#and then for sides i got minute rice and green beans which i know i can make on the stove bc ive made them before

[theygender]

Gonna cook dinner for my girlfriend wish me luck

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Let's Talk Collard Greens.

I know it's more of a Southern thing, but Texans outdo the old south a lotta times, as far as cooking goes. That's one of the reasons it's so damned hard to find a really good Mexican restaurant out here. Now, when I'm feeling fairly good, and I'm just looking through the produce to see what they've got, I can get inspired by ingredients. I think that's the best way to put it. Sometimes something will grab my attention and I instantly grab IT and put it in the basket. Thus with these organic collard greens, which you must admit are absolutely gorgeous, even after two days in my crisper:

But first things first. I'll wash these and set them aside, then get busy with choppin' the onions and garlic. CAUTION: COLLARD GREEN PORN AHEAD:

Grab a big yellow onion (not "sweet"), and most of a pod of garlic. Let those sit for a second while I take three slices of that glorious bacon out of the package, all together, and use the kitchen shears and cut them into 1" slices, and put them in my daily driver cast iron. Let them get nice and browned on the edge, getting slightly sticky to the bottom, scrape and throw in the chopped onions. Mix around and let cook until they're about to be clear, then put the garlic in, and turn the heat down and turn your attention to those glorious greens:

I have a specific way I slice and chop them that is FAST, and EFFICIENT, and easy to do. First. lay a leaf flat, with the "front side" of the leaf face down, so that the spine is sticking up. Now make two cuts, one on each side, as shown, and yank the stem out. Then take the next leaf, stack it atop that one and do the same again. Repeat until the whole bunch of greens is de-veined, all the stems gone.

Now, take that stack and ROLL IT, like it's a big fat cigar. Roll the whole stack together. Like so.

Now slice that stack with a santoku or whatever yer knife of choice is. That's it!

Once that roll is sliced, throw 'em in with the onion garlic and bacon.

Get 'em coated, throw in about 2 cups water, deglaze the bacon goodie from the bottom, and throw in about 3 chicken boullion cubes, and a goodly amount of black pepper.

Now let that cook down. Another 20 minutes or so, yank the lid and check, and you should see this:

Since the aim is to make this a "One Bowl Meal", I am gonna add two items of convenience. First, the can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Green Chiles (99 cents at GroceOut), and the can of cooked white beans (been in the cabinet for months). Just do it.

Mix things up and put it on medium heat and let it simmer while your rice cooks. It should end up lookin' like this:

Once your buttered white rice is done, use a fork and flake out a nice bed of of it in a wide, shallow bowl. Ladle a couple ladlefulls of that bacony goodness.

Hopefully you will see the method in my madness of adding the canned goodies. Beans are perfect with greens, protein! and the RoTel always adds that Texas kick to whatever it is. Rice gives you your starch, and bingo. Perfect meal in a bowl.

Also, if you require more heat with this, I suggest splashing your bowl of goodness LIBERALLY (lol) with this:

You could also use HAM instead of bacon, but bacon never fails. Sometimes I use both, if I can.

Y'all enjoy! I'll get back to playin' 45s after I eat this bowl o'goodness.

[darkisrising]

what's ur fav meal to cook? i usually do stir fry or fajitas but my roomates are getting tired of those option and its my turn to cook dinner again lol

Ack! Okay so I actually try to opt out of cooking whenever possible 😅 I used to like it but then burnout brain got me so I stopped. But! When I'm trying to be a team player, I'll make Cuban-adjacent style black beans (I say that because it comes out nothing like my abuela used to make but I stopped caring a while back) :

saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a big pan until translucent, add three cans black beans (2 cans drained, one with water) when it's simmering cover with lid and bring down heat. Takes about 45? Ish? Minutes, but check it and stir every 20 min to make sure it's not burning on the bottom. It should have no more liquid, but not in a dried out way. It should be kind of creamy but not a paste. Then add some cumin and serve with white rice (Cuban approved version) or tortillas (NOT Cuban version but it's easier than messing with making rice so I usually do this. Maybe add some avocado to it)

If you want to really get into it, you can also make tostones with it:

green plantain bananas (bigger than regular bananas, with super thick peel), slice the peel off and take out plantain/banana inside, cut into inch thick rounds, put them in hot oil in a pan until both sides are a little yellow, take them out and stick on paper towels. With the bottom of a bowl or cup (something flat) smoosh them flat, put them back into oil until golden brown, put on paper towels and pat out extra oil, sprinkle with salt. Done.

Or if you want something not so oily, there's this recipe my husband has been into making lately, it's the weight watchers version of Arroz con Pollo, which is pretty easy and makes enough for leftovers over here.

Hope that helps! Let me know what you wind up doing for dinner!

[dearbisexual]

i have perfected my method for "lazy" vegetable fried rice and im going to share it with y'all because it tastes good, takes about 10 mins to make, and actually gets me to eat vegetables!! AND THERES NO CHOPPING INVOLVED, IF YOU SO CHOOSE. it also only dirties one pan, one spatula, and one plate and utensil(s) if you do it right, are you sold yet? idc let's go

ingredients:

leftover rice - hard requirement. im told by the internet it tastes the best if it's been refrigerated. but if you want to use fresh rice thats fine too, but that's an extra step and just know that i won't be listing that as a step below. you can use whatever kind of rice you want, ive been using basmati rice because my sister bought a GIANT bag of it and we've been making it for dinner a lot

vegetables - hard requirement. you can use fresh but 1) that requires chopping which is extra steps and cleanup. dad likes to buy these frozen "mixed vegetables" bags and they cook in the microwave in the bag and ive been using those, theyve got corn, peas, green beans, and carrots. you can obviously choose different frozen vegetables, they sell em in different mixes at the store

soy sauce - hard requirement. i don't have any notes for this one. use whatever kind of soy sauce you prefer

butter - soft requirement. recommended because it tastes good and most ppl have it but if you'd prefer, you can use a vegetable oil of your choice

sesame oil - soft requirement BUT EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED. it tastes so good. i know everyone may not be able to splurge for it or may have a sesame allergy but it's honestly what makes this taste so good for me

one egg - optional. fried rice usually has bits of egg in it like traditionally but i tried it and im not a fan of the added eggy flavor. i like the texture though, i might experiment with tofu in the future

hardware:

medium sized pan

spatula or similar

directions:

preheat your pan on medium heat. if you're using frozen vegetables, i recommend microwaving them for like, 2 mins to soften them up. they don't have to be piping hot, but they cook better if they're not totally frozen.

add about a tablespoon or two of butter to your pan. if you want egg, go ahead and fry your egg in the pan and put it to the side when it's to your liking, to be added back in later. once the veggies are softened, add as much or as little as you'd like to the pan. lightly drizzle in some sesame oil and soy sauce and saute for a few minutes, or until the veggies are hot.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you add too much sesame oil, (or butter) your rice WILL be too greasy and give you a stomach ache (trust me). less is more here.

anyway, when the veggies are hot and have yknow mingled with the sesame oil and soy sauce, toss in your rice and stir fry. add a little more soy sauce if you think it needs it, but remember that you can always add in soy sauce to taste when you're done. add in your egg if you fried one, chopping it up with the spatula.

finally, once the rice has browned to your liking, slap it on a plate. you can wait for it to cool to dig in but i don't

and that's it! if you make this, you're required to tell me what you think, pretty please.

ALSO this is NOT an "authentic" fried rice recipe and i realize that, this is just something tasty i make for myself to eat vegetables.

ok that's it i love you bye

[ktwritesstuff]

The Babysitter (a Last of Us fanfic) pt. 6

Title: The Babysitter Fandom: The Last of Us Rating: Mature Characters & Pairings: Joel Miller x Reader Word Count: ~2,700 Summary: Calm before the storm. Beta-read by the immaculate globe-trotter, @bs-fangirl.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 (below cut) | Part 7 | Part 8

Somewhere Outside Richmond, Virginia. Summer 2010

After Atlanta, the three of you were careful, stayed away from populated areas; you rarely encountered the infected.  The world outside was more beautiful than FEDRA’s propaganda led you to believe–green and quiet–it was a shame you weren’t feeling well.

At first you tried to brush it off as allergies; it has been so long since you had been in actual nature, but allergies didn’t usually come with nausea and body aches.  Of course, sleeping on the ground didn’t help.  Eventually you admitted that it had to be flu or some other virus; you didn’t know how you picked it up when you hadn’t seen any other people in weeks.  

The nights were getting colder and you were running low on supplies.  You were hungry and exhausted–the lymph nodes under your arms so swollen and tender you couldn’t even carry a backpack without crying–so Joel and Tommy took turns exploring the mountainous terrain while you rested as best you could.   

Joel had been gone for little more than an hour and you didn’t expect him back until closer to nightfall, so when you heard footsteps approaching through the trees Tommy raised his gun.

“It’s just me,” Joel called.  “Calm down.”

“What are you doing back?” you asked, sitting up from where your head was resting on Tommy’s pack.  “Did you find food?”

“Better,” Joel said, reaching to help you up. 

“What’s better than food?” 

“I’ll show you,” he said.  “Come on.  Trust me.”

You and Tommy followed Joel about a mile into the woods until you came to a steep ledge along a riverbank.  Joel lowered himself down and reached up to help you.  

“I don’t like this, Joel,” you protested.  Your arms and legs felt weak and the rocks were wet and slippery; you gripped Tommy’s hand harder as he helped to lower you down.  

“I know, Sweetpea,” Joel put a hand on your back to support you as you made your way down the ledge.  “I got you.  We’re almost there.”

After wading through the river and trudging through the woods in wet socks and shoes for another twenty minutes you reached what might have once been a gravel path or road, now overgrown with grass and greenbriars.  

At the bottom of the hill there was a perfect little cottage bathed in dappled light.  The tin roof was covered in moss and speckled with dandelions.  A black walnut tree was growing through the remnants of the porch.  There was a clear pond and a garden that had gone wild with bolting greens, summer squash that had gone to seed, and runner beans trailing up the pawpaw saplings sprouting up through the yard.

“Joel,” you gasped.    

“There’s more,” Joel said, grinning like a maniac.  

The porch groaned under his weight as he climbed the steps to the house, you and Tommy following carefully behind him.

In the front room there was a wood-burning stove, a wooden rocking chair still in good condition, a sofa that was mostly dry-rotten, and a whole shelf full of books, even an antique sewing machine with a foot-pedal and a basket full of scraps where squirrels had made their nest.  They scurried through the window as you came into the house.     

The area behind the cabin was overgrown with wildflowers and brush.  Tommy actually whooped at excitement at the sight of a fat doe bending down to nibble on the tall grass, which caused her to turn tail and run.  On the other side of the room there was a set of narrow stairs up to a loft and a little kitchen where Joel was already throwing open the cupboards which were stocked with rice and beans and mason jars full of soups and tomatoes and pickles.

“I know it looks like a lot, but we still have to be careful,” Joel said.  “With a little planning, it should get us through winter.”

You covered your mouth and sank on to the floor; every muscle in your body finally giving out in relief.  Joel grabbed you by the waist and hoisted you back up; you held onto his shoulders for support.

“This is ours,” you laughed.  “Our house.”

Joel nodded, his pride evident in spite of his usual seriousness.  

“If the well is good, Tommy and I can get the pump working–we might even have running water.  There’s a bedroom back here,” he said, guiding you into the back room.  There was a double bed with a cast iron frame, a wardrobe, and a cedar chest of linens and wool afghans that Joel tossed onto the bed.  

“There’s plenty of wood, I can get a fire going in no time,” Joel explained.  

You nodded, sinking onto the bed, tears streaming down your face.

“Stop that,” Joel warned, but his voice was soft.  “Everything is going to be okay now.  We’re gonna make some food–you can finally get some rest and get healthy.”

You slept like a rock until Joel roused you with a mug of hot soup–a bean and vegetable number with tomatoey broth.  You wished you had some crackers to settle your stomach, but even without it was the best meal you had eaten in months.  

After, you slept again until after nightfall when Joel came to bed, undressing in the dark.  

“Tommy’s going to take the loft,” he explained.  “I’ll stay down here with you.”

“I’m afraid of getting you sick,” you protested as he climbed into bed beside you.

“If you haven’t gotten me sick already, you ain’t gonna,” Joel said.

You spent a few days subsisting on applesauce and oatmeal and sleeping as much as possible.  Joel mostly kept watch over you, hauling firewood, and fixing things up around the cabin–reinforcing sagging floorboards, patching holes in the roof.  There was a shed on the property with tools and supplies, but without electricity things took time.  Tommy helped out whenever Joel needed an extra set of hands, but mostly he passed time exploring the surrounding forest and stalking deer–so far unsuccessfully.  The house had come with a rifle and a small supply of ammo, but he knew to be judicious with it.  

You spent your few waking hours cataloging the contents of the wardrobe–women’s clothes, much of it handmade, most of it too small for your frame, but there were a few dresses you could use–and the cabin’s modest library–cookbooks, field guides on local plants and wildlife, and herbal remedies.  Little by little, a picture began to form of the cabin’s previous occupants.

You dreamed of her often.  Sometimes a lone pioneer, sometimes a fairytale witch.  You woke feeling feverish and ashamed.  You felt haunted.  Joel fretted over you when you screamed yourself awake, unable to explain why.  He never slept much either, so you weren’t surprised when you woke one night to an empty bed.  

The wind was cold.  You could hear black walnuts thunking against the tin roof as it blew.  You wrapped a knitted blanket around you and padded out to the kitchen in bare feet.  

Joel and Tommy were speaking in hushed tones out at the table.  They had a fire going, sharing nips of alcohol from an ancient-looking bottle of whiskey.  You wouldn’t have thought much of it, except they went silent real quick when they realized you were out of bed.  You couldn’t avoid the question that had been burning at the back of your mind any longer.  Who would have left this place when it had everything you needed?

“Joel, was there somebody here when you found this place?”

Joel cleared his throat, not meeting your eyes in the firelight.  

“There was an old woman,” he said.  “She was dead when I got here.”

“You swear,” you said.  “Do you swear she was already dead?”  You almost asked him to swear on Sarah, but you decided against it, knowing you would have to live with the answer.

“Jesus, Sweetpea, I swear,” Joel said.  “She died natural, as far as I could tell, in her bed–which makes her a hell of a lot more fortunate than the likes of us.”

“In the bed where we’ve been sleeping,” you wailed, pointing back to the bedroom.

Tommy chuckled.  

“You see why I didn’t want to tell you,” Joel said.

You closed your eyes and took a breath, choking down a sob.  People died all the time–you had lost your entire family in one night and barely shed a tear–so why were you suddenly overcome by the loss of this person you had never even known?  

“What did you do with her?” you asked.

“I wrapped her up in the comforter and walked her down the hill; I flipped the mattress over and I came and got you and Tommy,” he explained.

“Joel!” you shrieked.  

“What was I supposed to do?”

“We have to bury her,” you said.  “She left all of this for us; it’s the least we can do.”

You hardly considered yourself a Christian anymore, but still.  It didn’t sit right with you to leave your predecessor out in the open to be scavenged by wild animals.

“Fine,” Joel growled.  “We’ll take care of it, first thing tomorrow.  Go back to bed–you need to rest.”

True to his word, in the morning, Joel dug a modest grave.  You thought about looking at the remains before they were interred, but couldn’t bring yourself to unfold the threadbare fabric of the old quilt.  You covered the mound with river rocks.  Tommy whittled two dowels down and bound them with twine to make a cross.    

“You don’t know that she was Christian,” Joel protested.  You glared.  

“Would you like to say a few words?”

“I think I just want to say ‘thank you,’” you said, standing over the grave with a bouquet of Black-eyed Susans from the field behind the house.  “I know you don’t know us, but because you planted a garden we get to eat and have a safe place to sleep. And I just want you to know, we’ll take care of your home.”

After the funeral, it felt like a spell had been broken.  You were sleeping through the night and your appetite returned.  By the end of the week, you were feeling much stronger, so when Tommy finally brought home a deer, he and Joel showed you how to field dress and butcher it. 

Joel put the knife in your hand, standing behind you, guiding you through the motions.  

“Keep the point away from you and go slow,” he warned.  “Be gentle, you just want to go through the skin.  Puncture the stomach or intestines and all you’re gonna have is a fucking mess.”

You made it through the first layer of skin and the membrane beneath without too much difficulty.  Without the heart beating, there was less blood than you expected.

“This is a fat fucking deer,” Joel laughed, helping you scoop out the guts.  “Hell yeah,” Tommy agreed.

“She’s beautiful.”

You ran your fingers through the coarse fur, around the rose-like bloom where Tommy’s bullet had entered the deer’s shoulder and struck her heart.  Tommy knew what he was doing: a clean kill, quick, and as close to painless as it got.  You wondered where they had learned this; imagined that maybe they had gone on hunting trips with their father when they were young.

“You alright?” Joel asked.  “You look pale.”

You nodded, shaking off the wave of sickness.  

“I’m okay,” you said.  “What next?” 

“Reach inside,” Joel said, guiding your hands into the stomach cavity.  “Feel that muscle there, you’re going to cut through to get to the heart and esophagus.  Once you cut through that we can pull everything out to let it drain.”

“You’re a natural,” Tommy said, patting your back encouragingly.

“Takes a soft touch,” Joel agreed.  

Tommy took the deer to drain the rest of the blood.

