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#Watch this video if you bought your home with less than 20% down.
joelucarealestate · 1 year
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Want To Get Rid Of Your PMI?
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chibisquirt · 8 months
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Unfortunately, I appear to be getting into tufting.
I haven't gone off the deep end yet. I did buy a latchhook and some grid cloth so I can paddle my feet in the rug-like waters, but I haven't bought anything else, not even any yarn for it! (I'm so virtuous.) (I actually am so virtuous; I'm severely weak to yarn.)
But I have been watching rug tufting videos... and looking up tufting guns online... and plotting how I'm going to go about this...
It's a problem.
The fact that, if I get good at it, this could become a viable side-hustle... is not, actually, any less of a problem.
Anyway here's all the shit I'd need to buy to actually get started with it, along with long-range plans for equivalent pieces. Under a cut for the sake of all y'all's humanity:
Tufting gun
This is the big one, and I find myself in a bit of a dilemma on it: you can get them for cheap of aliexpress, but like... do I really wanna trust something that came off aliexpress? I have not gotten anything off there, and while I have no evidence it's any worse than amazon, I have no reason to think it's any better, either. (Actually, I'm pretty sure some of the amazon listings at least *are* the aliexpress listings, being re-sold. So, avoid that one, at least.)
So anyway the tufting gun everyone says is the best runs about $250.
2. Frame
You tuft by shooting fibers into a grid made of fabric; in order to do that, you have to have the grid solidly suspended in the air. This requires a frame.
Price varies by size.
3. Tufting fabric (or equivalent)
This is the fabric that you shoot the fibers into. You can also use monks cloth or burlap, apparently. (Not to be confused with the other fabric, backing fabric, which goes on after everything else, and is what the rug actually sits on.) Not too bad, not too bad, monks cloth is about $15/yard.
4. Yarn
Not my *immediate* starting cost, just because oh god oh god I will be swimming in vanna's choice until I die, but yarn is also not the cheapest thing in the world. You can get two skeins of red heart super savor for about $15-$20, and it goes up from there.
5. Glue
Once the fibers are in the monks cloth, there's nothing really holding them there. That's why you have to glue the shit out of them! Recommended glue is carpet glue, Roberts 3000 or 3085 or something. A gallon of that is $25, or 4 for $50 at Home Depot.
6. More glue!
Yeah, you didn't think we were done, did you? Once you've glued all your fibers in place, you cut out the rug from the grid fabric and glue the edges down, this time with a different type of adhesive. Tutorial I saw recommended hot glue and spray adhesive, which, since I don't have a glue gun, means I'd be looking about $25 all together for them.
Once you've got that done, you can add your...
7. Backing fabric!
Non-slip is good if it's going on the floor... you can do a 6' by 6' square of this for $35.
8. Trimmers
Teeeechnically, I already have some trimmers, but if I'm gonna do this with any seriousness, I don't want to use those for it, because they're designed for human hair and rugs are made with sheep hair (or hair from the noble acryligoat). You can get trimmers that come with a little guide, too, which is super handy if you don't want a giant gouge down the middle of your rug. Call these $40-50.
9. Scissors
Once you've gotten your rug shaved--not a euphemism--you want to go in and outline each color with scissors to give it definition.
So all of that comes to about $500 if you're thrifty. 😬 And then you consider the costs that repeat, like the next batch of tufting fabric and yarn, and the costs that add on as not-essential-but-nice-to-have, like yarn cones, extra frames, labels... It is Yikes.
Buuuuuut... If I were to start selling them... I mean, you can get hundreds of dollars per rug. Per small rug. A thousand plus for a big one! So I do kind of think it might be financially viable.
Better to start it as a hobby first, though. And maybe be prepared to have a pretty big initial layout. :(
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howandreviews · 1 year
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How Popping Your Own Popcorn Can Save You a Bucket of Cash (Literally!)
Hey there, popcorn enthusiasts! If you’re a fan of the buttery, salty, and absolutely irresistible snack that’s graced movie theaters and cozy nights at home for years, then you’re in the right place. But here’s the kicker: Are you shelling out more money than you should be on this fluffy delight? The answer is probably yes, especially if you’re accustomed to purchasing those pre-made, microwaveable popcorn bags or always getting a huge tub at the cinema.
But fear not! Today, I’m here to show you how popping your own popcorn can not only save you a ton of money but also give you an even more scrumptious snacking experience. Yes, you heard me right. So put down that wallet and let’s dive in!
Initial Costs: Let’s Talk Numbers
Firstly, let’s talk about what you’ll need to start your popping extravaganza. And no, you don’t need an elaborate popcorn machine that looks like it was plucked straight out of a 1950s movie theater. Here’s the rundown:
Popping Corn Kernels: You can buy these in bulk, and trust me, a little goes a long way. A pound can cost around $1–3, depending on the brand and quality.
A Pot with a Lid: Odds are you already have one of these in your kitchen. If not, invest in a good one; it’ll serve you in more ways than one!
Oil: Olive oil, coconut oil, or any other high-smoke point oil will do.
Seasoning: Salt, butter, cheese powder, you name it!
The Real Savings
Here’s where the magic happens. One bag of microwave popcorn can cost you anywhere from $0.75 to $2.50, depending on the brand and where you buy it. A movie theater bucket? Don’t even get me started — $8 or more for something you can make for pennies at home! If you make your own, a generous serving (let’s say about 5 cups popped) will cost you less than $0.50. Yep, you read that right.
The Health Bonus
Hey, since you’re into learning about diet and health, here’s a tidbit you’ll appreciate: When you pop your own popcorn, you’re in control. That means you can ditch all the artificial flavors, excess salt, and questionable oils found in store-bought or cinema popcorn. You can make it as healthy (or decadent) as you want!
Step-by-Step: How to Pop Your Own Corn
Heat the Pot: Put your pot on the stove, crank up the heat to medium-high, and add enough oil to coat the bottom about 3 Tablespoons.
Add 1/2 cup of kernels into the pot. This will fill the pot half way. If you want more popcorn just add more. If I want a full pot of popcorn, I will add a cup of kernels. 
When the popping slows down to 2–3 pops per second, your popcorn is ready.
I like to microwave some butter for 20 seconds until it melts and add to the popcorn. Make sure you spread it so it won’t be soggy.
Season and enjoy!
So there you have it — a simple, cost-effective, and tasty way to enjoy popcorn. Saving money while snacking has never been so fun, not to mention delicious. And hey, next time you’re at a movie and you smell that waft of popcorn aroma, just think about the stash of cash you’re accumulating by DIY-ing it at home. Until then, happy popping, y’all! 🍿
I’ve got a video that walks you through every popcorn-popping step. It’s like Food Network meets “Popcorn Flicks” — only better. Click on the link below and let your snack-venture begin!
👉 Click Here to Watch the Ultimate Popcorn Making Guide on YouTube 👈
So go ahead, smash that “like” button, annihilate the “subscribe” button, and drop a comment to let me know what you think. Your taste buds — and your wallet — will thank you! 🤑
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lizzielikeborden · 4 years
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TUA- How You Meet
Authors Note: I am starting preferences please feel free to leave a request about what preferences you would like to see :). 
(💙)
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Luther Hargreeves: You were wandering around a science and space museum with a friend. You had just gotten done with the more chemistry and experiment section and decided to go sit down in the cafe with the stars overhead. It was basically just a green screen but gorgeous none the less. Around the cafe there were exhibits of the moon and planets. No one was really around due to the time being quite early. But, there did happen to be one man in front of the moon. He looked massive compared to the stand next to him that explained what that specific diagram was about, but even to the size of the moon diagram itself. From the time you got breakfast to the time you ate it he just stood there. Your friend finished their food earlier than you and had to use the restroom so you waited there. The man still hadn’t moved, you went and stood next to him not wanting to sit alone at the table.  
“So, do you like the moon or all of space?” You kept eye contact with the moon diagram, not wanting to make the stranger uncomfortable. 
He didn’t acknowledge you at first but then he sniffled and moved his hand under his eye across his cheek, “I guess just the moon.” 
“Are you okay?” You turned toward him after hearing his voice crack and noticed how lightly swollen his face was. You felt bad that he was alone, because your food had at least taken 20 minutes and eating it was another 10 at best. So he had been there quite sometime, and he looked really upset.
“Uh yeah. I guess I am.” He smiled at you curving his lips towards mouth. He looked extremely tired and sad. But of course you didn’t know him and did not expect him to tell you his life story or even how his day was going right then. So instead you came up with the only thing you could think to do. 
“Well, I know this is crazy, but you’re here alone so I assume you’ll eventually get bored of hanging out next to the moon alone. So,” You pulled out a receipt and a pen from your little bag and used your thigh as a table, “Here’s my number, call anytime.” You passed the piece of paper to him and he took it. Your friend was sitting at the table, so you waved him goodbye and went back to them. 
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Diego Hargreeves: You were grocery shopping really late at night. You had neglected to do that all day, but got bored enough at about 9:00 PM, an hour before the store closed to go shop. When you pulled up to the parking lot there were only four cars, most likely a cashier, a stocker, and one other shopper. You settled for getting a basket and only getting what you really needed. Usually you would be wide awake at night, but lately stress has been making you tired at random times. Not to mention staying up until unreasonable hours in the morning and then only sleeping 2-3 hours. You were leaning against one of the fridge doors next to the water and milk. You only needed some bottles of water, maybe pop, and milk to cook with. However you were falling asleep right against it. Until you heard a voice, 
“Excuse me.” He opened the door you were leaning against thinking you would move. He assumed you were just leaning, not sleeping. 
You felt your body move and instead of catching yourself or even being close to be able to you fell on your butt. Everything in your basket tumbled around on the floor, thought not much it looked like quite a mess. Instead of getting up to pick them up you just laid your head down on the cold tile floor. 
“Oh my god, are you okay?” The man came over and looked over you, then got down on a knee and put two fingers on your neck to check your pulse. 
“I’m alive, just extremely exhausted.” You looked at him with lazy eyes with heavy eyelids. 
“Here.” He took your hand and you squeezed his, he helped pull you to your feet and picked up your things for you. He put them back in your basket and handed it back to you. 
“I’m Diego.” Your hand was in yours again and you held it, even though it was to shake. So he shook and you followed in suit. 
“I’m Y/N.” You let go of his hand and walked next to him. 
“I hope you don’t mind, but I am gonna make sure you make it to your car at least.” He walked with you as you made your way to the self checkout.
“Thanks superman, I could really use it.” You giggled at him as you finished up. Then you took the pen from the container next to the checkout and wrote down your address and number down on the empty part of your receipt. Then ripped it off the bottom. Diego walked you to your car and unloaded all your groceries into the trunk of your car. Before he could leave you grabbed his hand and said,
“If you ever wanna check on me or anything else here’s how to find me or get ahold of me.” 
He took the paper from your hand and smiled nodding at you. He took a step back from the car and you drove home. 
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Klaus Hargreeves: A groan came from behind the trash cans next to your apartment. You decided to take out the trash since the bag was ready to overflow. Though it may not have been a very smart or safe choice, you peeked around the corner. There you saw a grown man laying on the concrete, he looked pretty beat up. You took a few steps closer and noticed more bruises and blood on his skin. When you got close enough that he could see you he flinched and curled up into a ball with a groan.
“Hey, no, I’m not gonna hurt you. What happened?” You squatted down next to him and tried to coax him from his laying position that looked incredibly uncomfortable. He looked at your eyes and rolled over onto his back.
“Being sober fucking sucks.” He groaned and you reached out to give him a hand. He took it and sat up.
“I don’t think it sucks,” you chuckled, “I think whatever happened here is what sucks.”
“Hm. I guess you’re right,” he sighed and continued, “I was just walking home, no car, can’t drive. And I guess these big guys didn’t like what I was wearing because they were staring me down,” he put his hands around his eyes as if they were goggles and made his eyes big, “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking and barely grazed this guys arm. He lost it and then his buddies decided to join in.”
“Well, I can take you home or to the hospital. I have a car and I don’t think those guys will come back to break into my moving vehicle.” You stood up with his hand still in yours. He put his other hand on the ground and stood up letting you help him. 
“You’d really take me home?” He let go of your hand as you walked to the parking garage. 
“Yes? Of course I would. Do you want me to?” He followed behind you carefully and in pain. 
You ran over and unlocked your car, then opened the passenger side door and helped him in. You buckled his seatbelt and shut the door. Then got in the drivers side and started on your way out. 
“Where do you live?” You asked. 
“Take like two lefts from here, go straight, and it’s the first building on the right.” He pointed and made directions with his hands. 
You followed his instructions and he was dozing in and out of sleep next to you. You only lived about 15 minutes away from each other, when you arrived at his place of residency he was still asleep. 
“Hi, Uh, shit I don’t know you’re name but we’re here.” You lightly shook him on his shoulder. 
“My names Klaus, and thank you so much.” He took your hand and kissed it.
“I’m Y/N and you’re welcome. You know where I live and I know where you live so if you ever need me just ask for me at the front desk. I’ll be there.” 
He smiled and got out of his car. As you left he turned around and waved at you as you headed home. 
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Ben Hargreeves: The same page hours later is where you were. You had been sitting in the back of a book store with a book you had bought trying to read it. This particular book store was quite large and had section where it was more like a library. Of course the book store was quite busy and loud with young kids picking out their first book, comic book kids freaking out over some major finds, and the people who used the computers to watch videos without headphones. With all the noise and people to look at and hear you were absolutely beyond distracted. You were about the only person in the section other than a young man with headphones on that was reading a book about a band. You were so focused on these two little kids trying to pick out books you didn’t notice someone next to you. 
“Hey, we’re reading the same thing.” He spoke out, he sounded a bit nervous but kind as well. 
When you broke focus and looked over at him he was still looking at you with a goofy grin on his face. You took a look at the book he was reading and the two of you were in fact reading the same thing. 
“Looks like we are, I think I like your taste.” You commented back at him with a smile. He looked at you questionably,
“You think?” 
“Oh well. I haven’t gotten but a few pages in, I thought this would be a great place to read considering how beautiful it is and that they sell books. But, it’s crazy everywhere here.”
“Well, if you ever want a quiet place to read, I know a good one,” he took a deep breath in, “and if you want we could read together.” 
“I think i’d like that, we should hang out and read sometime, or do anything.” You spoke with a smile on your face.
“I’m Ben by the way, and if you can’t tell I don’t have many friends.” Ben was a bit awkward and clearly nervous. He had his hand in between the pages he was on and held the book that way. You could tell his hands were shaking underneath. 
“I’m Y/N and I couldn’t tell at all.” You giggled at him and put a hand out for him to shake. He lifted a shaky hand and took it gently to shake. 
“Not at all?” 
“Maybe just a little.” You let go of his hand that you both didn’t seem to realize you still hadn’t let go. 
“Here let me write down my number and uh that place I was talking about.” He looked around for a piece of paper and a pen. The longer he was taking the more red in the face he became. You took a pen out of your bag and held out your fist. 
“Here just write it on my hand. I’ll write it down when I get home.” He took your hand gently and wrote down everything he said he would. 
“Well, I better get home and write this somewhere it can stay.” You rose from your seat and waved him goodbye with your book that was in the same hand he had wrote on. 
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Five Hargreeves: 6:00 AM, a beautiful summer sun rise, and a cup of water in a coffee shop was all you needed. You had just finished writing one of the biggest papers ever and had spent all night trying to keep yourself awake. You were simply waiting for your body to crash, so you walked to the coffee shop and got a sweet treat and some water. You were the only one there, since they weren’t even open when you showed up. The bell above the door rang and the old lady who was waitressing had just started making some fresh donuts and coffee. 
“It’ll be done in just a moment.” She spoke kindly and continued to her baking. 
A young man dressed in what looked like a school uniform sat down next to you. He looked over and you and you returned his gaze. 
“Come here often?” He asked you, he turned to face forward instead of keeping eye contact. He had a light smirk on his face and he put his hands up on the table connected together by his fingers.
“No not really, do you?” You took a sip of your water and looked forward copying him. 
“Yes actually, all the time, well I used to at least. Just now getting back to being around here.” He tapped his right hand on the table, disconnecting it from the other one. 
The old woman came back over and put a mug of black coffee directly in front of him. He nodded his head and thanked her, picking up his cup he sipped at the coffee. 
“You drink black coffee? Just like that?” You questioned, you had never really seen anyone your age not put anything in their coffee.
“Yes.” He gestured toward his cup showing you that there was clearly nothing else in it.
“Hm. Never had it.” You drank the last of your water and sat the glass down. 
“Maybe you should come around here more, I’ll get you some to try.” He said looking at you again as you rose from your seat. 
“Maybe I will.” You smiled at him. 
“I know you will.” He smiled back and then turned back around.
He knows I will? What? You thought to yourself after stepping outside into the warm air. You thought he was quite weird, but that was the least of it. Just wait until the day you learned his name was Five. 
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Cloudy afternoons [Corpse x reader]
Paring: Corpse husband x Female!reader
Summary: part 2 of Rainy days. Read part 1 here.
Warnings: Toxic relationships. It’s bittersweet. That’s what it is.
Words: 1.6k
A/N: Open for requests. 
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
You had worked harder on your channel again, after having seen Corpse. You had felt a great wave of relief that day when you came home. Your work ethic had slowly come back, and now two weeks had passed, you had forgotten about your promise, until your paycheck had rolled in. You had promised to pay him back for the groceries.
You lean back in your chair as you watched the uploading bar go up. Lunch is rolling around the corner, but you have places to be… People to visit… Corpse. You shake your head, not needing to cloud your mind, you still have to announce the video on your twitter before calling it a day. What should you even say, this was so much easier when there was someone else there. Even to just catch a spelling mistake or bounce off ideas. You glance back at your bed, at the spot where he used to sit whenever you would record with him there. You have since then moved your bed to the other side of the room, not needing a reminder everytime you walked in there. But something in you had felt wrong that there wasn’t a spot for him. In case he ever came back wandering in your door. So you had bought a comfy chair to put there instead. It still felt wrong, but it felt less wrong than leaving the spot bare. Just in case you kept telling yourself.
It took you nearly an hour to announce your new video, you’re pretty sure by the time you hit post you had gone by upmost 20 different drafts. Your video wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but today was. Today was certainly out of the ordinary.
By the time you had grabbed your keys, gathered your things, and grabbed your credit card, 1 pm had rolled around. You are headed to the bus stop, it wasn’t as cold as the last time you went outside of your apartment, spring were starting to take its toll on the weather, but when the sun was hidden away by that thick blanket of clouds, the cold went straight to your bones. You pull the jacket closer, regretting not pulling on that hoodie on. His hoodie.
You hate how it has stopped smelling like him. But it has been months since he saw the inside of your apartment, and even longer since he forgot the sweater there. You cuddle up with at night when you get desperate, like now, you miss it even more. His voice and scent has always been calming to you.
You pass the bus driver without saying a word, and falls into one of the seats further in the back, less noise here. As you rest your head against the seat, you wish you could have sent someone else out to do this for you. But who should you ask? You had driven them away in your attempt to be good enough for Corpse and look where that left you. On your way to him. You groan and run your hands over your head, c’mon Y/N think about something else. Anything. You look out the window as you pass by the grocery store, going further with the bus this time. You sigh as you get up and watch as another stop pass by your eyes, before you press stop, and wait for the bus to slow down. You walk out of it, first now realising there had been a crying child in it as you step into the nearly deserted streets. You know the next stop is closer to the local ATM, but you always used to get off here with Corpse. You still do.
You walk through the alleyways, resisting the urge to run your hands along the buildings. Had Corpse been here he would have asked if something was wrong? If you were okay. But then when you answered, he would brush it off with a “well that makes two of us.” You used to find comfort in those words. You’re not sure you can do that anymore.
You can see the alleyway opening up further ahead, leading onto the busy street of the midtown. You’ve always hated the crowds, but being two, somehow made them feel smaller, and more tolerable, but as one. They felt overcrowded, the noise too loud, simultaneously drowning you, while keeping you from drowning in your own thoughts. You needed to get Corpse out of your head. This wasn’t healthy.
You stay close to the shop fronts, keeping away from the busiest part of the street middle. You can see the ATM ahead of you. Like a lifeline in the sea of people. You pull yourself together enough to make it over there. The money quickly drawn, and you’re on your way away from there. You know you don’t have the exact number, a small amount too much, but you just needed to hand it over, and you could be free. You could set yourself free.
You escape the busy street, and back onto the road watching as the bus pass you. Happy to be away from the sea of people.
