#and sugar is endcaps

[bunnyb34r]

Something wild happened today yall... So I was asked to work grocery which I expected, it's Monday, no ones here. But when I was almost halfway done... my manager stopped to check if I was doing alright 😲😱

What if I said no sggdgdgd would he stop to help or would he make NetflixCoworker help me (which she was SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. I did 4 aisles (like 8 pallets) and she did ONE. 4 pallets but still)

And I got the Splenda pallet looking SO perfect agdgdgdg I wanted to take a picture so bad but I thought that'd be too weird sgdgdgdggd but trust me it was so perfect (don't look at the back)

[desertfangs]

Grocery Store - Marius/Daniel - Slice of Life - 1340 words

Just a little slice of life ficlet written for the @vamptember prompt "Grocery Store." I love imagining the immortals in stores and shops, IDK why but it's always fun to picture so I couldn't resist.

Full text beneath the cut.

The air was electric with the impending storm and it made Daniel’s hair stand on end. Marius hurried him along the sidewalk, wanting to get home before the downpour.

They made it two more blocks before thunder cracked overhead and the sky opened. Rain pelted down in great sheets, raindrops slamming into the pavement with such force that they bounced back up and soaked the legs of his jeans. Daniel spotted the bright lights of the supermarket across the street and pulled Marius toward it. 

They rushed inside, the automatic doors dinging as they closed behind them. Daniel’s sweatshirt dripped water on the floor. Marius watched the rain through the glass, squeezing the wetness out of his long hair. He glanced at Daniel. “Are you all right?” 

Daniel bit back a sarcastic retort about how he was not the Wicked Witch of the West who could be melted with water. “A little wet but I think I’ll survive.” 

“I was sure we’d make it home before it started,” Marius said, clearly annoyed that he’d misjudged the timing. 

Daniel shrugged. “It’s the weather. Not even our Norse friend Thorne can hold back the thunder.” 

Marius smiled faintly and then sighed. “I guess we can remain here for a bit, see if it stops.” 

Daniel noticed one of the cashiers watching them. The store was open for several hours yet but it was pretty empty. He grabbed a hand basket and urged Marius deeper into the store. They could at least pretend they were doing more than riding out the rain.

They meandered through the produce section. Daniel picked up a pineapple. He could just barely remember how it had tasted: sweet, tart, acidic. “Did you ever get to try one of these?” 

Marius shook his head.

“Shame.” He set the pineapple down. Sometimes the things some of the older vampires had never gotten to experience astounded him: tomatoes, chocolate, Spaghetti-Os in a can. Things he’d always taken for granted. In another five hundred years, who knew what new wonders Daniel would find strange or incomprehensible, or simply never get to taste? 

Marius wandered in front of an endcap stacked with soft drinks. As he stood there in front of cans of Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, Daniel was struck suddenly by how out of place Marius looked here inside a garishly lit supermarket. Even in the modern clothes he wore tonight—khakis and a red polo shirt—he had an air of timelessness that made him stand out, exacerbated by the pallor of his marble skin. 

Of course, any mortal who noticed something off would chalk it up to their imagination, but he looked so otherworldly that it made Daniel’s pulse race. He was beautifully inhuman. Daniel surreptitiously snapped a photo with his iPhone. 

Marius turned, smiling indulgently, and Daniel felt his cheeks flush a little, sure Marius had heard his thoughts.

They moved on to the bakery section. There, they studied the display case of cakes, decorated with bright colored frostings and little sugar flowers. 

“Incredible, isn’t it?” Daniel pointed to a cake with beautiful orchids in shades of pink and orange made out of icing.

“It is a fascinating use of colored sugar,” Marius said. 

Daniel started to say something about the artistic merit of cake decoration but decided against it. He wasn’t in the mood to get roped into another debate about what constituted art. 

He headed down the next aisle and found himself in front of an array of canned vegetables with glossy, colorful labels. Daniel lifted a can of peas from the shelf as Marius came up silently beside him. 

“Armand used to love the canned food aisle,” Daniel said, remembering the first time he’d taken him to a grocery store. Armand had spent an hour lifting cans, reading the labels, and questioning Daniel about the contents. They’d bought a cart full of stuff, so much that they’d had to take a taxi back to their apartment, where Armand diligently opened every single can and dumped the contents out onto styrofoam plates to study it. 

Daniel laughed at the memory, even as the ache of missing his maker wormed through him. 

“New York is not that far,” Marius said softly. 

Daniel sighed. He thought about that a lot, but he wasn’t ready. The stilted phone calls he and Armand shared were awkward and strange and Daniel didn’t know how to talk to him anymore. The thought of being in the same room as him again was overwhelming. He placed the can of peas back on the shelf.

“We can’t even get a mile back to our place,” Daniel quipped. 

Marius smiled at the bad joke but Daniel caught something in his eyes, a sadness or a longing perhaps. It was gone before he could be sure, replaced with something more playful. “Is that a challenge?”

“You know I enjoy challenging you, but that was merely an observation,” Daniel said, purposely bumping Marius’ shoulder as he moved down the aisle. “Come on, Old Man, I’ll blow your mind.” 

He heard Marius laugh softly as he turned the corner to the next aisle. When Marius reached him, Daniel gestured to the shelves full of colorful cereal boxes with cartoon mascots and big, colorful fonts. 

“Behold, the modern breakfast of champions,” Daniel said. 

Amusement crinkled the skin around Marius’ eyes. “I know what cereal is, Daniel. I do watch television occasionally.” 

“But did you ever imagine such a thing when you were young, mortal, and hungry in the morning?”

“Did I ever envision an illustrated tiger trying to sell me a box of sweetened grain? No, I can’t say that I did.” 

Daniel sighed. “Sometimes I think about how much has changed in the few decades since I was mortal and then I try to imagine how different everything will be in another hundred years, let alone a thousand.” 

“Does that worry you?” Marius asked.

Daniel shook his head. “I want to see how the world changes, what advancements are made, what new technologies and inventions appear. It’s part of why I wanted this.” 

“But…” Marius pressed.

Daniel shrugged. “I guess I didn’t expect things to change so fast.”

Marius laughed, loud and boisterous, his voice ringing through the aisle. He put his arm around Daniel’s shoulders. “The longer you live, the faster things seem to change. The more you will step out of the house and realize the world is not the one you knew a century or even a decade before.”

Daniel stared at the glossy cereal boxes that now had metallic shiny letters decorating them. He couldn’t even remember what Frosted Flakes tasted like. “How do you handle it?” 

Marius considered. “A passion for the world and the people in it, I suppose. A desire to discover what will happen next.” 

“And that keeps you going?” Daniel asked. 

Marius was silent for a long moment. “I endure because I must.”

“For yourself or for everyone else?” 

Marius ruffled Daniel’s hair affectionately. “Always asking pointed questions.” 

“You like that about me,” Daniel said wryly.

“Indeed I do.” Marius was silent for a long moment. “I believe surrounding ourselves with others is how we remain connected to the world and keep our desire to exist in it. Mortals and their art and creativity and philosophy and new wonders.” Marius’ arm slid down and around Daniel’s waist, tightening around him. “And there’s our own kind, of course. Never discount the power of connection to others who also endure.” 

Daniel leaned against him, Marius’ body solid and powerful like it was made of his stone, his arm around Daniel like a marble vice, keeping him close and safe. 

“I think that’s the key,” Daniel said. “Connection to our kind.” 

“You’ve always been wise beyond your years.” Marius kissed the top of Daniel’s head and led him out of the aisle, back to the front of the store. 

The rain had abated, becoming only a light drizzle. Daniel replaced his empty hand basket in the holder and they walked out into the damp night, arm in arm. 

[fishfingersandscarves]

Hi! I have a kind of weird question. So. I work at Trader Joe's (hence the anon, I don't want to dox myself), and I'm trying to convince the store's management to do two things. 1) include decorations for the December holidays other than Christmas since it takes over the entire store, from corner to corner. 2) put up at least one endcap that's themed around a holiday other than Christmas. I'm asking a couple people this, and I figured I'd ask you, since you're Jewish, celebrate Hanukkah, and have mentioned shopping at Trader Joe's before: what would be the best course as far as decorations go? And what would be good holiday items to put on an endcap (aside from the chocolate coins for dreidel)?

Feel free to ignore this question if it's out of line. I just want to push for representation outside of the Christian norm within the store

Thank you!

Hi nonnie!

In terms of items for Chanukah I would recommend putting out donuts - jelly filled and powdered sugar (if you can't find sufganiot) potatoes and cooking oil, ketchup, sour cream and apple sauce, candles and matches, and kosher wine (also trader joes actually carries frozen latkes so those are a good bet too)

if you want to do something for a holiday coming up Right Now i totally recommend making a little table display with apples and honey that says happy new year - after all Rosh Hashanah is 19 days away

[eyeslikewatercoolers]

At Your Service (Dog)- Jasya

I haven't written Jasya in a long time, and I've been missing them a lot lately. Inspired by this post, here's blood sugar detecting Jasmine and Daya, who forgets to take care of herself sometimes.

Daya didn’t want to run any errands today. Driving around and getting things done was the last thing she wanted to do.

It was her first day off from her soul-sucking part-time job in over a week. All she wanted to do was stay home and watch old horror movies. Maybe she could even touch up her roots too, if she wanted. 

But her roommates complained about the lack of good snacks, and her sister, Crystal, needed Daya to pick up a surprise bouquet for her girlfriend‘s birthday. She also had to remind the maintenance guy about the leaky faucet in the bathroom, since the landlord hasn’t done anything about it yet.

Oh, and she needed tampons and toothpaste, so she might as well take a pitstop at Target. 

After a long day of driving around from place to place, she was finally at her last stop for the day. Target parking lots were always a mess of families walking in the middle of the lanes and SUVs sitting way over the line. Worst place to finish off her day, but at least she would be home soon.

After searching the store for the correct department (and avoiding buying what she didn’t need), Daya tiredly pushed her cart into the chips and candy aisle. She was almost done with her list of errands and wanted to return home to relax for the rest of the afternoon. 

Staring at the different flavors of tortilla chips, the store felt warmer than a few minutes before. Ignoring the small amount of sweat gathering on her upper lip, Daya tried to focus on picking out a flavor; hint of lime, light salt, cantina style-

“Ma’am? I think your phone is ringing,” 

Daya looked at the employee stoking the endcap of trail mixes for a moment, before recognizing her ringtone. She fumbled finding her phone in the top of the cart in embarrassment.

“Right, thanks,” she answered seeing who was calling. It was probably Willow asking if she could pick up more dishwasher pods or something. Or it was Crystal asking if she included a little card in the bouquet since ‘Gigi loves getting cards, especially the little ones with a cute message inside!’. 

“Hello?” she asked as she grabbed a bag that had a sales tag on the shelf under it before leaving for the health and beauty department. 

“Babycakes? Did you forget to eat today?” Her girlfriend’s voice came through the phone, immediately sounding concerned. 

“Oh, hey Jas,” Daya said as she avoided shoppers coming the other direction. She thought back and remembered the last thing she ate was toast with some peanut butter for breakfast. She was so busy with her errands for the day, that she didn’t ever consider stopping somewhere for lunch. 

Jasmine continued, “I sensed that something was wrong with you. I’m worried, can you check your blood sugar?” 

“I’m at Target right now, but I’m almost done-” Daya tried to say, but Jasmine was insistent. 

“The one on Hastings Street, by the Italian place we like? I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Jasmine said before the sound of the phone dropping and ending the call. 

Daya sighed, mentally preparing herself for what was to come. She felt fine, she just needed to finish her shopping and get back home. Upon reaching for her preferred toothpaste on the shelf, Daya noticed her hand was shaking. 

Okay, maybe checking her sugar wasn’t a bad idea. 

She found an empty seat at the blood pressure machine by the pharmacy, pulling her cart behind the seat. Her hands were barely steady enough to unlock her phone and open the Dexcom app. 

The number was fairly low, which was no surprise to her. Daya looked in her cart and realized she had nothing sweet inside to help boost her sugar. Either she was going to be sneaky and steal from some stranger’s cart, or wait until some employee took pity on her and grabbed her some off-brand orange juice.

Daya tried to distract herself by playing a few levels of some bubble shooter game she rarely opened on her phone. She barely paid attention to her surroundings until she heard a few strangers speaking nearby.

“There’s a loose dog in here!”

“That dog is huge, how did it get inside the store?” 

“It’s carrying a harness, I think it’s someone’s service dog!”

If Daya didn’t feel like shit right now, she’d be smirking at everyone’s reaction to her werewolf girlfriend.

Daya watched a familiar wolf with a tan and white coat look down the nearby aisle and recognize her. The wolf perked up and wagged her tail as she strutted down to greet Daya.

“Hey, Jazzy,” She said as she scratched the back of Jasmine’s furry ears, feeling comforted by her already. An employee followed the wolf to Daya and ran to get more help, as a few employees came from the pharmacy and waited with her.

As she waited, Daya remembered when Jasmine first told her that she wasn’t human. It was after they went on a few dates and started getting serious and started throwing around the word ‘girlfriends’. She thought the blonde was either absolutely insane or just fucking with her. 

But a few days later, she found a wolf on her doorstep carrying the insulin that she left at Jasmine’s the last time she was there. Coincidentally, that moment happened when her blood sugar hit a spike out of nowhere. 

Daya knew Jasmine would always drop everything just to make sure she was okay. 

Within minutes, the employee came back with a freshly opened bottle of chocolate milk and cold water. Jasmine rested her head in Daya’s lap as she slowly sipped on the sweet, creamy drink. The chocolate milk was nowhere as good as what she could make at home, but it did what she needed. 

After she assured the employees (and a few concerned strangers) that she was okay, Daya strapped the harness and leash onto Jasmine and finished her shopping before checking out. The cashier offered Jasmine a dog treat, but Daya had to bite back her laugh and decline the offer. 

“I got some spare clothes in the car, let’s get you back on two legs,” Daya said as she unlocked her truck and let Jasmine jump into the passenger seat. 

 She still wanted to get home and catch up on trash TV reruns and stay inside, but this time, she had someone to happily spend the afternoon with. 

“We sent you out to get chips and some taquitos, and you come back with a girlfriend and tampons that we have no use for,” Bosco said as soon as they returned to the apartment. Daya and Jasmine were hand in hand since the moment Jasmine could shift back and put on clothes.

“It’s in this bag, take it,” Daya said as she dropped the plastic bag of chips on the coffee table, briefly covering the view of the television. She watched Willow find the Cheetos first and happily open them.

Willow looked up at the two before Daya could sneak Jasmine into her bedroom. “Why is she wearing your clothes?” she asked. 

Daya snapped back with a smirk, “Because she looks cute in band tees. Now if you’ll excuse us…,” she said as she pulled the blonde into the hall, and Jasmine giggled behind her. 

“What made you know that my sugar was low?” Daya asked as the two sat on her bed, watching Buffy reruns. Jasmine was curled into her side, with the other’s arm around her shoulders. 

“I don’t know, it was just a feeling I got out of nowhere,” Jasmine explained. “Other wolves explained that it’s common to happen between bonded mates.”

“Mates?” Daya asked. “Does that mean we’re mates, then?”

Jasmine looked up to her, “Maybe? I don’t know how it works between a wolf and a human. It’s kind of, well, looked down upon to date outside our species,” she looked down for a moment as Daya gathered her thoughts. 

“I guess we’re mates, then. If having a mate is important for you, that’s what we are,” she said as she pulled Jasmine in closer.

“Mates and girlfriends?”

“Yes, mates and girlfriends.”

