#and like 40 different kinds of donuts

[kaiba-cave]

Saw a tiktok that was like “I need a Canadian to explain to me why I went to Tim Hortons once, didn’t like it, and have been back every day for the past six days”.

It’s just like that. 😔 Pretty much anywhere else has better coffee/food/baked goods/basically everything but Tim Hortons will still have a drive thru line up out to the road every single morning and probably around noon too.

It’s like it gets into your bloodstream and you’re just compelled to go there all the time even though it’s not even good.

(It probably also helps that they are everywhere lmao. Like you’ll drive by ten different Tim’s before getting to a McDonald’s or Starbucks.)

[roosterforme]

The Younger Kind Part 40 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: When Casey is obnoxious to you once again, you try your best to go about your day even though you're on the verge of tears. Bradley knew he shouldn't have been lying to you, but he didn't see any other way of dealing with things. Especially not when he was making some last minute changes.

Warnings: Swearing, angst, fluff, mentions of smut and age gap (18+)

Length: 5000 words

Pairing: Single dad!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x babysitter!female reader

Check out my masterlist for more! The Younger Kind masterlist.

Bradley didn't answer his phone when you called him on your way to work. Casey was trying to bait you, of that you were almost positive. But Bradley was acting strange all on his own, and the twin bakery boxes made you a little more anxious than you wanted to admit, even to yourself. 

This was going to be the downside to being with Bradley. He was older and sexy and had a real job and a cute kid, and other people were always going to take notice of that. But he put you in his will. He'd talked about rings, and you'd seen them in his internet tabs. There was no way he wasn't serious about this, because even if he was messing with you, he wouldn't mess with Noah. 

But you still felt jealous and petty as you drove to work. That crown shaped donut was adorable and delicious, but at what cost? Now you wished you had taken the time to see what was inside the pastry box Casey had at the daycare. You called Bradley one more time as you walked into work, but of course he didn't answer even though he should still have his phone on him at this hour. The urge to text or call Natasha was strong right now.

After you took care of a few of your patients, you caved and dug your phone out of your bag. Bradley finally responded to you.

Bradley Bradshaw: Hey, I know you said you're going grocery shopping on your way home today, but I need you to pick up Noah. I'll be late again.

You rolled your eyes as you texted him back.

Why exactly will you be late today?

You didn't have time to wait for a response, because you had to get the exam rooms ready for the upcoming patients. Dr. Kelly was dealing with an emergency in exam room one, and there was another child throwing up all over the waiting room. At the rate you were going here, you'd be lucky if you could even get to Noah on time after work. You felt like you were being pulled in four different directions, and you weren't in the mood for Bradley's bullshit. 

When nobody else wanted to clean up the waiting room, you went ahead and did it without complaining; it wasn't that kid's fault he had food poisoning. But you ended up crawling around on the floor for fifteen minutes with rubber gloves on, and then you just got more backed up with the child who was waiting for you in the last exam room. You didn't have time to eat lunch, but you took a quick bathroom break and checked your phone. 

There was nothing from Bradley, but Natasha had texted asking what you were wearing to Admiral Bates' retirement party. You pressed your lips together and took a screenshot of the poofy purple skirt and top that should be arriving today and sent it to her. Before she could respond, you sent another quick message.

Are you working late with Bradley today? Did you have to work late with him yesterday?

You used the bathroom and washed your hands, and you checked your phone one last time. 

Natasha Trace: I haven't been working late, and I followed him out of the parking garage yesterday. That shade of purple is going to look stunning next to Bradley's dress whites. I can't decide between my own dress whites or a formal gown. What's your opinion? Look like one of the guys or look like I'm trying too hard? Like I can't fucking win here, you know?

You absolutely loved that she wanted to ramble to you about her black tie options, you really did. But now you felt uncomfortable in your own skin. She just confirmed for you that Bradley left work on time yesterday. At the bare minimum he was lying to you again, but he could be doing something behind your back that would hurt you even more than that.

"Fuck," you muttered, knowing you had to get back to work. You smiled at your patients and let them take their time picking out stickers all afternoon. You cleaned and disinfected the exam rooms. You entered all of the information into the electronic charts while you answered questions for parents. You did it all without freaking out like you wanted to. 

When you were dismissed, you grabbed your things and rushed to your car to make it to the daycare in time to get Noah. Tears already stung your eyes, because you just knew you'd feel so much better when you got to see him and get a hug. You were still trying to decide if it was better or worse if Casey was still here as you parked and headed inside. Then her eyes locked with yours as soon as you entered the small lobby, and she still looked so smug in her cute outfit. But at least this meant she wasn't with Bradley. 

"Oh, it's you again," she said pleasantly as you walked to the counter. 

You put your hand out for the clipboard and said, "Yep. It's me. Told you I wasn't going anywhere. Could you please bring Noah out?"

"I will," she replied, reaching into that fucking blue box and pulling out a crown shaped donut. She nibbled on the end before setting it down again and handing you the clipboard. "You're the last one to arrive for pickup, which actually makes sense when I think about it. Bradley has you running all over the place for him, doesn't he?"

You ground your molars together to keep your mouth shut and signed your name as she took another bite of the donut. 

"I guess that's what babysitters do though. But it's funny that he didn't mention you at all when he and I were at the bakery yesterday."

Your eyes snapped up to meet her self satisfied gaze, and you wanted to rip that pretty donut out of her hand. "Just go get Noah."

"Gladly," she replied, heading for the classroom door. "You're holding me up right now anyway. I need to get back to Sweet Dreams to meet up with someone who looks damn good in a pair of aviator sunglasses. It's so nice having the best bakery in the city right in my neighborhood. It's a great spot to meet up with people."

If Bradley came home with another blue pastry box and claimed he was at work late again, you were going to throw the box back in his pretty face. 

"Mommy!" Noah called as he streaked across the lobby to you a second later. "I painted a purple dog for you!" He was holding up a painting of a purple blob with eyes and a nose, and you couldn't hold back your smile. 

"I love it," you whispered as you picked him up and kissed his chubby cheek. You made the decision to completely ignore Casey as you turned and walked out to the parking lot. "Hey, we need to stop and get groceries, so how about you pick what you want for dinner tonight."

He looked at you with those brown eyes that were identical to his dad's, except that these ones didn't have to try to look innocent, they just were. "Probably mac and cheese and ants on logs."

"Sounds perfect."

Once you and he got inside the grocery store, you were feeling extra ridiculous. You thought about making it a point to run up Bradley's credit card bill as high as you could by selecting imported exotic fruits and a bottle of champagne, but you just couldn't waste the money. You did buy yourself some expensive chocolate that you ate on the drive home though as you wondered just how late he was going to be tonight. 

You were kind of shocked as you pulled down the block with Noah and a trunk full of groceries to see the Bronco parked in the driveway. It was 6:45, so he must have arrived just before you, and you couldn't wait to put him on the spot. You slammed your door before unbuckling Noah from his seat in the back, and you really did feel like the fucking babysitter again right now. 

"Let's go, sweet Noah," you told him, leaving the groceries where they were for now. Hand in hand, the two of you walked up to the porch while he told you how many raisins he wanted on his carrots, but you barely heard him. When you opened the front door, Bradley was standing right there in the middle of the living room with a stupid smile on his face. He was holding another blue pastry box. 

"Hi," he said, leaning down to kiss you, but you backed away. His face scrunched in concern. "Everything okay?"

Noah was already bugging to see what was in the box this time, and you noticed Bradley had his other hand tucked behind his broad back. 

"I mean... no, not really," you said, slightly embarrassed by the way your voice shook. "Did you see Casey at the bakery again today? Just like last night?"

He looked completely taken aback. "How did you know I saw Casey last night?"

You crossed your arms over your chest and whispered, "Why do you keep lying to me about coming home late?"

Bradley sighed and pressed his lips together. "Look, I didn't want to have to lie to you, okay? That wasn't really my original plan, but then things got a little out of hand, and I didn't really see any other option."

"Just say it," you whispered, ready to reach for the box as your hands shook.

"I just wanted it to be a surprise," he said blandly as he pulled his hand out from behind his back. You gasped, and Noah immediately gave up on his mission to get something sweet out of the blue box.

"A dog!" Noah shouted as you looked at the tiny little Yorkshire terrier that Bradley was holding around the middle with one hand. It had a purple bow on top of its head and one leg in a cast, and it was honestly one of the cutest things you'd ever seen in your life. "A dog! A dog!" 

Bradley dropped down to kneel so Noah could get a closer look, but he kept his eyes on you as he said, "I adopted her from the shelter across town. It's on the same block as that fancy bakery. She has a broken leg, so we need to be really gentle with her while she's healing, okay?" He set the box down on the floor and sat with Noah, and now you were feeling pretty embarrassed. You still wanted to know what Casey was doing, but you tentatively sat down on the floor as well. 

When Bradley held his other arm out, you crawled in to give him a huge while Noah petted the little brown bundle of fur. He was showing how gently he could be, and the dog started licking his hands. You kissed Bradley's cheek, but he looked a little stern as he softly said, "You know I did this for you, right? You and Noah."

You didn't know what else to say, so you simply said, "Thank you."

He sighed and kissed your lips. "I saw Casey for like five minutes while I waited in line to buy your crown donut, okay? The guy from the shelter needed to interview me about getting a dog with an injury, so he and I sat in the bakery for a while and talked. I dropped off a check this afternoon, because they don't accept app payments, and I stopped at the bakery again for you. Then the guy from the shelter came by and did a quick inspection of the house and our backyard like an hour ago. And he left the dog with me. That's all."

You wrapped your arms around his neck and whispered, "I love you, and I love the dog. And I'm happy you got to use your checkbook without anyone laughing at you."

Bradley chuckled as you ran your fingers through the dog's fur. She looked up at you with brown eyes that you swore perfectly matched those of the Bradshaw boys. 

"What's her name?" Noah asked as he got his face licked.

"Whatever you want it to be," Bradley replied. "She doesn't have one yet."

You and Noah made eye contact and both smiled brightly. "Skittles!"

Bradley groaned and laid back on the area rug right next to the snag, and he plopped Skittles down on his chest. "You already had a name picked out? And it's Skittles?"

"Yes!" Noah replied, also laying on Bradley's chest to get better access to his new pet.

"We picked a name that could work for a boy dog or a girl dog," you told Bradley, your heart feeling lighter than it had for the past day. "She's so adorable," you crooned as you ran your dand down her back. "Hi, Skittles. You're precious." Her brown eyes were transfixed on your face as you scratched just the right spot behind her ear. "Why is she in a cast?"

Bradley propped his hands behind his head, and the pup carefully walked up to lick his neck and face as you took a few pictures. "Hit by a car. She was abandoned down near Imperial Beach and someone dropped her at the shelter last week. I mentioned I was looking for a small puppy or younger dog that didn't shed, and Bob found her on the shelter website."

"You were left all alone? You sweet thing," you whispered, getting close enough for a lick across your nose. "She's darling!"

"Can she sleep with me in my bed?" Noah asked as Skittles climbed carefully onto Bradley's bicep and then onto the rug. She sniffed around the pastry box before plopping down bedside Bradley with her broken leg sticking out in front of her. 

"Maybe after her cast comes off, Bub."

Noah tried his best to pout, but you saw right through it, and a few seconds later he was smiling again. "Noah, what do you say to Daddy?" you reminded him. Then he was in Bradley's arms saying thank you a million times in a row.

------------------------

While Bradley unloaded the groceries, you and Noah played on the living room floor with Skittles. He shook his head as he locked your car. "Skittles," he muttered, hauling the last few bags inside. "You've got to be shitting me." He chuckled to himself. You'd come into his life with your candy and your glossy lips and your sweetness and upended everything. He owned a fucking dog now, and you'd named it after your favorite snack. He even had a reminder in his phone to pay off his credit card balance so he could start shopping for a ring next month.