Wait the bus!
You start running and running and running, your legs carrying you with the same phase as your head has been running at all day. But you watch as it pulls away from the stop, and you stop to catch your breath. You pull out your phone to check the time, 3:14 pm. Last bus heading corpses way for the day has just left you stranded in midtown. You suck in a breath as you realise you have to walk the 2 hour walk to him now. You’re not giving up now. You’ve come this far.
You set the phase as you look around in your bag for your headphones, but as you come up empty handed. Realisation dawns on you, you left them in the kitchen. 2 hours in silence is going to be torture. But the payoff will be something you’ve been wanting every day, since he cast you aside last time.
Your mind does stay silent for long before it starts to wonder. The first time you met, a library in town, you were there to write a paper on a subject that has long since escaped your mind, and Corpse there to just be somewhere where he wasn’t alone. The two of you finding comfort in being each others company with much talk to pass between you. You wrap your arms around yourself, as you keep moving along the road.
The comfort in not being alone but still in silence was something you missed the most. But then you had to start developing feelings, and he had to start getting big. He took off without you. You scoff out loud. Fuck the Youtube algorithm. You would still be with your best friend, talking to him if it hadn’t started to promote what he did. Sure, it would be hell for you, looking after him and watch him self-destruct each day. But you would be there.
The weather is getting colder when you round the first hour. The early spring not doing much for warmth yet. You really regret not grabbing that sweater. You’re hoping he still has some of your old forgotten clothes at his place. Like the yellow sweater he loves so much. He would always tell you that you were like a second sun. You scoff again, there that word was again, second. Never first, never a win. Always second, always so close, yet so far form being the best. What if he has thrown it out?
You stop dead in your tracks, you never thought about if he ever moved on. He was the one who told you to stop being around when his new friends were on call. It started so small, you should have realised he was beginning to push you away the day he closed the door to his studio without mentioning it. You should have realised it when he made up excuses as to why he couldn’t come over. You should have realised it when he asked you to give him space, because he felt like you were suffocating him. But you didn’t until it was too late, when you called, and the lady in the phone told you the number no longer existed.
You sigh, as you remember that morning far to detailed, still an open wound. That’s trying to heal, but is so clearly not healing right.
It doesn’t take long after your let go of that thought till you’re standing in the apartment hallway, watching the set of stair you have to climb. Like a final challenge you must excel before meeting the boss at the end. You have the sound of each step memorised as you ascend them. All 23.
You stand by his door. The bills held tightly in your hand as you take a final breath before knocking. You hear rustling from inside the apartment. Then the door opens, and he stands there right in front of you in all of his glory. A surprised look on his face as you hand him the dollars.
You can’t do this. Fuck. Why does he have to be here to take the money? Why didn’t you just leave it in the mailbox in a letter?
You’re ready to back away and turn around, when he grabs your shoulders. You look healthier, happier and more like the you he used to know. Not the shell he met at the grocery store. He doesn’t know why, but he pulls you into him. And before he knows why, his lips are on yours.
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Just had some headcanons about Machi pop into my head that I wanted to share with yall. So we know this poor girl struggles with "perfect"/neat things right? Well I was thinking about some healthy coping mechanisms she could develop to replace the whole 'breaking property/living in a dump' thing & here's what I got so far -
1. She always tries to wear odd socks (unless she's invited somewhere nice)
2. Ayame & Mine help her find cool asymmetrical stuff to wear, how to make clashing colours/patterns work for her & teach her how to sew up her old clothes in a more "punk rock" way (after Yuki & Kakeru explain some of her issues with perfection)
3. Tohru gently points out that she dosn't have to tie her laces the same way on both shoes if she dosn't want to
4. Haru & Rin (awkwardly on her part) teach her the power of acessorising (ie. wearing only one earing, putting on an uneven amount of bracelets/rings/necklaces, adding paper clips of different sizes & colours to your clothing & Machi later ends up adding stuff like buttons to her outfits/belongings as well which Haru & Rin are tottally surppotive of despite thier difference in style) & hair/makeup which (thanks to Yuki's advice) they make sure to keep slightly messy (Kimi laughed at it at first until Momiji made her feel bad after he told her that Machi had gone to the bathroon & wiped off all the make up & undid the hair style so Kimi bought her some limited edition Mogeta merch, after asking for Yuki's advice, in apolgey & started referring to Machi's new hair/makeup style as "punk chic" whenever anyone tried to mock Machi about her new look)
5. her & Momiji go on a crazy tie dying adventure (much to Hatori's grumbling & Mayu's amusement)
6. Kormaki gets her into collecting second hand fridge magnets which she then later uses in her work (my version of post-serise Machi is an artist) once the magnetism finally wears off
7. Kagura teaches her how to fix up old plushies (Machi likes creating Mogeta inspired characters) & gives Machi all her old cat ones to work on (Machi descides not to ask why Yuki's cousin was seemingly once obssesd with orange cats because she looks rather embrassed & a little sad when she hands over her collection)
8. Kyo reluctantly teaches her how to cook a few simple dishes (Tohru comes over as well & Yuki insists her food is better but Machi prefers Kyo's simple style of presentation so it's eventually descided that Kyo & her will do the cooking & Tohru & Yuki will deal with the cleaning which Yuki agrees to becuse cleaning is still difficult for Machi but Kyo says it's actually because no matter how much Tohru tried to train him rat boy knows he would never be able to do anything in the kitchen but burn water)
9. Kakeru teaches her the skills of 'excessive badge & sticker decorating' as well as giving eachother fake tattoos (Kisa congratulates Hiro on not saying anything rude to Yuki's girlfriend about her appreance after they first meet her)
10. Cuts her hair short (she delibretly makes it very choppy) once she enters university, where the rules are less strict about your apprence (at least it is if your at art college), & she also regulary wears diffrent coloured wigs (her favourites being a dark red one & a rainbow one) whenever she wants to temporarily change her appearance (beacuse she didn't want to commit to just one look, still wanted to have the ability to quickly "become invisable" again & she heard from Kimi that exsseive hair die-ing could permantly destroy her hair & scalp) it takes her until she's 30 to try out shaving all her hair off (she worried she'd look sick/crazy or not feminine enough) & everyone's really surppotive (though Kimi dose cry a bit, Rin & Haru aren't there when her hair is being shaved & Kyo is a slightly confused as he'd always thought women liked having longer hair then guys) especially Ritsu (who's growing out thier hair again) & they all throw her a big party (Haru & Rin are there for the party bit just not the hair removal bit because it brought up some bad memories) where Kakeru films it & posts it (with Machi's permission) & they give her cut off hair to a charity chosen by all thier followers (despite her disbelief Machi has manged to gain a small group of loyal fans from all her art stuff & her apprences on her loved ones social media), Kakeru also later uploads a video where they help Machi rainbow dye her buzz cut, (she later explores many diffrent types of buzz cut patterns such as flowers & geometric shapes but, at Kimi's insistence, gets them done by a professional)
11. She recycles & D.Y.I's like crazy (Momiji started singing Do Re Mi from The Sound Of Music after she told him that her new dress was actually made from curtains & Yuki cried when she gave him a little rat plushie made from felt, after he came clean to her about the curse)
12. She almost never wears an apron while working on her art because she likes getting messy
13. When her & Yuki go out to eat she loves things like fondoe (both the chocolate & cheese kind), eat N mess & is genreually just a fan of finger food & it becomes a tradition between her & Yuki (& later Mutsuki) to go on a stroll through the park after thier meal & (if it's autumn) look for piles of leaves to jump in (Machi & Yuki also like playing a game where they try to look for the weirdest looking leaf to give eachother & whoever wins gets to pick what they'll eat for dinner that evening & the looser has to cook it, Mutsuki is the "impartial" judge)
14. Machi is amazing at scrapbooking & collarge making (Tohru is more of a dream journal kind of girl)
15. When it's Summer her, Yuki & Mutsuki go down to the beach to see who can find the weirdest looking rocks (the less impressive ones often get used in Machi's art work, the coolest ones Mutsuki gets to keep & any that are too perfect get tossed back in the ocean & Mutsuki likes to score the splashes they make on how big/loud they are)
16. She loves helping Yuki out with gardening for lots of reasons (it's therapeutic & she loves seeing Yuki happy) but she can't deny it's also just fun getting muddy
17. Machi, thanks to Kakeru, devolpes a love of paint ball (but instead of using guns they just throw the paint at eachother like in 10 Things I Hate About You because apparently the gun pellets actually hurt) & will bring it up as an activity idea to her loved ones any chanse she gets
18. Decorates as much of her flat (& later her home with Yuki & Mutsuki) with Mogeta merchandise, random things she collects & her own art work as a big fuck you to her bitch "you have 0 personality/hobbies or talents" of a mother
19. Kisa (happily) & Hiro (reluctantly) introduce Machi to the magic of glitter
20. Machi & Rin eventually become proper friends due to bonding over being abounded by their asshole parents & one of the things they like to do together is work on thier seprete art peices while listening to music (Machi dosn't do any of her "aggressive" art, like plate smashing, around Rin though thanks to Yuki & Haru warnings)
21. When stuff gets to be too much & none of thier other coping strategies are working (like watching Mogeta stoned- which Kisa, Tohru & Momiji do not partake in) Machi & Haru bond by going to rage rooms together to destroy shit & scream (Haru obviously dosn't want Rin around for any of that though so Momiji, Tohru, Kagura or Hana will often take the opportunity to hang out with her, one time Yuki offered & it wasn't bad but it was definitely awkward as they had never really hung out without Haru before & Haru teases her for ages afterwards about her ending up liking Yuki once she actually spent some time with him which, like the precious tsundere she is, Rin will forever deny)
22. (I actually made a whole seprete post about this ages ago but now it seems to have vanished so in case other Machi fans are unable to find it l'll add it here) on the days that it's supposed to snow but dosn't Yuki takes her (& later Mutsuki) skating so she can enjoy scratching up the perfectly smooth ice (they would have gone on double dates with Tohru & Kyo if Tohru wasn't freaked out at the idea of having blades on her shoes & Kyo hadn't claimed to "not trust" ice, he's dislike comes from all the times Kagura had forced him to ice skate with her on the lake near Kazuma's place in the winter when they were kids, so they would instead go with Haru & Momiji - they had thought about going with Haru x Rin & Kakeru x Kormaki once but he proudly revealed that he'd been banned from thier local ice rink years ago for trying "perfectly safe" Olympic level stunts in he's attempt to recreate one of he's favriote episodes of Power Rangers, much to he's fiancee's anger, & Machi reminded Yuki that though Haru & Kakeru were fine with eachother Rin isn't reall able to stand Kakeru for longer than 5 minuites)
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Taylor Swift: Pop Star of the Year
By: Jonathan Dean for The Sunday Times Date: December 27th 2020
Rather than hunker down, the singer put out two albums in 2020 and won over new audiences. She’s the pop star of the year.
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Taylor Swift met Paul McCartney in the autumn for a big interview in Rolling Stone. The two would have headlined Glastonbury this summer. Who knows if they will do that next year. Anyway, both recorded albums in lockdown, working from home like the rest of us. When they spoke, though, Swift had a secret. As well as Folklore, released in July, she had a follow-up record in the pipeline — Evermore, which was released this month.
Swift noted that the former Beatle was still so full of joy. “Well, we’re just so lucky, aren’t we?” he said. “We’re really lucky,” Swift replied. “I can’t believe it’s my job.” And she is right. Being a pop star is an extraordinary way to earn the living she does. But rather than accepting luxury and letting this tough year tumble on, Swift is also keenly aware what music means. Sad songs soothe, happy songs make us dance, but as fans of most artists waited for something — anything — this year, this 31-year-old released two albums that broke chart records, were critically adored and introduced her to people who once thought that she wasn’t for them.
“I’m so exhausted!” she said to the American chat show host Jimmy Kimmel, laughing, a few weeks ago, when asked if she had a third new album planned. “I have nothing left.” In addition to Folklore and Evermore, she filmed a TV special and even started rerecording her back catalogue, after a volatile dispute over who owns her work. By October I’d just about cobbled together my first sourdough loaf.
A decade ago Swift moved firmly into the limelight thanks to a squabble with Kanye West entirely of the rapper’s own making. In 2009, when Swift — then a nascent country music star — won the best female video award at the VMAs, West stormed on stage, grabbed her microphone and said that Beyoncé should have won. Swift was 19 — West was 32 — and she looked scared. This wasn’t just about her biggest moment yet being stolen, but also about her position in the pop hierarchy being questioned, very publicly, from the off. She stood there as that man bullied her. Apparently she left the stage in tears.
Years later West released Famous, with its infamous lyric “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that bitch famous.” The alt-folk singer Father John Misty also wrote about sleeping with her. Every time that sort of thing happened, a powerful man in Swift’s industry was reducing a successful, talented, younger female to the level of a sex object. It was back-in-your-box belittling — as it was when a TV host groped her. (She successfully sued him.) While Swift herself would retort to West, as her music became less country, more slick pop, such retorts felt forced and gave the rapper too much of her oxygen. A nod to him on Folklore comes with the “Clowns to the West” line, but it is a sideshow now, not a headline.
Not that Swift’s life is entirely her own. She’s been one of the world’s bestselling female artists for a decade, coupled with curiosities such as a well-orchestrated relationship with Tom Hiddleston that kept her in the spotlight. Like many twentysomethings, Swift spent her youth apolitically, only to receive flak for staying silent during the 2016 US election. This year she endorsed Joe Biden, but what if she had wanted to stay quiet? Would the media have let her? She is under so much scrutiny that, after she made an innocuous hand gesture in a recent TV interview, similar to one women make to draw attention to domestic abuse, this headline ran: “Some people think Taylor Swift is secretly asking for help in her latest interview.”
Like many at the start of the pandemic she felt listless. The world we were used to was a wasteland, and we could only find the energy to watch Normal People. Swift’s ennui, though, was, well, swift. Stuck in LA, she emailed Aaron Dessner of the beloved beardy indie band the National to see if he fancied writing with her. No fool, Dessner said yes and, mere weeks later, the duo — with help from Swift’s regular collaborator Jack Antonoff as well as Justin Vernon, from the beloved beardy indie band Bon Iver — released Folklore. The gang just carried on working and, five months later, gave us Evermore.
Creativity is not on tap. Indeed, this year is not one for judging what others may or not have achieved. However, the silence of many big pop stars is striking because they know that even a single would make someone’s day; distract for a while.
Everyone needed to adjust to working from home, but Swift was one of the only musicians who did and, by eschewing the arena pop of recent albums for something more subdued, organic and folky, she gave the sense that she was letting fans in more than ever. She was at home, like us. This is who she is, and the first single from these sessions was so cosy, it was even called Cardigan.
“I just thought, ‘There are no rules any more,’” she told McCartney. “Because I used to put all these parameters on myself, like, ‘How will this song sound in a stadium?’ If you take away the parameters, what do you make? I guess Folklore.”
Maybe it is tedious, for a deft writer with a career of varied, brilliant songs — Love Story, I Knew You Were Trouble, Blank Space — to find respect from some people only when artists who appeal to middle-aged men start to work with her. On the other hand, pop has never been particularly welcoming to many until it sounds like something you are used to and, with delicate acoustics and gossamer-like piano, Swift’s two new albums recall, sonically, Nick Drake or Kate Bush. Thematically, lyrics seem to come from anywhere. Daphne du Maurier, for one. Even the Lake District and its poets.
Some songs are personal. She is dating British actor Joe Alwyn, and on one track she sings, “I want to give you a child.” Make of that what you will. But these records’ highlights are not about herself, but others. “There was a point,” she told Zane Lowe on Apple Music, “that I had got to as a writer, [where I was only writing] diaristic songs. That felt unsustainable.” Instead, she does what the best writers do and mixes subjective with objective. The Last American Dynasty is a terrific piece of writing about the socialite Rebekah Harkness, who lived in a Rhode Island house that Swift bought and was, by all accounts, a bit scandalous. Swift tells her story almost with envy. Imagine, she seems to say, that freedom.
“In my anxieties,” she said in Rolling Stone, “I can often control how I am as a person and how normal I act. But I cannot control if there are 20 photographers outside in the bushes and if they follow our car and interrupt our lives.”
Then there is Epiphany. The first verse is about her grandfather, who fought in the Second World War; the second about frontline workers in hospitals now. Sung in a high register, it is suitably choral. Marjorie, on Evermore, is even better. It is about her grandmother, an opera singer who died in 2003. “What died didn’t stay dead” is the repeated line, and it is eerie, gorgeous. Swift sings how she thinks Marjorie is singing to her, at which point some vocals from the latter’s recordings waft in. Touching, but the real power is in Swift writing about vague memories of a relative who died when she was young. “I complained the whole way there,” she sings. “I should’ve asked you questions.”
In person she is warm like this, and funny. When Kimmel told her there were far more swearwords on Folklore and Evermore than previous records, she replied: “It’s just been that kind of year.” She is also odder than people realise. In the way pop stars should be. Obsessed by numerology, she wrote, on the eve of her birthday when announcing Evermore: “Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards.” When I turned 31 I just wished to be 13 again, with all that youth, but then, maybe, she is just joking. “Yes, so until I turn 113 or 131, this will be the highlight of my life,” she said. “The numerology thing? I sort of force it to happen.”
Swift, of course, is far from the first pop star to become public property, or have a close bond with fans. This year, however, she was one of the few to show that such adoration is not one-way. She is, simply, a fan of her fans — from planting secrets in her artwork and lyrics, to recording two albums of new music as a balm for them when real life became too deafening.
“One good thing about music,” sang Bob Marley. “When it hits you, you feel no pain.” The 80.6 million who streamed Folklore on its first day will attest to that idea. So will the four million who bought it. Swift is pop star of the year, no doubt — leaving her peers in her wake, on their sofas, rewatching The Sopranos.
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The More the Merrier (Colby Brock Imagine)
Summary: After a magical xplr trip with their daughter, a pregnant reader and Colby are in for a surprise at the hospital.
Written: 2020
Word Count: 3,590
Warnings: Fluff, pregnancy, swearing, NICU
Masterlist
“You promise this isn’t some haunted location. This is just a forest, right? No demons or spirits involved.” I ask as I help Bea out of the car.
“Babe, I’ve told you a hundred times. This is just a normal explore trip. No ghost, ghouls, or goblins. I promise. I did a lot of research.” Colby explains as he grabs our backpacks out of the trunk.
“Okay, I’m just checking. I love our family the way it is and it would be a real bummer if we had to take home a possessed 6-year-old instead of our little angel. Or you know, this next little popping out of me like an alien.” I gently rub my hand over my ever-growing belly. The fact that Colby even managed to get me out here at seven months pregnant is a miracle.
It would have been Sam, Colby, Kat, and I on this trip but Kat is 9 months pregnant and on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. Up until last week, Kat and I have been doing everything together. Joint announcements, gender reveals, baby showers, etc. When we both found out we were having boys, we had to take a break because we just know that we’re about to give birth to mini versions of Sam and Colby. Truly a nightmare.
“Bea, hold one of our hands please,” I call after the energetic 6-year-old. I let go of her hand to put her backpack on her and put mine on and she began darting further into the forest with her creepy stuffed doll that Jake gave her when she was born.
“Here, take this, I got her.” Colby hands me the blogging camera and runs after Bea. He scoops her up and waits for me to catch up to them.
“Honestly, at this rate, I’m having the baby in the middle of the forest,” I say after waddling over to Colby and Bea.
“Please don’t joke like that. I know we packed stuff in case of an emergency, but I’m not mentally prepared for that. So keep that sucker in there until he is fully cooked please.” Colby says kissing my forehead before handing Bea to me and taking the camera back.
We walk for a bit while Bea holds my hands. Every once in awhile she’ll let go of my hand to pick up something she found on the ground and put it in her backpack. Last time I checked she had about 5 rocks and a couple of twigs. The whole time Colby was vlogging the two of us. If it was for our family channel or his channel, I couldn’t tell you. Most of the time when the three of us going on little outings like this and he’s filming it’s for our channel, but he’ll sometimes include footage on his channel every once in a while.
“Mommy, daddy, look a lizard!” Beatrice yells before running forward towards a tree.
“Bea! Try not to hurt him, okay? We’re in his house.” Colby calls out after the energetic mini version of ourselves.
“Okay, so two things: 1. I really have to pee and I don’t think there is a restroom here. 2. I need a break; my back and ankles are killing me and I’m starving. Maybe coming out here this late into the pregnancy was a bad idea. I don’t remember my stomach being this big or being this tired when I was 8 months pregnant with Bea.” I stretch my back a little bit to try to elevate some of the pain.