[anthrofreshtodeath]

28. surprising them with their favourite treat

Let's do it! I am an ancient New England grandma when it comes to my taste in candy, so I'm pretending Maura is, too. Here we are:

___

Jane steps out of her unmarked and into the blistering heat of the Market Basket parking lot over off of School Street, her car one of a few dozen here on a Thursday afternoon. She slams the driver’s side door, too, just for good measure. She pops her gum, chewing with her lips closed like she’s got an attitude, because she fucking does.

She’s also got an interview over by BHCC in Charlestown, and that’s why she picked this Market Basket, even though the whole reason she’s here is fucking Hope Martin. Maura’s unhinged biological mother is back in town, and had intercepted Jane this morning in front of her apartment building because Maura isn’t returning her calls. Jane had shut her down as politely as possible, all while wanting to call her a fuckin’ kidney-robbin’ cunt, but she’d held strong.

Not that she didn’t call her a fuckin’ kidney-robbin’ cunt the whole way here. Jane flips her aviators up onto the top of her head when she marches through the automatic doors, and prepares to stomp through her entire trip, but something about the air conditioning and the familiar smell of sheet cake calms her. Well, calms her just enough to pull the bat outta hell back in, at least for the sake of the other shoppers around her. And she thinks about making a left for the bakery and getting Maura a whole-ass cake, but she doesn’t want to get distracted, either. 

Hope is in town, which means Maura’s a mess, which means impromptu movie night. Most of the time, Maura likes to pull out the mixed nuts, the dried fruit, and the organic, stove-popped popcorn for their movies, but today calls for the big guns.

Maura would never admit it, but when she’s really down, processed sugar is the only thing that’ll do. That’s why Jane’s here, unbeknownst to Maura, and not at the Whole Foods down the street. She weaves through a couple old ladies and a mom with her two kids under two, swooping up a hand basket on her way, and scans the store layout for the penny candy endcap. 

Right there, on aisle two next to the prepackaged meats like hot dogs and bacon, sits the penny candy in all its glory. Late one night, after Constance’s first visit, Jane had dragged Maura to the store closest to her North End neighborhood and showed her exactly how to scoop all that old school goodness into a plastic bag for maximum satisfaction. Even now, Jane smiles to herself, big and pleased, because she’s got eyes on Maura’s favorites: the licorice bits, the butterscotch, and the bit-o-honeys. And Maura would never, ever, ask for this stuff, because doing so would defile her good girl, all-organic image, but Jane knows what Maura needs.

And tonight, Maura needs candy. Good, old-fashioned, bulk candy. 

So, she gets to scooping: a bag of each, because Maura doesn’t like them to touch, and then a couple bags of peppermint patties and jelly citrus slices for herself. Don’t ask her why, but the taste extremes make her all giddy inside. Sometimes she thinks about eating them together, though she hasn’t had the guts yet. With expertise and finesse and promise to try that another time, she ties them up and tosses them in her hand basket. 

She moves over to the checkout line, checks her watch because that interview’s in about twenty minutes, and taps the toe of her boot on the linoleum. There’s just two people ahead of her, not a problem. 

She chews her gum, cursing Hope again while she waits, but at least this time, she and Maura will have sweets to deal with the tornado. Maybe Maura’ll even consent to an action flick, or a comedy. Hell, Jane’ll settle for a rom-com if it means banishing Hope from their minds. 

Fuckin’ kidney-robbin’ cunt.

[that-salty-ghost]

As Above, So Below | Chapter 21: Sugar & Smoke | Viktor [Arcane] // Male Reader | Rating: M Throughout

As much as it pained him to consider that his business and home could very well get caught in the crossfire of the uprising that Vander was starting to plan, Kass also understood that the living conditions in his hometown were only getting worse.

And he wanted to help where he could.

Your fence was no stranger to arming Zaunites. His mentor had helped smuggle ammunition and weapons to your father and his comrades while they hunted enforcers. Getting ahold of ready-to-use gunpowder may be more difficult now, but finding the raw materials?

They should really be more careful.

“Prepping for a full-on uprising is a larger scale than your old man’s assassination vacation.”

“I know. But I trust Vander. He seems to think we can pull it off…including you.”

Your words cause Kass to hesitate before speaking.

“I’m not who I’m worried about. I can get the powders.”

He ashes his cigarette and taps his thumb on the tray before sitting back again. His bottom lip closing over his upper while he turns his head towards the window—seemingly playing out the entire situation and weighing his risks.

“Is he expecting you to make all of the ammunition too?” He turns back to you and studies your expression as you answer.

“No. He’s got some handloader guy that’s supposed to be pretty fast and can apparently get the supplies for that.”

“Who the fuck does he know that can get that many casings or bullets?”

“You really think he’s going to tell anyone that? I don’t know anyone you work through.”

“You have a name for this guy?”

“I have nothing on this guy.”

Kass looks uneasy, but cocks his brows at you with an exhale.

“Tip me off before there’s movement. I refuse to die in Piltover.”

“I’ll get you out, and find a safe place to stay too.”

“Well, if you get yourself killed in that mess, I’m just taking your studio.”

“Charming…why would you want my studio?”

“Closer proximity to Remy.”

“You are so fucking gross.”

After trading some tonics, tobacco, and rolling paper for coins that you can use to get the rest of your goods in the market, Kass agreed to supply the gunpowder ingredients as a favor to Vander…along with safe passage for his aquatic family if the time came for them to move.

“I’ll stop back before I head home to pick up the powders—rather not walk around town with sulfur.”

“I’ll have everything bagged and ready by the time you’re back.”

“Appreciate it.”

“And remember to curb the cursing—they’ll pick up on your undercity potty mouth and snub you.”

“I need you to never say the word ‘potty’ again.”

Luckily the square is busy today. It’s a little easier to keep your head down and blend in while you weave in and out of the crowd to make your way to the bakery. You snag some baking soda and sugar with ease, but struggle with the shop owner’s small talk.

“Oh! What are you baking today?”

‘Smoke bombs.’

“Sugar cookies!” You attempt as sincere a smile as you’re able despite lying through your teeth to this sweet little old lady. “It’s…my sister’s birthday.” A small bolt of terror forces your hand to grab some vanilla beans to further sell your story.

Great. You’re panic-shopping with expensive ingredients.

“That’s so sweet of you, dear.”

A breathy “Hah.” is all you can manage before you have to look away. You feel your guise of a loving brother start to crumble and glance around at the endcaps to keep busy while she starts to bag up your groceries.

Some homemade porosnax catch your eye and you quickly add them to your haul to support local-ish and try to feel a little less shitty.

…It’s not working.

You’ve always been a terrible liar and try to distract your mind so you don’t slip up or look even more uneasy. You wonder how finding a lab space is going for Viktor. If he’s warm enough with how much colder it’s gotten. If you should bring him something to your date tomorrow…what would you even bring him? Flowers would be weird right?

…Why is the shop owner looking at you like that?

“Beg your pardon?” You ask her, unsure if you missed something.

“Your sister, what’s her name?”

“Oh! Vik…tor…ia…”

“Vik—sorry?”

“Victoria.”

…Smooth.

She pauses with a small nod and smiles before scribbling something onto a small piece of paper. You’re not sure she bought it, but focus instead on quickly exchanging your coins for the groceries so you can turn to leave.

Her voice stops you before you take a second step.

“Here, before you go.” You turn back to find her offering you a small bag of chocolates, causing you to look up at her curiously. “For Victoria. Thank you for trusting us with your ingredients for such a special occasion.”

Oh fuck, here comes the guilt.

“Of course, and thank you so much h—she will...just love these!” You nod your head to the point that it almost looks like a bow. Is that a normal thing? Is that a thing at all? Do they bow up here? Does anyone bow anywhere? It looks like she’s laughing and you see yourself out before this gets any weirder.

Alright, that was a nightmare.

Next stop.

You would hardly call the perfumer an acquaintance, but your conversations were always enjoyable. And as much as you loathed doing runs (or anything, really) for Finn, it was at least a nice excuse to visit one of your favorite topside shops.

As soon as you step in the door, you’re greeted with the all too familiar smell of florals and botanicals. It’s a small, modest shop with wooden accents around the room and has a very limited selection. The perfumer makes all of their fragrances in-house which makes every bottle unique…and expensive.

“Welcome back.” The perfumer’s voice was always so soothing to listen to. Beautifully androgynous and as smooth as ever. “Here on Finn’s behalf, I expect?”

“One day I promise it’ll be on my own.” You mean what you say, even though it felt unlikely with how unwilling you were to drop this kind of coin on something you could probably create to some extent. “How’s business?”

“It’s good. Steady, the way I like it. Especially with the winter holiday just around the corner.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

They’re already walking towards Finn’s signature cologne like they read your mind. “I’ll warn you this one might not be quite as strong as his last batch.”

“Not sure he’ll notice to be honest—he touches up every few hours in between clients.”

“Is that what he’s doing…”

It was more of a thought to themself than a question for you to answer, but you’re still curious at what was going through their head. They hold a small green bottle out and you flick the cap back to smell the blend.

“Yep, that’s the one.” You pull out the usual coinage for it and hesitate once you realize why they might be interested in how Finn uses the cologne. “…is this oil based…?”

They nod slowly, brows gradually rising. “Yes, all of my products are.”

“That must be expensive to source.” You start going through your pack and they seem to catch on to what you’re doing.

“You’re still a distiller?”

“Say that five times fast.” You joke, but they continue to peer at you, waiting for more context. “I’m still a lot of things.”

You pull out a medium-sized bottle of alcohol and hand it over for them to look over. “That’s ethanol, you can substitute it as a carrier. Saves you some money in the process and Finn uses the same amount anyway.”

“The scent will be stronger then fade quicker too, which is perfect if he touches up every few hours anyway…” They open the cap and bob their head while they ponder that process. “I think we can make something work.”

You spend a little more time than you had planned at the herbalist’s. It wasn’t exactly on your agenda to shop around that much, but given the amount of ice that’s already made the trek here hell, it sounded like a good idea to stock up on some essentials before winter hits.

The sun is getting low and you start your way back to Kass’, pausing when you see a street cart with various tools, machines, and metal parts. The woman behind the cart is welding what looks to be pair of machinist’s goggles to pass the time at her empty stand.

…It would be a crime not to stop and take a look.

“Afternoon!” Her voice is chipper as she lifts her welding helmet, seemingly grateful that you stopped by.

“Hello.” You reply as you browse her stock, admiring the quality of the tools and variety of gear. “You have quite the selection here.” It takes all the power within you to not drop your charade as a topsider and tell her that her craftsmanship is fucking unbelievable.

“Thanks, it’s been slow up here. Definitely have more interested buyers down below.”

“Really?” You’re not surprised that she doesn’t go unnoticed back home, but struggled to believe that the Pilties weren’t even interested in some of the artwork she sculpted from scrap.

“Unfortunately. But browse as long as you like, I’m about done here.” She motions to the goggles on her workbench and lowers the welding helmet back over her face.

You nod while she gets back to her craft and pick up one of the leather aprons she has hanging up. As much as you loved the one you had, it’s been years since you got it and has more wear than protection for you anymore. Plus, the craftsmanship of her work was unlike anything you’ve ever seen and you decide you’ve earned yourself a treat for adding the perfumer to your list of clients to sell to.

“Good pick, that should give you some protection if you’re working with heat.” Her voice is muffled, but you’re able to decipher her words.

“Perfect, I’ll use it well.”

“You need any gloves to go with it?”

“Nah, I should be alright. But thank you.”

You hand over some coins, thank her, and turn to leave until you see her hit the goggles with a cooling gun. It takes less than a second for you to turn back around. “Sorry miss, are those finished?”

She takes the mask off completely—her smile is wide as she sets her newest creation on the table for you. “Yes, sir. Side shields are actually made from the same leather as your apron. Didn’t want to see it go to waste.”

You pick them up and feel your jaw go slack—the quality is unparalleled. Both lenses are mirrored and the right one is even fixed with a magnifier. The leather side shields are extremely durable on the exterior, yet soft to the touch where it would rest on your face.

“How much?”

----------

A/N: eheheh goggles "-o-o-"

I half-proofed this twice so that counts as one whole proof right?

Next chapter is done, just needs some proofing (has some wholesome kass, protective remy, and poorly timed jeff)

Currently writing the date chapter ;) be prepared for 18-19 year old Zaunite Viktor <3

Also! If you like teasers/sneak peeks and wanna see what's going on with this fic, come find me on tumblr at that-salty-ghost

Thanks for reading and hope everyone is doing well out there!

Cheers,

Ghost

[girlsofthemcu]

Open Starter - Talia Rogers || Open to All

Please do not mind Talia as she sweeps an entire endcap of candy corn into her Target basket. There is nothing to see here and no one should be concerned.

Spoiler Alert: EVERYONE should be concerned as the resulting sugar high....and then crash....is going to bad.

[guqin-and-flute]

[Modern 3zun Raising Jingyi Au] 

[fueled entirely by @little-smartass‘s 👀 on my first chicken post]

Squa-HAAWWWK! Squank! Squonk! Squonk! Squa-HAAAAAAWK!

“I’m going to have a fucking aneurysm,” Mingjue growled, grinding his thumb into his temple, leaning heavily on the handle of the shopping cart where A-Fu was beating the rubber chicken with the determination of someone completing a decades long plot of revenge. 

Every once in a while, he stopped to throttle it, producing a horrifically loud death wail. Squa-HAAAAAWK!

Xichen shot him a gently reproachful look from scanning the sugar content of the 2 cartoon-festooned cereal boxes in his hands. “Language.”

Squank!

“He’s one."

Squonk squonk!

“Some studies show that children can begin to understand what we say as young as six months,” Xichen warned, then sighed. “Should we get him the one with the marshmallows in it? He loved it when A-Yu babysat but it has so much sugar....”

SQUARNK--AHHHHH! 

A-Fu gave a hearty toddler chortle, kicking his feet up against A-Yao’s side where he stood right next to Mingjue and the din, seeming completely unaffected as he studied his phone. 

SQUAKSQUAKSQUAK--HAAAAAAWK! 

Mingjue stared at the horrible little face the chicken was made with. It looked shocked--like someone had jabbed it with a taser--and somehow, it’s stupid expression made the awful shrieks just that much worse. 

A-Yao looked up at the rabbit on the cereal box in front of him and asked in a faraway voice, “When did I become a suburban mother?” 

“Demonstrably, you are not,” Xichen said in a vague, placating tone, then continued under his breath. “27 grams....that’s practically obscene....”

“When did I start caring what BPA is and what has it?”

Squank! Squinky-squank!

“Technically this is a suburb,” Mingjue muttered, eyes following the trajectory of the chicken’s awful little head with his eyes as his son leaned over to beat it against the shelf. 

Squonk! Squonk! Squonk!

“I have a Target card and I own an ergonomic papoose whose instructions were originally in Swedish.” A-Yao had not moved, staring at the the rabbit mascot as if it had said something distasteful and perplexing. “How did this happen?”

SQU--

“I’m going to throw that thing,” Mingjue warned as A-Fu gleefully squeezed all the air out of its plastic gut, getting ready to let loose another wail of chicken-ish agony.

Abruptly, A-Yao turned and stuck his finger into the chicken’s open mouth with a wide, indulgent grin, muffling the scream to a whine. “Awww Fufu, chicky needs to go nigh-nigh. Nigh-nigh chicky! Oh, yes, there he goes, sleepy sleepy, under the blankets.” In an adept sleight of hand, the chicken went under the pile of shorts in the cart, over to his other hand, and around to the small of his back where Mingjue plucked it from his grip in passing, like an awful yellow football. 

The fussing was revving up behind him when he left the aisle to toss it onto an endcap, but had been miraculously stymied by A-Yao producing some sort of stretchy, antennaed ball in its absence. It was quiet, so that’s all Mingjue could ask for, honestly. His son squashed it and shook it and all that happened was brightly colored lights flashing inside. Silent. Heaven.