You smiled up at him from the floor as Noah squeaked a toy and held it out to the dog. Damn it, she was actually adorable. And the shelter gave her a little purple bow when he asked for that color. And she definitely had the puppy eyes down pat, because Bradley couldn't even walk through the room without stopping to pet her. 

He ended up carrying Skittles around the house for the rest of the night after you made mac and cheese for dinner. The dog was already trained to go to the bathroom outside, but he needed to be careful with her cast. The staff from the animal shelter had absolutely grilled him for information before they even came out to inspect whether or not the house and yard were safe for her. 

"Yeah, this is your yard now," he whispered to the dog as he carried her outside in one hand. She licked his cheek before he set her down and watched her sniff around as it got darker outside. She was only a year or two old, which is what he wanted. This way Noah and potentially his younger sibling could have more time with her as the dog grew older. 

"Come here," Bradley called, and Skittles moved as quickly as her little casted leg would allow her to. She stopped at his feet and looked up at him. "Fuck. You really are cute. And I'm going to look like an asshole when I take you for walks." But he was smiling as he picked her up again. When he turned, you were standing in the open doorway.

"You won't look like an asshole, Daddy. You'll look as adorable as Skittles does."

He kissed your forehead and asked, "Is Noah in bed?"

"Yeah. He wants you to go in and say goodnight. And may I please hold the dog for a few minutes?" you asked with a little pout. 

"Nope," he replied, kissing your cheek. "Gotta let Noah say goodnight to her, too."

"Then can I play with her?"

Bradley held the dog's face up to his ear. "What's that, Skittles? You said you like me the best and want me to keep holding you? That's what I thought."

"Hey!" you complained, playfully hitting his arm as the pup licked his ear. You looked happier right now than you had earlier, but Bradley knew he needed to have a conversation about Casey. He couldn't understand what set you off so much earlier. 

As he carried Skittles toward Noah's room, he replayed the events from yesterday in his mind. He'd been sitting in the bakery for about an hour before he finished talking to the representative from the animal shelter, and when he stood up, Casey was already there. And yeah, she was a nuisance as usual. She put her hand on Bradley's forearm and mentioned that she liked his uniform, but she always tried to do that shit. Then she waited in line like she was with him instead of behind or in front of him, and she went on and on about how she lived right around the corner.

When he finally managed to leave with the bakery box and your cute donut, he was exhausted. And he'd only had to listen to her for a few minutes. Then she stood next to the Bronco with him like she expected a ride home or something, which was ridiculous since she told him so many times that she lived around the corner. 

He sighed and kissed Skittles on the head as he carried her in to say goodnight to Noah. "I love her," his son said as Bradley held her so she could lick his face. "I'll be really careful so she can sleep in here with me," he pleaded. 

Bradley kissed his cheek. "Not tonight, Bub. I already told you, she needs to heal up first."

Noah reached out to pet her before rolling onto his side with a little scowl, but he was already asleep by the time Bradley left the room. And then he went into his bedroom which always smelled like wildflowers and found you on the bed wearing that sexy little purple nightie you bought online. For a brief second he wondered if you were wearing your plug, but then he remembered he needed to have a conversation with you. 

You held your hands out to Skittles, but Bradley just shook his head and carried her to the little plush bed he set up in the corner and set her there. She walked in a delicate circle before plopping down and yawning. "How are you this cute?" he asked the animal before turning back to where you were sitting with your arms crossed.

"Why won't you let me hold Skittles?"

"Because we need to talk," he replied immediately. You flopped back against the pillows as Bradley climbed in bed with you. "Come here," he whispered, patting his chest, and sure enough, you crawled over and snuggled against him. "Tell me what's bothering you."

You draped your arm across his abs and said, "You won't let me hold Skittles!"

"That's not what I'm talking about," he murmured, kissing the top of your head. He didn't want to have to be the one to say it, so he stroked your bare arm and waited. 

You sighed softly and said, "Casey always tries to bait me when I see her at daycare dropoff or pick up. I'm sorry I came in hot with you today. But you should hear what she says."

Bradley thought he'd made it clear that he wasn't interested in her after he returned from his last deployment. He made no secret of grabbing at you and kissing you in front of Casey. He knew it was probably because you and she were the same age, and Casey definitely saw the way he doted on you. "She's probably just jealous, because I like to spoil you."

You snorted. "She's jealous, because you're hot, Daddy."

Bradley could feel his cheeks flush with heat as you shifted slightly and looked up at him. "What did she say to you today?" he asked.

Your eyes fluttered closed in embarrassment, and you looked bashful as you whispered, "She made it seem like she met you at the bakery. Like it was something you and she planned ahead of time. And she had a blue bakery box and a princess crown donut, and she ate it in front of me. And now I'm starting to realize how ridiculous this sounds, because I trust you."

"I know you do, Princess," he replied as he looked at your purple crown on the bedpost. "And I trust you. But I just can't believe she did that." He studied your gorgeous face and ran his knuckles along your cheek. "I'm sorry I lied to you about staying at work late. That was shitty. I just wanted you and Noah both to be surprised since you've both been bugging for a dog. I just wanted to get you something special."

"Apology accepted. And dog accepted, too," you whispered as he stroked the soft skin of your neck.

"Listen. I'm not interested in Casey. I'm never going to be interested in Casey. I saw her for five or ten minutes at the bakery, and she asked why I was on that side of town. I told her the other guy was from the shelter and I was thinking about getting a dog. She waited with me in line and practically gave me a migraine from how much she talks. I didn't pay attention to what she bought, so if she had a princess crown donut, then she bought it herself."

You smiled up at him. "Those donuts are so good. Pissed me off that she had one and tried to rub it in my face. She must have heard what you ordered."

He smirked. "Yeah well, you're the one getting cream filled donuts and a cream filled pussy anytime you want."

"Daddy!" you gasped. "That's fucking naughty."

"Get up here," he whispered, and then you moved up his body until your lips met his. "I love you. You're Noah's mommy. You're my Princess. I want to be with you. Don't worry about Casey." But he knew he'd have to have another conversation tomorrow, which he was more than happy to do for you. 

You pressed soft kisses to his mustache as he ran his hand up your thigh, curious if you were wearing panties. You were not. "You know what I really want, Daddy?"

"Tell me, and I'll give it to you."

You gently bit his bottom lip before releasing it and giggling. "I want to play with Skittles."

Bradley groaned as you scrambled off of his semi hard cock and climbed out of bed. He got a delicious view of your bare ass as you bent to pick the dog up and carry her back to bed. "You're the cutest little girl! Look at you in your purple bow! Oh, I just love you!"

Then he watched as you climbed back onto the bed with all the care in the world and had the pup cradled against you. When he chuckled and left the room, you didn't even seem to notice. He used the bathroom and went to the kitchen in search of the blue pastry box while he planned out what he'd say to Casey. He wasn't about to tolerate someone intentionally making you uncomfortable, especially when it came to him. 

He grabbed a plate and the fresh princess crown donut, wondering if he could get the bakery to make one that looked like a wedding ring. Then he carried the plate back to the bedroom where Skittles was laying on her back while you tickled her tummy. Bradley just stood there and held the plate as he watched you play and listened to you laugh. You kissed the dog and said, "I'm going to buy you a purple collar and leash with Daddy's credit card. And when your cast comes off, Noah and I will take you for hikes around the block. And Daddy is so big, he's going to look so hot walking such a tiny dog. Either that, or he'll look like an asshole."

"I'm standing right here." 

You smirked when you looked at him. "I know," you said, scratching Skittles on her belly as she squirmed around. "Is it okay if I order her a leash and some snacks?"

"Get whatever you want," he said, handing you the plate and kissing you before he stole the dog from your grasp.

"Hey!" you complained with a laugh.

"It's time for Skittles to go to bed. Eat your princess donut, and then I'll fill you with cream if you're in the mood for it."

You just looked at him coyly as you nibbled on the donut, and he put the pup in her little bed once again.

-----------------------

The next morning, Bradley let you sleep in a little later than usual while he got Noah ready and packed you a sandwich for your lunch. He'd kept you up pretty late, fucking you slow and steady until he got a shaking orgasm out of you. Then he took his time as you babbled and kissed him sweetly, finally filling you up with his cum. He called you his little donut as you fell asleep. 

"Fuck," he grunted as he thought about it, starting to get hard in his flight suit as he made your peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

"Morning," you sang as you strolled into the kitchen in your scrubs. You kissed his cheek and then pet Skittles where she sat looking up at the sandwich, hoping some would fall on the floor. Then you sat down next to Noah as he ate his cereal and told you that he loved Skittles even more than dinosaurs.

"More than dinosaurs?" you asked, brushing his hair back from his forehead as he dipped his spoon back into his bowl. "That's a whole lot."

"Yep," he agreed. "I love Skittles almost as much as I love you and Daddy."

Bradley watched you kiss his son on the cheek before you got your own bowl of cereal ready. "Should we thank Daddy again for bringing her home?"

"Thanks, Daddy," you and Noah sang out in unison. 

Bradley just smiled and said, "You're welcome. Noah, finish eating so we're not late. Princess, can you put Skittles in her crate before you leave?"

"Yes," you told him between bites of breakfast. "And I'll order her leash and stuff later today."

He kissed you hard before bringing you coffee in the mug that said Noah's Daddy. Then he scooped Noah up and carried him off to get his shoes on. It was getting seriously late at this point, and he knew he'd be in the daycare for an extra minute or two this morning. "I love you, Baby," he called out, rushing back into the kitchen for a second when he was finally ready to leave. 

You gave him and Noah one last kiss apiece, and then Noah hugged Skittles. "We gotta go," Bradley told him, rushing him out to the Bronco. It only took a few minutes to get to the daycare, and Bradley had a good idea what he wanted to say. He found himself hoping that Casey was at the front desk this morning, not wanting to draw this shit out any longer. 

When he walked Noah inside, hand in hand, Bradley saw her right away. She looked up at him with parted lips and a little smile as he tugged his aviators off. Then she looked at his son and said, "Good morning, Noah!" Her eyes darted back up as she added in a softer voice, "And Bradley."

He watched her walk Noah into the classroom before he signed his name on the clipboard. When Casey walked back toward him, there was nobody else in the lobby. He held out the clipboard for her and said, "I'd actually prefer it if you called me Lieutenant Bradshaw."

She giggled as if she was being treated to something even better than use of his first name, and Bradley had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "Okay, Lieutenant Bradshaw," she whispered, tossing her hair over her shoulder. 

He cleared his throat. "Can we chat for a minute?"

Casey set the clipboard down and came to stand alarmingly close to him. This was every bit as bad as you had claimed, and frankly he was more than a little bit surprised by how bold she was. Bradley took a step away and shook his head. "Look Casey, this is never going to happen."

She froze on the spot, and her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. "Oh."

"Right. And I really don't want to have to go to your boss, so I need you to just knock it off, okay? My girl and I don't keep secrets from each other, so I know about how you talk to her, and I don't appreciate it at all. She's as good as being Noah's mom and my wife."

Now her cheeks were a deeper shade of red, and she was rushing back around to the other side of the desk. "Okay," she whispered. "I'm just surprised she said something to you about it."

"Don't be. Like I said, we talk about everything. And if you pull some more shit, I'll hear about that, too. Promise."

He stood his ground until she looked up at him. All she said was, "Okay," and then Bradley put his aviators back on as he turned toward the door. 

"You have a great day."

-----------------------------

Casey, you literal nightmare. She'd be delighted if she broke them up. Can't wait to see her next time Princess shows up. And Daddy shouldn't even try to be sneaky. Just no, Daddy. But welcome, Skittles! Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 41

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[rowanfalls]

No joke, I think dungeon meshi has seriously impacted my desire to be healthy for the better. A very long and heartfelt (but spoiler free) essay is under the cut.

