#can i freeze pasta and how to mop

[housefinches]

why is living alone for the first time literally only about finding out what meals freeze well. i spent 17 years of my life never once thinking about freezing a thing and then suddenly

[saltofmercury]

Late Nights

Pairing: König x reader

A/N: Just been fantasizing about seeing him in public but he’s fictional and I can daydream right? Special thank you to @softpedropascal for reading and giving me courage to post :)

Summary: You see a mysterious man one night at the grocery store; a little meet cute gone wrong

"Late nights"

You could hear the constant downpour above you hitting the ceiling as you made your way through. Rain pouring down as you continued through the aisles of cereal, pasta, and different breads. The market was quiet, almost peaceful, at this time of night, a couple of workers walking around, people picking up a couple things, and two cashiers who greeted you upon arrival.

You’re about halfway done and needed to get a few fresh veggies for the week. As you make your way down to produce, you try to remember what vegetables wouldn’t go to waste throughout the week, and hopefully remembering that you could freeze the spinach bag you always get but never use. You cut the corner to the produce and you are stopped dead in your tracks.

You are stunned. You see him.

A colossal man dressed in all black. The word huge wouldn’t be the best to describe him because he wasn’t a huge person, he was a massive person. You had gasped quietly observing him from afar. He had on a black mask, a turtle neck going all the way up his chin, black sweatpants, a black trench coat, and rain boots that were about knee length. Although you couldn’t see his face clearly, he had a mop of hair on top of his head, going above his eyebrows, tangled, and wavy. The sides of his head were shaved, clean cut. His whole presence alone could’ve been announced just by the way he would stomp on the tile as he made his way down the stands of cucumbers, peppers, carrots, and herbs. You had forgotten where you were and just stared. You couldn’t believe someone as big as him was delicately holding his produce up to inspect and then gently placing it in the basket on his right arm. Holding a large apple alone in the palm of his hand made you wonder, if he wanted to, could he crush it inside his palm?

But as your thoughts start racing about how immensely tall and broad this mystery man is, it’s quickly broken through eye contact. He stared up at you with menacing eyes. His eyebrows furrow as makes eye contact with you. It spooks you a bit, him staring you down. It startles you. Did you do something wrong? One second he was just in his own world picking apples and now his eyes are piercing right through you. You open your mouth to try and say something but nothing comes out, you feel a heat rush towards your cheeks. The eye contact is broken as he quickly turns on his heel, shuffles away from you, and leaves you alone in front of the lemon baskets. You noticed the tip of his ears turning a deep red as he walked away.

You felt embarrassed. Of course he knew he was a big man and there you were, mouth hanging open like a fish and eyes popping out wide. But your thoughts wouldn’t leave you alone.

Who was this man? Have you ever seen him before? Was he new? Where did he stomp off to? All these thoughts came to mind as you finished up your shopping and paid.

Maybe he was someone famous you quietly decided inside your car. After seeing the size and height of that man he just couldn’t just be a regular nobody. After all, covering his face at almost 11 o’clock at night? That wasn’t weird at all.

It’s about 3 weeks later and you haven’t stopped thinking about him. Did this man disappear out into thin air? What was he hiding behind the turtleneck? It amazed you how fast he had left the produce section with 4 steps. What was even more quite embarrassing was hoping you would run into him at coffee shops as you picked up your coffee, walking down the street as you drove home, even at the gym (which you haven’t been to in a while) thinking maybe he’s on the second floor where you had a strong feeling you would see him but nothing. You had gone TWICE during the week to the supermarket during your lunch breaks with the would be there just to see him again. The little hope you have left gives out, maybe he was a dream?

A month passes and one night as you’re finishing up a work project, your stomach rumbles. When was the last time you ate? You haven’t eaten all day because of this stupid project. You walk towards the kitchen picturing the sandwich you’re about to make when you open the fridge and realize you haven’t been to the market in so long since your boss had begged you to double and triple check this project before handing it in. Sighing, you grab your wallet and coat and drive out.

You pull up at the market again when the giddy feelings hit you again. You think how foolish it was romanticizing some stranger. You can feel yourself blush as you grab a cart and begin to push through the entrance. Already checking off the mental list in your head, you make your way down several aisles. The grocery store is quiet at night, almost empty with a few people inside the store; tired moms with newborns in their carriers walking through aisles like zombies, dad’s pushing the cart behind them. A couple picking out frozen dinners because they already spent too much on take out this week, you smile to yourself and continue shopping realizing all you needed was fresh garlic and bell peppers for the recipe you were going to treat yourself to. You make your way back to produce and stop again…

He’s there again picking out bell peppers.

The inside of your chest is pounding, you tell yourself to remain calm, remembering how you scared him off last time. You think of a good way to maybe approach him this time without having him walk away. Maybe you should apologize for staring?

You press your cart at close proximity to him and begin picking out the bell peppers. He’s already moved onto something else. He doesn’t look your way, he’s far too invested with the parsley he’s holding. You clear your throat as you twist the peppers in a bag into a knot. He’s startled, but only side eyes before placing the parsley down and shifts his body toward another section of produce.

You push your cart a little further down, more casual now, pretending to focus your attention on garlic bulbs. You see he has his back towards you and now you can really eye him up and down without the eye contact. He shifts himself again, on the balls of his feet.

You begin to eye him from bottom up—black running shoes with dark gray sweatpants, a dark sweater stretched around him, a gray turtleneck underneath going past his nose and barely hiding his red ears. You start to think to yourself how could his ears always be red? Could he be running hot underneath those layers? You notice there’s some uncomfortable shifting with him, he begins to tap on the edge of the counter of the pears, almost compulsively, was he on edge?

The silence had become deafening but you can’t think of anything to approach him with. Finally he drops the pear and begins to walk away leaving you with your mouth open once again.

He’s far down the store now and there’s nothing even remotely possible you can say for him to turn back.

Two weeks pass by. You can’t think of anything more than how embarrassing it was to see the man you had been imagining running into only to not do anything. You even saw him fidget a bit, wondering if he knew you were staring him down from behind. Even the voice inside your head made you double think, maybe he knew you were checking him out and you once again made him uncomfortable.

Another week passes, and you can’t take it anymore. You will go to the store late at night again hoping he’s there and you will say a small hello and maybe even ask for his name. He couldn’t be that scary. He’s all height but no talk.

You’re back again, two nights later, and you’re prepared. The universe sent you small signs all week. The ugly bell pepper dress your neighbor wore as she greeted you. The gray turtleneck you thought you lost but magically found. All small subtle signs you were sure of. You made a note to come at night. You’ve arrived a little earlier than usual, taking your sweet time walking through the aisles, saving produce for last because the gut feeling inside you knows he’ll be here late at night. The universe has decided to side with you this time because once you make your way around the corner you spot him by the carrots, there’s no stopping you now.

Your mind races with a million thoughts, what were you going to say? Why were you so curious over someone who couldn’t even look at you properly let alone show his face in public? You can feel yourself sweat a bit and even get angry until it’s too late.

and suddenly it happens….

You accidentally shove your cart into his back, his shoulders slightly hunched up.

You are mortified. embarrassed. You wished you hadn’t come at all.

Immediately you start apologizing. He’s barely moved though, still standing with his legs hip width apart and as still as a statue. The carrots however, dropped in front of him as he bends over to gather them.

You cry out, “I… I am SO SORRY I wasn’t trying to run into you like that! Are you okay?”

“Fine” he responds. Calm, but serious.

“Are you sure? I promise I wasn’t trying to hurt you”

“Do not worry,” he calmly adds, “It was an accident.” His back turned to you still.

Silence again… your heart is racing, you cannot believe you managed to screw up this one chance that you see him. You still fumble with how to recover this interaction.

“Please, are you alright? I am sooo sorry I really wasn’t thinking—“

“I barely felt it.” he says.

You try to lighten the mood hopefully having him attempt to turn around just so you can see his eyes again.

“The carrots are so much smaller this year aren’t they? It’s no wonder they fell out of your hands” You manage to spit out.

You catch his curiosity — an eyebrow raise, and a quiet nod from him as he sets them down.

You feel the rush of blood come to your face and he can see how red you get.

Breathless, you decide to give up.

You let out an awkward chuckle “ha ha heh…..”

You push your cart towards the cashier and bag up your groceries. You can feel the heat of your cheeks still there. It stings. This was truly one of the most embarrassing, no, this was mortifying event you experienced in your entire life.

Not even when you peed your pants in 3rd grade would top this. Not when you fainted because of period cramps and landed in the mud during gym class and the boys behind you called out “poop pants.” This is so much worse.

You see him at the self checkout and quickly walk by him avoiding eye contact with him. So much for daydreaming about this guy. The only interaction and you’ve turned this into a complete nightmare.

You manage to get to your car and fumble with the keys to unlock the door until you hear a soft voice.

“You dropped your receipt back there.”

Your stomach drops as you turn slowly.

It’s him. Decked out in black but his hair shining with the light above him. He’s standing there holding your receipt in his hands.

You reach for it with shaky hands, with a quiet “thank you”, as you shove the receipt in your bag and turn back to opening the door. You could already hear his footsteps stomping away towards his car.

The drive home is a painfully quiet one. Replaying the absolute torture you just went through in your head. You approach your apartment, park your car, and head inside.

As you unpack your groceries, you start kicking yourself mentally on how you could possibly run into someone just for the sake of their height! Ugh!

You finish packing and see the bottom of the bag, your receipt had been crumbled and tossed into your pocket. This one was flipped over.

You eye it carefully and bring it closer to your face. What was on it? Was something…? There’s something was scribbled on this one, You flatten it out beneath your fingers and realize there’s a phone number, with the words

“text me some time” - K

[marahuyos]

“Wanna go out sometime?“ with pre-timeskip Dimitri, pre-timeskip Bernadetta, and Chie?

“wanna go out sometime?” ft. dimitri and bernadetta from three houses and chie from persona 4

*:･ﾟ✧ channeling my old high school cringe memories with this kek

gn!reader

tw: reader is a noble for the three houses request

✧ Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

It was so hard for you to even muster the courage to look at him in the eye that you were sure your ancestors are rolling over their graves next to Seiros.

All of your etiquette training went out the window as soon as Dimitri greeted you with a wave. You couldn’t meet his eyes as you quickly stuffed your mouth with cake. You were surprised that you didn’t choke on them considering that they were the creamiest cakes that the kitchen provided. Oh gods, what if you had cake stuck on your face and here you were stuffing your face full of sweets?

“I’m a bit honored that you invited me.” He said suddenly, and you had to bite back a choke and force the cakes into your mouth and your throat immediately regretted it. “It’s not often that we get to talk to each other without interruption. I’m honestly glad.”

You gulped down the tea to clear your throat as you met his eyes finally. “Y-Yeah, I hope that you didn’t find it too forward.”

He shook his head quickly, almost looking like a child who was caught doing something bad. “N-Not at all! I enjoy the time we spend together!”

Immediately, you flushed brightly at his words. He still looked like he was flushed from assuming that you were forcing him to have tea with you and not the absolute heartwarming words that he spouted from his mouth. You opened your mouth to try and tell him the implications of his words but he beat you to it.

His face immediately reddened, almost turning into a tomato and your brain made the poor judgment that he looked like a plate of pasta with marinara sauce. You had to stuff your mouth with more cake in order to not spit out your saliva from your laughing.

“N-Not in that sense!” He stammered. “But I truly mean that-but n-not in that context...!”

You swallowed your cake. “You wanna go out sometime?”

Now it was his turn to choke on something. “P-Pardon?”

“This is a pretty bad tea party with how we look like,” You spat out, noting how both of you were probably flustered beyond all recognition, “s-so... why not try for a new date?”

You were honestly surprised that came out smoothly.

You weren’t lying that you were flustered beyond recognition; your eyes were blown wide as your face was practically on fire. Dimitri wasn’t faring any better-his face was still red as the Bolganone tomes.

But his swift ‘yes’ was all the coolness that you needed.

✧ Bernadetta von Varley

“C’mon Bernie...” The girl hyped herself in front of her mirror. “You can totally do this! They asked you out from all the other people in the monastery for Seiros’s sake!”

It was a miracle for Bernadetta to even give praise to herself. It was even more of a miracle that she agreed willingly to go outside with someone. It was usually someone forcing her to go outside for lessons. And yet, here she was, doing the opposite of... well, Bernie things.

“Just... act normal.” She chided herself, looking at her mirror. Her reflection showed her messy mop of hair, her eyebags beneath her shaking pupils, her permanent frown as she began to see frown lines. It didn’t take long for Bernadetta to cry out in frustration and cover her face in her hands.

“Bernie?” She heard from outside and she let out a scream. “I’m here to pick you up for our tea time!”

She let out another (muffled) terrified scream as she scrambled for any sort of cover to protect her face, even though she was in the safety of her own room. The urge to huddle back to her bed was tempting but your insistent knocking was making her freeze in place.

“J-Just a second!” She called out, removing her hands from her face. She breathed in and out, recalling the old exercises Edelgard forced her to remember. Look them in the eye, keep your head up, and make sure your voice is clear. With newfound vigor, she opened the door wide-open. The glaring sun casted down its rays behind you, almost giving you a halo as her eyes squinted against the shining light. To be honest, Bernadetta didn’t even think she was hallucinating as she opens her mouth to say something.

“Do you wanna go out sometime?”

Not that kind of something!

Somehow, the sun slowly lost it���s shine, leaving Bernadetta to see you clearly. And to her horror, she sees your flustered face and she realized that those words weren’t just a figment of her imagination.

Before she could run back to her room, you quickly grasped the door so she wouldn’t shut it. “W-Wait, I thought I already asked you out?”

She screamed at the words, back to hiding her face again as she feels the blood rushing to her cheeks. “D-Don’t listen to what I said! I-I didn’t mean it!”

“S-So do you still want to have that tea time?” You asked shyly, not wanting to provoke her further.

“YES!”

Dorothea and Edelgard, who were watching the exchange behind a stack of crates, both facepalmed at the sight of Bernadetta trying her best.

✧ Chie Satonaka

“You wanna go out sometime?”

In retrospect, maybe Chie should’ve eased up her kick when you asked her that.

She’s still bowing down next to your cot, feeling bad that she rendered you immobile for the remainder of the school day. Embarrassment didn’t even come close to how Chie was feeling. Like seriously, who punts their crush’s gut when they ask her out? If Yosuke was nearby, he would’ve laughed his stomach off.

“I’m still so sorry...” She whimpered, apologizing for the umpteenth time. She can’t even look you in the eye as she sets her sights on her lap. Her fingers fidgeted on top of them, the feeling of wanting to kick herself never felt so good.

She hears you groan and the rustling of sheets before she hears you laugh. “I mean, it’s not that I wasn’t expecting that. I was sure you were gonna hurt me before I would even say anything.”

She groaned, burying her face in her hands as she almost felt like crying. Great, first she hurt you, now she made you think she was a violent thug? Can anything else go worse this day?

You gasped from her reaction and you immediately sat up. “N-Not that I think you’re scary! W-What I meant was--”

Before you could probably bury yourself even further, your side began acting up. You yelped from the pain, hands flying to your bruised side as you sucked in a breath between your teeth.

Chie immediately shot up, eyes widening at the sight of your pained self. Her hands shot forward, grabbing your shoulders as she pushed you back on the bed. “Hey! Don’t push yourself!”

Her worry outweighed the compromising position she placed herself in. She brought you back down to lie on the cot as she stood back. "Don't be too rash on yourself! Geez, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

You chuckled, leaving her confused on why you were laughing at a time like this. She waited for you to calm down, the blush on her cheeks slightly fading away.

"Sorry..." You said, slightly out of breath. "It's just that... This is an embarrassing first date, huh...?"