"Why did you give that to him in the first place? What were you thinking?”

“You didn’t just shove it somewhere, did you?” A-Yao scrunched his nose up at him, absently petting over A-Fu’s baby fluff.

“I’m not chauffeuring the goddamn chicken back home.”

A-Yao rolled his eyes and went back to his phone, leaning on the handlebar and cocking his hip out. “Never worked retail a day in your life,” he muttered, one eyebrow raised, lips pursed.

Xichen came up and tucked the sugary cereal next to the stack of teething biscuits, reaching out to squeeze both their shoulder’s. “Chicken crisis averted--produce next, please.”

“Thank god,” Mingjue huffed, wheeling the cart around. “So we’re getting the cereal after all? Teething biscuits seem redundant if we’re letting his teeth rot out of his head at the same rate he gets them,” Mingjue pointed, amused.

Xichen merely shook his head with great dignity. “It’s a treat. He’s allowed a treat. We are very careful when we brush our teeth.”

“Sure, sure. Working very hard to justify it,” he added with a grin.

“Don’t tease Er-ge, he’ll feel guilty,” A-Yao scolded absently, even as Xichen looked back down at the box.

En route, he convinced Xichen he was kidding and wrestled the ball away from A-Fu, smushing it against various parts of his face, making him laugh uproariously enough that a nice grandma cooed over his antics next to the squash. When they reached their destination, A-Fu wriggled and reached to be lifted, so A-Yao hefted him onto his hip and listened to him babble seriously about something none of them could yet understand with an indulgent smile. “Ah, I see... Oh, really? Mm, fascinating!”

“I’m culling the toy collection of squeakers,” Mingjue muttered darkly at Xichen under this cute patter, leaning down to put his chin on his shoulder. 

Xichen smiled, a little rueful. “Good luck. I don’t think even I know the extent of his toy collection, and I clean them up daily. I don’t even hear them anymore--they’re like background radiation.”

“Er-ge has been deafened to the particular squeaky toy frequency. It only took him hearing them 12 hours a day for a year, so it’s perfectly achievable. If you start now, you might even make it before he loses interest in them entirely,” A-Yao said dryly over his shoulder from where he and A-Fu were intently inspecting tomatoes.

“Ha. And what about you? You hate inane children’s toys. How are you not on my side?”

“Oh, I’m immune to this particular chicken.”

“How on earth does that work?”

He was given a knowing smirk. “Like I said; you’ve never worked retail a day in your life.” 

[lizardsfromspace]

Some notes to new followers

Do not follow if you are 300+, the Ever-Buried Duke of Moravia, or do not cast a breath when under the light of the midwinter moon

Always be ready to perform the Ritual for Good Posts and have the elements on hand at all times (thirteen candles, a bottle of Orange Crush, and a straw figure of Doris Day)

I will NEVER sugarcoat the facts, unless it would make them taste better, or if I get paid off by the sugar lobby. Then I'll always sugarcoat the facts

You know how people say that in Mexico Coca-Cola still uses real sugar? It's true. You can get it in American stores too, just look in the import aisle, or endcaps

You should also look for Cucumber Lime Gatorade. It's amazing but they used to only sell it in the Southeast, but now it's becoming available everywhere

Reminder: the Ever-Buried Duke of Moravia, his name stricken from history & his body placed, still-living, in the Great Pit of Maelcaeltrus by the Order of the Holy Owl, DO NOT INTERACT

If you have bribes, do not interact ;) ;) ;)

If you have brides, oh god! The accursed Duke's unholy minions! Go! Fetch me the Sun-touched Arrows of the Gold-crowned King o' the Deer! Fetch me the Blessed Bow disgorged by the Guardian Frog of the Ancient Swamp! Quick! Before they pierce the Inner Sanctum! Oh, foul fate! When shall I be free of this terrible curse!

I try to include content warnings but apologies if I miss one. Have fun on Tumblr dot com!

[rhetoricalrogue]

Oooh 16! In dreams

This got too long to be a microprompt, but I hope you like it! Set somewhere in Book 1, after the group’s patrol route.

“I hate that man so much,” Astrid muttered between clenched teeth.

“The mayor did warn you not to speak to him.”

She whirled around to come face to face with Agent du Mortain. “And it would have been rude to ignore him when he cornered me in the middle of the Save-A-Lot’s produce section.” Blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes, she grabbed a bag of carrots. “And where were you five minutes ago?”

“I do believe you sent me out to procure five apples and some green onions.” He set the items into her basket. “Had I known that you’d be in mortal peril the moment my back was turned, I would have never left.”

Astrid froze for a moment before realizing that Adam’s lip had turned up ever so slightly into a grin. “You made a joke. Quick, pinch me, I think I’m dreaming.”

He gave a sigh that she’d only seen used on Farah before. “I do have a sense of humor, you know.” He flinched when she poked at his forearm with her index finger. “What are you doing, Detective?”

She looked up from prodding his arm. “Feeling for a funny bone. I had a hunch there was one underneath that stony exterior.”

His eyebrow rose. “Is that what you think of me?”

“Honestly?” she pushed the cart towards the selection of cabbages before eying them critically and adding one green and one purple cabbage to her cart. “I still haven’t made up my mind about you yet.”

“And why is that?”

“Because,” she grabbed a bag of dried cranberries and another bag of slivered almonds from an endcap display nearby, “one minute you’re being incredibly overbearing and the next you’re doing that little smile thing that you’re doing right now.”

He blinked, not even realizing he had been smiling in the first place. “Forgive me, Detective. I shall endeavor to remain as stoic as possible in your company.”

“Ugh, please don’t.” They walked around to the aisles, Astrid tapping her lip with her index finger as she looked for something. “I like us like this, Adam. We’re not at the other’s throats.”

“Well, it would be unseemly, especially here. It would besmirch the Save-A-Lot’s honor to start bickering.” This time his smile widened and it reached his eyes, warming them to a deep green underneath the store’s fluorescent overhead lighting.

“Heaven forbid,” she replied back, a similar smile on her lips. “Usually people save that sort of behavior for the parking lot.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Looking at her basket, he was confused by what she was adding. “What are you planning on making?”

“Coleslaw. The station’s having a potluck tomorrow and I volunteered for a side dish.” She leaned towards him conspiratorially. “And I’ll have you know that I make Wayhaven’s best coleslaw. The little church ladies have been asking for years for my recipe.”

He scoffed. “Surely it can’t be that difficult to make.”

Astrid put her hand to her chest and looked at him. “Are you insulting my coleslaw making prowess? I’m so disappointed. And here I was, ready to tell you the secret to my success.”

He would have taken her seriously, had she not had an impish smile that practically went ear to ear on her face. “However shall I make it up to you?” he asked, his tone flat.

“You, sir, are extremely lucky that I am so forgiving. I’ll let you slide, just this once, and show you my secret ingredient.” And with that, she reached up on one of the top shelves and pulled out a glass jar.

“Detective.”

“Agent?”

“That is a jar of readymade coleslaw dressing.”

Astrid nodded, adding it to her cart. “Yep. And no one has caught on because I add a pinch of sugar and an extra splash of apple cider vinegar, and a palmful of sesame seeds to the mix along with a few extra spices that I have on hand in my pantry.”

“This is your secret?”

“And one that I have never told a soul to before you.”

“I’m honored, truly.”

She lifted her eyebrow. “That’s not very convincing. Keep that up and I’m never telling you my secret ingredient to my famous chocolate chip cookies. Now do me a favor and go down Aisle five. I need a pack of ramen noodles, please, it doesn't matter what flavor, I’m not using the flavor packet.”

“Fine.” He couldn’t help but add another comment as he walked away. “Do try not to get into a life and death struggle with the pasta sauces while I’m gone.”

“No promises, du Mortain.”

Microprompt Asks

[maljic]

i have been working in the grocery industry practically my entire life. for many companies, and in many many positions. i’ve seen hurricane panic buys, i have seen post hurricane apocalypses, i have closed stores, and i have opened stores. i have been to backroom recoveries, i have worked small stores and big stores. i have seen h1n1, and i have now seen covid19. and even tho this is something unprecedented, all together it’s really not. the difference here is that it’s been going on for three weeks now and there is no end in sight. the duration is what’s so new. 

so i’ve started making notes every day after i got home. just the overall experience, but also customer comments and new things being implemented. it’s a fascination change, and i wanted to write it down to maybe sometime in the future come back to this time and remember anew. 

i plan on keeping notes for the foreseeable future, to keep writing a diary of sorts, to see if this ever levels out or escalates even more, if things change drastically or not at all. and if the fucking toilet paper situation ever goes away. 

things started to change the first week of march. it was super subtle, i didn’t even notice it at first. it was just a steady increase in business. a solid 20% ahead in sales all across the board. and even tho the virus was already in the news it didn’t cotton on right from the start. or it did, maybe, but i wasn’t expecting it to escalate to such heights.

tuesday, 03.10.2020 9am - 5pm

people are making their own hand sanitizer by mixing rubbing alcohol and aloe vera. we’re out of both. lady is asking me by the sun tan section about the state of deliveries of aloe vera gel. we get to talking. i admit that i don’t understand the people’s need for hand sanitizer since the cdc and every doctor ever recommends hand washing first and foremost. Susan comes out and says, ‘well the only thing that really can safe us from all this is...” and i retort with, “washing your hands, right?” but Susan claps back with, “the lord jesus christ.” and i had to excuse myself real quick and leave her ass on the aisle, because why are you fucking here then trying to potion together your own hand sanitizer, Severus, if all you need is god? 

a grown woman that’s working at the register is. coughing. non. stop. co workers comment on it to each other and to me, and i wonder if anyone has taken her aside to explain the current state of world events to her, and maybe asking her to cover her damn mouth. we’re all gonna die.

thursday, 03.12.2020 2pm - 10pm 11pm

parking is an absolute nightmare. i’m 10 mins late cause i can’t find a spot. welcome to hell. i ask my boss what the sales were yesterday and she says we’re 40% ahead of the forecast. which is ridiculous. at this point it’s pretty much a blanket permission for over time. we do not have the capacity to continue to run at this pace. people get worn out, we’re bound to get sick, and the customers are fucking relentless. truck is big. Karen and her brother Chad look at the soap section and wanna know when we get more hand sanitizer in. 

this lady is looking at things in the cold and flu section and we get to talking about shit and she mentions something she’s read on facebook and whoops my filter went poofgone and i tell her that i hope facebook dies along with all this corona virus flu and have a good evening.

at the end of my shift after we’ve finished stocking and cleaning up, i stay longer because there’s still a fuck ton of people in the store but we only have two registers open. i check people out until 11 and then peace out. one dude dropped $650 on groceries.

friday, 03.13.2020 11am - 7pm

“where is the hand sanitizer?” Karen asks. i refrain from shouting at her to get outta my face. the store is absolutely packed. lines of lengths i haven’t ever witnessed. lines and lines of people with full bascarts of stuff. the end is nigh and we are here with a front row view of it. we have a small parking lot, and i have no idea where these people’s cars are? i didnt know we could fit that many people in the store. whats the fire marshall’s max capacity guidelines? someone should review those. meanwhile i’m trying to navigate around everybody and put things on shelves that don’t last very long.

the grocery truck arrives around 3 ish and paper products get thrown out first. usually, when the truck arrives it stays locked until the night crew shows up. we’re set up to always have a trailer at the store, so when the guy shows up he unhitches his trailer, and hitches up under another trailer which was the previous day’s grocery truck, which got emptied off groceries when the night crew stocks, and then got filled with stacks of empty pallets, paper bales, and other reusable thinks like plastic trays the meat comes in, or the eggs come in, or produce plastic trays, things like that. so now that we’re in the apocalypse of paper products, the day crew gets those pallets out on the sales floor asap. at this point we have reduced the quantities of things you’re allowed to take to 3. 3 packs of toilet paper, 3 packs of paper towels... also 3 of lysol wipes and 3 of hand sanitizers even tho we dont have any, calm down, Karen. paper products are gone within an hour. 

my company makes an absolute killing that day.

saturday, 03.14.2020 10ish to whenever. 

my boss said she was coming in (on her off day) so i said yo, mind if i sleep in a bit? i was scheduled 7am and if i don’t have to i don’t want to. she said ok. i rock up at 10:08. things stop showing up on deliveries. the diaper area is sad looking. people have started to buy us out of baby wipes. there’s a problem coming at us in about 2 months. you cant flush baby wipes but since the toilet paper situation is what it is, people will wipe their butts with wet wipes. have fun with that, dallas county utility department (or whoever messes with the water wastes). 

displays are dwindling. we are not getting product, so we are filling the shelves in the aisles with the stuff that’s on displays. it’s a bit wonky looking. there’s half an endcap with shampoo and then the rest of it is filled with hersheys. its upside down world. but we have to keep things full. with whatever. empty shelves are bad bad bad, but empty endcaps are a cardinal sin. 

people waste so much food when they’re shopping. now that the shelves are getting and staying empty, people will just put things everywhere when they decide against buying the items. bags of chips, six packs of beer, gatorade whatever. that’s not really waste. but we also see bags of salad, frozen items, meats. we are currently not in the position to walk the store every half hour and collect these things. these things are all now wasted and will get thrown out. not the chips, i’m talking about the temp controlled things. being cold to the touch is not enough. shit aint safe. 

monday, 03.16.2020 8am - 4 pm 6pm

truck is gigantic. never ever have i seen a truck that big. so everything that my boss was fantasizing about me doing gets thrown out the window when the truck hits the backdoor at 11 am. everybody who is scheduled for truck is given the option to come in early. and stay until it’s all stocked. or until you’re exhausted. i help with the pharmacy stuff because that’s the biggest part. i stay until 6pm. then i’m out. 

people would like to know where the hand sanitizer is, well, sugar, so. do. i. it’s the one item that has been out since the end of february, and people are absolutely gob smacked when you tell them it’s currently unavailable. i try to appease them with some hand soap, but, stupidly, people dont want to hear that. i’m thinking to myself that in about a week soap will also be unavailable, but to each their own. customers believe that we, the workers, know the exact day and time when lysol wipes will be stocked. but when you tell them that soap is getting scarce they look at you like you’re speaking a different language.

company wide, we are not allowed to order anything right now. which is huge. how it usually works is: our system knows at all times how many items we have in the store, as per bar code, and knows how much will fit on the shelves, how much we’re selling every day/hour, and then there’s the forecasting factor. so the system will order stuff based on sold quantities, automatically. all the time. if we need extra stuff for sales and/or displays and whatnot, we order extra. 

the computer system wouldnt know, for instance, that there was a tornado in oct that wiped out our electricity and that of most of our customers, so we changed orders to reflect that. no frozen things, lots more batteries, ice, coolers. 

a lot of things ride on added orders, which are now out

from here on in, everything is up to the system, and to the powers that be. if there’s soap in the warehouse, we will get allocated with every store in the area so that everyone gets equal amounts or close to. hoarding is, apparently, frowned upon at this level too. 

tuesday, 03.17.2020 2pm - 10pm

i have come to hate the soap aisle. used to always be my favorite. so long, soap aisle, we’ve had a good run. tonight i’m stocking the pharmacy area (cold and flu, pain meds, tummy stuff, those sort of things). truck is small. super small. i try helping customers as much as i can, but most of my end of the conversation is no, sorry, we dont have any. backstocks are dwindling. the backroom is emptying out. we rely on truck deliveries for things to do and products to be put out. “do you have any [insert product here] in the back?” is the most asked questions. “there’s nothing in the back.” is the most uttered sentence all day. 