With no refrigeration, the three of you realized you didn’t have a reliable way to preserve the meat; it was going to be much more than you could eat before it went bad.  Joel thought if he took the pelt and the extra meat to the Richmond QZ, he could trade for medicine or other supplies.  You didn’t like the idea of him out there alone, but neither he nor Tommy were willing to leave you alone.  

By day three with no sign of Joel, you started to panic.  Tommy put on a brave face, but you could tell he was just as worried as you were.  When reading could no longer keep your anxiety at bay you walked, exploring the forest.  You collected black walnuts and happened upon a strawberry patch up the hill from the cabin (though it was too late in the season now for strawberries), you even found chicken of the woods.  Tommy refused to touch it, convinced you were going to poison him.  

It was close to sunset on the fourth day when you finally caught sight of a figure with Joel’s approximate proportions and coloring, limping along from the rocks overlooking the old gravel road.    

“Joel!” you called out, scrambling down the hill.  “Joel.”  

“You had us scared half to death,” you said, throwing your arms around him.

“M’alright,” he said, relaxing into you.  “Twisted my damn ankle.  I’m sorry I scared you; I’ve just been moving slow.”     

Joel let you take his pack, and you ducked under his arm to support him on the path back up to the cabin.  Once you were within earshot you called out for Tommy and he helped you get Joel back up to the house and settled onto the bed with pillows under his bad ankle.  

“You got any Advil in here?” Tommy asked, rooting through Joel’s pack as you struggled to get his boot off his swollen foot.  There was a hint of bruising, but Joel could wiggle his toes.  It didn’t rule out a fracture, but if there were, hopefully it was small enough to heal on its own.  

“I wish,” Joel grimaced.  “Managed to find a new pressure switch for the jet pump, though.”

While Joel and Tommy went over their plans to get the well back in order, you sorted through your jars of dried herbs and spices, mashing up comfrey and wild garlic to warm on the stove with a few drops of oil from the pantry.  

“What the hell is that?” Joel said as you went to wrap his ankle with the paste.

“An herbal poultice,” you said.  “I learned how to make it from one of the books–been using it on cuts and scrapes.  Arnica’s better for a twisted ankle, but it doesn’t grow wild in this part of the country.” 

“I’d rather have some good old fashioned ice,” Joel complained, gritting his teeth as you tightened the bandages.

“Well we don’t have ice, now do we,” you snapped, tying off the bandages a little tighter than you needed to.  “So you’re just going to have to keep off it.  Now, are you hungry?  We’ve got fish.”

“Yes.”  Joel frowned; you knew he hated being laid up, but at this point there was nothing else you could do until his ankle had a chance to heal.  Thank heavens, it wasn’t worse. 

“I’ll put a plate on the stove for you,” you said.  “You have to rest.  The well can wait a few days more.”  

It was dark by the time Joel had eaten and dinner had been cleaned up; you changed into a flannel nightgown by candlelight.  You hadn’t even realized how scared you had been until you felt the relief washing over you as you climbed into bed beside him.

“I missed you,” you said, tucking yourself close to his side.  “It gets cold at night.”

Joel put his arm around you and kissed the top of your head.  You realized he must have been scared, too.  Or at least he was glad to be home, as much as he liked to complain.

“I even asked Tommy if he would come down to keep me warm,” you teased.  

“You did?” Joel chuckled.  “How did that go?”

You laughed.  “He gave me his blanket and told me to go sleep by the stove.”

Baby's First Taglist: @stilllivindue2spite, @amethystwonders11, @teacupcollectorr, @jbaby2, @flyingmushroomsss, @boysddontcry, @cated18, @sunnycamm

[silent-raven13]

Matching my Sunflower's eating pace!

Hobie set up his Smartphone up being at his Sunflower's apartment, they were having lunch. The punker sat on the table while his boyfriend came to set a home cooked meal rice and beans, Puerto Rican tostones, and fresh braised Oxtails. Of course a side of salad just for their daily greens.

The punker's phone went live on their Spdr So-City app. He saw his beautiful partner putting down some ice cold Fruit punch, "Okay, lunch is ready."

"Awe, thanks luv." Hobie saw his plate being more filled than his Suflower's plate. Miles tends to eat smaller portions when he's not skipping meals. "I am starving."

"Me too!" His Sunflower sat next to him, being happy his boyfriend is ready to eat.

Little did he know, Hobie is waiting for him to eat so he can copy him. The Live went on with their friends commenting.

Live:

Lupe: Yum! Oxtails!

Gwen: This is gonna be funny!

Pavtri: Oh! Mukbangs?

Miles being unaware started to prepare himself to eat, first he took a sip of his fruit punch. Hobie copies, then sat down just waiting. The Black Latino took out his Smartphones, "Hmmm, what should I watch?" He scrolls through his streaming services to see what show to watch or go on Youtube to find a video to watch.

Hobie just sitting there being hungry, his leg shook being impatient with this.

Live:

Gwen: Hahahaha, Miles is a slow eater when he let him eat!😂

Pavtri: For real! Hobie looks like he's starving himself 😆

Miles went on Youtube to find anything to watch, "Oh, MattPat had posted new lore on Fnaf, bae!" He click the video, then got his plate set up with his fork and spoon.

"Oh lovely..." Hobie was being a bit grumpy since he's waiting to eat, he follows his partner's moment.

"Oh shit, I forgot napkins!" His boyfriend got up to get napkins, which left Hobie waiting. When Miles came back, he had to repay the video then goes, "Ohh, I saw this one. Hmm, maybe I can watch a CoryxKenshin? Nah, he hasn't post anything in a while..."

Live:

Pav: 5 years later -in SpongeBob's narrator's voice-

Gwen: He's so hungry! Hurry up Miles!

Jess: Was Miles always dis slow? He's like Gerald!

Hobie just staring at his food being dramatic. "What's wrong, bae? You're not touching your food?" His Sunflower noticed him.

"Oh, just waiting."

"Oh? But you normally eat first, bae. Are you getting sick?" Miles went over to touch his boyfriend's forehead to feel his temperature. "Hmm, you seem fine."

"Luv, I'm fine. Um... you're not eating." Hobie casually move the subject to his Sunflower.

"Oh, I'm looking for a video. I'll watch JazzyGun's latest video, she always have something new." He went on his youtube's sub section to pick his favorite game streamer, once he click the video. He pick up a small spoonful of rice before, he was about to put it in his mouth noticing it's cold.

Hobie quickly shove the spoonful of rice in his mouth, then spits it out when he glances at his Sunflower putting his rice back in the plate. "Oh no, it gotten cold. I'ma go warm it up." His Sunflower got up holding his plate, he rushes over to heat up his meal in a microwave for two minutes.

The punker just sat in his spot having to scratch his head and stare at his boyfriend like are-you-serious?

Live:

Gwen: Hahaha, he likes his food hot

Pav: Make sense. When your Spider-man you always eat cold, or shove down your snack to go to the next mission.

Peter: Yup!

Jess: I love my food hot, especially when I have free time.

MJ: Food is best when it's hot and ready! I always told Peter to never eat anything cold, it doesn't taste as good.

Miles came back with his plate steaming, "Oh, bae. your food got cold?"

Hobie looks at his plate, "Um, yeah."

"You want me to heat it up for you." His hand reaches for the plate, but Hobie shook his head.

"No, luv. It's fine-" His boyfriend stubbornly took his plate, "No, it's good cold! It's okay, I'll heat it up for you." He took his partner's plate to warm it up in the microwave.

Hobie sat there looking at his smartphone as he mouthed, "I am starving!" He never thought his Sunflower was this slow to eat, his stomachs painfully growling for food, rubbing it to ease it.

Live:

Lupe: Hahaha, he's HUN-GRAY!

Jess: Miles is exactly like Gerald. My lil man takes forever to eat, he needs everything in order before munching and he got this from his daddy. Miles might take another ten minutes to eat 😂

Pav: I wonder where Miles get it from? I never seen his parents eat soo 🤔

Gwen: I wonder too!

Peter: RIP on Hobie's stomach, he's never eating 😭

Miles came back with Hobie's plate being steaming hot, then saw his boyfriend being quiet. "What's wrong?" He pouted.

"Nuthin'. Um.. you're not eating?" Hobie watching his Sunflower sitting back on his spot.

"I will! What about you?" Miles snuggles against him before going back to his Smartphone to rewind the video he let it play.

Hobie's dramatically growl being loud and proud which causes his boyfriend to jump, "Bae? Why you're not eating? You're hungry!"

"No-no, it's fine." The punker shrug it off.

Miles arched his eyebrow, "Your being weird." Then he went back to his video, before he giggles at the streamer being scared through the game play. Then he took his spoon which Hobie finally follows, then dig into his rice and bean into his mouth and chews slowly.

Live:

Pav: Ohh not, Miles takes small bites 😆

Gwen: Jebus! 😩 I dont get y Hobie is doin this challenge

Peter: The lil bit of rice on the spoon 😭

Peni: He eats so slow!

Hobie chews the same pace as his boyfriend noticing he's a fast chewer, and waiting for another spoonful. Then, Miles dig into his salad taking one thick lettuce into his mouth and chews. Hobie copies as he tries to play off that he's okay with this, his eyes on them oxtails and waiting for it. He knows his friends are making fun of him being so stressed out about eating this slow.

His Sunflower stares at the phone screen without taking another bite, he took a sip of his fruit punch. Then, took one oxtail to eat and slurp the bone, Hobie follows but saw the way Miles still took his sweet time getting all the meat off the bone. Hobie had to double look to find his boyfriend slurping the bone a bit too much.

Live:

Gwen: 😂 he's thinking about someone, huh?

Pav: 😂😂😂😂😂

Peni: Opp, who is it! 🤭

"Luv. Luv. Sunflower," Hobie had to stop his boyfriend from slurping the bone.

"Hm?" Big doe eyes staring at him so innocently.

The Punker commented, "Yuh slurpin' a bit too much there."

"I like the juice." Miles commented before going back.

Hobie quickly had to stop him again, "Luv, uhh, it's a bit too erotic."

"What?"

"You know, it's like your thinking about someone..."

Miles' stares at him then a smirk appeared on his face, "And? What if I am?" He went back to slurping his bone, making his punker look dumbfounded.

"Who?"

"Stop playing around, Hobie. I wanna eat. You should eat too! Your not eating," His Sunflower hums, "Your food is gonna get cold."

"No, wait, luv. You are-" Hobie saw his Sunflower giggle, "Duh, it's you but seriously, I'm just eating. Take a joke, bae!" He set the bone of oxtail aside then grab another one. "Mm, these came out good, huh?"

"Yeah, very juicy." Hobie nodded before he took another one eating slow.

Miles watching his partner slowly eating, "Bae, you don't like it?"

"What? No, I do. It's just-" His Sunflower pouting, "You never eat this slow, what's wrong? By now, you'll be on your second plate!"

"It's just I'm not that hungry." Hobie tries to play it off, then his stomach growling out loud being so dramatic.

Miles frowns, "You hate it, don't you!" He looks so upset, now.

"No! Nono, luv!" Hobie reassured him by holding his boyfriend in his arms, letting him sit on his lap, "It's freakin' delicious! Lovely, fantastic! I'm just doing the prank." He pointed at his phone.

Miles gasps then laughs at the Punker's phone being on live, "BAE! You had me worry!" He kisses his Hobie's cheek a couple of times, "You know, I eat slow why you put yourself through that? No wonder you're being cranky!"

Hobie chuckles having to kiss his Sunflower and snuggle him, "Luv, everyone expected me to do this prank! Ugh, now that's over I can eat!" He went over to his plate having two big spoonfuls of rice and beans then went to bite on an oxtails already munching and swallowing. Miles went to take his punker phone to zoom in on his boyfriend's mouth shoving food and giggling at the comments.

Live:

Lupe: Thank gawd, my boi is eating!

Gwen: Finally!

Pav: He's never doing this, again! 😂

[le4ftea]

So, uhh how would Tanjiro Inosuke and Genya act after having sex with their s/o for the first time? Would they be protective? Shy? Lovey-dovey? Thank you ^^

OWO HONEY. I'll tell you.

Demon Slayer Boys after being Intimate. G/N!Reader

Tanjirou

When he found out about you liking him back...

He was shaking with excitement, his hands shaking and his fingers going numb.

He was so happy that he felt that he could die and know that at least he had you.

But when you both had sex

He was very passionate and kind with each thrust, the world spinning with every deep pound into you.

After you both had lose your innocents to one another

He was shy and very gentle with you the next day, and felt as if he fell in love with you all over again.

°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°

You softly hummed as you felt like the day had been washed in vanilla and cinnamon, the morning was somehow more lovely then before. Slowly rising up from the bed, you felt a bit of soreness in the lower half of your body.

Groaning quietly to yourself, you sat up.

A fuzzy bath robe wrapped around you yet slipped off your shoulders due to the fact it was a little bigger then usual.

Both of your bare shoulders shining with a pink blush.

Still half closed, you looked around the room almost drunkly.

Confused of why you were alone in the bed you passionately shared with the hero to all himself.

Tanjirou.

Without another minute of worry of his where abouts, the sliding doors open in a clumsy way.

A soft gasp leaving whomever it was, as the sound of dishes cling together.

"Oh oh no!" He whispered shouted as they struggled with the door and what seemed to be a tray.

You stumble onto your feet and quietly walk over to the man at the door, gently holding the door open for him to enter.

A soft smile on your face as you spoke to him, silky and smooth.

"Need help love?"

Tanjirou squaled and almost fell back from your sudden presence.

"D-Darling! Did I wake you?" Sounding worried about being to loud.

Giggling and shaking your head you replied with a 'no'.

Tanjirou had brought a tray of rice eggs and bacon that had sliced green onion and some yellow mashed potatoes that had some cheese inside, with some tea.(I wish I could eat this.)

A small blush on your face at the cute gesture.

You sat next to him and kissed his cheek.

Turning to face you immediately, his face burning a bright red. Almost whimpering at you.

Both of you grabbed your chop sticks and started to eat while you asked why he brought the food himself.

He looked away as he scratched his cheek, a blush still visible.

"Well... I just felt bad that I went to rough on you last night, I got selfish near the end and gave into my needs and probably hurt you a bit. So I asked if I could take our food here today as an apology."

His mood at change the atmosphere in the room, his face also turned into a sad frown.

You gently crested his cheek drawing his attention to you.

"You didn't hurt me love, all you did is make me fall in love with you more."

His frown jumped into a smile as a small tears popped from his eyes.

He would never be able to let you go now.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●●○●○

Inosuke

He was very obvious with his crush on you, yet you seemed to be denser then a brick.

When he start up told you he loved you.

You had no other choice but to know.

And when you both finally got intimate.

Holy Hell.

This man was going really hard and rough with you, gentle groaning as you screamed his name. It was like he had been waiting forever to pound you into the bed.

Like a beast breeding his mate.

The next day he was in a daze almost for a week.

Not speaking to anyone but only staying by your side with flowers dancing around him.

°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°

Laying on his chest, you would occasionally snuggle into him. His arm underneath you holding you closer to him.

His other laying on his toned stomach.

You both stayed like this for a while till you had the feeling of hunger, stomach grumbling quite loud now.

You pushed yourself from his warm body and saw his state that you didn't notice before.

He seemed to be a melted puddle of happiness, his aura a heart warmed glow as he had finally had you.

A dopey grin on his face until he saw you about to leave, gripping your wrist he sat up too. Looking you in your eyes deeply.

"I'm going to get food Inosuke" you whined almost at the growing hunger.

He pouted and almost asked you to stay with his eyes alone, his body language begging for you to not leave him yet.

Sighing you stood up but helped him up too and hugged him.

"Just come with me, we can eat together." His aura rising back to a heart warming glow as you felt hims nod, grabbing his bore hat he placed it on and walked with you to find food.

Sitting outside together, munching on bean buns. Humming at the yummy flavors, you turned to look at Inosuke.

A soft smile on his mouth as he ate his bun, still happy as a puppy that got a treat.

You giggled and sat closer to him as you both enjoyed eachother presences.

The wamr spring breeze blowing soft smells of nature, it was a perfect morning with Inosuke.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

Genya

This man was so rough when it came to all but you. He just silently stays by your side and always make sure he gives you enough attention.

When he confessed to you, he was a stuttering mess which was quite out of character.

And when you both decided to have sex

O my God.

You would think he would go crazy

But when he put himself in.

He would slowly pound into you, with each thrust he would whisper how much you truly meant to him.

Telling you how long he waited to be connected with you.

And he made sure you had at least four orgasms.

So in the morning he was more prideful then ever and actually acted happy to others which made people scared for their lives.

He also marked you up quite a lot on your neck to make sure they all knew you both were together.

°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°

"Ouch! G-Genya that hurts!"

You whined as Genya gently pressed each hickey that was a beautiful purple on your neck.

Small tears forming at your big loveable eyes.

The morning was bright and fresh as the two of you woke form your long night of love making, the both of you were hugging one another when you guys opened your eyes.

Genya quickly moved away from you and wore blush of crimson while yelling at you to not get the wrong idea.

Even though the two of you basically saw eachother naked.

You both chatted about how silly he was acting but Genya smirked when he saw your neck that looked like you came back from a fight.

Blushing at how many you had, he kissed each one with a cute smile on his rough face.

"You look so beautiful."