I have Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Because of my OCD, some foods are safe and some are not and I would literally rather starve than eat an unsafe food (i know because it happened once on a trip to Switzerland). This means I mostly eat chicken nuggets, buttered noodles, donuts, soda, the like. The only vegetable I can eat is cooked broccoli and the only fruit I can eat is apples (smoothies not withstanding).

I'm also physically disabled in a way that makes it hard for me to exercise or do physical activity, not to mention how my ADHD and Depression fuck with that as well. I'm 'lucky'* in that I have a genetic disposition towards being very thin and probably will stay that way until I'm in my 40s (my dad was exactly the same at my age).

So I eat mostly junk food and I sit at my computer all day every day and for a long time, I've been happy with that. When I tell people about my Eating Disorder, they usually say "oh, is there a way to fix it?" and my answer is always "why would I want to?" Its not like an allergy or a medical dietary restriction. I don't LIKE any of the foods I can't eat. I don't have any reason to want to learn how to eat them.

Besides health reasons of course. I know in my head that not eating any vegetables isn't good for me but I also know that I don't really want to eat them and, for most of my adulthood, I've lived with the mindset that I think a lot of people my age have where they hear so many people say 'just eat well and exercise!' as a solution to every problem and so they tend to hate the idea of doing that. The health industry is full of too many people who are fatphobic assholes or who think a green smoothie can cure your depression for good or who just want your money or whatever and I hate that. And so I've kind of felt above exercise and nutrition.

But then I read Dungeon Meshi.

Even in the beginning, the manga was super inspiring. The way Senshi talks about taking care of your body so you can go on adventures makes it sound like something I might want to do. So much of today's health advice is shame based and, as someone who grew up in and left a high demand control group, I work hard not to tolerate shame in my life. But Dungeon Meshi posits a new view of health and nutrition, one that is centered in love for the self, love for your friends, and love for your food. It resonated with me in a way that I really wasn't expecting it to.

Over the last few years, I've been working really hard to become a compassionate person. This year, my new goal is learning to turn that compassion inward and I've been trying to do that in several different ways. When I finished reading Dungeon Meshi I knew that one of those ways was going to have to be improving my diet and exercise.

I want to be able to go on adventures (as tame and simple as they may be). I want to live as long as possible to spend time with my loved ones. I want to be able to walk around and exist without pain for as much of that time as I can. I want to love my body and act accordingly, making sure it is well fed and cared for. Hell, I've always loved the idea of cooking but haven't had the energy to really learn, especially since I can't eat most foods, but now the idea of taking the time to cultivate a skill like that, one that I can be proud of and that can be used to care for my friends, fills me with a sense of hope and excitement.

So thank you Dungeon Meshi, and thank you Ryoko Kui. If you haven't read the manga, I highly recommend that you do.

*by lucky I mean that my diet hasn't forced me to deal with the stigma that comes with being fat. I have no idea what kinds of problems it's been causing that I just can't see. I am not saying that it would be bad if I were fat, just that not being thin would mean I faced a lot more stigma and discrimination in my life, which is bad.

[mamabearwonders]

I haven't slept. But I got to have a call with my little fox 🦊 and talk to some very close friends. Worth it.⭐ All of our sleep schedules have been so off not that we really had one in the first place.

I've been sicker than usual and now I got a cough. I feel like me being stuck inside is not helping. I have some energy today so I'm going to go to the movies and watch Wonka. It's a $5 cinema. It's a nice 40 minute bus ride there, I like the ride. I can think. Peaceful. Usually being in my own head is not peaceful, but it's different on a bus for whatever reason.

Also right next to a thrift store and a little shopping center like a mini mall. Yeah those still exist lol, but I like it. I'll see if I have the strength to walk around a bit.

It's a cute little cinema. I've been craving movie theater popcorn and I'm like I spend so much money on comfort fast food why not take the cost of what I would spend at a place I always go to and just treat myself to a movie and something I've been craving?

Plus I want to check out the thrift shop next door to the theater. I haven't been there in forever and it's really nice. They employ a lot of folks with down syndrome well as folks all across the developmental and intellectual spectrum.

It's a really cool thrift store. Last time I was in there I found a rainbow brite DVD still sealed from the 1980s (the gif). 🦄

I'm going to buy myself a little box of donuts on my way. I got some for some special close friends of mine whom I love very dearly and May always take care of me. They showed me the ropes on stardew valley today and patient with me and cracking me up despite me knowing nothing lol.

They also inspired me to start looking for jobs that I can do. Applied for some that would be working among my communities instead of people in power (like doctors who often don't listen) doing like caregiving sort of jobs (like what they do). And looking into a hair and skin care routine which is long overdue.

The movie starts at 7 p. m. I wish that it started at like 5:00 p.m. but it's okay. I just am not familiar with the area and just kind of want to get home.

I love my friend family. They truly keep me going. 🌈 ⛈️

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

I swear I can't fucking stand the fact that within this modern day and age is that you'll still have certain manga artists and anime creators that still can't properly do black character designs.

I get so sick of seeing donut lips on some black characters within both anime and manga, although I'm seeing far better black characters designs in newer anime now. But it's something I still notice within some manga or certain black characters in anime.

Seriously!? It isn't that difficult to draw black people without invoking racist blackface minstrel shows caricatures from the 1920s and 40s.

I hate how you always have some white anime fans that always make up some kind of bullshit excuses for this crap or try to double down on their own racial ignorance and not even listening why said design has awful historical connotations tied to it.

Or how some act like Japanese creators can't be criticized for some strange reason. How some have this weird mentality thinking that Japanese creators within anime and manga are incapable of criticism of any kind, especially in terms of design choices for black characters.

It's has always been one of my top issues with anime and manga, which I still deeply love... but I feel there's shouldn't be excuses to not properly draw black people in this day & age.

I've seen many highly skilled and talented black artists on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc, that can do black characters' designs in all kinds of different anime styles, and guess what? They don't look like bad blackface minstrels.

Hell! Manga artist Shirahama Kamome is able to do black characters extremely well.

Shinchiro Watanabe, an anime creator who've had well-done black characters in Cowboy Bebop that weren't drawn with donut lips or looked like bad caricatures, that was during the 90s!

Like, come on! There's shouldn't be any excuses for this type of crap when it comes to black characters' designs in manga and anime.

[marcholasmoth]

OSRR: 3602

today i went for lunch with my mom and we went to ocean state for a bunch of stuff, none of which im completely convinced we needed. but we got new lawn chairs which are actually camp chairs bc we use them for cookouts and stuff and we need to actually be able to get up out of them with a plate of food and stuff.

we stopped for lemonades and pie and snacks, and it was just as we were leaving walgreens with snacks that the funniest part of the day occurred.

mom handed me her debit card to put back in her purse after paying, so i went to grab her little wallet to put it back, but the purse was so stuffed by something it was hard to deal with and honestly hard to get into at all - the bag is kind of big, so the fact that it felt so cramped was really weird. so i find the offending pocket, and i seek out what's making it make the bag feel so goddamn cramped. i reach in and i find a spray can of poo pourri or whatever it's called, and for a moment i thought i found the issue, but the pocket was still too stuffed of something for that single can to make a difference like this. so i stick my hand further into the pocket, and i come across something smooth, which is squishy and vaguely squelchy. which is a weird thing to have in a pocket that usually has makeup in it, and for a moment i thought it could've been one of those blender sponges for foundation, but my mom doesn't use those. so i grab the thing and pull it out.

it's a significantly over-ripened banana.

holding it up, i look at my mom and say, "care to explain this?" mom looked a little confused, and cashier was completely unfazed. definitely not the weirdest thing someone has pulled from their purse in that store.

when we get to the car she explains that last wednesday she'd grabbed a banana to eat for breakfast and put it in her purse as she went to the grocery store. she promptly forgot about it. she went grocery shopping, and she kept thinking about bananas. she went to dunks after, and put her bagel in the purse and ate the donut. since she kept thinking about bananas, she figured it was because she wanted to get some banana nut muffins, so she went back to the grocery store to get some.

she later remembered the bagel, but she's been thinking about bananas since wednesday. she's also been thinking her purse smelled like bananas, but she figured that was because she was thinking about bananas. but no. there was in fact a banana in her purse.

just before she explains this, she reaches into the bag of things we just got and pulls something out to give to me.

it's a squishmallow. a banana squishmallow.

her name is junie, and the combination of events which led to our walgreens trip having a net-zero sum of bananas was the funniest thing i could've imagined happening today.

anyway. after that, we came home and watched the flash until i made dinner and then we watched some more until about 10pm.

joel texted me today asking what i was up to. i said i was watching tv, and i asked him what was up. he said "not much," and that was about it. i'm sure he was doing something; he's always doing something. he has so many projects running at once that it's a wonder he has any time and creativity left for anything else.

but now it's almost 00:40 and i have a headache and i am so tired.

[silverstudios]

lethal company borrower and Acorn head cannons

As the title says- this is just me throwing in a collection of head cannons I had about how Borrowers as a species works in the lethal company universe and a handful of head cannons about my oc Acorn.

Common names-Borrower Scientific name: Homo Micro 

Borrowers appear to be humanoid but at an incredibly smaller size. The tallest borrower on record was 12 inches tall. 

The average age of a borrower is between 50-60 and they reach mental and physical maturity around age 18-19. The oldest recorded borrower was 66. 

Despite the small size, borrowers are nearly identical to homo sapiens, with a few differences here and there. 

Borrowers appear to be surprisingly strong- the nearest species comparison to their strength is how ants can lift something 10X its weight. Borrowers, in turn, have proven to be able to lift roughly 10-15X their body weight, and this strength is also used in self defense, scaling tall objects and general physical activities. 

Due to the borrower's small size, the amount of air they require to function is very little, and the oxygen amount they need is lesser than a humans. It is due to this that a borrower can survive without an oxygen tank on moons, although doing so does lead to distress if the borrower is not used to it.

A negative and positive trait is that a borrower’s dark vision is significantly better than humans. This addition has helped the species survival for many years, as borrowers would collect resources during the twilight to midnight range. This has the unfortunate side effect of borrowers being very sensitive to bright lights and prone to visual overstimulation when not in a dark location. 

Sadly, after the wars, borrower populations dropped significantly and are now considered an endangered species. Despite the large hit to their population, Borrowers continue to live on in the new universe. 

Society: 

Due to the state of the species, Multiple collectors and species preservation groups have taken to buying families of borrowers. This buying process has multiple different ways it can go. The buyer could offer to give the money directly to the borrower family is a potential option, but the most successful has been offering the borrower family a permanent home, a constant supply of resources and money, educational and medical insurance and many other add-ons.

 This process of buying off borrower families has led to small cities of borrowers within the land of the buyer, which have been called “Borrower settlements” or “Fairy towns”, and have been given a high level of protections. 

There are still borrowers outside of fairy towns, still living in the old ways of their species, if not a little less secretive than they used to be. If a housing complex has a borrower family or group, the occupations are made well aware of it. These buildings normally prevent pets of any kind, alongside a lack of automatic machines (like rumbas). Most occupations would merely leave out bowls of things a borrower would enjoy, sugar cubes, tissues, for their small neighbors to take as they need. 

Borrowers who live within fairy towns are less likely to ever make human contact, as all their needs are provided for by the owner of the settlement. The owner must give the borrowers five different bowls of whatever is required by the town- given to the owner in a list- everyday to ensure all the inhabitants can get what they need. 

Harming a borrower is illegal and punishable by 40 years of jail time or being placed onto company duty for the next 10 years, And if you kill a borrower you are placed either into death row Or sent to spend the rest of your life working for the company. 

Acorn head cannons: 

Acorn is the youngest of her 10 siblings at 18 years old. 

She and her family live in the fairy town “Melody” on Lua, the largest borrower settlement. 

Her favorite color is brown, her favorite food is sugar coated donuts and she got her trusty acorn hat from the large acorn tree outside Melody’s walls. 