people obviously do to not get what social distance means. every aisle is packed with shoppers. i’m wasting a lot of time trying to stay out of people’s paths, but people lingeeeerrrrr what the fuck. the mayor of dallas shut everything down to flatten the curve yet here all these fuckers are doing their god damn grocery shopping like it’s 3 months ago. get in, get stuff, get out. i try conjuring up some gas to clear the aisle, but the farts won’t come

go home, people. i wish i could.

somehow our store has become the hub in our area. we get trucks in the afternoon with produce and meat, and people from other stores around us show up in trucks and suvs to transport product between stores. i’ve seen so many people that i hadn’t seen in years because they’re coming by getting shit in the afternoon. 

we lost one of our baristas. she’s retired but works with us the maximal allotted hours per week the government allows you before they yank your money. she’s living in senior housing (cause its cheap) and they’ve completely locked down and she is unable to come to work. her boss funnels her groceries. and they face time a lot. she’s doing ok.

wednesday, 03.18.2020 10am - 6pm

parking lot semi full, too full for a wednesday. toilet paper situation is unchanged. but alas there’s no grocery truck scheduled tonight so this is not changing until tomorrow. i’m talking to three separate people desperate for some toilet roll (lol, i love how this pandemic makes me learn new terms, hi, united kingdom, i see you - toilet roll, i love it). anyways, i explain to all three the truck schedule and how to best strategize to get some butt wipes: truck is 6 days a week, wednesday being the no truck day. when the truck arrives, usually what happens is that the paper products get stocked immediately, to make room in the back room and to alleviate the situations. be in the store at around 3ish? 3:30ish, and hang out. i explain that i don’t want to encourage anybody to spend their afternoon in the store for obvi reasons, but when you gotta go you gotta go. alternately, hang out in your car, and when you see a truck pull behind the store around mid day, chances are in about 30 mins you shall have paper. people appreciate the info. 

i’m in the candy aisle trying to stock a case of twizzlers. we’re using shopping carts to stock, it’s way more flexible than lugging around huge stocking carts, especially now with the store being so crowded. this dude rocks up and asks me if i’m panic hoarding with all those boxes in my cart. he looks at me with a straight face and thinks he’s making a point. meanwhile i’m in full uniform and people around are starting to roll their eyes. i drop the box of twizzlers into my cart (its super heavy and dude is creating a scene). my box cutter comes out and i make a show of clicking the blade out while explaining to douche canoodle that i’m working here, excuse me, and cut into the tape of the box. moron. 

there’s a few people that i’ve seen every day this week. and they’re all advanced in their age. i get that the store is your second home cause you’re lonely, but right now is really not the time. go home. 

the question i hate the most is: when are you gonna get more soap in. the honest answer? no fucking clue, Karen. if i could predict the future i wouldn’t be working here. 

thursday, 03.19.2020 10am - 6pm

there was no grocery truck last night so shelves are still as empty as they were when i left last night. still, parking lot is semi full. we’ve seem to have gotten a decent produce truck, bananas everywhere. great. my boss’s plan for me is to: whatever truck is back there, and then easter. which means i walk the back room, collect anything and everything that belongs to our department, and get it on the shelves. there’s nothing back there except a chocolate delivery which arrived on the dairy truck. a huge amount, by normal standards. at least people are still enjoying some candy. 

by 3pm it’s made the rounds that one of the guys for our dept isn’t coming in: allergies. okay then. truck is not too big, i help out with that until it’s time to hit the time clock. 

times are tough, and i’m a good-natured person that can dish out jokes and emphasize with you and cumbaja we’re all in this together and all the other bullshit we’re telling ourselves to make us feel better. but when dudebro comes down the soap aisle and bemoans the state of the shelves (empty) and then goes into a rant about his two parents, immunocompromised, at home, out of soap, almost getting loud and making it seem like its my fault that we don’t have what you want, then no. i’m all out of fucks to give. meanwhile, people of the free world, have you forgotten that hand washing soap does not only come in little pump bottles that you can cutsify your sink with but also LOOK AT ALL THE BARSOAP, back in the days we used that to wash our hands. calm down and take some irish spring to your parents. 

grocery truck arrives. big time. in the good ole days of yester year we would get one trailer daily, most of the time not even full. we’ve been ramping it up to 2 most of the last two weeks. (and by we i mean we as a society, buying everything on the shelves and not being satisfied and always wanting more).  today it was three. one of which with nothing but water. the others with lots of toilet roll and paper towels. and the usual stuff of canned goods and the likes. nothing will last tho, nothing is forever. 

we have this one guy who works here who has, i believe, severe arthritis and is hygiene wise very challenged. he isn’t very mobile and does super light duty but he’s worked here a long time. i haven’t seen him in a few days. i wonder if he is just off, or if he said fuck it and stayed home. 

the grown ass woman at the register is still coughing. and not covering her mouth. asswipe. 

saturday 03.21.2020 7am - 3pm 6pm

“when do you expect more hand sanitizer in?” 

i have no idea what you’re talking about, hand sanitizer was never a thing. lemme ask you this: is it berenstein bears where you come from? 

people still want to shop brand loyal. i die inside a little bit every time someone turns their nose up at an alternative to their regular, “oh but we don’t use that brand.” dude didn’t you just say you needed vitamin c? was that a lie? here’s the damn vitamin c. it’s vitamin c, not, i don’t know, fucking coca cola. go home.

corporate finally came down and said we’re allowed to wear ppe now. like some of us haven’t since three weeks ago. i finally turned and went all ‘two by two hands of blue’ as well, and it’s really not as bothersome as i thought it would be.  

weekends are now slower than weekdays. i have no idea why that is. and i’m not really sure if these past weekends have been slow, or just normal, and the weekdays are just crazy. i have lost all points of reference. it’s still busy. but is it the same busy it’s always been on a saturday and now we just have more checkers? 

the company is desperately trying to hire more people. i don’t know if the new vigorous ad campaign is working yet? it’s a job, sure, especially in these times, but the starting pay is still barely above minimum wage so in any case people will collect unemployment which could still be more than they’d make working here i’m just saying. 

the only real perk right now is that whoever works for a grocery store has first dibs on stuff. and if you believe we don’t have a “family and friends stash” in the back of all the items that are scarce then you don’t know how the world works. a friend of mine with health problems came to shop at our store today because we do have more stuff than what i’ve been hearing is going on in surrounding areas.  and i was able to give her two cans of disinfectant wipes. another friend asked me if we had any loo roll, and they just came by my place to pick it up, cash on arrival. 

we also extend (or well, i do extend) the stash to customers who always have been courteous. and believe me, after working in one location for a few years you know exactly who’s an asshole and who isn’t. we are essential, we are important, and we’ve been known that forever. we just never got treated like that. people are thankful that we’re working, that we’re doing our best (like if we could afford to just take two weeks off to self isolate, yeah right), and it’s good to finally walk the store with your head held high, to finally feel the appreciation. we are the kings of the toilet paper and it’s fucking fantastic. 

the store manager (or the company, i’m not sure) bought lunch today for everybody. and there might be a texas rule of no gatherings of more than 10 people, but y’all should’ve seen the break room today at noon. we they feasted (i took two slices and went out back to enjoy) thanks for lunch, boss. 

we still haven’t implemented “senior hours,” and i hate that. 

hygiene challenged dude is back at work. so he just had his two days off. 

monday 03.23.2020 12pm - 9pm

people keep insisting on shopping “normally” and it’s mind boggling. if you go to the store for 5 things or 50 things, it’s fine either way. but please make a list at home and roll with it. do not linger in aisles, do not pick up 3 different items and stand there to study the, i don’t know what the fuck, ingredients? country of origin? manufacturer? i have no earthly idea why you gotta look at a bottle of suave shampoo so intently and just. stay. there. reading it like its a new product on the market. go home.

people just waste so much freakin time in the store. they run into acquaintances and have to have a conversation right there when other customers have to walk around you. please stop, please please stop that. please. get in, get your stuff, and get out. if we dont have your fave available right now come back next week, it’s bound to be back unless it’s something like hand sanitizer or over the counter meds. please. go home.

the shopping pattern has changed. there’s all the action in the mornings now. tons of people, full parking lots, all in the morning. i understand it’s because people are under the impression everything gets restocked over night. which is half true. but whatever. i mean people shop all throughout the day and it’s still busy but the bulk is in the morning.

speaking of: senior hours finally!!! i’m stoked.

i feel like i’m getting fed up with customer questions so it’s usually short retorts and no eyes contact. one guy asked me where the aloe vera is and he asked very friendly and from a few feet away and i was sort of a dick to him. i felt bad immediately and rephrased my answer. yikes.

on the upside also, my work buddy was throwing water all day long. poor guy. he said something like 9 pallets of 24 packs. at one point they were replenishing a display and people grabbed water from the display instead of the pallet, and he was like, “you guys are killing me, man, please take it from the pallet and not the display. every pack you take from the pallet is a pack less i have to move.” a couple of dudes then took over stocking duty from him and threw the rest of the pallet to fill the display. how fucking nice. good eggs all around.

backroom looks like we got a crap ton of paper products. a crap ton. something like, i’m estimating, 12 pallets. so they’ve been staggering it throughout the afternoon but also kept lots in the back for senior hours tomorrow morning. it really looks like that part is getting almost back to normal. lmao fingers crossed.

no eggs tho, today. all gone.

hot shot trucks still show up in the afternoon with produce and meat. and other stores still come by to transfer stuff to their location.

company lunch today was from torchy’s taco. i abstained cause i had just eaten at home. but gatherings of 10 or more people had been had in the break room again. no idea if it was paid for by our company or if torchy’s was just getting rid of a bulk of their perishables.

some dude threw a fit about the limits on certain items. i think his beef was with water and how he’s seen someone take more than three. calm down, asshole.

tuesday 03.24.2020 10am - 5pm 

it’s slow in the store. dallas county has a shelter in place ordinance right now and it’s just a slow and steady trickle of customers. the weather also has turned from grey and misty, to sunshine and 80ies. i hate it. i want my grey and misty back. and because it’s nice outside there’s a lot of people on walks and bike rides. there’s a trail behind the store and when i step out back i see people all the times. still keeping their social distance but people non the less.

we’ve finally got our hands on one of the people from the agency that has provided us with help. our girl is super nice and friendly and she works hard. i hope we’ll get to keep her in our department for however long theyre working with us. altogether there’s about 15-20 people in the store from the agency. they’re tasked with sacking groceries, cleaning shopping carts, cleaning shelves and helping to stock. it’s wonderful. they get paid $13, which is more than what you make starting out in the store.

it almost felt like it wasn’t a covid day. after what the covidiot in the wh said on monday, i was a bit unsure if non essentials would reopen (especially since the mayor just shut dallas down). it was weird. it seemed like customers stayed away because a) they went back to work or b) it’s too nice to grocery shop. but that’s prob only my stupid brain making things up.

there were two incidents, both of which weren’t covid related but needed security: a dude tried to walk out with two cases of beer (theft is a thing that happens in our store a lot) but somehow he had half the store chasing after him. i was outside taking my break when all the sudden this guy comes towards me with beer in each hand. where i was, there was no exit away from the store unless you wanted to jump the fence. and he sure did. launched himself and the beer over it. they chased him off (no one touched him, i wanna add, and no one would touch him too, even if we weren’t in the current time),  but got their beer back. that was an adrenaline shock i didn’t need. the second one was a lady at the pharmacy not happy with the speed of the pharmacist and she got upset that her meds weren’t ready to be picked up. she made quite a scene with cursings and such so security was called. they are doing their best at the pharmacy but just like every other department they are swamped with prescriptions.  

it was super slow and i left an hour early. went home and ate and passed out for 12 hours.

wednesday 03.25.2020 7am - 3pm

it’s probs the first time i’m on the road this early on a weekday during the self isolation period. it’s quite busy on the highway. but still no real traffic.

store is still slow but steady. i see a few customers with big bascarts and shopping lists going about their business urgent like. on the inside i was applauding their readiness and their commitment for getting it done. thank you dear customers. buy a whole cart and get the heck outta dodge. *chefs kiss*

help girl from the agency is with me today. i like her more and more. she gets it all done. baby wipes are still off and on, some days we have them, sometimes we’re out. we found 3 small cases of hand soap in the back (6 bottles each) and they are gone quickly. i’m working through shippers/displays (we’ve finally got a smattering in) but most of it goes straight to the shelves. i’m able to make some sense to one of the half shampoo/half hersheys end caps, and my eye finally stops twitching from the weirdness.

grocery truck schedule has changed and now we’re getting them also on wednesdays (for the time being). one trailer of toilet roll and paper towels, and one of canned goods and boxes and pantry stuffs. and maybe some lysol but who knows.

it’s still sunny and 80ies out, so more runners and bikers on the trail behind the store. still social distancing tho.

the news said someone from a grocery store of another chain was diagnosed. and then through the grapevine i heard that someone from our chain (not our store) also got diagnosed and is in the hospital. wash your hands. get in, get your stuff, and get out. stay safe out there.

friday 03.27.2020 9am - 5pm

there’s this lady in the store, little old lady, just wandering and shopping and whatnot for, i kid you not, 2 hours. what in the world? she’s wearing a mask, kinda like a “let me put this mask on cause i’m sanding something in the garage” you know that kind of mask. but it’s only covering her mouth? what is she doing. where is your family? do they know where you are and what you’re up to. seriously someone come get their auntie.

there’s stickers all over the floor by the registers “PLEASE WAIT HERE” reminding people to stay the heck away from each other. it’s working sometimes. people are patient.

this one lady asks me if we have this, and shows me her phone with a pic of the item like she is seriously standing 6 feet away stretching her arm as far as it’ll go. i appreciate it. she insists that the app tells her it’s in stock here. i ran out of ways to explain that the app doesnt keep up with inventory, only states that we carry it, not whether we actually have it in stock. it’s a surface disinfectant. we dont have it in stock.

rando people say their thanks that we’re working, that they appreciate it, thank you thank you. i have yet to learn how to respond to that. “youre welcome?” “oh sure!” “no problem” nothing feels right. me and my co workers all wish we could work from home, or take a few weeks off, without losing our jobs and benefits. it’s weird. how do you respond to that?

we’ve managed to stay in stock on toilet tissue all day long. one brand, one size, mind you. but! all day long! yes, toilet paper, on aisle 18!!!!

sales have leveled. business is returning to normal.

saturday 03.28.2020 7am - 3 pm

some lady lost her cool today and in her frustration she dead ass kicked over a display of gum. lmao, yikes.

every morning we have a little meeting in the store for all the department heads, or if they’re off, for whoever plays department head for that day. on saturdays that’s me. we call them huddles, although now we can’t call them that anymore because huddle doesn’t really scream social distancing. so now they’ll call it morning communication.

while walking the store today i found, get this, a bottle of purell. it was hidden behind other product. i immediately checked my surroundings (no one there) and then went and hid it in the back room. my immuno challenged friend had asked me for some for a while.

really nothing else going on. it was quiet in the morning and then a storm blew through, and then it was just gorgeous out. so the store got busier and busier. our truck was scheduled to be quite big, but it was late and i wasn’t gonna just hang around until who knows when.

monday 03.30.2020 2pm - 10pm

the break room is completely empty of chairs and tables. that’s new. just last week everyone crowded in, employees and management alike, whenever there was free lunch. and even tho one tells them, or points out that, hey, this is a bit more than technically should be in a closed space like this? all one gets back is, oh hahaha, yeah you’re probably right, but nothing changed. so now the break room is empty. only, i dont know, everyone here works on their feet, either standing (poor checkers) or standing and walking. for up to eight hours. there’s gonna be some people who will just have to sit down for 30 mins during their breaks. this was a company wide, or district wide decision, this wasn’t something our management came up with. and here’s the thing. admittedly, some higher ups in our company are seriously not the sharpest tacks in the box. and i’m not saying that you have to have a degree to make certain decisions, but it helps if you have some sort of,  i don’t know, compassion, deductive reasoning, two brain cells to rub together. i, personally, will hardly be found in the break room, i don’t use it. but it’s absolutely clear to me that taking away the opportunity to let people rest is a recipe for disaster.