Being this far along, I haven’t been able to get much done. I began to appreciate that my full-time job rarely requires me to leave the house. I can just sit at home and make videos while sitting in the same spot. Colby’s been great about staying home more and doing sit down videos. The further I got into my pregnancy, the less time he spent out of the house filming for long periods.
“Mommy, look how fast I can climb this rock. I can be just like daddy!” Beatrice shouts before climbing up a medium rock formation.
Colby runs after her, in case she falls. Her little legs move faster than Colby can keep up with. Looking at him now, you wouldn’t believe that he was running from cops and potential murderers nearly every day. After I got pregnant with Bea, Colby starting doing messy risky videos. Just our luck, Beatrice seems to be making up for him by doing risky things like jump on the kitchen counters. ”I’m just exploring like daddy,” she would explain when I would catch her dangling on the opposite side of the stair rails. She looks so much like him. If it wasn’t for the fact that she had my hair, you would think that Colby created and gave birth to her all on his own. For my sake, I hope our little boy is more like me. I don’t think I can handle 3 Colbys on my own. I love him, but sometimes it’s like being a single mother with two children.
We reach the little picnic area that Colby has been talking about all week. The first thing that my eyes land on in the bathroom. I immediately make a beeline to the bathroom, leaving Colby to wrangle Bea on his own. The bathroom, like the picnic area, is cleaner than I imagined it would be. Even if it wasn’t, I couldn’t afford to be picky, this baby is headbutting my bladder like a little goat. He is definitely going to be like Colby, I can promise you that.
“What the fuck?” I whisper to myself. I know that I needed to pee, but it felt like someone popped a water balloon. This has to be a normal bathroom break, right? I still have a month left, this shouldn’t be happening right now. My back has been hurting for a while, but that could be Braxton hicks. I had a lot of those when I was pregnant with Bea.
I get up quickly and go wash my hands. Thinking of ways to tell Colby that the baby may be coming right now. I don’t want to alarm him. Colby is cool under pressure, but he’s an absolute maniac when he’s in dad mode.
“Hey, Colby, my love, I might— What did you do?” I walk out to the picnic area covered in fairy lights and Bea sitting on the table. Colby is holding a small bouquet. The corner of his mouth crept up his face and exposed his teeth slightly. He walks up towards me and places his hand out. I take it without hesitation. He leads me to the table that Bea is sitting on and ushers for me to sit. He places the flowers in my lap and sits down next to me.
“Okay, so I know this is a bit strange and unexpected. But in all honesty, this has been put off long enough. Y/N, we’re been together for seven years and every day I fall deeper in love with you. You’re an amazing mother to Beatrice and a supportive girlfriend. I should have done this earlier but we were barely together for a year when you got pregnant with Bea and I didn’t want you to think that I was only doing it because you were pregnant and I’m from Kansas. In all honestly have done it before but it never felt like the right moment. I bought this ring the day after Bea was born and I’ve just been carrying it in my pocket for the right moment. Which is stupid because my whole brand is ‘now or never’ but I wanted the moment to be perfect for you. I know that you always say that we don’t have to get married or that you don’t need a big wedding. But I know deep down that you want those things, and I want you to be happy. You’re the love of my life and I want you to have your big fairytale wedding, so Y/N Y/LN, will you do me the honors and marry me?” Colby slides off the bench in one fluid motion and drops down to his knee. He pulls out a ring box from his pocket to reveal a ring that’s not big or small. It’s the perfect size and looks like the ring I’ve been dreaming about my entire life.
“Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Colby, I will marry you!” I let Colby slide the ring on my finger, which is surprisingly the only thing that hasn’t gotten bigger with this pregnancy. He comes up to my level and kisses me. Bea cheers and wraps her little arms around us.
“Oh yeah, you were trying to tell me something when you got out of the bathroom.” Colby’s face is so red and he can’t stop smiling.
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, so my water might have broken.” I rub my lower back and watch Colby’s smile drop.
“Are you fucking serious? You’re in labor and you let be babble like an idiot?” Colby starts running around the picnic table and grabbing his camera. He disappears behind the bathroom and comes back with two rangers.
****
As soon as we got back into cell range, I called the doctor. She told us that we had enough time to make it to the hospital. When I told Colby that my water broke, he must have thought that I mean our son’s head was currently dangling out of my vagina because he’s driving like a maniac. I feel fine. My contracts are roughly 20 minutes or more apart, which I told the doctor. I’m vlogging the whole thing because this is going to make an amazing video. You would think that after already having one baby, Colby would mellow out a little bit. I gave Bea her lunch that she was supposed to have after the proposal.
I still can’t believe that Colby proposed. I would have been fine with not putting an official label on our relationship. I could have been happy being his girlfriend for the rest of my life, but he was right I did want a big wedding. To one day be Mrs. Colby Brock. Now it’s going to come true.
“Oh, shit—” Colby mutters under his breath. He reaches into his pocket and hands me his phone. I take it from him and set the camera up on the dashboard.
“Who am I calling? Your parents?” I ask as I unlock his phone and head to his contact.
“Oh shit, I almost forgot. Call them and your parents too. But call Jake, we need him to meet us at the hospital to watch Bea for us.” He nervously runs his hand threw his hair before placing it back on the wheel.
I scroll until I find the contact labeled ‘Demon Spawn’ and call him. The phone rings about three times before he picks up.
“Hey Colby, did she say yes?” Jake asks immediately.
“Hey Jake, it’s me. Colby’s driving right now.” I put the volume louder so Colby could hear.
“Oh fuck— um… did Colby ask you about… brunch on Sunday at our place?” I can hear Tara next to him whispering about something.
“Jake, you’re fine. I asked her and she said yes. You can relax.” Colby says—yells— from his side of the car.
“Oh! She said yes.” Jake tells someone, again probably Tara, on the other side of the phone.
“You know they’re on speaker, I can hear them. But congrats you guys!” Tara cheers.
“Thank you. But we’re actually calling you guys so you can meet us at the hospital.” I explain. I watch Bea spill something in the review mirror and hand her a napkin.
“We’re already here. Wait, is the baby coming?” I hear movement on the other side of the line.
“Wait, why are you two at the hospital? Did Jake play with the easy bake oven again?” I thought after the last time, Tara and I hide that stupid thing. Jake almost burned the house down when we were all living together still.
“Huh? Oh no! Kat is having the baby. Should be any minute now. We’ve been here all day.” Tara explains. I’m positive she took the phone from Jake and sent him off somewhere.
“Wait, Kat went into labor and didn’t tell me?”
“Her water broke right after you texted us that you left. She refused to let any of us tell you guys because she didn’t want to ruin the proposal. She said that we could tell you guys after. But don’t worry. Everything is fine, Sam has been coming out every like 30 minutes with updates. Now that we know you’re back from the mountains, we’ll text you until you get here.”
“Okay thanks, but you don’t need to. We’re like five minutes away.”
“Okay, we’ll be waiting. Just don’t have my nephew on the side of the road or anything.” Tara says before hanging up the phone.
****
Lying in the hospital room, I wait patiently as the nurse checks the ultrasound. She has an indifferent face, probably not to scare expecting mothers, but her lack of expression is what’s scaring me. She has been looking for a while and has even taken a few pictures. Colby sits beside me with Bea sleeping in his lap. She fell asleep in the car right before we got here. Lucky for Colby, I could still waddle on my own so he could carry Bea.
“Okay, everything looks okay. The doctor will come in to confirm and give you your options.” The nurse smiles as she removes the ultrasound jelly from my stomach.
Colby grabs my hand and strokes it quietly. I know he must be stressed and what he can do right now is limited. However, this small little touch, one he’s must have done hundreds of times, is enough right now.
Dr. Long comes in and greets us. She must have just come from Katrina’s room. She gave birth right after we got here. We were lucky enough to see everyone before we got shuttled off into our room. Dr. Long squirts more cool ultrasound jelly on my belly and scans around. After a few seconds, she clicks a button so we can hear the heartbeat. It sounds different than before, almost echoed.
“Okay, Ms. Y/LN, Mr. Brock a lot of things are happening right now. We missed something during your first few scans. There is a second baby in there, hiding behind your son. We didn’t detect the second baby because it is a bit smaller than the first baby. Their heartbeats were very close in sync which is why we couldn’t notice two different beats. Both babies are doing well. I’m just going to check to see how dilated you are before we can talk more.” Dr. Long wipes off the jelly and covers up my stomach.
“S-second baby? You mean she’s having twins?” Colby asks, jumping up and waking up Bea.
“I’m actually going to kill you,” I mutter under my breath. Giving birth was hard enough, but two at the same time had to be worse.
“Yes, twins. It’s not uncommon for parents to not know they’re having more than one baby until birth. Would you like to know the gender of the second baby?”
Colby takes a quick look at me and I nod.
“Yes, please. I mean it doesn’t matter but knowing would still be nice.” Colby asks.
“Baby B is a girl. And it looks like you’re in pre-labor. Your water did not break but you did pass the mucus plug. You’re only 4 centimeters dilated, so you still have a while.” Dr. Long finally resurfaces and looks at Colby and me. Our faces must be panicked.
“So, what then? We stay here? We go home?” I ask sitting up a bit more.
“Well, Ms. Y/LN, you have a few options. First, because you are 35 weeks pregnant, that’s still a bit early even for twins. I would suggest slowing down the labor for a few hours and injecting the babies with a steroid that would help their lungs develop faster. It’s two injections 12 hours apart. Or we can get ready to do a C-section right now. In both cases, the babies might have to spend some time in the NICU, but both methods are safe this early.”
“I mean, I want to keep them in for as long as possible so probably the first option. What do you think Colbs?” I ask. My stress levels increase. I know that Dr. Long says that the babies will be fine, but I can’t help but worry.
“Hey, it’s your body. I’ll support whatever you want to do but I think that’s best too.” Colby goes back to stroking my hand. Beatrice is resting her head on his chest.
“Okay, we’ll be back in a few minutes to get set up.” Dr. Long says before leaving us in silence.
****
A week to a month; that’s how long Dr. Long says the twins might have to stay in the NICU. Relatively speaking, they’re fine. They’re just premature and struggling with low birth weight and underdevelopment. They’re too small for car seats, which Colby is going to have to get another one of. We’re going to have to get another one of everything. Maybe we can exchange the stroller we got at the baby shower for a double one. We’re also going to have to get a lot more baby clothes, or at least another going home outfit for when the time comes. I also had my own complication after giving birth and now have to stay an extra day. Mentally, I wasn’t prepared for two babies, and I don’t think my body was either. They came five minutes apart, first our son, and then our daughter.
“Hey, Y/N,” I hear a familiar voice say from behind me. The nurses were checking on the twins so I decided to give them some room and step out.
“Hey, Kat, Sam, how’s little Oliver?” I smile at them. They’re walking towards me, holding their little bundle of joy in a car seat.
“He’s fine. He passed the car seat test so we’re set to go home. How are the twins?” Sam asks. Kat gives me a quick hug from her wheelchair.
“They’re doing their best. They’re Colby’s kids so they’re stubborn as hell, I can tell already. How are you feeling Kat?” I look at the exhausted Canadian. She had a smooth birth and gets to leave a day after. She has bits of blue dye in her hair that she got done after finding out she was having a boy.
“I’m tired and everything hurts. I don’t know how you did it twice in one day.” She sighs and brushes her hair out of her face.
“I don’t know. But you two go home and snuggle that little baby before he starts smelling like sugar and play-doh.” I joke. I wave them off and go back to watching the nurses. They’ve moved on to other babies now.
“Mommy!” Just as I’m about to get up and go back into the NICU, I hear Beatrice running down the hall. Colby is following quickly behind her.
“Hi my loves,” Bea climbs up next to me and rests her head on my chest.
“Sorry, she was just excited to see you and the babies.” I noticed the vlog camera in Colby’s hand. I’m glad he’s still documenting everything for us.
“Where are they? Where are my baby brother and sister? Daddy said that they were dropped off this morning.” I look at Colby confused because we had a conversation about how we would explain this all to her. In fact, I know we had a conversation with her months ago about where babies come from.
“I panicked…” Colby says quickly to explain why our daughter was talking about storks.
“Well, your brother and sister are in that room right there but you can’t go in there. They’re really small and a little bit sick. So, they want to be extra safe and only let mommies and daddies in there. But one of us can go in there and FaceTime so you can see them.” I stoke Bea’s hair and kiss her forehead.
“Okay, I understand. It’s like when my throat was hurting when I was little and I couldn’t go to preschool so other kids couldn’t make me more sick. What are their names?” She asks running over to the window and tiptoeing so she can peek in.
Colby and I had a lot of time to think about this. We decided on two conditions:1. I would name our daughter and he would name our son and 2. their middle names would match. We split the job in half to deal with the stress. We didn’t even have one name when we knew that we were having one baby, let alone two.
“Well, your brother’s name is Aiden Isaiah. And your little sister’s name is Chloe Isabella.” I explain to her.
“Yeah, and they’re both so excited to meet you and explore the world with the rest of us,” Colby says softly before kissing me on the cheek. With that kiss, I knew that everything would be fine.
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rbbalmung · 4 years
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Pokemon SwSh GPL AU: Get to know ______ P3
It’s time for THE BOYS. My biggest conclusion from putting this together is that while Raihan enjoys pushing everyone else’s buttons, Leon is the only person that can fluster the hell out of him. Please enjoy. 
Get to Know: Leon x Raihan (TrueRivalShipping)
1: Who spends almost all their money on the other? Leon. He feels like the type of person whose love language is gift giving (ex. giving Hop Wooloo and Grookey, giving Gloria Scorbunny, Yamper, and Charmander, ect.). That being said, he’s terrible at getting gifts. He can tell exactly what type of Pokemon a person would want and catch it, but presents? He once got Raihan a charmander watch made for kids without even considering it wouldn’t fit him. 
2: Who sleeps in the other’s lap? Leon. They’re both tall, but Lee’s the smaller of the two. 
3: Who walks around the house half-naked and who yells at them to put on some clothes? Raihan would definitely strut around just to get a reaction out of Leon. Half the time his intentions are to get him into bed, but the other half? Embarrass Leon when he’s on Rotom calls with his mum (don’t worry, he wears pants for those instances). 
4: Which one tells the other not to stay up all night and which one stays up all night anyway? They’re both night owls. They stay up either playing video games or watching Netflix (or whatever the pokemon equivalent to that is). They had to invest in a bigger couch due to how often they have passed out on it. (When I say bigger couch, I definitely mean a futon. They just straight up by the closest thing they can to another bed). 
5: Which one tries to make food for the other but burns it all by accident and which one tells them that it’s okay and makes them both cookies? Hop inherited their mum’s cooking skills. Since Leon spent most of his young adult life as a champion who never really had time to stay at home and cook a real meal, it is up to Raihan to provide. Lee was permanently designated to cleanup duty after nearly burning the apartment down. 
6: Which one reads OTP prompts and says “Oh that’s us!” and which one goes “Eh, not really”? Leon would say,” Oh, that’s us!” and Raihan would say,” Eh, not really?” just to spite him. There is a lot of teasing and playful banter in their relationship. 
7: Which one constantly wears the other’s clothes? Raihan, but only because he would literally murder Leon if he borrowed one of his designer sweatshirts. There’s also the added benefit that Lee’s clothes are a lot comfier. 
8: Which one spends all day running errands and which one says “You remembered [thing], right?” Leon isn’t allowed to run errands by himself because he’d get lost, so Raihan is usually the grocery-getter. Raihan will be in the checkout line and almost always get a last minute text from Leon asking for one more item. It drives Raihan bonkers. 
9: Which one drives the car and which one gives them directions? Leon is the driver, and Raihan is the “direction giver” (let’s be real, he’s more focused on what song they play next than getting them to their destination). If it’s a group road trip, neither of them are allowed in the front because they’ll just end up getting everyone lost. 
10: Which one does the posing while the other one draws? Ok, so I don’t really think one of them would draw the other. They’re much more of an “active, sporty couple” than an “artsy couple”. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, though. During one of their dates, they decided to doodle each other on their napkins to help pass the time. They were both terrible and it got really heated when the waitress chose Leon’s drawing as “slightly less worse”.  
11: If they were about to rob a museum, which one does backflips through lasers and which one is strolling behind with a bag of chips? Are you kidding? They’d both try to out-do each other. Both backflippers. 
12: Which one of your OTP overdoes it on the alcohol and which one makes the other stop drinking? I feel like even though Leon has more body mass than Raihan, he’d be the lightweight of the two. Both have been in the League since they were in their late teens, but Leon’s public image had a lot more specifications than Raihan’s. That meant Raihan got to go to a lot more college parties on his nights off and build up his tolerance. Leon’s public relations manager didn’t let him even look at alcohol until he stepped down as champion. He had to “set a good example for his young fans”. (Sufficed to say, Gloria quickly got a new PR manager when she filled his role). 
14: Which one keeps accidentally using the other’s last name instead of their own? Raihan learned that if he used Leon’s last name, he could get special treatment. It’s an abuse of power! Especially when they’re having dinner at the Hoffman house and Raihan casually slips in that he’s planning on taking Lee’s last name once they marry. Leon’s convinced his grandparents like Raihan better than they like him at this point.  
15: Which one screams about the spider and which one brings the spider outside? Raihan, though he’ll go to an early grave before admitting that. He just doesn’t want them getting webbing on his new shoes! Yeah...that’s it. 
16: Which one gives the other their jacket? Leon. It was mentioned above, but Raihan has to be in a really good mood in order to let Leon borrow his stuff. It isn’t that big of a deal, thankfully: The Hoffman boys are like personal heaters.  
17: Who keeps getting threatened by the other’s overprotective older sibling? Ok, ok, ok: Raihan is slightly intimidated by Hop. He just wants the best for his big bro! If that means calling Raihan out of his shit from time to time to keep him in line, so be it. Raihan can’t fight back either, because that’s his boyfriend’s little brother! One of the only things Leon gets testy over is people bullying Hop, so Raihan has to do it when he isn’t around. 
18: Who’s the first one to admit they have feelings for the other? Leon. It wasn’t one of those things where they’ve always liked each other, but after being friends for so long, their feelings blossomed into something new. Lee is a big flirt and never officially came out, so Raihan just figured he didn’t mean it whenever he complimented him. Leon literally confessed to Raihan at least five time before it sank in that he was serious. 
19: How good would your OTP be at parenting? I think they’d actually be pretty good! Leon helped raise Hop and he definitely has the dad act down, so adopting children would be something he’d be super interested in. Raihan may struggle a little bit at first (especially with where the line of what he could and couldn’t post on social media was), but he has a big heart. They would always be there for their kids. If Gloria and Hop are the cool parents, Leon and Raihan are the embarrassing ones. Would tease their kid lovingly. 
20: Which one types with perfect grammar and which one types using numbers as letters? Leon has sent a lot of professional texts because of his former position as champion, so he’d win by default. If they’re texting each other, it is all in numbers, emojis, and abbreviations. Sonia, Piers, and Nessa hate being in group chats with them. 
21: Who gets attacked by a bully and who protects them? Lee is the more protective of the two, especially when it comes to people bullying Raihan online. Raihan tries to tell him that he doesn't have to do it, but he’s secretly very flattered.  
22: Who makes the bad puns and who makes a pained smile every time the other makes a pun? Leon makes the worst dad jokes in the world. Sometimes he does it just to embarrass Raihan. 
23: Who comes home from work to see that the other one bought a puppy? They take turns. Raihan will catch a Hakamo-o to beat Lee’s Aegislash, only for Lee to catch an Azumarill from the Isle of Armor a week later. It’s a never ending game of trying to one up the other. 
24: Which one gives the other a piggyback ride when they’re tired? Leon. He’s pretty buff, so carrying Raihan around is nothing. He usually does it without asking if his boyfriend looks tired and flusters the heck out of him. 
25: Which one competes in some sort of activity and which one does the overzealous cheering? Ever since Leon left he league, he makes it a priority to go to every one of Raihan’s matches. He often dons ridiculous disguises in order to not get recognised, but he always gets recognised. There is an online forum just made up of pictures of him in different, weird attire. He might’ve even been able to slip by public notice if not for the fact that he tries to make AS MUCH NOISE AS POSSIBLE to cheer his boyfriend on.   
26: Who takes a selfie when the other one falls asleep on their shoulder? Is there even a possible different answer than Raihan? The man takes selfies as a living. You better believe he has 8 different folders of pictures of Leon. 