Acorn decided she wanted to join the company when she was around 10 when the owner of the settlement’s second to youngest came back from his department to the company, telling all kinds of tales about his adventures. The excitement, the adventure, the potential danger, it all thrilled the young borrower. 

She waited until her 18th birthday to apply to work for the company- but was quickly denied due to the fact borrower’s are endangered .She wasn’t completely denied- she had the knowledge to pass all the questions about the dangers of the moons, which scrap is the best to grab and the like to even get her to the background check, so instead she was redirected toward multiple other job opportunities within her fairy town that could use a good worker like her- and even multiple online jobs. 

She was frustrated and slightly insulted, and so did what anyone would do in this situation- made herself a suit to protect her eyes and other vitals, snuck out of her home and snuck onto the nearest prison bus heading to Gordion, where she then hopped onto a company ship. 

And that’s where her story begins…

[acanvasofabillionsuns]

ik i like always say this but quick list tonight it is late and i Was going to do a puzzle but now i don't think i have time (and i would have to do it on my floor and then it'd be in the way in the morning so i can't really start and then pause in the middle)

v nice day today though!!!

went to the post office and got a gift for my friend mailed and it's actually?? projected to deliver like RIGHT on time?? which i was like 'agh i'm probably sending it too late' but maybe not?? which is exciting alksdfja

speaking of gifts then i was scrolling a buzzfeed list of like 'great gifts under $25' and i actually found a good half dozen or so that i think would make neat gifts so :] i'll sort through them tomorrow and pick which i'd want to get and which can be set aside for later possibilities

so like ofc my outfit was cute and fun today BUT especially cute and fun then i wore my teal green dragonfly socks :D

my sister bought everyone donuts and i was not expecting to get any but i did actually get a half!! 'twas v tasty

i think i mentioned those marshmallow treats the other day? had another few of those 👌

cold water??? slaps SO hard

so i looked around a bit on a few different things and wasn't super productive for it bc it was stressing me out (and i rabbitholed a bit, just went from one to the other instead of finishing researching anything) but i came back to one of them later and actually got a bit of progress in looking?? and tomorrow i'm planning to do more 👍

watched tadc with max!!!! v intriguing, bubbles is my favorite and also maybe ragatha <3

got!!!! a bookshelf!!!! this has been an issue for me but now i have one and hopefully it will hold all my books alkdjfal;sdkfa it is a nice red :]

oh add it onto the productivity list i did some dishes

absolutely VIBED to it's raining men, that's such a fun song <33

played minecraft with rac a bit!!!! i thought i'd missed my chance but nope :D

made $40 for the second time and it went better than last time !!

i actually backed into a car a little bit as i was leaving ^ but the people were SO nice about it?? they were literally so kind i'm 🥺

there's a discord emoji that better suits the emotion but this is not discord so.

a handyman came and fixed some stuff that was minor but annoying and next week another guy is going to come and fix our fridge so that we get fridge water??? we win these !!!!!

[zephyrlass]

1. Are you a morning or night person? Night

2. Are you afraid of the dark? No

3. Are you an extrovert or introvert? Introvert

4. Are you double jointed? No

5. Are you left or right handed? Right

6. Are you more of a tidy person or a messy one? Very tidy

7. Are you on time or always late? Always on time

8. Are you ticklish? A little

9. Can you curl your tongue? Yes

10. Can you ice skate? Yes pretty well actually

11. Can you wiggle your ears? No

12. Coffee or tea? Tea always

13. Cookies, cake or donuts? Cake

14. Did you ever participate in a talent show? Yes

15. Did you go to prom? I went to formal, I think it’s similar

16. Did you like school? Overall yes

17. Do you believe in ghosts? Not at all

18. Do you bite your nails? Never

19. Do you consider yourself a good cook? Yes

20. Do you enjoy dancing? Yes

21. Do you enjoy DIY or crafts? Yes

22. Do you forgive easily? No definitely a grudge holder :/

23. Do you have a nickname? Too many

24. Do you have any allergies? Yes, dust and grass

25. Do you have any phobias? Yes, all kinds of rodents. Hate them

26. Do you have any piercings or tattoos? Yes, x3 small tattoos and just my ears pierced

27. Do you have children? No

28. Do you have pets? Yes a dog

29. Do you have siblings? Yes a brother

30. Do you prefer dogs or cats? Dogs 100%

31. Do you prefer Mac or PC? Mac

32. Do you prefer the beach or the mountains? Both. But probably beach.

33. Do you prefer to bath or shower? Shower

34. Do you sing in the shower? No

35. Do you smoke? No

36. Do you speak any different languages? French and a bit of Danish and Japanese

37. Do you still have your wisdom teeth? Nope all four removed

38. Do you still watch cartoons? No

39. Do you/have you played any sports? Netball, football, AFL, surfing, skiing, swimming, volleyball and tennis.

40. Does your name have a special meaning? Great grandmothers name

41. Have you ever been hospitalized? Yes three times

42. Have you ever been on a diet? No

43. Have you ever been to a concert? Many

51. If money were no object what would you get for your next birthday? A house

52. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Copenhagen or Kiama

53. Were you ever a scout or a brownie? what is a brownie?

54. What city were you born in? Richmond

55. What did you last eat? Fish, potatoes and broccoli

56. What did you want to be when you were younger? An architect

57. What do you do on a typical Friday night? Go for a beer with some friends

58. What is one food that you refuse to eat? Pâté

59. What is one item on your bucket list? Go to an AFL game at the MCG

60. What is one item you can’t live without? toothbrush

61. What is your shoe size? 40

62. What movie have you watched repeatedly? Lol probably Mean Girls

63. What phone do you have (Apple or Android)? Apple iPhone 13

64. What should you be doing right now? Stretching

65. What’s one goal you would like to accomplish this year? Australia win the World Cup

66. What’s one of your pet peeves? People who talk at the cinema

67. What’s the last song you’ve listened to? Hide & Seek by Stormzy

68. What’s the most expensive item of clothing that you own? Probably my North Face puffer jacket

69. What’s the thing you can’t leave the house without? Lip balm and my glasses

70. What’s your best physical feature? My legs

71. What’s your Chinese sign? Tiger

72. What’s your current obsession? Formula 1

73. What’s your dream car? Aston Martin DB5

74. What’s your favourite animal? Wombats, penguins and orangutans

75. What’s your favourite book? Not sure I have a favourite

76. What’s your favourite colour? Blue and yellow

77. What’s your favourite dessert? Lava cake

78. What’s your favourite drink? Ginger beer

79. What’s your favourite food? Modern bay bug roll or cheese

80. What’s your favourite foreign food? Eastern Mediterranean, Japanese and Indian

81. What’s your favourite gadget? I like those robotic vacuums

82. What’s your favourite hobby? Skiing

83. What’s your favourite movie? Almost famous

84. What’s your favourite restaurant? Rick shores

85. What’s your favourite sandwich? Brie and cranberry or sauerkraut, Gouda and prosciutto

86. What’s your favourite season? Spring

87. What’s your favourite series? SKAM

88. What’s your favourite snack? Cheese and bread

89. What’s your favourite sport to watch? AFL or football

90. What’s your favourite thing to have for breakfast? Proper Australian breakfast with poached eggs, Kim chi, avocado, sour dough and halloumi

[pwblogarchive]

July 2003

July 3, 2003

12:30 pm

happy fourth of july, we're spending it alone

being in a band means missing out on all the good things you meant to not miss out on by not having a regular job which is why you wanted to be in a band in the first place.

July 6, 2003

3:17 am

the secret order of badboys

yeah you wish you were in it. we're in texas. i feel done for. i miss my friends. but i'm doing what i always wanted. the kids are so awesome. we set our sails against the wind. we don't need you. spent the day soaking my pen in spite- you'll read about it soon. oh yeah, i want to read the new harry potter book "order of the phoenix" unfortunately it is not available to me. if you are my best friend you could bring it to me on july 17 or anytime before. i will trade you lots of worthless stuff like FOB merch and my love. peteccentric

spend most of my time trying to write hits- with the constant weight of worry that they'll all miss.

Current Music: bright eyes "fever and mirrors"

July 12, 2003

12:38 pm

need you like i need water in my lungs

we are in california again. finally i can breathe. slowing my heartbeat trying to remember every show, every face. tonight rootbeer and 80's movies. don't you wish you were me.

i hope you don't.

July 12, 2003

12:40 pm

need you like i need water in my lungs.

california. i can breathe again. i'd like to explain it all but it won't make any sense. root beer. 80's movies. tonight. stars are different in the desert. don't you wish you were me?

cause even i don't.

July 17, 2003

2:27 pm

status report:

drank iced hot chocolate in the hustler store with this girl. she told me i smelled like baby sweat. swoon. played shows in the desert. it was hot. met julie from the real world new orleans. she's pretty rad. kind of cliche. word. see you tonight chicago.

July 22, 2003

12:25 pm

"why do you come here when you know it makes it hard for me"

okay so the livejournal is out of control again. someone is writing as me and asking how i know anonymous people. pretty radical. i am in town but i am gonna sleep and watch movies and waste it on some stupid drama. we leave again next week. if you see me, remind me to smile cause it's not that bad.

July 25, 2003

“Snitches And Talkers Get Stitches And Walkers”

ordered a bunch of new merch today. its gonna be bad ass. sitting around writing made me come to many realizations: life with busey is one of the funniest shows around. the new american nightmare is gonna smoke whatever music you write. every girl i have ever dated but one has cheated on me. my dad and me had dinner tonight and talked about my band. my family is the greatest. i’ll talk to you guys soon,

love peter

July 27, 2003

5:09 pm

i'll hold this pen over your head

grocery shopping today:

count chocula

cocoa puffs

donuts

hotpockets

ibc rootbeer

i win. it made me think about how someday i am gonna be living with a girl and stuff. i think it will maybe be rad. if anyone wants to practice with me so i will be ready when the time comes let me know. no sex or kissing but lots of arguments and hangout.

July 30, 2003

12:01 am

“You Should Try Saying No Once In Awhile”

the show tonight with Gob was amazing. its crazy how much kids know the words. i am doing what i love. thank you. i am truly completely happy with that part of my life and completely unhappy with the rest of my life.

Dear, don’t bother try to make it cute or charming cause you’re not. It’s last call- finish your drink so you don’t feel a thing. “don’t worry, I’m in a better place” or whatever I have to say so you’ll let me in. I got one foot in the door and the other in your bed. “with friends like you who needs friends”. Your sheets have the scent of how convenient it is to have me three thousand miles away.

July 30, 2003

2:46 am

staying alive is as good as it gets.

if you want to know then ask me otherwise keep your mouth shut. stalk me you couldn't pick a better subject. i like this girl from california alot. me and her are gonna have 10,000 babies. do you want to find a cure and save the world or just fall in love and fuck?

you should try saying no once in awhile.

July 31, 2003

3:07 am

“I’m Wreckless. This Love Is Mayhem.”

woo. last night in toledo was pretty amazing. its such a shock that kids actually believe in the words we wrote and sing them back. it means so much. Stuhby came out and sang Saturday with us. do you want to take me to Bend It Like Beckham? it’s easy all you have to do is ask. i promise i’ll go. good times had some kids come up and talk to me about soccer at the past couple of shows. pretty much soccer is one of the best things in the world. tommorrow i’m gonna get to see some friends bands, pretty excited about that. to get to just sit in the crowd and relax. for what it’s worth it makes me happy to know you are out there breathing and laughing even if i am not on your mind.

July 31, 2003

6:04 pm

“for the record you did hurt my feelings.”

you shut off the light and i am a moth in the dark begging for more.

as much as i wish you would just drop dead- a part of me is happy you are still breathing and laughing even if i am not on your mind.

