#daisy oven mitt

[wastelandwild]

They say Orks can't be into cottagecore, but look at my burna boys daisy mitt. It probably cost a whole lotta teeth.

[eyesofshinigami]

Eddie and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Rating: T

CW: None

Tags: Established relationship, Eddie Munson loves Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington loves Eddie Munson, very very mild sexual content (blink and miss it)

Prompt: For @lihhelsing "Love is helping them unwind after a rough day"

WC: 852

Written for @steddielovemonth Day 19

Eddie knew it was going to be a bad day as soon as he woke up. He managed to stub his toe twice on the way to the shower. His waffles got burnt in the toaster and they were out of syrup. He missed the bus by a minute, watching it drive away from the stop just as he ran up to it. It started raining while he was waiting for the next bus, so of course he got drenched.

He hoped that it had ended there, but no. Eddie got to work fifteen minutes late due to a traffic jam, wet and hungry and already done with today. His boss yelled at him and put him on tape-sorting duty, marking down the new shipment of tapes. Of course, halfway through, his pen exploded and covered him and the sheet he was using, so he had to start over.

By the time the end of his shift had rolled around, Eddie was tired, had a headache the size of Montana, and he was ready to throw himself into the void. Mack, the other guy on shift, patted him on the back and all it did was make his skin crawl. 

The journey home wasn’t much better. The bus was late again, and Eddie couldn’t find a seat so he had to stand. The bottom of his sneaker apparently acquired a random hole and he had to walk back to their apartment with wet socks.

Eddie was done. He was so fucking done that all he wanted to do was crawl into the bed and cry until he couldn’t anymore. He also hoped that Steve wasn’t home yet from work; he was scared that something bad would happen, like they would end up arguing or not speaking to each other.

What Eddie didn’t expect was to come home to a house that smelled a little like heaven. It was warm and he called out, “Steve? That you?” 

“Yup! In the kitchen!”

Eddie toed off his shoes and stripped out of his still damp jacket and hung it up on the rack. He still felt really keyed up from the day he had, so he steeled himself against his own feelings and headed into the kitchen. 

Their table was set. A lasagna was cooling in the center, set on a potholder right next to a spray of daisies. Two beers were set beside their plates, still cold enough that condensation was gathering on the glass. 

Steve himself is dressed in comfortable clothes, bent over the oven and pulling out what looked like cheesy garlic bread. Fuck, if it wasn’t all of Eddie’s favorite things wrapped up in one beautiful little scene. “Hey! I must have timed it just right!”

Eddie felt tears starting to gather in his eyes. “How… how did you know?”

Steve set the garlic bread down on the stove and pulled off his oven mitts before he reached up to cup Eddie’s cheek. “I heard you this morning. And then Mack called me before you left, saying you’d had a pretty shit day. So… I got home a little early and wanted to surprise you with something good.”

Okay, yeah, Eddie was absolutely going to cry now. “For me?”

“Of course, baby. After dinner, I figured we could take a bath together and I could wash your hair? Then we could crawl into bed and watch that new Beetlejuice movie? I grabbed it on the way home.”

“Steve… that…” It sounded incredible. It was perfect. So why was Eddie blubbering like he’d just been told his dog died? 

But Steve, wonderful, beautiful Steve, seemed to just understand. “Because you deserve it. You had a bad day, and I just wanted to make it better. You’d do the same for me, have done it in the past. Let me take care of you, okay?” 

What else could Eddie do but nod?

Dinner was delicious, Eddie ate until he couldn’t anymore, realizing he’d forgotten to eat lunch in the midst of the rest of his terrible day. He listened to Steve talk about what he’d done that day, letting his boyfriend’s words wash over him. 

The bath was just as nice. Even if they were two grown men, they managed to squeeze themselves into their tiny tub. It was ridiculous, but it made Eddie laugh and he felt light for the first time since he’d woken up that morning. Steve had washed his hair, took his time rubbing conditioner through Eddie’s curls, and then it ended up with them wrapping hands around each other’s cock and Eddie panting into Steve’s mouth.

Fuck, but he loved this man so much. 

Loose from the bath and from his orgasm, Eddie crawled into bed with Steve and curled up as the movie started.

“Love you, Eds,” Steve murmured, kissing the top of his head. He grabbed the remote from the bedside table to fast forward through the previews.

Ed smiled into Steve’s collarbone. The day might have started pretty fucking awful, but Steve had turned it right around. Now, it felt like the best day ever.

[fierycavalier]

Back in 2015, right after we got our dog Daisy, my mom used a free gift offer on Shutterfly to send us a stack of cards with Daisy's face on the backs.

Since then, whenever Shutterfly offers her a free gift, she uses that same picture of Daisy from 2015 and sends us a random item with it. We've gotten a ceramic trivet, socks, and a few other things.

This last Christmas, my brother sent us oven mitts with that same picture of Daisy on them!

I don't use any of this stuff (except the socks) because I think they're all tacky (for my personal style), but I keep them all because it's hilarious. I was assigned a collection against my will.

@lingering-sunrise @forgotten-tuesdays snitches get stitches

[cartoonygifts]

sweet white daisy flower blossom (name) oven mitt & pot holder set

sweet white daisy flower blossom (name) oven mitt & pot holder set $28.60 by jsoh http://dlvr.it/T9rQLh

[doitwithdaisy]

Sweet Paw-tato Meringue

Ingredients:

173g (a little under 1 1/2 Cup) Sweet Potato

5g (a little over a teaspoon) Sunflower Oil

76g (a little over 2 large) Egg White

3-4 Tablespoons Honey

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Directions:

1, Roll sweet potato in a damp towel and microwave for 5-10 minutes, until tender

2. Use oven mitts to roll on the counter to evenly distribute the heat and ensure the vegetable is evenly cooked before moving to a bowl to mash completely

3. Fill oven-safe ramekins 1/2 to 3/4 full of the mashed sweet potato and set aside

4. Follow the instructions for Toasted Floof but DO NOT BAKE

5. Cover the sweet potato with meringue, one dollop at a time

6. Bake at 350 F for 5-10 minutes, until meringue gets golden and tacky

**Note to Daisy: Serve with Turkey Cats-o-Roll for a Waffles Serving

[fiorserpen]

as misa praises them, their smile grows. " only for you, my dear. " they hear the ruffle of fabric when she starts changing clothes and they reach into the oven to take out the trays of cookies. ah, baked to perfection! soryn sets them in a cooling rack and turns off the oven, hanging their oven mitt back up. the clean up the counters and their phone is nestled back between their ear and shoulder as they clean the dishes they dirtied.

" of course, of course. you know me; i remember such things and i would never order or make something you shouldn't eat too much of. " it does bother them a little that she watches her figure so much, but the modeling industry was rough like that. soryn considers themself fortunate that it's easier for them to keep their body looking the same.

soryn moves toward the front door, unlocking it, petting the top of daisy's head as they head back to the kitchen. " i believe you. i think it would be lovely if we cooked something together. " they agree with a loving smile, looking through their pantry and refrigerator to get some ideas for dinner. " the door is unlocked, by the way. all you have to do is walk in. just do not be surprised if daisy is excited to see you here. " soryn tells her with a soft laugh, telling daisy to stay by the door.

" you're, like, totes the best, sochi~!! " came another squeal as she shimmied into a more casual version of her usual gothic style; a dual colored corset top that was pink and black with ruffles above the breasts, the straps a ruffled black, and a tight black leather skirt atop fishnets, styled complete with her black platforms and a white rabbit bag ( the ears were floppy, the rabbit having red eyes and wearing a charcoal gothic lolita dress ).

" misa's fine with whatever! nothing with too much fat in it, though, misa-misa's manager would kill her if she gained any weight before the next shoot. " watching her figure was definitely the hardest thing she did as a model and actress, but it was part of her job, even if she hated it sometimes. misa wished she could frequently dine on more fatty and sweet foods.

with a delighted hum, misa picked back up her phone, leaning over her vanity to reapply her signature red lipstick before she headed out to soryn's place, " i think it'd be more romantic if we cooked together, sochi~ tasting what we make for each other to make sure it's just right, spoon feeding it to one another~!! " she chimed in a giddy, though soothing tone, a softness flashing into her gaze as she talked about it, " misa may not look like it, but she's a really good cook~! "

[beeelderly]

Hey I'm going to be thinking about the desolate baby au forever now thanks

anon i think abt it every day of my life

[naruto-ichigo-soul-kyobabe]

Stray kids reaction to you hurting yourself (based off of stupid things I have done)

Chan

-you were waiting for Chan to come home from practice 

-you heard his keys in the door and instantly started running from your bedroom to the door 

-slipped going down the stairs because you forgot to put your slippers on 

-chan opens the door to see you falling down the stairs 

-“omg! Baby, are you okay?” He asks as he runs to you worried 

-you nodded and say you’re okay, even though you have pain in your arm, which later bruises 

-he kisses your forehead before helping you up and bringing back to your bedroom 

-gets ice and wraps it in a towel and rests it on your arm 

-“Y/N, next time don’t run down the stairs in just socks.. you know how slippery the hardwood can be” he says to worryingly 

-cuddles you for the rest of the night 

Minho 

-You and Minho were snuggling on the couch having a movie night 

-“ugh, too hot” you whined 

-“I know I am, baby” Minho responded with a smirk 

-“not you, meant I’m sweating under the blanket.” 

-“so you don’t think I’m hot?” Minho asked raising an eyebrow 

-“of course I do.” You giggle as you removed the blanket off of you, exposing your bare legs, that were covered in bruises and a couple scratches 

-“Ya, Y/N! What happened??” Minho cried out. “Where did these bruises come from? And you have scratches!?” 

-You looked at your legs and sat their wondering the same thing. “Hm.. good question. I don’t know where they came from.” 

-he looked at your flabbergasted. “What?” 

-“hm, the scratches are probably from the cats.. I just don’t remember them scratching me though. And the bruises.. hm I get random ones all the time so honestly I don’t know” 

-you shrugged and turned you attention back to the movie 

-“Aish, Y/N, baby. I’m gonna have to baby proof this whole place now” he took you into his arms protectively. “I’m also gonna wrap you in bubble wrap because clearly you’re a danger to yourself” 

Changbin 

-the two of you decided you would go to your cousin’s house in the country and do some four wheeling 

-neither of you had really done it before, so your cousin suggested you and Changbin ride on one together (mostly because he knew you were clumsy and couldn’t drive for shit 

-Changbin was confident in his driving skills, so you climbed on behind and wrapped your arms around his waist and snuggled your head onto his shoulder 

-your cousin lead you guys down a trail he was certain would be smooth and easy to ride on - at least that is what he thought 

-the terrain after a few minutes began getting really bumping and you were having a hard time hold on 

-after a really bad bump that lifted the four wheel in the hair you lost your grip around Changbin and you went flying off 

-“OMG! Y/N!” Changbin screamed running towards you “Baby, are you okay!?” 

-You just blinked a few times not believing that just happened “Yeah, I’m fine you said” 

-“What do you mean? You’re arm is bleeding! Damn it!” He yelled worrying looking at your arm that blood running down it. 

-you looked at your arm and realized he was right “oh, I don’t feel a thing” 

-“Because of shock!” He said, “Uh why don’t I have anything to wrap your arm up!?” 

-“Eh, it’s fine. We’ll just go back and clean it up.” You said calmly. 

-Your cousin came back to see where guys went and sighed when he saw you were bleeding. He took off the bandanna that was on his belt looped and went to tie it around your arm. 

-Changbin snatched it out of his hand. “I’ll do it! She wouldn’t be bleeding if you didn’t take us down this path” 

-he wrapped up your arm and kissed your cheek. “Let’s head back so we clean this up.” 

-he glared at your cousin before turning around and brining you back to the house. 

-“We’re never doing this again, got it?” 

Hyunjin 

-You were in Hyunjin’s room helping him look for his daisy necklace that Seungmin had given him 

-“How’d you loose it?” You asked searching the desk in his room. 

-“I took it off for a second because it had gotten caught in my hair and I put it in my hoodie pocket.” He said pouting “If I don’t find it, I will absolutely die.” 

“Dramatic as always” you giggled. “Were you in your bed?” 

-You walked over to his bed, where he had already stripped clear of everything. 

-“Oh, Y/N, are you trying to imply you want to be in my bed?” He said raising an eyebrow. “During such a heartbreak I am experiencing?” 

-You rolled your eyes at your dramatic as hell boyfriend. Honestly, some days you don’t know how you put up with him. 

-“No. I just want to know if we should be searching in this area, to actually make progress.” 

-“Then yes. I was in my bed. But I already stripped off the blankets and shook them. But nothing feel out. 

-“Maybe it fell under the bed? Between the boards?” You asked picking up the mattress. “Hold this while I look.” 

-He did what you said as you went underneath and maneuvered your way between the planks. Eventually a certain necklace caught your attention near the corner of the bed frame. 

-“Found it!” You shouted as you made your way back. 

-Hyunjin was so excited and forgot to wait until you emerged before letting mattress, which landed on your head and pinned you to the bed frame. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but it caused you to bite your lip- hard. 

-“ahhh, Hyunjiiiin” you whined 

-“oooh sorry!!” He lifted the mattress back off for you to roll out. You say on the floor and could feel blood running down your chin. “GAH, Y/N! Your lip is bleeding.” 

-“Because it bit it by accident. Anyway, here’s your necklace.” 

-“Omg but this is serious! Thank you, by the way, but we gotta clean your cut! TT” 

-He ran to the bathroom and gathered all the supplies he thought he would need and started to clean your wound. “I’m sorry, baby, I shouldn’t have dropped the mattress so soon.” 

-“It’s okay. No big deal.” You said shrugging. You saw the pain in Hyunjin’s eyes as he looked at your injury, you were hoping it would make him feel less bad. “I’m clumsy anyway, so don’t worry about it.” 

-“I promise I won’t do anything to hurt you again. Next time you hold the mattress.” He kissed your cheek gently, afraid that he might somehow hurt you. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.” 

Jisung 

-You were babysitting your neighbour’s daughter. Your families were very good friends and a few years ago you gave their daughter your old bed frame. It looked like a little house. It had a roof and a little window you could open. You lowkey missed that bed. 

-you climbed onto the roof of the bed like you would do when you were younger, and sat down looking out at the room. 

-you and your neighbour were playing fighting while up there, and you lost your balanced and fell off. You twisted your arm the wrong way as you fell, and felt some pain when you moved. You thought you might have sprained your arm, until you realized you couldn’t move your fingers. Your neighbour was worried and grabbed your hurt arm to check on you. 

-you had to hold back the scream you wanted to do. Tears instantly filled your arms. You were most certainly sure you broke your arm. 

-You called your boyfriend, Jisung. “Baby,” you choked out when he answered his phone 

-“Y/N, babe are you okay?” He asked concerned. 

-“N-no. I think I broke my arm.” You cried out. “I’m babysitting and I fell off the roof and twisted my arm the wrong way.. but I think it’s broken” 

“YOU WERE ON THE ROOF!?” Jisung yelled in disbelief

-“Aha nooo, the roof of the bed.” You said as you started crying a bit more “C-can you bring me to the hospital? P-please?” 

-“Bed roof-? Doesn’t matter. Yes of course! I’ll be soon!” 

-Jisung brought you and your neighbour to the hospital, where it was confirmed you broke your arm and would need a cast for at 6 weeks. 

-“Babe, I don’t trust you to take care of yourself during this time. So I will be staying with you.” Jisung said as he drove you back home. “I can’t believe I even need to say this, no more playing on roofs” 

-he took your hand and kissed you fingers gingerly as not to hurt you. 

Felix 

-you and Felix were baking cookies in the kitchen. Felix’s cookies were to die for and when he asked if you wanted to help, you jumped at the chance, really you just wanted to spend more time with him. 

-you two had a lot of fun baking cookies and even got into a flour war, which caused Chan to yell at you guys for the mess you made 

-you cleaned up all the flour you threw and spilled while the cookies were in the oven. 

-I couldn’t wait for them to be done, you knew they would be delicious. 

-once the timer went off you told Felix you would take them out. You opened the door and grabbed the cookie tray, your mistake was you forgot to put on oven mitts TT 

-You yelled in pain and dropped the tray back in the oven. You looked at your hands and saw your burnt fingers, which were already starting to blister. 

-“Y/n! Omg! Why didn’t you wear oven mitts!!” Felix grabbed your hands and brought you to the sink to run your hands under cool water. 

-It helped a bit, but you couldn’t help but cry a little bit. You were in so much pain and you ruined the cookies 

-“I’m sorry, ‘Lix. I wrecked the cookies” you cried. 

-“Wha-? Darling, I could care less about the cookies. I’m more worried about you! How are your fingers?” He asked taking your hands gingerly in his and putting them closer to his face so he could inspect. 

-“Burnt.. and in pain” You said mustering a small laugh. 

-“I think we have some cream for burns. Run them under the water and I’ll be right back” 

-Felix came back with the cream and applied it to your fingers. “While your fingers heal, you can stay here. That way I can take care of you and make sure you don’t hurt yourself further.” 

-You nodded, you knew you would need his help for a bit. He kissed you before going to clean up the mess in the kitchen. After that he had you sit his lap so he could cuddle you without worrying about hurting your hands. 

Seungmin 

-You and Seugnmin went out on a walking date. You two didn’t want to necessarily do anything, just wanted to be together, and away from the others. 

-After a bit of whining, you eventually got him to give in to hold you hand, which you swing happily as you walked. 

-“Y/N, keep doing that and I will let go of your hand.” He said pouting 

-“But I’m happy to hold hands with you.. I can’t help it!” You smiled sweetly at you. “Please keep holding my hand, Minnie” 

-He pursed his lips and looked away from you, light blush on cheeks. “Fine.” 

-You giggled. You knew he secretly liked holding hands, just wouldn’t admit it. 

-You guys were walking up an uneven sidewalk. Being the clutz you were, you lost your balance and fell over, landing on your foot weirdly. 

-“owww” you whined as you held onto your foot, which had already swollen significantly. 

-“Honey, are you okay?” Seungmin asked kneeling down. 

-“I hurt my foot.” You said pouting. “It’s so swollen, I can’t even take my shoe off” 

-He helped you up, but once you put pressure on your foot you cried out in pain and clutched to him. 

-“Ahh, does it hurt that bad?” He asked worried. You nodded with some tears in your eyes. “A-ah. Okay. Hope on my back. I’ll carry you home.” 

-“W-what?” You were taken aback by his suggestion. 

-“You can’t walk like that. So just get on my back before I change my mind!” He bent down in front of you, making it easy for you to get onto his back. 

-You wrapped your arms around his neck and snuggled into his back. “Thank you. I really love you, Minnie” 

-“Yeah whatever.” He said flustered. “love you too.” 

-He brought you back home and wrapped up your foot, elevated it, and refused to let you walk anywhere until it was fully healed. 

Jeongin 

-You and Jeongin were playing a game of one-on-one basket ball. You were pretty good and wanted to show your skills off to your boyfriend

-You has pretty good skills, but since Jeongin was taller than you, he had advantage. He was able to block your shots and grab the ball when it was in the air. 

-“Ughhh no fair!” You whined. “Why do you have to be taller than me?” 

“Uh, I think it’s because of genes?” He said laughing. “You are good, but I’m better.” 

-“Yeah yeah, whatever.” You said annoyed and took the ball from him and started dribbling. He was coming after you quickly and went to steak the ball from you. You both smacked the ball and it came back at you and pushed your middle finger farther than it should. You cried out in pain holding your hand, forgetting about the ball that Jeongin had stolen from you. 

-he made a shot not realizing you hurt yourself and turned back to see if you saw him. When he realized you were injured he ran over to you. “ahh, baby what happened? Let me see” 

-He examined your swollen finger. “Ahh I think your sprained it. You’re always doing things like this.” He let out an exasperated signed. He didn’t realized he would be constantly worrying about you 25/8 when he started dating you. You always managed to hurt yourself and he just wanted to lock you away from the world. 

-“Let’s go back to the dorms so we can put some ice on it. Maybe go to the doctors?” He grabbed your non-hurt hand and intertwined his fingers with yours. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you? How am I suppose to keep you safe if you’re always hurting yourself?” 

-You giggled. “Sorry I don’t make things easy.” 