He made sure you did not hide any of his marks with your cloths and walked with you around the temple where all of the demon slayers stayed.

The others asked if you were okay since you looked like you were in a fight to the death.

You waved them off, saying it was nothing serious and they shouldn't worry to much.

As you drifted off to the reality of what gave you such mark in the first place.

Blushing and shaking the heat from your face, you saw in the corner of your eye.

Genya grinning like an idiot. But you found this quite charming.

Running to him after saying your goodbye to the others you were talking too

You hugged Genya and hid your face in his chest, a soft groan at the sudden impact.

He frantically tried to get you off him as you could tell he was blushing at your embrace, you laughed to yourself quietly as you heard his heart beating faster then anything in the world.

He was adorable in his own strong way.

[kaunis-sielu]

Fire Dogs

The fires had been blazing for weeks now, inching closer and closer to your home and firefighters were pouring in. You’d decided to stay, the fire was mostly moving away from town, thank god. The mayor had said that people who were willing to stay and help care for the hordes of firefighters pouring into town were appreciated. So even though you were a single Omega, you’d signed up. You could take in 2-6 firefighters depending on if they were willing to share a bed with one another and if you needed to sleep on the couch. You’d been assigned 3 men, all from New York City, one a Captain and all of them Alphas.

When you open the door as they walk up your sidewalk the first, a man with light hair and blue eyes, gives you a tight smile.

“Hi, welcome. I have a dog, is that okay?” The three men don’t even have to look at one another before all nodding yes. “Great, come on in.” You move out of the doorway and the three men come into the house.

“Thank you so much for opening your home to us.” The first man says, god he smells good, like sandalwood and lavender.

“It’s the least I could do.” You introduce yourself as your dog comes trotting into the room, Cooper’s tail wagging wildly. “But you can call me Fawn, and this is Cooper.”

“Sorry, I’m Steve Rogers, this is Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.” The first man says introducing himself and the two men with him.

“It’s a pleasure. I’ll show you guys to your rooms.” You lead them upstairs and show them each to a room. Bucky takes your first spare room, Sam the second and Steve is in the master.

“Buck, you’ve got third shift, Sam you’re on first and I’m on second.”

“Do we start today?” Bucky asks as you make your way downstairs, you were given a small packet for the guys, things you would need to know like allergies, presentation, emergency contacts and dietary restrictions. All three are simple, no dietary issues, no allergies, Alphas, Sam has his wife Carol as his emergency contact but Steve and Bucky, or James as he’s listed, both have Rebecca Barnes, Bucky’s sister.

You get started on dinner and Sam wanders down into the kitchen bringing his

“So, why didn’t you leave town?”

“Nowhere to go. And the fire is heading away from here so hopefully everything will stay away from town.”

“The smoke doesn’t bother you?”

“I mean it’s not great but as long as Coop and I are okay I plan on staying. I’ve got some stuff packed up in my car and ready to go but I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.”

“That’s fair. We do really appreciate you doing this. Letting us stay here.” He’s got such a soothing presence about him that you forget he’s an Alpha until his scent washes over you.

“It’s the least I can do,” you tell him with a smile, “so what does first shift mean?”

“Oh, it’s the really early shift, like 4am. Steve will be out running a crew since he’s a Captain back home and he’s around 10am then Bucky is 4pm.”

“What will I need for you in the morning? Breakfast? Coffee? Energy bars?”

“Coffee would be great. I usually take it with milk.” You jot down coffee and milk on a sheet of paper.

“How do the other two take their coffee?”

“Barnes likes it black, like a psychopath and Steve likes it with cream and sugar so he can’t taste the coffee.” You laugh and jot down creamer.

“Any chance you know what kind of creamer he likes?”

“Caramel I think.”

“I can always ask him too. I’ll set the coffee to go off at 3:15 for you.”

“Thank you.” Sam says as he sits down at the island. “What are you making for dinner?”

“Spaghetti. I make the sauce from scratch, from the garden.”

“It smells great.”

“Thanks, should be about a half hour. I’ve got meatballs in the oven and will have some garlic bread and green beans from my garden too.”

“You’re going to spoil us huh?” He says with a grin and you laugh, hoping that your suppressants work like they’re supposed to and keep you presenting as a Beta.

“I don’t get to cook for others often so I’m being a little selfish. Let me know if you need anything from town or want me to get anything. I’ll go shopping for the week tomorrow.”

“Are they paying you to host us?”

“No, but I don’t mind getting you guys stuff.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, I wouldn’t offer if it was a problem.” You assure him and after studying you he nods.

“I’ll be sure to let the guys know.” You chat with Sam while you cook. You learn that his wife Carol is an Alpha and a doctor. The Alpha/Alpha pair is uncommon but if it works for them that’s wonderful. You also learn that he, Bucky and Steve served together and that Carol had outranked all three.

It seems that Steve has always been the one to lead their little trio, and when the smell of dinner lures him and Bucky down you include them in the conversation. Bucky, whose scent is oranges and cedar wood, is more chatty and flirty than Steve is but there’s this quiet strength about Steve that’s impossible not to notice.

Sam goes to bed immediately after dinner but Steve and Bucky stay up and watch the news with you. You set the coffee machine for Sam and leave him a note to help himself to anything he wants to eat. Then you bring Cooper outside, he wanders your wildfire lit backyard, the orange glow is spooky and the smell of smoke is thick in the air.

“Come on Coop, it’s bedtime.” You tell him leading him to the living room. Both Steve and Bucky are gone so you change into your pajamas and get ready for bed in the bathroom then head back to the couch where Cooper is laying dead center. “Move it Coop.” He grumbles but gets down, once you’re settled you let him back up on the couch between your feet.

You wake up as Sam closes the fridge.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He says softly. When he turns and sees you sitting up on the couch.

“No it’s okay.” You tell him as Cooper hops off of the couch. You follow him to the back door and let him out.

“Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

“They needed three more beds so I gave them three more beds.”

“We put you out of your room?” He asks with a small frown.

“I sleep more on the couch anyway, I usually fall asleep to one baking show or another.” You tell him with a sleepy smile, you hadn’t meant to tell them they’d taken all your beds but it was too late now.

“This is your home.”

“Seriously Sam don’t worry about it.” You say letting Cooper back into the house. “Be safe.”

“Thanks.” He says and you go back to bed on the couch.

The next time you wake it’s 9:00 and you want to make sure that you’ve got something ready for Bucky and Steve for breakfast so you get up. You feed Cooper then let him out again, if there wasn’t the fire you’d let him stay outside as long as he wanted. You sit down on the couch and pull your tablet into your lap. Cooper joins you on the couch as you start to draw your characters.

“Morning.” Steve’s voice is low and soft when he greets you.

“Good morning. There are pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon in the oven. The pans will be warm.”

“Thanks,” you hear him help himself to food and coffee then he comes out into the living room. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not at all. Don’t let Coop fool you into any food though.”

“No people food for him?”

“Just some fruit and veggies.” You tell him glancing up at the fire captain. “So Sam said you guys were on a 4-10-4 start time but what time are you all home?”

“We’re doing 12 hour shifts, so Sam and Buck don’t overlap but I will with both.”

“Okay, I’ll have dinner ready when you get back. Is there anything that I don’t have that you need? Sam said you liked a certain flavor of creamer.”

“The French vanilla is fine.”

“He said caramel?” You glance over at him again and he has this little shy smile on his face. “I don’t mind, I need to go get groceries anyway.”

“Caramel is my favorite.” He admits and you nod then get back to your drawing. He finishes his breakfast in silence then puts his dishes into the dishwasher, Steve heads back upstairs and you hear him finish getting ready before he comes back down.

“Be safe.”

“Thanks.” He says before closing the door softly behind him.

Bucky sleeps until almost noon, you’ve taken breakfast out of the oven and put it in the fridge. He somehow looks groggy still and you’re worried he didn’t sleep well.

“Good morning.”

“Morning. How are you?” His voice is low and husky.

“Good. Did you sleep okay?”

“Yea I slept great. I could still be asleep to be honest but I might get called in early.”

“Why?”

“There are less guys at base camp right now. Apparently a group of them had some trouble on the way? I don’t know but Steve called.”

“Breakfast is in the fridge if you wanna heat it otherwise I have lunch meat and stuff for sandwiches.”

“I love breakfast food.” He says making his way to the fridge. He starts a cup of coffee then opens the fridge.

You find out that Bucky is a chatter. Which is fine but you’re glad that you’re illustrating today rather than writing because there’s no way you’d be able to focus on writing. He asks you about living in the small town, how you ended up here, about your job, when he finds out you’re an author and illustrator of children’s books he promises to buy his niece a couple books. You tell him to leave his address and you’ll send him a signed copy of the one you’re working on, he excitedly does.

When he leaves at 3:30, not being called in early, you take a break and start on dinner. You want to make sure you’ve got food ready for Sam when he gets back.

Sam comes in at 4:45, Cooper barks excitedly and Sam sinks to the ground and Cooper immediately calms allowing Sam to wrap his arms around him. You don’t say anything, just continue to cook while Sam hugs Cooper to him. You hear him talking softly but you ignore him, whatever he’s saying to Coop is none of your business.

“I’m gonna go take a shower before I eat.” Sam says at full volume, the side of his face still pressed to Cooper’s side.

“That’s fine,” you assure him, “I’ve got about twenty minutes before the rice is done.”

“Okay.” He disappears then Cooper comes wandering into the kitchen. You give him a couple of treats and tell him what a good boy he is.

Sam eats in silence then goes up to his room, you’re pretty sure he goes to bed by 7 but after the day he’s had you can’t blame him.

At 10 you start reheating food for when Steve comes in. Sure enough, 10:30 rolls in and so does Steve. Cooper greets Steve with a wagging tail, Steve gives him a little pat and heads upstairs. You hear the shower turn on and after around 10 minutes Steve is back dropping down on the couch as Cooper puts a head in his lap. Steve absently pets Cooper and you place a plate of food in front of him.

“Thank you.” His tired eyes meet yours and he gives you a little half smile.

“It’s the least I can do.” You tell him sincerely. Cooper stays with his head in Steve’s lap until Steve goes upstairs to bed. You set up your bed on the couch and set your alarm for 3:30 in the morning so you can get food heated for Bucky and coffee and food started for Sam.

You fall asleep still smelling Steve on your couch.

Tag list:

@memyselfandmaddox @thefanficfaerie @patzammit @dsakita @dramadreamer14 @killcomet @thesassmisstress @andahugaroundtheneck @loving-life-my-way @thefridgeismybestie @dumblani @im-just-another-monster @mywinterwolf @giggleberts @biskwitmamaw @geeksareunique @paintballkid711 @lumar014 @also-fangirlinsweden @connie326 @inkedaztec @eralen @valsworldofcreativity @strangersstranger

[sleephyjhs]

When You’re Expecting (Taehyung Headcanon)

pairing: taehyung x pregnant!reader

warnings: mention of fertility & pregnancy complications

note: i’ve been craving to write a bts x pregnancy series for a while so here we go !! if there’s a specific member you’d like to see next, shoot me an ask :)

m.list

FINDING OUT

even before finding out you were pregnant, you both had so much love for your child

there was nothing either of you could have wanted more than a baby

it was always at the forefront of your mind how much you wanted a little human of your own

it was approaching a year since you began trying seriously

a few false hopes and two miscarriages later, fertility drugs were looking to improve the chances of conceiving

the raging hormones which came with the drugs were all worth the positive test

early september - sickness had hung around your throat for days

headaches lasted longer than usual, and crying at the most mundane things had become an unwelcome habit

in the bathroom cabinet, you’d collected a small stockpile of electronic and stick pregnancy tests

one of them would eventually show positive, right?

taehyung sat on the bathroom tiles with you

waiting two minutes felt closer to waiting two months

he crossed his legs, bouncing his knees impatiently

your knees came to your chin; high hopes weighed heavily on your heart

the alarm set on his phone beeped quietly

your heartbeat rose suddenly to your throat

taehyung reached out for your hand as you turned to read the results

two blue lines - as clear as day

they became less clear as your eyes coated with thick, salty tears

he began to chuckle as his happiness trickled down his cheeks

“we did it baby! we��re gonna have a baby!” he whispered, choked up by his own anticipation

no words were left swirling in your mind

your jaw hung open as though the hinges were faulty

shakily, you lifted the electronic test to triple check

pregnant.

as you crashed into taehyung’s open arms, memories of the past loomed in your mind

it was only inevitable

a positive test was a familiar joy to you both

however this familiar joy had only ever been followed by crippling devastation

as much as you tried not to think about it, you couldn’t help but retain maternal caution

however, this time also felt different

taehyung’s spirit, your spirit - it was as though fate didn’t want to disappoint you any more

someone out there decided it was finally your time to grow a mini human to bring into the world

of course, no time was wasted in contacting the maternity clinic

seeing your baby on a screen was now a top priority

just to see their little head, maybe even hear their heartbeat

just to know they were okay

just to know you were keeping them cosy and safe, that’s all you needed

taehyung couldn’t hold his excitement

from leaving the house to reaching the hospital, his toothy grin never wiped from his cheeks

he never said anything at the time since his main focus was always on comforting you

but losing his babies near enough tore him apart

even when you tried to comfort him, taehyung restricted himself just to protect your wellbeing

of course, the worse had already crossed his mind

but it wouldn’t get the better of him

it couldn’t.

you soon learned you were already 6 weeks pregnant

the midwife had to point out where your little baby was hanging out; they were such a tiny thing after all

briefly, you took the opportunity to hear their heartbeat

it was faint over the machine, but fast

there really was a life within you.

“there’s something else, if you just look over here...” the midwife prompted, turning the monitor so you could grasp a better view

taehyung leaned slightly over your chest to peer closely at the smaller monochrome screen

with the mouse, she circled a second bean shaped figure

“the fertility drugs increase the chance of twins. looks like you guys got lucky!”

twins. you were having twins.

THE PREGNANCY

like with most pregnancies, you were advised to wait until the 12 week milestone to begin announcing your impending delivery

and even though he understood the importance of patience right now, taehyung could hardly contain his excitement

it didn’t help that a little bump had already begun to grow

keeping a secret was much more difficult when the evidence was near impossible to hide

already, taehyung spent early mornings talking to his little angels

telling them stories he seemingly made up on the spot

or even borrowing some from his own childhood

“you know they can’t hear you yet? it’s about 7 weeks until they’ll be able to, honey.”

“i know, i’m just practising for when they can.”

of course, you wouldn’t admit that you did the same when you were alone

you attended more midwife appointments than other expectant mothers might

the pair of you much preferred being on the safer side

in the car, when on a quieter, less congested road, taehyung often reached over to cradle your still-growing bump with a free hand

you slotted your fingertips between his for additional sappiness

“you two have so many people waiting for you here, hmm? many people are already so in love with you both. me and mummy included.”

on a sleepless night, you’d made a small pact with tae

it was a rash decision, but sincere nonetheless

“no matter what, they are always going to know how wanted they were. always.”

taehyung hardly needed reminding of this, but it was still a weight off your shoulders

as you tried to conceive, the pregnancy diet had already been implemented into your daily routines

however now that you were carrying two precious babies, there really would be no more ‘cheat’ days for you

no more extra half cups of coffee on slower mornings

although you usually took over the role of head chef in the house, taehyung dedicated extra effort into preparing you both healthy and yummy foods

sautéd rice with green vegetables and lean meat/tofu appeared to be his go-to

but you still opted to supervise just in case

finally being able to announce your pregnancy was another heavy weight lifted from your mind

the other members were over the moon for you both

particularly when they reminded themselves of the struggles you had experienced previously

and also remembering the utter devastation of their taehyung when he had to break it to them

all of them kept their eye out for little gifts and outfits

each week, taehyung came home with a new stack of pale rompers or neutral-tones teething toys

these babies would have the best uncles; at least that much you could be certain of

announcing your pregnancy on social media was a looming task, but one he was determined to pull off perfectly

for filler content between schedules, the members had been asked to film a 5 minute vlog of their daily life

well, what a perfect opportunity!

towards the end, taehyung made sure to include some shots of your now protruding bump overlaid with some more vintage camera settings

safe to say, that day you had broken the internet

love, congratulations and blessings poured in from every corner of the earth

a few comments complimenting how much pregnancy suited you touched you especially

self image is commonly effected by the progression of pregnancy, and you were no exception to that

although it was amazing how your body grew and made a little home for your tiny babies, it was still quite strange to see yourself changing so quickly

your favourite clothes didn’t fit around your doubled bump anymore

and your skin seemed to hate sharing nutrients with two extra people

but for the days where you struggled to love yourself, taehyung easily filled in the gaps for you

sneaking up behind you in the bathroom

(although the mirror kinda gave him away)

he’d wrap his arms around your just-moisturised bump and carefully rest his chin on your shoulder

“tell me all your worries honey.”

you gushed over how much you missed wearing your favourite jackets

and how strange it was to look at yourself in such a new and confusing way

“i know it’s normal, and i know i have to do it for them. but i guess it’s just weird - i don’t look like myself anymore”

he sighed and planted a kiss on a spot of bare skin

those small kisses still tickled you like they always had

“well, you definitely look different,”

you really hoped there was a second part to that sentence, mostly for tae’s own good

“but why does that have to be bad? not gonna lie, it actually kinda makes you hotter. maybe we should make babies more often!”