tuesday, 03.31.2020 2pm - 10pm

so, the owner of the dallas mavericks (basket ball) donated hand sanitizers to our company, for use of company employees. which, thanks, Mark, that was super sweet of you. no really. IF I SEE ONE CO WORKER USE THIS INSTEAD OF WASHING THEIR HANDS I WILL NOT BE MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS. wash your god damned hands people. hand sanitizer will never be able to do what soap and water can do. why is that such a big problem to understand.

the break room has a couple of chairs and tables in it now, and a sign on the door that reads “6 people limit, 6 feet apart.” yikes.

its the end of the month and people got paid so the store is getting busier. tomorrow is the first and i’m sure we’ll be packed. please take the following to heart: SHOP ALONE. don’t bring your wifey or hubby or roommate or kids. ok bring your kids if you have no one to watch them. do not use the grocery store as your family outing cause its the only spot you think youre allowed to go. it’s not. youre allowed to go for walks, in front of your house, in your neighborhood, heck, walk a circle around the store if you want, but don’t bring everybody into the store. social distancing is easier achieved if there’s less people to stay away from. be smart, think ahead. and if you think that shopping with two people makes it go faster? it’s not. cause you’re gonna argue over the choices made, you’re gonna veto your shopping buddies choice of beans and your gonna walk every aisle twice instead of once. and there will be more people touching more things and i could really do with less of that.

wednesday 04.01.2020 11am - 7pm

there’s a distillery in kansas who has converted their production to make hand sanitizer (or sanitizer in general) and we have received a shipment of, i think, two pallets. the fun part? they are the size and shape of vodka bottles.

they’re selling for $8 and we put a limit of 1 per family. they look super neat. it’s a plastic bottle, too. i don’t use hand sanitizer and i dont need it and there are people who need these i guess but i want one so badly. just as a, you know, reminder, a token, of these crazy times. i’m not gonna get one (but i kinda want one).

they have finally installed screens at the registers. and new rules came down from corporate: social distancing is the highest priority, hygiene is the highest priority. we are only going to operate 3 (out of 6) registers so that we can ensure that there’s enough space for everyone to feel safe. i have also spent 2 hours today thinning out displays that are cluttering up the sales floor so that we can encourage everyone to keep apart.

starting tomorrow, every employee will get their temp taken when they arrive to work. if the temp is too high you will be sent home (but paid for that day) and only be let back in to work if your temp stays normal for 72 hours without the help of meds.

pay has been increased by $2/h.

friday 04.03.2020 9am - 5pm

face masks everywhere.

like 80% of everybody started donning masks, scarves and homemade things to cover their lower face. face masks are a stark reminder that everyone should keep apart. it’s like an extra “hey, remember how we’re all potentially sick with something deadly? stay away.” i appreciate the effect it has.

there are about 5 different announcements over the PA, one about washing your hands and sneezing/coughing into your elbows, one about senior hours (which have changed now to tue, thu and sat morning), one about social distancing (about the length of two shopping carts!), one about “we’re all in this together” and one about us employees and how we’re doing so much more than our job right now.

ive stopped greeting customers. i smile maybe, since it’s something so ingrained into our brain, but i won’t speak unnecessarily.

the store is absolutely packed. the suggestion of staying away until the 3rd or the 4th that ive seen all over the internets seems to have cottoned on and now we’re slammed. with only 3 registers open now (to keep room between registers) the lines are down the aisles. one of the guys on the registers told me he loved it. it’s waaay less crowding around the registers, safer for the workers).

we have two entrances (the main one and a smaller one) and they closed the smaller one because it’s very tight there and doesn’t really work with trying to stay away from each other. it’s not locked, it’s just closed. no idea about the fire marshall code, but i have worked in bigger stores with only one main entrance so maybe it’s not part of any code.

i saw a woman with a vegas golden knights shirt and i miss hockey.

saturday 04.04.2020 7am - 5:30pm

my first day during senior hours, and admittedly we’ve only recently changed that but there are tons of people in the store and not a lot of seniors. but what do i know they all could be immunocompromised.

in our morning huddle communications meeting the store manager is spitting out a lot of numbers and percentiles and such, basically sales are still through the roof, even with the slower week we’ve had. it’s funny how there’s really no reference point anymore. forecasts and budgets have all been altered due to the situation but even those are still behind. the agency people aren’t with us anymore (since sunday) and i can see maybe 2 new people - but i’m not a reliable source for that because i don’t inter-mingle with other departments that much so i dont even know the regulars so i have no clue who is new. but we’re still running on basically the same people we’ve always had with this increased business.

aceotone is the new toilet paper. cant find it on the shelves, the warehouse is out and people are constantly asking for it. this one guy had me in stitches. he was shopping for the fam and had a list from his wife and you know, acetone, cuticle cream all the stuff you need to take care of your nails after you rip off the fake ones. i used to get my nails done so i gave him advice as best i could  and pointed to some products, but no acetone. about five minutes later she finds me on the same aisle again and shows me a can of paint stripper with the word acetone in huge letters on it. i died. i told him that if his wife used that they are about to have a whole other set of problems. we both laughed. he had a great sense of humor. now go home, dude.

the side door that was closed on friday is open again. not surprised.

we are getting absolutely slammed with business. it’s a mad house. you can always tell when people start to park their cars on the fire lanes around the store. there’s just no more parking.

i do see a lot of single shoppers tho, which is so great. and then you got the families just sticking out like sore thumbs. and young college kids usually shop in threes or fours. but everybody is still taking way too much time. there was an article i read on local grocers and how some already reduced the people inside the stores and how every business is going to follow suit so we will see.

we ran out of eggs. and biscuits.  and no significant numbers of paper products all week.

monday 04.06.2020 2pm - 10pm

fuck these customers, man

wednesday 04.08.2020 7am - 3pm

my company will not limit the customer count in the store. at least not in this state. when the whole thing started there was an email about store hours and they listed basically every division of our company and their changed hours - except, you guessed it, ours. i have a feeling they are going off of what other companies are doing around here, so unless theyre limiting people, we won’t. that’s my opinion. after work i realized i forgot butter and swung by a store (from a different company) close to home and they havent limited entrance either. they did have markings on the floor to encourage one way traffic down aisles, and i guess we’re gonna do that too. but nothing else. i did see smaller chains have started to limit people but not companies we’re competing with. so much for that. i guess first we need to have a few positive cases in order for them to change anything. the dollar speaks volumes, eh?

i saw this article a few days ago and i keep thinking about it. it basically sums up everything that’s going through all our minds every day. (i have no idea who this website is, i saw it and i read it and it spoke to me so dont come at me if it’s something weird - i just wanted to provide a source)

I manage a grocery store.

Here’s some things everyone should know

1. I don’t have toilet paper 2. I don’t have sanitizer 3. I run out of milk, eggs and meat daily 4. I promise if it’s out on the shelf … it’s not in a hidden corner of our backroom.

Those are the predictable ones, now for the real stuff

5. I have been doing this for 25 years I did not forget how to order product. 6. I did not cause the warehouse to be out of product/ 7. I schedule as much help as I have, including many workers working TONS of overtime to help YOU. 8. I am sorry there are lines at the check out lanes.

Now for the really important stuff:

9. My team puts themselves in harm’s way every day so you can buy groceries. 10. My team works tirelessly to get product on the floor for you to buy. 11. My team is exhausted. 12. My team is scared of getting sick. 13. My team is human and does not possess an antivirus… they are in just as much danger as you are. (Arguably more) but they show up to work every day just so you can buy groceries 14. My team is tired. 15. My team is very under-appreciated. 16. My team is exposed to more people who are potentially infected in one hour than most of you will in a week (medical community excluded, thank you for all that you do!). 17. My team is abused all day by customers who have no idea how ignorant they are. 18. My team disinfects every surface possible, everyday, just so you can come in grab a wipe from the dispenser, wipe the handle and throw the used wipe in the cart or on the ground and leave it there… so my team can throw it in the trash for you later. 19. My team wonders if you wash your re-usable bags, that you force us to touch, that are clearly dirty and have more germs on them than our shopping carts do. 20. My team more than earns their breaks, lunches and days off. And if that means you wait longer I am sorry.

The last thing I will say is this:

The next time you are in a grocery store, please pause and think about what you are saying and how you are treating the people you encounter. They are the reason you are able to buy toilet paper, sanitizer, milk, eggs, and meat.

If the store you go to is out of an item.. maybe find the neighbor or friend that bought enough for a year … there are hundreds of them… and ask them to spare 1 or 2. They caused the problem to begin with…

And lastly, please THANK the people who helped you. They don’t have to come to work!

[ryqoshay]

Tri-Arame: Valentine’s Day

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Words: ~4.2k Rating: G, mostly. I’ll leave the T/M’ish stuff to your imagination... Time Frame: February of their 2nd year in high school Story Arc: Stand Alone

----------

Author’s Note: I couldn’t quite get this one done in time for the official holiday. I kept interrupting the flow with what I believed to be too much introspection, but I didn’t want to cut it completely, so I would write a new part to include it. And I still ended up dumping a bunch at the end. Que zura, zura...  At least it’s still February, so... better late than never?

----------

“Ayumu-sa~n!” a voice called from behind.

The redhead turned to see a raven-haired girl walking briskly to catch up, waving wildly as if it would make it easier to spot her in the mostly empty hall. Running would likely have been quicker, and her excited aura made it seem like she wanted to do so. However, Setsuna was a rule follower, or at least tried to present herself as such, so hastened walking was her best solution.

“What’s up, Setsuna-chan?” Ayumu asked, pausing by the clubroom door.

“I finished my book, so you and Yuu-san can borrow it now.”

“That was quick.”

Setsuna grinned as she reached the other girl. “It was so good I couldn’t put it down.”

Ayumu leaned down a little. “Did you stay up too late again to do so?” She asked, noticing poorly concealed dark spots under cendrée eyes.

Had the other girl really gone around all day looking like that? Ayumu would have probably said something in the morning had they walked to school together like most mornings recently. However, Yuu had made them late and they had missed their usual train.

“Uhm… maybe…?”

“Geez, what am I going to do with you two?” Ayumu sighed.

“Two?”

“Yuu-chan stayed up too late last night as well, working on a new song again.” Ayumu explained. “Then, she overslept. That’s why we couldn’t meet you this morning.”

Setsuna’s eyes sparkled in a way that made it harder to tell she was actually sleep deprived. “I can’t wait to hear it.” Apparently, her excitement for a new song had overridden her disappointment in not being able to walk together.

“That wasn’t the point.” Ayumu shook her head but couldn’t help smiling at her friend’s enthusiasm anyway. “You two need to take better care of yourselves.” Though she’d fussed over her childhood friend for years, over the last few months, Ayumu had found herself worrying over Setsuna as well, since both girls shared a few bad habits.

“Thank you for your concern.” Setsuna acknowledged honestly, something Ayumu appreciated as Yuu wasn’t quite as responsive in that area. “But I’ll be fine once I move around a bit more.” She made a few motions mimicking the upcoming practice session. “And before I forget…” She reached into her bag.

“Oh, what’s that?” Fluttering paper caught Ayumu’s eye as the other girl pulled out her book.

“What’s wha…” Setsuna looked down. “Eh? Nothing!” She dropped down to fetch what looked like a flyer from a local store. “It’s nothing!” She repeated, stuffing the page back in her bag. “Please forget you saw that.”

“Was that an advertisement for a Valentine’s Day sale?” Ayumu felt a little bad about pressing the issue that the other girl seemed desperate to avoid, but she couldn’t ignore the alarm that suddenly chimed in the back of her mind. “I think I got the same one the other day.”

Pink blossomed across Setsuna’s cheeks as she held Ayumu’s gaze. “… Yes…” She admitted after a moment. “But, uhm… please don’t tell the others, alright? I was hoping to keep it a secret that I was going to make chocolates for everyone.”

The tiny bells became a blaring klaxon. “Do you want to make them together?” Ayumu offered. “I was planning on picking up supplies on my way home today since Yuu-chan has to stay late on cleaning duty. We can make everything at my place if you want.”

The last part seemed to catch Setsuna’s attention. “Do you already have molds and mixing bowls and that kind of stuff?”

Ayumu nodded. “I’ve made chocolates for Yuu-chan for many years, but with exception of the molds, the rest of the equipment is fairly standard for baking.”

“That would save me the expense of buying my own…” Setsuna mused.

Ayumu tiled her head with curiosity. “You don’t already have…?”

“Oh, sorry, we don’t do much cooking at my place since my parents are often busy with work.” Setsuna explained. “We have a few of the basics, but nothing like the double boilers and such that I saw recommended online.”

Ayumu nodded. “We have those.”

“So, you’re alright letting me use your equipment?”

“Of course.” Ayumu smiled. “And I think it will also be more fun to bake together as well.” She decided not to explain her ulterior motive of keeping an eye on the exceedingly enthusiastic experimenter. “If you don’t mind keeping my own secret of what I’ll be making for everyone.”

Setsuna laughed. “My lips will be sealed.” She made a motion as though pulling a zipper closed over her mouth.

With that decided, the two girls entered the club room to begin practice.

----------

“Ah, here we go.” Ayumu pulled a few bars off the shelf. “I’ve used this brand before and it works well.” She made sure the other girl saw the items before she put them in her basket.

Setsuna nodded in affirmation but continued to scan the shelves.

“Anything in particular you’re looking for?” Ayumu inquired.

“The ones in the ad…”

“Oh, those will probably on display at the end of the aisle. Shall we check?”

“Alright.”

The two made their way to the endcap display.

“After I saw them in the flyer, I checked online and found some good reviews.” Setsuna explained as she picked up a few packages.

“That is dark chocolate,” Ayumu observed “so it won’t be as sweet as milk. But we have plenty of sugar at home if you decide you want to add some.”

“Alright.” Setsuna acknowledged. “Next up is bacon.”

“Bacon?” A new siren wailed in Ayumu’s mind. “Why would you need…?”

“Another reviewer linked to some recipes that suggested adding creative things like bacon instead of normal sea salt.”

“I think, for Valentine’s Day chocolate given to friends, we should stick to the <K.I.S.S.> principle.” Ayumu said the acronym in English.

“<Kiss?>” Setsuna repeated as a question.

“<Keep It Simple.>”

“What about the other S?”

Oh, right… Ayumu suddenly worried if Setsuna would take it as an insult. “<Keep It Simple, Stupid.>” She explained somewhat reluctantly.

“<Keep It Simple Stupid.>” Setsuna considered for a moment. “That makes sense. Love is complicated enough as it is, as shown so often in anime. And Valentine’s episodes always include some sort of drama or misunderstanding. So, keeping things simple is probably a good idea. And kisses are associated with Valentine’s as well. Yes, it definitely all makes sense.” She nodded, having reached her conclusion. “Alright, I’ll keep it simple.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly the explanation I would have gone with… Ayumu thought to herself, but if it works for her and keeps her out of trouble in the kitchen… She also found herself amused by how Setsuna always seemed to view the world through the lens of anime. Or idols. One or the other, sometimes both. It was rather cute, despite its absurdity, or perhaps… maybe because of it?

“I guess that also means no Tabasco sauce, parmesan or pickles?” Setsuna suddenly added.

“No. Definitely not.” Ayumu shook her head. What the heck kind of article suggested putting those kinds of things in Valentine’s chocolate?

“Hrm, I read the Tabasco or any sort of chili could represent burning passion.”

“Are you looking to convey burning passion to the others in the club?”

Setsuna blinked as though having just realized the implication. “Well… burning passionate friendship maybe?”