27: Which one would give the other a makeover if they asked? Raihan. Leon is so close to having style, but then he’ll throw on his signature snapback and a cape and ruin everything. You know the cape isn’t even a requirement for the champion to wear? Yeah, Lee just chose to wear it. He counts it as a small victory whenever Leon decides to buy something at one of Rai’s favourite stores.  
28: Which one owns a pet that the other is absolutely terrified of? Raihan tries not to get between Leon and Charizard. It’s a similar situation to the Hop one: Charizard is Lee’s baby, which means Raihan isn’t allowed to tease them.  
29: Which one holds the umbrella over both of them when it rains? Raihan, but he purposely will move the umbrella out from above Leon to get him soaked. It’s payback for all the other stuff he does. 
30: If your OTP went on vacation, where would they go and what would they do? Who would take the pictures? Like Gloria and Hop, I think they’d travel to all the regions. They’d have to do it on off seasons and couldn't stay long due to their duties in Galar, but they like seeing the new types of pokemon. Once again, Rai would take millions of pictures. He has a photo album per vacation, not just vacation in general.  
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6knotty6thotty6 · 4 years
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So a couple of months ago, I saw a YouTube video that was an audio recording of season 5, episode 6 of Bojack Horseman, “Free Churro.” In the episode, the main character, Bojack Horseman, spends 20 minutes giving a eulogy at his mother’s funeral. There’s one big problem though, his mother was an abusive bitch. His eulogy is him trying to contemplate what she meant by her drying words, “I see you,” and whether or not she loved him. As someone who has a dead parent who was abusive, this is probably my favorite episode of any show ever for how much it helped me understand my feelings. The comments section is filled with people sharing their pain with their abusive families, but one comment stood out to me above all the others by how raw and relatable it was. This comment was by a YouTuber named Moonstruck. At the bottom of this post is a link to her channel. Please support her. After reading this, she deserves a million subscribers. Also please watch Bojack Horseman. (I corrected some of the grammatical errors to make it easier to read)
Disclaimer: Child abuse, bullying, trauma, and mental health:
Moonstruck: 
This is a great monologue, but one part of it, in particular, really caught my attention was the 'grand gesture' bit.
When I was a kid, I read this book called "Chicken Soup for the Soul." There's a shitload of them. I don't remember which particular one it was. I hated the whole series because it's just someone profiting off a bunch of other people's stories rather than trying to write their own, in my opinion. 
Anyway.
This one story that I remember, the ONLY one I remembered,  was sent in by a little girl. She wrote about how her father never told her that he loved her. He never once, in her whole life, said the words "I love you." I don't remember her mom being mentioned, maybe she was dead; it doesn't matter. The point is her dad was basically an emotionless asshole. Well, one day, this girl gets sick. Really sick. Possibly on her deathbed sick. She wrote that one day she woke up to find a necklace sitting on her nightstand that had a pendant that looked like her dog. She said she held it to her heart and cried because that necklace said all the things her father never had.
I thought, "What a load of bullshit."
A cheap trinket doesn't make up for years and years of emotional neglect. Anyone can buy a thing and toss it your way. Hell, he didn't even hand it to her himself, just left it there for her to find if/when she woke up, then left her alone again to possibly die.
A lot of people say that actions speak louder than words, in cases like political protests and shit. While that's true, scenarios that this that girl are different. Gifts can never replace the words, "I love you."
When I was a kid, my father never told me he loved me. My mother didn't either, but she's a whole other kettle of fish. I would say 'my biological mother or father,' but I never got adopted ones, so who gives a shit. Anyway. My father was rarely around, and when he was, he just spent the entire time fighting with my mother and leaving again. He would do and say anything that could get him to spend less time in the house with her. With us. I can't blame him. If I could've left during those times, I would have. I tried more than once. I even earned the nickname 'runaway' from a family friend because of it. 
I was told that I was worthless as early as I could understand words. I don't know what it is about me that set my mother off, but she HATED me. I was always told how expensive I was to keep alive and how I wasn't worth it. If I dared ask for anything, she would remind me how much she spent just to keep me from starving to death and that it was too much already. On the rare occasion I was given something, it was so she could use it as a threat. She was like, "Sure, you can have that toy horse since we got your sister a real one, but you better behave or we'll give it to her and let her break it." Or "Oh, fine, we can keep this dog as a FAMILY pet (NOT YOURS), but if you do something we don't like, we'll take it away and kill it." 
Oh, yeah. I have a sister. She’s cut from the same cloth as our mother. I don't consider any of them family anymore. She was two years older than me. She was the "we should have stopped while we were ahead" kid. Anything she wanted, she got. 
"Mom, can I have an award-winning horse and expensive dressage lessons?"
"Sure!"
"Mom, can I have a car?"
"No problem!"
"Mom, can you pay for my ballet lessons?"
"Absolutely!"
She was the golden child. The one that could do no wrong and wasn't a mistake. Even after she totaled her car, got arrested for an underage DUI, and got pregnant three times in high school, she was still the good one. I never even asked to go to school dances, parties, or go out with the one friend I had. My sister liked to see me in pain. She'd tell our mom that I did things just to get me in trouble. Whether it involved blaming me for things she did or fabricating stuff, she'd say whatever it took to get my mother to beat me while she watched and laughed. Oh, yeah, our mom was BIG on physical punishment. I've been whipped with everything from a riding crop, a wooden paddle, spoons, and especially belts. Anything that was close at hand when my mother got irritated, I've been hit with it. 
At one point, my sister had three tall, beautiful show-worthy horses. I was allowed to keep a sickly old pony for all of a week before she was taken away, then I'd get called ungrateful for asking why we had to get rid of HER instead of one of the horses. Even though my mother said it cost too much to keep them all. With horses being obviously too rich for my blood, I asked for something cheaper, and for once, I got it. I was given a baby goat that one of our neighbors' goats had abandoned for being too weak, and they didn't have time to raise. I loved that goat. I bottle raised him, and named him Ben. He was my best friend for a while. When he grew up, he got so big that I was able to stand on his back to grab tree branches and pull them down so he could eat the leaves. I walked him on a leash like a dog every day. I loved him so much. My mother had me enter him in a show, and we won ninth place! I was thrilled to have something to show against my sister's collection of dressage show ribbons. I finally had proof that I could do something right! Sure, the prize money was taken away from me, but I still had Ben.
But Ben didn't come home with me after the show. It turns out he was sold to a slaughterhouse because that show was for meat goats. I didn't know until he was already gone. Of course, my mother punished me for being upset and even forced me to write a thank-you card to the people who bought his meat. 
My mother was always like that. Anything I loved was used as a threat. I eventually accepted that loving anything was a waste of time. I learned to detach myself from my feelings, and I got really good at it. I can completely turn off my emotional reaction to anything. One time I had to put down one of the egg-laying hens at work that got too sick to save, and I felt nothing while bringing down the ax. When I lost out on a job that could have changed my life, I told myself how stupid it was to hope for anything good. Any positive emotion I felt got me punished, so I learned to feel nothing at all. To this day, I still have trouble feeling things, even when I want to. I'm taking pills now, and they help, sometimes. 
I've had several suicide attempts. I keep a box of razor blades in my desk just to have them close. I got a tattoo of a heart with rainbows on my wrist. Partially for LGBT solidarity, but mostly to remind myself that there is still beauty in the world. I still struggle with wonder if I actually believe it or not. 
I've tried so hard to be a good kid. I never partied, never drank, never smoked even when the chances were there, and I would have greatly loved anything to make the pain stop or even just dull it a little bit. I was in the gifted and talented program at school and was able to graduate at fifteen. For a while, I was sent to a children's home where I was passed around to many people I didn't know, including a clown who I may or may not have actually been related to, until I eventually wound up out here where I am now. It's all pretty hazy, and the details get scrambled. 
It's been 10 years since I've had contact with my mother and sister. I can't even keep in touch with the one friend I had, even after I lived with her. She's tried to reach out to me, but I just… can't. I try, but I can't. Sometimes, I can almost pretend that my past wasn't real. It's just a hazy fog that isn't really there. I want to believe that if I don't allow something, or someone, who was part of that past, someone tangible and real, into my life again, then the fog will go away. This is why I can't do it. I know I'm a terrible friend. Ariel, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. You're better off without me in your life anyway. 
I typed all of this out because sometimes, about fifty dollars or so shows up in my PayPal from my father's email address. I don't know if it's from him or from her using his email, but it doesn't matter either way. The point is I know my mother is the one sending the money.
I know my mother likes to think she's a good person. She went to church every Sunday, and probably still does. She organized a lot of church events and participated in every church function. I had to be an altar server for several years until I aged out of it and was in the choir. She kept going to that church even after the priest got drunk, called me many horrible names in front of everyone, and was revealed to be a pedophile that raped a little boy at gunpoint. She probably still goes to that same church and organizes things. She likes being in charge. She likes having people look at her and say, "That there is a good person."
But are you, though, Mom? Are you really a good person? Were you a good person when you hit me? When you lied to me? When you laughed with my sister about how much I got hurt for things I didn't do? Were you a good person every time you told me you'd kill my cat or leave my dog at the pound? Were you a good person when you sold Ben to be eaten, knowing that I loved him? Were you a good person when you made me read "A child called It" and told me that you'd start doing the things in that book to me if I didn't behave? Were you a good person every time you told my father I was a liar whenever I tried to tell him what you were doing to me? Were you a good person when you told me I wasn't worth the cost of being alive? Were you? 
Fuck you, Mom! Keep your fucking money! A necklace on the nightstand isn't enough. A trinket can't heal years and years and years of abuse and hurt. You can't hide these scars under dollar bills. I hope you die alone. I know I probably will, but I don't even care anymore. I lost the ability to care thanks to you. You can't make up for the things you did and the things you didn't say now. Too little, too late! 
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lovely-necromancy · 3 years
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A Cure for Insomnia CH 11
“Did I meet your friends last night?” Kirby asked as he unwrapped his crunchwrap in the driver's seat.
“uuh...kinda? Like Toby was with me when I gave you the Surge but you sorta just ran off with it.” you pause as you sip a bit of your Baja Blast. “Like a fucking gremlin.”
Kirby lets out a snort and lettuce drops from his mouth. He tries to hide his messy eating behind his hand. Failing miserably, you can't help but laugh at your friend.
“Wha' bout the other two? Kieth said you ditched 'em.” For a man who was trying to cover up his mouth he sure had the audacity to try and talk with his mouth full.
“They're Toby's roommates, I haven't talked to them too much.” he nods as you speak.
“Well I promise I'll be more...together,” he makes a sort of questioning sound as he debates if that was the word he was looking for. He can't really think of anything else so he settles for 'together'. “next weekend. They are coming right?”
After a brief pause he gets his mind back in place, “This weekend, picnic's this weekend.” You chuckle.
“Toby said they'd stop by. Don't think any are really people people.”
“People people?”
“Yup” not going to let Kirby rile you up as he often tries. Not that he could with his current brain power. Sleep haze still has him in it's hold despite being “up” for about an hour now.
Out of everyone in your friend group Kirby is probably the one you're closest to. Along with being a fellow Ace he's an ambivert and you two just instantly clicked over dumb D grade monster movies. He jokes you guys must be long lost siblings. Well he only started the sibling thing because multiple Hornets or other members of the committee kept thinking you guys were dating. Since then Kirby takes to purposefully calling you some variation of sibling when he shows any type of affection. It seems even just being referenced to being in a relationship squicks him out. You don't mind though you'd always wanted an older brother and Kirby is the exact type you would've wished for. The funny dork who was super easy to get along with.
Even when he steals your nachos...like he is now.
“I'm starting to understand the Cain Instinct.” you say looking him dead in the eyes. He lets out a roar of laughter and reminds you he bought “breakfast”.
“Dad tax and all that.”
“You're not my dad! Ugly ass doodoo head.”
“Is that what that kid said? I don't think that's right.” another thing you share is constantly referencing vines or tiktok sounds.
This of course led to an argument of what the kid actually said in the vine. Both of you were determined to get home and look it up to prove the other wrong.
After your breakfast Kirby started the truck as you put all the trash into the Taco Bell bag. You switch on his stereo much to his chagrin. Kirby got a CD stuck in the radio and now the only thing he can listen to is a meme mix tape he made back in high school. It was funny the first two months for him and now he prays that the novelty will ware off on you soon.
Though it has been a few weeks since he last drove you anywhere, and what can he say Discord is always a bop.
Kirby drops you off without much fanfare, you both agree to seeing each other next week at the picnic. Is it ironic that you want to call out for him to get some more sleep? Like you are the one who's been up since five AM and it's now eleven. But you have a medical condition, Kirby is just over worked and stressed beyond Hell and back.
Getting inside you have nothing really planned for today and while you could start heading out to thrifts to find something formal for Jo's recital you really don't feel like it. Productivity wise you've already had a pretty busy weekend so no one can really judge you for taking it easy and just merging with the couch for the rest of it. Even you, you can be so tough on yourself sometimes.
British Bake Off is just the thing you need to enjoy the rest of your weekend. A calming low stress but funny baking show. Just turn your brain off and lose yourself in the soothing monotone of the judges. It's nearly six in the evening when you finally shake off your lazy day haze.
Getting up, bakers still baking, you start making a simple dinner. Fried egg on toast sounds good. Also a good balance to your supreme nacho breakfast from this morning. Dressing one slice of toast in butter and the other with butter, a little mayo, and a dash of Tabasco before placing the egg on it. You head back to eat and continue watching the competition. Your meal fills you and gives the energy you need to continue “leisureing”.
After an hour you get up and wash the dishes from earlier. And while you have no energy to actually play any of your video games right now you do want to log in for your dailies.
A quick trip to your bedroom has you grabbing your laptop before returning back to the comfort of your living room. Couch calling you to it's cozy embrace. You half pay attention to what you're doing as you set up your laptop, muscles running on muscle memory more than any conscious effort on your part. You hadn't even noticed your hands flickering across the board and logging into your email.
By the time you do realize you aren't on your game's site you see you have a new email. It's from Barclay.
'Coming to ask for my help?' you think a little too smug that you'd been right about the cooking being too much for the man.
However, that wasn't what he was messaging you about. It seems he and Leo had been talking and the old man mentioned what your plans for cooking were.
Shortie,
Leo says you're making forager's pie for the picnic. Seasons ripe for ramps and mushrooms. You in for a little adventure through new unexplored territory?
...I'm hunting some lobster mushrooms, could use a hand or two Will share the bounty. ~Barclay sent 12:04 PM
An olive branch in hopes you weren't too sore about his rejection from earlier this week. The message and sentiment is lost on you since you got over that Thursday.
The idea of new terrain makes you a bit uneasy, however lobster mushrooms were pretty good and forage finds were really rare. Barclay grew up in these woods he probably knew what he was doing, not to mention he could easily know where to find ramps. Their flavor would really up your pie game. It's settled you're in for a forage date with big foot as your guide.
Am in Big Feet. When are we going? Sent 7:20 PM
Like with most things a waiting game began, down sides to living in a radio quiet community people weren't as attached to electronics because of the limited capabilities. But now that you know Barclay is emailing you, you can check your phone more often. Shutting down your laptop you close it before sliding it under your coffee table as you slide down the couch getting comfy.
It was two hours before Barclay got back to you.
Fantastic! Does Tuesday work? ~Barclay sent 9:42 PM
Barclay must be in a rush to get those mushrooms. You'd been thinking Thursday or Friday at the latest for the freshest mushrooms. Maybe he didn't need them for the picnic but a personal project. From what Jake has told you Barclay often falls into spells of testing out new ideas with the strangest of ingredients. With varying results but mainly positive ones.
Yea sure. Meet at the lodge after my shift? Sent 9:50 PM
Perfect see you then. ~Barclay sent 9:52 PM
Oki Sent 9:52 PM
Now that that has been settled you are free to continue your chill Sunday. Losing yourself to the lulling voices of the judges you hardly notice as you drift off. Warm in your throw blanket cocoon and cozy on the plush of your couch.
You jolt up right panting after being woken up by a loud bang. Or at least you thought you'd heard a bang, Sometimes auditory hallucinations came to you in your sleep no matter how well rested you were. The room around you is dark as the light from your TV is dimmed with Netflix's 'Are you still watching?' pop up mocking you for your marathon.
Without thinking you hit 'yes' and the bake off resumes. With the brightness restored you can see your living room and hallway are completely undisturbed. An auditory hallucination must have pulled you out of sleep. Nothing more, after all your stalker wouldn't get sloppy now, it's only been three weeks.
'That you know of.' seems to whisper and embed itself in your mind.
Shaking off the worrying thought you look at your phone to see it's now quarter till one. You are hungry and don't feel like cooking. Thankfully you have emergency white castles and fries in your freezer for this exact need. Getting up you go to the kitchen to microwave your food. Popping the fries in first you decide to head to the bathroom before that becomes a problem for you.
Before you go down the hallway you do end up grabbing the bat next to the bookshelf. The whisper from earlier clearly hasn't done much to settle your nerves after your rude awakening. Protection in hand you have a little less anxiety about walking down the dark hallway. You'd have to look into installing one of those cheap wall lamps from Home Depot to help you out in situations like this. Either that or a night light in your bathroom, you can probably get the night light done quicker. Maybe Leo sells them, you'll have to check next week.
You made it back to the kitchen after your bathroom break without any surprises, real or imaginary, jumping out at you. Replacing the fries inside your microwave with sliders, you snack on a few while you wait for the rest of your meal.
It's probably paranoia but you can't blame yourself for it as you continue to keep an ear out for any sound of abnormal movement within your home, as you eat and have the bake show low enough to catch the sounds of another person. None come, and you finish your food without incident. You're willing to chalk the noise up to a hallucination and your paranoia as valid but not necessary in this moment. Without much more thought you place your empty plate on the coffee table and curl back up in your throw blanket. Just like before you don't catch yourself as you fall asleep. This time you don't wake up until your phone alarm goes off for you to start your week and head to work.
The week has been much less dramatic than last week had been. But then again it is only Tuesday and you literally have gay brunch this Sunday. There will definitely be some sort of theatrics this week. Whether they come from homosexuals or your stalker is up to God.
Then later today you'll be going foraging with Barclay. And while that isn't anything dramatic it will be an adventure and, you hope, really fun! Your excitement has been tangible all day and you couldn't hold yourself back from focusing only on the clock in the shop all day. Even giddier than normal for the strike of five. With the energy rushing through you it amped up your tics but thankfully you hadn't hurt yourself in your excitement.
Even Nate is beginning to playfully tease you about your “date” with Barclay.
Great he must've been talking to Little Jo. What is it with this family and wanting you to date the lodge owner? Do you just look like the lead in a Hallmark Christmas movie that moved to a small town in order to feel the joy of the holidays? You could definitely get into the role but you don't think Barclay would be the main love interest for you.
Honestly he'd probably be the one all the viewers cheered for but you'd personally go for the puppy dog partner that has a scarred past. You have a type and your type is emotionally wounded and needing of love. That thought had made you chuckle as you and Nate closed up the store for the day.
Nate kept looking over at you throughout the day, and when he heard you giggle to yourself at closing he couldn't help the fond smile that came over his features. He could feel how his brows lifted themselves from their normally furrowed or downward tilt. He'd have let you leave early had it not been for the new procedures Big Jo had set. It's not often that your excitement shows so visibly. It's not often that the Cowell family has seen you happy like this.
But Nate understands it's not the crush that Little Jo seems to think it is, it's something more bittersweet. It's the excitement that comes from finally waning off of being isolated for so long. And boy does Nate understand that feeling. If he had to guess Nate would say you've been alone for most of your life even if you don't act like it. You need these little hangouts with your friends. So he does his fastest close yet. You both are out the door by five after and he bids you goodnight as you head to your respective cars.
With the close tonight being so quick you made it to the lodge and parked in the half full lot just before five thirty. Getting out of your car you noticed a familiar duo sitting on the stoop of the lodge.
'Something's wrong.' is the only thought you have as you walk towards the lodge.
“Hey stranger.” the brunette looks up to you at your greeting.
In this light you can just catch the slight movement of his pupils in his dark eyes as they widen in surprise.
“oh...hey?” he seems confused to see you here. Must not be used to living in a small town yet. He'll learn soon enough that you run into everyone all the time here. Sometimes multiple times a week as it would seem.
“You good?” motioning towards the hand on the back of his neck.
