#and now i am eating dinner in bed and watching Jersey Shore

[reptite]

drunkish selfie

[hockeylvr59]

Life Changes Part 11 || Paul Bissonnette

Summary: It’s crazy how quickly your life can change...one minute you’re a struggling personal injury lawyer and the next you’re working for one of the hottest sports podcasts to supplement your income. A new job and the end of a long-term relationship was just the beginning for Leigh Thompson when it comes to life changes. Thankfully she has the one and only Paul Bissonnette at her side to help her handle them all. 

Author's Note: Sappiness, sappiness, and more sappiness. I’m not sure what else you expected from a 31-week pregnant woman and a man who is secretly head over heels. 

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no       Warnings: cursing   

Word Count: 2,900 (Series Total: 30,199)

~~~~

In my mind, there was absolutely zero reason why I needed to be dragged to the Jersey shore when it was 80 degrees outside and I was 31 weeks pregnant. The guys had all disagreed though and refused to let me skip out on the Pink Whitney Launch Party. Still, I was the last to arrive having chosen to drive while everyone else flew in earlier in the day. Dropping my weekend bag in the bedroom where Paul’s bag was, I plopped down onto the bed, already ready to sleep even though it wasn’t even dinner time yet. I was now at the stage of pregnancy where I was hardly sleeping because I couldn’t get comfortable and because my daughter was shifting onto my bladder every time I did manage to get comfortable. I was exhausted and cranky and everyone else would just have to deal with it because they weren’t the ones who had grown to the size of a whale. 

Just as I had laid down though, my phone buzzed, Paul’s message reading that I should come up to the rooftop deck when I arrived because that was where all of them were. As much as I didn’t want to, I knew that I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t so after struggling to hoist myself off of the bed, I waddled up the stairs hoping to say hi and then return back inside where at least there was air conditioning. Upon reaching the roof, my eyes went wide from shock. Pink balloons were tied around the railings and a stack of presents was on the picnic table. 

“What in the world?” I found myself mumbling as a cheer took over the group at the sight of me. 

“It’s a baby shower.” Grinnell voiced. “Well sorta.” Immediately my eyes filled with tears at the fact that they had even thought to put anything together for me. 

“Don’t cry.” Paul murmured, appearing beside me, his hand falling to my lower back as he leaned down to kiss the top of my head. “It’s just a little something. No big deal.” He insisted. He guided me to sit in one of the more comfortable chairs, quickly handing me a bottle of water. As the stack of presents was moved to the ground beside me, I could feel Paul’s eyes on my body. The weight of his gaze made me uncomfortable because the last thing I needed was more people taking note of how large I was. 

My focus was shifted when a present was set on top of my bump by Whit and everyone settled back into chairs to watch me open them. By the end of my work baby shower, it was clear that my little girl was going to be decked out in spittin chiclets merchandise. The guys had gifted me everything from onesies to hats to matching pink denim jackets for the pink whitney girls. Additionally, there was a stack of children’s books and a plush hockey stick along with a few other toys. It was all so incredibly sweet and I felt so loved, even if I was still annoyed at them as sweat gathered along every crease of my skin. Just when I thought we were done, Paul handed me one more present and I opened it to find the softest stuffed rabbit. 

“A bunny for dust bunny.” I breathed, tearing up once more. “Thank you,” I added, directing the comment at all of the guys though my eyes stayed locked on Paul’s. Leaning down, he moved to pull me into a hug and as he stood back up his hand rested against the side of my bump for just a moment. Almost immediately though, a sharp kick resounded from inside me, directed right at Paul’s hand and his eyes went wide. His hand didn’t move right away and a second and then third kick quickly followed the first. 

“That’s…” Paul said, his voice suddenly tight.  

“Okay, little one that’s enough,” I replied, my hand falling to my stomach right beside Paul’s. “I know you just wanted to say hi but that’s mama you’re beating up in there.” Though Paul pulled his hand back, a look of shock remained on his face. 

“Is that the first time you’ve felt a baby kick?” I asked him, reaching my hand out for him to pull me to my feet because I had been sitting too long and needed to stretch. He nodded, still at a loss for words, and I smiled drawing his hand back to my stomach to see if it would make dust bunny kick again. It was clear she sensed the new touch because she once again responded immediately, her tiny feet shifting inside of me. 

“Fuck.” Paul cursed, his eyes wet by the time he finally pulled his hand away. Seeing his reaction to her movements was a moment I doubted I’d forget any time soon but those emotions were quickly quashed by the feeling of the sun beating down on me. 

“Alright...it’s time for me to go back inside. It’s too darn hot out here.” I explained. “And I don’t want to hear a word about it. When you guys are heavily pregnant during the summer, then you can throw around chirps. 

______

Propped up in bed later that night, I watched as Paul lay with his head on my thigh, talking to and pressing the occasional kiss to my bump. It was so obvious that he was going to be completely wrapped around her finger once she was born if he wasn’t already and for the first time in weeks I felt an unknown tension slip out of my body. 

“You’re incredible you know…” Paul whispered, lifting his head just a bit to look up at me. When my eyebrow quirked in response, Paul leaned up a little more. “I mean you’re growing another person inside of you right now. You’re providing her protection and food and oxygen and soon she’ll become her own little entity. It’s incredible.” 

“Women do this all of the time,” I replied, sure it was cool and pretty incredible but it was how nature worked so it wasn’t like I was doing anything that was any more special than any other mother. 

“That may be true but it’s still incredible.” Paul insisted. “Only a bit longer until she’s here.” He mused, his fingers tracing over the area where my little girl had just kicked, having watched the way my belly flexed because of her tiny feet. 

“Don’t remind me.” I sighed, biting gently at my lower lip. 

“What’s wrong Leigh? I thought you’d be so ready for her to be here?” He asked, his hand sliding to lace his fingers with mine. 

“I am ready for her to be here.” I insisted. “I’m just not ready for the whole labor thing.” 

Paul’s face went pensive, his fingers just tracing patterns against my own. 

“I mean you’re going to have your mom there right?” He questioned causing me to let out an even bigger sigh. 

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “My mother is the queen of all worriers and I don’t know if having her there would help or just cause me more stress.” This wasn’t the first time I’d thought about this and time and time again I’d come to the same conclusion. “I guess I’m just going to be on my own.” Paul was silent for a minute, multiple emotions shifting across his face. 

“Is there someone you’d want to have there?” He eventually inquired, his voice barely audible. Hints of a frown appeared on my face as what seemed impossible crossed my mind once more. It wasn’t something I’d ever ask, not after everything. “Leigh…” Paul trailed off. “Do you want me there when she’s born?” Weakly I nodded and Paul immediately sat up, pulling me against his chest as best he could. 

“You make me feel calm,” I mumbled into his shoulder. “You make me feel like I can do anything.” My voice dropped significantly as I started crying into his shoulder, all of the overwhelming thoughts bubbling over the edge. “I can’t imagine doing it without you.” With his lips pressed against my temple and his hand rubbing up and down my back, eventually, I regained control of my emotions. 

“I’ll make some calls in the morning okay.” He promised. “I’ll do everything in my power to be there.” With what felt like an elephant-sized weight lifted off of my shoulders I let Paul shift the two of us into our usual sleeping position, one of his knees pressed between mine as his hand rested against my stomach and his body spooned behind me providing a welcome support to my aching back. 

______

When I woke, the sun was peeking through the bedroom curtains. Reaching for my phone I discovered that it was nearly 8am. Needing to pee, I slipped out from under Paul’s arm and moved to the bathroom. This was the first time in over a month I had slept through the night and it didn’t take a genius to figure out just why that was. 

Slowly making my way downstairs, I found Whit sitting at the counter with a mug full of coffee in front of him. 

“Want some breakfast?” I whispered planning on making up a few eggs for myself because I hadn’t had my multiple middle of the night snacks and I was starving. With the launch party scheduled from 12-4pm, I knew everyone would need to get moving sooner rather than later. A large breakfast for everyone was soon made up, and after eating, I made my way back upstairs to shower and get ready while the guys cleaned up the kitchen. 

I’d slipped into my swimsuit before throwing on a maxi dress. Not long after my hair was straightened and I’d put on just some light makeup, certain that anything more would just melt off my face from the sun.  However, there was still one task I needed to take care of and it happened to be the most difficult. 

Twenty minutes later, I was precariously perched on the edge of the tub which contained an inch or so of water when Paul knocked on the door. 

“The guys are ready to go.” He called out through the wood. 

“I need a few more minutes.” I declared, my voice exasperated as I attempted to lean forward to drag the razor along the skin of my legs. After a moment the door gave way and Paul stepped into the small bathroom. 

“What are you…?” He trailed off before quickly shaking his head. 

“Don’t look at me like that okay,” I grumbled. “This is not easy with little miss in the way,” I complained. Another slow pass of the razor up my leg almost sent me tumbling into the tub. 

“Give it here,” Paul demanded. 

“I am quite capable.” I insisted, my stubbornness showing. 

“Leigh just give me the damn razor before you hurt yourself,” Paul repeated, his large frame moving to sit on the lid of the toilet seat. 

“You don’t even know what you’re doing.” I continued, struggling once more to reach my ankles. “I’d rather not have cuts everywhere.” 

Paul ultimately won this battle, and soon I was sitting on the toilet seat while Paul balanced on the edge of the tub, his hands gently holding each of my legs in turn as he slowly and carefully pulled the razor blades along my skin. It was such an intimate action that I struggled not to shiver under his touch. When he was done, he dried my legs off before pulling me to my feet, and after a moment, my sandals were dropped in front of me so all I had to do was slide into them. 

“Now are you ready?” He murmured softly, his gaze soft but teasing. 

“I mean I guess so.” I sighed although today was even hotter than yesterday had been and I was not looking forward to melting under the sun. The guys complained about how long I had taken as I walked into the living room and after flipping them off I grabbed the beach bag I had packed before waddling my way out to the van New Amsterdam had sent. 

____

The Jersey shore was pumping and alcohol was flowing by the time we finally arrived at the beach. Representatives from New Amsterdam met us in a staff tent and it was explained that the guys and drink would be introduced and then they would just have to mingle, chat and take pictures with fans who were trying the drink for the first time. While they did the official things, I sat in a shaded tent trying to keep my water intake up. Soon though, the guys returned and urged me to come out and socialize with people because apparently, people wanted to talk to me too. I wasn’t sure how much of that I was buying but complaining hadn’t seemed to be doing me much good so I went along with things, walking around the beach to talk to people. 