[formeryelpers]

Mochinut, 3756 W Ave 40, Ste 2A, Los Angeles (Glassell Park), CA 90065

My first Korean hot dog of the year. It’s been over a year since I visited a Mochinut. The Mochinut in Glassell Park has mochi doughnuts, Korean hot dogs, Groundwork organic coffee, and boba drinks. They had over 12 kinds of mochi doughnuts ($4 each). For the Korean dogs, you choose the outside (e.g., ramen, potato), then the inside (sausage, mozzarella, or half & half) and the sauce. The original hot dog is $5. The Korean dog places I went to in the past let you add your own sauce.

Mochi donuts are made with sweet glutinous rice flour, so they are chewier than your typical donut. They’re have a ring of balls shape. The base donut is the same but they add different glazes and sugar coatings. I’ve had glazed ones in the past and they’re too sweet.

Powdered sugar mochi donut ($4): still a little warm…the donut was better (chewier and crispier) than I remembered. It’s really like eating fried crispy mochi.

Hot Cheetos Korean dog with ½ mozz, ½ sausage: The flavor is in the batter. The sausage didn’t have much flavor. The Korean dog is like a crispy corn dog – lots of batter, very crunchy. The mozz had lots of long cheese pulls. The sweetness of the batter with the saltiness and spiciness of the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was heaven.

The Korean dogs are made to order and take about 6 minutes. Parking was easy to find in the strip mall. The shop was cute and had areas meant for nice social media backdrops.

4 out of 5 stars

By Lolia S.

[parker-d-bloodrose]

Adventures in Bike Commuting 12/14/22

[Note: I can’t get the alt-text to work when posting this from the text post editor, though I can usually get it to work from the image post editor so I will be including an image description written in the body of the blog.]

Today’s a short post so I won’t really do a TL;DR.

Ghoulie needed a tune up, and I needed a donut of employment because I am starting a new job soon! So, I went to my donut shop and had coffee and then took Ghoulie up to my local bike shop. I mentioned this already, but I found out that we have some cool local anti-fascists who are willing to cover up fascist propaganda. The mechanic was like “oh yeah this’ll only take about 30 minutes” to do the basic tune up. It took actually closer to like, 40 minutes but that was fine. Dude did a damn good job of fixing her up. There were two small hiccups. The first was that I dropped Ghoulie and broke her bell, so I am currently bell-less and will need to replace it soonish. The second was that the mechanic accidentally unplugged my throttle, but once we identified the problem, he fixed it and I was on my way. 

This was probably the coldest ride I’ve done, which brings me to some gear updates. Yesterday I grabbed a snowboarding helmet to better secure my goggles, as well as a new pair of goggles because the old ones had a disintegrating liner. The snowboarding helmet is less than ideal for what I am doing with it because it is by nature, a helmet for a different sport. However, it is keeping me warm and giving me a place to store my goggles when I’m not using them. If I had the money for it, I’d probably manufacture something similar for bicycles specifically. I don’t like the mountain bike/ down hill helmets for the kind of riding I do. Those helmets draw heavily from dirt bikes because you experience similar terrain, but wearing one for commuting just seems... kind of weird. Anyway that’s all for commuting. I hope more people do bicycle commuting because I’ve been enjoying it and I want other folks to enjoy it, which is why I post these blogs even though they’re different from my other content.

[Image Description: A picture of a chocolate covered donut sitting on a paper plate with a paper cup of coffee on a small wooden table next to it.]

[digitalsatyr23]

A Road like Home (Nonfiction)

           When people hear the word home, they typically imagine a building. Whether that building has a solid door with a screen on the front, ill-kept flowers that their uncle swears he’ll water, a tree that bears fruit every season, or perhaps a car that works and a car that doesn’t. There’s lots of little details that go into a home that makes it home, but it can be hard to put into words the most important part: how it makes you feel. To me, a home is something that you come to rest in, clean, and perform leisure activities. Most people typically imagine a house, but as for me, I imagine a car.

           How many road trips have you taken? How long? Have you snaked down Route 5 on your way to Cali then shifted southwest on the fork towards Route 80 because you really wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge then you thought “Hey, what the heck is Dynamo Donuts?” As it turns out, those donuts were the best you ever had paired with the worst coffee you ever had, then you get back onto the highway and continue towards your destination. Road trips have a funny way of dragging you to a lot of places you’ve never been that have nothing to do with where you’re going. Settled lands seem to have their own gravitational pull, as if every town, city, and dead ass gas station is trying to tell you “The road isn’t your home!” but they’re always wrong. Once you drive (or in my case, are driven) around enough, you eventually disassociate the idea of home with permanency, but in a good way.

           I’ve forgotten more dusty towns than you could ever remember. That’s how it was back then. When you’re one of two sons with a single mother that just can’t find a place to lay her head, sometimes rent is replaced with a gas bill. I remember vague imagery of long winding roads, empty orange and brown rocky fields, and power poles as far as the eye could see. It’s different out on the highway. Everything blurs together. You remember snapshots, sometimes even the road signs, but rarely the city names. Those aren’t the important bits. Do you have a name for your home? Of course not, or if you do, I’d really be interested in why you decided to name it in the first place because I have a sinking suspicion there’s more going on up in your noggin than you let on.

           My point is living on the highway isn’t that different from living in an apartment. Distances are greater, the food is almost invariably terrible for you because who the hell eats a salad after driving for four hours, but you still get that gnawing feeling whenever you’re away from it. Do you know what I mean? Another word for it is homesickness. Dictionary.com defines it as “Sad or depressed from a longing for home or family while away from them for a long time”, but it was always a gnawing for me. That’s the kind of feeling I get when I’m not on the road for too long.

           Have you ever walked around a city at night? You probably notice a lot of things, most notably the fact that you can see. You’ll quickly learn out on long winding highways that you may have taken modern electricity and lighting for granted. There are these areas I like to call “The Dead Zones” where the roads keep going and going with no sign of civilization, or even other cars for that matter. Once night falls, the moon and stars will be crystal clear, but you’d be wrong if you thought they’d help you see the road. The only barrier between your car and a cliff you didn’t spot is 160ft worth of headlight illumination, which depending on your speed may only give you about 1.5 seconds to react before it’s too late. Coincidentally, I came to fear the Dead Zones.

           There’s another funny feature of the road you may not always think of. Once you’re out there, you’ll notice animals are a lot braver than they might otherwise be. I recall a trip years back where a 40 something speeding car came to a brisk 10 as highway rabbits decided we needed an escort. I don’t remember how many there were. Ten, twenty, forty... It’s hard to count in the dark, ok? That lengthened the road considerably, but I’ll take lengthier trips over picking rabbit guts out from the tires any day. Hopefully you will too.

           When it comes to their house, people tend to perfect their routes when traversing it. Their bodies learn exactly how many steps it takes to get from the couch to the fridge, from the fridge to the bathroom, and from the front door to the bed. Little, subtle clues crop up that alert them to where they are, even in the dark. The soft green glow of the stove clock, the light switch that dangles to the right because it was bumped into too many times, and the transition from carpet to linoleum. I picked up on these tricks too, and it’s proven to be a source of constant confusion for Uber drivers. They ask “17th Street?” and I say, “The white apartments”. You ask me which road we’re on, my first thought is to look for the mom and pop shop, not one of those tiny green and white signs. I don’t get how people read those so easily on the road. The people who made signs for highways had it right. Big ass signs with big ass letters that you can see a quarter mile away. Now that’s convenience.

           If you decide to take a road trip, always choose a destination. There’s an old adage that goes something like “It’s not about the destination, but the journey.” But if you apply that to a road trip it’s a perfect way to get lost. Back then, we didn’t have GPS or cell phones. It was just you and a map that could fold a hundred times. Perhaps now it’s safer to get lost, but I still wouldn’t recommend it. That’s just valuable gas you’re burning.

           When you decide on a destination, make sure to bring along at least one co-pilot. Whether they can drive or not, you need something to fill the space and air. It may have seemed boring as a kid, but families are easily the best fit for trips. Once you’re all on the same wavelength, just a single word or sight can spark hours’ worth of conversation. Sometimes that conversation seems meaningless, but just hearing another person’s voice can be meaning enough. I’ve never been alone on the road, but I have enough imagination to realize how lonely it could be. Plus, if you don’t bring a buddy, can you really rely on strangers to hold the camera up?

           Even if you don’t leave the state, if you look hard enough you’ll find a treasure trove of destinations just waiting for your hard-earned $4.99 plus taxes. Being an Oregonian, I too can suggest a few possible spots that may or may not be worth a picture. Crater Lake, Yachats Coast, the Prehistoric Garden, the Enchanted Forest, the Painted Hills, Toketee Falls, and more cold ass beaches than you can shake a tent pole at. I personally recommend Harris Beach, for no particular reason. It’s a cliff and a long way down, with two routes if it pleases, either being the actual path or the fun one. You like rock climbing, don’t you?

           Once you’re at the bottom, scrapes and all, you’ll find a swath of wet sand fresh from the tide, as well as a few notable holes where salt water has collected, dotting the beach like raindrops on a leaf. Depending on the tide, however, these holes may open up considerably and then you’ll be dealing less with a Swiss beach and more a series of sandy peninsulas. Some might say this makes walking through it a mess, but I think it makes it more fun. Of course, once the sky darkens and you’re soaked to the bone, you’ll know the time has come to pack it up and head on out. Nothing lasts forever, especially road trips. I think it’s that transience that makes it all the more memorable. If you can always go to “the spot”, then it’s less valuable, isn’t it?

           As I’ve said, a car feels a lot more like a home than a house does. You can rest in it while an unlucky sod is at the wheel, you can clean it once you find the will, and you can have your fair share of leisure while inside: I-spy, slug bug, movie quotes, the banana game - not to mention a plethora of sing-a-longs with your best buds. Queen was always a popular band for that one. And it’s because of the feeling that driving gives me that makes houses so weird. So still, so quiet, so permanent. There’s no humming of an engine, no highway rabbits blocking your path, and the gas bill means something a little bit different. While I can’t say that I hate my apartment, it never quite matches that feeling of being on the road. Perhaps the next time you take a road trip, you can finally come to understand what I mean.

A nonfiction piece I wrote in college with the prompt “Places”. What do you think you’d write with the same prompt?

[jackhughesismyhusband]

Michigan Move pt. 2

This series is going to be more like a TV series than a movie. It’ll have different episodes with different scenarios while the characters develop, but allowing for lots of content. Feel free to send in requests/ideas for this on going series!

~

You raise out of bed abruptly to the sound of a door slamming.

“Luke, shut up! You’re gonna wake her. She’s still sleeping.” An intense whisper muffled outside of your door. After realization of your surroundings, you recognized the voice belonging to Jack. Glancing over at your phone, the clock read 6:58 am. After debate of whether you should get up or not, you decide against and stick with the original plan to wake at 9:15.

Your start to fall back asleep when the sound of a car door closing causes you to shift your attention the window against your bed, looking out the front of the house. You catch Jack and Luke pulling off to school and place your head back on the pillow.

Two hours later, your annoying as ever phone alarm went off. You couldn’t complain with 8 hours of sleep, usually getting much less when working in the industry. You make your way to the connecting bathroom to start your day. You throw on leggings and an active wear top for dance. A crew neck was thrown over for easy ability to take it off when you start dancing.

After your morning routine, you head downstairs with your backpack and phone in hand. Coffee changed the smell of the house as you followed the smell to the kitchen.

Ellen was sitting at the kitchen counter in comfortable clothes, looking at something on her computer.

“Good morning, y/n! Did you sleep okay? I hope the boys didn’t wake you this morning.”

“Good morning, Ellen! I slept great, thank you. It felt like a cloud after sleeping on a couch for the last 3 months.” You smiled and added, “The boys were no trouble.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I made some coffee. Help yourself.”

You direct yourself over to the pot of coffee calling your name on the corner of the counter. You notice donuts with quick handwriting reading “y/n” in sharpie laying next to the pot.