The raging blush returned immediately. Chie had to look away from your sheepish face as she fiddled with the hem of her jacket. "Wh-What's with that 180 turn?!"

You chuckled once more, but Chie soon found out you weren't faring any better. The flustered look on your face was something she won't mind staring at for a long time. The guilt of putting you in the school clinic was far back in her mind. As you continue to laugh, she slowly laughs along with you. The situation that brought you here really was comedic, now that she thought about it.

God, or maybe Yosuke was rubbing off on her.

"I mean..." She started, looking at you in the eye with a shy look. "We can always start over, can't we?"

[achliegh]

Mistletoe Madness: Day 5

Sunflower Crowns

Olive and Otto go to the Olympics

“So what did you do today?” Olive wasn’t sure how to answer her dad's question without completely giving away the surprise. She just shares a look with her brother, after a few seconds they answer at the same time.

“Nothing!” Shoveling food in their mouths before anyone can ask anything else.

Leo watches his offspring eat sloppily, he couldn’t help the small smile that creeped onto his face to show. Olive and Otto have grown into amazing people. Olive was a defense player on her school and club hockey teams while Otto was one of the most well known male figure skaters in the country. Every time he looked at them he had an immense feeling of pride fill his chest.

Olive was taller than Otto by a good few inches, still shorter than Finn but taller than June. While Otto stayed around the same height as Logan. Otto started growing out his hair this year making it a while mop of blonde and white, the scar on the side of his head was surrounded by white hair just like Leo him self's little white tuff on his temple. Olive rarely cuts her curly brown hair that makes her look so much like her mother, reaching down her back but always in some form of braid because that was really the only tame hairstyle that worked for her. Olive was also broader and more built than Otto who has issues putting on weight even on the same performance diet as his sister.

Otto still gets fainting spells every once in a while, especially on the ice, luckily he hasn’t ever had one while performing but he has in practice before. Otto's coaches were a lesbian elderly couple that go by Poppy and Minnie, Minnie actually used to be Sirius’ lawyer until he retired a couple years ago. Leo’s kids were his pride and joy.

“Okay? Sounds like you’re hiding something.” Leo narrows his eyes playfully and takes note of how Logan and Finn look as though they know something but can’t say. Which means Finn’s cheeks are red and Logan is all jittery. June has a more cool attitude but her eyes are shifting making it obvious she knows as well.

“Don’t tell me you got into another argument with your history teacher Olive.” Ink gives her a look and their daughter just shakes her head. “Did Otto do something? All of you are acting weird.” Everyone besides Leo and herself freeze for a second before Otto speaks up.

“You have to promise you aren't going to freak out.” Leo and Ink nod slowly, Leo raising a scarred eyebrow he got three years ago from being stupid and being a goalie for Olive as she practices and not wearing a helmet. “Olive and I tried out for the Olympics a couple months ago and we got the news today that we made it on the teams…!” He stares at his parents as they blink a couple of times.

“I… AM SO PROUD!” Leo laughs wholeheartedly before getting up and walking around the table to his kids around their necks. Smushing wet kisses on their cheeks and smiling as they complain. “Why didn’t you tell us!” He makes his way back to his seat and scoots his chair in.

“We didn’t want to jinx it.” Olive says as she takes another huge bite of her pasta and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Also you have a tendency to start worrying before anything is confirmed.”

“And we are barely eighteen, you said we couldn’t try out until we were. So we tried out on our birthday.” Otto says as he hands his sister a napkin.

“When do you leave?” Finn speaks up, Finn was in the Olympics when he was younger. Like two or three years after he acquired this family. He came back telling stories of how much fun it was but also about how adult it was with people as young as fifteen around. With this information Leo and Ink asked the o’s to not try out until they were adults, meaning eighteen. Now that they are of that age Finn and Logan helped them get tryout spots through some friends of theirs and June drove them to tryouts telling Ink and Leo that she was ‘distracting them’ while they set up a party. It worked way too well.

“We leave January first! We are supposed to go a month early to train on the rinks and stuff at the actual place. Plus we have to get tested for various things before we are even able to set foot in Korea.” Otto finishes his plate and picks up Olives as she sits back in her chair. He takes their stuff to the kitchen to rinse off.

“Wait, you have to be there a whole month before!” Leo looks at Olive with that panicked look she sees a bit too often. Her parents are incredibly relaxed on rules but when it comes to something along the lines of her or her brother traveling a long distance away without one of their five parents, alarm bells go off in her dad's head.

“Yes Dad, we have to. Don’t you remember when Finn went?”

“I mean, yeah, but this is different! Finn was 27 when he went! You’re children!”

“We are legal adults…”

“You’re making me feel old…”

“You’re barely in your thirties Dad.” Leo just frowns. Ink is snickering next to him with June before she decides to weigh in on the conversation.

“I’m excited for you, Korea is a beautiful place. I’ve always wanted to go. Do you know who you’re taking with your free tickets? Maybe Dean?” Olive rolls her eyes knowing what her mom is poking at.

“I’m only using one ticket and it's either on you or dad. Dean has an entrance exam in February so he won’t be able to go.” Dean is Olive’s boyfriend that she has had for three years now. He was also the reason why Leo about had a heart attack, he made it clear to them that he did not want to be a grandparent at thirty. Also, Otto constantly made fun of Olive because Dean was basically a younger version of Kuny if Kuny was born in Gryff… and shorter than Olive.

“You’re lucky, we were going to bring grandma and grandpa Dumias if you two didn’t react well.” Otto sits back down at his spot and hands Olive a protein bar as he keeps one himself. Opening and eating them in a way that makes it look like they are mirroring each other. Twins.

“THEY KNEW BEFORE WE DID!” Otto realizes his mistake, looks at his sister and they both get up and run to their rooms.

“Sorry! Gotta pack!” Before any of their parents can stop them.

January came quicker than Leo really wanted it to, hugging his kids goodbye he couldn’t help but get emotional.

“Dadddd.” His kids were complaining as he gave them their fourth hug, they hugged him just as tight back though so he knew they were just a little bit on edge like he was. The media still didn’t know that he or Ink were the kids' parents, they let the kids decide when they wanted the world to know their heritage. Their family was confusing to most and people probably wouldn’t understand them having five parents. So they kept their safe haven of a family to themselves. Leo’s last name was a bit more well known with his career and his parents' career so both the kids had taken Ink’s. It was simpler this way. “We are gonna miss our flight if you keep suffocating us!” He pulls away and watches them both take in deep breaths.

“Call when you land, text me every other hour once you get there or at least text someone. Groupchat would be nice. Facetime at night and make sure you two stay together when you can.” He feels a hand on his arm and sighs, Ink walks over to the kids.

“Take a deep breath Leo, they are old enough to know right from wrong.” She kisses their cheeks and shoos them towards security. “We raised them well, didn't we?”

“Yeah we are great parents.” They high five after Leo wiped his face with his shirt and made their way back to the others. June and Ink were going on a date to relax and enjoy their free time while Leo and his boys were going back to their place. Trying to relax but Finn and Logan both know Leo will just pace the whole time until the twins call.

Leo paces the entire night until eventually he tries to go to bed, then gets kicked out because he is tossing and turning so much, falling asleep on the couch just an hour before Olive calls. He doesn't answer so she calls Finn to let them all know they landed and have made their way to their dorms.

Otto and Olive split ways when they got to the male and female divider halls. Otto makes his way to his dorm apartment thing, still not sure what exactly to call it. He opens the door after struggling with his key for a moment and is surprised to see his roommate was already there. He was supposed to stay with someone on the US team but he didn’t recognize this man who was relaxing on one of the two beds with headphones on.

He decides not to question it and take the empty bed across the room from the other guy. Unpacking and putting his costumes in the closet and the rest of his clothes in the dresser at the end of his bed. Everything in the room was white and glossy. Very clean looking and he enjoyed it. He sits on his bed and shoots the family groupchat a message saying he got to his room safely.

“Hi, you don’t look like anyone I know.” Otto looks up from his phone to see the man on the other bed is now sitting up and smiling at him with his headphones around his neck. “What's your name then?” This guy's accent was very thick and Scottish but he wasn't hard to understand.

“Otto.” He watches the mysterious figure stand up and walk over to him with his hand out.

“I’m Henry, Henry O’Brian. Where are you from?” Otto shakes his rough hand and relaxes a bit. Henry seems friendly… Hey, that rhymed! He smiles at Henry and gets one in return, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

A week passed with Otto and Henry dancing around each other with training and physicals. They kept to their sides, Henry was a lot more clean than Otto and he was probably the cleaned person in his family besides June.

Eventually they get to a place where they both have a day of rest at the same time. Otto’s feet were killing him so he was in the middle of soaking them in the bathtub with warm water and Epsom salt, even if it made his skin itch he needed to do this. The blisters and bruises from his skates were really starting to bother him.

“Hey, do you want to go get something to eat?” Henry walks in and sits beside Otto on the edge of the tub, both of them were in sweats and a t-shirt so it wasn’t super weird, only kinda. “I heard the cafeteria is serving soup and I could use some.”

“Yeah, that sounds great. Give me five more minutes here and I’ll be out.” He notices Henry looking at his face with a scowl. “Don’t tell me you have a thing for feet,” Henry bursts out laughing and slaps Otto on the shoulder, shaking him a bit.

“No, I don’t, but your feet look like hell Mate. You should get them checked out.” Otto just hums in response, wiggling his toes a bit then curling them to crack his joints. “What event are you in?”

“Figure skating, you?”

“Snowboarding, half-pipe.” They sit in silence for a moment before Henry just gives his shoulder one last squeeze and leaves the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him. Otto felt his cheeks redden for some reason, maybe he was embarrassed because his feet were really ugly. Maybe it was something else, he really didn’t know. Otto has never been interested in romance or sex or anything like his sister was. He always thought he would end up like Regulus, successful and single. Living life. But something about Henry with his poufy dark brown hair and eye to match made his stomach do turns. It was confusing. He shrugs off this feeling and rolls his shoulders before he reaches to drain the tub.

They go down stairs together after slipping on some comfortable shoes, choosing a table in the middle of the room just in case anyone wants to join them. Eating silently for a few moments.

“So… Can I ask you something?” Henry stops eating and just looks at Otto, crossing his arms over the table.

“Depends, is it incredibly invasive or rude?”

“I don’t think so.” Otto just nods and takes another sip of his soup while he checks his phone and notices just how many times his dad has texted him. “What in the fuck is your accent?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, depending on what you say it's always different. Sometimes its southern US, sometimes it almost sounds Spanish, sometimes is New York, sometimes I swear it almost sounds French-Canadian. The only reason why I can pick them out is because I’ve met people with those accents, but your is… all of them?” Otto thinks for a moment on how to answer this and decides that maybe it was time to tell someone about his family, he liked talking about his family and this would be a good way to gauge just how problematic Henry actually is.

“Blame my parents.”

“Okay, what do you mean?” Henry drinks from his water bottle and Otto forgets what he is talking about for a second.

“I- well, mom and dad had me when they were fifteen… they are also both gay. Mom married a southern girl from their school, dad also has a really thick southern accent, oh yeah and my mom's family was Latina immigrants.”

“Don’t you mean are?” Henry is already really confused. It's obvious on his face. Otto snorts.

“I have no idea if they are still alive, I never met them. Mom was kicked out when they found out she got pregnant. Which only had like a 2% chance of happening. It was their first and only time ever actually sleeping together, plus they used protection so I still don’t really know how Olive and I came to be.” Henry narrows his eyes, he appears to be thinking very hard.

“Then my dad got into a relationship with a guy from New York and a guy from Toronto so… yea that's how I grew up.” Henry just stares at him for a moment and Otto was afraid he was going to say he was lying.

“That sounds like you had a fun fucking childhood. I just have my Dad and five older brothers! I never met my mom but have five parents sounds cool as fuck!” Otto lets out a shocked laugh and feels his cheeks turn a bit red again, it was getting annoying.

“What about your sister? What does she think about you being in the Olympics?” Henry shifts in his chair to get a bit more comfortable. “Has to be a bit jealous, yeah?”

“Well, she's competing too. She plays defense for the women's hockey team.” Otto finishes his meal and pushes it forward a bit. “She's a lot more built and athletic than me.”

“I wonder when we get the schedule for the actual games, I’d like to watch you if that's okay.”

“Yeah, yeah I wouldn’t mind!” He says a bit more enthusiastically than he meant to, what the hell was going on!

“I’ll see if I can be there.”

Olive was sitting in an ice bath after a long morning practice, joking around with her teammates a bit. She got along with everyone really well but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss home. She misses her cat… and Dean. He said he was going to go over to her dad's house to watch the games with June, Logan, Finn and some other people they invited over. Dean And Logan were good friends for some reason. She didn’t get it but it was whatever.

Otto's practice starts in about an hour, she hasn’t been able to watch him this entire month and the games are coming up soon so she really wouldn’t be able to watch him. He was skating to a rather controversial song which made him the center of media attention. Recently the media has taken a liking to getting pictures of Otto and his roommate hanging out. They just wanted a couple to latch onto and cheer for. Little did they know Otto doesn’t do romance.

She showers after her ice bath and gets dressed in her new US track suit that she found very ugly and walks back out to the rink to see her brother already standing on the ice talking to Poppy as he leans on the wall, kicking the ice with his pick. She walks around to the top of the stands and hops down the steps next to Poppy effectively scaring the shit out of her.

“Hello! Long time no see brother dearest, Poppy.” She nods at both of them.

“I’m too old for you to be scaring me like that!” Poppy gives her an angry look that Olive knows she doesn’t mean. Olive winks at her before taking a seat right in front of the glass.

“Come on, I wanna see you practice. I haven't watched in a while.”

“Yeah I want to see too!”

“Count me in!” Olive looks behind her to see her parents walking down the stairs and she smiles so wide it hurts her cheeks. Patting the seats behind her she waves her parents over.

“When did you get here!?”

“Last night, miss us?” Her dad opens her arms and she stands on her seat to hug him on the back of it.

“Yeah I did.” She pulls away from her dad and pulls her mom into a hug as well before pulling away again and sitting back in her seat.

“Hi, is it weird if I join you?” All of them look up to see a rather handsome looking man walking down the stairs towards them. Olive looks back at her brother who has a red tint to his cheeks and a slight smile… okay maybe the media was on to something.

“Sit down Henry they don't bite, actually maybe put a seat between you and Olive for good measure. Otto says as he skates out to the middle once Poppy has made her way up to the media box to start his music. This Henry sits next to Olive and holds out his hand.

“I’m Henry.”

“Olive, these are our parents Leo and Ink. Be nice to them” Henry snorts as he shakes everyone's hand.

“I’ve never actually watched figure skating before.” Henry finishes his sentence right as the music of I Wanna Be Your Dog by The Stooges starts playing over the speakers making it impossible to keep conversation. He just turns his attention to Otto, who has moved his hands up in a quick motion at the starting beats and slowly bends his back backwards as far as he can before the canter so the main music starts playing and he takes off. Skating smoothly on the ice like he's flying. Henry didn’t know the names of all the fancy moves Otto put into his routine but they were “Amazing” He didn’t mean to say it out loud but in the end he did and couldn’t take it back. Otto was jumping into spins that made Henry dizzy and jumping high into the splits as he flew past. Keeping his upper body graceful as he pulled these rough and sharp movements on his skates. As the song comes to an end Otto throws himself on the ice to slide into the middle from a far corner on his knees and ends with his hands over his head and his back on the ice with his knees still bent under him. Breathing hard from the obvious hard work he put into skating.