Soon, the guys were pulled into a beach volleyball game. With Paul having tossed his shirt off into the sand at some point, I was met with an eyeful that sent my body temperature spiking even higher. Needing to cool down, I dumped my things somewhere safe and made my way down into the ocean, letting the cool water lap at my skin as it helped make the heat a little less unbearable. 

The heat was back full force though as soon as I climbed out of the ocean and slipped back into my dress and shoes. Running back into Paul I was pulled into the conversation he was having with a group around him and soon I found myself leaning against his chest, his arms wrapped lightly around my waist. As the conversation continued, I closed my eyes and just tried to relax, feeling fatigued and overwhelmingly hot. 

“Leigh?” Paul’s voice filtered through to my ears and I hummed in response. “I called your name multiple times and you didn’t respond...are you okay?” He questioned. 

“Tired. Headache. Hot.” I mumbled and immediately Paul excused us from the group of fans surrounding us. I was led into a tent and Paul disappeared but when he returned I found myself being helped back into the same van as earlier. “Hmm?” I questioned, full thoughts not really forming in my brain right now. 

“Taking you back to the house before you pass out from heat exhaustion,” Paul explained and it wasn’t much longer before he was leading me into the beach house, his hands providing additional balance support as I moved into our bedroom. Already the air conditioning felt wonderful and the feeling of softness along my entire body took the edge off of the achiness that lingered everywhere. 

I must have fallen asleep because the sun was no longer pouring through the window when I next opened my eyes. A bottle of water and some strawberries were sitting on the bedside table. I was finishing off the bowl when Paul appeared in the doorway, concern etched into his expression. 

“Feeling better?” He asked. 

“Yeah. Thanks.” I replied, rubbing my hand gently over my bump and smiling when I felt my little girl shift in response. 

“Why didn’t you speak up sooner?” He wondered as he moved to sit beside me. 

“I told you guys for weeks that it wasn’t a good idea and no one listened to me,” I mumbled. Immediately concern shifted to guilt and Paul sighed, scraping his nails over the back of his neck. 

“I should have listened.” He admitted. “I’m sorry. I let my desire to see you in person drown out your wants and needs.” Shrugging, I sent him a soft smile to let him know that all was forgiven. “So I have some good news for you.” He declared, shifting topics. “The coyotes agreed to give me two weeks off. So I was thinking I’d come out a week before your due date and stay the full two weeks so hopefully, I can help you out for at least a few days once she arrives.” 

The knowledge that he was willing to fly across the country to be there to support me and this little girl through labor and the first little bit after her arrival meant the world and I couldn’t control the tears pouring down my cheeks. As quickly as they fell, Paul’s thumbs were wiping them away. “I take it that works for you…” He surmised. “At least I’m hoping these are happy tears. Sometimes I can’t tell anymore with the way you start crying at the drop of a hat.” He teased. 

Though he teased about my emotions going haywire, he never complained and took whatever I threw at him, letting anything negative roll right off of his back. I owed him more thank yous than I could ever say and shifting my body, I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly as my little girl squirmed inside of me. 

Knowing that he would be by my side made the prospect of labor a little less scary and now I was even more ready to have my little girl in my arms. 

[lovemesomesurveys]

What was the main subject of your last telephone conversation? I called my mom last night while she was at the store and asked if she could grab me Taco Bell on the way home, lol. When was your last long conversation in general? My mom telling me about some stuff that happened with our family friend. If the last person you kissed tried to kiss you again, would you start kissing them back? That would be so awkward if he tried because it’s been so long now, like it would be totally unexpected. I honestly don’t know what I would do. If your best friend of the opposite sex tried to kiss you, would you start kissing them back? I don’t have a best friend of the opposite sex. Have you ever kissed someone who’s previously kissed someone you hated? No.

What do you like most about the song you’re listening to or the one you last listened to? The last song I listened to was a Christmas song and I just love everything about it. Can you explain in detail exactly what you were doing four hours ago? I think I was watching TV. Can you explain what you’ll be doing in three hours? That’ll be 3:30AM and I’ll be up waiting for my mom and brother to get back from taking our family friend to the airport out of town. I’m a worrier, so I want to know they got home before I go to sleep. When’s the last time you did something illegal? *shrug* When’s the last time you yawned? Just now. Was your last sexual encounter enjoyable and how would you rate it? What’s the largest age difference between you and someone you’ve hooked up with? I haven’t hooked up with anyone. How much money did you spend today? Zero so far. What did you spend that money on? Where did you go today? It’s only 12:32AM, so I haven’t gone anywhere so far. I will be attending an event tonight with my family, though. What’s the first line in the song you’re currently listening to or the one you last listened to? I know it was a Christmas song, but I forget which one it was at the moment. What exactly did you drink the last time you were intoxicated? I think it was a Jack and Coke. How much sleep are you anticipating on getting tonight? Probably none. When’s the last time you gave someone a dirty look? I did jokingly to my brother yesterday. Are you a rude person? No. I admit to getting moody and short sometimes, but I’m not a rude person. It’s not who I am in general. Would you ever think about painting your ceiling your favorite color? Why just my ceiling, though? Do you think the next person you kiss will be a better kisser than the last person? I don’t know? On a scale of one to ten, how attractive do you honestly find yourself on most days? Zero. Is your all-time favorite television show still on air? Some of them are. I have a lot of favorite shows. Are you planning any upcoming vacations? No, unfortunately. When’s the last time you spent time with the one you have feelings for? I don’t have any romantic feelings for someone right now. How old are the last two people you kissed? 28, soon to be 29. Who was the last person to text you before you went to bed last night? My Nana. She wanted me to send her a picture of our Christmas tree. It was like 10PM and that’s what she was thinking about lol she’s cute. Last person you kissed calls wanting to hang out, what do you say? I honestly wouldn’t even answer the phone. I’m horrible about that unless it’s one of my parents or brother. People know to just text me, but even that I’ve been awful about. :/ When was the last time you had a conversation with an ex? It’s been like 3 years. Do you cry easily? Yes. Some days it’s worse. Ever cried while you were on the phone with the last person you kissed? No. Are you worried about anything right now? Always. How do you think tomorrow will be? My mom and I might venture out for some last minute Christmas shopping. Do you wish you could take one thing back? I wish I could take a lot of things back. Is there a guy who knows everything or almost everything about you? Not really. If you could pack your bags right now and were given a plane ticket, where do you go? Wow. I’d have to really think about that, but man I’d love for that to happen. Do you believe exes can really ever be “just friends”? Some can. Your parents said they were moving, what would your reaction be? Well, I’d be going with them for one. For two, we’ve been wanting to move for a long time so it’s been something we’ve talked about. What did your last text say? My Nana asking me to send a photo of our Christmas tree. Have you ever fallen asleep texting someone? Yeah. Have you hugged anyone in the past 72 hours? No. Have you ever given anyone more than three chances? Plenty of chances. Who was the last person to annoy you? My dad. What’s the last thing you watched on tv? Everybody Loves Raymond. When’s the last time you really laughed? Why? Yesterday over something in a video. Do you like school? I liked it overall. Will your next kiss be a mistake? I would hope not. Do you have any text messages that you don’t want other people to read? Nah. Is it hard for you to get over someone? Yes. Is there anyone who hates you? Not that I’m aware of, but I’m sure there are a couple who are pissed off at me. Are you thinking about anyone? Now I am. Do you miss the way things used to be? Yeah, I miss the way a lot of things used to be. Your last kiss, on a bed or standing? Sitting in a car, I think. Have you ever dated someone with longer hair than yours? No. Which room in your house tends to be the coldest in the winter time? The whole house can get pretty cold. Who were you with the last time you went out for food? My brother. Were you in a good mood last night? I was okay. Would you rather take a cruise ship or airplane to get to your destination? Airplane. Do you like winter? Love it. Are you trying to grow out your hair? It’s already down to my butt. Do you find the show Jersey Shore ridiculous? Yes. Which friend are you most similar to? I had a friend who was basically the same person, it was weird. We were so much alike. What was the last liquid that you choked on? Water. How many times did you wake up today before actually getting up? I haven’t gone to bed, yet. What breed was the last dog you saw? My pup is a Lab/German Shepherd mix. When you sign your name do you use your middle name? Nope. Do you dry off in the shower or out of the shower? Both. Describe the last place you went farther than one mile from your house? When I went with my brother to pick up some Christmas decorations at this store about 20-30 minutes away. Who did you celebrate your last birthday with? My parents, younger brother, grandparents, aunt, and cousin. Do you have anything important to do today? I’m going to an event tonight with my family. Was your last kiss initiated by you or the other person? Him. What appliance in your house had a light bulb burn out last? My ceiling fan lamp. Do you buy a ton of things at the store at once or just for that day? Well, we have our big grocery shopping trips and then we have our smaller, quick trips in between when needed where we just grab something we need for dinner or something. What did you last eat that required milk? Oatmeal. What brand of clothing dominates your wardrobe? *shrug* When getting dressed do you put your pants or shirt on first? Pants. What color was the last thing you ate? Burrito and tacos color. When you kiss a person where do your hands usually go? Wherever. When drinking hard alcohol do you take shots more or make mixed drinks? Depended on my mood. Sometimes I just wanted to get straight to the point and went for the shots. What is one song you listen to that you’re sure not many people do? *shrug* Have you ever woken up next to someone after a night of drinking? No. Is your toilet paper on the right or left side of the toilet? Left. Have you worn shorts or pants more in the past seven days? I only wear leggings, sweats, or pajama pants. Have you ever been told you’ve punched someone in your sleep? Not punched, but hit. I’m told I move my arms around a lot in my sleep. Do you use a handrail onstairs if there is one? I can’t take the stairs. What was the last thing you saw that made you smile? My pup. What is your favorite drinking game? I don’t drink anymore. Do you have any tattoos that you don’t like anymore? No tattoos. What was the last thing you sat on? I’m on my bed. Who was the last person to sleep in your bed? Just me. Do you have a shower curtain or door? Door. When can you legally go to an American bar? I’ve been able to for 8 years. If a bug is in your car, do you kill it or try to push it out your window? EW I freak out until someone else gets rid of it. Does your mail go to a P.O Box or to a mailbox at your house? Our house. Is there laundry in your room that could be done? Yes. Who was the last person from your high school graduating class you saw? Amanda. That was almost 3 years ago... :X

[mickytoyomitsu]

HEY! I haven't posted in forever, but here is the 3rd part!