“make~?”

LABOUR AND DELIVERY

originally, you had wanted to try and stick to the natural route for as long as you could

but after a few contractions, that idea was immediately out of the window

to help steady yourself and wait out the pain, you held onto the kitchen island and swayed to your own pace

eventually, taehyung joined you

copying the same movements while timing your contractions

“they really must be desperate to come out, huh?”

“well do you think they could hurry it up a bit?!”

the pair of you had been prepared for this for over a month

the hospital bag was ready by the door with all of your essentials packed tightly inside

not forgetting the pots of instant ramen taehyung insisted he must bring in case of an emergency

just as he was readying to back out of the driveway, taehyung took a mental stock check of everything packed in the back

“do you think we have everything?”

“i love you but stop talking please.”

thankfully, he understood well that the sheer pain made you cranky

so long as he assured himself that it was ‘just the contractions’, he’d be just fine

as much as he couldn’t wait to announce he was about to become a father to everyone, he kept himself grounded when walking you to the maternity ward

one corridor in and you’d suggested that a wheelchair might be a better mode of transport

breathlessness and contractions didn’t sound like a favourable mix to you

the assessment of your fast dilation granted you an immediate spot in the labour ward

you’d picked this suite specially due to its expansive space

the option of a birthing pool was still available if you so needed it, but the mood lighting and access to aromatherapy was what attracted you to the room in the first place

a serene paradise for your angels to be born into

it was perfect

taehyung explored while you adjusted to your new surroundings

of course, it didn’t take him long to find the birthing ball

“what’s the difference between a yoga ball and a birthing ball?”

there obviously was none, but you took a few seconds to try and be smart with him

“well, sit on that and you might have a baby the size of a watermelon come out of you soon.”

taehyung cradled his torso and pulled a shocked expression, which was enough to make you giggle and cause another contraction

less than a few hours passed, and you had already attempted to scream the building down once or twice

“get these babies out of me. no i’m serious, i need them out.”

realising your deadpan expression, taehyung soon attended to you at the head of your bed

stroking your slightly sweaty head and patting a ice cold flannel on your clammy forehead

he braced himself for a crushing hand grip which came about sooner than he’d prepared for

you weren’t the biggest fan of commotion, and so being surrounded by nurses and doctors was close to being your worst nightmare

taehyung focused his voice into your ear, trying to minimise the tension coming from below your pelvis

his motivational words were broken up by short bursts of pushes

many of which were followed by a string of curse words which just slipped out

and then, there it was.

the first piercing cry belted across the room

a tear or two may have happened to slip from your eyes

finally the moment you’d waited for, nearly two years in the making, was here

the first of two, a little girl who already had a head full of the most luscious black hair

taehyung wanted to hold back his happy tears in order to show some kind of strength

but you and him both knew he’d never hold it back for long

within the space of 4 minutes, the second baby was born into the world.

but this time, there was no immediate cry

the whole world seemed to slow down in that moment as you waited

and waited

midwifes gathered around the new infant, looking for any kind of obstruction

but, soon enough, your son said his first hello to the world

[sunstar-of-the-north]

A Date With A Plumber

Bowser gently laid white cloths on the steaming bowls of food. While doing so he noticed that a fork was crooked. Alarmed, he quickly adjusted the utensil so it matched the rest of the dishes. The koopa then took a step back to analyze the table. It was set for two, one dish adjacent to the other at the end of the table. Bowser would have liked it if they were positioned across from each other but talking would be proven difficult with how long the table was.

He took a nervous sigh and moved to the mirror on the wall. His hair was a complete mess. Bowser smoothed it to the side with his clawed hands. Once he finished, he smiled proudly in the reflection. A second later though it reverted to its default look.

He growled in annoyance. The turtle then started to fix his silver cravat. He was wearing a maroon dinner tuxedo with a double lapel. He ditched most of his typical accessories, save for his bracelets. It was the compromise Bowser made with Kamek. He glared when he remembered the overwhelming amount of advice the old wizard gave him. “Don’t slouch over the table. Don’t talk with your mouth full. And DON’T for the love of the stars lose your temper!” He began to realize that instead of fixing his neckpiece, he was gripping it for dear life. Bowser let go of it in alarm. He groaned, lightly slapping his cheeks. “Pull yourself together Bowser,” he said in aggravation. “You’re the King of the Koopas! You have no reason to be all shaken up over one silly date!”

No matter how much he tried to convince himself, Bowser still felt like there were fighter flies in his stomach. Even though this was their third date, he was still a nervous wreck. Besides this one was different. Unlike the first two, which were at her house, this date was on his turf. Not to mention there would be a chaperon. “It’ll probably be that tomato colored Mario,” Bowser grumbled. That was a part of the agreement between the three of them. Whenever they would go out, there had to be someone—which was always picked for them by Mario—to keep an eye on the two. Panic hit him like a train when he realized he didn’t make a bowl for the red suited plumber. Before the turtle had time to think, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned; smoke escaping from the sides of his mouth. “WHAT?” The koopa troopa swallowed nervously.

“S-Sir? S-She’s here.”

Like a Bullet Bill out of a canon, Bowser charged passed the troopa, sending the poor thing flying. Thankfully his other minions were able to get out of their king’s way as he ran down the halls. In moments the twin doors were in sight. He slid to a halt, nearly blasting through them. Bowser took a moment to steady his breathing before opening them. His breath was cut short when the koopa saw who was standing on the steps. It was Luciana, adorned with a simple dark green dress with see-through lace sleeves. Her brunette hair, which was normally straight, was curled. When her blue eyes met Bowser’s, he felt like time stopped.

“Hellooooo? Earth to Bowser!”

Bowser snapped out of his daze when he noticed a hand waving near his face. He shook his head and looked back at Luciana. She seemed to be worried. “Is—everything alright?” He nodded rapidly. “Yeah! Yeah, everything is g-great!” She grinned in relief, causing Bowser’s heart to pound like a drum. “Buona!” There was an awkward silence between the two. The koopa then noticed the shorter woman was staring at him. “What? Is there something on my tux?” Luciana blushed in embarrassment. “N-No! I uh—your scarf thingy is all…” She motioned to his neck. He looked down and saw his cravat was still a mess. Bowser wanted to retreat back into his shell. The plumber inched closer to him, hand slightly raised. “Um—may I?”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise but squatted down at her request. She then tidied the cravat. “There! All better! Looks like all those years helping Mario with his ties came in handy!” She said with a chuckle. Bowser winced at the mention of her brother. Luciana picked up on his shift in mood, facing falling a bit. “O-Oh uh—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—“

“No, no! It’s ok…” Bowser realized that something was missing. “Speaking of, where is your chaperon? I was expecting him to be with you.” She gave him a playful smirk. “I was able to talk him out of it!” He was shocked and somewhat impressed. “How?”

“Well I told Mario that I’m a grown woman and he shouldn’t be treating me like a little kid. Besides I can handle myself!” She then flexed her arms with a semi-serious look on her face. Bowser cracked a smile, finding her display adorable. “After a long talk we came to an understanding.” She horizontally put her finger below her nose and spoke in a deeper tone. “Alright Luciana! You can go on your date alone. But you gotta come home at midnight! Even if you’re a minute late, I’ll break down those castle doors faster than you can say ravioli! And if that slime faced koopa tries anything funny, you take care of him like I showed ya. Got it?” Bowser chuckled, clapping his hands. “Perfect impression. 10 out of 10.”

She did a little curtsy in response. “Grazie!” Bowser leaned against the door frame, feeling a sense of relief knowing it was just the two of them now. “Man, who knew the String Bean could stand up to her brother like that. She keeps throwing surprises at me.”

Luciana started rocking back and forth on her heels. The king koopa realized that she was still outside. He nearly jumped out of her way, bowing deeply. “Pl-Please! Come in!” His sudden movement made the plumber flinch but relaxed once she passed the doors. Bowser followed her in.

Soon the two were in the dining hall. Bowser sped walk toward the table. He quickly pulled Luciana’s chair out for her, causing a loud squeak as he did. He winced at the sound but still gave her a smile. She smiled back and sat down after thanking him. Bowser scooted her chair toward the table and clapped his hands. The lights were turned down low. He then lit the table candle with his fire breath. “Che meraviglia!” Luciana whispered under her breath. “Hopefully that means something good,” he thought to himself. The turtle then brought his attention to the bowls. He gingerly took the white cloths off, steam pooling out from them. “Bon appétit!”

Luciana’s eyes grew to the size of moons. The bowls were filled with cooked rice and beef, a variety of different vegetables, and a fried egg to top it all off. Bowser couldn’t help but be smug with her reaction. She turned to him, eyes sparkling. “What is this?!” He sat down, resting his hands on the wooden table. “It’s called bibimbap.” Luigi scrunched her face as she tried to say the name. “Bimbi—bimbipab.” Bowser let out a hearty laugh at her attempt to pronounce the word. The plumber’s face turned a bright red. “Say it with me. Bi-bim-bap.” She repeated after the turtle, saying it correctly this time. “There ya go!” He gave her a toothy grin. She smiled back, twirling her hair with a finger. Bowser looked to the side with a bashful smile. “This—is one of my favorite dishes. I wanted to share it with you since you shared one of your favorites with me.”

He looked at the corner of his eye to see Luciana staring at him. He blushed, coughing into his hand. “What w-was that called again? Tor-tortilla gardinata?” Now it was Luciana’s turn to laugh. “Tortellini gratinati.” Bowser chuckled, scratching his head. “Yeah, that. Oh before I forget, here’s Gochujang if you want some.” He passed her a small bowl of red paste. The woman cocked her head at the little dish. “Gochujang?” Bowser nodded. “Yeah. It’s a red pepper paste. It gives the bibimbap an extra kick!” Her face lit up after hearing that. He gave her a wink. “I know how you like things a little spicy so I thought I would oblige.”

She giggled, sending a flurry of warmth to Bowser’s chest. “Grazie, grazie!” She at first picked up a fork but then eyed the chop sticks. “You can eat it with those?” Bowser raised an eye brow at her. “Uh yeah. That’s how you’re supposed to eat it.” She let out a soft oh in response. The koopa realized how harsh his tone was. He reprimanded himself in his head. “Um—I can—show you how to use them, if you want that is.” Luciana blinked at him and then smiled. “Sì! I always wanted to learn how to use them!” Bowser got up and moved to her side. He gently guided Luciana how to hold the utensil. The turtle noticed just how small her hand was compared to his. “They’re so tiny—so—delicate.” He looked at the woman, who was staring at their hands. She brought her gaze to him. When their eyes locked, they both blushed crimson. Bowser removed his hand and they both looked away from each other.

He stiffly walked back to his chair, sat down, and proceeded to stuff his face to hide his blushing. After a while he turned his eyes to the green dressed plumber. She was able to pick up a bit of vegetables and rice. Luigi dipped the food in the Gochujang and put it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up as she chewed more. She looked at Bowser with a big grin. “This is amazing! Please give my compliments to the chief!” Bowser glowed by her praise. “Thanks! I was worried that I might have over-cooked the carrots.” The woman raised her eye brows in surprise. “You made this?”

“Yeah! Cooking is one of the few things I like to do.”

“Don’t…you have cooks to make your meals?” Bowser shrugged. “Yeah, but sometimes I do the cooking, especially if it’s for one of my kids’ birthdays.” Luciana stared at him. “You…made this specially…for me?” Bowser was confused by her statement. “Of course! You’re my girlfriend! What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t make food for you?” Luciana’s face was red once more. Realization hit Bowser like a blue shell to the kart once the words left his mouth. This was the first time Bowser ever called her his girlfriend or referred himself as her boyfriend. “I—um—.” He took a sip of his wine, not wanting to speak anymore. He felt a hand rest on his. The turtle looked to see Luciana, giving him a sheepish smile, cheeks pink. The king gazed at her for a moment and returned the look, intertwining his fingers with hers. Soon the two were enjoying the rest of their meal, having small talk and telling stories to pass the time.

The bowls were empty while the room was filled with laughter. Both human and koopa were smiling ear to ear. Bowser then got up and moved toward Luciana. He offered a clawed hand to the woman. She gladly took it, Bowser helping her out of the cushioned chair. “I wanna show you something.” Luciana cocked her head. “Oh? What is it?” He winked at her. “It’s a surprise!” He led her out of the room and further down the hall. A few moments later they were in front of two glass doors. Bowser opened them for Luciana, trying hard to contain his excitement. She stepped through them and gasped. The room was filled to the brim with beautiful flowers and plants, some of them the plumber had never seen before. “Oh Bowser—they’re gorgeous!”

“The ash from the volcanos makes for great fertilizer. All of our vegetables are grown here too.” Luciana turned to the koopa with sparkling eyes. He couldn’t help but crack a grin as he brought her further in the garden. They soon stopped at an elaborate stone bench. Bowser sat down, patting the spot next to him. Luciana took a seat, smoothing out her dress. She looked around, taking in all the scenery. She wasn’t the only one taking in the view. Bowser watched her, feeling lighter than air. He couldn’t explain why though. He then remembered why they were here in the first place.

“L-Luciana,” he asked softly. She turned to him, the same warm feeling from earlier hitting him harder. “Yes Bowser?” The king felt his cheeks get hotter when she said his name. Swallowing, he took something from his coat pocket. “I—I wanted to give you these.” He opened his fist to reveal a pouch of seeds. “They’re green cymbidium orchids.” Luciana gaped at the seeds. She then turned to him, bewildered. “That’s my favorite flower! How—how did you get them?! They’re so hard to find!” Bowser proudly smiled, tapping his snout. “I have my ways.” Luciana rolled her eyes playfully. Her expression grew softer as she gingerly took the pouch from his hand. “Grazie Bowser. I’ll make sure they grow big and strong.” He gave the woman a tender look. “I know you will.”

The human and koopa gazed at one another. They both felt a pull, slowly closing the distance between them as they inched closer. Luciana rested a free hand on Bowser’s cheek, making his spiked tail wag steadily. Suddenly, she had an alarmed expression on her face and placed her hand over the king’s mouth. “Aspettare! What’s the time?!” Bowser had to take a minute to process what she just asked. He then took out his pocket watch. “It’s 11:50.” They stared at each other in utter fear. The duo then sprinted out of the room and down the halls. The minions that were still awake never saw their boss run so fast before, unless it was to escape from a fight or for food. Before they knew it, they were both in a lakitu cloud and booking it to Mario and Luciana’s house.

Once the cloud stopped, the king and plumber quickly jumped out of it. Bowser whipped out his watch. Luigi watched on in anticipation. He showed her the clock. “11:58,” she gasped out in relief. Bowser wiped his forehead, feeling ready to collapse. They walked to the front door, slowly catching their breath. Bowser leaned against the wall while Luciana fixed her hair. Bowser loosened his cravat, clearing his throat. “…I hope you had a good time.” The woman nodded happily. “I did! The bi-bim-bap was excellent!” She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear with a small blush. “It was nice—to be alone together.” He agreed in silence with a small grin. He licked his lips nervously. “Also—you can visit the garden whenever you come to the castle. That way we can spend more time—alone.” The plumber was surprised but giddily replied, “I would love that.”

Without thinking, Bowser leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Good night, Luciana.” The human blushed profusely, touching where he kissed her. She looked up at him in surprise. Bowser started to sweat bullets. “Oh no. Did I go too far?! I-I didn’t mean-“ Suddenly, Luciana gave him a warm kiss on the cheek as well. He felt like his whole body was on fire. “G-Good night, Bowser,” she said with a bashful grin. The koopa watched Luciana as she opened the door to her home. Before she closed it, the woman gave him a dreamy expression. Bowser swore he heard music as she gazed at him with those beautiful eyes. He gave her a blissful grin, waving good bye. She waved back, leisurely shutting the door.

Bowser jumped onto the cloud, gushing so hard that fire was peeking out of his mouth. Once he returned to his castle, the koopa’s heart was racing. He was astonished that he was even tired that night. Regardless, Bowser got ready for bed. After he put a pair of pajamas on, the king then climbed into a large bed, pulling the blanket over his chest. He let out a happy sigh, his last thought before falling asleep being his girlfriend’s pure smile.

I wrote this like--last year. Sorry it took so long to submit. Characters (c) Nintendo

[heyitssmiller]

Chop It Like It’s Hot

Chapter 6: I’ve Got a Bad Queso Loving You

Pining. Food that may or may not be a disaster. The end of an era.

Also people actually wanted to be tagged for updates?? That makes my heart so happy <3

Tag List: @heyoitslysso @unknown-and-invisible

Chop It Like It’s Hot Masterlist

@lumosinlove

  It was weird, walking into the studio by himself for the first time. Finn kept expecting Logan to be right by his side like always and it hurt a little every time Finn remembered. He walked into the kitchens where he was greeted by a sunny smile and kind eyes and dimples.

He still missed Logan, but it was hard to mope with Leo Knut around.

“Hey,” Leo greeted, motioning for Finn to join him at the station. “Welcome to the final four.”

“Thanks. It feels weird here.”

Leo hummed. “Quiet, right?”

“Definitely less hectic.” Finn agreed, leaning his hip against the counter. “So what are we cooking today?”

“Well, why don’t you tell me? We’re cooking for someone special to you. I’m assuming that’s Logan, right?” At Finn’s nod a strange, unreadable expression flashed across Leo’s face before he continued. “Okay, so what types of food do you think of when you think of him?”