“Maybe Setsuna-chan is capable of that kind of thing.” Ayumu laughed. “But for now, why don’t we stick with the <K.I.S.S> principle?”

“Alright.” Thankfully, Setsuna didn’t seem too disappointed by having her ideas dismissed.

“So, shall we look at things to use for decoration?” Ayumu offered.

“Yes.” Setsuna agreed with a smile.

----------

“You know, I’m surprised you don’t do this with Yuu-san.” Setsuna commented as the two girls were setting up in Ayumu’s kitchen.

“Yuu-chan doesn’t have much interest in baking, or cooking, really.” Ayumu explained. “For Valentine’s, she just buys chocolate from the store.” She chuckled at memories. “However, she has actually made a bit of a tradition of buying the same kind for a few years now.”

“I can understand that. Traditions are fun.” Setsuna nodded. “And I had originally intended to buy chocolates for everyone this year, but then I got that flyer and it inspired me. I started researching things and got even more ideas and the more ideas I got the more I wanted to try making them myself.” She smiled. “Thank you again for letting me use your kitchen and equipment.”

“You’re most welcome, Setsuna-chan.”

With double boilers arranged on the stove and molds on the counter, the girls got to work. All the while, Ayumu kept a careful eye on what was being put in each pot, ensuring no extraneous ingredients were added. Thankfully, Setsuna seemed to be content with the items they had purchased. Perhaps the K.I.S.S. principle really had struck a chord with her?

Setsuna hummed happily to herself as she stirred her pot of chocolate before dipping in the thermometer as Ayumu had shown her a few minutes ago. “Oh, 31.5 degrees.” She announced.

“Perfect.” Ayumu responded, moving over to the stove. “Let’s give it a quick taste.” She dipped in a spoon. “That’s wonderful, Setsuna-chan. I hadn’t considered using dark chocolate before, but this is really good.” She smiled as the other girl bounced with excitement at the praise. “There’s a boldness that really suits you.”

“Boldness?”

“Here.” Ayumu held out what was left on the spoon. “Taste for yourself.”

“That is really good.” Setsuna agreed. “So, how is it different from yours?”

“Let’s find out.” Ayumu found a different spoon, dipped it into her pot and tasted it before holding it as well.

“Hrm… If mine is bold, then Ayumu-san’s is sweet.” Setsuna giggled as a thought occurred to her. “Not all that different from us on stage as school idols, don’t you think?”

Ayumu felt heat rise in her cheeks. “Maybe…”

“Anyway, yours is really good too, Ayumu-san.”

“Probably not as good as one made by someone like Kanata-chan.” Ayumu thought out loud.

“Ayumu-san.” Setsuna’s voice suddenly became stern.

“Eh?”

“That’s no good.” Furrowing her brow and putting a hand on her hip, Setsuna took on a commanding aura that made her seem bigger than her otherwise diminutive stature. It was something at which she excelled when performing on stage, but this was different. “You should have more confidence in yourself, Ayumu-san. Your chocolate is wonderful, and everyone will be grateful to receive it.”

“Oh…”

Setsuna didn’t seem satisfied with that response. “And I don’t just mean confidence here in the kitchen, by the way. You’re one of the hardest workers in the club, both academically and in school idol activities.” She paused for a moment. “Though I suppose I have read a lot of comments from your fans about how they think your bashfulness is cute and part of your charm. But they also appreciate your determination, so even they would have to agree that you should have more confidence in your abilities. Anyway, my point is that Yuu-san is going to love your chocolates. So will Kanata-san. And Kasumi-san. And all of the others.”

“And Setsuna-chan?” Ayumu couldn’t help a bit of hopefulness in her voice.

That seemed to throw Setsuna off. “I… Well…” Her hand fell from her hip and her brow unknitted. “Of course, myself as well. I just tasted it and told you it was good, right?” She paused again. “It’s not going to change in flavor when it hardens, right?”

“Not really, if we did things right, which it looks like we did. It won’t have as strong a smell when it’s solid, but it will still be good.” Ayumu assured with a chuckle. “Some of the toppings and decorations we’ll add in a bit will compliment things, but the chocolate itself will remain essentially the same as it now.”

“Oh, alright, that’s good.”

“Shall we get this stuff in the molds before it hardens in the pot?”

Setsuna nodded in agreement and the two began the next phase of their project.

“So, how long will these take to cool so we can reuse the molds?” Setsuna asked as she set a tray in the fridge.

“Reuse?”

“For the next batch.”

Ayumu realized that Setsuna still had several bars of unused chocolate. “How many were you planning on making?”

“I wanted to make some for the student counsel as well. And one more.”

“One more?”

“Is that the biggest mold you have?” Setsuna indicated one far larger than the others.

“I think so.” Ayumu picked up the tray in question. She had not personally ever used it for chocolate due to its size, rather for baking small cakes or cookies. “Who would this be for?” As soon as the question left her mouth, she began dreading the answer.

“Oh, uhm…” Pink dusted Setsuna’s cheeks. “I wanted to make a special one for Yuu-san” Ayumu’s breath hitched. Of course it would be for… “and Ayumu-san.” Oh… “If you two don’t mind sharing, of course.”

“No… that’s fine…” A different type of regret crept through Ayumu’s mind.

“I consider you two my best friends.” Setsuna admitted, glancing away somewhat sheepishly. “Of course I cherish the friendships I’ve made with the others in the club, but you two are different, and I wanted to do something different to show that. I actually had you two in mind when I first considered making all these.” She looked up. “Sorry for spoiling the surprise, but I guess that was inevitable when I agreed to come here for this project.”

“Well, it will still be a surprise for Yuu-chan.” Ayumu offered, as she attempted to suppress her unease.

“That’s true.” Setsuna agreed. “I hope you two like it.”

“I’ve already tasted it, so you already know what I think.” Ayumu pointed out.

Setsuna grinned as her usual cheerfulness came back on the rise. And as was often the case, her smile was contagious, so Ayumu couldn’t help returning one of her own, which made her feel better as well.

“Alright, let’s prepare some of the decorations while the first batch cools.” Ayumu said, moving over to the counter.

“Right.” Setsuna agreed as she followed.

----------

“Good morning, Yuu-chan.” Ayumu greeted her childhood friend on the other balcony.

“Mornin’ Ayumu…” Yuu yawned in return, rubbing at her eyes.

“Another late night?”

“Mmm…”

“What am I going to do with you two?” Ayumu sighed.

“Mm? Two?”

Huh, déjà vu. “Setsuna-chan stayed up too late the other night finishing her book.”

Yuu’s eyes lit up. “Oh, she said she was going to let us borrow it when she was done.”

“She gave it to me already.” Ayumu explained. “I’ll let you have it this weekend when it doesn’t matter as much if you stay up too late.”

Yuu pouted and Ayumu couldn’t help laughing lightly at the adorable reaction.

“Anyway, it’s good you’re up in time today. Setsuna-chan and I worked hard yesterday and want to give you your gifts as soon as possible.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. One sec…” Yuu turned as if to head back into her room.

“Just go ahead and get ready, Yuu-chan.” Ayumu called after her friend. “I’ll see you at the stairs in a few.”

“Alright!” came the response from the other side of the divider.

Not more than fifteen minutes later, Yuu came barreling down the stairs, buttered toast in her mouth like she was cosplaying an anime character.

“Yuu-chan, your ribbon is wrong…” Ayumu stopped her friend so she could adjust the bow. “There we go.”

“Thanks Ayumu.” Yuu replied with a chewing grin.

“Geez, and you’re getting crumbs…” Ayumu picked two pieces off Yuu’s cheek and ate them.

As if not even noticing, Yuu finished her breakfast and reached into her bag. “Happy Valentine’s, Ayumu!” She said, proudly presenting a package.

“Thank you, Yuu-chan.” Ayumu accepted the chocolate.

Sure enough, they were the same as years prior. She loved the tradition and as such, the brand had become one of her favorites, though she only indulged in it once a year. And, as per tradition, she quickly opened the package, removed one piece and ate it. She then took out a second piece and offered it to the person who had just given them to her.

“Mm, those are always so good.” Yuu commented. “I’d say they’re my favorite, but there is one kind that is better.”

Ayumu smiled as she knew the implications of the compliment, as if Yuu’s expectantly excited expression wasn’t enough of a giveaway. Thus, she reached into her own bag and produced one of the chocolates she had made the previous evening.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Yuu-chan.”

“That looks as amazing as ever.” Yuu observed as she accepted the chocolate. After quickly opening the package, she broke off a sizable piece, split it in two and offered one back to Ayumu. Same as the year before, and the year before that. “Yes, Ayumu’s chocolates really are the best.” Yuu said after swallowing.

“Shall we go meet up with Setsuna-chan?” Ayumu asked.

“Of course!” Yuu agreed as the two headed toward the station.

----------

“Setsuna-chan!” Yuu called, spotting their friend leaning against the same pillar as every morning since the three of them started walking to school together.

“Good morning, Yuu-san, Ayumu-san.” Setsuna bowed politely as the two approached.

“Good morning.” Ayumu replied with a smile.

“Happy Valentine’s!” Yuu cried, pulling out a package that looked to be the same size as the one she had given Ayumu a little while ago.

“Thank you.” Setsua accepted with a smile that rivaled the size of the gift. “May I open it now?”

Yuu laughed. “Of course!”

Ayumu couldn’t help paying close attention as the paper was removed to reveal… sure enough, it was the same brand. Yuu had given them both identical gifts. And that bothered… no wait, did it actually bother her? Strange. Several months ago, it absolutely would have. But now…

“These are really good.” Setsuna’s voice caught Ayumu’s attention again. “Want one?” She held out a pair.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Yuu replied.

Ayumu dismissed her initial thought to point out that she already had some of her own, due to Yuu having given her a box back home. Instead, she smiled and accepted the offer. Setsuna had melded all but seamlessly into their habits of sharing snacks so of course she would continue now.

“Thank you.” She said before taking a bite.

“Ayumu already knows, because she helped me make it, but I have something for you two as well.” Setsuna reached into her bag.

“Woah, that’s not just for…” Yuu started.

“It’s for both of you.” Setsuna finished.

“Oh, yeah, that makes more sense.” Yuu started unwrapping. “Still, this is amazing, Setsuna-chan. You put a lot of work into this.” She admired the decorations for a few moments.

Ayumu couldn’t disagree. She’d watched Setsuna pour her heart into practically professional level details. What she lacked in traditional taste, Setsuna more than made up for with an exceptional, though esoteric aesthetic.

“It’s almost a shame to eat something like this.” Yuu continued.

Setsuna laughed. “It’s fine. Eating it is the point. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure it will be fine. Let’s see…” In a similar manner to what she had done with Ayumu’s chocolate, Yuu broke off a piece, but this time divided it into three. “There we go.”

Setsuna and Ayumu accepted their shares and the three popped their pieces into their mouths at the same time.

Yuu started to chuckle after she swallowed. “Looks like the brand I’ve been giving is going to be bumped down another notch.”

Setsuna tilted her head and blinked with a silent question.

“Ayumu’s is already ahead on my favorites list, but now Setsuna-chan’s is as well.” Yuu explained.

Ayumu found herself wondering about her own list of favorites. Setsuna’s chocolate really was delicious and Ayumu took a bit of pride in knowing she had helped rein in the adventurous chef so as to produce something that good. Also, Yuu was correct that it was better than the store-bought kind she gave. But was that all enough to edge out the sense of nostalgia Ayumu felt every year from Yuu’s gift? Or did it simply bring them both to the same level? Would she feel the same if she had left Setsuna to her own devices where she would have likely used bacon, Tabasco – seriously, what was her obsession with Tabasco? – paremesan, pickels and deities only knew what else?

“Oh, is that the time?” Yuu asked, her attention focused on one of the various displays around the platform. “We should get going so we’re not late to class.”

“Wait,” Ayumu spoke up before the other two started moving “I still have to give mine.”

Even though she likely knew it was coming, even though she had already helped taste test the batch and witnessed the decoration process, Setsuna bounced a little with an excitedly expectant energy. Ayumu noted how similar the behavior was to Yuu’s earlier reaction.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Setsuna-chan.”

Setsuna tore into the package with equal enthusiasm as with the first from Yuu. And like before, a piece was broken off and shared among the three before they started walking toward their school.

While her two friends seemed filled with festive fervor, something else held Ayumu’s thoughts. Certainly, she was happy that her friends were happy, and she was sure to smile when either directed their attention toward her, but something felt off. And not only was it different than what she had felt in months before, she couldn’t decide if it was better or worse.

----------

So, the packages of chocolates Yuu had given the other girls in the club had indeed been the same brand, but in smaller packages. And she had given Ayumu and Setsuna the same size. Did that mean that Yuu viewed them the same?

Ayumu pondered the day’s events as she made her way to her room to prepare for her bath.

Yuu had said, months ago, that Setsuna was not more important to her than Ayumu. And while Ayumu had trouble believing the statement at first, as more was revealed, she came to realize the truth in Yuu’s statement. However, that still did not rule out the possibility that Yuu considered the two of them equally important.

Thus, Ayumu found herself conflicted. On the one hand, there was the old familiar feeling of fear that she might lose Yuu to someone else… not that Yuu was actually hers, but… It was the feeling that had spiked in the days before the festival due to that misunderstanding with Setsuna and the same one she had tried hard to quash after things were made clear.

She didn’t want to be upset with Setsuna though, because as far as she could tell, the other girl had no intentions of stealing Yuu away from her. In fact, Setsuna had been nothing but honest and sincere in her desire to be close friends with both of them.

And that lead to the other hand, where Ayumu had come to truly enjoy the time the three spent together, often missing Setsuna’s presence when it was just her and Yuu. Heck, inviting Setsuna over to make chocolates wasn’t even the first time they had spent time together without Yuu, and there was no denying how much fun Ayumu had that evening.

So, did Yuu see her and Setsuna the same? Did Setsuna see her and Yuu the same? For that matter, did Ayumu see the other two the same? And if they did all see each other the same, what did that mean for them as friends… or lov…?

Despite there being no witnesses around to see her face, Ayumu felt like she needed to hide the fact that she was blushing at the thought of a relationship beyond what she already had with her two friends. And some of the activities that might be involved with such a relationship.

Certainly, this wasn’t the first time she had imagined such things between herself and Yuu, but it was the first time Setsuna had made an appearance in such fantasies. And Ayumu couldn’t deny that the ideas held an amount of appeal. Quite a bit of appeal, actually. Far more than she anticipated.

Ayumu leaned back in the tub and allowed her thoughts to continue meandering through various scenarios, several of which became more than slightly sensual. By the time she was finished with her bath, she was quite ready to crawl under the covers and fall asleep.

But first, she needed to send her nightly message to Yuu. After hitting Send, she was about to set down her phone and don her pajamas when a thought occurred to her. She switched conversation threads and sent a similar good night message to Setsuna. Then, with a smile, she placed the device by her pillow and finished getting ready for bed.

The two other girls had responded by the time Ayumu crawled into bed so she read their messages before pulling up the covers. Finally, as sleep started to take over, Ayumu found herself looking forward to the next day so she could see Yuu, and Setsuna, again.

----------

Author’s Note Continued in Followup Post

[mariequitecontrarie]

Put Me In, Coach: Part 2

Summary:  The Golds run into "Coach David" Nolan in the grocery store and Rumplestiltskin is seized by a bout of jealousy. A/N: Because I love jealous Rumple + Belle showing him how unreasonable he’s being. ;) Written for the June @a-monthly-rumbelling:  "That's the least romantic thing you've ever said to me." Thanks to @galactic-pirates for listening to me drone on about baseball.

On AO3 | Part 1| Part 1 on Tumblr

“Well, Rumple, what do you think?”