~~~~~

Aizawa

Quirk Overload 

Part 3

Rating: Fluff

It’s been two months since you found out about your quirk. You’ve been avoiding the feeling towards Mr. Aizawa, it would never work out anyway. Your life is too messed up for him to be involved, you would not want to make his life harder than it already is. 

But you’ve really been having fun here at the school. Mr. Aizawa’s comments and small stories about his children really weren’t exaggerated. They are absolutely insane, but you gotta love them. 

Right now you’re sitting in your room on your phone, when your door opens. You look up to see Eri stick her head around your door. 

You smile brightly and pat the free side of the bed next to you. She smiles back and closes the door behind her.

She jumps onto your bed and squeezes herself between your legs making you laugh. She leans her head against your chest, looking up at you. 

“What are you doing Y/N?”

“I’m just looking at some… things on my phone.”

You laugh and go out of the search tab of images of Mr. Aizawa. She giggles and shakes her head.

“Do you like Aizawa?”

You jump in fright and a blush instinctively covers your face making Eri giggle. 

“O-Of cour-rse not! Why- why would you say that?” 

“Well… I’ve noticed you look at him while he isn’t looking. You blush when he looks at you. But for about a week now, it seems you don’t anymore?” 

You sigh. Even a six year old can read you like a book, and she can’t even read properly. 

“Well… to be honest I kind of do…”

She smiles, but this time a different smile that you can’t seem to understand.

“If you want to know… Aizawa talks about you a lot. He also looks at so many images he has of you on his phone.”

Your face blows up with redness at her straightforward words. You begin to make inaudible noises. 

“Anyway, that’s all I really wanted to tell you. I hope this helps you Y/N.”

Your jaw opens and closes as she leaves. How could she do that! WHAT!

You silently pray she doesn’t tell Mr. Aizawa.

***

Since you have gotten control over your quirk now, you've also developed more and understand more… you need to leave back to your old life.

You need to make a choice, if you want to become a hero, to enroll in a hero school you can pass for, or go back to working two jobs, studying and… well going nowhere. 

****

Two days later, and it’s now Friday afternoon. Everyone is going to their homes this weekend, but not you. 

Aizawa walks up to you as you wave the last few people goodbye. 

“Hey S/N, Hizashi is taking Eri tonight. Would you like to go somewhere to eat? I’m not much of a public place person, but I thought it’d be nice for you to get out.”

You blink at his out of the blue request. 

“Oh um, yes that would be great. Only if you’re really up to it.”

“Great. You’re picking the place. See you in an hour.”

“Ah, alright.”

Your heart beats out of your chest. You can’t believe Mr. Aizawa just practically asked you out on a date! No, don’t think that, it’s just a teacher taking their student out for dinner… right?

You run into your room and look through all the clothes you have. It’s quite warm out, and he doesn’t really like crowds… GOT IT!

An hour later and you’re dressed in short denim shorts, a tanktop and a long open jersey that falls by your elbows, you’re also wearing easy slip off sandals. Your hair is now in loose waves and you’ve applied light makeup matching your eyes and hair.

Mr. Aizawa walks out as you wait by the front, not facing him and he can’t help but inaudibly gulp at the sight of you. He seems to have mistakenly felt feelings towards you; feelings he has never really felt for another before. 

He coughs, to alert you, not wanting to seem creepy just standing there. You turn around and smile widely. 

He’s wearing his normal all black clothes, but he styled his hair into a loose bun and his pants are actually shorts. Of course his scarf is with him as well. 

“You ready Mr. Aizawa?”

He raises an eyebrow at you.

“Of course, but where are we going?”

You giggle and smirk.

“You’ll see.”

He grumbles but follows you out the door. You get to the bottom of the driveway and get into the cab you previously called.

You both get in and a comfortable silence takes over. Once you get to your destination, Aizawa is quite confused, but happy you chose this place. 

You decided to come to the beach. Where there are take out Van's and other snack bars to eat at. 

"Well I wasn't expecting this. But… it's a great choice."

You laugh, making Aizawa silently and very, very silently swoon. 

"I'm glad you agree on the place. It's late Friday evening so people are more in clubs and restaurants right now. So the beach was a good choice."

He smiles slightly and you both walk to the places you want to eat from.

Once you both settled with food, you walk to a quiet part of the beach, sitting silently, watching the waves continuously hit the shore.  

You close your eyes and breathe in the sea air, loving it all. Now with your quirk, you can really feel the emotion of the water.