“Yea, fucking Bri-an Mrrow thought I needed this.” Toby moves his hand to show an ice pack that you assume he's been holding to the back of his neck.
“Heat sickness?”
“Nah, the RV's AC busted. I can probably fix it by the end of the week.” you nod.
That makes sense, after all CIPA affects thermal regulation, at least from a basic skim. You really need to get on that deep dive to make sure you're prepared for irregular injury prevention with Toby. Speaking of, the boy in front of you is just sitting here with Connor, why? Even if he's here to get a room at the lodge why didn't he just go in? Connor is a service dog after all not like anyone could turn him away. So why was Toby just sitting out here, especially if Brian thought he needed an ice pack to the neck to keep cool?
As if the universe heard your question and decided to give you an answer, Aubrey opened the door and poked her head out.
“Thanks for letting me put up Dr. Harris Bonkers. I'll keep him in my room during your stay.” Oh that makes sense Aubrey's rabbit normally has the run of the lodge. Even if Connor's a service dog and well trained Dr. Bonkers is still a prey animal with a weak heart. Seeing Connor may have stressed the poor rabbit out, if not nearly given him a heart attack.
Her russet eyes land on you when she opens the door wider to, you assume, let Toby and Connor in. They widen and Aubrey rushes in to hug you before stopping short as if remembering you don't appreciate physical contact.
“Hey YN! I didn't know you were coming over.” She says a little awkwardly mid pose for a hug.
You won't be saving her from the situation. With a smile, that she can't see, you nod.
“Barclay's taking me foraging today.”
Aubrey nods while lowering her arms and takes a few steps back so you and Toby can enter the lodge. The large foyer of the wooden chalet always looks bigger thanks to the deep red tones in it's color palette. From the dark cherry stained wood to the red rugs and table liners. Always feels a lot warmer too, but in a homey sense not the overbearing swelter of heat sense. You can't wait to see what it's like in the winter. Probably so cozy and welcoming with a fire roaring and the murmur of residents and tourist mingling over the winter festivities. There's a swell in your chest at the thought...it seems nice, you hope you're right.
'Hope you see it.' is the dark whisper that taints your thoughts.
You notice Brian and Tim are over at the counter talking to Barclay who is nodding along sympathetically to the trio's plight. He catches your eye and motions for you to wait. You'd been planning to, after all he's currently working.
Turning to Toby you see he looks a bit paler than normal, which should be a difficult feat. Aubrey had left you both, though you aren't sure if she'll be coming back with her girlfriend Dani in a moment or not. You decide to lead Toby over to the obnoxiously plush couch in the den.
It's not like the lodge is off limits to those who aren't guests, and seeing as most of it's workers live here their friends frequently come around thus using the amenities. After sitting on the couch Toby grabs at Connor's ears and starts shaking them. He isn't being rough with them despite the jerky movements and Connor seems to lean into the pet.
Just from what you can gather it seems like Toby has some pretty bad social anxiety. You really aren't sure of what you could do to help. He calmed down at the movie night with a distraction...oh that reminds you, you fell asleep on him. Figuratively and literally.
“I'm sorry for falling asleep on you.” probably not the most tactful or elegant way of bringing this up.
Toby takes a minute to register you words. Not taking his eyes off Connor or ceasing his movements he says, “Eh.” as he gives a muted shrug and continues, “Your friend...Kirby...gave you a ride right?” He said Kirby's name like a question. You'd have to formally introduce the two at some point. Probably this weekend.
“Yea, he's sorry about being a weirdo Saturday, said he'd be more “present” this weekend.”
Toby doesn't say anything more and you let a silence fall over you two. It isn't awkward, at least to you, and you're content to just sit and wait for a while. However, it doesn't take long before Tim, Brian, and Barclay are all entering the den.
“Knew they'd be here,” Barclay says to the other two, “Sorry 'bout the wait YN, Jake's comin' down to give these guys a tour an' set them up. We'll leave when he gets down.” you nod and give the other two a muted wave 'hello'.
It isn't long before Jake is sliding down the banister and leading the group out of the room before Barclay can get on to him about his juvenile behavior. Sighing at the twenty-three year old's antics Barclay turns to you and looks at what you're wearing. Hiking boots and jeans, perfect but one thing is missing.
“C'mon let's go get duct taped.”
“Duct taped?”
“Yup, keeps ticks from climbing up you.”
So you make your way to his office where he sticks duct tape, sticky side up, around each ankle and just above and below your knees. All while explaining how if a tick started to try and climb up you the tape would make them stick and stay there. You'd end up with less ticks on your torso and hopefully none at all.
In no time the two of your were in the forest two baskets in hand and hunting for your immobile prey. The ramps were super easy to find and the first you knocked off the hunt list. Barlcay said they grow in the same area every year, knowing this you may have to come and grab some the next time they're in season. You can already taste how good your forager's pie tastes with the new earthy tones. Actual mushrooms were much harder to find, aside from the lobster mushrooms you were really only looking for some hedgehog mushrooms. They aren't rare or extremely difficult to find but you two aren't having any luck.
Barclay suggested a spot just past a little pond, and while you didn't find mushrooms you did find some Black Raspberry bushes. Not one to let ingredients go to waste Barclay starts picking some, and you grab some too. Maybe baking an easy Black Raspberry cobbler will be your consolation prize. Though Barclay isn't as placated as you are with the unexpected find. The man is still on the hunt for his lobster mushrooms. So you continue scouring the path and a little bit off it in search.
“We should head back, it's dark.” you state plainly after a few hours of searching and remaining mushroom less.
Barclay agrees, but makes the comment that he'll probably come out again in a day or two.
“If I find any I'll still give you some or helping out today.”
“It's fine I've got my treasures right here.” You shrug it off, because while you are a bit disappointed, you still have ramps and the opportunity to make cobbler. It's not all bad. Barclay on the other hand, you know, will not be letting this go so you expect he'll hand you a container of mushrooms sometime in the coming month if not this weekend.
Getting back to the lodge Barclay helps you cut off the duct tape and disposes of it and the hitch hikers you picked up. He sends you off to shower and check for stragglers before he would allow you to go home. Thankfully you had the foresight to bring a change of clothes and after retrieving them from your trunk you do as you're told.
Barclay was right you hadn't had a single tick on you and you feel much better after a shower. Getting out you already smell the alluring aroma of Barclay's kitchen. You must have taken a bit longer than you intended if he was already done with his own shower and already cooking for the lodge. Heading downstairs with your duffle bag in tow, you are stopped by Dani at the door.
You haven't seen her in a bit so the two of you catch up and have a chat. After a bit Aubrey comes in with a Tupperware container of grilled salmon and veggies over rice.
“Oh I see, you were a diversion.” you said looking at Dani as you take the container. Dani gives a sheepish smile before running off to the dinning room, and after sending you a coy smile of her own Aubrey follows after.
You know you're more than welcome to join them, but you really don't have the battery for that and just want to decompress at home.
“Thank you!” you call out into the lodge, only leaving after hearing the distant chuckles drifting through the hall.
Opening the door you run right into someone. Looking up you see Toby, but he isn't wearing a mask. Instead he's wearing a large bandage on his face to cover the hole. In his hands is a box of similar bandages. Guess if they're staying for a bit he'll need them around the others.
Should you mention the others wouldn't say anything? That this whole place was like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, but for the misfits or the weird and disowned? You aren't really sure it's your place. And you aren't really sure you're comfortable with how comfortable you've gotten with Toby. You're probably crossing some boundary by over analyzing him so much. And he doesn't even know you're doing it.
Toby knocks you out of your head when he backs away and gives you space to exit the lodge.
“Get home safe.” it falls out of his mouth so easily.
You've noticed he has a habit of saying that...why? There you go over analyzing him, you need to stop. Shaking yourself from your thoughts this time you look at Toby with a smile.
“I will...I think you'll like it here.” when you're in your car you want to slam your head on the steering wheel but Toby is still watching. Why did you say that, you're so weird.
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rvspberry · 4 years
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Cat boy Steve trying to cook/ BAKE??? something as a Christmas surprise???
(THIS WAS AN AMAZING ASK!!! And it ended up becoming a modern Catboy AU. And ended up longer than I expected. Anon, I hope you enjoy.)
Steve’s never baked cookies before. He’s never baked *anything* before, to be honest, and he’s never really thought about trying his hand at doing things in the kitchen until now. Billy cooks for them, mostly because Steve can burn water because he gets so easily distracted, ears twitching at every little noise and tail flicking with each new interest that catches his attention.
But the thing is… the thing is, Steve turns on the Hallmark channel the second week of December and watches romcom after romcom with people baking cakes and pies and whole Christmas dinners to show their love. Steve could maybe try cookies. They seem easy enough.
And, like, it sounds cool. Making cookies for Billy. Showing his love through something homemade. Like, he works part-time at Family Video, and he already bought Billy something small, something he could afford. But giving Billy something he put his heart into? Something made with love and care? Something he made with his own two hands?
The way the movies make it out, that’s the best thing he could ever offer to Billy, cookies worth their weight in gold.
It can’t be that hard, right?
So Steve turns to his first source of knowledge anytime he needs to find out how to do something new.
YouTube.
He’s a visual learner, okay? He likes being able to see the steps laid out in real time.
His attention span shoots for the sixty-second video where they do a run-through of the steps to making the perfect chocolate chip cookies. It’s long enough to hold his attention, short enough to keep him focused, and he feels so confident watching it that he goes out and buys all the ingredients he needs. He’s whistling to himself through the grocery store, smiles at the cashier, and when he gets home, he still feels utterly confident.
Until the batter comes out a lot more liquid than solid. The chocolate chips fall off the spoon before he can even scoop them up. Steve winces, but he followed the directions. Even if the directions didn’t have anything like measurements. He kind of eyeballs each ingredient. Two sticks of butter, two eggs, a cup each of flour and sugar, a hefty scoop of baking powder - and then the chocolate chips. But…
It looks weird.
It’s not right.
Steve dips his pinky into the batter and tastes it. It’s bitter, and not sweet enough. He still goes through with it, spooning the liquidy mixture onto the cookie sheet and popping it into the oven.
The oven is a whole other experience entirely, because Steve doesn’t know what the numbers really mean. He pushes a few until the numbers read 2-0-0. That seems like a long time, right? Or is it temperature? Whatever. It works.
...Except the video says to leave the cookies in the oven for 10-15 minutes, and when he pulls them out, they’re still raw. So he pops them back in for 20 minutes. 30 minutes. An hour passes, and they seem to grow more disgusting with every minute that passes.
When he finally pulls them out, somehow raw on top and burnt on the bottom and sides, Steve tosses the whole thing - cookies, tray, and all.
Billy comes home later and crinkles his nose. “Did you burn something, babe?”
“No!” Steve is quick to reply, eyes wide when he looks up at Billy from his spot on the couch where he’d been laying in the sun earlier. “Nope. Not at all.”
“Okay…” Billy drawls, his eyes gazing over at Steve with confusion until he spots something and smiles. Strutting over to Steve, Billy reaches out and rubs his thumb over Steve’s cheek. “You got some flour on you.”
Steve lets out a yelp and flies to the bathroom to wash up properly, Billy snickering behind him.
~
Steve tries again the next week, the week before Christmas. Surely he can master it if he tries to follow a longer video, right? Something with measurements. Something that’s foolproof. And when the batter is finished, with Steve’s focus narrowing enough for him to measure every little ingredient out, it looks just like the video. He pulls it up on his phone, ears twitching as he listens intently.
He follows every step to the T, to the dotted ‘i.’ The sets the “bake” thing to 3-7-5 and puts the sheet inside to begin with. Even waits as the numbers turn from 1-0-0 to 1-2-0, thinking that he must wait 120 minutes for the oven to hear up. He groans when the 1-0-0 turns to 1-2-0… Really? That long? That’s how long it takes to heat the oven?
By the time the oven beeps and the numbers read ‘3-7-5,’ Steve has gotten distracted licking his paws and visibly startles into action.
He places the tray into the oven and even turns on the timer somehow for ten minutes.
But then Steve goes to the living room and lays down on the couch in the sun and starts cleaning his tail, licking the backs of his hands to clean his ears. He doesn’t want Billy to know he’s made cookies until he steps into the kitchen and sees the beautiful pile of them on a plate on the counter. Wouldn’t that be something?
So, ten minutes turn into twenty, and the smell of smoke tinges the air.
Steve crinkles his nose at the scent, his senses more sensitive than a human’s, and then his eyes widen comically in fear.
“No, no, no! Not my cookies!!”
Steve rushes to the kitchen to drag the cookies out of the oven with a mitted-hand and lays them on the stove. Confusion tinges his expression - it curls at the edges of his mouth, curls his eyebrows up, makes him completely disinterested and distrustful of the process. These were going to be fool-proof. Steve-proof.
And he messed it up again.
He scrapes the burnt cookies off the tray into the trash can and soaks the tray in the sink as best as he can, given how tiny it is.
Steve’s tail twitches. How did he screw this batch so badly? How did he not hear the timer?
He realizes that only one person can really help him right now, and resolves to call Joyce Byers.
~
Steve is still smarting from his last attempt, so it takes him another few days to get around to calling her. By the time he does, it’s Christmas Eve.
But Joyce seems happy to help, one catperson to another, and offers up the recipe for her homemade snickerdoodles.
“Could you- could you tell me how to make them? All the ones I’ve tried end up terrible,” he says, wincing at the admission.
“Of course, Steve. Just stay on the phone with me. Put me on speaker so you can use both of your hands. And don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, okay?”
“Okay…”
So, Joyce talks him through properly measuring the ingredients, leveling them off with a knife.
She describes adding the sugar and butter together and calls it “creaming” which makes him fight back a snicker.
He adds the eggs carefully, once at a time, fishing out tiny pieces of eggshell to make sure no one gets that unpleasant surprise. He adds the vanilla, the dry ingredients, rolls them into little balls in a mix of cinnamon sugar, and places them carefully on a baking sheet.
Steve thinks to ask her about the oven numbers and feels like an idiot when she tells him it’s not the time left for preheating but the temperature climbing up to 350’.
Joyce even keeps him on the phone while the cookies bake, both of them sharing information about the latest campaigns of the party. Steve doesn’t have the attention to stay interested in a campaign for as long as they take to trudge through, everyone rolling, everyone making a decision, the boys fighting about what is and isn’t allowed… It’s a lot, and he feels a little better when Joyce agrees with him, both of them dissolving into laughter.
His tail flicks back and forth, casual and easy and contented, and when the timer goes off in the background, Steve actually hears it and Joyce reminds him to take the cookies out to let them cool.
When Billy gets home that night, Steve can’t help the smug smile on his face.
“Damn, I think the neighbor was baking cookies or something, it smells so good in the hallway!” Billy says, toeing off his boots. He stops in the doorway and sniffs the air curiously. His blue eyes turn on Steve, who can’t even pretend to be innocent as his ears are flicked ahead, alert, and his tail whips back and forth with anticipation. “Baby… did *you* bake cookies today?”
The slow smile that steals across Steve’s lips is no less smug, and his tail flicks excitedly. He perks up, licking his lips.
“Do you want to try one?” Steve asks, affecting a shy look right up until Billy nods. Then, Steve stands quickly, shoots his hand out to curl around Billy’s wrist and drags him into the kitchen.
There, on a simple paper plate, are the snickerdoodles Joyce helped him make. Completely harmless, and yet they hold a weight to them that Steve cannot describe.
Steve’s eyes are wide as he watches Billy pick one up, can practically feed his pupils dilating as Billy raises the cookie to his mouth and he takes a bite.
Billy tuns to face him suddenly and Steve’s ears flatten in preparation to be told that they’re terrible. For Billy to spit them out, or- or whatever. To do something that shows that Steve’s efforts were all for naught.
“Steve, these are *delicious*!” Billy exclaims, then shoves the rest of the cookie into his mouth.
“Really?” Steve asks. He looks at Billy through his lashes with his biggest, roundest eyes, a little pout on his lips.
“Baby, yes. Yes, they’re so fucking good,” Billy mumbles through a mouthful of cookie, chewing and swallowing what he had in his mouth. He pulls Steve into his arms and gives him a sweet kiss, the buttery-sugar-and-cinnamon flavor clinging to Billy’s lips. “Did you make these for me…?”
“Yeah,” Steve breathes out, the weight on his shoulders lifting immediately. He ducks his head, trying to hide his grin.
Billy crowds him back against the counter, a hand on either side of Steve caging him in. Steve picks his chin up to lock eyes with Billy, who smiles warmly at him.
“Thank you,” Billy murmurs and turns his head to lean in and press their lips together. “They’re amazing. *You’re* amazing.”
Steve laughs softly and kisses Billy back, his hands moving up to slide into Billy’s hair. “You’re amazing, too. That��s why I made them for you. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, babe,” Billy whispers, and kisses Steve again.
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Text
BTS Reaction: You make a bet with them and ask for head pats when you win
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thank you @anoesjkaax​ for helping me through my writers block and giving me the idea for Hobi’s. 🥺
Namjoon
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You and Namjoon were cooking together. The entire time you were in there you kept trying to toss the empty packages into the trash can, only to miss every time. You were going to throw another empty package in there and Namjoon couldn't help but chuckle at you. 
“Y/n you’ve missed every time when are you just going to give up on that? There’s so much food on the floor because you keep missing.”
“I feel it this time, this one is going in.”
“That’s what you said the last time.. and the time before that.”
“Oh yeah? Wanna bet me on it?”
“Sure. You’re on go ahead and miss ag-” His sentence is abruptly cut off when you make it into the trash can. 
“Yes! HA! I told you!” You start doing a victory dance and he chuckles at you fondly.
“Alright yes, you got me. You won. What do you want sweetheart?” You suddenly start fidgeting with your hands and glancing down at your feet. “What is it, y/n? You don’t have to be shy around me.”
“Um.. can I have head pats?” Namjoon feels like his heart is going to melt in his chest at the sweet request. He walks over to you and places his hand on the top of your head, patting it lightly and then running his fingers through your hair. You sigh happily and let your eyes flutter closed. 
“You’re too cute, y/n.” 
Jin
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You had been watching Jin play maple story for the last half hour. You found it quite amusing how he got so into the game and took it very seriously. 
“Jin you should quit pressing your luck. Your items are going to get destroyed again.”
“Not this time. There’s only a .7% destroy chance.”
“You’re gonna get your item destroyed and then you’re going to rage quit like you did before.” 
“Oh yeah? You wanna bet on it?”
“Sure. Go ahead and see what happens.” Jin stares at the screen when he sees that indeed, his headband has been destroyed. He continues looking before he exits out of the game and lets out a loud shout. 
“WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN? IT’S NOT FUNNY STOP LAUGHING!” You continue laughing to yourself and soon Jin leans over to poke your side, knowing how ticklish you are there. You squeal and scoot away from him but he quickly grabs you and tugs your chair closer to him and kisses your temple. “So you won our bet what do you want as your reward?” You look away from him and mumble quietly and he doesn’t hear you. “Hmm? What was that?”
“I said I want head pats.” 
“Oh my you are too cute, come here.” You lean over onto his shoulder and Jin begins lightly patting your head before he rests his hand there and gently moves it back and forth. Before long you are beginning to nod off. He stops his ministrations and listens to the steady sound of your breath before laying his head on top of yours, just enjoying this peaceful moment with you. 
Yoongi
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You move to get out of bed but feel arms tighten around your waist and pull you back. You giggle happily when you feel lips pressed against the back of your neck.
“Yoongi, let me get up. I need to go shower and get some water.”
“Mmm, no. We can just stay here all day.”
“No we can’t.”
“And why not?”
“Because you’re going to get hungry and grumpy and want to leave the bed within the next hour.”
“I will not. I bet you cave before me. You get more hangry than I do in the mornings.” 
“Alright then it’s a bet. We’ll see who caves first.” You settle back into bed and snuggle closer to Yoongi. Sure enough within 20 minutes you hear Yoongi’s stomach growl rather loudly and you let out a chuckle. 
“Just because my stomach is growling doesn’t mean I’m getting out of bed, don’t get cocky.” You laugh and turn around in his arms.
“Just admit you’re hungry and lost the bet and I will go make us both breakfast. Come on I’ll make your favorite.” His stomach growls even louder at that and he sighs before nodding his head. 
“Fine. You win.” You move to get out of bed but again, Yoongi grabs you and pulls you back. “What do you want for winning?” You’re glad you aren’t facing him because you’re face is surely turning red.
“Um.. could I just have some head pats? I like it when you do that for me.” Yoongi’s smile is a mile wide when he hears you ask for this. 