Finn thought about it, then smiled. “Our first date – after years and years of being friends and crushing on each other but refusing to do anything about it – was at a Mexican restaurant. We were on a roadie and went to go get dinner together and I was so frustrated at this point that I kind of just blurted, ‘Is this a date?’” Finn laughed a little at the memory. “And Lo, he just stared at me with those big green eyes of his for a moment and said, ‘I sure hope so.’ And that was it. No more drama, no more fuss. Just those two sentences – that was all we needed.”

The look from earlier was back on Leo’s face. Finn still didn’t know what it meant.

“I think we can definitely work with that.” He said finally. “How about we elevate a Mexican dish? Something to be meaningful but to also showcase your cooking? I've got a few recipes in mind. What about grilled citrus-marinated chicken?”

Finn wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

“Alright. Pulled pork tamales with corn salsa? Polenta stacks? Chipotle Mahi Mahi burrito bowl?”

“Oh!” Finn said excitedly. “I like that one. Logan calls me Fish sometimes.”

Leo laughed. “Why?”

“Nicknames are kind of a thing in hockey. It’s considered weird if you don’t have one. I’m Harzy, Harz, Fish, and probably a few more that I’m forgetting.”

“And Logan?”

“He’s Tremz or Tremzy, usually.” He looked over at the blond, propping his chin in his hand and smiling. “You want a nickname?”

“Oh, god. With a last name like Knut, I’m sure you’ll have plenty to go off of.” He laughed, turning to head towards the pantry. Finn followed after him like the love-struck puppy he was.

“Nut. Nutty. Peanut. Peanut butter. Nutter Butter. Honey bunches of nut – “

“How have you already come up with so many?” Leo stretched to grab a bowl off the top shelf, his t-shirt shifting up to reveal pale skin Finn desperately wanted to reach out and touch.

“I’m a professional hockey player.”

“Fair enough. Can you head to the spices and grab smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and onion powder?”

Finn grabbed the ingredients and met Leo back at the station. “Ready to get started? You’ll get the printed recipe and you can take as many notes as you want now and use them tonight.”

Finn clicked his pen in response, earning another smile. “Let’s do this.”

“So we’re going to combine olive oil, chipotle chiles, garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and onion powder into a bowl and whisk it really good. Then you can add the mahi mahi and toss it in there. Next we’re going to place it in the fridge while we start the rice.” Leo covered the bowl and set it in the fridge before reaching for a pot and turning the stove on.

“Add coconut milk and some coconut water to a pot and bring it to a low boil before adding rice, salt, unsweetened coconut and coconut oil. Stir to combine, then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Following so far?”

Finn nodded, definitely feeling a little overwhelmed.

Leo gave him a reassuring smile. “You got this. Next, let the rice to cook for ten minutes then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit on the stove, covered for another 20 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the cilantro and lime juice – “

“No cilantro.”

Leo looked up from his pot. “What?”

“No cilantro.” Finn repeated. “Lo doesn’t like cilantro.”

“Got it. No cilantro. I think we’ve got enough seasoning without it.” Leo grabbed another bowl and pushed some ingredients towards him on the counter.

“Now we’re going to make the salsa. Add the diced mango, chopped strawberries, jalapeño, lime juice, pinch of cayenne and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Toss it, cover it, and keep it in the fridge until ready to serve. Now we’re going to cook that fish.” Leo grabbed the fish out of the fridge and sent him a sly look. “Hopefully this doesn’t count as cannibalism.”

Finn laughed loudly. “Oh man, wait until Logan hears that.”

Leo fiddled with the settings on the grill, which made Finn a little nervous. As seen in the build your own burger competition, he wasn’t the best with grills. He’d scared away all the ducks with how loud he screamed when he turned the grill on too high and flames erupted from it.

“You’re going to want a medium heat to cook this fish. Once the grill is nice and hot, add the mahi mahi, skin side facing up. Cook these for about 4-5 minutes and then flip them and cook until they’re crisp and mostly cooked through. This is super important: remove the skin.  We’re going to be cutting this fish into chunks and having pieces of fish skin in there would be really gross.

“Last thing is to plate these. All you’re going to do is divide the rice among your tortilla bowls and add the lettuce, black beans, and corn. Divide up the fish and then top each bowl with salsa, queso, and a dollop of sour cream. And you’re done!” Leo looked over at Finn, who was still writing notes. “Not so bad, right?”

Finn gave him a blank stare, then ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Go over it again one more time?”

“Sure.” Leo pushed one of the plates over to Finn. “Want to try some first?”

“Fuck yes.”

***

Logan stood in the studio hallway yet again, waiting with the rest of the families the final four contestants were cooking for tonight. It was going to be weird, being on the opposite side of the judging table. But at least he wasn’t cooking.

They finally got the cue to enter the kitchen and his eyes immediately found Finn, who was grinning madly and running right at him – whether he was allowed to or not. Logan laughed as Finn collided with him, hugging him close. “You just saw me this morning.”

“Yeah, but I missed you.”

Logan melted a little at that and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Did you have a good day?”

Finn whined, shooting a longing look over at Leo. “Lo, you would not believe – “

“Please head back to your stations, recruits!” Dorcas called.

“Gotta go.” Finn sighed, taking a step back. Logan gave his hand a squeeze.

“You’ve got this.”

“Recruits, tonight you’ll be creating dishes for your loved ones. And your team leaders, of course. You can use any notes you’ve taken. You have an hour to complete this task and your time starts… now!”

Logan took his seat at the judges table (weird) and watched as Finn dashed off to the pantry. He made small talk with the other family members as time began to tick down much slower than he remembered from his time on the show. He turned his head when Leo sat down next to him and smiled almost nervously.

“I hope you’re not too mad at me for last week.”

“Nah,” Logan said with a shrug, doing everything he could think of to slow his heartrate down. “I deserved it. I served you guys raw pizza dough.”

“Only because I suggested you start over.”

Logan laughed incredulously. “Because my pizza wasn’t a pizza! Seriously, don’t worry about it.” He looked over at Finn, who was shying away from the grill as he threw the fish on it. “I’m glad he made it instead of me. He’s been so excited to be on this show.”

“He’s really improved a lot. You both did.”

“I’m still not sure I trust either of us in the kitchen.”

“Baby steps.” Leo said with a smile. “You’re more capable than you think.”

He glanced at the clock and let his voice carry to the contestants. “One minute left, recruits!”

Finn glanced up from his plating, cursed, and started working faster.

“Five, four, three, two, one, time’s up! Stop what you’re doing and step away from your plates!”

“I can see why you like this so much.” Logan said, eyes still on Finn as he looked down at his plates critically. “You get to sit here, no stress, and eat people’s food. This is the dream.”

“Not on this show. You should’ve tried some of the earlier dishes this season. I got food poisoning twice.”

“You did what?”

“It might’ve been three times if I’d eaten that chicken you tried to serve in the first challenge.” Leo teased.

“Why isn’t giving a chef food poisoning an immediate elimination?”

“Because then we’d have very few recruits left, and that would be a very short season.”

Finn set down his plates, smiling nervously. Logan looked down and smiled softly. “Mexican food.”

“No cilantro, just how you like it.”

God, Logan didn’t deserve him.

“Let’s see how this tastes.” Leo said, looking down at his plate. “The presentation is really nice.”

They both took bites of their food. The fish was dry, but Logan thought the rest of it was really good.

“It’s under-seasoned a little bit,” Leo commented. “And the fish is a little dry, but your salsa is perfect and the ratios of everything else in the bowl is very nice.”

Logan grinned up at Finn. “I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to you bringing this recipe home.”

“We need move on to the next contestant. Nice job, Finn.”

Finn beamed and grabbed his plates back.

***

“And the chef who will be leaving us tonight is…” Logan held Finn’s hand and waited for Leo to finish.

“Finn. I’m sorry, your time as a recruit is over. Please turn in your apron.”

Finn sighed, squeezed Logan’s hand, and stepped forward.

“It was really close, but in the end the under-seasoned and overcooked fish did you in.” Leo said, looking apologetic. “I’ve really enjoyed having you on the show. You’ve been a joy to teach.”

“Thanks for having me.” Finn said, trying to be cheerful as he handed over his apron. “I had a blast.”

After the cameras stopped rolling, Logan and Finn made sure to find Leo before they left. He was scrubbing down the grill and looked up when he noticed them. “So this is goodbye, huh?”

“Looks like it.” Logan replied, unabashedly staring and trying to memorize everything he could. Was it weird to miss someone when you hadn’t even said goodbye yet? When they were standing right in front of you? 

Finn piped up, “If you’re ever in Gryffindor, look us up. We’d love to see you.”

“Same for when you come to New York for games.” Leo smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Here,” Finn grabbed his phone out of his pocket. “What’s your number? We can send you our team schedule when we get it.”

Finn, you’re a genius.

“That would be great! I, uh, I really liked having y’all on the show. It’d be nice to see each other again.” His cheeks were red again, and Logan had to bite back a whine. He wanted to kiss those red spots so badly.

But this definitely wasn’t the time. There were people everywhere, two of them were probably leaving in the morning, and they didn’t know when they’d see him again. Or if he even liked them back.

Fuck.

Both Logan and Finn had forgotten just how awful the guessing game really was.

[arazialotis]

Long Distance

Pairing: Dean × Reader

Word Count: Around 1700

Summary: Dean and Y/N have been separated during the holidays due to a string of hunts but Dean has a thought to make the distance seem not so far apart.

Warnings: Language, General SPN spooky stuff

This is purely just for writing and wasting my time as hobby. Maybe some of you will enjoy it too. I apologize in advance for any mistakes or grammatical/spelling errors. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions!

-----

Nights came early this time of year, each day growing darker a little earlier. It was hard to fight off the fatigue that crept in every passing moment. Even harder so with Dean out of town on another string of hunts. You sat in the picture window curled up in a fuzzy blanket with a warm cup of tea and a new book. Though you had a corner lamp turned on, the Christmas lights outside bounced off the white snow, illuminating the world and keeping the dark at bay. 

Your phone had occasionally been buzzing as Dean updated you on his progress in a new town. You did what you could to not worry, to have faith, but each day he was gone you needed distractions to keep your mind off it. And of course, communication. The longer he went without an update, the more your stomach turned. 

Though you were entranced with the novel, methodically flipping pages and on the edge of your seat, as soon as the phone sounded, you threw the book down only focusing on him. 

You answered with a pant of excitement. “Hey babe.” 

Dean’s smile practically shined through the receiver. “Evenin’ Y/N. Man it's good to hear your voice.” 

“Yours too.” You echoed setting your tea down on the ledge as you started pacing the floor. “How’s the first day been?”

“Ah, you know, just getting settled and the feel for things. Wish I had your mind here to sort things out but this has been a long stretch, it’s starting to drag. It was good for you to stay home.” He paused waiting for a reply. “This’ll be the last one, promise.” 

“Don’t say that.” You chided knowing fully well he easily broke these promises. “You are doing good work. If you need to keep going, that’s alright. Just promise me you’ll come home eventually.” “You know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“And besides.” You sighed. “I’m still here virtually, put me together the case details tonight and I’ll scour over them.”

Dean’s blush heated up the air around you as he shamefully admitted. “I already sent them to Sam.” 

“Ugh! What? God Da…” Dean’s chuckle cut you off. You rubbed your brow reminding yourself it wasn’t a competition. “I want to help too.” You whined. 

“Okay, okay.” His voice faded. “I’m sending them now.” 

You looked at your phone waiting for the email to come through. A few moments passed and it eventually did. He had sent over a few news articles, pdfs, and a word doc of his own notes. 

“Hmmm… it’s definitely a werewolf.” You teased. “Shut up.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not stupid enough to get stumped by an oversized rabid poodle.” 

“I’ll shoot you some real ideas by tomorrow at the latest.”

 “Don’t feel rushed, I got some pretty good leads to follow up on tomorrow.” He assured. “Alright, enough work talk. What about you? How was Thanksgiving?” 

“I mean, it wasn’t the same without you and everyone else. But uh, I still tried to make the most of it. Brussels, beans, wild rice, potatoes…” You listed. “Mashed?” Dean interrupted. 

“Pfft. Of course. Cranberries. Oh, I did a cornish hen cause like, what the fuck am I going to do with a whole turkey? I already have enough leftovers to last me ‘til Christmas. Tell me you had something more than deli meat turkey.”

“Don’t worry about me babe.” He lightly chuckled. “Denny’s got me covered.” 

“Dean.” You scolded.

“Pie? Please tell me you had pie.” He begged. 

“No way I’m having pie without you.”  

“But.. But… Thanksgiving.” Dean pouted. 

You giggled at his adorable antics. “There’s one waiting in the freezer for when you get back.” “Yes! Cherry?” He pleaded. 

“Of course…” You giggled together until a knock sounded at the door. “Hey, hold on a sec.” 

“What is it?” Dean’s voice grew concerned. He heard the door open, a soft thank you, and the door closing before a bit of rustling. “Oh, nothing.” You fiddled with the box and the phone. “Just looks like a package for you.” Dean licked his lips with anticipation. “Why don’t you go ahead and open it for me?” You wrinkled your nose, unsure if you wanted to. “Really?” 

“I’m sure.” 

You grabbed a kitchen knife to hack away at the tape. Dean sat down on the motel bed anxiously waiting for you to find what was inside. 

“It’s um… it’s.” You pulled it out further inspecting it. “It’s a lamp?” 

Dean grinned ear to ear waiting for you to figure it out. “A long distance lamp? What?” “I found it online. You have one and I have one.” He explained. “I felt bad the last hunt with the bad reception. My lamp will light up when you touch it and vice versa.” 

“What?” You squealed. 

“Yeah. It’s an early Christmas gift.” Your heart melted.  “Go plug it in.” He ordered before you could respond. 

“Dean…” His thoughtfulness nearly brought you to tears. “Go!” He repeated before you got too sappy. 

After a few minutes of him guiding you through the set up, you were ready to test it out. “Okay, ready?” He asked, his hand hovering over the lamp on his end. 

“Yes.” You sat on the floor staring at the dark lamp. “Nothings happening.” You sighed. “Oh, wait!” It was dim at first but slowly turned into a green glow reminding you of his eyes. “Oh my gosh.”

“Your turn.” You pressed the top of yours sending him a warm purple glow. You could hear his smile over the phone. 

“See, now we can talk to each other even without the phones.” 

“Dean. This is… it’s… thank you.” Was all you could muster to say. “I’ll keep it by my bed so I can say good night and good morning.” “Me too sweetheart.” Dean agreed. “And in case anything happens to my phone or I get stuck in another dead area, you’ll know not to worry.”

The two of you spent another good hour talking; tentatively setting up holiday plans, explaining the unexpected twist in your book, and thrilling him with all the juicy details of exactly what you were going to do to him when he finally did make it home. You read a few more pages before finally calling it a night. Tucked into a bundle of blankets, you reached to your nightstand sending him a final thought of the night. A few moments later came the dim green glow. Though it was just a light, it made you feel as though he was there, his arms wrapped around you making your heart warm. 

When Dean awoke the next morning, the lamp next to him was already glowing purple. He smiled, typical that you would be the first to rise. After a yawn and deep stretch, he sent the thought back to you before going to freshen up and shower. The hot water and steam soothed his sore muscles and the tension he held in his shoulders if only for a brief minute. Towel wrapped around his waist and clean shaven, he came back out to get dressed in a suit for the day only to find the light had not faded. With another chuckle he assumed you must have been on the same schedule and sent another touch back before heading out for the day. 

From the morning, he was in a sprint; talking with the local police department, interviewing witnesses, consoling family members. Dutifully, he kept you updated on his progress hoping to hear back from you soon on any thoughts yet you were quiet. He wondered if he had mixed up your work schedule again. Having gone nonstop throughout the day, he opted for an early dinner back at the hotel room. 

Entering back to the room with his Chinese takeout, he immediately noticed the lamp was still on. He set down his food on the table and pulled out his phone. 

‘The lamp doesn’t need to fully replace the phones.’ He texted you, adding a little laughing emoji hoping you wouldn’t be offended by him calling out your silence today. 

He popped open his laptop and dug into the Mongolian beef hoping to review any ideas you had come up with. But you hadn’t emailed him like you said. It was still early enough in the day, and especially if you had worked, maybe hadn’t had time to get around to it. He pulled up Sam’s email instead, reviewing notes and potential leads. 

An hour had passed and the light still glowed purple. Thinking it must be broken, Dean meandered over to the plug resetting it. The only other explanation would be your hand on top of it consistently which didn’t make any sense. The lamp powered back up and momentarily was dark before the purple hue came through again. 

“This is weird.” Dean muttered to himself. 

He walked back over to the table and grabbed his phone and dialed your number. After two rings, it answered. 

Dean chuckled, thankful to finally have gotten you. “Either these things are malfunctioning or you must really miss me.” He heard a deep breath from the other side of the line. 

“Y/N?” His voice dropped. “Sweetheart, are you there?” A sinister voice crackled on the other end. “It’s been a long time Dean.” 

Dean’s heart dropped to his stomach. Panic and anger rose to his chest. It was a voice he could never forget. “Alastair.” 

“Now I was hoping to find you home when I stopped by but this pretty little lady said you were out on business.” Alastair's voice delightfully slithered. 