Mr. Aizawa looks over at you as you close your eyes. He stares at all the dips and curvez your face has. His gaze goes lower to admire your body. 

To be honest… he thinks you're beautiful. Every part of you is perfect in his perfectionistic eyes. 

As you re open your eyes, you catch him looking at you and smile at him. Making a light shade of red cover his cheeks. His eyebrows furrow in confusion as he looks away.

You begin to laugh at how cute he is, this 30 year old man, always acting so tough is really still a child inside… well one that loves to sleep that is.

"Why are you laughing?"

He looks at you with a stern gaze. 

"Because you're adorable Mr. Aizawa."

His eyes widen more than they have ever opened before, and so do yours.

"Ah, sorry…"

He groans. 

"Its fine… I ah… ugh… I think… you're… adorable too…"

He looks away pushing his scarf up his face.

The heat erupts over your face and ears, but you can't believe how shy he's being…

You sigh and bring your knees to your chest.

"I'm going to be leaving soon on Monday. I've really appreciated everything you've done for me… I can't thank you enough, how you've made my life happier. Coming to this school, meeting so many people…"

You begin to cry as these past two months have been some of the best times you've ever had. How dull and horrible your life seems to be compared to when you were at UA. 

"And… I've never felt more loved in my life."

You break at the word 'love' and your body begins to shake. 

You feel your body being pulled and you end up in Aizawa's lap. You look up through your wet eyelashes to see Mr. Aizawa looking down at you.

He cups your cheeks in his large warm hands, you're too shocked to realize, that your lips are now on his. 

Your eyes flutter closed and your body enjoys the feeling of his lips on your own. 

You push against his chest with your palms as he begins to move his head, so your lips can dance together. 

He breaks the kiss and stares into your eyes.

"Listen… I."

He sighs deeply.

"I heard what you said about two months ago. About you not being in my league… and that you like me."

You gasp and bring your hand to your mouth, the current blush deepening. 

"Age is just a number that regards how many years you have been on this earth. It does not justify the maturity the years have given you. You are amazing, so talented, so caring, so patient. You… you're even out of my league."

You gasp once again. The words that fall from his delicious lips making the tears brim your eyes once more. 

"I know… our age difference is quite far… and you were my student… but… I can't help… the feelings… ugh… that I feel… for you."

You smile and take his cheeks in your own hands, you bring his lips to yours for a sweet and short kiss. 

"I don't care about that. Actually you being a bit older is a bonus for me."

You laugh making him groan.

"Oh really, how so."

You bite your bottom lip, making Aizawa gulp at the sight.

"Because you have more life experience and I know… you wouldn't hurt me."

He pulls you in for a tight hug.

"I wouldn't dream of hurting you. In these 2 months, you've meant so much to me… I don't think I could… ever let you go…"

He growls making a shiver run down your body, as his mouth is right by your ear. 

"So… let me take you out on a date, a proper one. When you've figured your life out, I'll be waiting for you."

You give him such a genuine smile, and cup his cheek. 

"Thank you… for so much."

You kiss him softly once more but as you break off you begin to laugh.

"Why are you laughing now? I'm not a bad kisser am I?"

"No! It's just…"

You blush.

"You are my first kiss."

"Oh…"

He scratches his head but then he grins devilishly.

"If I'm your first kiss… then that means…"

He licks his lips and lowers his head into the crook of my neck.

"I'll be your first everything…"

You gasp and blush. You poke his chest and huff.

"Don't tease me!"

He chuckles. 

"But don't worry… I'll wait when you're ready. Because… you'll have to be."