Olive was watching Henry for most of the performance. His eyes were wide with excitement and his mouth was open in a shocked smile. She smiles being proud of her brother to be able to make people react like that. Leo and Ink behind her were whistling and cheering as Otto got up but stopped when he stumbled a bit before regaining his balance and skating over to them. He looked pale and tired. She knew that look all too well. This stupid bitch was about to pass out. She gets up out of her seat and carefully steps on the ice to wrap an arm around his waist for support. He leaned against her, smiling.

“Otto! Mate! That was fucking amazing!” Henry stood directly in front of them smiling wide. “Brilliant!”

“Thanks, I need to sit down.” Olive helps him get to a seat and takes a water bottle out of her bag.

“Did you skip breakfast again?”

“Maybe… I didn’t mean to! I was running late!” He drinks the Gatorade that was in her bottle and cringes. “I hate this flavor.”

“I don’t care. Henry, can you help Otto get back to your dorm after he goes and changes.”

“I still have a half hour left on the ice!”

“You’re not practicing like this!” Leo makes his way over to his son and pulls a granola bar out of his pocket and hands it to him “Eat, I’ll go talk to Poppy.” Ink takes his place when Leo walks away, she just catches her son rolling his eyes and sighs.

“We only want what's best for you Otto, you know you can’t skate like this.” She brushes his hair back from his forehead and kisses there.

“If I want any shot at medaling then I need to practice.” He grumbles as she continues mothering him. He looks over at Henry who looks concerned and confused. “Whatever, just let me change my shoes and I’ll go eat and nap.” Olive and his mom don’t really seem satisfied with that answer. “Oh my god! I’ll fucking send you picture of me eating!” He stood up and realized that it was a bad idea doing that motion too fast because the next thing he knew he was in his door on his bed with his dad sitting by his feet and Henry on his own bed.

“I don’t know, I guess we had odd numbers teams so we ended up rooming together.” Otto can hear them but hasn’t opened his eyes yet.

“Weird, I wonder why he didn’t tell me.” Otto sits up slowly and looks at his dad.

“Because you’d drive yourself insane with worry because my roommate isn’t on my team.” He pokes his dad's shoulder and sighs. “My head hurts.”

“Wonder why.” Leo gives him a bottle of water and Henry brings over some hot food he snuck out of the cafeteria. “Eat, drink, take your med and rest. If you want to medal so bad then you need to not pass out on the ice. I got Henry’s phone number so if I ask he will check up on you.” Leo kisses his forehead and watches him take the first bite of his food before saying goodbye and being chased out by security.

“This sucks.” Otto crosses his legs and continues eating, he was really hungry.

“Do you pass out a lot?” Henry walks over and sits where his dad just was. “That was a bloody good performance but I don’t think it's worth it when you can’t even be away to hear your scores.” He smiles and Otto smiles a little back.

“Not a lot but I had a mass removed from my brain when I was little and it affects my balance and stuff to this day. Makes my body act like shit sometimes.” He takes another bite and while he is chewing he parts his hair on the right side of his head and shows Henry his scar.

“So that's why you have white hair, I thought it was just because that was the trend.” Otto chuckles and tenses up a bit when he feels Henry’s fingertips gently trace over his scar. He didn’t know why but it made his stomach feel like it was on fire. “You’ve had an interesting life.”

“You could say that.” Otto takes his hands out of his hair and turns to face Henry again, not feeling as hungry anymore. At least not for food… what the fuck was he saying!?

“I have a couple scars, the biggest one I have is from my knee surgery from landing wrong on a jump!” Henry rolls up his pant leg to show off his puffy surgery scar and Otto reaches out to feel it like Henry did his. “If you feel in the right place you can feel the pin.” Henry guides Otto’s hand to the side of the scar and has his poke down. He can definitely feel a pin and it was weird.

“Gross.”

“Yes.” They both laugh for a minute, catching each other's eyes and just looking into them for a moment. Otto moves his hand away from Henry’s knees and clears his throat.

“I’m gonna go use the restroom.” Henry swallows and nods his face, turning the same shade Otto feels like his face is.

This was something Otto would think about frequently over the next few days.

The games started, Otto was currently cheering on his sister as she got into one of the biggest fights of the games so far. The US was playing Sweden. They were tied throughout the whole game. He was watching Olive throw a punch that Logan would be proud of into the face of another woman who is much taller than her. Olive wasn’t short either so this woman was a giant. The team did really well throughout the entire games, ending up placing silver while Bulgaria took home gold. Otto’s performances were taking place in the second week.

The media had watched as he and Henry got closer, to the point where Otto actually borrowed one of Henry’s sweatshirts to go and watch him compete. Halfpipe was no joke, but it was also cool as hell that people are actually able to do that.

Otto was put in line for gold around the fourth day of performing. He, a woman from Japan and a man from Russia were all duking it out for the title of first. It was a lot of pressure and he was forced to keep up with his meal and schedule by his parents and Henry. Which was kind of a pain in the ass at times.

He and Henry started a new routine in the mornings depending on who was competing, Henry didn’t place in the top three so he didn’t medal but he made sure to give it his all. His father and oldest brother came to support him and treated Otto to a couple drinks at a bar after the day was over when the medals were given out for snowboarding. They told him how Henry has never been able to keep a girlfriend for longer than a month because he was so absent minded at times and would forget things like dates or birthdays. They also told him that Henry was a man who loved the idea of love but didn’t know how exactly to pull it off. Otto found this amusing and talked about how he never understood the whole fuss about relationships, even going as far to make fun of his Mom And Dads relationship and how it evolved into this co-parenting of so many different people. All because of love.

Henry’s family was actually sitting with his own family at his last performance, it almost made him more nervous. Henry was actually in the tunnel to the locker rooms watching him because Otto requested it. He was worried he’d see him in the crowd and become distracted. He was adjusting his skin tight top that became mesh as it trailed down his arms. He felt like he could run three miles with all the nervous energy he had.

“You’re gonna do great.” He heard someone say over his shoulder. He turns around to see Henry and smiles, taking a breath to relax, shaking out his arms. “Your makeup looks nice, all smudgy around the eyes like a true rocker.”

“You sure know how to dish out compliments” Otto rolls his eyes but smiles at his roommate who might be more than a roommate but he honestly didn’t know for sure. He is taken out of his thoughts by two rough hands cupping his cheeks and turning his head up a bit to meet Henry’s eyes. He felt frozen.

“You are going to be fine Otto, you skate better than both of these competitors and you look good while doing it.” They stare at each other for a moment, it felt like it did back at the dorm after Otto had dropped like a bag of bricks. But this time he didn’t want to look away. He felt them inching closer until he heard the announcers call for him. He reluctantly backs away

“After.” Is all he says before he turns around skating onto the ice. He felt like there was electricity in his bones as he reaches for the sky once his music starts, he does everything off muscle memory, every scratch, layback, corkscrew, Biellmann and axle he does he puts everything into. His lips are moving with the music until the very end as he finishes on his knees the ice making his pants wet as he catches his breath. There was silence all around him until he opened his eyes to realize people were cheering and tossing flowers on the ice like they had done for the two people who performed before him.

Getting up he bows before the judges and waves to the audience before skating leisurely over to the tunnel, not stopping his movements as he rushes over to Henry. Henry is about to speak but Otto's momentum only stops when he throws his arms around the taller man's neck and kisses him with all the passion he never knew he had. Henry stands there for a second until Otto starts to pull back so he grabs his waist and pulls him back close, kissing him back.

The media caught it all. .

[foodtheywrote]

food+drink from AYESHA AT LAST by Uzma Jalaluddin

(these are all Kindle highlights. please let me know in the comments if you have other mentions of food and/ or drink in this book.)

This book also had a number of food-making sequences but those are dense (one more reason to read it!)

1. ...took a bite of the clammy scrambled eggs Farzana had prepared for breakfast.

2. Farzana neatly flipped another paratha flatbread onto her son’s plate, though he had not asked for more.

3. Humming to herself, she placed a small pot on the stove, adding water, milk, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and tea leaves for chai.

4. I sneak them rice and dal sometimes.

5. ...Maple donuts and Tim Hortons hot chocolate.

6. Which meant takeout pizza and...

7. Their community also boasted the best kebabs, chicken tikka, dosa, sushi, pho, and roti in the city...

8. ...stirring a fragrant curry and sprinkling minced coriander on top...

9. Are we going for bubble tea this weekend?

10.  When he was younger, he would make desserts and simple pasta dishes for Zareena.

11. The pakoras were delicious...

12. She accepted the tea...

13. ...wiping down counters and frying samosas in the kitchen...

14. “I’ll get chai all over my new shalwar.”

15. ...a bowl of spicy Indian chaat mix, and a plate overflowing with samosas.

16.  I made the cookies...

17. ...cook at least three different types of rice, twelve or more meat dishes, and at least as many vegetable curries.

18. ...you just had tea...

19.  I wish to purchase an apple fritter...

20.  “Two steeped teas double-double, and one apple fritter please.”

21. She placed two overcooked paratha flatbreads on his plate...

22. ...silently mopped up his spicy tomato and egg curry with the second paratha and washed it all down with the watery chai...

23....eaten the kheer I made.

24. It was probably the extra-large helping of chicken curry...

25. His biryani burps kept him staring at the ceiling for hours.

26. He removed some sourdough bread from the fridge and beat three eggs...

27. ...fried the French toast, spreading each slice with a peanut butter and Nutella mixture.

28....a large mug of chai.

29. ...slid over his ears like caramel.

30. Nani already fried the samosas...

31. ...Saleha offered tea. Nilofer requested sparkling water—“Perrier, if you have it.”

32. ...tray laden with water, tea, and cookies.

33. She ordered a lychee mango drink and waited.

34. ...makes a yummy pad Thai.

35. Your saag paneer and kofta kebab have become the stuff of Christmas party legend.

36. Your forgiveness for a kofta?

37. ...filled with rice and peas, kofta meatball curry, and a packet of homemade crispy papad lentil chips.

38. My sister always loved my pasta.

39. ...too busy to learn how to fry frozen samosas.

40. The first time I cooked an egg...

41. Ayesha could still taste the basmati rice on her lips...

42. ...compliment her on the chai she brings for you.

43. She balanced a tray of tea and snacks... 

44. My son loves pasta.

45. ...help me make some more chai for Farzana Aunty.

46. Can I pour you some more tea?

47. ...give him a lesson on how to make your delicious parathas.

48. ...Nani got out some canned mango pulp, and they all sat to eat at the kitchen table. She told them she hadn’t known how to cook when she was first married. “We ate a lot of eggs,” she said.

49. ...a plate of samosas in front of him.

50. Best butter chicken in the city.

51. ...revealing teeth stained red with betel nut.

52. ...offered her a plate of sizzling chicken tikka.

53. ...but he kept his gaze on the lamb biryani.

54.  ...taking a bite of spinach pakora.

55. He took a bite of the biryani—it was quite good, though heavy on the ghee. “Butter chicken is popular...

56. ...who was sipping a cup of tea.

57. ...ladled out a generous serving of rice, chicken, and naan.

58.  Khalid swallowed the rice, which was too salty, and took a bite of chicken...

59. ...looked at the stale bagel she had packed that morning. In her rush to be on time for school, she hadn’t even prepared it with cream cheese or peanut butter.

60. “Rob made pad Thai,” Clara said, wheedling. “He bought halal chicken...

61. Maybe there would be time between the faux-wine and pad Thai to apologize.

62. ...Khalid said sugar dates are a superfood. I’m gonna put them in your morning smoothie...

63. ...offered her the noodles first, before serving himself.

64. Rob took a big swallow of cola.

65. ...two iced slushies and a box of Twinkies. “Blue watermelon or red raspberry?”

66. ..boxes of sweets were being passed around.

67. Ayesha’s mother sat down beside her, nibbling on a chum chum.. 

68. She silently filled a glass with water and handed it to Ayesha.

69. Nana sipped his chai, his face unconcerned.

70. ...I brought chickpea salad.

71. ...offered her water or tea.

72. Farzana returned with a small cup of tea, and Nani noted the absence of the usual cookies or snacks.  

73. She took a sip of the tea—it was weak and lukewarm.

74. The uncles expect tea.

75. ...plates with biryani, butter chicken, and aloo gobi.

76. Would you like tea?

77. How about coffee?

78. ...putting another greasy, overcooked aloo paratha...

79. ...held out a granola bar to Khalid.

80. I want butter chicken, vegetable tawa, palak paneer, veal korma, and meat biryani. ... We’ll have Amritsar fish pakoras and channa chaat for appetizers.

81. ...I want mango kulfi and ras malai.

82. ...lecture on the right brand of paneer.

83. Would madam like some chai?

84. Would sahib like chicken tikka instead?

85. Hafsa was sitting in the food court of the mall, a container of fries in front of her...

86. Tarek suggested they grab coffee...

87. ...after they’d ordered their drinks and donuts.

88. The group broke for coffee and cookies...

89. Amir filled a Styrofoam cup with strong coffee, grabbed a jelly cookie...

90. What if I bring you some kofta and paratha...

91. She was surrounded by half-empty cups of tea...

92. ...in the food court eating chili-cheese fries.

93. ...a small carton of 2% milk, almond Daim cake, and vegetarian meatballs. Khalid’s stomach felt queasy, and he settled for a cup of coffee, black with three sugars.

94. She took another sip of chai...

95. ...an overcooked egg that had somehow cooled to freezing, paired with dry toast.

96. His chicken karahi is amazing...

97. “He made me donuts,” she said simply. “All the things I was craving: poutine, pizza, spaghetti, cheeseburgers.”

98. Khalid was sipping his double-double when Amir and Idris slouched into the Tim Hortons.

99. ...finished their coffee and donuts.

100. Hafsa was waiting for Ayesha with chicken wings, two pizzas...

101. Make me a tea too...

102. Not even a cookie?

103. They split a frozen pizza and bagged salad...

104. ...walked past with a tray of mango lassi.

105. ...steel dome–covered dishes of mutton biryani, haleem, and Mughlai chicken.

106. He handed a cup of tea to Nana.

107. ...taking a swig from his Budweiser. Khalid took a sip of his club soda.

[chaoticneutralwriter]

Playing with Fire | m.yg

So you summon a witch, not prepared to get burned.

firewitch!suga/yoongi short/drabble?/oneshot?

genre: some comedic aspects and idk loll

word count: 2.7k

A/N: In spirit of Halloween lol??? 🎃 I just thought he looked the part from this picture 😆

This was a horrible idea. Awful, horrendous, stupid, idiotic and every word in the dictionary that expresses ’no one should do this unless you’re that dumb’.

Or maybe a little crazy. You certainly are questioning your sanity at this point as you make your way down this back alley, alone, and not to mention at night. You’re very close to bashing your head against the brick walls, comically thinking that you would be doing any potential killer a favour as well as yourself (if you’re going to get killed because of your own stupidity, you’ll smash your own brains against the wall on your own volition, so no Jason, you’re not interested in getting dismembered and stuffed into a garbage bag, thank you very much).

But then that begs the question; why are you not turning back? You still had a chance; to turn tail and run the hell out of this shady ass, potential murder scene, and horror movie of a cliché alleyway like a smart person. So why haven’t you? Well… you know what they say, desperate times calls for desperate measures. And safe to say, you were really desperate…and maybe two percent curious because who started this rumour about a witch haunting this specific alleyway? A ghost of a murder victim would’ve been more plausible but a witch. The idea makes you scoff and admittedly makes you feel better about yourself because clearly, there’s someone out there who’s more idiotic than you are until you think, but who’s the one about one hair away from ending up on the 8 o’clock news chasing said witch rumours?