His jaw clenched. “If you’ve touched a single hair on her head, I swear to God…” Dean spat. 

Amusement rose into laughter. “What makes you assume I could harm such a delicate creature. Her neck as easy to snap as a sparrow's."

“You better pray that's not what I find when I get back.” Dean threatened already furiously packing his bag. 

“Its not her I want, it’s you.” Alastair clarified. “But I guess that all depends on how long you take getting back home Dean. I might become bored.” 

-----

TAGS:

Forevers: @mogaruke @deanwinchesterforpromqueen @jotink78@blushingdean @sup3r-pott3r-lock3d @dancingalone21@carryonmyswansong @atc74 @superapplepie @cassieraider@adaliamalfoy @iwriteaboutdean @spnbaby-67@monkeymcpoopoo @adoptdontshoppets @maddiepants@onceuponathreetwoone @thisismysecrethappyplace

Dean x Reader: @akshi8278 @boxywrites @its-not-a-tulpa @tacklesackles @aubreystilinski @iamabeautifulperson18@jerkbitchidjitassbutt @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @ria132love​

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Just A Phone Call Away

Being a single father to a young child is never easy. And it hurts more when being a rockstar has to take Calum away from his little boy.

Enjoy my masterlist.

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No one has my permission to repost this fic, including translations. All rights reserved. Copyright © be-ready-when-i-say-go.

_____________________________________

“What do you have there, buddy?” Cal laughs, noticing his four year old, attempting to hold his hands behind his back. Calum can see it’s some kind of toy. He’s not even sure how Jaiden got his hands on it. 

“Nofing,” he replies, trying to hide the small trinket he found sitting on a shelf. 

“Jaiden, give it to Daddy,” Calum can feel the small smile on his face. The little boy is generally very sweet, but occasionally has his stubborn streak. Jaiden pouts, lower lip jutting out, before handing over the small green alien keychain. When Cal takes hold of the toy, he inspects it. The tag is still attached. It’s not something that what left behind someone else. “Where did you find this?”

Jaiden points to his left. Calum nods, knowing he paused at a rack near the jewelry after spotting some earrings he thought his mom might like. “Do you want it?” Cal asks. 

“Yes, pwease, Daddy?” His son nods vigorously. 

After double checking the price, Cal agrees, handing it back to his son. It’s only a few bucks. “Next time, please ask.”

“Okay.” Calum stares at his son, his black curls and chubby cheeks. A spitting image of himself, except for the eyes. They’re blue like his mother’s. Calum still has to fight the urge to send her a photo, call her, ask her why she’d abandon the sweetest boy he’s ever known. But he knows he shouldn’t do that. She left for a reason; she wasn’t ready, not like she thought she once was. Calum can’t fault that. Parenthood is not easy at all. He just wishes she stuck it out for Jaiden’s first word, the first wobbly run, the pleases’s and thank you’s that always fall so easily from his lips. That would change her mind, maybe. That would make her realize what she gave up on.

Jaiden kicks his feet a little, playing at the keychain before looking back up to his father. He smiles, showing all his teeth. Calum presses a soft kiss to his forehead, before rustling his hair. He hates this; Calum knows well enough. But sometimes Cal can’t help just a quick tussle of his curls. Jai likes to return the hair tussle when he can, their way of showing affection. 

“Daddy, stop!” Jaiden cries, trying to dodge his father’s hand. The two of them laugh before Calum finally stops, double checking that he’s added the soap to the basket. Positive that he has, he starts pushing the cart down the aisle before hooking a right. He grabs his shaving cream and a new set of razors. 

Jaiden points out the dog food as the pass by the section. “Duke?” he questions. 

Cal nods, grinning down at his son. “I got him a new bag last week. He’s covered.”

With a satisfied nod, Jaiden glances around the Target. Calum pauses at the produce. “Green apples or red ones?”

“Red, pwease.” With a hum, Calum finds a good bag and holds them to his son. Jai gives them a look over too before putting up his thumb. 

Grocery shopping is fun for them. Cal tries to get Jaiden to make choices about the foods, so he’s more inclined to eat the new stuff. It’s a challenge when it comes to vegetables. The staples like carrots, broccoli, and corn Jai will eat. But peas, cauliflower, and string beans have been a tug of war. Calum finally got brussel sprouts on the okay to eat list and he’s been working on that for a year now. 

Jaiden inspects the bag of brown rice. “What makes it brown?”

Calum pauses, twisting his lips up. “I don’t know actually. Let’s look it up,” he suggests pulling out his phone. Cal place a foot on the bottom rack, typing in the passcode to unlock his phone. He brings up the safari page and types in the question while speaking out loud. “What makes brown rice brown?”

Jai watches his father type deftly on the screen. “What it say?”

Calum scans over the results. “So, it looks like that with brown rice only the first layer is taken off. White rice has the first three layers peeled off when it’s collected and processed.”

Jai nods. Calum knows he doesn’t quite understand, so he attempts to explain it down further. But this leads Calum down a spiral that not even he knows not much about. “I’m sorry, bud. I’m probably confusing you even more.”

“It okay.” 

“Excuse, I’m sorry. I hate to be a bother,” a soft voice starts. Calum looks up to his left, a woman standing in the middle of the aisle. She grins. “Don’t mean to interrupt a very cute moment. I just need a grab a bag of rice too,” she laughs. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Calum rushes out.

“Brown or white?” Jaiden asks looking at the woman. 

She laughs. “What do you suggest? Looks like you like brown.”

Jaiden nods. “It my favorite.”

“Then I think I should go with brown, yeah?”

With a toothy grin and nod, Jaiden stretches to reach it. His fingers don’t quite reach, so Cal scoots it closer until he can grip it. He hands it over to the woman. “Thank you. Sorry again for interrupting,” she says. 

“No, I probably should’ve moved out of the way,” Calum says, a blush heating up his cheeks. “He asked what made brown rice brown and I got too invested answering the question.”

“That’s so sweet. Don’t worry; I heard the whole lecture. Would’ve said for a lot longer but I’m on a bit of a time crunch.” She starts pushing her basket away, still smiling at the two them as she walks. “I hope you’re little man was taking notes. It was a great lecture.” She turns back around, keeping on down the aisle. 

Calum watches the sway of her hips before he turns attention back to Jaiden. “What’s up next?” the little boy asks. 

Calum thinks for the first time in history, they’re going to make it through a Target run without making a detour through the toy aisle, considering how enamored Jaiden is with the alien keychain. But Calum remembers he needs to get another pillow, his is starting to go flat. Now he can go down towards bedding, which is right across from the toy section. Or he can sleep on a flat pillow for a couple more days until his mom takes Jai for the weekend. He’d rather not sleep on the flat pillow. However, the second Jaiden sees that toy section he’s going to beg to at least see what’s new. If he asks for a new toy, Calum’s not going to be able to say no. He can’t ever say no to his little boy. 

His neck is killing him. He refuses to go another night on that godforsaken pillow. With a sigh, he pushes the cart to bedding. If Jaiden asks for something, he’ll just have to say no. Calum can do that. Is it fun? No. But he can do it this time. Jaiden’s birthday is coming up soon. Patience is a virtue, or so that’s what he’s always been told and learned. “Can we look, Daddy?” Jaiden asks, craning to look at the toys. 

Calum glances over the plastic covered pillows, before he finds the one he’s looking for. “Only look, alright.”

Tossing the pillow into the full cart, Calum starts towards the toy aisle. Jaiden starts to get a little antsy so when Calum stops, he pulls the boy out the cart and holds him to his side. He likes being up high to see everything. Slowly, Calum walks them through the aisle. 

“We meet again,” comes with a laugh. Cal looks over to see the same woman before, the one on the rice aisle. “Can I pick your little boy’s brain about which water gun is better?” she asks. 

“I help!” Jaiden responds eagerly. “Can I?”

Calum nods, setting his son down. The lady approaches holding out two different kinds of water guns. She squats down to Jaiden’s level. “My nephew is little older than you, if I had to guess. And I’m trying to be the cool aunt, but I feel like I’m failing miserably. Which one you think is cooler?”

Jaiden purses his lips, looking between the two toys in front of him. The green and blue one is big and cool. But the white and green one has the little pump to it. “This is hard,” he mutters to himself. Calum chuckles, hearing his son take choosing the right toy so seriously. 

“Take your time, sweetheart. Thanks for helping me,” the woman encourages. She looks up to Calum again. “Thanks, again.”

He nods, leaning into his cart. “Don’t worry about it.”

“This one,” Jaiden concludes tapping the one with pumping action. 

She grins down at Calum’s mini me. “Thanks so much. You’re a rockstar, you know that? Got me my rice and helped me pick out a toy. You’re dad should be really proud of you.”

“Thanks,” he blushes, walking back to his dad, wrapping his arms around Calum’s legs. Calum can’t resist the urge to pick up his son. A grunt falls over his lips. 

“You’re getting big,” he mutters to Jai, straightening out his t-shirt. 

“Have a great days you guys,” the woman smiles one last time before exiting the aisle. 

It takes Calum another ten minutes to get Jaiden satisfied with his tour of the toy section. As the check out, he piles his items onto the conveyor belt, glancing back to Jaiden, to make sure everything’s alright. The drive back home is filled with Calum singing, on and off key, and Jai in the backseat dancing, doing his grandma’s finger wag of a dance. Cal remembers seeing Jaiden do that dance for the first time after coming back home after a weekend away. He took a video, laughing and sent it to his mom. She replied with a smiley face. Of course she’d not say anything else. 

Home, Calum gets Jaiden inside with a couple bags of grocery. Jaiden follows his dad back outside. “I help, Daddy.”

“Head back inside. I’ll be done soon, Jai.”

He shakes his head. “No, I help. I’m strong.”

A sigh falls over his lips and then looks down to his son. Yeah, Calum could never deny him. He finds the lightest bag from the trunk and hands it over to the boy. “Wait for me before you go inside.” Jai nods, holding the bag of chips with both hands. Calum grabs a few more bags into his second hand and then nods as he starts towards the front door. Jai walks in front of his dad, putting his bag down next to all the other ones. 

Jaiden walks behind Calum, helping him unpack things until Duke distracts him asking for pets. Calum watches the two of them play around a grin lifting his cheeks. For all the craziness that has happened since Jaiden came into the world, watching him grow up is the best thing to ever happen. Calum moved back to Sydney after Jaiden was born and his mother walked away. He wanted to raise a family back at home anyway. But Jaiden’s mother thought staying in the States would be a good idea. Calum, not one for arguing, decided to give it a shot. But a year after Jaiden’s birth, she left. She wasn’t ready nor did she think she was fit to be a mother at that point in her life. 

Calum tried to talk her, get her to realize that like no one’s really ready to be a parent, but the only thing they can do is give it their best. She was convinced it would be best for the both of them if she left. Calum cried to his mother. He had never imagined his child being motherless; how would he raise a kid as a single parent? Would Jaiden resent his mother? Would he ever think himself different and grow sad about it? How would Cal explain that his mother walked away and never called? She said she would but he knew that her promise to call was more for his sake than Jaiden’s. 

How would Calum explain that he never reached out to her because he didn’t want to hurt her further even though that means potential pain for him? How does Calum juggle caring for both feelings of the mother of his child and his child when they inherently conflict? “You okay, Daddy?”

Calum snaps from his daze, eyes focusing on the concern pulling at his son’s face. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure, buddy. Don’t worry. I was just thinking for a second.” Calum walks over, tussling at Jaiden’s hair. “What should Dad fix for lunch, huh?”

“Dinosaurs!” he exclaims, referring to the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. 

“Dino’s coming right up.”

The second Calum mentions a nap, Jaiden flees. Calum knows where he always goes, under the sheets of Cal’s bed. It’s where Jaiden goes to when he wants to avoid something or he’s scared. Many times when it storms, thunder booming outside, Jaiden will knock on his father’s door, tiny hands clutching his favorite blanket, blinking up at Calum with tears in his eyes. Calum always does the same thing, scoops his little boy up, shushing him with gentle back rubs. He settles into bed, Jaide pressing into his side, head resting on his chest. Jaiden falls asleep to his father’s voice singing in low hums to his favorite lullabies. 

Now Calum watches as Jaiden zips down the hallway, shouting no to nap time. “Jai you know you need a nap,” Calum calls out to the little boy. 

Here we go, Calum thinks to himself pushing away from the table. He slows his gait, giving Jaiden enough time to curl up under the sheets. “Now where has my son gone?” Cal says loudly into the house. “He was just as the dining room table. I make mention of a little thing called a nap.” Jaiden giggles; Calum can hear it as he closes in on his bedroom. “And Jaiden has run away. Oh what am I going to Grandma and Grandpa?” 

Calum closes in on the bed, kneeling on the floor. “Is my tamatāne...under the bed?” Calum looks under the bed. Jaiden giggles from under the sheets. Duke fights to under with the boy too. “Is he….in the closet?”

“No, I’m right here, Daddy!” Jaiden pulls down the covers to reveal himself. 

“Ah there he is!” Calum laughs, “A silly little bug, aren’t you? You still have to nap though.”

Pouting, Jaiden looks up with his blue eyes, wide and blinking slowly. “Can I sleep in your bed?”

“Yes, yes you can sleep in my bed. But no silly stuff, mister.”

Jaiden nods, settling his head on the new pillow. Duke settles in near his feet. Calum tucks the sheets in around him, brushing his hair back with his palm. “I love you,” he whispers. 

“Love you too, Daddy.”

Positive that Jaiden’s fast asleep, Calum slips up front. He’s phone has been lighting up with messages for a while now. But he didn’t want to talk about work until he was sure he’d have a big block of time. Tour’s starting up in the next six months. Jaiden should be enrolled into school by that point and it terrifies Calum that he has to leave for so long. But his mom doesn’t think taking Jaiden out on the road is a good idea. Not that Calum is angry at her logic. But he’s worried he’s going to miss so much. He’s worried Jaiden will never forgive for leaving him. He’s wondering if he can hire a teacher who has some experience nannying to go on the road with him. So he doesn’t have to miss so much of his son’s life. Some days that feels like wishful thinking, a dream that will never materialize. 

When Calum first became a single parent, the boys were very willing and understanding to take a break. They helped him immensely when he felt too embarrassed to go to his mother for the thousandth time over the same concern. All he’s known for the last three year is living everyday with Jaiden, waking up to him, carting him around on adventures and Duke’s walks. All he’s known are the play wrestle matches, and building rockets out of legos and singing to along to every Disney movie. The last few years have just been daily lessons at the kitchen table in Maori and in English. Can Calum give all that up? Can Calum subject Jaiden to the constant shuffling of tour?

Calum dials his mother’s number. He knows her stance on the issue; he just needs someone to talk to, someone to listen to his fears. “Hello?” she answers. 

“Hey, how are you?” he starts.

“I know that tone. Talk to me.”

“I can’t leave him.”

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Jaiden’s going to be alright.”

“How do I bring that up to him? He’s going to want to come along. He’s never been away from me for that long.”

She listens; she hums, she waits. Waits for him to spill his guts, spill every ounce of fear in his flesh. She knows that it’s not that Calum doesn’t trust her, or is concerned about her ability to watch after Jaiden. He’s afraid about what the distance will do to his child. He’s afraid that Jaiden will get mad, afraid that he will start to question why Dad left and why Mom’s not around. Calum’s terrified that Jaiden will compare him to his absent mother. 

It ultimately has to happen. Calum has to leave Jaiden. They have spent the months leading up to this, talking about what it means that Calum’s leaving. That Grandma will be staying at the house with him, that he’ll be won’t be going to daycare anymore but school. The first few days of school are thankfully a smooth transition. The week before Calum leaves, his mother stays over to help transition. This what he’s been dreading, being absent. He’s never wanted to be absent. 

Leaving for that flight is the toughest part of the morning. Jaiden cries into Calum’s shoulder. “Please don’t go Daddy.”

“I’m so sorry, buddy. I don’t want to leave you.”

“Take me with you.”

“You can’t miss school.”

“I don’t want to miss you, Daddy.”

That declaration breaks Calum’s heart; all the air presses out of his chest. The tears sting behind his eyes, hot and fast. He buries his face into Jaiden’s tiny shoulder, hugging his boy chest to his body. “I love you,” he whispers. “I love you so much. I’ll call everyday; I promise.” This is a promise he will not break. “When we come back here to play, Grandma’s going to bring you to the show.”

Security try to keep the schedule as best as possible. They don’t want to interrupt the tearful goodbye, but the boys need to get kicked in. So Calum place his boy on the ground, squatting in front of them. Calum’s mother stands behind her grandson; she didn’t think it’d be this hard. Calum wipes Jaiden’s face on the sleeve on his shirt. “Daddy’s going to be back real soon. Be a good boy for Grandma, okay, please? I’m only a phone call away.”

Jaiden steps into his father, hugging his neck. “I love you, Daddy,” he cries into Cal’s shoulder. 

“I love you, Jai. I love you so much.” 

As the boys walk through the airport, they notice fans lined up. Calum can’t stop to talk to them, still wiping tears and fighting the sobs in his chest. He risks a glance back through the glass doors and see his mother picking Jaiden up. He pauses, legs desperately wanting to turn him around and run back to his son, that’s his whole life gone from his fingertips. 

“Guess what, Daddy?” Jaiden shouts, settling down in front of the laptop. 