He says the last sentence lowly and captures your lips. 

~~~~~~~~

#myheroacademia #aizawashouta #mraizawa #fluff #mha #shotaaizawa

[thegrassisaalwaysgreener]

Bienvenidos A Miami

           Will Smith’s “Miami”, was forever in my head for this 5 night, 6 day trip to Miami, Florida. My friend Lafonda, who I had met at my previous Crossfit gym, had mentioned she was probably going to Wodapalooza (more details on the event coming up) in January and asked if I was interested. At this time, it was November and we had already had a huge snowstorm and I was on my first of 2 weeks up north and itching for a vacation. She was planning on going with a few others from the gym to hang out and support one of their coaches. I was all on board and booked my flights almost immediately (thanks Aeroplan☺). We were heading out two days before the actual event started and staying an extra day to see what the city had to offer. While I was a bit nervous, as I had just had knee surgery in the beginning of December, I had applied to volunteer to save on admission costs but was wait listed. Lafonda and I lucked out and scored a pair of free tickets for the weekend (which saved a few bucks). We were set to fly with Air Canada to Miami to stay in a sweet Airbnb on the water on the 16th, returning home to the cold winter late on the 21st.

Wednesday January 16, 2019 (Woah! Haven’t typed 2019 much and it looks funny)            Lafonda and I had booked early morning flights so that we could have a full day to enjoy Miami. Our flight was just after 0700 so we left bright and early to drop off the car and have plenty of time at security. We ended up meeting up with Andrea, Craig and Des who also go to the gym and would be some of our roomies for the weekend. They seemed super lovely and we chatted until it was time to board. The flight from Toronto to Miami is about 3.5 hours and was relatively smooth. We all grabbed our bags and hopped in a cab just after 11 to our Air bnb- which cost about $30 American. We were staying on Brickell in the residences attached to the W hotel. Thankfully, the hotel was able to store our luggage so that we could explore sans suitcases. We headed out and wandered around the downtown core. Since most of us had never been to Miami, it was fun to just mosey around – once we had coffee of course. We made our way to the Bayside Marketplace on the water that was filled with shops, restaurants and bars. It was really neat to look around and enjoy the nice weather. We grabbed some lunch at various restaurants in the food court (which made me feel like I was in a foreign country or somewhere, where everyone was trying to get us to buy their food). Other than the birds that flocked us, we enjoyed our lunches before making our way back towards Brickell to check into our Airbnb.           The airbnb was part of a larger organization who rented out “residences” attached the W hotel. We called our contact for the Airbnb and she let us into a beautiful apartment overlooking the water with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was plenty of room for everyone and there were even extra couches we could have slept on which was great. We started to get all settled when we realized that the wifi password and room number did not match up with what we had in our confirmation emails. After some back and forth with our contact, we realized we were actually in the wrong apartment! We gathered up all our stuff and headed down the hall to our actual apartment. Our apartment was just as nice, however a bit smaller. There were two bedrooms with a futon couch that doubled as Lafonda and mine’s bed. We rested and hung out while waiting for Nancy and Nikki to arrive.          Once they arrived, we all decided on heading out for a yummy dinner down the street in the Brickell City Centre. It was an outdoor-esque mall with some very high-end stores, boutiques and restaurants. We settled on Tacology, which was a great choice! The menu was on the ipad (similar to AYCE Sushi restaurants) and took us a while to figure out. The open-air feeling of the mall and restaurant was really fun. The ambience, decorations and general atmosphere were great. We mixed and matched tacos, salsas and guacamole until we were all full. My favourite part of the meal was definitely the ceviche that Lafonda ordered. It was spicy, fresh and delicious. After paying the bill and getting our geographical bearings, we headed up the street to Publix to grab groceries. The Airbnb only provided a limited amount of toilet paper and paper towels so we grabbed the essentials, along with breakfast foods and snacks of course.          By the time we made it home, we were all pretty tired so we figured we would start setting up for bed including inflating the air mattress for Andrea to sleep on. Sadly, both of the mattresses that were brought seemed to have holes in them. The girls headed out to Target to grab a new one while Craig and I watched videos on weightlifters and the copious amounts of calories they eat in one day. Once the girls returned, we all headed to bed after a very long, but fun and exciting day.

Thursday January 17, 2019          It was a bright, sunny, gorgeous day in Miami! We were all really excited about today as we were heading to Bayfront Park for Nikki to check in and then wander vendor village before heading to South Beach. We also had to keep our eyes peeled for all of the Crossfit “celebs” we would be seeing. It was really neat to just roam around and see so many fit people (including many we follow on social media haha). The highlight of the morning was meeting the beautiful and kind Sara Sigmunsdottir. She is smaller but somehow more jacked in person than she appears on social media and was more than happy to pose for a photo with us.           We hopped in an Uber to take the 15 or so minute ride from Downtown Miami into South Beach. South beach is known for its beaches, nightlife, celebrity chef eateries and of course the shopping. Our first stop was… Duh, the beach! Since it was pretty cold at home, we were all excited to enjoy the sand and water. After making a pit stop at the art deco clock on Ocean Drive (mostly to use the washroom), we checked out the workout areas and beach for a bit. Some of the exercises people were doing were really funny to watch but it was nice to see people out and enjoying the nice weather. The water was definitely chillier than I had anticipated… I was decked out in my bather and was hoping to go in the water. It was a hard pass for me but I did enjoy the sand and water on my feet. After countless selfies, we walked along the path in between the water and Ocean Drive before realizing we were pretty hungry. After wandering up and down Ocean Dr., enjoying the cool art deco facades of the hotels and shops, we settled on one of the standard restaurants for lunch.              Our meal at Majestic was less than stellar but it did the trick and we continued on our wander of South Beach. As a group, we had decided on a few places that we had wanted to check out (the gelato store from Jersey Shore, the Tattoo Parlour from Miami ink and the Lincoln Road Mall). En route, to these places (sadly the gelato store is now a really neat looking hostel), we went into an innumerable amount of Surf Shops to check out all of the fun 80s gear they had. It seemed as though the theme for WZA (and all of South Beach) was bright neon pinks and blues. Our “tour” of South Beach continued down to the “Love Hate Tattoo Studio” and then down towards the Lincoln Road Mall. Since we missed out on the gelato at the Jersey Shore Gelato place, we grabbed some on our tour of Espanola Way. This street was probably my second favourite part of the day (second to being on the beach of course) as it had a great vibe filled with lots of cute shops and restaurants. The gelato we grabbed at Gelato-Go was delicious and satisfied my sweet tooth. We wandered around towards Lincoln Road and enjoyed the shops and a coffee while catching up on our social media and checking for any WZA updates for Nikki’s exciting first day.             Since Nikki had to be back for athlete briefing, we ordered an Uber to head back towards downtown and our Airbnb. Our Uber arrived and it was hands down, the best one I had ever been in. Neyla, or Rose as she preferred to be called drove a Chevrolet Suburban that was decked out with a disco ball, mardi gras beads and fun party headbands. She had little signs that said things like “need a charger?” or “let me know what kind of music you like”. Rose was the best and even played my request of “Miami” as we rolled into our Airbnb. We grabbed her number so that we could utilize her awesome ride throughout the trip. After relaxing and putting on an extra layer, we headed back over to Bayfront Park to get some shopping done before the briefing. We wandered around the vendor village and met some of my fave athletes including David Hippensteel and got a signed copy of Jason Khalipa’s book AMRAP mentality (and a cheeky photo). While we were there, Nancy had received a message from a friend who was volunteering on the medical team stating that they needed additional volunteers. I, was of course, totally down to volunteer and headed over to meet the gentleman that was heading up the team. After asking me a few questions (like what my credentials were and if I could start in the am), I was in and was to be there bright and early.           Once the briefing was over (and so many amazing athletes had walked past us including Jess Griffith, Alec Smith and the buff BKG), we headed to the Whole Foods down the street to grab dinner and some snacks. Whole Foods was SO busy and was filled with so many fit people. It was actually funny until we noticed there was barely any food to chose from. In any case, we grabbed food and enjoyed our dinner at home while planning for an exciting  day of competition (for Nikki), volunteering for me and spectating for the rest of the crew.

Friday January 18, 2019           Day 1 and go! The majority of the crew was up and out early to watch Nikki and the rest of the athletes do a Run, Swim, Run over at Crandon Park. Lafonda was a bit under the weather so she headed to a walk in clinic and I headed over to the park to meet the rest of the medical crew.           I should probably give a bit of an explanation of what WZA (or Wodapalooza) is. WZA is one of the biggest fitness festivals in the world. It started in 2012 with only 145 athletes and 500 spectators for the one day event. Since then, it has been become the premier Functional Fitness Festival (it could not call itself a Crossfit event until this year when it became a Crossfit Sanctioned event). Now it is a 4-day event involving over 1500 athletes, 30,000 spectators and 500 volunteers. It started off with the Gauntlet this year, that allowed anyone and everyone to throw down on the same courts as the best of the best followed by a Weightlifting Faceoff and then the 3 day Crossfit competition. This event is not just for the Elite athletes but hosts over 30 divisions including Scaled, RX, Intermediate, Teams, Masters and Adaptive athletes. Its vendor village is second to none with tons of big names in the Crossfit world including RomWod, RPM, Reebok, Zevia, CBD Medic, Born Primitive and so many more. One of the best parts about volunteering/competing is all of the free swag you get at many of the vendors.           