“Of course, angel.” He pats your head a few times and it makes you happy. “Now please go make us food before I die of starvation. I’ll give you more when you come back.”
“Okay, deal.”
 Hoseok
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Hoseok came back from his shopping trip with more bags than you think could possibly fit in his closet. 
“Hoseok we don’t have anymore room for half this stuff. Your side of the closet is already starting to take over mine too.”
“But baby, they were having a sale!”
“And you probably still spent more than what my car costs huh?” He chuckles at that and shakes his head. 
“I didn’t spend that much...”
“Hoseok you have very expensive taste. Not saying that’s a bad thing because you look amazing in everything you wear but... Okay I bet the next time you go out you can’t shop on a limited budget.” 
“Oh yeah? I totally can, just you watch!”
“And by limited I mean less than $100 for your entire outfit.”  He gasps and is about to protest before he sees you raising your eyebrow at him questioningly. 
“Okay, you’re on.” The next day Hoseok insists on proving you wrong so you follow him around on his shopping trip. He walks by a store window and gasps when he sees a pair of his favorite shoe brand. 
“Hoseok those shoes cost 10x the amount I gave you on our bet.”
“But they’re limited edition! Okay I’m sorry but the bet is off you win. I have to have those.” He rushes into the store and you shake your head laughing to yourself. He didn’t even make it 30 minutes. You wait for him outside and he comes out with his bag in hand looking quite pleased with himself until he sees your expression.  “So.. um.. what exactly do I have to do since I lost?”
“I want you to pat my head and tell me I was right.” Hoseok sighs in relief. 
“Oh is that all? I can do that!”
“You want me to add more?”
“No! No that’s okay.” He walks over to you and drops his bag onto the ground as he pats your head. “You were right, baby. But you know I bought something for you too.” Hoseok bends down to take a necklace out of the bag. It’s cute, and has a little sunshine charm dangling on it. “Now you’ll have me with you everywhere you go.” He pats your head again and you smile brightly before leaning in to peck his lips. 
“Thank you, Hoseok. I’ll wear it always. Promise.”
Jimin
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You and Jimin had decided to go sledding together. He loved being outside in the snow and it made your chest feel warm to see how happy it made him and how his inner child came out whenever it snowed. You both were at the top of the hill in your own sleds. You were just about to push off and start heading down when Jimin stopped you. 
“Wait!” 
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“I bet I beat you to the bottom.”
“Really, Jimin?”
“Come on it’ll be fun if it’s a race!” 
“Okay, you’re on.” You start scooting down the hill.
“Hey! Cheater, wait for me!” You do end up making it down to the bottom first. 
“Looks like I won!” Jimin gets out of his sled and walks over to you, playfully tackling you into the snow. 
“You cheated! You got a head start!” 
“You never said I couldn’t. I won.” You stick your tongue out at him and he laughs and kisses your forehead. He gets up and holds his hand out to help you stand up. 
“Let’s go get some hot chocolate to warm up.” You follow him to the concession stand and he orders one for each of you. 
“So, you won what do you want from me?” You take a sip of your hot chocolate and walk closer to him. 
“Head pats.” 
“Is that all?”
“And a kiss.” Jimin chuckles and leans in to peck your lips. He moves his hand up to the top of your head and pats it gently, but after a few moments he lets his hand rest there and rub little circles with his finger tips. 
“Ah, that feels really good. Jimin keep doing that.” He chuckles and continues his ministrations until he sees you are about to fall asleep on your feet.
“Maybe we should go back now?”
“Okay.” You pout slightly. 
“Don’t worry I’ll continue when we get home. Promise.” 
Taehyung
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You and Taehyung had been playing video games with each other for the entire day. And you had beaten him at almost every single one. He didn’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed by how good you were. But he finally decided he had enough. 
“Alright, I am going to beat you at the next round.”
“You sure about that? I have been absolutely destroying you so far.”
“That’s because I let you. I’ve been going easy on you.” That’s a lie, Taehyung thinks to himself. You obviously feel the same way judging by how you rolled your eyes at him. 
“Alright then. Let’s bet on it.” You hold your hand out and he shakes it. Sure enough, you beat him again. 
“Ah! What the hell why are you so good at this?!” He tosses the controller on the ground in frustration. “Alright what do you want, jagi?” The confidence you were exuding before is gone and you are suddenly quite shy. 
“Um, well since I won and I did a good job I think I want head pats.” 
“Head pats? Oh my god you are the cutest.” Taehyung scoots over closer to you and gently pats your head, you close your eyes and enjoy the feeling of it and soon you feel a kiss placed on your forehead.
“Thanks, Tae.” 
“Of course. Anytime you want anything from me just let me know, okay? I am more than happy to give you head pats whenever you want.” 
Jungkook
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You were walking around the park with Jungkook. You were about 15 minutes into your walk when dark clouds started forming over head. 
“Uh oh, we should probably go back.”
“No way! The weather man said it wasn’t supposed to rain today.”
“Jungkook half the time they are wrong we should go back to the car.” 
“If you want to go back you can, but I need to get my cardio in for the day so I can jog and then meet you back at the car.” 
“Alright fine. I bet you come back drenched.” 
“Bet not. See you back at the car.” You walk back and as soon as you close the car door the first sprinkling of rain comes down. Within minutes it is pouring. You giggle to yourself as you picture Jungkook frantically running back to the car and his bewildered expression when he realized you were right. You see him burst through the tree line and make right for the car. He throws the door open and turns it on, cranking the heat up. He hears you trying to stifle your laughs.
“Don’t even say it.”
“Say what? I told you so? Okay. I definitely won’t say you lost the bet and I was right.”
“Ah, you are such a brat.” He says with a teasing grin on his face. “What do you want for winning then?” You grab his hand and place it on your head. 
“Head pats.” 
“Your hair is going to get all wet, I’m soaked.”
“I don’t care. I want head pats.” Jungkook smiles at you and complies, lightly patting your head but soon you realize he is using your hair for a towel as he turns his hands over and continues patting and rubbing your head. 
“Jungkook stop it!” You playfully smack his hand away. 
“I’m sorry I had to.” You both laugh at that but he places his hand back on your head counting his ministrations much to your delight.  
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snowdice · 4 years
Text
Folds in Paper (Chapter 1: Burnt Rubber Pop-Tarts)[Folds in Time Universe]
Fandom: Sanders Sides
Relationships: Janus/Patton, Remus & Roman, eventual Logan/Virgil (maybe more)
Characters: 
Main: Janus, Patton, Remus
Appear: Remy, Emile, Virgil, Logan, Roman
Summary: Janus, a disillusioned senior agent working for the Time Preservation Initiative, struggles to find meaning in a world where time travel could change everything about your life’s history in less than a moment. When time distortions start popping up, threatening the timeline and the fabric of reality as he knows it, it becomes a race against the clock to fix the damage before everything unravels. And the problem with time travel... you never how long you have before the clock strikes 12 and your time is up.
With a partner who has more mysteries in his past than Janus had anticipated and an enigmatic free agent time traveler mucking about time always with a clever pun or a time appropriate pet name on his lips, Janus will need to figure out what went wrong with time, and more importantly, how to fix it.
Notes: Time travel AU, mystery, enemies to lovers (more to be added)
This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.
The words in front of him seemed to squirm back and forth across the screen as he watched, despite the fact that he’d bought this screen to prevent that exact thing from happening. The ‘d’s and ‘p’s and ‘b’s seemed to blur together into a sludge of incomprehensible nonsense, just like the voices around him seemed to.
He wasn’t quite sure how long he sat there staring at that report. Time itself seemed almost like the words and the people, it swirled past him in a blur of sounds and colors, but he never could quite grab ahold of it.
Something smacked him in the forehead, and he startled, looking up. “Remus,” Janus sighed. He picked up the projectile that had just been lobbed at him. “Did you steal paper from the 20th century supply again?” he asked, staring at the folded-up piece of white paper in the shape of a crane. It was one of Remus’s favorite designs. “That’s not what it’s for.”
“There’s a message inside!” Remus replied, happily, giving no thought to Janus’s admonishment.
Janus glared at him and carefully unfolded the paper. He squinted at it, and as he’d anticipated, that was way worse than the screen. Maybe the reader was worth his money after all. Or maybe Remus’s handwriting was just horrendous.
He squinted at it for a few moments and then looked back up. He blinked at his surroundings. The note had said ‘Go home. Work ended hours ago.’ and that certainly seemed accurate considering he and Remus were the only people left in the office.
“I still have to finish this report about the New Easter Island mission,” he said to Remus.
“I’ll do it,” Remus offered. “You’ve been working without a break for hours, and I probably owe the agency some time since I took a coffee break to 22nd century France this afternoon.”
“You what?” Janus asked.
”They have the best coffee,” Remus said, and then grinned wolfishly, “and the best guys.”
“Stop doing that stuff,” Janus hissed. “You’re lucky I haven’t reported you already.”
“You wouldn’t,” Remus said, very sure of himself. “You like me too much. Plus, without me, you’ll forget to go home and sleep every night. So, it’d be a loose-loose. Now up! It’s time for you to go home.”
Janus sighed and stood. “Fine,” he said. “I’m going, but that report better be done like you said, or I will report you for your coffee excursions.”
“Sure, you will,” Remus said. “Now shoo.”
Janus spared him one more glare before standing from his desk and waving his hand through the air. The machine at his wrist buzzed softly and the display screen lit up around him. He jabbed a finger at the last of the three pre-set locations and, with a feeling like he’d just stepped into a pool of softened butter, he was home.
He groaned and fell back onto his couch immediately. “Time?” he asked.
“1:57am,” a soft voice said from his ceiling. He groaned. Considering the agency liked to keep their schedules aligned even though his house sat almost 2 millennia before the agency even existed, he’d have to be up in 4 hours to head back to work. They said it was to ‘stop them from experiencing time jet lag’ and ‘maintain their circadian rhythm,’ but with Janus it usually just ended up with him ‘not getting enough sleep’ and ‘suffering greatly.’
Sure, he had been fine with it, encouraged the policy even, when the agency was created, but that had been before he’d had to live it.
His stomach suddenly grumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since before the mission he’d been on earlier that day. He was exhausted, but he also knew trying to go to bed this hungry would result in him not being able to sleep at all. He dragged himself to his feet and onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. He didn’t want to wait for the auto cook feature to cook him something and he especially didn’t want to cook something himself, so he pressed a few buttons on the side of the counter and a protein infused, still cold pop-tart popped out of the table.
He thought it might be a Hot Fudge Sunday one, but he honestly couldn’t tell. The protein infusion made all of them taste rather horrible. For all he knew, it was one of the Burnt Rubber flavored ones Remus had once snuck into his pantry. To be fair, he hadn’t even noticed until he’d went to go stock his pantry and realized that there was half a box of those things. It was just another example of Remus using time travel for things he shouldn’t. They were a year 2513 delicacy.
The 2510s were an odd set of years.
He chewed on the possibly chocolate, possibly rubber flavored pastry and glanced out of the window. Though it was dark, one could still see the water of the man-made lake his home sat on thanks to the floating lights that hovered above it. Each agent working for the TPI received a home and alternate identity in a time and location of their choice. (Within reason, that is. Remus’s request to live among the dinosaurs was quickly denied and new rules were put into place immediately after.) Janus had chosen the late 24th century with a moderately sized home on Lake BlueBox. He didn’t have many close neighbors, but the ones he did know thought he was an accountant who went by the name of Declan Banks.
No, he had not chosen the last name. Yes, everyone got those types of names. The people at the Agent Management Office had a sense of humor or were just not creative. Janus only knew one employee in the AMO and he’d been avoiding him for the past three years as much as possible. Cowardly, maybe, but he knew if he gave the man too much information about his general lifestyle, he’d be dragged into the AMO to talk about his mental state and feelings, and honestly, that would make everything worse.
As soon as he finished the pop-tart, a glass of water popped up from the table making him jump despite the fact that he had been the one to set it to do that automatically years ago. He downed half of the water and picked up the glass to take it to his bedroom. He should probably clean himself off before bed, but he couldn’t be bothered today, and just stripped off his uniform and collapsed into bed in his underwear. The morning was going to come far too soon, he knew. Yet, his mind would not quiet. His brain kept filling out the report he trusted (well, hoped he could trust) Remus had already finished by now.
He eventually groaned and rolled over in bed. “Play something,” he requested. The screen by the side of his bed lit up.
“Randomizing the ‘Something’ video playlist,” the soft voice said from the ceiling.
A dance recital which he knew had been recorded in 2033 started playing. The images moved on the screen in front of him, but the sound drifted from all around him. He let his eyes linger over the way the dancers’ bodies moved as the sounds washed over him. The image of elegantly twisting limbs remained in his head long after his eyelids drifted shut and he finally fell asleep.
Want to read more? Click below!
AO3 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
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nikibogwater · 3 years
Text
The Norse Chaos Chronicles: Chapter Four--In which by some Easter miracle, the Incompetent Vikings defeat the Elder
Been a few days since my last update in regards to Team Bogwater’s exploits in the world of Valheim. This is mostly because we actually had a couple of play sessions that were relatively calm.
We actually did manage to expand to the Black Forest across the sea and set up a functioning base there, where we lived in somewhat cramped quarters for a while until we had gathered enough minerals to enter the Bronze Age (and by cramped, I mean all three of us were crammed into what was basically a single king-sized bed because we failed to make the house big enough to accommodate a reasonable amount of space between each of our beds--clearly some home renovations are in order).
I, being a very kind and responsible sister, spent some time on the server by myself making our base more secure with Stake Walls, setting up a sufficient space for storage, and gathering food, all tasks that the others didn’t seem too excited to take care of. I was expecting the boys to notice and at least tell me that my additions were helpful.
I know for a fact that they at least noticed, because when I joined them for this most recent play session, Gustav had decided that what our base needed now was a spike pit around the front gate, which I know wouldn’t have occurred to him if I hadn’t put up the spiky walls. I was never told that my additions were helpful or appreciated, but considering that there were far fewer deaths happening close to our base, I suspect they were nonetheless. 
Niki: ...Is....Do we really need the spike trap? Like, is it necessary? Gustav: How could you even ask something like that?! I have never been more upset in my life.  Niki: It’s just...like, there’s a bridge that goes right over it. Gustav: Yeah. So we can get across it. Niki: Right but so could the Greydwarves. Gustav: Greydwarves aren’t that smart. (20 minutes later) Gustav, trying and failing to shove a Greydwarf into the pit: You guys, I may have overestimated how unintelligent Greydwarves are.
Gustav got exactly one (1) Greydwarf to fall into the pit and die. The only other thing he caught was Tripe. 
Okay, well, he did manage to get a Troll to walk into the spikes, but then it just smashed them all to pieces. It was at this point that Gustav finally accepted the reality of the fact that a spike pit was completely useless to us in this particular area.
Gustav, filling in the pit with rocks: Man, why didn’t one of you guys warn me that the spike trap was a dumb idea? Niki and Tripe: Yeah, that was our bad. 🙄 (10 minutes later) Niki, just peacefully mining copper in the forest: Wait, so where did the Troll go- *gets slammed by the Troll before I can even finish voicing the question* GUSTAV, WHY DIDN’T YOU KILL IT?!
Tripe and Gustav upgraded to Bronze Gear and Troll Hide (I brought mine over from my single player world to save time and resources). I was still trying to gather up enough Bronze to make a Cultivator so we could eat something other than Cooked Meat and Queen’s Jam, when suddenly I was informed that we were getting into a boat (we upgraded from the raft, finally) and going to kill the Elder.
Tripe: Get in losers, we’re going to kill the next boss. Gustav: *jumps in without any hesitation* Niki: Wait what?! That’s a terrible idea! (5 minutes later) Niki, sulking in the front of the boat: Did I mention this is a really bad idea? Gustav and Tripe: It’s fine. How bad can it possibly be?
Horrible. Absolutely horrible. That’s how bad it was. 
We had rather unlucky RNG with our world generation, and the Elder’s altar was a good 1,000 miles away from us. Which meant a significant portion of this play session was actually just sitting in the boat and watching the scenery pass. 
It sounds like a pleasant time, but I was absolutely terrified the whole way there. 
Gustav: ...Oh hey, we discovered the ocean. Niki, who has seen videos of Sea Serpents absolutely wrecking well-equipped players: BACK TO THE SHORE. GO BACK. DO NOT MOVE INTO OPEN WATERS. GUSTAV, FOR THE LOVE, GO BACK TO THE SHORELINE! (Passing a Plains biome) Niki: ...Did you guys know there are one-hit death bugs in the Plains Gustav and Tripe: Will you please calm down
We happened to run across Haldur the merchant shortly before reaching our destination. Since Valheim doesn’t tie your inventory to individual worlds, I went ahead and bought a few things to bring back to my single-player world (namely the fishing gear). I hopped off the server for a minute to transfer the items, and while I was in my world, I grabbed some extra food (the boys are terrible about keeping food in their inventories) and, since I figured we’d need all the help we could get, grabbed a few jugs of mead without really paying attention to what effects they gave.
When I came back into the server, Tripe and Gustav were setting up our temporary base so we could reset our spawn points. Right. Smack. Dab. Next to the altar. As in, when the Elder spawned, he was going to basically be standing directly on top of it. 
Niki: ...You guys that seems like a poorly-conceived plan. Gustav and Tripe: No, it’s fine. Stop worrying. 
At this point, I was pretty resigned to the disaster that was inevitably going to unfold, so I just grabbed some wood and set up my own shack a decent ways away without making any further attempts to convince the other two. 
Gustav: Niki, where are you? We’re all ready. Niki: I just...I’ll be there in a minute, hold on. Tripe: What are you doing? Niki: ...I’m building a house. Gustav: YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR OWN HOUSE WHEN WE HAVE A PERFECTLY GOOD ONE RIGHT HERE?! RUDE! Niki: I DON’T WANNA RESPAWN AND THEN JUST IMMEDIATELY BE SQUISHED AGAIN, ALRIGHT?!
Houses built and weapons readied, we all gathered at the altar. I chucked the Ancient Seeds into the flame and immediately booked it out of the vicinity as fast as my meaty Vikings legs could carry me, frantically downing a jug of mead as I went. The Elder spawned in and within seconds, absolute carnage reigned supreme.
Gustav died within the first two minutes and spent the next ten trying to make it back to his grave. Which he couldn’t really do because his respawn point was right next to the Elder, and emerging from the house naked of all armor and gear was basically an instant death sentence.
Gustav: I’ve died six times trying to get my gear back. We really shouldn’t have built the house this close to the altar. Niki, why didn’t you warn us? Niki, fleeing from the massive thorny vines that the Elder is trying to impale her on: I hate you guys so much right now.
I was hanging back as much as I could, dealing damage with my Finewood Bow, but the Elder has a huge range of attack, and it had me down to single digits in health within less than a minute. And it was at this point that I realized I had majorly screwed up.
The mead that I had been frantically chugging in hopes of gaining better health regen? It was actually slowing my health regen and only increasing my stamina.
Niki: YOU GUYS THE MEAD WAS A MISTAKE. OH MY GOSH, IT’S MINUS FIFTY HEALTH REGEN, NOT PLUS! OH CRAP CRAP CRAP--I’M LITERALLY SLOSHED OVER HERE! Gustav: WAIT, NIKI CAME INTO THIS FIGHT DRUNK?! Niki: I DIDN’T NOTICE THE MINUS SIGN!!!! *yeets the rest of the mead into the ocean before meeting my first demise at the hands of the Elder*
Miraculously, I only died twice during the fight (again, mostly because my respawn point was away from the altar, meaning I had a clearer path back to my graves when I respawned). I have no idea how many times the other two died. Towards the end we were also being bombarded by hoards of Greydwarves, which only made things ten times worse.
Gustav: Have either of you seen my corpse? I mean, I have several lying around here at this point. 
I don’t even know how we managed it, but we did finally take out the Elder and received our Swamp Keys. We all stood around the scene of destruction for a minute, just kind of collecting ourselves. 
Tripe: ...I feel like that could’ve gone better. Gustav: Yeah.  It’s just, Niki goes and does all this research and watches videos and then she doesn’t bother to tell us not to put our house so close to the- Niki: *punches him*
The trip home was blessedly uneventful. Tripe did decide to cut across the ocean instead of following the shoreline in order to save time. I was 90% certain we were all going to be eaten by a Serpent, but we were fine. 
We made it back to our camp only to find a Greydwarf Shaman mucking around in our front yard.