Whatever, you’re halfway down the alley now and just about two steps away from the supposed ‘hotspot’. So you hurry your pace although still keeping the sound of your steps to a bare minimum. The faster you do this the faster you can be out of here and if this doesn’t work, no one will know you were ever here.

You spot the markings on the brick wall, looking very much worn and faded and to most people, could’ve been brushed off as just random graffiti done by some delinquent. Thanks to some deep, digging in the cult side of the web however, you’re knowledgeable enough to not think such things.

Okay….  You think, glancing down at your watch: midnight. Time to do this thing.

From the inside of your bag, you brandish the necessary items that would supposedly summon the witch. First was a single black rose, one, which, from the instructions you found, you needed to burn. So with the rose in one hand, you brandish a lighter in the other. Flicking it once, a flame ignites and as you held the blossoms of the rose in the small flame, it has no trouble catching fire soon after. As the rose burns, you carefully set it on the concrete and let it work its course. Once the flower is completely reduced to ashes, you sweep the remains up as best you can to form a decent pile. You wet your fingertips a bit from the water bottle you brought and taking a bit of the ashes; turn it into a somewhat pasty consistency to complete the faded markings on the wall.

As you complete the drawing, you see that it actually forms a pentagram (of course) with smaller symbols at the five corners. You take the chance to gulp; you’re halfway through finishing the process. All that’s left was to prick your finger, swipe the blood across each fingertips and press it over the pentagram…. Oh yeah and say a bunch of mumbo jumbo. So as you smear the blood on your pricked finger to coat the rest of the other ones, you pull out your phone to where you bookmarked the magic words.

You draw in a breath and let it out before slowly, you pressed your bloodied fingers so that they were touching the markings on the wall.

“Fire in thy blood, I summon thee. From my ashes, I offer myself in exchange for your flame. Fire in thy blood, I summon thee!”

You freeze, waiting for something to happen after you said that final note. It was so quiet that you would be able to hear a pin drop and all around you, the street lamps continue to cast ominous shadows.

A beat.

And then the lights start to flicker, making you gasp as you shoot your gaze up to them. For a moment, your hand remains glued to the wall as you pray vehemently for the only source of light to remain strong because like hell you’re gonna stay here in total complete darkness.

Unfortunately, your prayers weren’t answered.

The lights dim till they die out completely, plunging you into darkness and your heart just about leaps to your throat. You don’t dare to breathe as all your senses go into hyper drive, trying to discern whether or not you should stay or get the hell out of there in a split second notice. You listen but hear nothing, not even the sound of the streets at night and you’re not sure whether that’s comforting or worrying.

What were only mere minutes felt like an eternity to you before the lights spring back to life, illuminating your surroundings and it took you a second to adjust to the sudden brightness. Your head whips around you, body pressed against the brick wall as if willing it to swallow you if it meant protecting you from whatever oncoming danger you weren’t aware of. But from what you gather, nothing had changed. Time seems to have resumed, you faintly hear the passing of cars, and you were still very much alone.

You breathe out and whisper to yourself, “Thank God… “ Before you straighten yourself up, shaking the nerves out of your system. “Well,” you continue, more to yourself as you inspect your dirtied hands begrudgingly, “that was a total waste of ti— “

A loud crash causes you to let out an equally loud yelp, making you jump and nearly crash against the wall from the force of it. Your eyes dart to find the source in panic, mind going into fight or flight mode once again until they settle onto the dumpster where something black emerges from behind.

 “Oh my God!” You wheeze out, hand clutching your chest at your pounding heart. “Seriously cat! What the hell!”

 The black feline only stares at you blankly with its topaz eyes, clearly not bothered by the fact that it gave you an almost-heart attack. You’ve just about had it with the events of tonight, you’re ready to just go home, fall onto your bed and forget about how stupid this had all be— 

 “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t yell at Smokey, he’s sensitive.”

 “GYEH!” Another undignified yelp and you vaguely hear a muttered, “Aish you’re loud…” but that’s the second almost-heart attack of the night and you’re sure if you get another one, that’ll make it a complete heart attack that you would actually die from. Immediately you spot a mop of red just a few steps in front of you; so glaringly red that you could swear you would’ve noticed even if you were close to pissing yourself scared at the moment. You trace the red down to a face and double take because…. wow what a face. Skin as smooth and pale as porcelain, completely void of any blemish with a pair of sharp, dark eyes that… were currently staring at you.

 Oh…. You’re staring…

 Or more like straight out gaping at this man that appeared from out of nowhere. He’s watching you with a really bored, unamused look, face resting against one hand propped up on a knee from his current seat on a curb by a set of stairs. He’s dressed to impress and rightfully so because you can’t help but notice that the design on his button-up matches the colour of his hair (which is really impressive).

 “Are you just gonna stare all night or can I go?” His deep timber breaks you from your thoughts and you’re left floundering for words.

 “Uhh….” Your eyes glance around, unsure of what to make of this turn of events. “…Who are you exactly?”

 He raises an eyebrow at you in disbelief. “Seriously?”

 When your shifty gaze was his answer, he sighs and mutters more things under his breath before shooting you a piercing look. “You’re the one who summoned me, so would you hurry and spit out your wish? My pasta is getting cold.”

 It takes a while for what he says to sink in and by the time it does, you’re absolutely flabbergasted. “So… You’re saying… You’re the witch?” You enunciate the words slowly as if you’re not even convinced of what you’re saying (spoilers: you’re not). The red head in front you sees it too because he rolls his eyes before getting up.

 “You know what, never mind. I’m going home.”

 “No wait!” You spring into action as he begins to walk off. Logically speaking, you should’ve let him but you’ve already come this far and if he really is the ‘witch’ rumours has it then you still need your problem fixed. He stops and shoots a look over his shoulder that clearly says you’ve got about ten seconds before he loses interest again. 

 “Sorry, I’m just…caught off guard.” You say, “I wasn’t expecting…. well actually I didn’t know what I was expecting when I did this but when people say ‘witch’, it’s usually— “

 “Some old hag who cackles over a cauldron, wearing all black and a pointy hat and rides around on a broom. I get it.” He cuts you off like he’s heard this a million times (probably has). “So are you gonna state your business or can I go home?”

 You steel yourself before mustering up the courage to say, “If you’re who you claim to be,” The man in front of you rolls his eyes again. “Then I wish to know my future.”

 Silence; all he does is stare at you with a look you can’t read and as you’re starting to feel self-conscious under his gaze, his monotone cuts through the stifling air. “That’s it?”

 You blink, “…. Yes?” 

 “And what would you offer me in return?”

 Oh crap…. Didn’t think that one through… 

 You gulp; you’re so gonna regret this. “Whatever you see fit.”

 That causes him to raise an eyebrow, this time out of intrigue. “So anything?”

 “…Anything.” You confirm, squaring your shoulders and hardening your stare to show that you meant it. You see a glint in his eyes as he turns to you fully, eyeing you like a cat who’s just spotted its next plaything. And then he’s striding towards you in languid steps, slowly making you feel more and more like the cornered prey he’s about to pounce on. But you hold your ground; you need to show him that you’re not afraid, willing to commit and that you’re serious. Still, it doesn’t stop the breath from hitching in your throat once he’s stopped just mere inches from you, so close you can actually feel his body heat and you had to tilt your head up to meet his unwavering gaze.

 You stiffen as you see him raise a hand to brush the hair along the side of your face. Your eyes wants to watch what his hand is doing but they were automatically pulled back to meet his, as if some invisible force willed them to. And you’re easily sucked in; eyes like the darkest of nights that hold so many secrets to the world and so frigid, like you’re drowning in icy waters that are only pulling you deeper, deeper, until—

 “Ow!” 

 The stinging pain effectively snaps you out of your trance and it takes you a minute to realize that the man with bright red hair had yanked out a few strands of your hair. He steps away from you, strands in hand and a rather pleased look on his face.

 “What was that for?” You hiss, rubbing the side of your head but all he does is hold up a finger to shush you in response. You watch him bring the strands of hair to eye level and right in front of you, they catch fire. You can only gawk as you watch the flame burn, engulfing the man’s whole palm and yet there was no signs of burning flesh or pain. He watches as it flickers with immense concentration until he ultimately smothers the fire by closing his palm.

 “Three questions.” He abruptly says.

 “What?”

 He holds up three fingers. “You have three questions to ask about your future. That’s it.”

 “Hey that’s not—“

 “Three questions or none; up to you.”

 You huff. “Fine…. Will I find my dream job?”

 His eyes wander upwards before he says, “Yes.”

 “Okay…” You breathe, “Will I be happy?”

 His eyes trail back down to you, face void of any emotions, as he says, “No.”

 The answer causes you to recoil a bit but you were determined to remain steadfast as you ask the final question, “…. Will it get better?”

 It comes out in a soft murmur that even you’re not sure if he’s heard it. He’s staring again with eyes threatening to drown you once more and you felt like he’s seeing past you, right into your soul. You hate it; with just a single look he’s able to make you feel so bare in front of him. You suppose that’s what being a witch is about…along with igniting random fires without being burnt apparently (so you guess that’s out of the question if you ever wanted to get rid of him).

 “It depends on how you look at it.” He finally says.

 “…. That’s not very helpful.” You reply, bemused. 

 “I didn’t say it was gonna be.” He retorts plainly. “Now a deal is a deal. I did my part so you’ll do yours.”

 That causes you to straighten up, bristling a bit in preparation of what he’s planning on making you do or give up. Would it be years off your life? Your soul? Can witches even do that? Or maybe he wants a part of your body like an eye?! Or a whole arm?! Oh my God, you really didn’t think this through— !

 “Hello?”

 You jerk at the sound of his voice, shoulders involuntarily hunching up in a defensive stance. A glance at the witch in front of you lets you know that he doesn’t look about ready to cause bodily harm to you. Actually, he was looking at you like you just did something really stupid.

 “W-What?” You stutter.

 “I said, you’re going to follow me and do exactly as I say.” 

 “That's— “ You immediately begin to protest because this just screams stranger danger, momentarily forgetting who you’re dealing with exactly.

 “A deal is a deal, Y/N. And I don’t think you would want to know what’ll happen if you cross a witch.” The tone in his voice shifts dangerously in warning, it’s low and he speaks with a calmness that belies what he’s truly capable of, that there are far worse things that will happen to you than following him and doing what he says.

 For once you’re not curious enough to find out.

 You swallow hard and just numbly nod. At your affirmation to comply, the man’s demeanor eases back into the lethargic air he had when you first met him. He turns away to walk off but not before gesturing with a quick nod of his head for you to follow after him. You don’t have to be told twice. You trail a few steps behind him and amusingly, you spot the black cat from earlier trotting alongside (Smokey was it?)

 “Yoongi.”

 “Huh?”

 Your head snaps from the cat to the man in front of you who only keeps walking at a leisurely pace, hands stuffed into the pockets of his dark washed jeans.

 “My name; it’s Min Yoongi.”

 “Oh…” You stop yourself from replying with your name in kind, seeing as how he already seems to know it. The silence that follows envelops you but shockingly; you don’t feel as afraid as you should be. Maybe it’s Yoongi’s undeniably easy-going attitude or perhaps just another form of his witchcraft coming into play to make you feel that way, who knows.

 Whatever it was, you welcome it. 

 Because undoubtedly, this will be the last time you’ll ever get to feel at ease again.

[loonybythelandscape]

eros pt 2

First Part:   http://archiveofourown.org/works/11640657/chapters/26183109  (why do links never work right)

I wasn’t planning on continuing this but I got so many more comments than I expected and I just don’t want to let go of this au. If anyone wants me to write another little funny thing let me know!

-

“You’re supposed to stop me,” Phil complained as Dan scanned the items. “You’re an enabler.” p>

“Philly!”

Phil looked up from his computer, distracted. “Yeah?” He was trying to edit a video, but it just wasn’t working. “I’m almost done.”

“I could duplicate you,” Dan said conversationally, settling on the edge of the desk and looking down at Phil with a soft expression. Phil knew it was entirely on purpose. “Then one of you could spend time with me and the other could wooork.”

“Not anymore, you can’t,” Phil reminded, ignoring Dan’s bullshit heart eyes. “The only thing you can do is turn into a duck, and that’s because of me.” Phil smirked, looping his fingers through Dan’s belt loops and pulling him down, onto Phil’s lap. “I have all the power.”

Dan’s face went red. “Stop!” He scolded halfheartedly, batting at Phil’s chest.

“Abuse!”

“Abuse of the old, more like.” Dan leaned against Phil, possibly breaking a few ribs. Phil’s hands settled around his waist, poking at him. His shoulders felt awfully tense.

“What have you been eating?” Phil asked, trying to gauge his mood. “I’m afraid there’s a small whale sitting on me.”

Dan scoffed, cheeks still faintly red. “I never knew you were so bony in these places.”  He wasn’t unhappy then. Tired?

They lapsed into silence, watching the screen as it played back what he’d edited.

Dan sighed softly, slouching down and resting his face against Phil’s, half his body falling off the chair awkwardly. It didn’t look at all comfortable. “Will you be done soon?” Dan asked, looking at Phil with a sleepy expression.

“Yeah, just another minute, I promise.”

Dan shifted, twisting his neck awkwardly.

“You’re going to gent a knot and make me massage you. Again,” Phil complained, not completely minding.

He practically felt Dan roll his eyes. “Eat more ice cream, then.” He didn’t sound very amused.

“Didn’t know you were into that.”

“You don’t know a lot of things,” Dan mumbled, yawning.

Phil knew it wasn’t meant to hurt, but he couldn’t help feeling a small sting. He didn’t know a lot, as much as Dan tried to help. He’d given Phil a huge book on Greek mythology for his birthday, and Phil had been overjoyed, until he saw all the post it notes stuck to the pages explaining what was wrong.

Dan squirmed. “Your bony knees are hurting my butt.”

“Sit somewhere else then,” Phil said, saving his file and closing the editing program. He rubbed at Dan’s shoulders, tilting his head to see Dan’s face.

Dan melted against him. “Fuck,” he moaned, enjoying it far too much.

“Dan,” Phil giggled, “the neighbors.”

“What, you want to have sex with the neighbors? I’m right here,” Dan smirked devilishly, the effect ruined somewhat by a yawn.

“I noticed,” Phil said. He knew he probably looked like an idiot, face soft and sappy as he looked at Dan. Sometimes the giant idiot was hard to resist, though.

“It’s almost two in the morning, you know,” Dan said, turning sideways so his legs went over the arm of the chair and he could use Phil’s shoulder as a pillow.

“What?!” Phil looked at the time on the computer, seeing it was indeed that late.

He looked at the tired circles around Dan’s eyes, feeling a wave of guilt. His boyfriend never seemed to have a good sleep schedule, no matter what they tried. Phil thought he was still adjusting to mortality, even though it had been quite a while now.

“Did you sleep last night?” Phil asked, already expecting the answer.

“No,” Dan smiled sheepishly, putting an arm around Phil’s neck. “Carry me?”

“You know how that would end. Come on,” he pushed at Dan, nudging him off the chair.

Dan climbed off gracelessly, hopping several times as he tripped over a cord. Phil turned the lights off after Dan, mindful of the way he’d shriek and run away, purely for the sake of being dramatic. They passed through the lounge, Dan’s eyes dropping further with every step.

“We were s'posed to have dinner, you know,” Dan said, stopping in front of the fridge and looking at it longingly. He bit his lip, looking at Phil like he wanted to say more.

Phil felt like an ass. “I’m sorry,” he said, putting his arms around Dan from behind and resting his chin on his shoulder.

He felt Dan shrug. “We need money, right?”

“That’s not how it works,” Phil closed his eyes. “Dan, I’m not paid by the hour. I’m just being an idiot who isn’t used to living with someone else.”