Ok, back to the fun! While Nikki and the crew enjoyed the morning at Crandon Park, I was getting to know my medical team. I met Josh (the Medical Lead) and he showed me to the volunteer tent where I could check in and received my swag (which included new black Nano 8.0s). I grabbed my breakfast (individually packaged meals by Fia’s Fresh Meals, that had to be put in the microwave and were made up of eggs, a form of breakfast meat and sweet potatoes). Once I was fed and all set, I met up with the rest of my team to figure out where and when we were starting. The medical team at previous WZA events has not always been the best and didn’t have much in terms of policies. Since the Crossfit Games format has changed, so have the legal implications of volunteering as a medical staff. From what I was told, many people were skeptical about volunteering as a medical staff due to these issues. Our main role was decontamination (decon for short) and handing out band-aids. As a Canadian RN, I was only to assist in life threatening times (e.g CPR) and encourage any other injuries to be seen either in clinic or by the EMTs that were on standby. Not that this was much different from my previous Regional experience, but not having the coverage in terms of liability and insurance was definitely something to consider. The athlete medical tent was located in the middle of Athlete village on the other side of the security fence that was manned by a guard. It was much quieter (for the most part) in athlete village as the only people back there were the athletes, their coaches, volunteers and those working in the CBD Medical Tent. Of course, there were washrooms (that were pretty digusting by noon each day), hammocks, seating areas and volunteer services that housed our check in stuff, shirts and food.                                After we finished our tour of the area and had our roles, our team headed out to Flagler, which was the largest and main stage. Our head, Slab was still away at the Run, Swim, Run event so he would meet up with us soon. We grabbed our gear buckets (filled with disinfectant spray, towels, gloves and band-aids) and took our spots. For the most part, we would just stand, watch and wait. If there was an issue on the field, the plan was that the primary judge would flag down the head judge who would then flag us down. In between heats, we would check the equipment for blood or bodily fluids and give them a clean. During the heats, we would hang out and enjoy the amazing show of athletics.         During the day, we would spell each other off for breaks. Unlike Regionals, there wasn’t a specific rotation or anything, which made things easier in some ways and trickier in others. I was able to get out a few times during the day to get some shopping done and hang out with the crew. Since meals were provided for us (the pulled pork and yuka fries were definitely my fave meal of the weekend), we would have to wait in the huge line to warm them up (3 microwaves for hundreds of people) before heading out to enjoy the time with friends or the action. Each team (Flagler, The Deck and Bayside) stayed at their location for the whole day despite talk of rotating the groups throughout the day. Flagler field was probably one of the most fun places to be as you got to see a bit of everything from the scaled athletes to elite and teams.          The crew had decided to go to Wolfgang’s Steakhouse for dinner which I sadly missed since I didn’t finished “work” until just after 2000. I grabbed dinner at the park and headed over to pick up the key from everyone at dinner. One of the downsides of the Airbnb was that we only had 1 key fob for all of us, so we had to keep in touch and figure out who needed the key and when. I was exhausted, sweaty and wanted to shower so I started heading back to the Airbnb for the night. We enjoyed a chill evening, catching up on our days before bed (Lafonda sleeping on the air mattress to spare me from getting her gross cold- thanks;)

Saturday January 19th, 2019            Day two of competition was on! I had to be at the park bright and early (7am) so I tried my best to be a quiet mouse and head out without waking anyone else. I was scheduled to be at the Deck (smallest stage, newest and in the middle of the park) with my team however, the first event wasn’t until later in the morning so I headed to Bayside to help out. The first event of the morning was another swim event (apparently the run, swim, run was more of a wade and this swim was going to be a lot more challenging than the day before). After the swim, athletes ran back onto the “field” and took on the ski erg and heavy double unders. The amount of swimmers that needed help was scary. There were 4 fire/rescue staff out on the water for the dozens of swimmers that were out each heat, which made me, as a former lifeguard very uncomfortable. Despite my discomfort and concern for the swimmers, we had a good crew (the Scaled Canadian Broads/Baysite B*tches) and the sun was shining. It was going to be a glorious day and I even had a few moments to relax, bayside in the hammocks. Once more staff arrived and the events started on the Deck, I was back over there to help out and ensure safety there. Our team was a bit short staffed as two members of the team were dealing with a medical issue.                I was sad that I was going to be missing out on the Christmas Abbott meet and greet (Christmas is a Crossfit athlete and author of the Bad Ass Body Diet as well as Big Brother Contestant). Thank goodness for Lafonda who was able to stand in line and meet her and even get an autographed poster! After watching some amazing scaled athletes and teens, it was time for me to grab some lunch (C4 Xtend BCAAs are not considered meals despite drinking 20 a day it seemed). I grabbed my lunch and caught up with the group, who had just finished watching Nikki’s morning event and were wandering around. Funny enough, we ended up running into Christmas Abbott! She is just the sweetest! I was so happy that we met her and were even able to sneak in a photo and a selfie that she posted to her insta(twice;)). After my break, I headed back to the Deck to watch some amazing intermediate/RX athletes and some masters compete. The Deck events were finished around 6 pm and so I joined the rest of the crew at Flagler to cheer Nikki on in her last event of the day. It felt good to be up in the stands, cheering others on (and resting my very sore feet and legs). After Nikki’s event, I went to Bayside to help out with the final events. The last heat of the final event of the day was the first of the Adaptive competitors that I had seen and was in awe. They divided the athletes into groups of standing and wheelchair along with scaled and RXed. Each Athlete had an “aid” of some sort to help them either hold their wheelchair so they could lean forward to pick things up or just for support. This event involved the ski erg and skipping which was amazing to watch. To me, this is what the whole event is really about, being inclusive of all ages, stages and abilities. I was really inspired after an amazing 2nd day and was reflecting on my own abilities post knee surgery (which pales in comparison to having lifelong limitations in many ways).             Once I was finally done for the day (around 2000), I headed over to meet the group at Farfalle for an Italian dinner. I had anticipated that they would be inside, seated already, however we ended up waiting 30 mins after our reservation This was not ideal for a large group of hungry people. The service was subpar and the food was average but it was nice to be all together to catch up on the day’s activities. Niki (1K as opposed to 2 Ks;)) had flown in earlier in the morning and I hadn’t spent much time with her, so it was very nice to catch up. After figuring out how to split the bill (or attempting to do so), we grabbed our take out cannoli and walked the 10 mins back to the Airbnb. Once again, we had a bit of a hang out before heading to bed for a final day of competition, volunteering and spectating.

Sunday January 20, 2019           Today was the last day of competition- So bittersweet! The forecast had called for some rain this morning so I was anxious to get over to Bayfront before the torrential downpours started. And boy did it ever! It poured rain for quite some time and bouts of lightening were seen and thunder was heard all throughout the park. We had to go into the Emergency Action Plan and anyone that was at the park had to head across the street to the Intercontinental Hotel. Luckily, it was still early, so most of the athletes and spectators weren’t there yet. After sweeping the park and telling people that they had to leave, we made our way across the street for some shelter and coffee. It was quite the sight to see- so many people just sprawled out on the floor of the lobby with huge lines for the Starbucks (of course) and the restaurants. We waited in the 30 min or so line at Starbucks for treats and coffee before sitting down to wait out the storm. The time for us to return kept changing but we had planned to be back for about 10am. The hope was that the rain would stop and we could get everything cleaned up and ready for the 11 am start. I had told the crew at the Frat House that the morning event was cancelled (which meant so was Nikki’s first event) so they headed to do some shopping in South Beach before coming back for the final event. One of the head Medical team members and I walked back around 10 am and were almost told we couldn’t go back in. He smoothed talked his way in and we hung out in the medical tent, reorganizing and cleaning up while enjoying Lesser Evils Paleo Puffs (The non cheese, cheesy ones are bomb if you haven’t tried them). Around 1045, everyone else was allowed back in, which meant the events would not realistically start by 11. Not that I am an event planner, but I thought it was interesting the events they decided to run and which ones they cancelled. To me, it would’ve made the most sense to cancel the whole first event and continue on with the 2nd event and ensure the Elite, Masters and Teens got to compete as they were the ones who were competing for Games spots. In any case, the event restarted around 1145 and I was stationed Bayside. Once the rain clouds left, it ended up being a lovely day and I was glad to be near the water.              I caught up with the group for a quick photo by the spectator workout area and Reebok sign before grabbing a sushi burrito from Wasabi Juan’s (which was underwhelming but still better than eating the provided food I had eaten for 3 days). I headed back to Bayside to enjoy the rest of the afternoon watching some amazing athletes. The final group to take the Bayside court were the adaptive individuals who again, were amazing. Once the final heat was done, there were group photos and even an emotional proposal in front of everyone that made us all tear up. While we were gathering up our stuff, I noticed that Ben Bergeron was on the court with one of his younger adaptive athletes (who kicked butt). I was so excited to meet him as I listen to his podcasts and have read his book and think the way he trains his athletes, is a family man and maintains a well-established box is amazing. Of course, I could barely speak while we were chatting but it was awesome to meet him and take a selfie with him and his daughter Harley.            