Belle plopped two quarts of Maine blueberries down on the conveyor belt, sweet little purple globes that heralded the last weeks of summer. Tonight, Henry was having a sleepover with Gideon at their house and she wanted to attempt a homemade blueberry cobbler for dessert.

Blueberries, not apples, were Henry’s favorite fruit, a preference his mother Regina didn’t appreciate, but was a great source of amusement to the rest of the family.

Rumplestiltskin sighed heavily, pretending to be put out. “Sweetheart, if you want to bake, I’m here to coach you on to victory.” He grinned. “For better or worse, remember?”

She stuck out her tongue at him, making him chuckle.

On this go-round, he’d have to pitch in as more than just chief taste-tester if they wanted to avoid the oven fire they’d had the last time she baked.

His wife possessed many wonderful qualities, but kitchen skills were not among them. When they’d lived together in the Dark Castle, he used to hover in the kitchen doorway for the sheer pleasure of watching her burn everything from chicken to cakes to carrots. He’d developed a particular talent for rescuing her meals in the nick of time. 

Once, she’d singed her fingertips in the fire and he was so furious with himself for allowing her to be hurt, he’d locked himself in his tower for the rest of the night. Belle had stormed up the stone staircase holding a tray of tea and cakes and banged on the door until he relented. That evening, she’d spent hours reading to him from one of her favorites while he crowded next to her on the settee, dutifully eating burned scones and turning pages to protect her injured hand.

Who said dark magic never amounted to anything good?

He deposited sacks of flour and sugar on the conveyor belt, as well as vanilla ice cream. Whether the icy treat would be topping for the cobbler or their alternate dessert remained to be seen.

“Oh, goodie, you remembered the one with the vanilla beans.” Her face shone with pleasure when he showed her the black carton. It was so easy to make her happy.

“Where’re Gideon and Henry?”

“Still in the candy aisle.” He shrugged. “I gave them permission to choose one item.” The register dinged as the cashier rang out the customer in line ahead of them. 

“Hey, Belle, Gold.” David Nolan slid a bottle of milk and a carton of brown eggs into a shopping bag. We just got back from our week at the beach and I’m here for the necessities.”

Rumplestiltskin felt a stab of envy. The domestic errand did nothing to diminish Nolan’s masculinity. He was every inch the golden god, his tanned arm muscles straining against the confines of his short-sleeved polo shirt. He’d bet David Nolan never worried about how he looked in a pair of bathing trunks.

“Nolan.” Suddenly grouchy, he crossed his thin, pasty arms, safely encased beneath his many layers of Armani. He normally didn’t break a sweat, even in the deep August heat, but today perspiration prickled the back of his neck. He rested a warm hand on top of the ice cream to cool himself.

“Haven’t seen you since the Golden Nuggets team awards dinner at Tony’s,” David said. “How are you guys?”

“David, hi. Gideon’s around here somewhere.” Belle poked her head above the register endcap and scanned what she could see of the candy aisle. “He’s been working on his swing and I’m sure he’d like to show you.”

“His game has come a long way.” David flashed a proud smile. “But I’m in a hurry. Maybe I could stop by and give him some pointers next week?”

Rumplestiltskin scowled and drummed his fingers on top of the ice cream carton. He’d like to offer Nolan some pointers of his own. Like on how to take care of his own family and leave his alone.

“Mary Margaret’s waiting in the car, so I’ll get right to it,” David said. “Now that baseball season’s over, we’ve decided to charter a football program. Neal Junior is excited to play quarterback. Would Gideon be interested in joining the team?” David accepted his change from the cashier, and the conveyor belt whined as Belle and Gold’s small collection of groceries wobbled toward the register. “It’s tag, not tackle.”

Rumplestiltskin wondered if that was meant to be reassuring.

He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Did the man need to coach every sport known to mankind? Perhaps Storybrooke needed tennis, golf, volleyball, and wrestling programs as well. And American football? It was a brute’s sport, and the Underworld would freeze over before he’d allow Gideon to play.

Belle hummed in consideration. “We were going to sign Gideon up for some indoor batting sessions, but we might introduce him to some other sports, depending. Rumple, what do you think?”

He couldn’t believe Belle was even entertaining the notion. “Why not take them down to Fortune’s Rocks for surfing lessons instead?” he suggested, clamping down on his back teeth.

Sarcasm hung in the air like fog and Nolan’s brow furrowed in confusion.  

Fortune’s Rocks was an inlet a few miles down Storybrooke’s coast, a place where rough sea walls crashed sharply against enormous, craggy boulders. The locals knew Fortune’s waves were only for the most experienced, danger-loving surfers. Every summer, some poor unfortunate soul was injured or worse on its punishing rocks.

His wife pressed her lips into a thin white line. “Thanks for the offer, David,” she said. “We’ll get back to you.”

“No problem. Don’t wait too long, though. Practice starts next week.” Unflappable as ever, David exited the store with his groceries balanced on one arm, he free hand raised in a little wave.

Once the princeling had disappeared, Belle sighed. “What was that all about? I thought you liked David.”

“He’s tolerable.” Rumple huffed. “Tag or not, American football is too dangerous. A sport designed for those whose brains are in their biceps.” And for those who are strong and brave.

He crossed his arms again. He really needed to get into the backyard and work on his own tan. Somewhere in the bowels of the basement there was an old set of dumbbells. Perhaps he should start sneaking into the basement to lift weights instead of spending the wee hours spinning.

“It was only an offer, love. We could have politely said ‘no, thank you,’” Belle said.

He hated how measured and reasonable she was acting, but he couldn’t very well confess it was David’s handsome masculinity that had put him in such a foul temper. “He was certainly looking well after a week at the beach,” Gold allowed grudgingly.

“Yeah, he’s a hot ticket.” The elderly cashier, who had a shock of bright red hair and wore a nametag proclaiming her as Dora, jawed on a wad of bright pink bubble gum.

Ignoring Dora’s comment, Belle turned away from the groceries to run her hands up and down his chest. “It’s not a competition, Rumple. Not a fair one, at any rate.”

“True.” He was nothing special to look at. Bland as white toast and just as dry. He cracked jokes about being irresistible to women, but he recognized the truth as well as anyone else. People were attracted to his power. Only Belle had ever cared to peel back his layers to understand the quiet, fragile man beneath.

“I suppose David’s nice looking enough if boyish charm interests you.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Not me. I prefer a man with a leaner physique.”

Heat toasted Gold’s cheeks, making the cool grocery store feel like a sauna. “Sweetheart, that is the least romantic thing you’ve ever said to me,” he drawled, covering his surprise.

As usual, his wife had read him like one of her well-loved, careworn books. Sometimes her innocent sweetness stupefied him. Who in their right mind would prefer Rumplestiltskin to Prince Charming? Then again, his Belle had always been an unusual creature.

“You know what I mean.” She moved her nails along his collarbones in teasing scrapes, her breath a lascivious whisper against his neck. “Wiry. Distinguished. And incredibly sexy in my favorite paisley tie.”

“Indeed,” he managed around a gulp.

“Anyway,” Belle turned to Dora, still making a show of fixing his tie. “I don’t think David Nolan is the cheating type.”

The cashier was gaping, the sticky mess of bubble gum half hanging out of her mouth. Whether she was shocked by the way Belle was touching him or her directness regarding David Nolan’s lack of availability, Rumplestiltskin couldn’t be sure.

Gideon poked his head around Rumple’s side and Belle stepped back. “What are you guys talking about?” Their son heaved an enormous package of Skittles on the conveyor. “Cheating?”

Uh oh. A change in subject was desperately in order.

“Did you two commandeer the largest bag of candy in the store?” Gold reached down to ruffle Gideon’s curly hair and then reached up to do the same to Henry.

“This and blueberry cobbler with ice cream.” Henry’s grin was triumphant. “Only the best when I sleep over, right Grandpa?”

He couldn’t resist smiling back. When it came to these boys, he was a complete marshmallow. They all knew the candy and the ice cream were insurance policies in case Belle’s latest baking experiment went awry. “That’s right, m’boy.”

Dora rang up the enormous bag of candy with the rest of their order. “Your total is $14.47,” she said, two red spots coloring the centers of her cheeks.

“They’re talking about cheating,” Gideon told Henry. “Like at a game.”

Rumplestilstkin felt his lips twitch. “Who said anything about cheating?” He handed the cashier money for the groceries. He turned to Belle, hoping for help with Henry and Gideon, but she shook her head and smothered a giggle. Very well; he’d torture her with tickling later.

“You did,” Gideon reminded him.

A dog with a bone, Rumplestiltskin thought darkly.

“We didn’t mean that kind of cheating,” he said, then instantly regretted it. Why in the name of all the realms was he still talking?

“What other kind of cheating is there?” Gideon frowned.

Growing exasperated, Rumplestiltskin pinched the bridge of his nose. Their son’s dogged determination was a trait he’d inherited from both he and Belle. Today, it was not serving his father well. “There’s no cheating. No one is cheating.”

“Right, Grandpa.” Henry winked. “You mean this bit right here at the baseball games?” He wriggled his fingers and waggled his eyebrows.  

Both boys blinked at him with feigned innocence. Gold was nonplussed. Why hadn’t it occurred to him that Henry might put the pieces together?

“Well, I…” For once the silver-tongued Rumplestiltskin was at a loss for words.

Faced those trusting expressions, mocking or otherwise, he found he couldn’t gloss over the truth.

He was caught.

Together they bagged their groceries in silence and stepped out into the sunshine. The late August breeze was a welcome refreshment to his heat-prickled skin.

“Relax, Papa.” Gideon ambled through the parking lot at his side, his long-suffering sigh far beyond his eight years. “I know all about you helping our team sometimes at the games. Everyone does. Even Coach David.”

Henry nodded in agreement.

“What?” It seemed his secret help was no secret after all.

“Whenever we needed to score, somebody would get a super awesome hit,” Gideon said. “Like Roland and me did in our last game.”

“Roland and I,” Belle interjected.

Oh, now she wanted to be part of the conversation. Mrs. Grammar Police!

Speechless, Rumplestiltskin studied the pavement as they began the two-block walk home. It seemed Neal was right after all. He was not as clever as he’d believed.

Gideon slipping his small hand into Rumplestiltskin’s larger one and squeezed his fingers. The childish comfort touch soothed his bruised ego.

“No worries.” Gideon clucked his tongue the way Belle did whenever their son awoke from a bad dream. “When I grow up you won’t have to help me anymore. I’ll be awesome at magic. But not better than you, Papa.”

“No, of course not.” He managed a weak smile. His body had continued moving down the street but he felt like his mind was still back on the sidewalk outside the store, slack-jawed and confused because Gideon wasn’t upset with him.

Although he and Belle had agreed never to discuss his cheating with Gideon, the lie had still bothered him. But he’d convinced himself that should Gideon ever learn the truth, the consequences would be catastrophic. Instead, his beloved boy was brushing off his interference as if it were nothing.

“You won’t need magic for baseball,” Belle said with motherly authority. “You’ll be able to win without any outside assistance.”

“Absolutely!” Henry looped his arm around Gideon’s neck and gave him a noogie until the younger boy howled with laughter and twisted out of reach. “Magic is a tool, not a crutch, right Grandpa?”

A lump formed in Rumplestiltskin’s throat. There was far too much compassion in his grandson’s knowing look, but even as a precocious ten-year-old, Henry’s wisdom and empathy had always been extraordinary. Rumple supposed being the son of two magical mothers made him uniquely qualified to mentor his much younger uncle Gideon.

“That’s right.” Rumplestiltskin cleared his throat, eager to move on to a lighter topic. His lips quirked and he looked at his wife. “Unless we’re cooking with your grandmother. Then we need to call on every spell in the book.”

“Henry agreed to call me Belle years ago,” she said with emphasis. Her eyes were alight with indignation but her lips were pursed with repressed humor. “As for you, there will be no blueberry cobbler!”

Rumplestiltskin gave a mock gasp and as their laughing and teasing continued, tension fell from his shoulders like scales. Arm-in-arm with his wife, he shook off the unwelcome weight and strolled past the baseball field feeling lighter than air.

Up ahead at the intersection, David’s truck trundled by, but the jealousy that had boiled up so quickly in the grocery store had evaporated, at least for the moment. Some insecurities would never die, but as he carried their groceries down the sun-soaked street and basked in the love, compassion, and laughter of his family, Rumplestiltskin was nothing but content.

###

[scifrey]

My Very Spoilery Endgame Review - What I Liked, What Annoyed Me, and Two Questions I Am Left With

I was very satisfied and enjoyed it very much. The theater burst into applause in several instances and it was great to celebrate the end of an era with fellow fans.

Now for the spoilery critiques and praise.

My favorite moments were:

Thor reconciling his self-image and self-worth with his mother

“I’m still worthy.”

Loki escaping and (hopefully) living in at least one timeline - because if Steve went back to “trim the branches” then this means he returned the Tesseract to 1970. Which means the branch where Loki snagged the Tesseract and was not imprisoned on Asgard may have endured*. 

Ken Jeong’s cameo.

Stan Lee’s cameo.

Banner coming to terms with who and what he is and living comfortably with the Hulk.

Basically everyone really leaning into the self-love  and self-value by the end of the film.

“That is America’s Ass”.

“I could do this all day.” “Yeah, I know.”

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.”

“Ha! I knew it!”

“I am Iron Man.”

Scott finding Cassie alive.

Wong’s exasperated reply to Strange’s “Is that everyone?”

Nebula’s redemption. This is a princess (as Squidward calls Thanos “sire”) who saves her own damn self.

How the thing that gave the game away to Thanos was actually really clever and well executed; this wasn’t a “heroes are just stupid this one time” (like how Quill screwed the pooch in Infinity War when they had the damn glove). It was something that I genuinely hadn’t thought of, and I assume no one, not even Nebula, would have thought of. It worked. And it worked well.

All the ladies supporting Carol in the final battle - which was awesome but also felt a bit like the moment was added only so the Russos could check it off a “don’t piss off the feminists” list.

How the final battle set it up well for the next phase - I liked how the Glove Relay was from an OG Avenger (Hawkeye) to the new Avengers - Black Panther, Spider-man, and Captain Marvel.

“I love you 3000″.

Falcon!Cap - finally! Yay!

The sound of the armor that started it all being forged as the endcap of the credits.

However.

I wish Bucky and Steve had also had a meaningful moment at the end, like Steve and Sam, something that made it clear that even though Steve was older now, he was no less Bucky’s best pal. 

I'm very, very annoyed that they Fridged Natasha. I mean, I get it. Someone had to die. And we all knew Hawkeye was going to go back to his family, so it wouldn’t be him. And I do love how they did the death, how Nat and Clint fought with one another to the be the one to make the sacrifice. And her death would have been especially cheap if Bruce had just Snapped her Back. I get it.

And if there wasn’t a long history of Fridging female character to ensure the male ones have enough Man-Pain to have a character arc and impetus to be a hero, then you know what? This would have been a really moving sacrifice. It would have really worked.

But there is. And in light of that, it’s left me... itchy. Uncomfortable. Because in the context of the film alone it was a great death. But in the context of the history of comic book narratives, it sucked.

Also, what does this mean for the Black Widow movie? Will it actually be a prequel? Will it be Budapest? And if it is Budapest, will they use the same actors, or cast new, younger ones?

I also don't understand the narrative reason why they had to make so many fat jokes around Thor.

I mean, yeah, it makes sense he was depressed and stopped taking care of his heath, and self-medicated with booze and food. This was a strong and meaningful narrative and I really liked that he was given the opportunity to mourn, to question his purpose, to become more than just muscles and a hammer in terms of character construction. That he could grieve and struggle, and be filled with crippling regret that kept him indoors and hiding, and filled self-loathing.