Ellen notices your curiosity and explains,

“The boys noticed you liked Tim Horton’s yesterday and insisted on getting you donuts this morning before they got to school. There’s one right down the road.”

You slightly blushed at the kind act. They had been so good to you.

“Luke wanted to make sure you knew they were for you and wrote your name as Jack was dragging him out the door,” Ellen added as she laughed to herself.

“That was so sweet of them. You guys have made me feel so welcomed, thank you, Ellen.” You walk over to where she was sitting and give her a side hug with a smile.

“It’s our pleasure, sweetheart. You’re not only family to us, but to everyone in the hockey community. Anything you ever need, you come to one of the boys or I.”

“Thank you,” you looked at the generous woman with the most sincere look of gratitude.

Plating up the strawberry frosted donut, you grabbed a glazed and set it next to the motherly figure. You smiled at the first sight of the pink donut, knowing it was Jack’s doing after your conversation last night about your favorite pastry from every donut place you’ve been - on both the east and west coast.

“Are you excited for your first day?”

“Very. I’m a little nervous since this is new to everyone and I don’t exactly fit in a hockey arena, but I think it’ll be a fun new adventure.”

“They’re all going to love you. The coaches are great, but learning everyday from someone 40 years older than you can’t be as effective as working with someone your age. It’ll be really good for the boys. Especially the ones who don’t know how to talk to girls.”

She added the last part with a wink and you laughed a little.

“Yeah, I just hope they don’t hate they’re doing something that isn’t necessarily hockey related. I know it’ll help them with hockey, but it’s probably hard to see the big picture when you’re doing a grand jete in leggings.”

Ellen smiled.

“Don’t worry, honey. They all practically live here with how much they’re hanging out in the basement. They haven’t stopped talking about their excitement since they found out at the beginning of the summer.”

Her words comfort you. You finish conversing and the delicious donut and grab your backpack with your car keys, now with the addition of a house key Jim had given you before you went up to bed. Your car shipped in late last night. With some of your savings from all the gigs you’ve done and a little help from your parents, you were able to buy a white Lexus when you got your permit. You got your license in July.

“Are you going to do school work while you’re there?”

Ellen questioned looking at the black North Face on your back.

“Yeah. In case I have any free time, it’ll be nice to get some things done. Maybe when they’re studying, I can, too.”

“Great idea! Have an amazing day, sweetheart! You have my number if you need anything at all. I mean anything.” The blonde pulled you into a final hug before sending you off with an extra strawberry donut included in the lunch she had kindly packed you.

She waved at the door while you pulled out of the driveway with directions to the rink and your favorite playlist at the moment playing through the car speakers.

About 7 minutes later, you pulled into a slightly busy parking lot. You added your lunch into your backpack and headed towards the entrance.

Immediately, you were greeted by USA honorable decor and a friendly receptionist.

“Hello, can I help you with anything?” The cheery woman asked.

“Hi, yes. My name is y/n. I’m the director of the new Grace and Agility program?”

“Oh, yes! Come right this way.” You followed the stout woman with spunk into the hallway. “I’m Martha. You ever need anything, honey, you let me know.” She looked back at you with a wink and a smile. “Those boys can be rowdy, don’t be afraid to give ‘em some sass back or send ‘em to me. I’ll out sass them real quick.”

You laughed at her suggestion of “out sass”ing the boys you have mostly yet to meet. She stopped outside an office with a plaque labeled, “Y/N L/N USA NTDP HEAD DIRECTOR OF GRACE AND AGILITY”

“Here you are. The room next to you on the left is the dance studio we just installed. Feel free to make it all your own.” She smiled at you and continued, “The boys will be here in about an hour and will start with your stretch class. They’ll warm up under your control then hit the shooting room and film before they head to the ice. After the ice, they’ll study and end the day with dance. I left the full schedule for the day in your office.”

“Thank you so much, Martha. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, sweetheart. Let me know if you need anything.” She started to walk back, but not before handing you a bundle of keys. One for the dance studio, one for your office, and one emergency key to the entire facility.

You head into your office and quickly notice the red, white, and blue basket sitting on your desk. Your desk was facing the door with two chairs on the other side and a comfortable couch perpendicular to the desk, on the right side of the door as you enter. A large window looking out at the woods on the side of the facility is behind your desk.

You notice a plaque on your desk identical to the one outside of your office. You peer into the welcome basket and notice a note.

“Dear y/n, we’re so grateful to have you on the USA Hockey team! Please accept these gifts as a small act of our joy and gratitude to have you. Feel free to reach out if you ever need help!

USA Hockey”

You smiled at the hand written note and the little heart drawn next to the end of the message. You set the note aside and sat in the plush rolling chair behind your desk. Inside the basket were three USA themed leotards, four leggings colored a solid red, white, blue, and black, four dance shirts, three USA themed sports bras, a keychain - of course it’s USA themed, a yoga mat with y/n and NTDP written on it, a NTDP sweatshirt with your l/n on the side, and an NTDP water bottle.

The clothing were custom made from Lulu. You smiled at the gifts and made a mental note to send a thank you note to Martha for the entire staff.

You placed your bag down after noticing a bulletin board on the wall to the left of the desk, looking from the door. The note was pinned on the board and you headed into the hallway with the keys.

The moment you entered the dance studio, the lights turned on. The facility was brand new and built with plenty of your input - at the NTDP’s request. A sleek, untouched floor, two ballet bars on either side, and three walls of mirrors capturing you. The entrance wall had built in cubbies for the boys’ water and shoes and above it had a long observation window out into the hallway. The NTDP had mentioned a remote controlled tinting system on the window, so you could make it a series of tints from completely transparent to unable for the outside to look in. A compartment clearly for you separate from the others, labeled “Coach Y/n” had the remote for the window and the colored lights they’d installed at the top and bottom of the mirrors. The NTDP made sure to install the best sound system and paid for your Spotify Premium, even though you were already on a family plan.

You decided to spend the 45 minutes you had until the boys arrived to check the roster again, even though you had plenty times to try to familiarize yourself with the team. The U-17s were the guinea pigs. The program decided to start the department with the U-17s since they don’t know much of what the NTDP is like without it. If it was successful, the U-18s would be added into the conversation.

After settling in a little and getting some school work done, you decided to head back to the studio with 15 minutes until the boys were set to arrive. You decided to stretch a little because even though you’d be stretching with the guys, you were sure you’d have to walk around to help. You play your playlist and get carried away into the music, starting to do some leaps, jumps, and turns to the beat of the song. You planned to keep the crew neck on until the afternoon class where you’d actually break a sweat.

As you were mid-turn, you heard muffled voices outside the studio. You turned to look and saw the boys all huddled around the window watching you in awe. You smiled and waved them in.

They had their matching USA Hockey navy blue puffer jackets on with NTDP backpacks. Some were wearing NTDP hats as well.

“You guys can leave your stuff in your compartment, along with your shoes please,” you tell them as you walk over to your station to turn down the music to become background buzz.

After everyone was ready to go, you had them all sit cris-cross in a circle. You made the mistake of calling it “cris-cross applesauce”, which Jack would later tease you about.

“Hi boys! My name is Y/n L/n. You can just call me y/n. I’m so excited for this program and to be working with y’all!” ‘Y’all’ would become another point of attack from Jack and Alex at a later date. “I’m going to start you off with a stretch and then we can go around and say our names.”

You got the boys into a butterfly pose. You let Case McCarthy start, who was to the right of you. As the boys went around and introduced themselves, you corrected some back posture while they stretched. Alex Turcotte was having a bit of trouble, but you realized it was because he was trying to twist his feet in opposite directions and stretch in the butterfly pose at the same time. Jack wasn’t having any trouble, but you took the opportunity to be by someone you know and gently moved his back down more, so he was further into a stretch. Since you already knew their names from studying the roster, you took a moment to whisper in his ear while you stretched him.

“Thank you for the donuts this morning. Come to my office during lunch if you can. I saved one for you.”

His face lit up at your offer, but quickly changed as you slowly pushed him further into the stretch. He clearly wasn’t at the flexibility level yet for it to be easy.

When names were done, you switched them to stretching out to one leg and then eventually swapping sides.

“Trevor, did I hear you’re from New York?” Some of the boys had added where they were from in their introduction.

“Yeah! Are you?”

“I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but I’ve lived mostly in New York.”

“I’m from Connecticut, too!” Spencer Knight lit up at the mention of his home.

You continued to chat and get to know the boys until you decided to have them warm up through cardio. You had them put their shoes back on.

“Alright, follow me.”

“Yay! Field trip!” You heard Trevor cheer behind you which caused you to smile.

You stopped at the entrance of the rink.

“I wouldn’t get too excited yet, Trevor.” You paused and looked around for dramatic effect as they patiently waited for you to continue. “We’re running today, boys.”

Groans and heads tilted back in disappointment ensued. You evilly laughed to yourself at their despair.

“Alright, up and down the stairs 20 times to start.” They unhappily started their trek up the arena stairs. “Please don’t fall!” You called after them. Your comment made them smile at your motherly-like care for their well being, despite forcing them to do something displeasing.

“Aw, try not to look so happy Caufield!” You teased as he was the first to make his way down. He poked his tongue out at you before he turned around to go back up.

You connected to the sound system and started playing a hype playlist to help them out. Once the music started playing, you got some cheers out of them. You knew it wouldn’t be so bad if “Party Rock Anthem” was keeping them going.

Jack called from the top of the stairs, “Thank you, y/n!” When he heard the music start. You later would find out most coaches don’t let them listen to music because they think it would distract them, so this felt like a treat. It was the least you could do after forcing them do go up and down the steep stairs so many times. Little did they know, this was just the warm up.

About 15 minutes later, the last of the group finished up. Before you was a group of panting, red teenagers crouching over themselves. You felt a little bad, but had to remind yourself they had to have good endurance for their games and they were likely put through worse from other coaches with no mercy or sympathy.

“Good job, boys. Take a breather, it’s alright. You all did great.” Your praise caused a few to look up at you from their tiredness and smile. You believed in bringing them up, rather than pushing them down. Especially as impressionable, and though they wouldn’t admit it, insecure teenage boys. Ballet training was rarely kind to its students and you knew first hand the negative repercussions of having to hear mean things aimed at you each day.

“Don’t hate me, but we’re not done.”

That earned a playful glare from Marshall Warren. You laughed.

“It’s okay because I promise to do it with you. I can’t just sit here and expect you to do it all yourself.”

You took lots of pauses to give them as much time as you could to catch their breath.

“We’re going to run some laps around the rink.”

“More running?!“ An out of breath Henry Thrun questioned. You chuckled to yourself.

“Yes, but it’ll be fun, I promise.”

That earned a lot of skeptical looks. Martha was right, they are sassy. You liked it, it meant they were comfortable with you already.

“Just follow what I do and try not to think about it too much.”

They shrugged their shoulders and followed as you started running around the bottom of the arena. Of course, not before starting up the music again.

After the first lap, you started skipping. Some confused noises were heard behind you, but after a few seconds, the boys got the idea and started skipping, too. You smiled at the boyish giggles you heard behind you.

Next lap, you galloped with your right leg and then the left on the next one.

The lap after, you ran five steps, then spun in a circle. That was harder for the laughing boys. At one point, you caught Cam York spin himself in the boards. The crash was so loud, everyone stopped and toppled over in laughter.

For the last lap, you changed the music to your favorite song and yelled out, “Dance!” You grooved to the beat and saw a bunch of silly improv including the Macarena and disco that almost caused Trevor to poke Alex Vlasic in the eye.

You stopped at the entrance as you waited for the happy boys to meet you. You reminded yourself to check the security cameras later to get the footage of the dancing and Cam crashing into the boards. It was really sweet how they all genuinely tried for you and enjoyed it in the process.