After kicking myself for not saying more to Ben, I wandered around picking up a few more things (mostly things from Reebok that went on sale) before heading to Flagler to watch the Elite teams. I found the Elite Teams amazing to watch, especially because a lot of my faves were on the field kicking butt. I ended up at the end of the field watching from the sidelines, nice and close to Crossfit Mayhem Independence and the 4 time Fittest Man on Earth, Rich Froning. It was incredible to watch them all in the final event that involved the assault bike, muscle ups, the barbell and of course, the worm. Once the teams were finished, it seemed as though tons of spectators left so I managed to cut through and join my friends in the stands (after stepping in a huge mud puddle). It was super fun and exciting to watch the final event for both the elite male and females. Obviously, we were super stoked to watch Pat Vellner kill it but also excited to see some of the other athletes hyped up for the last event. The ladies race was also super exciting as Sara and Tia were both doing super well and were almost tied until Sara was no repped on a clean which opened the margin for Tia to take the event and then take the ticket to Madison (which was already hers due to a 90 some-odd point lead). I really enjoyed the final events and all of the energy at Flagler but was super disappointed in a lot of the fans that didn’t stay to finish watching the event. There were still plenty of great athletes (even some games athletes), on the field competing and tons of people were leaving. Not only were they leaving, but they were blocking the way for those that wanted to watch. I sat and stayed until the timer went off out of respect and interest to see who would come in under the time cap. I ended up getting lost from the group but managed to find Lafonda and grab all my stuff from the medical tent and say my goodbyes. We caught up with the rest of the crew at the Intercontinental and ended up having dinner there at Toro Toro. There were tons of people watching the football game and cheering on the Pats (cough Ben Bergeron). We had a lovely final dinner together of burgers and beers (for some) before heading back to the Airbnb for our last night.            Lafonda and I spent a while organizing all my sweet swag (including a workhorse and media WZA shirt) and attempting to make it all fit into our bags (thank goodness her’s had tons of room in it). We started to clean up and organize the main areas as Lafonda and I would be leaving early in the morning for a tour of the Everglades and Nikki and Nancy had a mid morning flight. We finished our packing and organizing before enjoying our last night with the beautiful views from our Airbnb.

Monday January 21st, 2019            Sadly, it was our last day in beautiful Miami. Thank goodness it was a picture perfect morning! We were up and ready for our exciting day around 8 ish. We had some breakfast before cleaning up and finalizing the packing. We said our goodbyes and made our way down to the W to give them our suitcases for our day trip. As a confession- I LOVE CSI Miami and in particular, Horatio Caine (which Craig did a great job of mimicking for my benefit). I had always wanted to check out the Everglades, especially on one of the airboats featured in the opening credits of CSI. I had gotten us a Groupon (tour with 305 Miami) so we had cheap tours of the Everglades including a gator show that I was looking forward to. Lafonda was a good sport and came with me. We made our way back to Bayside, where we were being picked up and checked in. Since we were a bit early, Starbucks was a must visit (until I was told I couldn’t bring my coffee onto the bus). The drive was about an hour towards the Everglade National park. During the drive, we learned random facts like the Miami International airport sees 1000 flights a day and there is an estimated 2 million gators in the area. Apparently, more people die of vending machine accidents than gator accidents per year (Not sure what that says about ‘Muricans, but I digress). Once we arrived, we went to watch the Gator show with Chris (Who was super cute, smart and I think single;)). We learned many fun facts about the gators like that they can hold their breath for 6 hours but don’t breathe under water, that in Florida there are both crocs and gators but that gators are different in their shape, snout and often colouring. Gators have 80 teeth at one time and go through many hundreds throughout their lifetime. They can bite down with the force of about 2 tones, which is pretty crazy. During the show, Chris spent time up close and personal with the gators and showed us their teeth, how hard they can chomp (the sound is scary) and some other neat physical characteristics of the gator.            After the show, we wandered around and checked out the other small animals in the area (including some raccoons, a pig and a goat), before getting in line to hop on our airboat. If you don’t know what an airboat is, it is basically a flat-bottomed watercraft that is propelled by an aircraft-type propeller. It is powered by either an aircraft or car engine and is typically made out of aluminum.  They are WAY louder than I had thought but also smoother than anticipated and can go about 60 mph. Our tour guide for the boat tour was Dylan and he was super funny with a quirky personality. He made some really great dad jokes and was very knowledgeable about the Everglades. The Everglades are roughly 4000 square miles of a large ecosystem with many smaller interdependent ecosystems. Most people think the Everglades are just a big swamp when it is actually a slow moving river. It is an endless river of grass, mainly Cattail grass that helps with filtration by absorbing the impurities from the water, which is pretty cool. We saw many different types of wildlife including American black vultures, turkey vultures, a few other birds and of course the gators! We learned a bit more about the gators including the fact that they have lateral vision, eat most fish and small animals. Dylan also taught us about the spatterdock, heart shaped lily pad looking plants that can grow up to 6 feet tall and are a good indicator of how deep the water is. We learned how to tell if there was a caterpillar living in the plant  (called a bonnet worm which Dylan pretended he was going to eat). Dylan also showed us how to make a gauze type band-aid from the cattail grass , which was super neat and helpful. The 2nd grass that is found in the Everglades and is called saw grass which can be very sharp if you rub down the grass. If you take a closer look, you can see the saws that can cut you. If you rub up the grass, it feels like a normal piece of grass. The whole boat tour was about and hour in total before we made our way back to the meeting spot.               We hopped back on the bus for the 45 min drive back into the city. Unfortunately, about 10 minutes into the drive, there was an issue with the bus’ engine. There was a bit of delayed communication from the driver so we ended up sitting around waiting to find out what was wrong for a good 15 minutes. Apparently a belt had come loose and we were unable to continue the drive in our bus. I decided to take a snooze for a bit, since we were told it was going to be a 20-30 min wait for another bus to get to us. I managed to nap while Lafonda chatted with the lovely mother-son duo from New Zealand on our tour. Once I woke up, I joined them and got to know that he had actually come in 7th in the Teen division at Wodapalooza. It was nice to hear about his experiences in not only the comp but also in the states. We discussed some spots in NZ that I had been to and a bit about their hometown of Christchurch. They were super lovely and made the long wait for a new bus more bearable. Finally, after about an hour and a half of waiting, a new bus arrived to take us back into Downtown.            We managed to make it back downtown before rush hour to meet up with Craig and Des who were chilling near Bayfront after a few delicious mojitos. We made a few last minute stops before heading towards the Brickell Centre. We grabbed coffee and enjoyed some chill time before grabbing our stuff at the hotel. Of course, Neyla was our driver to the airport and we enjoyed some great tunes and an updated decor (she had swapped the pink decorations for blue). We were a bit worried about the airport due to the TSA agents being on strike, so we went to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Somehow, we were through security in less than 15 minutes- even quicker than Lafonda and her VIP line. We had known that our flight was delayed so we found a nice spot near our gate to hang out and drop our stuff. Unfortunately, most of the vendors and restaurants closed around 9 so we had less of variety to choose from for dinner. I had a delicious Cuban sandwich from Earl of Sandwiches that was way better than expected. We boarded our flight around 10pm or so. I napped and listened to a podcast for the 3ish hour flight back home. We were all super tired and very glad to make it home just before 1 am. Security was a breeze as was grabbing out bags. Lafonda and I waited a few minutes for my car to be dropped off before heading home on the sketchy roads (thanks to the huge snow storm the GTHA got).           While I didn’t have the typical “Miami” experience, I had a great trip. I always like a trip that involves fitness, good food, weather and some learning. I would definitely go back to Miami for a more relaxing vacay and to spend a bit more time chilling on the beach. Until next time Miami!

[wizwitorwithout]

Why do the weekends go so fast

Friday - we had WAWA dinner at our friend’s apartment. Hijacked by their other friend but it was still pretty fun. Then we went to my friends going away party. Stayed out late, which we never do. Bed by midnight ha Saturday - we got up, didn’t eat anything, then took my Mom to see the venue/good bye money, took her home and argued over what to eat lol. Made homemade grilled cheese and bacon which was really good, waited for a coffee table delivery. Then went to another friend’s house in Jersey. It was fun but then I got a really bad headache and had to go home Sunday - got up, ate some cereal I think, went to staples for filing cabinets and wanted to do more but I got a bad headache and slept all day and into the evening. Watched big brother at 8 and went back to bed Monday - I wanted to go to the beach so badly. We slept in and ate breakfast and went to the supermarket. Then spent the afternoon at my future in laws. By the time we turned around it was time to drive to the main line and have dinner with my high school friends. We sat for hours. It was so so nice. Got home and passed out ha Tuesday - bummed again because we were invited down the shore but it didn’t make sense. Made breakfast at home, and cleaned the whole house. B did more than me but I finally got stuff out of the kitchen. We went to his parents friends house where I thought we’d be for an hour or two and we ended up staying until almost 8 pm. Passed out once again/dreaded going to sleep. Sat out on their patio/wished I could go in the pool.

All in all it looks like I was outside for most of the weekend which was what I wanted. It was a weird hodge podge of plans with people we knew but it was fun. Im in a BAD mood today because I do not want to go to work. I should really just suck it up because I was off but I’m mad. Work makes me stressed and sad and I have so so much to do. Today alone. I’m on my couch and not wanting to get up. I did not want to get out of bed. My hair is in a braid from yesterday and I tried to put on a cute, casual outfit. I know I should eat something but nothing sounds good right now. Bah humbug. I’m jealous of half my office that took the whole week off. I am not gonna have a vacation for a long time.

Need to stop thinking like that. Try to be positive. We have a lot to do for the wedding so instead of stressing about it I should be excited.

[ceciles]

drafter summer 2017: allergic reactions, song birds

Last summer Marie hauled me, for the last time, to one of the terrible parties she'd been invited to. It featured loud rap music that lacked the artistry of Kendrick or the fun of Chance, more like Chicago Drill if it were being broadcasted from a tin garbage can. Random straggling people yelling, or dancing, or urging you to drink in a dimly lit place where no real conversation could be had. this is the sort of party someone would yell "it's lit!" and then steal all the hosts cheap dark liquor from the cupboards. not even a jersey shore party, an imitation of a jersey shore party smack in the middle of the Midwest.