“Oh, look at you!” Cal coos, looking at his son. He’s shot up it feels like over night. “You’re getting so big.”

“Grandma’s going to measure me tomorrow!”

“Make sure to do it when I call. Now what did you want me to guess?”

Jaiden shakes his head. “No, you have to guess!”

“Hmm,” Calum thinks for a second. “You got recess today?”

“We get that everyday, Daddy.”

“Okay, uh, you kissed Grandma today?”

Jai rolls his eyes. “You’re bad at guessing.”

Laughter bubbles out of Calum. “Help your old man out. What happened?”

“I got a new teacher today!”

“He had a substitute,” his mother clarifies from the background, fingers working out peeling something just off screen. 

“Yeah, but she’s the lady that I helped pick out a toy!”

“Oh!” Calum remembers her. She was very sweet. “Is she nice?”

Jaiden nods. “Yeah, and she remembered me too! I like her a lot. I wish she was my real teacher.” They talk until dinner is made for Jaiden. Jaiden drops his head. “How much longer?”

“Soon, I’m coming back soon. Another month.”

“I miss you,” he finally admits looking back to the screen with his eyes swimming in tears. 

“Oh, Jai, bug, I’m always a phone call away. I miss you too. You should be getting something in the mail from me soon, okay?”

He nods. “Okay.”

“I know it’s the same as me coming back home. But it’s only a little bit longer.” When the call ends, Calum rests his head against the leather couch. Why did he have to be so far away when his child only wanted him close?

The last four weeks feel like the drag on, Calum counts the seconds until he can get back to his son. He loves playing shows to fans; he wishes when he crawled into bed, he had Jaiden’s knocking on the door to get in with him. He wishes he could kiss him on his forehead, tussle his hair. His body ache just to hug his little boy. What he wouldn’t do to hold his son?

As the plane lands, Calum fights to keep his knees from bouncing. He grabs his carry on and follows behind Luke out the plane. Fans are lined up and Calum takes a few pics until a voice cries out for him. “Daddy!”

He snaps his head in the sound of the voice. Jaiden waves behind the barrier. Calum rushes over, sliding his carry on bag over his head and drops it to the floor. He sinks to his knees in front of his little boy. “Jaiden, oh,” he cries, wrapping his arms around the boy. He’s grown so much over the course of the tour. He’s a good three inches taller. His face is still chubby, but it’s almost like Cal hasn’t seen him in years. 

Tears stream down his face. Calum doesn’t care; doesn’t move an inch to wipe them from his skin. Pulling back, he laughs, through watery vision and blinks to clear it. Cal runs a hand over Jaiden’s hair. “Cut your hair I see,” he laughs. “Matching me now?”

Jaiden nods, tussing Calum’s hair in return before hugging him again. Words are lost in this throat. He doesn’t know what to say now that his dad is back. Maybe words would make the moment less special. All Jaiden knows is that he’s so elated to have his Dad back. Calum stands, holding Jai in his arms. Calum signs for a couple more minutes, but says no to the pictures. He wants to get home as soon as possible and listen to all of Jaiden’s stories, catch up on all that’s he missed. 

Jaiden smiles at the fans, waving, but mostly he buries himself into Calum’s neck and shoulder. He doesn’t care how long they stand in that airport. Because he’s dad is finally back, not on a screen, not a phone call away, but here in the flesh. He could stand in that airport for forever if it meant being back in Calum’s arms. 

[tlbodine]

Thanksgiving is Gonna Be Weird: A Survival Guide for 2020

It’s 2020, the pandemic is worse than ever, and the holidays are right around the corner. No matter what, this is going to be a weird Thanksgiving for a lot of people. With travel restrictions in place and most of us having a mighty desire not to murder our friends and family by spreading around a disease, there’s a good chance that you’re going to be celebrating a bit differently this year. 

And, hey, maybe you decide not to celebrate at all. Which is perfectly valid! 

But maybe you’re staring down the possibility of your first Thanksgiving on your own, or feeding just the small group you live for rather than a big crowd, or some other unusual circumstance. And if that’s the case, I wanted to compile together some resources/ideas to help you out. I know this isn’t my usual horror fare, but...well, I hope it’s helpful, regardless. 

“Help, I’ve Never Made Thanksgiving Dinner Before” Starter Kit

Maybe you’ve always gone home for the holidays but are currently stuck in an apartment with a few roommates, and none of you have any intensive cooking skills. Maybe you always take the kids to Grandma’s house and have never had to contribute more than a side dish but now really want to do a proper Thanksgiving feast for your partner(s), kid(s) and whoever else lives in your house. 

Never fear! A Thanksgiving feast doesn’t have to be intimidating! In fact, Thanksgiving foods are usually pretty simple; the most challenging part of the whole feast is the project management aspect of working with a lot of different dishes and getting everything ready at once. But the smaller your crowd to feed, the easier that is! 

So, the first thing you’ll want to do is come up with a menu. Sit down and write a list of all the foods you normally eat and enjoy on Thanksgiving. If something is served at your family meal that you’ve never cared for, guess what? You can boot that bad boy right off the list! 

By and large, the standard Thanksgiving feast consists of: 

Roast turkey 

Mashed potatoes

Gravy

Some kind of dinner roll

Cranberry sauce

Some number of vegetable side dishes (often a green been casserole and a sweet potato casserole) 

Some kind of dessert (often/traditionally a pumpkin pie) 

I’ve linked above some easy & favorite techniques/recipes for all of these foods, but of course you can buy time-saving convenience items to get you rolling -- from potato flakes to gravy mix to premade pie. I won’t tell if you don’t. 

If there’s something you’re used to eating every year that you don’t know how to make....call whoever usually makes it! If at all possible, obviously, I’m not recommending you do a seance to talk to your dead great-aunt and get her rolls recipe. Just, like...phone up your friend/family member, get the recipe, and use it as an opportunity to connect. Odds are both of you are missing the human interaction. 

“Hey, That’s Nice, But I Live in a Dorm Room”  Edition 

Okay, okay, I get it. You’re away at college and can’t get home to see your family safely and you’re living in some kind of weird socially isolated dorm situation where you have limited access to cooking implements. Or, shit, idk, maybe you’re couch-surfing or living in a motel or otherwise not in possession of a full kitchen. 

I got you, fam. 

Do you have at your disposal a microwave? Rice cooker? Even an electric kettle will work! 

If you have some way to boil water, you can make instant mashed potatoes, gravy, and stove-top stuffing. If you have a microwave, you can steam some vegetables and bake a sweet potato. For dessert, core an apple, stuff the cavity with brown sugar + cinnamon + butter and nuke in the microwave for 4 minutes. 

It’s hypothetically possible to microwave a turkey, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, I’d opt to buy a deli roast chicken (about $5 at most grocery stores), or even just some turkey deli meat. Alternatively, ham usually just needs to be warmed rather than cooked, and you can buy a big ol’ ham steak at the store for a couple of bucks. 

“I’m Dead Broke Because COVID, Send Help” 

You know the great thing about Thanksgiving food? It’s cheap. No, really! It can be, anyway, especially since a lot of foods go on sale. 

In my area anyway, the local Wal-Mart and Smith’s Grocery have: 

A can of green beans for about 79 cents

A bag of instant mashed potatoes for about $1 

A big can of yams for about $1, or fresh yams for 50 cents/lb (usually a couple sweet potatoes = 1lb) 

Canned corn or peas + corn for 50 cents, or steam-in-bag veggies of your choice for $1 

Stovetop stuffing for $1 or sometimes even 50 cents per box 

Margarine for 79 cents to $1 

Gravy mix packets for 50 cents each

A can of cranberry sauce for $1 or less

Most of these are also available at Dollar Tree! 

A lot of food banks will also be giving out turkeys this time of year, and some grocery stores will give you a free turkey if you spend $50 or $100 on groceries or whatever. Do you have an older relative who needs groceries? Ask if you can go buy their food and deliver it to their door (contactless!) and keep the free turkey.

You can pretty easily feed a group of 4-6 for $20 or so, especially if you’re willing to be flexible on your protein. And what are you doing feeding more than 6 people in the middle of a pandemic, huh? 

“I’m Used to Hosting a Big Dinner But There’s Only Like Three Of Us Living In This House WTF How Do I Scale This Shit Down” 

Maybe you are a Thanksgiving veteran. Maybe you’re accustomed to hosting for a big crowd and cooking a small meal just seems dumb and pointless. I feel you. This is my life right now! But don’t despair! 

The way I see it, you’ve got a couple-three options: 

Option One: 

Cook your turkey + a different side each day, and eat your Thanksgiving feast spread out over a week or so. It’ll keep your leftovers from dominating your fridge, let you eat something fresh, and allow you to enjoy all your favorite recipes. Downside is you’ll have to cook every day, so you tell me if you’re too busy to do that. 

Option Two: 

Cook everything that you normally would, but portion off half of it or whatever to stuff into your freezer, or go deliver it to somebody else’s door. The odds are pretty good that you’ve got a friend or family member who is freaking out about the holiday, and if you can’t see them in person, you can at least drop food off on their porch and then honk aggressively/cheerfully from the safety of your car! 

Option Three: 

Make something different this year. If you’re a foodie, take this as an opportunity to challenge yourself to create something high-maintenance and weird that you wouldn’t normally make. This is a good choice if you’re off work and stuck in your house with nothing else to do. Basically you’re subbing out quantity for quality so the meal still feels special and unique even if it’s, y’know....just you and your cat, or whoever. 

PS: Roasting a whole chicken or a cornish game hen is a fun, small-scale way to get your bird-in-the-oven experience. You can also buy a turkey breast and just cook that, which will be a lot faster than the whole bird anyway. 

"I’m An Essential Worker And I’m Working Thanksgiving And Have No Time To Do ANYTHING, What Now?” 

Dude, I get it. And whether you’re a doctor, nurse, grocery store employee, or whatever other essential service-worker, my heart goes out to you because hoo boy this year has been shit, hasn’t it? I can’t do anything about the hazard pay situation, but I CAN tell you that there are a few places offering delivery-based Thanksgiving meal options! 

You might want to search around a bit for your specific area. Cracker Barrel, Marie Callendar’s, Boston Market, and other types of branded “home-cooking” type restaurants tend to have some kind of Thanksgiving thing. Why not call your local restaurant fav to see if they’re doing something similar? Most restaurants are desperate for a way to stay afloat right now, so a ton of places that don’t traditionally deliver are offering curbside service now. It’s worth a try! 

So, there you have it. 

I hope some of these tips taught you something new, pointed you to a helpful resource, or gave you some ideas. More than anything, I just want everybody to be safe and happy this holiday. So, please -- get creative, wear your mask while you’re shopping, avoid the get-togethers, and be careful. You may save a life! 

[purplesurveys]

1274

Department One: Apparel And Jewelry

What are you wearing today?  Just a white duster dress. Very loungewear-y, hahaha. I didn’t feel like wearing shorts today.

What does your favorite shirt look like?  At the moment I’m obsessed with my Vante shirt. It’s fanmade but it was made tastefully; the designs aren’t too loud and I love the cute little shoutouts and tributes to his past paintings, so it had been a ridiculously easy decision for me to want to buy it.

What kind of underwear do you prefer wearing?  Eh I don’t really have a preference as long as I don’t find them uncomfy.

What are your favorite kind of jeans?  I’m definitely still stuck in my mom jeans phase. Idk man, I just love how they match nearly all kinds of tops.

What do the last pair of shoes you wore look like?  They were adidas sneakers. Not a big fan of chunky shoes but it’s an Ivy Park and it was on a big discount HAHAHA so I didn’t hesitate to get them.

How many shoes do you own?  A little more than 10. I love shoes and wanna collect them someday...just not today, hahaha.

How much jewelry do you own?  Not too big on jewelry; most, if not all the ones I wear are just borrowed from my mom since we share the same style anyway.

Do you own any real diamonds or other expensive jewelry?  Yeah, the ones I would borrow from my mom are pretty pricey.

Has anyone ever gave you jewelry as a present?  Yes, I received rings and necklaces from my ex. One of my aunts also gave me a necklace when I turned 7.

Do you like diamonds or gemstones better?  I just stick with diamonds...which is...also a gemstone too, if I’m not mistaken.

Silver or gold?  Silver.

Department Two: Electronics

Do you have a DVD player in your car?  Not in mine, but we do have one in the family car. I used to watch movies on there often but after one grueling road trip where my motion sickness acted up, I haven’t wanted to use it since.

If you have one, what does your camera/camcorder look like?  I just use the camera in my phone but back in the day I used to have a DSLR; that was when I thought I wanted to take up photography, heh. It was a Nikon D3100.

How much did it cost?  I’m not sure since my dad gave it to me as a present, but a quick search told me it would’ve cost him around P20,000 which issssss wow more expensive than I thought.

What kind of cellphone do you have?  I have an iPhone 8 with an LCD screen that’s deteriorating by the day HAHA. I really need to get a new phone.

How often do you send texts?  I text just for work purposes now, so it really depends on how busy my accounts are. Some days would require me to send out more texts than usual.

Do you have your own computer or does your family share?  I have my own laptop. My workplace also provided me with what’s supposed to be my work laptop, but they had it sent to me when I was already a couple of months into my job and all my needed files and programs were already in my personal laptop. Since I was too lazy to start everything all over again, I’ve never actually used the work laptop haha.

How many computers are in your house?  We have three laptops in total - my siblings and I each have our own. Kind of a necessity these days.

Do you still have a VCR?  I don’t think so.

How many DVDs do you own?  We probably have around 30-50 but most of them are movies from like the 2000s that we just haven’t thrown out. Personally, I have about five DVDs of old films like Gone with the Wind, Rebel Without A Cause, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, etc, and recently I’ve been buying BTS merch so DVDs are part of that mix too.

Does your car have a GPS?  No. I use Waze on my phone instead.

What kind of iPod/MP3 player do you have? Haven’t used an iPod in like a literal decade. I use Spotify for my music.

How many songs are on it?  Spotify doesn’t work that way since it’s technically a database of songs.

What size is your TV?  Never bothered to ask/check.

How many TVs are in your house?  Four. Living room, dining room, master bedroom, my brother’s room.

What video game systems do you have?  We have a PS3 and PS4. 

What about handhelds?  Switch. I believe my sister also still has her DSi stored somewhere.

How many video games do you have?  Probably somewhere around 50-60. My dad and brother are content with repeating their games lol.

Department Three: Home

What kind of shampoo do you use?  It’s a Dove variant but I’m just blanking out on the specific name/what it does.

Soap or shower gel?  Shower gel.

What does your comforter look like?  It’s pretty colorful and has geometric shapes and lines.

Does it match your pillows?  Yep, they come in a set.

What size is your bed?  Twin.

Do you or your parents like to decorate the house with various things or is it plain?  My mom puts considerable effort in decorating the house but it’s nothing overboard that it feels tacky. There’s enough decor in enough spaces.

Does the furniture in your house match?  Sure. I imagine my mom would be very irritated if she felt something was uncoordinated at home.

What does your couch look like?  It’s a gray L-shaped couch. Gabie broke a portion of the couch’s springs when it had only spent its like first two weeks at home but surprisingly my mom has not noticed it yet; probably because she barely sits on that side.

How many does your dining room/kitchen table seat?  It has six chairs, though since we’re five one of the chairs is almost always unoccupied.

Do you have any fancy china?  No, my mom isn’t the type to collect those.

Do you have outside furniture?  Yeah we have a table and chairs up on the rooftop, if they count.

What do your curtains look like?  My siblings and I have pull-down blinds. The other rooms have these pulled-back gold curtains that’s accompanied by white sheers.

Department Four: Grocery

What kind of bread do you get?  Sliced white bread, always. Sometimes my mom will pick up pan de sal, but she gets those from a certain bakery and no longer the grocery.

What is your favorite kind of cake?  CHEEEEEEEEEESECAAAAAAAKE.

Do you get a lot of sweets from the grocery store?  Eh, nah. Not a big fan of sweets.

What kind of soda is your favorite?  Don’t like soda.

Do you drink juice? What kind?  I can take it or leave it. I wouldn’t buy it for myself.

What is your favorite chewing gum?  Doesn’t matter to me. The flavors last for only like a minute anyway.

Do you usually get candy from the check-out aisle?  Nah. Those are far more accessible so who knows who could’ve touched or tampered with them. Plus, I mentioned I don’t like sweets.

What is your favorite soup?  Miso or cream of mushroom.

Have you ever had soup when you were sick?  No. I don’t enjoy hot beverages/liquids very much so I doubt I would feel comfort from soup when I’m sick.

What are your favorite canned vegetables?  Not sure if it’s a cultural difference thing but canned vegetables kind of sound gross and I don’t think I’ve encountered those (I actually had to look it up lol). My parents always buy fruits and veggies as is.

What do you eat for breakfast?  Fried rice is a constant but my mom switches up the set of viands every time. Some of the meals she serves would be hotdogs, eggs (either scrambled, omelette, fried, or sunny-side up), corned beef, dried fish, hashbrowns, luncheon meat, tapa, and Vienna sausages. Poptarts or toaster strudels?  Poptarts. I’ve never had toaster strudel and I’m honestly not sure what that is.

What salad dressing do you prefer?  Spicy mayo.

Ketchup, mayonnaise, or mustard?  MAYONNAISE. I can live without the other two.

What kind of cookie do you like best?  I only ever eat chocolate chip.