“Alright, boys. Unfortunately, my time with you is done for now.” Whines followed the statement. You felt honored they wanted to stay with you. “If you guys need anything, my office is right across from the studio. Don’t hesitate to come visit. I’ll see you later today!”

You were surprised by the chorus of “thank you”s they gave you as they left the arena with laughs echoing down the hallway.

You decided to head back to your office for a bit to plan out the first dance lesson later today some more. You grabbed a bar Ellen had packed you and got lost in your choreography. When you finally looked up at the clock, it was 1pm. The boys should be heading off the ice around now. You paused the music you had playing through the speakers built into your office and headed out to the ice. You caught the boys picking up pucks. Jack saw you and waved happily while he skated to the exit on the opposite end of you. You smiled and waved back with warmth in your heart at the welcome everyone in Michigan had given you.

You knew they were going to have lunch and study. You decided to do the same, but walked outside for a second to get some fresh air. It was pretty nice out and you were excited to spend some more time outside when you were done.

You went back to your office to find Jack sprawled out, waiting patiently on the couch. He smiled and sat up a little at the sight of you.

“Hey, y/n/n!”

“Y/n/n?”

“Yeah, I just thought of it. Do you like it?”

You laughed and nodded your head.

“How’s your first day so far?” He asked as you sat in a lounge chair in the corner by the door, next to the couch.

“It’s actually been really nice. I’m definitely not nervous anymore and everyone has been so nice. I really appreciate you guys bearing with me and not thinking things are too stupid to do. I’ve taught teens that older than me at the time and pre-teens and the trend was to act ‘too cool’ for anything I had them do.”

“Yeah, I mean we don’t get to do fun stuff like that all the time. We’re just a bunch of kids excited to be here like you, so I don’t think you’ll run into many participation problems. We all want to be here.”

You found yourself smiling at his clear passion for what’s he’s doing and the comfort his statement gave you.

“Before I forget,” you got up and headed over to your desk. “Here is a donut, kind sir.” You handed him the strawberry frosted donut and bowed down in medieval character.

He accepted and played along, “Why thank you, my lady.” You attempted a British accent that definitely needed work. You laughed at his attempts of an accent from over the pond. You watched him split it in half at reached one half out to you.

“No, no. I want you to have it. You’ve been very kind to me. It’s the least I can do. Even though you bought it.”

“I insist. I got it for you. I know it’s your favorite.” He raised his eyebrows. You gave in. He cheered when you finally accepted. You decided to “cheers” with the donut and tapped yours to his.

After the conversation lead into school work and a realization of you having to help Jack with English while he helps you with Math, Alex Turcotte walked in.

“There you are! I was just about to start French and was wondering where my partner was.” Alex looked at Jack then over to you. “Hey, y/n!”

“Hey, Alex! What are you guys doing in French.”

“Conjugations,” Jack answered while licking his fingers of the pink frosting and rolling his eyes.

“As much as I’d love to help, I speak Spanish, not French. But I’d love to learn sometime if you guys wanted to teach me.”

“We’d love to, but Jack and I probably aren’t the best French tutors. Dom Fensore and Cam Rowe would be your guys. TZ and Cole are trying to get to their level, but a safer bet would be Fensore and Rowe. I’m sure they’d be happy to help. They’re the only reason why Jack and I are passing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Does the NTDP require French? I guess it’s smart since you could go to Canada, but I figured since Spanish is more popular here, you guys would take it.”

“Yeah. Spanish is offered, but French is encouraged for that reason. All of the guys take French, but some also take Spanish to have both under their belt.” Alex answered.

“Hm, that’s cool.” You looked over to see Jack playing with a kinetic sand box on your desk like a child waiting for his mom and her friend to stop talking at the grocery store. “Well, I’ll let you get to it! See you after studying and lunch.”

“See you!”

“Bye, y/n!”

~

I hope you enjoyed! Please know my inbox is open for any conversation or any requests for this series or another fic! I love getting asks from y’all! (Yes I occasionally say “y’all” like our wonderful y/n.) Thank you so so so much for your support and patience <3

[the-bau-quinjet]

Trending

Summary: Steve thinks you’re too young to like him despite the obvious hints you’re dropping.

Warnings: unspecified age gap

Word count: 2246

a/n: I’ve clearly spent too much time on TikTok recently, but inspired me to write something so that's good. It was loosely based on a request for a young reader x Steve, but I forgot part of the request so I'm gonna write something else for that one! Also, I wrote this on my phone so please excuse any typos I missed when trying to edit it lol

Masterlist

Messing with Steve is one of your favorite things to do. Tiny pranks, over the top flirting, poking fun at his lack of understanding of technology. Anything you can do to get him to roll his eyes and chuckle.

Nat would say it’s because of your feelings for him. She would be correct. Not that you’d ever admit that to anyone. Nope. So instead, you have your fun, and enjoy the way his eyes crinkle and his cheeks redden.

Your newest method of hearing the sweet sound of Steve’s laugh? TikTok. It’s a double whammy. One because he doesn’t understand the app and two because a lot of the trends make him blush.

It started as a fun way to blow off steam. Sometimes, being one of the younger and newer team members made you feel like an outsider. Of course, Peter was younger than you, but he had his own friends outside of the team. You didn’t have anyone else. When Tony found you and invited you to join, it was you against the world. Now you have this makeshift family.

Having your account on TikTok helped you when you hadn’t really become a part of the group yet. You bonded with Peter because of his account, and you found a new way to make Steve blush.

Anyway, you’ve learned way more TikTok dances than you ever would have thought just to see his pink cheeks. It’s not even always over the top dances that have him chuckling. The last trend you did had him laughing the entire day. It was that sound about Wednesday Adams having one thing on her mind. Only when it said homicide, instead of a deadpan expression you panned the camera to show Bucky and Sam arguing over who got the last donut.

Of course, you knew when you made the video it would appeal to Steve’s sense of humor. Sam and Bucky feature in a lot of your videos for that exact reason.

In general, you make a lot of videos featuring the Avengers just to keep Tony happy. He likes to be the center of attention, plus the only way he would approve of your account was if it could also feature as PR for the team. You agreed, as long as you had final say over what you posted. There’s nothing scripted or designed for a specific reason, you just feature the team sometimes.

Like when that sound from the Big Bang theory was popular amongst Avengers fans, you made a video confessing to Pepper that you’d been thinking about the Avengers, panning to show the team during training.

Of course, the text on the screen said “you are an Avenger” instead of “I believe that”, allowing you to play off the joke. But still, it was fun to include the team.

One of your favorite videos features none other than Scott Lang, mostly because nobody else would do it. Scott thought it was hilarious though.

Using the sound from New Girl, Scott played Schmidt and you Jess. The text on the screen read as follows:

Scott: You just walk around all day thinking about America’s Ass?

You: Yeah, don’t you?

Scott: No! How do you get anything done?

You: It’s hard…

Steve blushed like crazy when everyone cornered him to watch it. Bucky, Sam, and Tony wouldn’t stop bringing it up for at least a month. A part of you hoped he might make a move after that video, seeing as you put yourself out there, but he just assumed it was a joke and laughed it off.

Honestly, you were running out of trends that you could use to get him to understand your feelings. You only had two ideas left, and one of them would be mortifying if it didn’t work out…

-

“Steve. You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bucky sighed, exasperated with Steve for the umpteenth time that month. “You’ve been pining for forever, just make a move!” he whisper yelled, doing his best not to throttle his lifelong friend.

Steve rolled his eyes, purposefully ignoring Bucky’s pointed glare. The two men had spent the last hour looking through your TikTok account. Bucky was adamant that you liked Steve, but the blonde didn’t believe it, despite the so called proof Bucky kept forcing him to watch.

“Buck, would you please just back off? We’re friends. She’s too young to want to be with me like that.” Steve blushed, thinking about the context of his words.

Before Bucky could say anything about how repressing his feelings is bad for him, a new video popped up on your account. Bucky smirked when he saw the thumbnail was once again a picture of Steve, this time with a beard. Steve took the silence as an opportunity to escape, walking into his closet to change.

The video opened with a video of you and Natasha just hanging out, you lip syncing to the words “I like you have a cupcake.” You repeated the words as the video cut to you and Tony.

Bucky nearly dropped the phone when “smack my ass like a drum” blared from the speaker. He cackled bending over in a fit of laughter when he realized that’s what Steve’s picture was used for- and one where he had a beard to boot.

“What is it now, jerk?” Steve emerged from his closet, having changed into loungewear. The sight of Bucky fully cackling had him nervous.

Bucky tossed him the phone, doing his best to stop laughing long enough to tell him to watch the most recent video. With a hesitant sigh, Steve obliged.

Again, Bucky rolled his eyes at how obvious Steve’s feelings were. The second he saw you on the screen, he smiled. And not one of those half hearted polite smiles, a full on happy smile.

Steve’s eyes widened, nearly bulging out of his head when he got to the end of the video.

“‘She doesn’t want to be with me like that.’” Bucky mocked his friends earlier words, grabbing his phone back. “Punk, I don’t know how much more obvious she could be.”

With one more glare in Steve’s direction, Bucky finally left him to his own thoughts. Okay, so you made a lot of videos about how you find him attractive. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’d want to be in a relationship with him. Leave it to Steve to talk himself out of everything Bucky had spent so long trying to convince him of.

-

You were desperate at this point. You honestly thought the cupcake one would send him over the edge, but it didn’t work either. It has been three days, and you know Steve’s seen the video because everyone likes to tease him about it.

“Naaaaaat, it’s not working,” you whined, dramatically throwing yourself onto her bed. She laughed at your antics, briefly looking up at you before deciding to stop what she was going and give you her full attention.

“Look, not only is Steve one of the most clueless people I’ve ever met when it comes to women, but he can also talk himself out of believing someone’s interested in him. Especially you.” Nat watched as you lifted your head from her comforter, slowly turning to stare at her with narrowed eyes.

“Especially me?” you questioned. Why would you have a different standard?

“Y/N, Steve’s from the 40s. He’s super old fashioned. You're a hot young thing, super up to date on modern trends. He thinks you're just messing around as friends because he doesn’t believe someone as young as you would be interested in actually having a relationship with him,” she spelt it out for you, sick of trying to get you to figure it out on your own.

You took a minute to fully understand what she was saying, but then sat up when a new idea struck. “So you’re saying I need to be more direct?”

Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded nonetheless.

“I’ve got an idea. Thanks Nat!” you ran from the room before she could question your newest plan, instead checking to make sure her notifications were on for posts from your TikTok account.

-

“Steve!” you shouted when you saw him down the hall, about to turn a corner. He immediately stopped, turning back to see you running at him. “I need your help!”

You pulled him into the gym, briefly glancing around the room to make sure it was empty. Confirming nobody else was present, you set up your phone on one of the weight racks to record the two of you. It was already open to the recording section of TikTok, the sound you needed queued and ready to begin.

“What’s going on?” Steve looked between you and the phone, nerves heightening as he realized what you were doing. All of your videos about him thus far hasn’t actually involved him filming anything.

“I just need you to react to this trend, okay? It’s kind of old, but that doesn’t really matter,” you spoke quickly, trying to start the video before he could decline.

The music started playing instantly, with Steve awkwardly looking between the screen and you. He wasn’t sure what exactly he was reacting to, and it had him on edge. Just as the song reached the chorus, you turned and grabbed his face. Throwing caution to the wind, you followed through with your plan before you could back out, kissing him with all the passion and emotion you’d been holding back.

Steve froze, clearly surprised by your actions. Before you could pull away, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer. He kissed you with equal passion and emotion, no longer paying attention to your phone recording the moment.

Neither of you noticed when the music cut off, too wrapped up in each other. When the need for air overpowered the desire to keep kissing him, you pulled back to gasp in a few breaths. Steve leaned his forehead against yours, eyes closed and breathing erratic.