 We went to the attic so she could see the loser she was sleeping with, or "dating," i would tell my mother over the phone in my revision of what happened that night since I would nearly die, in about a second.

 We go up in the attic and I feel a hand clasp my face. A total stranger- in his hand he had some sort of peanut-y munchies, and force-fed them to me as soon as I walked in. I heard sirens go off in my head- red alert red alert, and in a fury flung myself to the bathroom to spit out the peanuts (in private, don't want to cause a scene) and vigorously wash out my mouth, face & esophogaus until any protein or trace of the allergan was scoured from my system.

 going into anaphalyctic shock is scary. it's expensive. it's a plethora of things and a reminder that the universe continues to spin chaotically out of my control, and i'm mercy to other people who are just as stupid& rash as i am.this guy was a total stranger. but what are the odds? who goes around with a fist ful of peanuts and shoving them in people's faces at a party? who does this happen to? and me, in particular, the girl with the peanut allergy?

 i yell to marie "he fed me peanuts!" knowing it would take her a minute to even remember that i'm allergic, knowing it would take even longer for her to realize what a big deal it was.

 i half expected her to say, "whatever" "get over it" "oh, grow up."

 stupidly, i walked home and thought about what I had to do. marie texted if she needed it come home and i didn't reply, instead thinking about who i needed to invite over to watch me on the offchance this wasn't melodrama and i was really dying.

 i showered and thought about the other times i'd had an allergic reaction in recent history. it's expected and scary as a kid to have reactions, as an adult it's embarassing and usually the result of carelessness. people would ask me about it and then ask if i'd carried my epipen, and i'd have to seriously think about where i'd left that thing. worse, i'd often be hesitant to ask hosts or waitresses if something had nuts in it. especially if someone were at risk of being offended if i didn't eat it. worse still, i often nabbed food off of other people's plates and generally ate carelessly, and it wasn't until it hit my gut that i realized i may want to double check. the kindest thing someone did for me once is when an ex-boyfriend brought my epipen in his jacket pocket when we went out to dinner because he knew he'd be ordering something with cashews that night. i once made a boy wash his mouth out before he kissed me because he'd eaten ben & jerries. that was the most shameless thing i'd done in my life.

 I texted back, "no, go ahead to the clubs it's fine." Any civil human being would've seen past my niceties and stuck around, you know, because even the worst person would feel a little crummy if it was their doing that put me in harm's way and then death's, while they were out dancing. But Marie was not and so she did not care.

 I texted the ROTC boy i knew. "Hey, can you come over?" He arrived and took care of Katie. Katie was Marie's cousin, who had tried to hang out with us but had gotten too lit before we'd even gotten to the trashy party. When I said, "no, AJ, she's okay. I'm the one dying."

 "you're the last person I'd expect to be taking care of. I thought I was here for katie."

"nope, it's me."

"well what's wrong?"

"i'm having an allergic reaction to peanuts. i didn't swallow anything but i want to make sure my throat doesn't close and i don't sieze--"

"holy shit what are you doing eating peanuts if you're allergic?"

"it wasn't- that's not what happened. one of marie's friends gave it to me."

"and you still ate it?"

"well no. he put his hand over my mouth and-"

"that's fcked up"

"you're telling me"

"and where's marie?"

"the clubs i guess"

"holy shit"

"it's not a big deal"

 Shooting the shit kept me calm while my face swelled.

 One day when I was bored in economics I had written out extremely elaborate funeral plans, if I were to die. if.

It went something like this: Closed casket. Everyone walks in, and sits down. The casket pops open- i'm not in there, where am I? a projecter descends on the ceiling and a prerecorded version of me yells in my best oprah voice, "check under your seats!"

everyone's panicked expecting to see a different dismembered limb under their seats, but i'm not under there either. what is? bees.

the bees whip everyone into a frenzy so they can know exactly what i feel like at any one of these million parties they drag me to. what they don't notice is the projector rolling up, and a crystal ball descending. look a little closer, and it's not a crystal ball, it's me, covered in a billion mirrored jewels. someone hits the lights. music starts playing.

it's too damn catchy to be weirded out, everyone starts dancing. i'm the literal belle of the ball. my body is lowered and i get to crowd surf one last time into my casket.

i am later put on a ship and given a viking funeral on lake titicaca...

I sit thinking about this and laughing to myself. AJ was not somebody i could rattle this bizarre schpeel off to- he didn't have a morbid sense of humor, or any sense of humor at all as i was concerned. AJ was forged and serious. I'd only seen him laugh at people getting hurt- dumb bitches and assholes were funny to AJ. when i was patient he resembled the salt of the earth- i doubt he gave me the same luxury when he thought about me, if he thought about me.

he was one of those people you cannot reason out of their ways because they weren't reasoned into them in the first part. i imagined taking him to an art museum and having him complain about how toddlers can do the modern stuff. it's true, but you're not supposed to say that.

 I was no pretty picture at this point.

despite not being able to play I nabbed ellie's guitar and tried to noodle. Knew at least three notes- at one point I could play Wild Thing by the Troggs, felt accomplished enough and quit. I think that's how Hendrix got his start. Learning one simple song and throwing in the towel, because well, good nuff.

 AJ said, "I can play guitar."

"Play me a song."

 He grabbed the neck. AJ is a big dude with stiff fingers- caloused from working in cement for a summer job and ROTC. the guitar looked so comical he held it delicately. like the hulk drinking tea.

AJ then proceeded to play guitar worse than me. The strings sounded muffled and muddy, he stumbled and paused and continued this for an unbearable amount of time. Like clay his finger pads gummed up the strings, and in his other hand his nails nearly broke the body.

 "not too shabby!" he beamed. "do you know this song?" as if it wasn't the terrible playing, but my lack of a grasp on music & culture that made the notes indecipherable.

and the terrible playing continued.

"AJ you suck what is it that supposed to be?"

"I'm yours by Jason Mraz"

"... that doesn't sound anything like Jason Mraz."

"are you deaf? pull it up on youtube and I'll play along."

 I did pull it up on youtube and leaned into the sofa while AJ continued to fumble. he would not sing. he would not back down. It was funny, I took a video. AJ in his salmon shorts and boat shoes, his bad ROTC haircut, his head like an easter island statue. He was no song bird.

 katie woke up and stumbled into the living room. aj escorted her off to the bedroom again. I said, "hey, i think i'm okay, you can go home now."

 i wondered if the song choice meant anything. i wondered if the hair, that had been gelled before he had came over, and the cologne patted into his neck, meant anything. i wondered what he thought he'd come over for, if he hadn't fully read my text.

 i couldn't read stone so i couldn't read AJ. i'd only witnessed three expressions on his face: a neutral, with pressed lips and slow moving eyes. an anger, which was the same as the neutral but his brow dented in at the bridge of his nose. and laughing. which was differing than being happy or joyous or celebratory. laughing, with those solid eyes and teeth.

 with a name like cecilia i'd be serenaded all the time. it could be unbearably awkward, like when people sing you the happy birthday song and you suddenly don't know what to do with your hands or where to look. do i snap my fingers and wiggle when my gym teacher bellows simon & garfunkle in middle school? it could be a very nice thing, like when i'm with a new group of people and someone begins to hum it in a conversational lull. it could be a funny thing, like when i'm biking and a friend whips his head out of his car window to yell the lyrics at me.

 Musicians flitted in and out of my life. The nomad quality of some creative people.I thought about the other people who serenaded me outside of AJ, who failed at it miserably now. There was Amelia. There was Paul.

 Amelia was no gypsy, her retro pin curls, her blouses tucked into levis, her face that was all smiles & black rim glasses. A career in costume design ahead of her, she cared for others ardently, sweetly. Amelia would describe a mothering instinct in herself that I saw as something different- a certain calm afforded by knowing most things were going to be okay. Ringing reassurance. In the all-girls dorm she sat in the desk under her lofted bed and learned Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel, and she'd sing to me. Strumming on the ukelele. I'd watch and feel my oven of a heart preheat.

 Amelia would live vicariously through my turbulence, I would covet the moments of reprieve afforded drinking tea in her apartment, watching her bake, listening to her worries, her southern family history, her ROTC boyfriend, her gentle humor. If it were anyone else I'd feel like I'd be putting them out. Amelia was a lifetime. Amelia was midnight on a thursday in a lowlit dorm lilting and laughing through a song learned for a friend, mock-dying of embarrassment when said friend (me) would bring a flask to a Shakespeare play.

 Amelia knew my heart the most. She'd been well acquainted with Paul, my person, who would play guitar for himself but not in my presence.

 It was nice to watch someone like Paul engrossed in their art, playing and focused, but it wasn't for my sake. He snagged the guitar and layed on the floor. He snagged the guitar and would play for the cat, who watched intently, who moved his head or pounced or shook his tail at certain loud or interesting bits. I watched him play bass at church. Lutherans who drank coffee in the middle of mass- or service, they call it, i guess. Paul would more often watch me do homework than he ever saw me draw.

 I thought about Jake, my most wild and concerning month long fling. An after thought, if that. He spray painted over his guitar and invited people to write on it in sharpie- my addition being "the fda recommends adding a little hot sauce to that bad boy" and my favorite being "municipality." it was so funny, who writes only "municipality" on something so permanent and punk-y? amid lyrics about dying or dirty jokes or signatures? He played for me Nirvana on his gross kitchen floor, suddenly got wound up, anxious and manic like a cocaine addict, and smashed the instrument to pieces. That would've been funny or a show in front of a group, maybe, but it was just me, sitting on the counter wondering if I need to call the police. or maybe an ambulance.

 i maybe should've just called an ambulance instead of AJ, that night, too. or the police, to arrest the dude who nearly killed me.

 the door opened and in came a party: marie, the dude, a whole herd. AJ was suddenly one of them. who were these people? marie's dude flopped over our couch and his foot came swinging, knocking our side table over.

 Enough time had passed that I realized I was only going to die of AJ’s guitar playing, and that the swelling felt in my cheeks wouldn’t get to my throat. "well, i'm done. i'm going the fuck to bed. goodnight fuck-os." and i went the fuck to bed.