Gustav: What is he--is he barfing on our house...? NO, HE’S SMASHING THE CART! OH YOU SON OF A-- *takes a flying leap out of the boat and tears through the shallows, furiously waving his spear*
The Shaman poisoned Tripe, who had a mild panic attack because his respawn point was still back at the Elder’s Altar, and if he died now he would have to walk all the way back here. 
Tripe, with 1 HP left: NO I’M NOT DYING LIKE THIS! *dives headfirst into the nearest bed*
So yes. That is what I was doing this weekend, in case any of you were wondering where I disappeared to. I am hoping to spend some time working on ToA stuff today, but I again, I think it is important to record these events for posterity...and perhaps as a cautionary tale for others.
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flora-jimin · 5 years
Text
𝑩𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 (𝑹𝒂𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓)
AO3 Link
Relationships: Namjoon x Hoseok x Yoongi x Reader
Genre(s): Smut, PWP
Written for @btspolyshipbingo
Square Filled: Bed Sharing
Rating: 18+
Tags: Smut, Pwp, Previous poly triad (rapline), Endgame poly relationship (mmmf), Dirty Talk, Cum Sharing, Spanking, 69, Oral
Summary: You’re invited to spend the last week with Bangtan before vacation is over. Of course, a certian someone didn’t get the house with enough rooms, and now it seems you’ll have to share. Sharing is caring, after all. 
Word count: 8.1k Im so sorry
A/n: This is my first ‘y/n’ fic and of course its long as hell omg.
Tag List: @jungkook-me-down, @jinie, @mapofmarisoul, @vallkyr, @canyoucallthiswriting, @hobisbapsae
-x-
“Wait, you invited Y/n over to stay with us and didn’t even make sure there were enough rooms?” Jin inquired, brows furrowed as he watched Namjoon run a hand through his hair. You were seated between Yoongi and Hoseok while the other band members spoke, brows furrowed. 
The vacation for Bangtan was winding down to a close and the boys had all decided to go out together with you before they were back to their hectic lives. The trip to Jeju Island was last minute and impromptu, hence why they could only snag a vacation home with a few rooms too less than they needed. 
“Hey, it’s alright. I’m just happy to be here. We can always just blind pick the rooms like you all did for the Run that one time.” You offered, blinking when a collective lightbulb went off over their heads. 
“Did…did none of you think of that?” You slowly questioned, snickering at the way some of them flushed. You nod in approval, catching Namjoon’s eye as the other boys scurried around, positioning themselves in a circle. 
The dimpled rapper had been your boyfriend for a few months now, and if the blind pick went well, you’d be sharing a room with him alone for the next week. 
“Okay. So, there are eight of us. There are three rooms. If you choose a room, you have to honor however many people pick the room to share afterwards, got it? Once you’re done, write the position of the room on your palm with a marker.” Jimin ran the rules by everyone, bouncing excitedly. You and the others nod, and Jungkook motions for you to go first. 
“M-Me?” 
“Ladie’s first, Y/n. Choose well!” He beamed. You nodded and sent a small look over your shoulder at Namjoon before disappearing down the hall once the others turned their backs so they couldn’t see which direction you turned in. 
The first room was on the smaller side, with windows facing towards the ocean. You wandered in, slightly in awe as you took in the view. There was a TV set up that took up most of the wall space and though you’d love the ocean view, you figured Namjoon would pick a room with more space for him to set up his laptop or work. 
Turning, you moved to the next room, immediately taken by the scent of flowers. This room was definitely the master bedroom of sorts, with the bed being larger and facing the mountain side of the house. You could see it had a good view of the garden in the backyard and without hesitation you knew this would be the one. 
Without needing to see the third room, you hastily wrote ‘middle room’ on your palm before heading back to the living room. You plopped down on the couch, hugging the Mang plushie Hoseok had left behind on the couch as he stood to pick his room. 
One by one, everyone chose their desired rooms. 
“Okay. On the count of three, everyone open their palms, okay?” Tae instructed, clearly excited. You and the others nodded. 
“One, two, three!” 
In union, all of you threw your hands out, opening your palms facing upwards. 
“Hey! We got the same room!” Jungkook cheered, throwing his arms over Jimin and Taehyung. It seemed like the three chose the room facing the ocean, bounding eagerly down the hall after they scrambled to grab their bags from the living room. 
“I brought my PS4!” Jungkook cheered, all but sliding into the room with the other two in tow. 
Jin looked down at his hand, grinning wildly when he found he had a room all to himself. 
“Handsome and lucky~” He whistled, blowing the remaining four a kiss before he strolled down the hall. 
You blinked slowly, looking at the hands around you to find that Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok had all written down ‘middle room’ on your palms. 
“Well that happened.” Hoseok exhaled, unable to keep the laugh from bubbling out of his chest. Namjoon gently rubbed your back as he stood beside you. 
“It may be a tight squeeze, but we’ll make do.” He offered a little bit of positivity as you moved to grab your suitcase. Yoongi and Hoseok nodded, walking ahead as Namjoon gently took your bag. You pouted, tugging on his sleeve. 
“Joon-”
“It’s okay, Y/n. Yoongs and Hobi already know about us, we can relax.” He whispered. You blinked in surprise, lips parting. 
“You told them?”
“Had a late night session with them in Rkive and I mentioned missing my girlfriend.” He admitted, laughing gently as he started carrying both of your luggage. You watched his back for a few moments, feeling your heart flutter for a moment before you hid a smile, shuffling after him. 
In the room, Hoseok was sitting by the window, his leg pulled in close to his chest as he stared out at the sunset. You perk, darting past Yoongi and Namjoon to admire the way the sky and the clouds were bathed in a stunning mixture of oranges and pinks.
“Woah…the sky is so pretty.” You muse, unable to keep the smile off your face. 
Hoseok watched the side of your face out of the corner of his eye before he hummed in agreement, muttering a quiet ‘she sure is’ under his breath undetected. 
-Later-
“Don’t eat so fast, you’re going to get sick!” You scolded as you watched Jungkook and Jin shovel food down their mouths. Yoongi’s lip curled slightly at the sight, moving his plate away when Jin nearly toppled over the sauce bottle reaching for more meat from the pot simmering between the group. 
“She’s right. You’re going to choke or burn your tongue if you keep eating like a bunch of coyotes. No one’s gonna take the damn pot from you.” He added, rolling his eyes as Namjoon leaned down to add more meat and vegetables to the pot once the two ate the last fully cooked piece of meat. 
“We have to hurry! The game DLC drops in 20 minutes!” Jungkook huffed, pointing his chopsticks over in you and Yoongi’s direction. You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose in mild disbelief while Yoongi leveled him with an unimpressed stare. 
“So you’re telling me you two are trying to gobble down a whole pot of meat and veggies meant for eight people so you can stay up playing video games?” He inquired. Jin nodded from beside Kook, unable to talk as he drank his soju. 
Jimin watched them in amusement while Tae eyed the grilled meat, clearly excited about the second round. Hoseok cracked open a can of sprite, pouring it into one of his glasses before he spoke up. 
“We bought extra meat but you two are going to eat it all before Y/n even gets her share.” He scolded. The two vocalists exchanged a look with one another, frowning when they realized that not many of the others had gotten to eat much. Noticing the immediate guilt that crossed their face, you waved your hands. 
“I-It’s okay, you guys are hungry-” the sound of your stomach cut you off and everyone frowned. 
“Okay, that’s enough meat hogging for you two.” Namjoon declared, grabbing some lettuce and packing some rice in the bottom of it. Before you could protest and say it was okay, Namjon plucked some of the thicker slices of meat off the grill before holding it up to you. You blushed, slightly shy as you leaned closer to him, taking a bite of the wrap to test and see if the meat was too hot. Once you found it was the perfect temperature, you took the rest in one bite, your plump lips brushing against Namjoon’s fingers at the end. 
He must have noticed your subtle flirting, if the blush on his face was anything to go by. 
“You two would make a cute couple.” Yoongi mused idly, making his own lettuce wrap. Namjoon, now flustered, moved to take the meat off the grill, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. You only smiled as you reached for more of the grilled food. 
Later that night, you stood in front of the bed, tapping your foot as you tried to figure out how this was going to work with four of you in one bed. Namjoon wrapped his arms around your waist, pressing light kisses to the side of your neck. Part of you melted immediately, pressing back against him before remembering that Hoseok and Yoongi were in the room, too. 
“J-Joon!” 
“Don’t worry, we’re not gonna watch you. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.” Yoongi mused, cursing when Hoseok elbowed his side. 
“What, you gonna suggest we join, too?” 
“Again, if she’s into that, why not? We already know Joon-” Whatever he had to say to end that sentence was cut off by Namjoon hurling a pillow in his direction.
“Yah! Quit it, you’re going to make Y/n uncomfortable!” He scolded, pivoting on his heel to get in bed, clearly flustered. You blinked for a moment or two, trying to figure out exactly what had just happened in such a small time frame. 
What was Yoongi going to say? Joon was into…what?
You glanced back at the bed, finding Joon furiously scrolling through his phone, probably looking through his queue of webtoons to catch up on. Shaking off the small curious need you had to press this further, you crawled into bed beside him, scooting so your head was on his chest. Joon smiled, pulling you closer into him as he continued his scrolling. 
You were already drifting to sleep by time Hoseok and Yoongi got up to turn it in for bed. Namjoon said something above you, but it melted into the sound of his heartbeat as you let sleep finally take over.
-2 am-
You tossed and turned, groaning in annoyance as a sudden wave of thirst arose you from a particularly cute dream. Rubbing your eye, you noticed Namjoon absent from your side, and your brows furrowed in confusion, noticing Hoseok was also missing from the bed. 
After rolling out of bed, you slide on Namjoon’s oversized Koya slippers, shuffling your way out into the hall. Namjoon and Hobi could be out for a late night stroll or something of the sort. You just hoped they were being careful out so late.
Idly as you made your way to the kitchen, you wondered if you should slice some apples and wait for them to get back.
Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone chattering in the kitchen. You slowed your steps, slowly peeking around the corner. 
You found the two men in question, standing near each other as they talked. Normally you’d stroll up and teasingly ask why they were up so late as well, but the intimate closeness and the looks on their faces made you hesitate. Instead you hung back, listening to them.
“You still haven’t asked her?” Hoseok inquired. Namjoon rubbed his neck, looking down at the ground. 
“Things have been so hectic lately and I haven’t gotten to sit down and talk with her.” He answered, his tone clearly disappointed. Your heart sank. 
Was something wrong? 
“Not everyone is down for a poly relationship, Hobi.” He added after a beat of silence. You stared at the two, lips parting as the fractured context of the late night convo started piecing themselves together. Hoseok nodded, reaching out to gently squeeze Namjoon’s arm.
“I know. Yoongs and I aren’t gonna push things if she’s not okay with it. We miss you, though, Joon. And honestly? Y/n is a beautiful woman with an amazing personality. I’d be lying if I said Yoongs and I haven’t talked about it more than once.” He chucked. Namjoon cocked a brow, lifting his head.
“You two were talking about my girlfriend?”
“We’re trying to get you to quit being such a coward and tell her you’re poly. Maybe she’d be our girlfriend.” Hobi fired back, teasingly. Namjoon, seemingly flustered, didn’t seem opposed to the notion.
Your heart skipped a beat and you stepped back, eyes wide.
Yoongi and Hobi? They had been thinking of you in a romantic manner? Since when? And what was all of this about them missing Joon? Had the three of them…?
As you were turning to leave, you ran right into Yoongi’s chest. You almost let out a startled yell, had he not have gently put a hand over your mouth. You stared up at the sleepy eyed rapper and he shook his head. 
“These two really have no hindsight, having this kind of conversation out in the open.” He nodded towards the bedroom. “C'mon, it’ll be a whole mess if they find out we’re here.” He moved his hand from your lips, gently taking your wrist to tug you silently along to bed. 
Once there, he let you go, crawling into bed and giving you a small hum when you hesitated. 
“Before they come back, I’ll fill in the blanks. Hoseok, Namjoon, and I were in a poly relationship. Joon met you and we all decided he could take a break from us and see how things went with you. He wants to tell you he’s poly and see if you’d like to try a relationship with us as a quartet. It’s a lot to take in, but you can rest easy, Hobi and I will respect your decision. Joon cherishes you and your relationship, too. He’s never snuck around or anything behind your back. All of us have respected you, as well as Joon’s wish to take a break from our relationship while he worked this out. Plus we’re not gonna like, push up on you or anything. Unless you’re into that.” He yawned, echoing the same words he said earlier.
They suddenly held a lot more weight.
You heard the other two rappers heading back down the hall and all but dove into bed, eyes closing just enough for you to peek in the darkness as Namjoon and Hoseok walked in. Yoongi bit back the urge to chuckle, humming in faux sleepiness when Hoseok settled in behind him, kissing the nape of his neck. Joon mirrored him, wrapping his hands around your waist as he pulled your back flush against his chest.
You hoped Namjoon couldn’t tell how much your heart was racing as you did your best to go back to sleep.
-Next Day-
After yesterday’s revelation, you began to notice things here and there that had previously went over your head. 
The way Yoongi felt at home borrowing Namjoon’s clothes, giving himself sweater paws with one of Joon’s Fear of God sweaters as he settled on the couch, immersed in a book as Hoseok rubbed his calves idly, quietly complimenting Yoongi on the muscles that were there. 
Namjoon wasn’t too far behind, squeezed into the end of the couch with Hobi, sharing his phone screen so they could also watch some videos of other bands. Hoseok shifted his attention quickly, his head on Namjoon’s shoulder as they watched. 
They all looked so comfortable.
Biting your lip, you walked over, standing in front of them. 
“I wanna watch, too. That sounds like Dreamcatcher, I love them.” 
“I can lift my legs, Y/n.” Yoongi offered, moving to move his curled legs from beside Hoseok’s hip.
“That’s alright.” You swallow down the butterflies and nervousness, moving to sit down, your bottom on both Namjoon and Hoseok’s thigh, gently taking the phone from Namjoon and holding it between you three. Yoongi watched you in interest, the corner of his lips curling up.
“C-can you see?” You inquired, glancing over your shoulder to look at both Namjoon and Hoseok, biting your lip when you saw how close they were. 
“Not quite. Scoot back a little.” Namjoon instructed, gently pulling your hips back until your back was flush against both of them. You squirmed slightly, heart hammering as both of them settled their chins on your shoulder, breaths ghosting your neck as you shakily resumed the video.
The four of you sat like that for at least an hour or so, enjoying the proximity of one another. With every creeping minute, you found it more apparent that you weren’t really bothered by the idea of Namjoon’s previous relationship with the other two rappers. 
If the thunder of your heart was anything to go by, you were more than comfortable with also getting the same attention.
Before the gravity of that realization could hit you, Jimin came bounding into the living room, startling you all. 
“Hyungs! Y/n! We should do karaoke!” He cheered, seemingly unbothered by the closeness of the four of you. You lowered the phone, tilting your head.
“Karaoke? Where did that come from?” 
“I had to sit up all night while Jungkook played with Jin-hyung and Tae can sleep through a hurricane, I can’t. So tonight, before that happens, I want us all to do some karaoke!” He cheered. You smiled at his energy, sliding out of Hoseok and Namjoon’s lap as you helped Jimin set up the TV and the machine that Jimin had found in one of the closets in the home. 
Namjoon rubbed his neck as he watched you, eyeing the curve of your ass while you bent over to see where the HDMI cable port was located. 
“I didn’t expect her to sit in our lap. She’s making it hard for me to figure out an approach on asking.” He muttered. Yoongi hummed, sitting up to slide nimble fingers over Hoseok’s sweatpants clad leg, giving the outline of his cock a subtle, sneaky squeeze, purring when the younger rapper bit back a groan, sucking in a quick breath through his teeth. 
“I’d say she’s making something hard, alright.” He added, casually taking his hand away from Hoseok’s now throbbing cock when he heard Tae, Jin, and Jungkook loudly making their way over to the living room. 
“Yoongi, that’s just evil.” Hoseok spat, adjusting himself as inconspicuously as he could. Yoongi only hummed coyly, head tilting to the left as you leaned back further, cheering in success when you finally plugged in the machine. 
“It’s in! We can start!” Jimin beamed, clapping eagerly. 
“I wanna go first!”
“Is there Charlie Puth in the bank?”
“Can we sing songs in English and Japanese too?”
You and the vocal line began chattering at once, looking through the list of songs. 
“How about we make it interesting. Whoever gives the worst performance has to do dinner dishes.” Jin offered, a spark in his eye. You immediately frowned, squinting. 
“Isn’t that unfair? Did you forget who you are? How am I supposed to beat the seven of you?” You hissed in clear disapproval. 
“Well you won’t win with that attitude, Y/n. Plus, as long as you have fun, that’s what matters!” Tae cooed, a boxy grin on his face. Your eyes narrowed even more and Namjoon raised his hand. 
“If you do lose, I’ll help with the dishes. Though I doubt you will.” He offered. You smiled softly, feeling at ease once again. 
“Fine. Let’s do it, then.” 
Everyone eagerly looked through the songs after that, with Jungkook and Jimin teaming up to duet one of Khalid’s songs, having the time of their lives. Tae followed close behind them, singing one of Halsey’s songs. From the way he moved his body, you can tell he’d probably listened to it often, coming up with his own choreo for it as he sang. He nearly slipped a few times, leaving you wondering why he tried to dance on a tile floor with socks on. Jin got more than a few laughs as he chose Gain’s Paradise Lost, copying the choreo nearly perfectly. 
“Hyung, how many times have you done this?” Hoseok inquired, clearly impressed by the look on his face. Jin only winked and blew him a kiss in his usual manner. 
“Enough to not have to do dishes. Y/n, you’re up!” He grinned, passing the mic to you.
You shuffled forward, shyly clutching the mic as the familiar sound of Ddaeng filled the living room.
“She’s pandering!” Jimin gasped playfully, unable to move fast enough to dodge the pillow Tae threw his way as he shushed him. 
“Shh! Let her rap!” 
You stuck your tongue out, doing your best to copy the Rap Line as closely as you could, unable to keep yourself from breaking character and laughing when Tae started dancing and rapping along in the background.
Out of the corner of your vision, you could see Yoongi, Namjoon, and Hoseok mouthing along, and you’d be lying if you said the subtle intensity in their eyes as they watched you wasn’t as terrifying as it was arousing. 
You took a seat once the song ended, smiling and taking the water bottle Jimin offered you as you watched all three of the rappers get up from the couch. 
“The three of you are going to do a song together?” You asked without hesitation. They nodded. 
“We figured we’d wrap this up so we can actually start cooking.” Yoongi mused, checking the time. You glanced at your phone, nodding in agreement when you saw it was already close to seven at night. 
You settled down on the floor with the Vocal Line, knees pulled up to your chest as you waited. Hoseok scrolled down the list of songs in their playlist, eyes sparkling when he found one, pointing at it as he whispered to Namjoon and Yoongi. Namjoon was blushing, but he didn’t look opposed to the idea, while Yoongi only sent him a knowing quirk of the brow. 
“Subtle.” He hummed under his breath as the first notes of the song started. 
You felt your throat run dry, immediately recognizing the song. 
Girl, change into that Victoria’s Secret thing that I like
Alright, okay
Tonight you’re having me your way
Perfume, spray it there
Put our love in the air
Now put me right next to you
Fittin’ to raise the temp in the room
First rub my back like you do
Right there, uh-uh, right there
Uh you touch me like you care
Now stop and let me repay you for the week that you’ve been through
Working that 9-5 and staying cute, like you do oh, oh, oh
You watched, lips parted as Namjoon started singing, his eyes on you as he did so. Hoseok and Yoongi weren’t far behind, improvising a dance with one another as Bangtan’s leader practically serenaded you in front of everyone. Yoongi reached around Joon in a manner way too intimate for a mic pass, his fingers wrapped around Joon’s as he pulled the mic over to his lips, singing the chorus.
I love it, I love it, you love it, you love it
Every time, every time, we touchin’, we touchin’
I want it, I want it, you want it, you want it
I’ll see you, see you, in the morning, in the morning
I wanna put my fingers through your hair
Wrap me up in your legs
And love you till your eyes roll back
I’m tryin’ to put you to bed, bed, bed
I'mma put you to bed, bed, bed
Then I'ma rock your body
Turn you over, love is war, I’m your soldier
Touching you like it’s our first time
Imma put you to bed, bed, bed
Imma put you to bed, bed, bed
Did no one else in the room notice how this was all directed at you? One glance at the others showed they were entertained and immersed in the performance, and not their best friends currently giving you fuck me eyes while singing a song about fucking.