Dan turned around in his arms, watching him intently. “Phil,” he said, voice deep and tired and heart-achingly fond. His hair was curly and wild, pushed off his forehead. “It’s all right. I’ll drag you out next time.”

Phil nodded slowly, still feeling like the worst boyfriend that had ever existed. He turned toward the bedroom but Dan pulled him down by the front of his shirt and gave him a firm kiss. Phil let out a breath, unconsciously leaning toward him.

Dan broke the kiss after a long moment, pushing Phil toward the bedroom. “I’ll bring food, go change,” he said, breaking the tense air. Phil nodded again, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

He changed into a fresh pair of underwear and climbed under the covers, rubbing his tired eyes. He turned on the blue lights Dan had bought. They were surprisingly nice, changing the grey sheets and walls to a calming navy.

Dan walked in a minute later, balancing two glasses and a bowl of spaghetti.

“We’re sharing?” Phil asked with a raised eyebrow. Dan’s brand of romance was more subtle, normally.

Dan rolled his eyes, holding a glass above Phil’s head threateningly. “No, you dingus, I’m just not taking two trips.” He tossed a fork at Phil, setting the dishes on the side table and taking his jeans off in the least sexy way possible.

Phil snickered.

“Shut up!”

But Phil was silenced when a mostly naked Dan pressed against his side, warm and sleepy, resting his head on Phil’s shoulder. He tilted up, not quite making it and instead giving Phil’s chin a wet kiss.

“Dan!” Phil poked at his ribs in revenge, laughing when Dan choked on his water.

Dan retaliated by pressing freezing cold toes against Phil’s ankle. “Take that!”

Phil squirmed, nearly spilling the pasta.

“You’ll get tomato sauce on our perfect white sheets,” Dan whined, hiding a smile with the edge of the blanket.

“They’re grey,” Phil pointed out.

“Well that sounds less dramatic, doesn’t it?” Dan set the bowl between them. “Come on, eat already.” His eyes were drooping again, momentary burst of energy gone.

“Wakey wakey,” Phil said, poking Dan’s cheek, making Dan smile, dimple appearing. “Derek isn’t ready to sleep yet.”

Dan snorted, giggling around a mouthful of pasta. It really, really shouldn’t have been so attractive. “God,” he said after he swallowed, “we’re eating in our pants, in bed, in the middle of the night.”

“Domestic bliss, as they say.” Phil clinked their glasses together, leaning over for another kiss.

“Trying to steal my virtue?” Dan’s voice was unimpressed.

“Maybe…” Phil kissed the underside of his jaw, avoiding a bit of sauce on his lip.

“Bit late for that, mate.”

“Dan! Stop calling me mate!” Phil leaned away, huffing.

“Why? Are you into that?” Dan’s lips twitched. “Anyway, there’s no way in hell you’re getting in my pants right now. I need to sleep!”

Phil sighed. “Fine.” He set the empty dishes on the side table, turning the light off.

Dan scooted down the bed, covering himself with the blankets, just eyes and a mop of hair looking up at Phil in the dim light. “Cuddle me, slave.”

Phil wiped at Dan’s saucy mouth. “We didn’t brush our teeth,” he sighed, feeling Dan push under his chin and an arm go around his waist, the other tucked between them.

“Oh well,” Dan whispered, breath warm and comforting against Phil’s collarbone. A second later, “Phil, I said cuddle me.”

Phil pulled Dan closer, hand against his lower back. “Sorry, love.”

Dan smiled. “I like that.”

“Mmm?” Phil was already falling asleep.

“Nothing. G'night, shithead.” Dan waited for Phil’s indignation, but he was already asleep.

“I love you.” Dan pressed a sweet kiss to Phil’s neck, eyes slipping shut. “So much.”

-

(a few days later)

Phil watched Dan walk into the kitchen blearily, rubbing at his eyes. He was wearing a long jumper and pants, one of the purple knee high socks Phil had bought him falling down. He looked incredible pissed.

“Dan?” Phil asked, trying not to laugh, watching Dan blindly reach for his coffee. He pulled it out of reach. “Make your own. Or I’ll make you one.” He wasn’t completely heartless.

Dan stared at him with half closed eyes. It was a bit worrying. “I know for a fact, Philip, you used the last of the good creamer,” he was trying for angry school teacher but it didn’t quite work. The black and blue shadows under his eyes did work, though.

“I bought more yesterday,” Phil said, standing and finding Dan a clean mug. “And maybe, accidentally, the less than good coffee.”

Dan groaned, collapsing on the table. “You are the bane of my existence.”

“If you say so,” Phil stirred in the instant coffee and creamer, setting it in front of Dan. “What time did you go to bed?” He sat back down, pushing the leftover burnt edges of his toast toward Dan.

Dan dipped a piece into his coffee, moaning loudly as he ate.

Dan was a strange creature.

“I don’t know,” he said, in his “I do know but I won’t tell you” voice. Phil didn’t press it, watched Dan chug coffee and rub under his eyes, looking slightly more awake now.

Lately, Dan had been getting bored. He wanted to do something, said he wasn’t getting any younger. Phil encouraged him at first, thinking it was a good idea. It still was, in theory. But Dan was now spending every night researching what he could possible do with his life. And with that came the belated realization that he wasn’t immortal anymore.

“I think I know what I want, maybe,” Dan said suddenly, startling Phil. “But we’d have to have sex a lot.”

Phil choked. “Excuse me?”

Dan laughed. “Wanted to make sure you were paying attention.” Phil huffed. “Honestly, Phil, I have no idea. Before I could spend ten years studying for a PhD in astrophysics or something. But now…” he trailed off, pulling his lip into his mouth. “I don’t want you to work for both of us. I want something to do.”

Phil pushed at his ankle. “Maybe you don’t need something full time. I know you’d get bored. Write a book, start a YouTube channel and leave me in the dust when you become famous.”

Dan smiled, pushing back at Phil’s foot. “Yeah. Technically I am famous, though.” He chewed on a piece of toast thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve lived here for three months now.” Phil hummed in agreement. “And…” he raised his eyebrows pointedly. Phil stared at him. Dan rolled his eyes. “In about a week we’ll have been together six months.”

Oh. Phil hadn’t realized how much time had gone by. It felt like Dan had always been here, always would be. Phil liked that thought.

“What should we do?” he asked, pouring a bowl of cereal. Dan would forget to eat, sometimes. Another problem of being suddenly mortal.

Dan shrugged. “We aren’t that sappy, are we?” He smiled gratefully as Phil set the bowl in front of him. “Sofa crease and a movie? Pizza?”

“You know I’m your sofa crease, don’t even pretend.”

Dan winked. “My Phil crease.”

“That sounds wrong. Very wrong.”

Dan giggled into his cereal.

-

They showered and dressed, leaving the house reluctantly. They were out of cleaning supplies and the like, things you couldn’t have delivered to your house, unfortunately.

Dan pushed at his hair absently, reading the back of something. “If you don’t wear gloves your skin will peel off,” he read excitedly. “We should buy it.”

Phil took it, setting it back on the shelf. “No, I don’t want to take you to A&E for that.” He ignored Dan’s pout, setting a package of sponges in the cart. “You won’t magically regrow skin anymore, remember?”

Dan made a face. “I didn’t regrow my skin. That sounds freaking horrible.”

Phil glanced around, but they were luckily alone in the aisle. “What did you do, then?” He found a bottle of window cleaner and dish soap, nudging Dan along.

“I couldn’t be injured, unless it was another god or titan or something,” Dan let himself be pushed along, until something else caught his eye.

“You’re going to die-no don’t buy that!”

Dan sighed, walking away from the very expensive hoover.

Of course, because Phil just couldn’t help himself, they ended up buying a package of ready made cookie dough and a bag of chocolate chips.

“You’re supposed to stop me,” Phil complained as Dan scanned the items. “You’re an enabler.”

“It’s in the motherfucking bagging area,” Dan hissed, pointedly dropping the sponges into a bag.

Phil winced as a mum glared at them. “People are staring!”

“Right,” Dan agreed, not even looking. He swiped his card, picking up their bags and leading the way to the doors.

Phil rolled his eyes, following. He held the door open for Dan, less because he was a gentleman and more because Dan held the precious cookie dough.

Dan seemed to know his reasons too. He gave Phil an unimpressed look, hip checking him and giggling when Phil nearly fell on his butt.

“Cruelty,” Phil complained, sticking his lip out, “unusual punishment.”

“Oh shut up and take one of these,” Dan shoved a bag at him. “C'mon, let’s go home. I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” Phil retorted, catching the bag. It was heavy, to be fair.

They walked down the street, back to the flat. Dan nudged him, pointing to a familiar diner. A for sale sign was stuck to the door. Phil felt strangely sad. They’d stopped going there months ago, after Dan got actual, very, very bad food poisoning, but it was a large part of their early days, back when Dan was just a mysterious stranger.

Phil bumped Dan, a silent acknowledgement. Dan had his thinking face on, lip pulled into his mouth.

“I could buy it, technically,” Dan said, watching the diner until they turned a corner.

“You don’t know anything about cooking, do you?” Phil liked the idea, but he didn’t want to be sued for killing someone.

“I kind of do. Or I could hire someone.”

“Research it at home?” Phil suggested, watching the way Dan smiled.

“Yeah. I need to research this.” He moved to cross the street, stopped to give Phil a sheepish expression and looked both ways before continuing.

Phil sighed. “I don’t know how you stayed alive even when you couldn’t die.” He followed, gripping Dan’s sleeve just in case he decided to chase a pigeon or something.

“That doesn’t actually make sense, Philly.”

“Your mum doesn’t make sense.” Too late, Phil realized what he’d said.

Dan didn’t say anything for a moment, opening the door to their block of flats. Demeter was a very sensitive subject they rarely opened up. Dan had gone to see her, once, and it hadn’t ended well. She didn’t like mortals and Dan had never liked her to begin with.

“Be careful, she might strike you down,” Dan said, smiling so Phil knew he was forgiven.

“Least I don’t have to have a meeting the family dinner,” Phil said, just to hear Dan laugh.

“True.”

They climber the stairs, Phil unlocking their door and turning the lights on. “Oh no, Sabrina died!” He set the bags down, picking up his chewed looking cactus.

“What the hell ate it?” Dan frowned, looking less concerned for precious Sabrina than Phil would have liked.

“Show some respect,” Phil said, poking at Sabrina. One of her leaves fell off. Oops.

Dan rolled his eyes, closing the door. “I’m more worried about a rampaging animal that can eat spikey plants being in our house!”

Phil had to admit that was a good point.

He and Dan searched the house, opening cabinets and looking under beds. “Do you think it left?” Phil asked, slightly disappointed.

Dan shrugged, stopping in the doorway to their bedroom. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the bed. Phil joined him, catching sight of the small lump under their blankets.

“Is it a cat?” Dan whispered, turning the light on and slowly walking to the bed. “God, please don’t have rabies.” He lifted the blanket slowly, making a squeaking sound as something shot under the bed. “Phil!”

“What? I didn’t do anything!” Phil pushed Dan toward the bed, staying pressed against the door. “What if it’s a demon cat from the underworld?”

“You mean a hellhound?” Dan pushed back at Phil. “Why do I have to look? Do you want my face to be clawed off?”

Phil stared at him. “Hellhounds exist? Is it going to eat us?” He didn’t like this one bit. It was probably just an innocent cat, but just in case he’d rather not be scratched to death. “Go on, look.” He nudged Dan.

Dan rolled his eyes. “I want a divorce.”

“We aren’t even married, Dan.”

“As far as you know,” he said darkly. Dan was stalling. But finally, after bickering back and forth, Dan leaned down and peered under the bed, using the light on his phone. “It’s a cat,” he said, turning and looking at Phil, “not a bleeding hellhound. A cat.”

The cat chose that moment, apparently offended by Dan’s tone, to launch itself at his face. Dan shrieked, pulling it off his face and toward Phil. Phil yelped, diving onto the bed. But the cat was not deterred. It climbed up his leg and onto his back before he could move.

Phil froze. “Dan?”

Dan giggled behind his hand. “It’s purring.”

Phil let his head fall onto the sheets. “I hate you,” he said, muffled.

“What’s that?” Dan asked, far too amused.

“I said I hate you!”

The cat kneaded Phil’s shoulders and began to groom the short hairs on the back of his neck. Phil really hadn’t expected his day to go this way.

“Get it off, please?”

Dan hesitated. “It hates me. Try moving?”

Phil rolled his eyes. His boyfriend was absolutely useless. He sat up slowly, the cat jumping off with a loud complaint. Now that Phil could see it properly he was slightly terrified again. It was completely hairless and wrinkly, except for large grey tufts of hair growing out of it’s ears.

“It-she’s cute?” Phil said uncertainly.

“How do you know it’s a she?” Dan asked, still refusing to approach the bed. There was a large scratch on his cheek Phil hadn’t noticed.

“Are you okay?” Phil asked, feeling a little bad.

“I’ll need a coffin by the morning,” Dan said flatly. “No, Phil, I’ll be fine. Go make friends with your demon cat while I make sure I’m not infected with a horrible disease,” he waved his hand dismissively and left, but not quickly enough to hide the large smile on his face.

“Thanks,” Phil said grumpily, staring at the cat. She stared back. “Are you a she or a he?” Phil frowned. Probably rude to check.

“Well, I’m Phil, and you look like you want to eat me but maybe that’s not your fault. Genetics can be hard, right?”

The cat meeped. It was surprisingly cute. “That’s right,” Phil tentatively reached out and scratched under her chin. Her eyes closed and she started to pur. “I should call you Dan,” he said, louder than necessary.

“Excuse me!” Dan’s voice came through the wall.

Phil giggled. “Sabrina II,” he decided, “because you ate the first.”

He carried Sabrina II into the kitchen, where Dan was making dinner. Dan looked up, not at all surprised to see Phil with the cat. “We can ask around, but I have a feeling it doesn’t have a house,” he said, smiling at Phil. “I guess we need cat food.”

-

It turned out Sabrina II was actually a male cat. They kept the name, along with a long rant from Dan that Phil ignored most of.

-

Sabrina II was a cuddly cat, but he also hated Dan. Which was why Dan was sitting on one side of the sofa and Phil and Sabbie were on the other.

“I’ve had a week of this injustice,” Dan said, glaring at Sabbie. Sabbie glared right back. “He understands us, I know he does. Jesus Christ, Phil, why can’t anything be normal.”

“Excuse me, bitch. Coming from the god?”

Phil opened and closed his mouth. “Uh..”

“Yeah?” Dan said, determinedly staring at the tv.

“That wasn’t you, right?”

“No, I don’t think so.” They both stared at the cat. The cat stared back.

“Well?” Sabrina II asked with a decidedly German accent, delicately licking one paw.

Phil sighed. “Our child will be blue by the end of this.”

[dutten-does-the-fanfic]

The Universe with Red Towels

Title: “I’ve Got more than one Rough Secret” (Part 1) Pairing: Evak Warnings: Child abuse, language, derogatory language, internalized homophobia, homophobia

Summary: “Is it because you like boys?” “Who hits that five year old boy?” “Mamma finds him.” Snippets of Isak’s life. Prequel to this

AO3

He remembers hearing the front door shut, and him getting out of bed. He’s not tired yet, it’s an hour before bedtime, but Mamma was getting stressed so she put him to bed. But now she’s left and Isak can get up and do whatever he wants.

He moves towards his train set, making choo-choo noises as he pushes the carriages around on the floor.

Thinking back on it now, he wonders who the fuck would leave a five year old alone during the night.

But then again, who hits that five year old?

OOOOO

He finds her in bed, duvet pulled up so only her head peaks out. She’s staring at the ceiling.

“Mamma?”

There’s no reply and Isak doesn’t know what to do. He can’t read her, he never could, and he just doesn’t know, okay?

He makes himself a cup of tea, and as he’s pouring the water he decides to make one for his mom as well. Maybe she’ll like it. Although he makes sure to pour it into an old mug instead of her favourite one. Just in case. He shouldn’t push it.

He’s slow to make his way through the house. He’s only carrying her cup. His hand is shaking as he slowly pushes her bedroom door open. It’s dark – the curtains are drawn and he can barely see her lying in bed, her eyes fixed onto the ceiling.

He’s slow to put the cup down on the bedside table so he won’t make any noise or startle her with a sudden movement. Or, he thought he was slow, maybe he wasn’t though, because the second after he’s put it down and is about to leave, she turns her head and looks at him. His heart skips a beat because maybe she’ll react to him being there, and-

She screams and launches herself at him instead. Not really the reaction he had wanted, Isak can’t help but think as her nails pierce his skin.

The mug goes flying and Isak goes to school that day with a sore, red mark from the scolding hot water and scratches on the side of his face. His papa forgets to pick him up and he knows he can’t let Jonas see, so he ends up having to walk back home.

OOOOO

“Want to come around mine today?”

Jonas always asks the question casually, but Isak thinks there’s panic in the subtext. Or he might just be imagining it. He thinks he is, because Jonas is more oblivious than Harry freaking Potter.

“I’ll even ask mamma to make that pasta dish you really like,” Jonas continues, puffing Isak with his elbow to make sure he has his attention. Except that side isn’t good today and Isak winces before he can control himself. Jonas’ brows furrow in confusion. “What, don’t you like it anymore?”

Isak hurries to disagree (he fucking loves that dish, okay). “I just, can’t. Not today. Mamma...” He doesn’t have to continue. Jonas knows of her being ‘stressed’, having witnessed one of her episodes back when they were nine years old. Isak couldn’t tell him that it was nowhere near a bad episode, but was actually quite tame.

Jonas nods, looking at Isak a bit longer. Isak can feel his heart beat a little faster, and he tells himself it’s from fear of Jonas seeing the marks on the back of his neck even though he’s wearing a scarf.

“Are you okay?” Jonas asks and Isak’s heart is in his throat.

He shrugs. “Bra.”

OOOOO

“The angels are close now,” she keeps muttering, pushing the sofa around the room. Isak’s standing in the doorway and he can’t keep his eyes off of her.

The room’s a mess. Everything’s a mess. The meticulously cut newspaper clippings are strewn all over the place, a few of them have been hung on the washing-line even though they’re completely dry. The dining table’s been pushed over, the TV balancing (barely) on its side.

“Mamma?”

He never knows what her reaction will be, especially not when she’s in a mood like this. Her eyes are wild and feverish when she looks directly at him, and Isak thinks for a second she won’t recognize him.

“Isak?” She says, not moving from the couch. “Isak, darling, do you mind bringing me my pillow? It’s on my bed. The big fluffy one, with the fur,” she describes, not blinking and not looking away.

Isak doesn’t really want to leave her alone and he doesn’t know what he should reply (papa always says he stresses her and should be more careful with her), and so he decides to just nod before he turns around, heading towards the bedroom.

He comes back to her climbing out the window. From the second floor.

“Nei!” Isak screams, throwing himself at her, grabbing onto her, trying to pull her back in. “Mamma, please!”

He’s shouting please and for her to come back inside, but she’s screaming at him that she will miss the angels, he’s the devil, he’s the devil, he’s the devil-

She manages to smash his head into a doorframe, making his vision swim.

He barely manages to hold onto her leg before she’s trying to get out the window again.

He doesn’t remember much after that. The evening has been reduced to flashes. Him crying. Mamma screaming. Papa coming home, carrying her further into the house, them going into a room.

Isak’s left curled up against the sofa, hiding his face in his knees, feeling as if he’s about to throw up from the dizziness.

OOOOO

“Fy faen, Isak, stop hogging the ball!” Jonas shouts, leaning forward with the controller, going as far as twisting it in the air as if the player will run faster because of that.

Isak’s laughing, really laughing, not just a small, breathy huff of a laugh, but a full-on belly-shaking laugh, and it feels good.

“You mean this ball?” Isak asks innocently, running in circles around Jonas’ player, preventing him from grabbing said football.

Jonas swears again and Isak ignores the butterflies in his stomach. He won’t ruin the one good thing in his life.

They’re at Isak’s this time and mamma hasn’t said a peep. Jonas helped him put her to bed around an hour ago. They know she’s not sleeping, though, so they’re not afraid of being noisy. Or, well, Isak was, at first, but Jonas is so good at making him forget where he is and what his life is. He always was. When they were younger, Isak thought having Jonas around would stop mamma, because she never acted stressed when they had company.

Having him over every day, though, was too much.

Jonas still comes around. He helps Isak with mamma, now, because papa flipped and left (left Isak here, blamed Isak for her being like that, Isak hates him) but nowadays it’s not as often. Instead they opt going over to Jonas’. It’s cluttered and his sister’s a bit scary and stand-offish, but it’s feels warm and Isak has always felt welcome.

OOOOO

“Is it because you like boys?”

Eva’s words are on repeat in his head as he ducks. He hides underneath the dining table, can’t help but think back when he was five and did it as well, thought mamma wouldn’t find him there. He can see himself when he squeezes his eyes shut. A curly haired mop of a shaking boy. Now he can’t think of any other word than ‘gay’ to describe that boy. Hears the word on repeat. “Is it because you like boys?”

Mamma finds him.

---

The lights are flashing, but Isak doesn’t know if it’s the lights in the club or the lights behind his eyes. His world is wobbly and he’s so, fucking, drunk.

Not drunk enough to forget Mamma screaming “cocksucker” at him, though.

“Is it because you like boys?”

“I’m rooming with the gay guy?”

“All the songs you like are gay.”

“Cocksucker.”

He takes another shot. It burns and he feels sick, his stomach is churning.

Well, everyone seems to be right about me anyway, he’d thought when he’d come across the bar filled with sweaty men. May as well prove them right.

Cocksucker.

OOOOO

“How come we never go to yours anymore?” Jonas asks before stuffing his face with his sandwich.

Isak is fidgeting with his water bottle; pushing it around, twisting the cap, untwisting the cap, he leaves the paper alone so he can recycle it. He’s got no food he can eat to avoid answering. Hasn’t been able to bring any the last couple of days he’s come to school.

Isak doesn’t know what to say, so he shrugs, looks around the cafeteria. It’s sunny today and he can see everyone from where they are sitting. He tries to spot anyone Jonas would find interesting to talk about, but he comes up blank. Where’s Eva when you need her? – Jonas can still bitch about for an hour straight (even though he knows they’re better off like this).

“How’s your mom?” Jonas asks, casually, as if asking about the weather.

“Fine.”

He can’t tell him. He can’t tell him he hasn’t seen her for a week (cocksucker) and he can’t tell Jonas that he now lives in a basement. A cold, absolutely freezing, leaking basement, where he sleeps with a spare duvet and pillow, constantly afraid of the landlord or Noora finding him. He has a bag with clothes he cycles through.

“Wanna come to mine?” Jonas takes another bite. Isak knows Jonas thinks his mom is bad again, and that’s why he’s not saying anything. He’s not ready to let him know what things have come to now.

---

Isak never actually gets around telling Jonas. They spend the entire summer at the skate park or playing FIFA at Jonas’.

It’s not as if he’s lying, he just, hasn’t told him. He doesn’t know how to. Hey, nice goal, by the way I haven’t lived at home for months now, do you want cheese toasties?

OOOOO

He hasn’t been home nearly a month by now, but the clothes he’s wearing are gross and he’d like a few things, just a few bits and pieces, so he gets on his old tram and goes home.

He’s so nervous about going home that he almost doesn’t notice the disgusted looks the other passengers send him when they smell him. He lives in a basement. Maybe they’d have something to say about their hygiene if the only way to clean themselves was using the school’s bathroom.

He still feels self-conscious about it and gives up his seat to stand by the doors, quickly walking out when they open.

He feels sick walking through these streets again. He hasn’t been here so long (cocksucker) and he feels like all the neighbours are looking out their windows at him, talking about him, about mamma.

Isak knows she’s not home, won’t be for another hour at least. She likes to go to the park at this time of day. She always says the sunlight makes her feel closer to God, and Isak never said anything because at least she wasn’t close to him.

That’s why his stomach turns to ice when he sees the door is unlocked.

Isak doesn’t know if his mother just forgot to unlock it or if she’s still home, but he’s come so far and he really needs another set of clothing and a few things for school, so he continues.

He pushes the door as gently as he can; avoiding the one step he knows creaks, before quietly shutting the door. He considers calling out, just in case she is home so he’ll be prepared, but he also doesn’t want to alert her of his presence, so he remains quiet and tiptoes to his room.

Get the things, just grab them. You don’t need much, just grab them.

He feels on edge as he walks back out of his room and starts the journey back to the front door, when suddenly-

“What are you doing here?”

Isak freezes because-

She’s standing there. Right in the doorway, her long black coat washing out her frame, leaving her big and intimidating.

“Uh-“ he doesn’t know what to say. Is she asking him why he came back? What does she-

“School isn’t over yet. Are you cutting school?” She’s moving towards him alarmingly fast.

“No, no, no,” Isak hurries to say, steps backwards and hits his back against one of the dining chairs.

“You only just left for school,” she continues, “there’s no reason for you to be back home already.”

Isak doesn’t quite remember how he got out with only a stinging cheek, but he only becomes aware of himself when he’s two streets past the tram stop he needed to be at. He doesn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

She hadn’t even noticed he was gone.

OOOOO

“We can’t go to mine, it’s a mess right now and mom would kill me if I let anyone see,” Mahdi says, leaning back into the chair, distractedly picking at the crumbs of his lunch.

Magnus shakes his head. “Mom’s not well right now,” he says and Jonas says to tell her to feel better soon.

“My place is trashed right now. My sister had a huge fight with her boyfriend. They threw a lot of stuff around, so it’s all a mess and everyone’s pissed,” Jonas says.

Magnus sighs about how unfair it is they don’t have a place to hang after school.

“Wait,” Mahdi says, straightens up in his seat and looks directly at Isak. “We’ve never been to yours. Don’t you think you should be pulling your own weight if you want to hang out with us?”

He says it jokingly, of course. They’d never kick Isak out for not supplying with a house.

Isak can see Jonas panicking, ready to save Isak from having to explain anything, but Isak beats him to it.

“Yeah, sure, sounds fun.”

Isak thinks Jonas probably could’ve snapped his neck at the speed his head turns to stare at him in shock. Isak makes sure not to show any outwards signs of his reaction of Jonas’ reaction, but his heart is beating faster than a racing horse.

Mahdi is grinning and Magnus high-fives him. Isak forces a laugh back.

---

Jonas Noah Vasquez

13:04

What’s going on?

Why did you agree?

Isak???!!!

Chill. It’s fine.

???

---

They meet up 15:15 in front of the school before making their way to the tram.

They’re fooling around at the station, Mahdi and Magnus making a fool of themselves. Jonas is too busy glancing at Isak every five seconds, and Isak is starting to sweat a little from it.

Especially when the tram that would’ve taken him back home last year arrives before the one they need to take. Isak barely manages to take a hold of Jonas before he enters the carriage.

Jonas looks at him in surprise. “Aren’t we taking this one?”

“Nah,” Isak says, letting go of Jonas’ jacket in favour of stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Jonas continues to look at him before murmuring, “what the hell are you playing at?”

Isak shrugs. “I’m not playing at anything. Just chill, alright?”

Jonas looks sceptical and suspicious and Isak can feel the guilt form in the pit of his stomach. He should’ve warned him. He should’ve told him, why didn’t he just-

The tram’s arriving.

---

“Fucking hell, Isak, whose apartment is this?” Jonas grabs his arm and pulls him back from the front door.

Magnus and Mahdi are staring at them, and Isak feels himself flushing and sweating.

“What are you on about?” Isak mumbles and tears his arm out of Jonas’ grab, before opening the front door, holding it open for the rest of the guys.

He can’t bear to meet Jonas’ worried gaze, so instead he keeps his eyes and mind focused on what he’s doing, almost as if following a list: Move the key to the hole, twist it to the right to unlock the front door, and then push it open. Hold the door open for the guys. Don’t notice Jonas. Don’t notice that Magnus and Mahdi are glancing nervously between him and Jonas before following him inside.

He has to look at Jonas now, though, because he is not moving.

Isak sighs and rests his head against the open door, eyes closing as if in literal pain. “Dude,” he breathes, “could you just-“

“Could I just what?” Jonas is at least being quiet about it, “what the hell is going on?”

Isak tries to just shrug if off, but Jonas obviously isn’t willing to let him do that.

“We’re going back to mine. Wasn’t that what we planned?” Isak tries to sound angry, but he thinks he sounds more scared than anything. All he can hear is himself frantically begging Jonas don’t say anything, please, please, please, don’t bring attention to that things aren’t the way you thought they were, just please, Jonas, please.

And maybe they really are telepathic, because Jonas gives him a very long, hard stare and then takes a step forward, over the threshold and into the building.

Isak feels like his whole body just shrank two sizes from the breath he exhales. He doesn’t dare look at Magnus or Mahdi, but he can feel their eyes on him.

“It’s just up the stairs,” Isak says, trying to distract the boys. Don’t say anything, don’t say anything, don’t say anything.

They don’t, but Isak still feels on edge, because everyone can tell that something is wrong and the silence is tense.

Isak goes to open the door, but Jonas grabs onto his wrist before it reaches the doorknob.

“We’re not...” Jonas starts, eyebrows furrowing, eyes focused on where his hand is touching Isak. “It’s not like,” he tries again. “We’re not, like, breaking in somewhere?”

Isak sees how Magnus’ eyes widen and Mahdi’s head snaps up to look at them, but all Isak can hear is the voice screaming I’m sorry, Jonas, please in his head. He doesn’t know how to actually say that, though, so instead he resorts to anger.

He angrily pulls his arm away from Jonas. “For fuck’s sake,” he says and then pushes the door open. “Hello?” he yells, not waiting for an answer before stepping in and taking off his shoes.

Mahdi whistles. “Nice place. How many rooms are there?”

Isak reaches up to hang his jacket. “Four, with the living room.”

“Man,” Magnus says, untying his shoes, “your parents must be loaded. Have you got lots of siblings, or what?”

“Uh-“

“Isak?”

Isak doesn’t know whether if he should be happy they were interrupted, or dread the fact that Eskild has just walked out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel.

“Oh, I thought I heard you come in, how was-“ Eskild freezes for a short moment when he sees the other boys, but then smiles. “Hi.”

“No,” Isak says, moving around Eskild in a wide circle.

Eskild looks affronted. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”

Isak looks at him annoyed. “I mean, no. None of them are gay, anyway, so don’t hit on my friends.”

Isak knows exactly what look Eskild is sending the others; the slightly annoyed, slightly fond look, that belongs to a parent rather than a housemate, and the look is only confirmed when he hears Eskild saying, “He’s so grumpy all the time, how do you deal with it?”

He tries not to hear the boys laugh along with Eskild, and instead tries to redirect their attention. “Come on,” he says, tapping his foot impatiently, “my room’s down here.”

Thankfully, the guys all follow him. It’s not until Isak’s firmly shut his bedroom door that they start to ask him questions.

“So...” Mahdi drags out. “Who was that?”

Isak can feel a lump forming in his throat from how terrified he feels right now. There’s no reason to panic, he thinks to himself. There’s absolutely no way they know.

“Eskild,” he shrugs, bending over to turn on the TV and the PS4.

The boys are silent for a few seconds and Isak silently begs they would just drop it.

“And who’s Eskild?” Magnus asks, continuing when Isak doesn’t reply. “Is he your brother? Cousin?”

“Wait,” Jonas says, slinging his backpack onto Isak’s bed, “didn’t we meet him at William’s party last year?”

“So you live here without your parents?”

Nod.

Drop it, please. Talk about something else.

“Dude, that’s so sick.”

“You’re so lucky, I’d kill to live without mine.”

Isak feels his body tense as soon as they start mentioning parents, and he sees Jonas tense as well, and suddenly he’s in a rush to just say something to get them to stop. Talking.

So, Isak nods and blindly tosses the controller to Jonas. “Yeah, he’s Noora’s old roommate.”

“Noora?” Magnus asks. “Vilde’s Noora?” Which turns the conversation to girls and especially Vilde.

Isak sits down beside Jonas and begins choosing his players. He can’t look at him even though he knows Jonas is throwing glances his way.

Jonas leans in closely once he’s made sure Magnus and Mahdi are busy talking. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Isak shrugs.

I didn’t know how to.

I’m so sorry.

OOOOO

“I go down on girls, sure.”

Cocksucker.

“How many have you gone down on?”

Is it because you like boys?

“I don’t know. Not like, every time, but definitely more often than not.”

You’re so gay.

“Because I was thinking about doing it the last time I was with someone, but she was just so hairy? It looked like a forest, and I just couldn’t do it.”

Learn to take a joke, don’t be so gay.

“There’s nothing wrong with them having hair, man.”

“I know that, I just, got scared.”

Cocksucker.

“’Scared’? What do you mean ‘scared’?”

Magnus shrugs. “I don’t know, okay? I just, I was really nervous and it was only getting worse. I’ve never done that before, you know? Isak, do you do it?”

Isak feels himself being pulled back into reality when Magnus says his name. He’s fine. He’s in the cafeteria. They don’t know. They can’t know. “Huh?”

“Girls,” Magnus says, looking at him expectantly.

“What about them?”

Mahdi and Jonas laugh while Magnus huffs impatiently.

“Going down on them. Do you have any tips?”

Isak tries to play off his panic. “Tips? I don’t have any tips, it’s not that fucking hard.” He knows he sounds more angry and grumpy than the supporting friend he probably should be. Cocksucker is being screamed repeatedly in his head.

“So you’re good at it?”

Isak shrugs. “’Never had anyone complain.” Never had anyone who could complain about it

Jonas hits him on the shoulder and brags to Mahdi and Magnus about his best friend being a master player.

Isak tries to smile and laugh along, tries to throw back teases at Jonas.

Cocksucker.

If his own mother will scream it at him and throw boiling water on whatever bare skin she could find in order to cleanse him of his impure wants, what would three boys do to him?

All the songs you like are gay.

Learn to take a joke.

Is it because you like boys?

Cocksucker.

[oversizedsweatersandtea]

Jealous

Pairing: Taekook

Category: Angst

A/N: idk about half the crap i’ve put in this story so i’m really sorry if it’s not accurate pls don’t hurt me ;-; also there’s like one a/n after the story that is muy importante so please read it otherwise you will be really sad the rest of the day

mkay enjoy (i hope)

I’m jealous of the rain

“I told you that you should’ve brought an umbrella.”

Jeongguk leaned against the frame of the door, eyebrows raised under his chestnut bangs at the rain-soaked boy on his welcome mat.

The visitor smiled sheepishly, his box-like grin pulling at the corners Jeongguk’s lips until a gentle smirk replaced his frown.

That falls upon your skin

“Guess I forgot,” the boy grinned. “Sorry, ‘gukkie.”

“I suppose I’ll let it slide,” Jeongguk sighed good-naturedly, rolling his eyes as he stepped back and gestured a welcome with a wave of his hand. “Just don’t forget next time.”

“Okay, mom,” the other agreed. “And who said anything about a next time?”

Jeongguk flushed, berating himself for assuming the boy had time for him, of all people. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Relax, Jeonggukkie. I always have time for you,” he winked.

It’s closer than my hands have been

Wet sneakers squeaked against the hardboard floor, leaving muddy shoe-prints in their wake. Jeongguk winced at the thought of having to clean the floor again, he just mopped them three hours ago, what the fuck, and closed the door, not wanting to flood his apartment with the steady downpour of too-much-rain. He made his way to the kitchen, freezing at the end of the hall at the sight of a light blue sweater and tan skin rummaging through his freezer.

“Tae,” he said.

Taehyung hummed in acknowledgement, slightly turning his head toward the other with his eyes still glued to his search for–Jeongguk guessed–sweets. Bleached bangs covered tinted eyebrows, scrunched in concentration, and long fingers pushed aside another bag of frozen pasta, only to shove it back when they didn’t find what they were looking for.

“What are you doing?”

I’m jealous of the rain.

The blond man finally met Jeongguk’s gaze, oblivious to the glimmer of something that was impossible. 

“I’m looking for the piece of sanity you clearly don’t have since there’s no goddamn ice cream in here,” he pouted, shooting an accusatory glance to the other.

Jeongguk shrugged, moving his gaze off to the side. A thin layer of dust blanketed the small coffee table in the living room, the result of disuse and laziness. He’ll wipe it down, eventually. Maybe.

“I stopped buying some a while ago,” he replied.

I stopped buying some after you left.

Taehyung frowned. “Why?”

“It’s too sweet.”

It doesn’t taste the same without you here.

‘Cause I wished you, the best of

All this world could give

Incoming call from Kim Taehyung

“Hello?”

“Jeongguk, you’ll never believe what happened!”

“What happened?”

“Guess.”

Jeongguk leaned back into his recliner and hummed, mock-thinking about the object of the man’s excitement. Of course, he already knew. How could he not? He’s not Taehyung’s best friend for nothing. Besides, all of their conversations eventually led to the topic of the role that the older male was auditioning for–has auditioned for. There was not a single doubt in younger’s mind that Tae would get the part with his natural flair for acting, and Jeongguk was almost never wrong.

“I don’t know, Tae. Tell me?”

“You’re supposed to guess,” Taehyung whined. “You party pooper.”

Jeongguk chuckled, forever amused by the other’s antics. He hummed again.

“Okay, then… you got the part?”

“I got the part!”

He smiled cheerfully, genuinely happy for his friend despite knowing what he was told. Taehyung had been so nervous about this day for so long, it had started to rub off onto Jeongguk, who became a jittery mess right alongside the rising actor whenever the subject was mentioned.

“That’s awesome, Tae. I’m proud of you.”

“Yah, I’m your hyung; don’t tell me you’re proud of me! Thank you, though.”

“For what?”

“For being proud of me, and for supporting me. Thank you, Jeonggukkie.”

Jeongguk laughed, merely a puff of air from his nose. “It’s nothing,” he shrugged, ignoring the tightness in his chest as he continued, “that’s what friends are for, right?”

“Of course–who else am I going to run to when I get chased by the paparazzi?”

“Wow, I must be so special.” Taehyung laughs.

And I told you, when you left me

There’s nothing to forgive

“Oh, and guess where it’s going to be filmed?”

“I don’t know, where?”

“California!”

Jeongguk gasped softly, chest tightening even more, suffocating him. Taehyung mistook the sharp intake of breath as one of excitement, which it partly was, but there’s only so much a phone call can convey.

“I know, right? I’m super excited to film there–I’ve never shot in California before. I’m sure it’ll be fun, though.”

The younger male sat in silence, the words spinning around his head, making him dizzy. California? As in the other side of the world? He took deep breaths, shakily exhaling each one, and tuned back in to Taehyung’s baritone voice.

“My agent’s already booked my flight for next week, so I need to pack my things. Could you come and help? Sorry it’s so short-notice.”

One week. One week was all he had before months and months of sorry, ‘gukkie, break’s over’s and call you soon’s. Seven days. Why did fate have such a twisted sense of humor?

“Jeongguk?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. No problem.”

But I always thought you’d come back, tell me,

All you found was

Heartbreak and misery

“I think she might be the one, Jeongguk.”

“Oh? What makes you so sure?” Jeongguk asked, laying on the rugged carpet in his living room, the one he got with Taehyung from that sketchy garage sale a few years back.

“I don’t know; there’s just something about her. Working with her for the past seven months has been amazing. It just feels, well, right.”

Jeongguk hummed, letting the words sink in as he sat up to reach for the cold beer on the coffee table, the condensation leaving a ring of water around the bottle’s base. He tilted it against his lips and grimaced at the watery flavor that coated his tongue, but hey, cheap beer is still beer, and it got the job done. “She sounds like a keeper.”

It’s hard for me to say

“Oh, she is,” Taehyung affirmed. “I’ll introduce you to her sometime.”

I don’t want to meet her.

I’m jealous of the way

“Sometime, meaning?” Jeongguk inquires, rubbing his finger against the wet glass of the bottle’s neck.

“Maybe a few more months? I’m not sure.”

It’s already been seven months without you.

“Okay. I’m happy for you.”

For you. I’ll always be happy for you.

You’re happy without me.

“Thanks, ‘gukkie. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah. Bye, Tae.”

“Bye-bye, Jeonggukkie!”

But I’ll never be happy without you.

As I sink

In the sand

Jeongguk stumbles through the door, the stench of alcohol mingling with its staler twin that had settled into the walls, permanently tainting the apartment with the smell of cheap liquor, sweat, and loneliness.

He drags himself into the kitchen and grabs a cup from the countertop, not bothering to check if it was clean. It’s not like anyone else has used it; even Jeongguk himself hasn’t been around, and he lives here.

The tap from the faucet swirls around in the water-stained glass, washing away the dust that had been resting on it. Jeongguk tilts the rim against his lips, swollen from nervous tics and almost-hook-ups.

He notices a white bottle out of the corner of his eye, sitting innocently on the counter by the sink. Its contents rattle as he picks it up, reading the label for the millionth time.

JEON, JEONGGUK

LORAZEPAM TABLETS

TAKE ONE TABLET DAILY BY MOUTH. DO NOT EXCEED 3 DOSES WITHIN 24 HOURS.

Qty: 30

Refills require authorization

Jeongguk slams the bottle down, taking deep, shaky breaths. No matter how many times he reads it, he comes to the same conclusion.

You’re an idiot, Jeon. What would happen if you actually did it? What about your hyungs? Leaving them to worry and cry about you like that? You’re truly the worst.

Watch you slip

Through my hands

He thinks back to the phone call he had gotten last week, and how happy Taehyung had sounded.

(“I did it, Jeongguk!”

“Did what? Please tell me you didn’t actually dance in the middle of that café or I swear to God–”

“No, no I didn’t, promise!”

“Then, what?”

“I finally proposed! And guess what?”

“…What?”

“She said yes! I’m finally an engaged man, Jeonggukkie; aren’t you proud?”)

Jeongguk closes his eyes, slowly sinking onto the kitchen floor. He hasn’t taken his daily dose of the medication, but can’t bring himself to care. It’s just one pill. Just one. It’s okay to skip one pill, like it’s okay to skip a shower one day, or skip a meal. He can always take one later.

Oh, as I die here another day

Of course, later turns into tomorrow which turns into whenever he can drag himself off his bed and into the kitchen without thinking of Kim Taehyung every step of the way (which is never).

Darkness shrouded the stale room, with Jeongguk’s only companion being the aching emptiness of his stomach and the cold sweat he woke up with in the middle of the night, when the claws of anxiety dug sank too deep into his mind.

‘Cause all I do is cry behind this smile

He rolls onto his back, glossy eyes landing unfocused on the ceiling, and thinks of Taehyung, how he would be pouting at Jeongguk for laying in bed all week. Thinks of the way he would suggest they get ice cream, thinks of chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-covered lips and tongue and nose. Thinks of warm, espresso eyes, always glittering with laughter and love.

He thinks of long, skinny fingers tracing patterns onto his arm, leaving trails of tingles across it. He thinks of those fingers against the skin of Taehyung’s girlfriend, of Taehyung’s fiancée, how nice they look intertwined with her paler, smaller ones.

Jeongguk can feel the anxiety creeping up on him; the doubt, the fear, the insecurities. He feels the tell-tale twitch of his fingers, the trembles that start out almost unnoticeable then become so violent he sweats through his sheets. His breath comes out in short, shallow gasps, panic clouding his sense of reality. His heart rams against the inside of his chest, so fast it knocks what little breath he has out of him. Death feels closer than it ever has before, and Jeongguk almost welcomes it, the sensation so familiar it nearly feels like home.

Taehyung’s favorite song suddenly plays in his head, the lyrics speaking to him, as if sending him a farewell letter.

I wished you, the best of

All this world could give

And I told you, when you left me

There’s nothing to forgive

Black spots crowd his peripheral vision, slowly yet surely making their way to his pupils.

But I always thought you’d come back, tell me

All you found was

Heartbreak and misery

He vaguely hears a sharp buzzing, the screen of his dying phone filling the room with its glow once more.

It’s hard for me to say

The blackness crawls across his pupils, creating fuzzy images in his sight.

I’m jealous of the way

His breathing slows. He closes his eyes.

You’re happy without me.

“You have nineteen missed calls from Kim Taehyung.”

A/N: anxiety/panic attacks can’t kill you :)

also this is my first taekook fic (or vkook whatever’s your cup of tea) so pls be kind

the song is Jealous by Labrinth btw!! it’s a really good song :)

thx for reading!!

(unless you didn’t read it–in that case i don’t blame you lol)

[susantregre]

100 TV Free Activities

It hasn’t been that long since we wrote the book, 101 Kids Activities.  We were thrilled to see it make Amazon’s Top 500 list at that time!!  Since then we have discovered even MORE ways to keep boredom at bay… and these 100 TV-Free activities are great at keeping kids  active.

  Gather the rainbow!  Mix up a batch of colorful fun.  Add food dye to pasta for a fun sensory bin.

Create a bouquet of roses – all you need are some paper plates!

Race your cars, powered by balloons, across a room.

Mop the floor – in your socks.  Get sudsy with this homemade cleaning recipe.

  Upgrade some treasured toys –  use stickers, foam and paint to redecorate them.

Sew a pillow buddy for a friend.

Make TP tube people, put on a play!

Create giant blocks, and make a backyard tower.

Decorate old outlet covers to be eyes, noses and mouths for play dough play.  Fun and easy to clean.

Go fly a plane!  Make one from an egg carton.  You can cut and then decorate your carton to be a fun glider.

Collect all the cardboard tubes and bottle caps that you can find.  Make a tube train.

    Go get a handful of paint chips and make monster puzzles.

Chop up your crayons and heat them in the oven on low – paint with your melted crayon bits!

Play a prank on a family member.  Make a batch of the grossest fake snot – ever!

  Build a fort.  Too cool and your kids are learning about geometry and developing spatial awareness at the same time!

Play with cardboard boxes.  Make an aquarium for all the imaginary fish you can come up with!

Build a tower out of disposable cups.  Use straws and Q-tips and blow darts at your tower to watch it topple.

    Make a pinball drop for a ping pong ball to drop from.  This one is made from a box and craft sticks!

Pretend you are an archeologist and dig up dinosaur bones from a tar  pit.

Create Kinetic Sand and pick one of these ten ways to play with it!

Magnetic Mud is easy to make, if you have the supplies, and mesmerizing!

Paper dolls are fun to create, color and decorate, and then to play with in pretend worlds.  Print up a set for free.

Make a bedtime sensory bottle, and count the stars in the dark.

Play Kerplunk – only make the game yourself using a pot and pom-poms!

Make a yarn maze in a laundry basket – your tots will love fishing items through the leveled web of yarn.

    Give your kids a challenge – fill a bag with random supplies and sit back and watch the marvels your kids will make!

Create puzzles from Craft Sticks for your kids to exchange and solve with each other.

Say no to boredom with the help of smile coupons.  Ask your kids to think of ways to make others smile.

Gluten-free, safe play dough for kiddos who have gluten sensitivity – your kids can even eat this play recipe!

    Go BIG.  Make a ginormous dry erase mat for your kids to doodle over using  a shower curtain.

How fun!  Make playdough for your kids out of marshmallows!  You can eat it afterward for a sugar rush.

Frozen Sparkly Paint – Making ice paints is a great way to cool as you play.

Send your toys on an expedition!  Make a LEGO zipline across a room in your house, fasten your toys and watch them soar across the room.

Aqua Sand – it’s mesmerizing and will keep your kids entertained pouring sand into water and pulling it back out again – dry!

    Don’t let the brain cells die during summer brain.  Keep building neurons (and develop empathy) with this brain-building trick.  

Whip up a batch of super soft playdough – you only need two ingredients.

Mix oil and water together with whisks.  Watch how the globs stay separate.  Add a couple eye droppers and food dye for an afternoon of play.

Practice spatial awareness and fine motor skills by building a cup tower with your kids.  It’s harder than it looks!

Peanut butter Play dough is super tasty and fun to play with.  Your kids will love it!

  Bust out the Legos and have a brick building contest.  To contain your bricks use a kiddie pool.

Make puppets – and have a show.  These wiry puppet skeletons are fun and easy to make.

Whip up a batch of play!  There are more than 50 recipes of fun for your kids to choose from!  Boredom is banished!

Get colorful.  Make a batch of mom-made paint for your kids to play with and create.

Go Big!  You can transform giant foam blocks, recycled from old furniture cushions, into a giant crash mat.  Hours of fun!

Play line dominos – make a set of cards or stones with wiggly lines for your kids to line up into a train .

      Be a rainmaker.  Fill a cup with water and top with shaving cream.  Drip food dye onto the top of the fluff and watch it rain through to the water.

Paint the colors of the rainbow, on your driveway.

Paging fun moms frozen dough

Make crayon wands!  Melt your crayon scraps and fill straws to make these fun instruments of creativity.

Sing a song together – one that requires whole body motions!

Make a busy bag for your kids to create and explore.

Get crazy with a DIY Geoboard.  Use colorful bits of yard and even elastic and other textures to make shapes.

  Get Colorful!!  With your cookies.  Make a batch of Unicorn Poop – your kids will think it’s hilarious!

Create a set of mustache clings – you can decorate your face on the mirror.

Simple play ideas are the best!  Line a set of stairs with boxes and drive your cars down them.

Pass a smile forward.  Create a list of cards with things that will make people smile.  Share them!

Paint… in the bath tub!  The perks of this recipe is that there is no clean up.  Genius!

    Dual with the forces.  Transform the cardboard tubes from wrapping paper into lightsabers.

Enjoy peppermint patties – in play dough form!  This edible recipe is tasty (make in small batches – you ™ll get a sugar rush).

Watch balls drop with a ping-pong roller coaster.  You can make this one from cardboard tubes and magnets and put it on your fridge.

Rube Goldberg machines are fascinating!  Look around your house and see what you can use to create your own giant machine.

Make a mat to play hopscotch on!  You can roll it out for play and clean up is a breeze!

Ink Blot Monsters are a super easy and fun craft for kiddos!

Transform a set of old cans into a banging machine – all you need are some balloons.  DIY Drums!

Watch your milk explode with color!  Add some food dye and soap.

Create a set of paper dolls for your child to decorate and play with!

  Turn up the music and exercise together.  If possible, try bringing your family-friendly workout outdoors.

Refuse to listen to your kids say I ™m Bored.  You can make a list of chores or even activity ideas.  When your kids are bored they can draw from the jar.

Raid the recycle bin.  Make a set of wacky characters from the clean trash in your bin.

Be silly together.  Take selfies with your phone, print them out and doodle on your faces.

Make a pretend cooking stove from a box.  Have fun making magical meals.

Watch it fall.  Create a set of funnels that dump into a box and drop stuff through them.  Fun!

Cloud Dough.  This stuff is great, so light and fluffy but it acts a bit like sand.  You can build with this dough.

Love fairies?  Make a fairy condo building!  Use random boxes and bits of wrapping paper to make it a home.

Jump and skip – with a DIY jump rope.  This classic is a blast and great to get kids moving when they are solo.

    Make a foldable doll house.  You can bring this toy with you anywhere for on-the-go-play.

Ice!  It’s cold and fascinating!  Fill cups with colored water, freeze them, and watch the ice mix and melt as you add salt to the blocks.

Whip up a batch of melting ice cream play dough.  This recipe tastes horrid, but is tot safe and smells and acts just like ice cream.

We did this and it was a blast!!  Make a giant bubble tent.  Tape ends of a tarp together and add a fan,  The result is fun!

Have a balancing battle.  Stack a book on your head and walk around an obstacle.  Try it again with a pencil on your nose.    Or holding a basket on a ball.

Explore kinetic energy with exploding popsicle sticks.  Stack the sticks and watch them blow!

Make a ball pit!!  Or a balloon Pit!  Your kids will be lost in the balls for hours.

Candy Ink.  Yumm!!  Fill a glue bottle with concentrated jello and paint away – it’s edible art!

Solve a puzzle, like this DIY marble maze.  Your kids can make them and then swap to solve the maze puzzles.

Make a globe, from straws.  Who knew you could bend and build such cool structures from straws.

Got Rhythm?  Want it?  Look around your house for different surfaces to bang on – like trash cans, or even the washer machine.

    Build with TP tubes.  Decorate them to look like houses, cut slits and stack.

Get goofy with some giggy goggles.  Here is a set that you can print up, decorate and be super silly with.  We suggest you print them onto cardstock paper.

Build a house with a deck of cards.  It is harder than it looks!

Make a sidewalk mosaic with items you can find in your yard.  Love textures!

Finger Paint!  Mix up a batch with your kids favorite colors.  Add jello powder to make it scented paint.

Watch lemon juice bubble and pop!  This experiment smells delish, is taste safe, and is a great example of chemical reactions for kids.

Exercise!!  It’s easy to be fit with these ABC moving games.

Fold paper to make boxes.  You can build towers with them!

Create origami.  This is an origami eyeball that you can make – it actually blinks.

Let your inner monster free with these ping-pong ball creatures.

SLIME!!  Make it glow with this fun recipe.

Sew.  Fine motor skills are gained through sewing.  Create a sewing project for your kids from cardboard.

Garden.  Plant some seeds in your backyard and watch them grow.

The post 100 TV Free Activities appeared first on Kids Activities Blog.

from Kids Activities Blog http://bit.ly/2BCFkb4

[susantregre]

100 TV Free Activities

It hasn’t been that long since we wrote the book, 101 Kids Activities.  We were thrilled to see it make Amazon’s Top 500 list at that time!!  Since then we have discovered even MORE ways to keep boredom at bay… and these 100 TV-Free activities are great at keeping kids  active.

Gather the rainbow!  Mix up a batch of colorful fun.  Add food dye to pasta for a fun sensory bin.

Create a bouquet of roses – all you need are some paper plates!

Race your cars, powered by balloons, across a room.

Mop the floor – in your socks.  Get sudsy with this homemade cleaning recipe.

Upgrade some treasured toys –  use stickers, foam and paint to redecorate them.

Sew a pillow buddy for a friend.

Make TP tube people, put on a play!4

Create giant blocks, and make a backyard tower.

Decorate old outlet covers to be eyes, noses and mouths for play dough play.  Fun and easy to clean.

Go fly a plane!  Make one from an egg carton.  You can cut and then decorate your carton to be a fun glider.

Collect all the cardboard tubes and bottle caps that you can find.  Make a tube train.

Go get a handful of paint chips and make monster puzzles.

Chop up your crayons and heat them in the oven on low – paint with your melted crayon bits!

Play a prank on a family member.  Make a batch of the grossest fake snot – ever!

Build a fort.  Too cool and your kids are learning about geometry and developing spatial awareness at the same time!

Play with cardboard boxes.  Make an aquarium for all the imaginary fish you can come up with!

Build a tower out of disposable cups.  Use straws and Q-tips and blow darts  at your tower to watch it topple.

Make a pinball drop for a ping pong ball to drop from.  This one is made from a box and craft sticks!

Pretend you are an archeologist and dig up dinosaur bones from a tar  pit.

Create Kinetic Sand and pick one of these ten ways to play with it!

Magnetic Mud is easy to make, if you have the supplies, and mesmerizing!

Paper dolls are fun to create, color and decorate, and then to play with in pretend worlds.  Print up a set for free.

Make a bedtime sensory bottle, and count the stars in the dark.

Play Kerplunk – only make the game yourself using a pot and pom-poms!

Make a yarn maze in a laundry basket – your tots will love fishing items through the leveled web of yarn.

Give your kids a challenge – fill a bag with random supplies and sit back and watch the marvels your kids will make!

Create puzzles from Craft Sticks for your kids to exchange and solve with each other.

Say no to boredom with the help of smile coupons.  Ask your kids to think of ways to make others smile.

Gluten-free, safe play dough for kiddos who have gluten sensitivity – your kids can even eat this play recipe!

Go BIG.  Make a ginormous dry erase mat for your kids to doodle over using  a shower curtain.

How fun!  Make playdough for your kids out of marshmallows!  You can eat it afterward for a sugar rush.

Frozen Sparkly Paint – Making ice paints is a great way to cool as you play.

Send your toys on an expedition!  Make a LEGO zipline across a room in your house, fasten your toys and watch them soar across the room.

Aqua Sand – it’s mesmerizing and will keep your kids entertained pouring sand into water and pulling it back out again – dry!

Don’t let the brain cells die during summer brain.  Keep building neurons (and develop empathy) with this brain-building trick.  

Whip up a batch of super soft playdough – you only need two ingredients.

Mix oil and water together with whisks.  Watch how the globs stay separate.  Add a couple eye droppers and food dye for an afternoon of play.

Practice spatial awareness and fine motor skills by building a cup tower with your kids.  It’s harder than it looks!

Peanut butter Play dough is super tasty and fun to play with.  Your kids will love it!

Bust out the Legos and have a brick building contest.  To contain your bricks use a kiddie pool.

Make puppets – and have a show.  These wiry puppet skeletons are fun and easy to make.

Whip up a batch of play!  There are more than 50 recipes of fun for your kids to choose from!  Boredom is banished!

Get colorful.  Make a batch of mom-made paint for your kids to play with and create.

Go Big!  You can transform giant foam blocks, recycled from old furniture cushions, into a giant crash mat.  Hours of fun!

Play line dominos – make a set of cards or stones with wiggly lines for your kids to line up into a train .

Be a rainmaker.  Fill a cup with water and top with shaving cream.  Drip food dye onto the top of the fluff and watch it rain through to the water.

Paint the colors of the rainbow, on your driveway.

Paging fun moms frozen dough

Make crayon wands!  Melt your crayon scraps and fill straws to make these fun instruments of creativity.

Sing a song together – one that requires whole body motions!

Make a busy bag for your kids to create and explore.

Get crazy with a DIY Geoboard.  Use colorful bits of yard and even elastic and other textures to make shapes.

Get Colorful!!  With your cookies.  Make a batch of Unicorn Poop – your kids will think it’s hilarious!

Create a set of mustache clings – you can decorate your face on the mirror.

Simple play ideas are the best!  Line a set of stairs with boxes and drive your cars down them.

Pass a smile forward.  Create a list of cards with things that will make people smile.  Share them!

Paint… in the bath tub!  The perks of this recipe is that there is no clean up.  Genius!

Dual with the forces.  Transform the cardboard tubes from wrapping paper into lightsabers.

Enjoy peppermint patties – in play dough form!  This edible recipe is tasty (make in small batches – you ™ll get a sugar rush).

Watch balls drop with a ping-pong roller coaster.  You can make this one from cardboard tubes and magnets and put it on your fridge.

Rube Goldberg machines are fascinating!  Look around your house and see what you can use to create your own giant machine.

Make a mat to play hopscotch on!  You can roll it out for play and clean up is a breeze!

Ink Blot Monsters are a super easy and fun craft for kiddos!

Transform a set of old cans into a banging machine – all you need are some balloons.  DIY Drums!

Watch your milk explode with color!  Add some food dye and soap.

Create a set of paper dolls for your child to decorate and play with!

Turn up the music and exercise together.  If possible, try bringing your family-friendly workout outdoors.

Refuse to listen to your kids say I ™m Bored.  You can make a list of chores or even activity ideas.  When your kids are bored they can draw from the jar.

Raid the recycle bin.  Make a set of wacky characters from the clean trash in your bin.

Be silly together.  Take selfies with your phone, print them out and doodle on your faces.

Make a pretend cooking stove from a box.  Have fun making magical meals.

Watch it fall.  Create a set of funnels that dump into a box and drop stuff through them.  Fun!

Cloud Dough.  This stuff is great, so light and fluffy but it acts a bit like sand.  You can build with this dough.

Love fairies?  Make a fairy condo building!  Use random boxes and bits of wrapping paper to make it a home.

Jump and skip – with a DIY jump rope.  This classic is a blast and great to get kids moving when they are solo.

Make a foldable doll house.  You can bring this toy with you anywhere for on-the-go-play.

Ice!  It’s cold and fascinating!  Fill cups with colored water, freeze them, and watch the ice mix and melt as you add salt to the blocks.

Whip up a batch of melting ice cream play dough.  This recipe tastes horrid, but is tot safe and smells and acts just like ice cream.

We did this and it was a blast!!  Make a giant bubble tent.  Tape ends of a tarp together and add a fan,  The result is fun!

Have a balancing battle.  Stack a book on your head and walk around an obstacle.  Try it again with a pencil on your nose.    Or holding a basket on a ball.

Explore kinetic energy with exploding popsicle sticks.  Stack the sticks and watch them blow!

Make a ball pit!!  Or a balloon Pit!  Your kids will be lost in the balls for hours.

Candy Ink.  Yumm!!  Fill a glue bottle with concentrated jello and paint away – it’s edible art!

Solve a puzzle, like this DIY marble maze.  Your kids can make them and then swap to solve the maze puzzles.

Make a globe, from straws.  Who knew you could bend and build such cool structures from straws.

Got Rhythm?  Want it?  Look around your house for different surfaces to bang on – like trash cans, or even the washer machine.

Build with TP tubes.  Decorate them to look like houses, cut slits and stack.

Get goofy with some giggy goggles.  Here is a set that you can print up, decorate and be super silly with.  We suggest you print them onto cardstock paper.

Build a house with a deck of cards.  It is harder than it looks!

Make a sidewalk mosaic with items you can find in your yard.  Love textures!

Finger Paint!  Mix up a batch with your kids favorite colors.  Add jello powder to make it scented paint.

Watch lemon juice bubble and pop!  This experiment smells delish, is taste safe, and is a great example of chemical reactions for kids.

Exercise!!  It’s easy to be fit with these ABC moving games.

Fold paper to make boxes.  You can build towers with them!

Create origami.  This is an origami eyeball that you can make – it actually blinks.

Let your inner monster free with these ping-pong ball creatures.

SLIME!!  Make it glow with this fun recipe.

Sew.  Fine motor skills are gained through sewing.  Create a sewing project for your kids from cardboard.

Garden.  Plant some seeds in your backyard and watch them grow.

The post 100 TV Free Activities appeared first on Kids Activities Blog.

from Kids Activities Blog http://ift.tt/1H7W6Ku