 As a character choice it made sense. And I liked that he was still a powerful warrior while chubby, and that he didn’t magically become slim again when he suited up. It was wonderful to see him be no less powerful, dangerous, dedicated, and no less kick ass while sporting a keg instead of a sixpack. 

But they leaned awfully hard on that “fat joke” button and by the time Rhodey said “Cheez Whiz?” I was over it. Its got tedious and frankly a bit insulting.

Teasing someone for suffering because he lost literally everyone he loved is not cool. The jokes fell flat, for good reason. They were cruel.

And when the Russos announced that they had included the MCU's first openly gay character I was hoping that it would be a main character, not some rando dude in a talk therapy meeting. I wanted Bucky and Sam to confess feelings, or Bucky to Steve even if Steve couldn’t return them, or Valkyrie to at least have a wife in New Asgard, or something.

But TBH it didn't surprise me that they made it some nameless dude in group support. Like J.K. Rowling, the Russos are happy to queerbait but too cowardly to commit, and they always have been. I’d be annoyed but it’s not worth the energy. 

At least when the guy mentioned his boyfriend it was a “no big deal” mention, and nobody made a “are you cool with this, Cap?” thing to really point out that ooooo, this dude is queer.

But those are my only gripes. The rest of it was thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying.

Especially all the little call backs. The "I am Iron Man" and “I could do this all day” stuff - it felt like little gifts to the fandom.

However, I have two questions.

1) When people were Snapped Back, were they Snapped to their previous exact geographical location? Because if so, what about people who had been in transit? Did people who were Snapped Away while in a plane just... appear mid-sky and plummet to their deaths? Were people on spaceships Snapped Back into the void of cold space? We saw in Infinity War that helicopters crashed into city streets - the pilot, that means, was Snapped Away. When that pilot came back, where did he come back? Did Bruce think to Snap them all into safe places? (I mean, I assume the Stones accounted for Spacial Drift and the location of planets in orbit... maybe it accounted for people who would have Snapped Back into deadly situations?)

2) I do love that Steve and Peggy got their life together At that point Pegs would have been like... at least 10 years older than Steve? Maybe 15? What would her neighbors think of Sugar Momma Peggy Carter and her Very Much Younger (Looking) Husband?

Did she introduce him to anyone? Did they have neighborhood BBQs? At that point everyone would have known who Captain America/Steve Rogers was so did no one recognize him? What did they say? (Did we get Beardy Steve back???) They had kids, canonically, so was Steve able to attend their T-BAll games and school plays?

One assumes that Sugar Baby Steve would have been the House Husband, because Pegs was running Shield and Steve was out of the game. He’d never be able to show his face at SHIELD because Howard would recognize him, and so would Arnim Zola, so HYDRA would have known that Captain America survived and I imagine they would have given anything to get him into the Chair.

It makes me think that Sugar Baby House Husband Steve would have been very isolated and possibly lonely. Maybe he had a few neighbor friends, but can you image how torturous it must have been to live so privately? To know that Bucky was out there suffering and being tortured and brainwashed and that he couldn’t do anything about it? He couldn’t go save his best pal?

That Peggy could never bring him to the SHIELD Christmas party, to visit her new baby godson Anthony, never attend anything with him.

And it makes me think Steve had to vanish from her life right when his earlier self entered it so like... as soon as she started getting sick enough with Alzheimer's he had to leave. 

Because that’s when younger Steve came into her life, and started visiting her in the nursing home. 

But he had to abandon her when she needed him most, and that is very tragic. How did Steve reconcile that with himself? Especially with returning to a future where she was dead and his friends were alive and he didn’t need to be the Secret Sugar Baby House Husband any more?

All in all, it was very enjoyable and I will watch it again. 

And I look forward to the FanFic.

* This means that Loki in that branch also likely did not participate in the battle against the Dark Elves. His character growth in that moment was likely delayed, but I believe he ultimately would have processed his extreme confusion, self-loathing, and hatred of his betrayal by his “family” Thor enough to join forces with him against the destruction of the universe when it mattered. Perhaps having the extra time to do so might have even served him better.  I don’t know if this means Odin chose to die and Hela was released, thus triggering the destruction of Asgard. I don’t know what this would have meant for Ragnarock - possibly with Odin as the King when he died the defenses would have been better (though I argue the culture and peace of Asgard thrived under Loki, especially with his dismantling of the Empire and the valuing of the Arts) and they would have saved Asgard or at least not lost so many.

And if Asgard had not survived, perhaps in this version something different may have happened, and Loki wouldn’t on the survivor ship. Perhaps he was on a different ship. Perhaps he wasn’t present for the battle at all and in a completely different part of the universe.

If he was elsewhere this means 

a) The Asgardian survivors would have lived because Thanos wouldn’t have targeted the ship, and Thor would have been less self-loathing. 

b) When Thanos found Loki with the Tesseract in this branch, it’s likely Loki was able to ingratiate himself to Thanos and gave the Stone to him without Thor there to tip his hand toward an immediate betrayal murder attempt. I subscribe to the theory that Loki was just as mind-controlled during The Avengers and the Battle of New York as Barton (though I wouldn’t call Loki totally innocent in everything) and that he had been suffering from extreme mental health issues following his unsuccessful attempted suicide. In this case, he would be willing to play the long game to get his revenge on his abuser Thanos. Then, later, hopefully, he joins Thor’s side to save the universe against Thanos (as he did against the Dark Elves)- betraying Thanos and perhaps stopping the Snap before it happened in that timeline. Or if not stopping the Snap, perhaps being a part of the new Avengers if he survived it, or joining in the final battle if he was Snapped Away.

Anyway - I have lots of Loki Thoughts. Feel free to adopt any Plot Bunnies this may have generated in reading this. 

[cicadabooks]

Steven Universe “Change Your Mind”

....YOOOOOOO

AAAAAH

*Flailing arms*

Oh, I meant, all in a good way.

But seriously, YOOOOO!

[spoilers below]

Thoughts:

* Okay, but what is there to make another season and movie about? Didn’t we just wrap up the main conflicts, threats and questions that have been driving the show for 5 years? I am confused. I hope the SU team isn’t just stretching stuff out.

* Fav rewatching parts: Obsidian sequence and the whole sequence with Steven’s gem and reuniting part. (James Baxter animated bit is a fav.) I think I read that the production crew spent the most time on the gem-and-reuniting sequence, because of the emotional significance etc of it. It shows, and I think the sequence is really strong endcap to Steven’s character arc where he spent 5 seasons questioning who his is and has been existential. Or whatever. What are words. I’m just still really excited and feel Feelings about that sequence, it was so interesting.

(Which is why I’m like “Wait, there’s another season? Of... what, though?”)

*Also characters becoming white diamond’s puppets is rewatchable for the creepiness -- how their bodies move. I read comments about how Rebecca Sugar should do horror, but honestly, there’s already a lot of creepy horror that is low-key woven into Steven Universe already?

*Also seeing and getting to know all the new fusions in general. And the leitmotifs for each one. Again, Obsidian soundtrack, so cool. And the temple statue is modeled after the Obsidian fusion!? Also the character design of Obsidian -  the aesthetics, gosh! Wow, I guess I just really dug that fusion. And a cursory search of Obsidian fan art on Tumblr shows that apparently a lot of people are also fan-ing out.

* I’ve read that some people don’t dig how the animation style changes between different animators or whatever, but I kind of like it. Even when it happens within a single long episode.

*...was that really Connie in 3 different places in the same scene, at the end at the Beach City concert (wide view shot)? A commentor pointed it out and it kind of looks like it. Huh. Unintentional?

*I’m... half-interested in Lars’s story (I guess I want to know if he’s gonna be a pink zombie person forever or what). I’m more interested in Sadie’s story. Also... I thought Lars and the Off Colors were going to do more. Maybe that’s what the 6th season is for.

* The giant pink legs spaceship parading around is and may be the strangest thing, and no one really comments on in-show. But also, I like how they’re parked in wonky unladylike stances. Actually the more I think about it, the funnier that spaceship is. Also, the photos with the SU crewmember who made a giant rice-crispie cake of the legs ship and the SU office people decorating it with pink frosting.... What...?

* I read a commentor wishing that Steven’s design would age a little in the 6th season, and actually, that would be a decent reason for another season. It would make sense, given all that’s happened. (I mean, he can fuse with the other gems now, just to show how he’s definitely grown more and is their peer.)

[the--blackdahlia]

Mr. Mom Chapter 5 (Jensen x Reader)

Title: Mr. Mom Chapter 5

Summary:  When Jensen loses his job, his wife uses her skills to go back to work. Jensen’s find with it, thinking he’ll just gets naps and TV time all day. Until he actually has to take care of the kids.

Warnings: Slight language

Jensen, Zepp, and Arrow made their way into the grocery store. (Y/n) had left a list of things that needed, and Jensen hadn’t actually done any major grocery shopping in a long time, and the last time he had the kids, (Y/n) was with him to help keep them distracted while he grabbed the things she pointed out. And, honestly, he thought it was just JJ at the time too. So far, things were going good. Zepp was in the main basket of the cart, acting as navigator, and Arrow was sitting in the seat, snacking on a bag of chips that she had snagged from the shelf.

 “Hey Zepp, where are the eggs?” Jensen asked, looking around the crowded aisle.

 “That way.” Zepp explained, motioning with his thumb. Jensen nodded and turned the cart, cutting off a woman cutting out of the aisle. Then he promptly hit carts with another woman.

 “I have the right away.” She explained, looking down her nose at Jensen.

 “Oh…right.” Jensen said, trying to move the cart over. “Sorry. Here, let’s settle out of court.” He threw a bag of corn chips into her cart and moved on, making the woman roll her eyes. Jensen turned down another aisle, looking around and hit an endcap display, knocking over a display of baked beans.

 “Garth, clean up on aisle four!” An employee called out.

 “Aisle four check.”

 Zepp and Arrow watched Jensen has he browsed the produce section. He was staring down at his list as he grabbed a cantaloupe, causing the whole pyramid of fruit to fall down. Jensen gasped and the woman who was restocking the lettuce sighed.

 “Garth, clean up in produce!” She called out.

 “I’m really sorry.” Jensen said. She gave him a sad smile and waved him off. Poor clueless guy. He sighed and made his way to the deli, where there was a long line. With the twins right at his side, Jensen made his way to the counter.

 “Next?” The woman said. Jensen looked down at his list.

 “Uh, I need a pound of ham.” He said.

 “What kind?” She asked. “Boiled, smoked, black forest, sugar cured…” Jensen looked completely lost. That was something that (Y/n) could grab on her way home.

 “Okay, how about a half pound of salami?” He asked.

 “Italian, kosher, beef…” Jensen shook his head. How were there so many options.

 “Forget it. Just give me a pound of cheese.” Jensen said. But from the sighs behind him, he knew that he had chose wrong.

 “Swiss, provolone, cheddar, CoJack, pepper jack…” The list just kept going on. Jensen was starting to have a panic attack at all the options. How did (Y/n) do this all the time?

 “Can…can you run the hams back again?” Jensen asked, earning groans and protests from the other customers. He made it away from the deli and went through the list to see if he got everything else that he came for.

 That’s when he came to the items. Why was she making him get that item? He hadn’t gotten that for her in years.

 He made his way to the end of the aisle and grabbed a box of Kotex, throwing it into the cart. He made his way to the checkout then, watching the lady ring everything up. She paused as she rang up the box of Kotex. Jensen watched her, wondering what was wrong.

 “I think these are on sale.” She said. “Garth, are these Kotex maxi pads on sale?” She asked into the mic.

 “Uh, never mind Garth!” Jensen said. The woman stared at him strangely before hearing Garth’s voice.

 “Kotex is fifty cents off.” He explained. She smirked at Jensen and rang it up, making sure to take away the discount. Jensen sighed.

 “Okay kids, almost…” He froze. The boy in the basket wasn’t Zeppelin. “Who are you?”

 “West.” The kid said. Jensen grabbed him and ran towards the back of the store, the kid screaming for his mom as he did. He made his way back to the frozen section where he saw Zepp standing by a woman’s cart as she browsed fish.

 “Here, I’ll trade you. Your kid for mine.” Jensen said, setting West down and grabbing Zepp.

 “Okay, thanks.” She laughed. As Jensen left with Zepp though, she looked up, eyes wide. “I don’t have any kids!” Jensen and Zepp headed back to the checkout, but he didn’t see Arrow where he had left her.

 “Have you seen my little girl?” Jensen asked. The cashier smiled.

 “Yes, she’s very cute.” She laughed. Jensen was panicking.

 “She’s lost!” He said.

 “You left a child in a shopping cart?” She asked, rolling her eyes. “Garth, one lost child.” Jensen grabbed a woman that was waiting to check out’s cart, tossed Zepp in it, and went searching for Arrow. He finally found her, smiling and talking to a woman with red hair.

 “There she is!” He called out. The woman smiled.

 “She’s yours and I’m Danneel.” The woman said. “(Y/n) told me you’d be around. You need a hand?”

 “You could give me both of them, I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.” Jensen said, a little out of breath. Danneel laughed.

 “Garth, clean up on aisle 7!” A woman said. Jensen looked around.

 “Garth, we weren’t even on aisle 7!” He called out. Danneel laughed more. Soon, they had everything they needed and headed out of the market.

 “Not as easy as you thought it’d be, is it?” She asked. Jensen sighed. “Hardest job in the world.”

 “Yeah, I’m starting to have a whole new appreciation for (Y/n).” He admitted.

 “Well, don’t be afraid to ask for help.” Danneel said. “First time mommy training is tough. But, lucky for you, I’m full of all sorts of resources. Even if you just want to talk. I’m sure you have my number.” She laughed and winked at Jensen. He got the kids and groceries in the car before making his way out, Danneel waving to him. Samantha Smith made her way over to Danneel.

 “You know, he’s married.” She laughed. Danneel smiled more.

 “So were we once.” She pointed out. Samantha just shook her head.

 ****

 (Y/n) came home after a long day at work. Her feet hurt from wearing heels all day, and the clothes were not comfortable. She made her way inside, surprised that no one was downstairs. She kicked off her heels.

 “Where is everyone?” She asked.

 “Up here!” JJ called out. She made her way upstairs towards the bathroom, where JJ was helping Jensen wash Zepp and Arrows hair.

 “Mommy!” The three kids called out with a smile. Jensen looked up at his wife.

 “How was your day?” He asked, secretly hoping she’d say it was awful and she was ready to come back home and take over again.

 “Oh…it was terrible.” She sighed. “I was only there five minutes and people were yelling and I was getting laughed at…” Jensen stood up, trying to hide his smile.

 “Want me to go kick a little ass?” He laughed. (Y/n) shrugged.

 “The only one who was nice to me was Jeff.” (Y/n) said. That blew away any attitude that Jensen had. He looked at her.

 “Jeff?” HE asked.

 “Mr. Morgan. He’s the only one who appreciated my opinion.” (Y/n) explained. Jensen set on the toilet lid while (Y/n) picked up cleaning the kids. Jensen listened to her talk about her day, and how nice Jeff was to her. “Well, I was invited to tour the tuna plant with them. How awesome is that?” The kids all smiled and cheered, but Jensen could only offer a smile.

 He wasn’t jealous. Not at all.

 Okay, maybe a little.

Forever Tags: @petrovadixon @aiaranradnay @marvel-af @theas-bedtime-stories @cutie1365 @af112992 @crownedloki @bandobsession98 @secretlyshycomputer @daddyulrich @kenzie-110101 @sammat97 @dslocum89 @newtospnfandom @nanie5 @whatisauser @dekahg

Mr. Mom Tags: @gemini75eeyore 

Jensen/Dean Tags: @akshi8278

Supernatural Tags: @essie1876 @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester