible flinch. “I’ll pop the corn while you two pick out a movie. I’ll catch the highlights later.” And then he left Stiles and Derek alone in the room.

Stiles gnawed on his lower lip while he studied to the moles and the smattering of hair that trailed down on his bare stomach. The hair on his arms prickled as Derek continued to stare.

“Stiles, I-”

“Nope. Uh uh,” Stiles cut in. He looked up into Derek’s broken expression, and his heart stuttered in his chest. “You are not taking the blame for this. I fucked up, dude. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.”

“But-”

“You haven’t been smothering me,” Stiles said before Derek could verbalize his misplaced guilt. “Well, I mean, you have, but I appreciate it. Dude, you’re awesome. Now come here so I can use you as a wolfy crutch and snuggle the shit out of you on the couch.”

Obedient to a fault, Derek helped Stiles to his feet, wrapped an arm around Stiles’ waist so he supported the majority of his weight. All Stiles had to do was lightly hop along on one leg with Derek guiding him. The flexing of Derek’s bicep against his waist told Stiles that Derek was holding himself back from simply picking him up and carrying him, for which Stiles was grateful because needed some semblance of independence, even as little as the appearance of independent hobbling.

Derek eased Stiles down onto the couch and surrounded him with pillows, plumping each one before he tucked it in behind Stiles’ back. Stiles smiled when Derek lifted his broken leg with the greatest expression of concentration etched into his forehead, and the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“God, you’re adorable,” Stiles sighed.

Derek blinked up at him from where he was crouched next to the coffee table. Somehow, he still didn’t believe Stiles, even when his heart never skipped a beat because Derek was the sweetest, most endearing man he had ever met. Their past may have been rocky in Beacon Hills at first, especially with Derek having threatened to rip his throat out with his teeth on a semi-regular basis, but his entire view of Derek as a person changed the day he lost Erica, and then shortly after, Boyd.

The air popper hummed to life in the kitchen, and his dad tunelessly whistled along to the sporadic ping of kernels. Tomorrow, Scott would arrive and throw the domestic peace into chaos, but for now, Stiles was content. He patted the seat beside him, and Derek perked up.

“You wanna lose the shorts and shift back, big guy?” Stiles asked, but Derek shook his head. “Alright then.” He flung his arms wide open. “Take me.”

Instead, Derek climbed onto the couch beside and curled around Stiles, mindful of his various injuries, and held Stiles like the most precious thing in the world. He was still wrapped around Stiles, nose buried in his neck, fifteen minutes later when Stiles’ dad wandered back in with a bowl of buttery goodness and ruffled Stiles’ hair as he passed behind the couch.

“So, what are we watching?” his dad asked, ignoring the werewolf snuggled tight to Stiles’ side.

“The Lord of the Rings,” Stiles said, and Derek huffed against his neck. His dad plunked the bowl down in his lap, and he dug in with gusto. “Extended release, duh.”

“Oh good lord.” The couch creaked as his dad stood up again. “I need a beer.”

[the-grumpy-panda]

That's Not A Snack Box...

THIS is a snack box! Oof. An extremely outdated and severely tired Crocodile Dundee joke? I'm sorry. So very sorry. But it's time for another snack box adventure. This time from Australia! Land of Brody Dalle! Land of Isla Fisher! Land of the Irukandji jellyfish! All beautiful and deadly in their own unique way. Thanks, Australia. This sugary, salty and unhealthy excursion is courtesy of Snack Crate. A bit pricier (although I did opt for the 'premium' box) than other boxes I've tried, but this box is quite hefty and fully loaded with a wide assortment, and for a few bucks more, they also offer a drink option, which I of course threw in as well. I want the whole experience. So as a (possibly) one time splurge, I feel alright with the price. For anyone not wanting to splurge big, there are a total of three box sizes to choose from. Of course, the lower the price, the less goodies you'll receive. Two day shipping is also already included in the price. Express shipping is also available if you simply can't wait two days. But I'll tell ya, I ordered my trial box on a Friday evening, and the very following Monday afternoon I had it in my hands. That's a hell of a fast turnaround, and I praise Snack Crate for that. The insides were wrapped in a pleasant and fun themed paper, also included was a sleeve of Australian based stickers (Fun! I'm not going to secretly decorate the desk of the girl I secretly like as if I were a ten year old...) and the always appreciated sturdy booklet with some fun Australia facts, information and a run down of all the treats included in the box. All it truly lacked was a hand written welcome and a picture from Rose Byrne to class it up a bit. Come on Australia, she just looks like a princess, put her to use! For ease and comfort, I'm just going to run down the treats in the order they appear in the booklet. So, put on some Colin Hay (an Australian transplant, but I'll allow it) music and settle in, we're off to a land of snacks atop the counter! -Violet Crumble! A crunchy honeycomb toffee center coated in milk chocolate. I was not expecting this to be as crunchy as it is. It bites as if it were frozen. Even with the density of the center, it melts nicely in your mouth. It's a very airy sort of nougat. For being as hard as it is, the airiness is still a perplexing note. This is a candy bar to study! It's also fortunately very tasty. A very smooth honey infused toffee flavor that is delicious and makes me wish more treats used this formula. A great way to start this box!

-Milo Snack! Crunchy cereal pieces mixed with chocolate powder and dipped in milk. Hmm. Cereal pieces is a vague description. Dipping in milk seems odd to me for some reason in a pre-packaged item. Can't specifically explain why. Let's open this oddity and see what we see. Upon opening I discover it looks like one of those ready to go milk and cereal bars available nowadays. This looks like Cocoa Krispies smooshed up and then yes, a layer on the bottom of whatever milk substance companies use to make sure milk congeals and sticks to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, this bar smells exactly like dried dog food, so my first, and very tiny, bite is taken with trepidation. Not a winner here. It tastes merely of very old and very stale Cocoa Puffs. -French Fries Original! Australia's original potato straw snack! Just a simple and classic salty potato chip flavor, but in straw form. These do have a pleasant crunch, though. -Tim Tam Original! Two chocolate cookie biscuits filled with chocolate cream and covered in chocolate. For all the chocoholics! The name Tim Tam seems familiar. Either I've had them before somewhere along the way, or they are so popular in Australia, knowledge of their existence has permeated out. Like Natalie Imbruglia. You know the name, but you can't remember when last you saw her and if you liked her music or not. Time to try it again. Ha. These deliver exactly what they promise. Chocolate on chocolate covered in chocolate. A nice cookie crunch that's not too hard, the middle is tasty and the covering chocolate is smooth, creamy and adds to the whole flavor. A good treat, but one that could also get old quickly. Eat in small doses. -Fantales! Smooth and velvety caramels, coated with milk chocolate. Quite dense. Be prepared to be gnawing on this little sucker for a couple of minutes. It's not great, but it's certainly not awful. Comparable to a Milk Dud I suppose, but with a higher chocolate component and better made. I'd eat one if offered, but not a caramel treat I'd actively seek out for myself. -Arnott's Shapes Pizza! Pizza flavored biscuits. Um, what exactly do pizzas in Australia look like? These crackers resemble coffins to me. Which is fine, I'm into it, but is this a general Australian pizza shape or am I just a rambling moron inadvertently insulting an entire country? I'm not really getting a "pizza" taste here. It's more like an oregano infused cracker. Not bad for what it is, but it's lacking something and doesn't deliver the promised flavor. Or maybe it does. Someone send over Karen Martini to make me an Australian pizza, please. Thanks. -Twisties Cheese! Apparently Australia's most popular snack. Corn and rice snack with cheese flavoring! Let's crack a bag! They look like Chee-Tos, but the taste is definitely different. This cheese coating seems a bit creamier or milkier and they're not as salty as Chee-Tos, which is a big bonus. All said and done, though, I like these but I don't love them.

-All the snacking has made me thirsty. Luckily I opted for the drink! Here comes Solo Original Lemon! A refreshing drink made with 5% crushed lemons! The can says so! And it absolutely shows in the flavor. This is not just another "lemon-lime" sugared up soda. Oh, no. This is like a very genuine and nicely home made lemonade with some carbonation thrown in. I dig it. It is refreshing and tasty. Back to the foods! -Chomp Caramel! A crispy wafer layered with caramel then coated with chocolate. I have nothing else to compare this to other than a Charleston Chew, but it is most assuredly not a Charleston Chew. It bears the same shape, the consistency is close, but the flavor of the Chomp is far superior and the addition of a thin wafer layer gives the Chomp bar a very nice and welcome crunch and added fun element. The caramel here is very smooth, and it eats easily, as opposed to a Charleston Chew trying to yank your fillings out. A solid winner, here.

-Allen's Pineapples! Pineapple shaped gummy candy! A bit more solid than gummy candies I'm used to, and the pineapple flavor is very subtle. Another not great but not bad candy. Pairs well with the Solo Lemon drink, though, for a weird sort of tropical taste trip. -Wagon Wheels! Marshmallow filling between two soft biscuits and dipped in chocolate. Sounds like a Moon Pie to me! Let's see if we'll notice any differences. It's certainly a lot thinner than a Moon Pie. The cookie, while soft, still has a bit of a welcome crunch to it, the chocolate is very chocolatey and what I didn't know at first was this Wagon Wheel also has a thin layer of jam within. It doesn't say what kind of jam, so it could be Vegemite jam. But since my American taste buds aren't heaving, it's safe to assume it's some sort of fruit jam. I like this a lot, and far better than the Moon Pies I'm used to, which admittedly I haven't eaten one in probably twenty years. Just not a fan. The Wagon Wheel also gets to be too much of a good thing. A mini Wagon Wheel would be a perfect serving size. -Milky Way! Yep, a Milky Way! But the Australian version is only filled with a light and sweet nougat. Which means it's a 3 Musketeers bar. Nice try Australia! I'm on to your ruse. You owe me one Abbie Cornish. -Iced Vovo! A biscuit topped with pink fondant, a strip of raspberry filling and sprinkled with coconut. These are a beautiful cookie. Ready made for presentations and for putting on airs. If you were fifteen and had no idea how to impress anyone, that is. And that's not a slam against the cookie... but it is still just a cookie. Taste wise, they are sadly just okay. I like the cookie part, I like the raspberry stripe, but the fondant and the coconut just don't work and those two items should never be paired together to begin with. But I'm going to place the majority of the blame on the fondant. A raspberry coconut cookie could have been lovely. Fondant is... it's just somehow not right. Ever. I know you know what I mean. How cake makers get away with using it so much is a mystery to me. -Chokito! A Milk chocolate bar filled with caramel and crispy rice. Or as the packaging proclaims... "Chewy Caramel Fudge! Crunchy Balls! & Loads Of Chocolate!" This doesn't quite work. It tastes like all the ingredients are quite cheap, and seems like a drunk babysitter just dumped leftover pieces from other treats into bowl and gave it to you to shut you up for a minute. This candy bar made me sad. -Cherry Ripe! A mix of cherry, coconut and dark chocolate! Australia's oldest candy bar! I would have been much better served by this were it bite size pieces instead of a whole bar. It's good, I enjoy it, but it has far too much coconut. The cherry notes are wonderful when they finally fight their way through the coconut. -Peppermint Crisp. Milk chocolate bar filled with thin cylinders of peppermint flavored toffee pieces. Those who know know I'm no fan or friend of mint, but I'll try this bar all the same. Nope. Nope Nope. Nope. It's like a candy cane covered in chocolate and the inside color is that of mouth wash. Nope Nope Nope. Don't want. -Caramello Koala! A chocolate bar filled with caramel. Pretty direct. And exactly what you'd expect. It's made by Cadbury, so it's safe to assume most of us have had a chocolate and caramel product by Cadbury at some point, or at least something strikingly similar. No muss or fuss here, it is what it claims to be and serves its purpose.

-Cheezels! Corn and rice rings with a zesty cheddar cheese sauce! Very similar in taste to Chee-Tos Paws but a bit crunchier. Not bad. Slightly too salty for me, all the same, though. -Cadbury Picnic! Crispy wafer with caramel, peanuts and raisins covered in chocolate. A very hard candy bar. Watch your teeth with these. Taste a lot like a frozen Baby Ruth bar somehow. It's alright, but it's hardness level wouldn't make me a repeat buyer.

-Golden Vines Anzac Biscuits! Just a big ol' honking cookie. Apparently these were sent to Australian soldiers in WW1 as a reminder of home. This might be one leftover from then. It's hard, it's dry, and it's only remotely sweet. Tastes like an oatmeal cookie that only used honey for sweetening. All that being said, I can honestly see the appeal to this cookie. Once I swallowed my initial bite and set it aside, the flavors really took hold and I want another bite. It's very large, though, so I imagine this one cookie will last a few days, if not a week. Which makes their part of soldier history make a lot more sense, as well. This seemingly bland and innocuous little cookie is the surprising little cookie that could. Thumbs up. -Wizz Fizz Sherbet! A sweet powder that fizzes in your mouth! Thanks Wizz Fizz. I am now coated in your powdery wares because opening this little pack was like opening a gag gift. Despite my efforts to prevent such a thing, the moment the package got the tiniest tear, its contents flew everywhere. So now I must appear to be a messy baker covered in powdered sugar, or some sort of coke fiend who knocked over his mirror. Including a tiny spoon in your packaging just the right size for a "sniff" isn't helping. Are you trying to be the "cool" "street cred" candy maker? Plus, your product doesn't fizz whatsoever in my mouth. It sat there, lumping up like a gob of remorse. This product sucks. I hate everything about it. -Last in line for this sojourn is Allen's Chico's! Cocoa flavored gummy candies! Gelatin and cocoa just do not mix. It's like uncooked brownie batter left atop your fridge for two weeks. Dang. Ended on a sad note. Just the way things go sometimes. Might be a good time to revisit the 1996 Australian bio-pic "Shine." Or perhaps 1978's "Patrick." Thanks again, Australia. Until next time, I am momentarily The Grumpy Koala. Koala's sleep up to twenty hours a day! Waking to eat, and "socialize." Now that's a life. Cheers, mates!

[katdvs]

Lucas Friar moved back to Texas at 17, now he’s running for Mayor of Rosewood Springs so best friend Zay and little sister Gigi decide he needs a little help from a political consultant.

Riley Matthews found her calling, she found a fiancé, but she never expected to find herself here, of all places.

Cross-posted to FF.net | Soundtrack | Past Chapters

-I hope you understand-

Lucas had changed into jeans and a t-shirt, he grabbed the hoodies before he went downstairs, already smelling dinner from the kitchen, finding Riley putting together a meal from the leftovers they had from the night before.

He watched her for a moment, she had her jeans on, a purple t-shirt, her hair was down, loose not styled, just her natural curls.

What he wouldn’t give to be able to walk up behind her, place his hand on her hips, brush her hair away from her neck with his other hand and kiss the back of her neck, feeling her quiver with pleasure at his touch.

“Hey” She smiled when she saw him, “I just threw a few things together. You know I kind of miss cooking, I don’t do it that often. I usually end up in a hotel and at tons of different dinners to collect money from donors, this is nice.”

“I’m glad you think so, if you’re here for long you might not after a while.” He put the hoodies down on a chair, “Thank you for putting this together.”

“It’s nothing major.” She handed him a plate, “Mostly reheating.”

God, he wanted to kiss her, screw the movies, let him make love to her all night long, but he couldn’t, no he couldn’t jeopardize her future, if Dave makes her happy, then who was Lucas to get in the way of that.

A man who could make her a million times happier than Corn Chip Dave.

“So, does Dave watch Chris Evans movies with you?”

“Sometimes, when we have time we’ll both stream the same movie or TV show.” Riley explained, “Sometimes it’s easier to do that kind of stuff when I’m away, which is a lot of the time.”

Lucas nodded as if he understood, he didn’t. How could Dave spend so much time away from Riley, wouldn’t he want to be with her as much as possible?

“I mean when we’re in the city together, we’re just so jampacked with dinners, and family stuff we have to do the catch up with everyone. Thank God for Maya and Charlie, without them our date nights would be filled with lawyers and politicians.”

“I always thought that Maya and your Uncle Josh were going to end up together, what happened?”

“Josh and Maya, they were friends, they are friends, but they’ve never been at the same place emotionally at the same time. And one day, Maya and Charlie got put together on a project for class, and next thing you know he’s got the big ask going for Prom, and they’ve been together ever since, two kids now.”

“And Josh, did he find someone?”

“He’s dating one of the teachers at Abigail Adams, where he is also a teacher, so he gets to hang out with my Dad, a lot. It’s good for them, I think.” Riley smiled pushing her hair behind her ear, “What about Gigi, she hasn’t mentioned any guys, is their one she’s got her eye on?”

“If there is she hasn’t mentioned it to me or Zay.” Lucas sighed, “I mean she dated this kid in high school Tyler, but he went off to school in California I think. I don’t know if it was ever serious between them.”

“What even is serious between two people in high school?” Her heart raced, knowing that she had felt they were serious, more serious than they probably ever realized.

“We were serious.” He looked up, “Life had other plans I guess.”

“I guess so.” She took a final sip of her water, “We should probably get going.”

“You’re right.” He took her plate to the sink along with his, rinsing them before loading them in the dishwasher, “I um, I grabbed a hoodie for you.”

“Thank you.” She smiled before he handed her the old sports gray hoodie with the familiar print, “You still have this? I loved wearing this.”

“I know, I remembered.” He put his hand on the small of her back as they moved to leave the house.

“I can’t believe you still have this.”

“I’ll be honest, it’s been in my closet for ages, I um wore it like every day the first few weeks I was back here, but then it,” he stopped himself, “It um felt weird, especially when I made the team here to wear this.”

Riley hugged the hoodie close, remembering the nights sitting on her fire escape or roof looking up at the sky void of stars thanks to the light pollution of the city, but remembering the feel of Lucas’ arms around her.

Lucas put the radio on while they drove into town. Cheerful country songs played, nothing holding any memories thankfully as they pulled into the parking lot for the theater.

“Nice” Riley commented as she looked at the newer structure.

“Well we’re a small town, but we love movies around here, so they upgraded it about five years ago,” Lucas explained as he pulled on his own hoodie, watching Riley out of the corner of his eye as she pulled on the one he’d given her.

“How about I get the tickets and you get the snacks.” Riley suggested as they walked into the building.

“That works for me. Do you need corn chips?”

Riley rolled her eyes, “Popcorn and,”

“Chocolate.” He smiled as he moved towards the snack counter to place the order.

“Lucas it’s great to see you again” the voice was as thick as syrup and he cringed as he heard it.

“Hi Dixie.” He didn’t turn around.

“So, you all alone?” She tried to hide her smile at the thought.

“No, Riley is getting the tickets.” He accepted his card from the concessionaire, slipping it into his wallet as he grabbed the small popcorn and box of chocolate, along with the large Cherry Coke.

“Hey honey” Riley came up to him, kissing his cheek, “Oh hi again, Dixie, right?”

Dixie frowned, ugh this New York bitch, “Hi, what are you seeing?”

“The new Chris Evans.” Riley slipped her arm around Lucas trying to ignore the heat she felt from him.

Dixie took the sight of them in, trying not to roll her eyes, “My Grandmother loves Chris Evans; nice hoodie, bring it from New York?”

“Actually, Lucas had it waiting for me.” Riley smiled, not knowing just how true those words were.

Dixie couldn’t believe that Lucas would be interested in this woman, was this what he wanted, some stuck up New Yorker? “Well enjoy, I heard it got awful reviews.” She was about to leave when she stopped and turned to Lucas, “I hope Gigi has been saving all her pennies, because I have, and I plan on giving her a real run for her money at the auction.”

“I think Gigi is sitting this year out, Riley will be bidding on me.”

Dixie scoffed, “Is that so, well we’ll see if the best woman wins the good Doctor here this year.”

Riley stepped forward having put a few pieces together, “Dixie, don’t worry, I will.”

Dixie’s nostrils flared for a moment before she walked away too angry to say anything else.

“I don’t like her” Riley confessed as they moved towards the theater.

“I can tell, it’s weird she comes around and you get all, never mind.”

“I get all what?”

Lucas smirked, “Pearl Harbor.” Before leading her into the theater to find seats.

Pearl Harbor, what on earth did that mean? Riley tried to place it as they sat down, she automatically pulled the armrest up that was between them.

Lucas watched as she tried to figure out what he meant, he knew it wasn’t an obvious statement, and she would protest it once she figured it out.

“Lucas” Riley said softly, turning towards him, “Look at me as if I’m the only woman you have ever wanted to make love to, the woman you want to marry.”

Lucas smiled nervously, looking at her the way he did when she wasn’t watching, “Why?” he breathed softly.

Riley gazed into his eyes, amazed at how easily he pulled this off as she reached up to caress his cheek with the backs of her fingers before kissing him. It was slow, soft, as she let herself have this moment. Feeling him run his fingers into her hair as he held her in the kiss. She pulled away, “Dixie was watching.”

“She’ll probably watch more of us than the movie.” He put his arm around her, encouraging her to rest her head on his shoulder, God he’d missed this.

Riley reached for the soda taking a sip, “Cherry Coke, you remembered.”

“Of course, how could I forget?” he looked down at her, those brown eyes, everything he wanted in the world, every secret he’d ever had were held in them, “Riley, I…”

“Sneak attack.” She blurted out, “Missy, that’s what you meant by Pearl Harbor, isn’t it?”

“Maybe.” He shrugged as the coming attractions began.

The movie played and they made their way quickly through the popcorn and chocolate mixed together. Somewhere during the middle of the movie, Riley slipped her hand into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie the way she used to when they were dating. Lucas was sure she didn’t even realize she did it as he played with her hair as they watched the movie.

This was too easy, the way they could fall into these moments. Maybe it was easy for a reason, because this was exactly where they were meant to be together. Or it was easy in a way to test them, test their resolve.

Lucas didn’t know how much longer her could hold on to what resolve he had. She would break him, and she wouldn’t even be trying to that which was the real kicker.

When the movie was over they gathered their trash, “Hey you want to check out the Wild Z?”

“I would love to, I’m curious to really see it. I mean I’ve seen pictures on Instagram and stuff, but you know I would love to see it in person.” She told him as they ventured outside into the summer air.

He put his arm around her as they walked down the street, Riley stopped him as they got outside of Zay’s bar, “Hand me your phone.”

“Why?” He pulled it out from his pocket.

“We’re doing the couple thing and taking a selfie.” She told him before she felt him lift her up the way he used to whenever she wanted to take a selfie with him. He was stronger how, she could feel it in his large hands. She snapped a shot of her smiling, hiding her face against his neck.

She for a second thought about not posting it, but no she took it for the sole purpose of doing so. She quickly typed a caption and posted it.

“What happens if Dave sees that?” Lucas slid his phone into his back pocket, already making the mental note to print out a copy of that picture as soon as he could.

“Well he never goes on Instagram, and he would have to be following you, which I’ve been on his account—he had me post a picture of his boat for him once. All he follows are corn chip companies and boat accounts.” She tried not to roll her eyes, but it happened none the less.

Lucas filed that away, perhaps things were not as peachy between Riley and Dave as he thought. Then again how could they after that cheap ring Dave gave her.

Riley was surprised how busy the Wild Z was on a Sunday night.

“Not a lot to do in town, it’s movies or the bar.” Lucas leaned into her, “It’s not as wild as a Saturday night, but also the college kids are home, so you know they’ve got a totally different schedule then all us actual adults.”

Riley giggled, “Gosh, this is amazing. Zay did all of this?”

“Gigi helped, she’s studying interior design, she’s got a great eye.”

“She really does” Riley followed Lucas to the bar.

Zay was mixing a batch of margaritas when he looked up and saw Riley and Lucas, “What are you two doing here?”

“We just got out from the new Chris Evans movie, thought we could come and check this place out.” Riley sat on a barstool with Lucas next to her.

Zay smirked, “Riley I ordered something special for you, give me a minute and I’ll get you a glass.”

“What nothing special for me?” Lucas feigned feeling hurt.

Zay rolled his eyes as he came back and grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge, “You see Lucas, I know a little secret about our girl Riley here. She loves one wine above all others. She’ll drink other, but this is the one that will always bring a smile to her face.”

Riley hid her face in her hands, “You didn’t.”

“I did.” Zay put the lass in front of her before pouring the pink, bubbly wine for her.

“What is that?” Lucas tried to see the bottle but he couldn’t see the label.

“Pink Moscato” Riley smiled, “It’s sweet, peachy, bubbly…”

“So, it’s the Riley of wines.” Lucas watched as she blushed as he pushed her hair away from her face before he kissed her gently, a short one, “Dixie just came in.”

“Gosh it’s almost as if she’s just waiting to catch us not acting like a couple.” Riley gazed into his eyes, noticing a softness she hadn’t seen since they were in high school as Zay placed a beer in front of Lucas.”

“Well, I guess she’s just going to have to wait until November.” Lucas smiled.

Riley blinked, “Um yeah, November.”

Gigi came up to Zay, her eyes on her brother and Riley, “What are they doing?”

“Gazing into each other’s stupid eyes.” He chuckled, he couldn’t believe these two idiots, his best friends were going to trick themselves into falling in love with each other all over again.

“Smooth move Friar.” Maya giggled to herself as she scrolled through Instagram, double tapping the image before scrolling on. The kids were in bed, Charlie was working on something in the living room while she went into the kitchen.

“What’s so interesting on your phone.” Charlie came into the kitchen, grabbing a juice from the fridge.

“Oh, just this picture of this sickeningly sweet couple.” Maya waved it off, “So Dave is really planning his and Riley’s wedding?”

“Yeah he wants them to get married on the new boat.” Charlie shrugged it off.

Maya put her phone on the counter before getting something down from a cabinet, “Has he told Riley about the new boat?”

“I think he wanted to surprise her when she gets back.”

Maya shook her head, “That woman is probably never coming back.”

“What, what does that mean Maya?”

“Nothing, I just mean she’s got a new client to consult and before you know it she might be back for what a week if that before she’s off to the next one.” Maya opened the jar and took a handful of trail mix. “I guess I still haven’t warmed up to the idea of Riley and Dave.”

“They’re getting married Maya, she’s your best friend, he’s my best friend. Just think we’re going to see them all the time, all those couple vacations we’ll get to enjoy on that nice boat.”

“It’s a yacht,” Maya rolled her eyes, “And where would the kids being during these great couple vacations?”

“My mom loves to take them whenever she can.” Charlie reminded Maya as she left the room.

“I’ll keep that in mind, I’m off to bed, the kids and I have a busy day tomorrow.” She called to him.

“I’ll be in, in a few minutes.” Charlie called out as he picked up her phone to put it on the charger. He was checking to see how full the battery was when he saw the picture she’d just liked.

Was that Lucas Friar? More importantly was that Riley Matthews cuddled up to him?

Charlie pulled out his own phone, looking up the account on his, and stared for a moment. If he was just scrolling mindlessly he might think it was a picture from years ago, except it was obvious that Riley and Lucas were grown adults.

He clicked share, sending the post to Dave.

No idea what’s going on, why is Riley with Lucas Friar? I thought she was working on a new campaign. I’m sorry buddy.

Charlie felt a wave of guilt as he put his own phone on the charger, wondering if maybe he hadn’t just done something to hurt his best friend, or even worse bring on the wrath of his wife.

[seenashwrite]

Gaslight.

Status: Complete Word Count: 1.5K Category: One-shot; Family; Humor; Witty Banter; Snarky Siblings; AU-Pseudo* Rating: Teen & Up Characters: Dean, Jane*, Sam Pairings: N/A Warnings: None Author’s Note(s): This is a little vignette that could be a stand-a-lone or an accompaniment to "Supernatural: Revelation”; more post-story Overall Summary: A lively conversation amongst siblings - just your typical morning in the bunker.

When Dean walked into the library, all shuffling slippers and sips of coffee, she began to read aloud.

“They could be careless people, Sam and Dean. They smashed up things and creatures, then retreated back into their bunker or their vast solitude, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the messes they had made…”

He rubbed at his unshaven jaw with his free hand, blinking purposefully more than a few times as he eased into better lighting. Threw a yawn and a head scratch in there somewhere to completely paint the picture. She met his grogginess with sharp eyes, bringing her gaze up and over the top of her reading glasses.

“That's kinda pretty," Dean commented, flopping into a chair across the table from her. Then, after a moment of consideration, he added, "I mean, it's also kinda insulting. But pretty. You write that?"

She grinned. “No. Well. Sort-of.”

That earned her a look.

“The parts about you guys are all me. The pretty belongs to Fitzgerald.”

“Who?”

“You know. Gatsby.”

Dean wrinkled his nose. “Look, I’m not saying I hate Leo, just... I’m not gonna cry if an iceberg happens to--”

And that earned him an exaggerated eye-roll-sigh-combo. He hid a smile behind his cup with the next sip. She wasn’t even in the neighborhood of serious.

“I’ll loan you the book,” she offered. “I’ve got an actual copy somewhere. It’s a quick read, you’ll be done in no time.”

“Bathroom?”

“Not that quick.”

“Who said anything about--”

Dean was blessedly cut off by the sound of the outer door banging shut, followed shortly by the inner door’s built-in alarm system of loud creaks and groans. Then Sam’s sneakered feet were bounding down the staircase. 

“Morning!” he called to them, still in a jog, hanging a right and heading to the kitchen.

“Anyway, I know Fitzgerald.”

“Okay,” she replied absently, pulling her finger across the screen, whipping through the pages in reverse, ready to go back to when Gatsby called on Daisy.

“Yeah, he wrote... aw damn, what was the...”

FLIP. FLIP. SCAN. FLIP.

“...oh, yeah - that case. Benjamin Button.”

Her fingertip screeched to a halt and her narrowed eyes met his. “What?” she shot back, a little more clipped than she’d meant to, but what.

Dean watched as she processed what he’d said, then as she quickly minimized the book window, pulled up a browser and started typing.

“I know I’m right,” he informed her. 

“About what?” Sam asked, coming to sit beside him.

Dean wrinkled his nose. Again. “You stink.”

“Well, so do you,” Sam responded calmly before gulping down more water from the already half-empty bottle in his hand.

“Shut. Up. You’re right,” Jane announced.

“Right about what?” Sam asked. Again.

“Janey doesn’t think I’m well-read,” Dean replied.

“Janey doesn’t think that at all, but she does wish you’d quit being so uppity.”

Sam and Dean both snickered.

“We were talking Fitzgerald and Benjamin Button,” Dean explained.

“No, but really - I know ol’ Scottie wrote lots of stuff, but that just seems... a little random, I guess,” said Jane.

“He’s not reading the classics on the john, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Sam told her, causing Dean and Jane to share raised eyebrows and amused looks.

“Ah, okay, not gonna ask,” Sam stated, but there was a chuckle behind it. “Look in the early 20th century section, should be under... oh... Midwest, I think....” 

He glanced at Dean. 

“I wanna say Iowa,” came his older brother’s response, and he nodded.

“Me, too. Check Iowa first.”

Jane nodded as well, closed down the window she had up and tapped the link that led to their ever-growing virtual file cabinets. 

Lots of lore to be had out there, and no more than a click or three or five away, sure. But there was just something about the rest. Something about the more personal things. 

Being able to take all of it along - their research, Men of Letters case files, John’s and Bobby’s scanned-in handwritten notes, whatever was leftover from the Campbell stash - it was kind’ve a nice little security blanket when motel bedding wasn’t up to snuff.

“Are you watching this? This is me not asking questions and just trusting you,” Jane said in an almost sing-song voice, eyes down, scrolling through an index at lightning speed.

“We noticed,” they replied in near-unison.

“Because you haven’t bothered to share with me what the hell any of this has to do with playboy millionaires or buttoned Benjamins...” 

“Want me to spoil you?” Sam asked.

She immediately set the tablet aside and perched her glasses atop her head. “You have both my adoration and my attention,” Jane answered with a smile.

“See, now why--” 

Dean sat up straighter, looking and speaking to Sam but pointing at Jane. Then he reversed course, pointing at his brother but directing his question towards his sister.

“Why don’t you talk to me like that? It’s just mean, is what it is, and it makes me think you’re--”

“Trying to hurt your feelings?” Jane finished for him, and with nothing less than a nauseated look on her face. “God, don’t say it’s that, I will be so disappointed in you, you have no idea.” 

“She’s kissing my ass so she doesn’t have to dig through the entire 20th century,” Sam advised him, then worked on killing off the rest of his water bottle.

Dean arched an eyebrow at Jane, and she shrugged. 

“It’s a big-ass file, my dude.”

“Yeah but you’re in charge of research. Sammy’s off the bench and--”

Sam made a mild sputtering sound, coughing a little when Dean’s statement hit his ears at the same time those last drops of water hit his throat.

“’Sammy’s off the bench?’” Sam repeated, slowly turning in his seat to stare at Dean.

“You know what I mean.”

Sam’s jaw dropped and then his volume kicked up a notch. “No. No, Dean, I don’t. I don’t know at all what you mean.”

“Oh son of...” Jane muttered under her breath, sliding the glasses back to her nose and the tablet to its original position.

The men bickered, but it didn’t get too far gone because Jane shortly hit pay dirt, and the conversation she began to hold with herself drifted in-and-amongst their own.

“Cross-reference by one 'Winchester, Dean' for 'Benjamin Button', nice,” she commented.

“I've never not been off the bench, so yeah - it's insulting,” Sam was saying.

“Backwards Plague, Iowa, Johnson County..." Jane continued, reading a little louder.

"You shoulda heard what she said about us earlier," Dean was countering.

"Aren't we a little old for that?" Sam asked.

"What?"

"Passing blame along?"

"...people between sixteen and twenty-four were said to be losing weight, then  overall body mass....”

“I'm not passing anything, she said you and I smash crap and then leave the crap lying around."

"...then when they got all the way down to being newborns, this 'plague' stopped and they grew up again." Finished, Jane pulled her glasses back up to her head. "I swear, Iowa is following me."

The fussing was put on pause, both men looking at her with odd expressions.

"Sam, Johnson County - that doesn't happen to be where the... shoot, what were we thinking it was? A bridge or door or whatever? Out in that field, and that man plowed under like a third of his crop to give a bunch of baseball-playing ghosts somewhere to haunt?" she asked.

"Yeah,” Sam confirmed, then looked to Dean. “Back in the ‘80s. They'd terrorized the previous dozen or so owners, of course it was never disclosed. Guy nearly lost his farm, but probably saved his family’s lives."

"Huh," Dean commented. 

"See?" Jane said to him. "I'm the research queen.”

A pause. 

“Queen-consort.” 

Another pause. 

“A duchess-by-marriage, at least."

Sam stood and Dean handed him his empty coffee cup without a word. 

Jane tried and failed to squash a tiny grin at the look on Sam's face, but he didn't seem to care, asking if she'd like him to start the kettle for her. She glanced at her watch. The research mini-break she’d spent partying at Jay’s had gotten away from her, cutting straight through her usual tea time.

“You’re my favorite,” she told Sam with a wink. 

Dean shot her a bird as he pretended to scratch his nose. So Sam thumped his ear. Typical morning.

"I forget, does it say anything else? Did anybody ever find out what was up with that stuff?" Dean asked her as Sam left the room.

"Corn poltergeists," Jane replied. 

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments before she spoke again.

“This is my life.”

“Welcome to the club, kiddo. And I meant the other thing. The Backdoor plague.”

“Backwards plague, and you know it.”

Back on went the glasses.

“Hold on, lemme see... no, I don't think... you know, for heaven's...” Jane brought a flat expression up to meet Dean’s slightly smug one. “No. No resolution that I can see. But I do see it was all written up by an Iowan M-O-L brother: one 'Fitzgerald, Harvey'.”

Dean didn't bother to hide a smirk because, well, why start now?

"I hate you," said Jane.

"You love me," said Dean.

"I know."

See Nash Write : Master  /  See Nash Write : Mobile

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* See explanation(s) for the classification & the story-behind-the-story "Revelation", linked above