What kind of snacks do you get at the grocery store?  Salted egg chips or Pringles. Not a big fan of snacks either. This survey is making me realize I’m way more into full meals than anything else.

Do you get the meat from the deli?  Er, we don’t have delis here. Too fancy a concept lmao. If we have them, they are most likely in those extremely upscale, boujee neighborhoods.

What is your favorite frozen dinner?  I mean my dad buys frozen meat, fish, etc, but the frozen dinner sets that I see in American culture, which I’m guessing is what’s being referred to in this question, are not common here.

Do you prefer frozen dinners to actual cooking?  I honestly can’t imagine how it’s filling, but then again I’ve never tried it. Personally, food made from scratch is still the best.

What is your favorite kind of pasta?  Fettuccine.

Do you eat meat? And if not, do you eat vegetarian meat?  Yes, I eat meat. I get vegan options if they’re accessible and affordable, but those choices are hard to come by here.

What is your favorite fruit?  Avocado is really the only one I’ll give a pass to. Everything else tastes horrible.

What about vegetable?  Broccoli, bell peppers, green beans.

Department Five: Health And Beauty

What kind of makeup do you normally use?  None. If I absolutely have to put on makeup, I will begrudgingly put on foundation, maybe some eyeliner, and lip gloss. And they will all most likely be borrowed from my sister.

Do you wear more makeup on special events?  Not necessarily.

What is your favorite makeup brand?  I wouldn’t be the right person to ask because I would just say none of them.

Do you use any acne products?  Mmm no, I just splash water on my face, really. I actually got into a conversation about skincare with my co-workers yesterday and besides the usual shocked experessions I get when people find out I don’t use products, they recommended I at least get moisturizer and sunscreen. Idk, let’s see but historically it’s been hard to convince me to invest in skincare haha.

What kind of perfume do you use?  I have one of Beyoncé’s perfumes, Heat Rush. I don’t actually know if that’s still in production but it’s been my staple for like a decade or so now.

Have you ever been on a diet?  No. I never really had to be on one.

What products do you use in your hair?  Shampoo and conditioner.

How often do you brush your hair?  Only when I have to leave the house or have an important virtual work meeting.

What do you take when you have an upset stomach?  Nothing. The toilet usually solves that for me lol.

Do you take any prescription medicine? Nope.

Department Six: Movies, Music, And Books

What is your favorite movie of all time?  It’s been Two for the Road for a solid nine years and it doesn’t look like anything’s on its way to dethroning it anytime soon.

What genre of movie do like best?  Drama. The more realistic it is, the better.

What was the last movie you watched?  It’s a Korean film called Be With You. I liked it and I cried waterfalls, but the ending was so rushed it was kind of disappointing.

What was the last movie you purchased?  I don’t buy movies. If I wanted to see a film I’ll check if Netflix has it, then if they don’t I just try to scour one of those illegal movie streaming sites that always happen to have thousands of pornographic ads hahaha.

What is your all time favorite band? Paramore. Do you still buy CDs?  Only from artists I’m an extremely huge fan of. Right now that would be BTS, so I’m catching up on all the albums they’ve released in the last eight years.

What was the last CD you bought?  I got the Butter album set, if that counts. If it doesn’t, the last full-length album I purchased was Dark & Wild.

What was the last song you listened to?  I think it was Permission To Dance.

What is your favorite book?  I haven’t found it yet.

Do you even like reading?  I used to love it a lot more, to the point that back in grade school I was known as always having a book in my hand. I just don’t know where that passion went.

How often do you read?  Nearly never. I mean...I do read fanfics, I guess; but I won’t count those.

Department Seven: Sports And Fitness

Do you own a bike/scooter/skateboard/etc.?  We do have a bike at home, but that doesn’t mean I know how to ride it. We don’t have the other two.

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike w/o training wheels?  I still don’t know how to last on a bike without training wheels heheh.

Have you ever been camping?  Nah.

How often do you work out?  Nope but at work my boss just started another fitness challenge, so I’ll probably have to get back on working out soon just because I would want to accomplish the challenge.

Are you in good shape?  Sure, I think so. I’m not like fit fit because I neveeer exercise haha, but I also don’t make it a point to constantly eat unhealthy foods or have an unhealthy lifestyle to the point that it affects my body.

Do you go to a gym?  I do not. I thought of getting a membership at the start of the year but I’m glad I didn’t push through with it because all the gyms are still closed anyway.

Have you ever been fishing?  No. Idk if it’s my kind of pastime or not.

Have you ever been on a boat?  Yeah. My country has like 7000 islands so I was bound to get on a boat at some point in my life haha.

Can you play golf?  Never seemed interesting to me so no. Even on Wii Sports I barely picked golf.

Ever rode on a golf cart?  Yeah, in resorts where we had to ride them to be taken to our room.

Would you ever go hunting?  That’s an easy no.

What is your favorite sport?  Pro wrestling or table tennis.

Ever played on a sports team?  No, my school didn’t have a table tennis varsity.

Department Eight: Toys

What was your favorite toy as a child?  Cash registers because I liked the buttons. Also Play-Doh sets that had those contraptions that would squirt out the clay in various shapes.

Do you still play with toys?  Well, no.

Do you collect any toys?  I don’t, but I’m not opposed to start buying Funko Pop figurines of people or characters I’m interested in.

Did you ever have building blocks?  Sure, but I was never creative enough for them.

Did you play with dolls?  No.

Barbies or Bratz? Which were better?  BRATZZZZZZ

What is your favorite board game?  Scrabble.

Do you like to do arts and crafts?  Hell no.

Do you think that kids now have it better than when you were young? For sure, but isn’t that kind of the goal?

[seizethesam]

Ode to an Angel-Chapter 1

Summary: You had been alone in this apocalyptic world since you got seperated from your old group and lost your brother. You were on your way to an old metal factory in the hopes of finding your former group when a herd of walkers dragged you in to the woods. You took refuge in a hut, where you met him. You have got a long road ahead and some reckoning to do.

A/N: Hey guys! the first chapter of my brand new Daryl series is finally here. I wrote for Sam Drake for a short period of time and took a looong hiatus. But it is finally time for reunion. I hope you will all enjoy it. Happy reading!!! xx seizethesam

Pearing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader

This chapter’s recommended song is “My Least Favorite Life from “True Detective” by Lera Lynn. 

Youtube   Spotify

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

"So he took his wings, and fled;

Then the morn blushed rosy red.

I dried my tears, and armed my fears

With ten thousand shields and spears. "

-William Blake

The forest was not acting on your behalf. Every tree you dodged was slowing you down, which was the last thing you wanted. The herd of dead was gaining on you, limping their ways towards your direction. You assumed that there were at least thirty of them —and let's be honest, you could not take all of them.

You were exhausted, the only thing you wanted the most right now was laying on a comfortable bed, eating whatever snack you would wish to have. But no... Those days were over a long time ago. Now the only things you had were starvation, exhaustion, loneliness, and a bunch of walking dead that were hungry for your soft flesh.

You had been trying to push your happy remembrances to the back of your memory for a long time now that you started to fear if you had forgotten them. Your mom, dad, brother—No, you would never- could never forget him. He had been your rock since the world went to shit, he had been doing everything in his power to keep you safe.

Now you were alone in god knows where. You were making your way towards the old metal factory outside the city where your former group could’ve settled when the herd came out of nowhere and led you into the woods.

You glanced back at the herd and saw that you have outrun them enough to catch your breath for a second. You stopped and leaned your back against a tree, trying to stabilize your fast-paced breathing. The loud growling of the herd was filling your ears and the smell of the rotten flesh was starting to water your eyes, making your vision blurry. For split second you close your eyes, take a deep breath to motivate yourself to continue running.

Growling sounds of the herd were exploding among the trees and meeting with your ears in a raucous matter. I need to move, now... The earth was rough under your feet despite your shoes. You could not remember how long you had been on the road like this; an excruciatingly uncomfortable backpack on your back, a gun around your thigh, and a knife attached to your belt… The blisters forming on the soles of your feet told you that it had been a long time, real long time. 

You began walking through the dark green trees. The Georgian sun was shining through the tree branches, falling on your skin to warm your flesh. Your legs were failing to carry the weight, and eyes were struggling to stay open due to the lack of energy. You didn’t even remember the last time your belly was full let alone remembering eating something decent. For the past few weeks, your menu consisted of energy bars and crappy canned food.

Today on your lunch was half a can of beans and two sips of water. The sun was getting closer to its horizon as reddish sun rays reflected upon the shiny green tree leaves, the scenery imitated a thousand sunsets all at once. Your heart leaps up at the beauty of the moment. There still are good things. That was what you wanted to believe. 

“There still are good things” you whispered to yourself, a faint smile appeared on your lips as you admired the view. 

While drinking the beauty of the wild, reckless nature, you spotted a brownish-black silhouette from the corner of your eye. When you turned your head towards the figure, you could not help the soft chuckle. It was a cottage. Without thinking twice, you made your way towards the small wooden building which looked like a single room shelter built for hunting trips. You stopped your tracks at the front of the tiny porch. There could be walkers inside, or maybe people.

You needed to be smart, careful, and needed to make most of your weapons; A 9mm with two bullets in its clip, and a hunting knife. You still did not trust yourself with the gun, but you could handle your knife just enough, enough to keep you alive this far. 

Slowly you approached to dusty stairs of the porch, carefully you stepped on the first stair. It did not squeak. You take two more steps for the other two stairs. When the last wooden step raised a surprisingly loud squeal, you heard a familiar snarl inside the old shed. 

Automatically your hand reached for the handle of your knife, taking it out of its holster. You raised the knife in front of you with a defensive pose and slowly made your way towards the tiny window near the door. The window was failing to serve its purpose as it was covered with dust and dirt, you could not see through it. If there was an unfriendly person inside, he could see you wiping the window. You crossed looking through the window off the list.

You leaned your back against the wooden wall, held your breath, and just listened to what was inside, but you didn’t hear anything other than the dead’s annoying snarl. After a few moments, deciding that there is only one biter inside, you reached for the doorknob. 

To your surprise the door was not locked, so you gladly stepped inside. Across the door was a sofa slightly covered with dust, and to your left was a small counter with two small cabinets behind it. The tiny area on the left resembled an unfunctional kitchen, but still, it was something. There behind the counter, a walker was standing, mindlessly trying to move but hitting against the wall.

When you entered the cabin, it turned its attention to your direction and took a few shambling steps towards you. Your knees were shaking, heart pounding against your ribcage. Being face to face with a walker in a tiny space as this cabin sent shivers down your spine. Just like he had taught me, no time to be scared. With that thought, you wrapped your hand around the biter's neck and pushed it against the wall as a contained gruff escaped your mouth, carefully maintaining it at arm's length. You forced the knife with your other hand to its dirty, glassy grey eye, and towards its brain. The moment that its brain had greeted your knife, the body fell on the ground with a thud, allowing you to let out a comforting sigh. 

Without wasting any time, you moved to the kitchenette hoping to find something to eat, but more importantly, water. Your half bottle water was not going to last any longer than a day, even though you were drinking no more than needed. 

You started with the drawers beneath the counter. In the first drawer were rusty scissors and four pieces of nail. The second drawer- empty. The third times the charm- empty. The fourth drawer, well the fourth drawer was bliss. There were two cans of mushroom soup, a can of cooked rice, and a whole bottle of water that will help you another two days. You persisted with the cabinets, but your luck did not. You only found a short black worn-out rope, you did not know how to use it, yet you took it anyway. 

You laid all your belongings on the counter deciding on an inventory check. All you had were five canned food including the new ones, two energy bars, a full bottle of water and your half-full bottle, a pack of tampons, rope, a flashlight, half a box of painkillers, one roll toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrush, a detailed map of Georgia, a box of matches, a swiss knife, sterile compress, a hunting knife, a gun, and two bullets. If you did not return to the highway of anywhere near the city, you would not make it any more than three days in the woods. The city was dangerous but there was more chance of finding food and water. 

You put your stuff back to your backpack without wasting any more time. You locked the door of the cabin and dragged the body of the walker to another corner. The stench was not unbearable but still uncomfortable. You did not have any other choice other than keeping it here. Otherwise, there was a chance that someone with ill intentions could spot the body and assume that someone was inside the cabin. You could not take that chance. After securing the door, you slowly turn to the dirty sofa, its designs are no longer recognizable because of the dirt.

You lightly took one of the cushions and turn it over to reveal the clearer side. It had brown and red plaid patterns. You could not help but remember the similar ones from your family's house. It was just like the sofa that you and your older brother used to play card games. Your heart sinks at the thought and you turn the other cushion as well. 

When it was all done and well, you laid on the sofa letting out a deep sigh. Your feet hanged from the end of the sofa and instantaneously all the exhaustion of the past few days sat on your whole body like an ox as your eyes slowly gave in to sleep. 

"No! One more!" thirteen-year-old you shouted at the older brother. He had just returned from college for the summer break, "You think I'm cheating?" he said disapprovingly. 

"I know you're cheating," you said raising one brow at your brother. "You haven’t lost a game since we started." 

"That's 'cause I'm a pro. Don't be such a sore loser," he said mockingly. He got up from his seat and made his way towards his old room, while you were venting to your mother about the game. A few minutes later he exited the room with one hand hidden behind his back. 

" Whatcha got there? " You asked. He revealed his hand and swung a little red piece of rope. "Here, take this," he said giving you the piece. "For your luck," You took it from his hand and realize that it was a bracelet with a four-leaf clover in the middle. 

"Very funny," you said smiling at the older boy, "Help me with it." 

He grasped the tiny piece of rope and gently tied it to your wrist. You lifted your head to face him, he was much taller than you now. 

"So much for a cheater," you said with a grin. 

Throughout childhood, you and your brother were as close as a brother and a sister could be. But you had never known what your brother thought, what was going on his mind, his dreams. 

You abruptly opened your eyes to see a man towering you with his tall figure. He was wearing a sleeveless flannel shirt and dirty, ripped pants that seem a little big for his figure. His one foot was on the small coffee table and had a crossbow aimed at your face. Shit. His piercing stare was making the situation even more fearful for you. Your heart was pounding like a drum set in a rock concert when you raised your arms to level your head in a surrendering pose. He still did not speak but you spotted a change in his stance. He must've noticed that you were afraid as he hesitantly lowered his crossbow just an inch, his shoulders stiffened. 

"Look, um…I-I don't want any trouble," you say when the man maintained the silence. His eyes were fixed on yours; it was almost like he was trying to read your thoughts. "You can take whatever…" Silence. "I don't have much, but…" You were slowly sitting up. 

"Stay put!" he finally spoke. His voice sounded like more of a gruff, demanding but not a yell." Put your gun and knife on the table,” he said pointing at your gear.

"No-I'm j-" you refused to give your gears that have been keeping alive. 

"Ain't gonna ask again," his voice was dangerously low. It was then you realized that he had a southern accent.  

"Okay," you say with a voice no louder than a whisper, and reluctantly put the knife and the gun on the table. He took and tucked them in his belt after checking the clip. He completely lowered the crossbow and made his way towards the kitchenette with hurried steps. He quickly checked the cabinets before he moved towards the drawers, in which you had left three of your canned food. He stopped for a second, then continued. You could tell that he was filling his bag with your food. 

"The hell ya doin' here?" he asked you, still busy with the bag.

"What?" You don't understand why he was curious all of a sudden.

"Ya alone in tha' woods just with two bullets." he said disbelievingly.

" I was on the main road when a herd dragged me here," you said not knowing if it is safe to share your plans with a total stranger. "I was waiting for the herd to spread out." 

He let out a growl as a response, but you couldn’t really figure out it meant. 

"Do you know how I can go to the old metal factory,” You debated for a moment whether to ask him where the factory was. Your former group had always talked about moving somewhere outside the city where they could be away from the walkers and draw in more survivors.

"What's there?" he asked drawing his eyes from his bag to you. 

"I-I don't know," you genuinely did not know what to expect from the factory, but you were willing to give it shot. This was the least you can do for your brother. He moved away from the counter when he was finally finished and stopped on his tracks to get a good look at you. 

You hadn’t seen yourself for a long time, but you could guess how bad you looked; greasy hair to the tips, hollow cheeks, dark under eyes, skin covered with dirt and blood… 

"Ya ain't too far", he finally said and made his way to the little window. "About twenty miles south, down this way" he continued pointing his finger out the window. “Ya got a map?” he asked. 

You nodded as you slowly took out the map from your backpack, laying it on the table. He knelt down across you and began to examine the map. After a few seconds, he traced a route with his index finger. 

“Ya need to go over tha’ river, there should be a bridge,” he said. This man just had taken half your food and now he was helping you. You did not know why but you were not interested in questioning his kindliness. 

At this point you didn’t even know who to trust, this man could even lead you into a trap for that matter. But you knew that the factory would be somewhere near the area he was showing you. 

“Thank you,” you said turning your head to face him. 

He got up from his knees as he let out a humming sound as a response.

       --------------

“Ya gonna need more than just two bullets if ya gonna take tha’ route,” he said putting your gun and knife back on the table and left the cottage closing the door behind him.

 Chapter 2

Author’s Note: The first chapter is here you guys! I must admit that it is a little longer than I’ve planned but please bear with it. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. It feels so great to finally share something with you. Feedback is always appreciated. Please send me your opinions about the story.