Hoseok, ever the dangerous one, casually took the mic, a far too sweet dimpled smile on his face as he sang. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was singing to you, motioning to you in gentle sweeping motions as he did so.
I’m staring at you while you sleep
You replaced, it for beauty
Put my face up in your neck and breathe (ah breathe)
Take you into my senses
Wake up, it’s time to finish
Round two, It’s round two
Matter of fact, it’s closer to three
D-did he have to motion to the three off them during that last part? You swallowed thickly, unable to decide which one of them to focus on. To be honest, it didn’t matter. At this point, there was an ache between your legs and a flush on your cheeks you were sure people could see a mile away.
The boys continued like this for the entire song, body roles, grinding, and eye contact relentless as they sung, and part of you honestly forgot there were others around. Your mind wandered the longer the song went on. 
Yoongi’s fingers deep inside of you, his lips against your ear, his low voice purring pure filth as he made you fall apart from his hands. Namjoon’s large body pressed against yours, your lips crashed together as he rocked into you, your fingers laced together. Hoseok’s head between your thighs, squeezing your ass and pulling you flush against his lips as he greedily ate you out, dark eyes trained on every twitch of pleasure from your face. All of it rattled through your head along with images of the boys tangled up with one another. Soon, you couldn’t hear the music over the sound of daydream Hoseok, Namjoon, and Yoongi panting and groaning in your ear, accompanied by your own desperate cries and mewls for more-
God, what is happening?!
The sound of clapping cut you out of your daze, and you blinked back to reality as the three Rap Line members set the mic down, only slightly out of breath.
“Okay, so we know who won.” Tae whistled. Everyone nodded in agreement while you gulped down as much water as you could, trying your best not to choke in the process. 
“So as for voting-”
“I’ll just do the dishes.” You said hurriedly, standing up like a shot. All eyes were on you in an instant and you bit back a curse at how obvious you were making it apparent that something was wrong with you. 
“Woah, Y/n…I can see your cheeks all flushed from here. Are you okay? I can do the dishes if you’ve got a fever. Do you want to hold my RJ?” Jin offered, frowning. You waved your hands at him, shooting them all an unconvincing disarming smile.
“I-I’m just a little hot. Go ahead and start dinner, I’m gonna wash my face.” You stuttered though the sentence before darting down the hall, muttering a few curses in your native tongue before you ducked in the bathroom. 
“Get it together, Y/n! What are you doing, girl?” You scold yourself, splashing water on your face. You grip the counter, bowing your head down as you collect yourself. There was a gentle knock that interrupted you, followed by a concerned voice.
“Y/n, are you alright? Do you want me to run to the store and grab some medicine?”
You swung the door open, looking up at Namjoon’s concerned face before you pulled him inside with you closing it back with a little more force than you’d meant to. This did nothing to calm the fears no doubt racing through Namjoon’s head. 
“What-”
“I know about you, Yoongi, and Hobi.” You blurted. Namjoon blinked, brows furrowing for a moment before realization dawned on him moments later. 
“Wait-”
“I overheard last night.” You explained, smoothing your hands down on your pants as you held Joon’s gaze.
“I…I was going to tell you, I swear I’ve never cheated or anything, I would never-”
“I know. Yoongi also woke up last night. He told me everything. I haven’t been able to get it out of my head, Joon.” You stepped closer to him, never breaking eye contact. 
“I never expected something like this, but I’m not opposed to it.” You finally tell him, reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck. Namjoon’s hands gravitated towards your hips instantly, surprise clear on his face. 
“Are you serious?”
“I am. I wish you would’ve told me sooner, though. Instead of triple teaming me by singing sexy songs in front of all our best friends.” You teased. Namjoon hummed, a smile finally cracking onto his face. 
“But where’s the fun in that?” He quipped, leaning down for a kiss. You happily kissed him back, giggling against his lips as he pulled you flush against him by your hips. You ran your fingers through his hair, licking at his bottom lip. Namjoon picked you up without warning, drawing a yelp from you as your legs wrapped around his waist. He set you on the counter of the sink, palms at either side of your thighs as he deepened the kiss, a low groan leaving his lips when you teasingly sucked on his tongue. 
You two broke apart after a minute or so of the sloppy kiss, slightly out of breath as you looked into each other’s eyes. 
“We’ll talk to Hobi and Yoongs about all of this in the morning, right?” You inquired. Namjoon nodded, kissing your head before the two of you quickly made your way out into the kitchen. 
“Y/n, are you feeling better?” 
Jimin was the first to notice you one you returned. You cleared your throat, nodding once. 
“Sorry about that. Just got a bit light headed from the summer heat, it seems.” You lied, shuffling into the kitchen further to see what everyone was doing.
Jimin was slicing some strawberries and mangoes, gently dropping them in a bowl while Jungkook and Jin argued over whether the lamb or lobster should be cooked first. Tae was close to Yoongi, reading off the instructions of the pudding mix they bought while Hoseok washed off a rather large radish.  
“Is that for some dongchimi?” You question, smiling when Hoseok nodded.
“I wanted to make something with a warm broth, so you’d feel better if you’re sick.” He grinned, rolling up his sleeves with a tender, yet determined look on his face. You felt your heart flutter for a moment, missing the proud smile on Namjoon’s face as he walked past you to take the spicy squid and pork out of the fridge.
“Can I help? I don’t want to stand around doing nothing.” You said, moving towards Hoseok. He frowned. 
“But…you’re not feeling well.”
“I’d feel better if I was helping.” You countered. 
Hoseok considered contesting the sentiment before he stepped aside, handing the radish to you. You took his place, getting to work cutting while Hoseok moved to dice some scallions. At some point, Jimin peeked over your shoulder, tilting his head. 
“Hey, Y/n? Aren’t they a bit…big? The slices of radish are gonna take up the entire bowl.” He mused. You blinked and looked at the parts you cut, flustered when you realized they were, in fact, much too large for the banchan bowls. Hoseok brushed the sliced scallions into a mixing bowl before he looked over your shoulder, as well. 
“That’s not too bad. Let’s doctor it up.” He hummed, walking behind you. 
“Just relax, if you’re stiff, it’s gonna come out all chunky.” He told you, his breath tickling the back of your neck as he put his hands over yours, guiding you as you both sliced the radish.
You could feel the blush creeping up to your ears at the close proximity and intimacy. Yoongi watched you both out of the corner of his eye, a satisfied look on his face.
You swallowed thickly, noticing every fine detail now that you were so close to Hoseok.
The way his chin brushed against the top of your head as he helped you slice, the light scent of his cologne flooding your senses, the comforting warmth radiating off of his body. 
Were Hobi’s hands always this soft?
“Oooh, are you flirting with Y/n, hyung?” Tae teased, dramatically popping a mango chunk into his mouth as he pointed in your direction. You bolted, nearly cutting your finger, had Hoseok not have tightened his grip on your hand. 
“Keep teasing Y/n and I’ll tell Joon to cut down on how much meat you get today.” Hoseok scolded. Tae gasped, scandalized while Namjoon nodded from the grill he was setting up in the center of the dining room.
“I guess I’ll give all of your pieces to Y/n.“ He sighed, clearly kidding with the threat of less food. Tae still bowed in your direction like a child being scolded. 
“Sorry, Y/n…”
You smiled.
“It’s alright, Taetae. Let’s get back to cooking, I know I’m starving.“ 
Tae agreed, maneuvering around the kitchen to grab everything he needed for the pudding.
Hobi smiled and nodded towards the cutting board. 
“Let’s finish up, then. We have other things to slice.”
-x-
It took around an hour of shuffling around in the kitchen, hands brushing against your waist, Namjoon scolding the other boys for stealing food, and the usual chaos that came with cooking with Bangtan before dinner was done. 
You squeezed yourself into a seat between Namjoon and Hoseok, digging in with the members cheerfully. It didn’t escape you how the boys had tactfully given you more food during dinner. You even took some initiative, reaching over the table to feed Yoongi a lettuce wrap.
You definitely noticed the way his tongue ran over the tips of your fingers as he took his bite, and part of you wondered if this was how flustered Namjoon was when you did the same to him.
Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a small rose made out of sliced radish that seemingly appeared after Hoseok sat beside you. With a small smile, you admired it as you ate dinner.
Once everyone was full and satisfied, Namjoon hung back, as promised, to help you with dishes. He playfully bumped your arm with his a few times as you worked side by side. You sent him a playful glare, hip checking him while you put the plates away. 
Together, you finished them in no time, sharing a few kisses like two reckless teens before heading back to the room to watch some movies before bed. Tomorrow, you’d definitely talk with Hoseok and Yoongi about this relationship and where it was headed. 
-x-
Something shuffling beside you woke you up in the early hours of the morning, and part of you wondered why you couldn’t just a good night’s sleep without waking up mid way. The shuffling continued, followed by a sharp inhale and the telltale sound of kissing. 
Curious, you cracked your eyes open, squinting in the darkness to figure out what all that movement was. 
You got your answer when you heard the undeniable sound of a muffled moan. You could see Yoongi kissing and nibbling up the side of Hoseok’s neck, whispering something to him in a low, hushed tone. Hoseok shuddered, gripping Yoongi’s arm, and it was then that you noticed the fuller picture. 
Yoongi had pressed himself close to Hoseok’s back, a small, devious smile playing at the corner of his lips as he lazily stroked Hoseok’s cock through the loose sweatpants he was wearing earlier.
“You gotta keep quiet, Hobi. You’re gonna wake up Y/n and Namjoon.” Yoongi purred, though he didn’t seem even remotely close to stopping. Hoseok bit back a curse, blunt nails raking down Yoongi’s arm as he thrusted into his hand. 
“N-no one told you to start jacking me off, Yoongi.” He growled out, huffing out a low growl when Yoongi responded by rolling his thumb over the head of his cock, enjoying the opportunity to further tease him.
You bit your lip, squirming as you watched the subtle way Hoseok’s scolding melted away until he was gasping and whining in Yoongi’s ear, pleading for him to keep going. As your body heated up, you felt something firm nudging your ass, making your face ignite more when a low, groggy growl sounded off from above your head. 
“You’re gonna wake Y/n.” He scolded, but you could tell he was more than enjoying the show. 
“I…I’ve been awake.” Your voice cut through the sound of Hoseok’s moans and Yoongi muttered a startled ‘fuck’, stilling completely. 
“Oh my god. Y/n, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-” Yoongi pulled back, and you could see the embarrassed flush on his face. Hoseok sent him a pointed look, clearly frustrated his release was yanked away so suddenly. 
“It’s okay.” You cut off his rambling, looking back at Namjoon. He noticed the way your eyes darkened in the moonlight streaming in through the window and only quirked his lips, nodding in their direction. 
“We did say we’d work things out in the morning. It is technically morning.” He mused. 
Smiling deviously, you turned your attention back to the other two confused rappers. You got on your hands and knees, moving to straddle Hoseok, unable to hold back the laugh that left your lips as he looked up at you with wide eyes. 
“What’s wrong? You woke me up, aren’t you gonna put me back to bed? Isn’t that what you sang to me earlier?” You teased, rolling your hips down. Hoseok grunted, his hands immediately moving to your hips as you continued grinding on him, sighing at the slight relief you got when you felt the thick outline of his cock rubbing against you with every grind. 
“F-fuck…are we dreaming, Yoongs?” Hoseok shuddered, sitting up so he could press a kiss to the side of your neck. Yoongi having crawled behind you, leaned down to nip at the free side of your neck, drawing a gasp and a whimper from you. 
“Don’t think so.” Was the low growl of a response. You cupped Hoseok’s cheeks, leaning down to kiss him. Normally you would be tentative and shy, especially kissing someone who was just a close friend less than 24 hours ago, but the ache between your legs and the sound of Yoongi and Namjoon kissing behind you was enough for you to throw whatever hesitation you had away instantly. 
Hoseok didn’t seem to mind, his large hands dipping into your pj shorts, squeezing your ass firmly as he rolled his hips up. You whimpered against his lips, rubbing your breasts against his chest as he moved your hips. Your clothes were getting much too stuffy too fast, and Hoseok must have agreed, if the subtle tug at your shorts was anything to go by. 
“Are you okay with going further?” He questioned once he broke your kiss, his lips damp. You nodded, glancing over your shoulder when you heard Namjoon cursing. Yoongi’s head had disappeared between his thighs, and you couldn’t help the pout and challenging sway of your hips as you looked back at Hoseok. 
“We should have more fun, too.” 
Satisfied with your eager response, Hoseok ran his hands up your shirt, tossing it to the side once you lifted your arms. You did the same with him, gasping in surprise when he lifted your lower body with one arm, sliding your shorts and panties down past your ass in one fluid motion. You wiggled your hips, discarding them in the same manner. 
It surely would be interesting finding all your scattered clothes in the morning. 
You pulled Hoseok’s sweatpants down, nearly salivating at how thick he was. Without thinking twice, you took him in your hand, stroking him slowly as your tongue flicked out, catching the bead of precum that nearly rolled down his head. Hoseok growled in response, his dark eyes holding your gaze as you made a show out of kissing the tip of his cock, with each kiss lingering longer until you have him a teasing suck, rolling your tongue over one of the veins you noticed. He shuddered, hips tensing before he bit his lip. 
“You wanna suck my cock?”
“I am down here, sucking your cock, am I not?” You shot back sassily, a jolt of electricity running through you when you saw the way his jaw clenched. 
“Turn around. If you’re gonna gag on my cock, I should at least be able to taste that pussy while you do, right? C’mon, move that ass for me baby girl.” Hoseok ordered. The authoritative tone in his voice and the low drip of lust in his tone made you move much quicker, turning eagerly for him. 
You hardly had any time to get your mouth back on Hoseok’s cock before he grabbed your ass again, pulling you down until your pussy was right in his face, his tongue flicking out to give you long licks. You gasped, gripping his thighs, hips involuntarily rolling down for more. Hoseok chuckled, his nails digging into the flesh of your ass even more. 
“Almost creamed your panties from grinding on me and now you wanna ride my face, baby girl? Do you want it that bad?”
“H-Hoseok, ah…stop teasing her and eat her out already.” Yoongi scolded, drawing your attention back to him and Namjoon. Joon had sat Yoongi in his lap, spreading the pale rapper’s legs as he stretched him open with his long fingers, a bottle of lube off to the side of Namjoon’s hip. He was sucking hickies into Yoongi’s shoulder, watching you and Hoseok with such an intense look, it made you sudder in Hoseok’s grip. 
Hoseok obliged, his tongue rolling over your clit a few times before drifting lower, curling as it slid into your pussy. You mewled, taking hold of Hoseok’s girthy cock once more, deciding to forgo the teasing from before as you tested to see how far you could take him. 
Your lips stretched around him, stroking whatever you couldn’t comfortably fit. Hoseok groaned against your pussy, slapping your ass once you started bobbing your head. You whimpered, clenching slightly around his tongue. Namjoon perked from his spot near Yoongi, grinning devilishly. 
“Spank her, Hoseok. She loves it.” He instructed. You looked over at him, drool running down your chin once Hoseok started thrusting up into your mouth. Almost as soon as Namjoon told him, Hoseok’s large palm cracked against your ass, drawing a whine and a gasp as the sting sent a pleasurable shock throughout your body. Namjoon, satisfied after pulling his fingers from Yoongi’s slicked hole, lifted his hips, kissing the back of his neck as the Daegu rapper eased down on his cock. 
Yoongi groaned, fists clenching as he stretched around him. 
“G-god damn, it’s been a while, Joon.” Yoongi sighed, rolling his hips to adjust to the stretch. You moaned around Hobi’s cock, your free hand cupping his balls, rolling them in your palm as you eased more of his cock down your throat. 
“H-Holy fuck, Y/n.” Hoseok hissed, running his nails down your ass, leaving you with a pleasurable burn. You shuddered, feeling close to cumming. From the way Hoseok’s balls drew up in your palm, you could tell he was close, too.
A few more minutes of you drooling over his cock while riding his face and Hoseok was growling against you once more, squeezing your ass hard as he raised his hips, cumming with a low, drawn out groan. You mewled against his cock, feeling him fill your mouth. You whimpered, thighs slightly clenching around Hoseok’s head as you came yourself, literally riding your orgasm out as you rutted against his lips. Hoseok shuddered, giving your ass soothing caresses as you eased off of his cock. 
Eyes half lidded, you crawled over to Yoongi, who was nearly incomprehensible as he rode Namjoon, his eyes closed as his head rolled back onto Joon’s shoulder. While on your knees, you shuffled over to him, cupping his cheeks and waiting until he cracked open his lust blown eyes to look at you. You stuck your tongue out, showing him how you still had Hoseok’s cum in your mouth and he instantly knew what you were prompting him to do, leaning down to mold your lips together. His tongue instantly slid into your mouth, greedily sharing Hoseok’s cum as he dominated your mouth. 
“Fuck, that’s hot.” Namjoon growled, snapping his hips up harder at the sight. Yoongi’s voice cracked against your lips and you took over the kiss, running your fingers through his silky, slightly damp hair. Yoongi reached around, spreading your cheeks, and the warmth behind you was a pleasant reminder that Hoseok still had more energy. He slid his cock between your legs, kissing the top of your head as he pushed into your tight pussy slowly. 
“O-Oh my fucking god” You gasped, nearly biting Yoongi’s lip as Hoseok’s girth pushed into you. Hoseok kissed your head once more, holding your wrists back as he pushed in until his hips were flush against your ass. 
“He feel good baby girl? You excited to be stuffed?” Namjoon purred, reaching around to stroke Yoongi’s cock as he watched the way your face changed once Hoseok started moving. It made his cock throb harder while inside of Yoongi. 
“Y-Yes, oh my god yes!” You cried out, eyes rolling slightly as Hoseok started rocking into you with deep, hard thrusts. The only thing keeping you up was Hobi’s grip on your wrists. Your moans were shaky and loud, and the only thing that brought your volume down was Yoongi lacing his fingers in your hair, pulling you into a hard kiss. Whether it was to keep you from waking the others, or just because he wanted to claim your lips again didn’t matter.
The bed creaked in protest as the four of you fucked. At some point, Hoseok let your wrists go, chuckling darkly when your upper body slumped into the sheets, literally face down, ass up as he fucked you. 
“God, your pussy is just swallowing my cock, baby.” Hoseok growled, giving your ass another firm slap. You whined, looking up and biting your lip when you saw Yoongi’s cock bobbing in your face as Namjoon fucked him. 
You pushed yourself up to your elbows, leaning over to take Yoongi in your mouth, tilting your head and looking up at him through your lashes when his wide-eyed gaze flew down to you. 
“Fuck, no no, I’m gonna cum if you-”
You slid further on his cock, shaking your hips for Hoseok as his thrusts curled up just right. You ignored Yoongi’s breathless pleas, the sound of Namjoon and Hobi’s voice encouraging you as you bobbed your head. You moaned and mewled with every thrust, the pleasure running through every inch of your body like electricity as you edged closer and closer to the edge. 
“C’mon, throw that ass back for him baby, I can tell you’re close.” Namjoon instructed. You mewled, obediently spreading your legs further to move back, fucking yourself on Hoseok’s cock as you rolled your tongue along the underside of Yoongi’s cock. 
Namjoon was the first to cum minutes after that, his grip on Yoongi’s hips near bruising as he held him in place. A long, shuddering growl left his lips. You came not to far after him, nearly at the same time as Yoongi as thick ropes of cum landed on your tongue. You swallowed every drop, still teasingly sucking him after he had finished to make sure he was fully satiated. His hand in your hair was enough to draw you off of him. Hoseok came last, pulling out and groaning as he came over the curve of your ass. 
“Hoseok, did you just cum on her ass?” Yoongi inquired, arching a brow.
“I didn’t wanna be rude and cum inside of her!” Hoseok snipped back. You smiled lazily, shaking your ass. 
“It’s fine. Maybe next time Joonie can show you two how much I enjoy being stuffed.” You tease. The three stare at you for a moment before Namjoon shook his head, a chuckle leaving his lips. 
“God, I love her.” 
You all exchange smiles and small pecks, taking turns showering off. Namjoon took the liberty of changing the sheets, beckoning you over once you all were showered and dried off. You crawled back into bed, kissing his cheek while Yoongi slid in behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. You figured Hoseok was somewhere behind you and you smiled, settling in with a smile on your face, the pull of sleep taking you not too long afterwards. 
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