The two do you spent the next few moments just breathing, trying to come to terms with what just happened. You gasped when his hands moved, one resting on your waist and the other cupping your cheek. His eyes were still closed when you chanced a glance at him.

“What was the trend?” he breathily whispered the words, still coming down from the high of kissing you.

“Huh?” you mumbled, unable to comprehend the question when he was still touching you like this.

“The TikTok trend? What was it?” his grip on your hip tightened, but his hand framing your face remained gentle.

“Oh, uh, it was- it was kissing your best friend/crush.” You whispered, heart still racing from his proximity. Your nerves had never been greater. Yeah, Nat always tells you that Steve has feelings for you, but what if he was just being polite? Maybe he didn’t know how to reject you when you kissed him out of nowhere, and now he’s trying to find a way to turn you down gently. What if-

“Was my reaction good enough to post?” he broke your train of thought with another question. You took a minute to think about the question, your brain still moving like molasses

“Um, that depends…” you froze when his eyes opened and stared into yours.

“On?” he prompted you to continue.

“Which caption I can use.” you finished the thought, finally remembering the two most common outcomes of the trend.

“What are the choices?” Steve smirked when you looked flustered, clearly not expecting this conversation.

“Uh, the two-” he began rubbing small circles into your hip with his thumb, effectively cutting off your train of thought again. It wasn’t until he lightly squeezed your hip again that you remember you were answering his question.

“Right! The two most common captions are some variation of ‘this was so awkward’ or ‘we’re dating now’,” you managed to blurt out the choices, blushing when he smiled at you.

“Well, I know which I prefer…” you waited with bated breath as he prolonged the silence, enjoying seeing you so on edge. You nearly whined when he let you go, moving to pick up your phone from the weight rack.

You watched in silence as he typed out a caption, tapping each letter with his pointer finger. A small smile formed on your lips at his adorable old man behavior. He then managed to find the post button, adding the video to your account before handing you the phone to see what he chose.

Your smile only grew after you read the caption, dropping the phone and immediately kissing him again.

-

Meanwhile, Nat had gathered the rest of the team that happened to be around to wait for whatever video you had planned to be posted.

Tony, Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Vision, Peter, and Clint all watched as the new video popped up on the screen. Peter bounced with excitement when he heard the song, instantly recognizing the trend. The rest of the group watched as you kissed Steve, mouths gaping open when he actually kissed you back.

Fans were already commenting about how long it took for the two of you to get together, but the team was too focused on laughing at the caption to pay any mind to the comments.

She said the trend was kind of old, but that fits because I’ve got a habit of waiting too long anyways.

Permanent taglist: @averyhotchner @jesuswasnotawhiteman @strawberryspence @sebastnstn @jswessie187 @ellobruv

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[jujutsu-headcanons]

Gojo Satoru general headcanons

Let's get one thing clear: this man is absolutely chaotic. He is always full of energy. His energy levels never reach below 50%. He is loud and proud, always running, and never takes a minute to relax.

Do not give him Monster. Shoko did that once and it took her forever to get him off the ceiling. Also, avoid caffeine. Shoko replaces his normal coffee with decaf and he still hasn't noticed the difference. Keep it that way.

He was the class clown when he was younger. He wasn't exactly a trouble maker, but he may as well be. I cannot word that sentence and I am sorry. Next.

All of his teachers assumed he never listened in class, so they always called in him when they thought he wasn't paying attention. It still shocked them every time he rattled off the correct answer.

Not only did he answer the question correctly, but he could also explain his reasoning behind the answer, and if it was multiple choice, explain why the other answers were wrong. 

This tall man child would march up to the board and absolutely fill it to the brim with work, turn around, drop the chalk-like a mic drop and walk back to his desk with the smuggest look on his face.

That doesn't mean he did the work tho

Idk how schools in japan work but we all know schools in America only care about the amount of work you do and not what you actually know so we'll use that for the sake of the headcanon: he had straight D's bc he never turned in his work

Despite not doing the work snd goofing off, teachers actually really liked him

A lot of people liked him and he was super popular, but he still felt alone

Fake friends, you know how that works, he didn't meet any real friends until he became a shaman

Clean freak. This dude actually makes his bed. He scrubs his bathroom twice a week. His desk can get cluttered but he straightens up once a week. He's not exactly a germaphobe because

He cannot respect your personal space and that's actually canon but let me take it a step further 

He's a slapper. Especially when he laughs. It doesn't hurt, it's playful dw. He hugs you from behind especially when he's cold. He picks you up and carries you around. He will grab your wrist, arm, or hand and lead you around even if you're following him. He lays his legs across you or lays across your lap. Puts his head on your shoulder. Platonic cuddling between friends is mandatory. He's just so hands-on it's ridiculous.

Unless you explicitly tell him you're uncomfortable he won't stop

Don't worry, if you aren't in that type of relationship, your no-no square is safe. Except, if you seem chill, he will slap your ass regardless of friendship status. His ass is also slappable. You can't tell me Geto and Gojo didn't run around slapping each other asses, okay

He was weird and scrawny as a child. He didn't start beefing out until he started training to be a shaman and he's still kinda smaller than most beefy boys

He can pick you up and throw you around easily. He carried around a 170 pound Yuji like a sack of potatoes and can easily carry around three times that weight

It's amazing he's so tiny because you remember 2014 Shane Dawson making all of those wack ass desserts that was just s pile of chaos wrapped in chocolate?

He can eat every last bite of one of those monstrosities without getting a stomach ache, gaining weight, or dying basically

He knows bc Yuji dared him to do it

He has really cold hands and feet

He sounds old. Let me elaborate. He's constantly cracking his joints. They also creak when he moves. He complains about body pains like he's 80 y/o

He also shares wisdom with the kids as if he's actually 80 y/o

It's irrelevant advice that doesn't make sense but is also useful. Megumi can't count the number of times he's asked Gojo for feedback on his technique but had been told to remember to chew 40 times or never go to bed angry

Starts off sentences with "now son" and "when I was your age"

He uses his blindfold as a headband when he wants his hair out of his face. He also uses headbands as... Headbands... When he wants to wear sunglasses but get his hair out of his face

He owns so many pairs of sunglasses but he always wears the same pair

He's only bought a handful of them himself, most of them are gifts

No one knows what to get him for Christmas or his birthday bc he has everything, so they resort to sunglasses

His favorite pair is a pair that Shoko and Geto bought him as a gag. He thought they were dead serious, though, so he wore them around for a month

They were heart-shaped, rose-tinted glasses

Can you believe this man doesn't use any gel or anything to keep his hair spiky with the blindfold on? It just naturally defies gravity when the blindfold is on

Tell this man he's pretty because he already knows. He's narcissistic but not the cringy kind

Photogenic as hell. Takes great pictures from any angle. 

He gives everyone a different story as to why he covers his eyes. Sometimes he says it's because his eyes are too pretty and are a distraction. Sometimes he says it's because the sunglasses/bandages/blindfold look cooler than his eyes. Sometimes he says it's to protect the six eyes from seeing things he doesn't want to see. The world may never know

He's tried covering his whole face before, but he thinks he's too pretty for that. He at least wants one of his many amazing features to be shown at all times.

So about his driver's license;

He knows how to drive. He can be a good driver. When he wants to be. He just doesn't have a driver's license.

Now he TELLS people he just never got around to getting one, however, there's a rumor he lost it due to too many parking tickets

It's amazing the only tickets he's ever gotten have been from that and once he got caught without a seatbelt; he would have gotten out of that one if he hadn't been flirting with the police officer so bad

This doesn't stop Gojo from driving places though

He steals Ijichi's car a LOT and Ijichi DOESN'T KNOW HOW like??? The windows are never broken and it doesn't look hotwired-

Gojo has a key

You're not even supposed to be able to duplicate car keys but Gojo did 

Also; none of the first-year trio knows he doesn't have a driver's license, though that much should be painfully obvious

He whips around corners, speeds up at yellow lights, goes "watch this" and does a donut, it's just a mess

The poor students have to sit in the backseat too. Just imagine Megumi with all three seatbelts around him like that one meme.

He thrives off of Nobara and Yuji screaming from the backseat, and he can see Megumi being smooshed because he thought the middle seat was the safest through the rearview mirror

Which he doesn't even need because of the six eyes

Despite being such a reckless driver, he knows when danger will happen, so he's never once gotten in a wreck

He blasts the radio, which makes up for the driving.

Has a habit of getting in a car and ending up in the McDonalds drive-thru

Steals other people's fries and keeps the fullest one for himself.

He was rebellious as a kid and teenager, but hey, at least his juvie record is sealed 

He's been detained and in the back of a cop car many times, but the reason was never really bad enough for him to be arrested. Mostly he's just being mouthy. And the time he got caught spray painting on the side of a building. And that one time he and Getou hopped the fence to get into the local pool. And that other time-

It got worse after Getou wasn't around to get him out of trouble. Suddenly, breaking the rules wasn't fun anymore and he mellowed out. 

Tried alcohol and cigarettes before he was legal. Decided neither was his thing, however, he did start drinking occasionally when he was legal.

He's a fucking chaotic drunk. Oh my god he's absolutely feral

Most bars in the vicinity know him by name and they sigh whenever he walks in

Shoko is his emergency contact. She hates it

Shoko has to drag drunk Gojo home at least twice a month and is not happy about it

Once she left him in an alley. He made it home okay so she guesses it's fine

Once he got so drunk he spilled beer on his sock. The thought the fastest way to dry them was by sticking them in the microwave. Forgot about it until someone asked, "Who the fuck is cooking socks???"

I feel it important he was in the break room of the local grocery store and no one knows how he got there

As he was escorted out he stole a grocery cart and rode away in it while singing Don't Threaten Me (With A Good Time) by Panic! At The Disco

He has no alcohol tolerance at all what so ever

He will literally just stare at you and giggle

It's funny he's really flirty but also doesn't seal the deal. Literally, every woman in that bar is willing to get in his bed but he declines every offer. No one knows why

Its because he respects women

He helps his students break the rules as long as they're within reason. Once night Yuji was really hungry and after having a temper tantrum he couldn't order Uber eats bc the school is supposed to be secret Gojo helped sneak him out to get food. Who needs curfew anyway.

The shirts in his closet range from like twenty bucks to the iconic rich bitch shirt the kids ruined in that one chapter we all know the one 

He still wears that by the way, he calls it "art" 

When he was younger, Megumi drew a picture of Gojo being eaten by his shadow dogs. Gojo found it and now it's framed in his room.

He keeps up with current trends and memes like no one's business. This is how he bonds with his kids.

Don't call him old, but also, he'll tell you to respect your elders it's a mess

He has a lot of games on his phone. You can usually find him holding his phone sideways playing some RPG game he probably spent too much money on 

He did hop on the Pokemon Go hype train but after becoming overpowered he got bored

This happens to a lot of games. He pays way too much money, gets to be the strongest in the server, and gets bored

He likes games where you can kill other people's troops and likes to watch as they lose all their power

I canon him as being borderline sadistic

This is why he's Sakata Gintoki reincarnated

White hair, sweet tooth, black leather clothes, dad vibes, never takes anything seriously bc when he does he's scary as fuck, the works.

He is Sakata Gintoki

He liked Gintama growing up. He watched a lot of iconic shows as they aired. He considers himself an og

He's hella bilingual

Because he's the strongest he goes overseas for missions a lot. Because of this he speaks a lot of languages and knows a lot about international cuisine 

He takes pictures of himself eating disgusting foods like snails. He never likes them but he loves the idea of Nobara gagging back in japan

Has paperwork sitting untouched on his desk from three months ago that he will not touch for at least another three months

Does the crossword puzzles in the newspaper every week

Uses humor as a coping mechanism and it honestly just became a personality

Constantly popping his joints. I'm sorry if you find this gross I too find it gross.

Probably brought home every stray animal he ever met ever until he was at least like 22 y/o

Tags: @wasabito @kittaliapenn