-“It’s okay. It just means I have to try harder.” He kissed your cheek and took you to the dorms to take care of you. 

[bangtanfancamp]

𝟸. 𝙷𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎: grilled cheese & conversation

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✃ 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

✃ 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

✃ 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

✃ 𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝙺𝚒𝚖 𝚃𝚊𝚎𝚑𝚢𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚡 𝚘𝚌

✃ 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 𝟸𝚔

✃ 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝚙𝚐-𝟷𝟹

✃ 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚏𝚏, 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚋𝚏𝟸𝚕, 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗, 𝚎𝚝𝚜𝚢 𝚊𝚞,

✃𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌

✃ 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: so it’s been decided, you and your best friend will pursue your dreams of owning an online shop. Now it’s time to do the adult thing: have a picnic and plan it out.

✃ 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛’𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎: chronologically this chapter falls in between the blurbs “seems like a nice place to start” and “it’s the doing that’s the thing.” The handmade series doesn’t necessarily need to be read in order, but it is helpful. ♡

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“I’m coming! I’m coming! Oh my gosh— why is this is so hot!” Taehyung sprints barefoot across the grass to the blanketed picnic oasis where you await him. His hands are hidden in oversized gingham oven mitts as he balances a porcelain platter covered in grilled cheese sandwiches. They’ve been cut into an array of adorable shapes a la the cookie cutter set his mom gave him for Christmas last year, a distinctly Taehyung contribution to your impromptu business meeting picnic.

You laugh as he drops the platter on the blanket, a star shaped sandwich toppling off the side. “Maybe you had the oven set too high. It was just supposed to keep them warm not recook them.”

You shake your head at him as he picks a heart shaped sandwich to bring to his lips before quickly recoiling as if it burned him, which, honestly, it probably did. You can’t stop laughing as he shakes his poor scorched fingers.

“Tae, if you can’t even hold the plate why would you be able to hold the sandwich?”

“You know, that’s fair.” He rubs the nape of his neck bashfully with his unburnt hand. That’s Tae for you, always outside the box and never too important not to laugh at himself. His follies are always adorable though, it’s like he can’t help himself.

“Here, maybe this will help,” you pass him an ice filled glass of chilled lemonade, giggling when he wraps his fingers around the glass, his shoulders sagging exaggeratedly with relief.

“Bless you, you’re a godsend,” he presses the glass to his temple, leaning back on his other palm dramatically. His smile’s as bright as the spring sunshine overhead, if not more radiant. You can’t help but smile back as you tuck your feet beneath you, getting settled to address the tasks at hand.

“Dork,” you grin, picking at the daisies strewn about the blanket. A fiend for the aesthetic, you’d picked up flowers during your last run to the market. Non Essential, you know . But you were already there anyway. Just because the world was ending didn’t mean you couldn’t have fresh flowers. You’ve spent the greater part of the day trying to relearn how to make a daisy chain. It’s one of the randomly nostalgic skills you’d set out to cultivate recently. I mean, when else were you gonna have the time to do it again?

Sprawling his long limbs out across the picnic blanket, Taehyung nestles his arms behind his head, his crossed ankles taking up residence in the grass. “Okay, eight out of ten fingertips still in tact, I think we can still run a business.” He nods.

“Well that’s good to know. Hideous time to have to outsource.” Your nose scrunched.

“Right? I won’t even ask for workers compensation. Be the best co employee you ever had.” His shaggy bangs brush his eyelashes when he bobs his head.

“Co-employee?”

“Is that a strange term? You know, I wasn’t sure if there was a proper name for a two person company. We co own it but we’re also the only two employees. I figured I’d just make us titles in case they didn’t already exist.” His soulful eyes were thoughtful as he looked up, dappled sunlight filtering through the trees and sculpting the shadows across his face.

“You know, I can genuinely say, I’ve never known a brain like yours,” you lean from your hips to tap him on the forehead and he grins.

“You think these are cool enough to eat now?” His wide eyes look so much like a child just now, so innocent and bright. The man just wants a grilled cheese triangle. It really shouldn’t be so much to ask.

“Knock yourself out, kiddo.” You pass him one, snagging one shaped like a daisy? A snowflake? —It’s hard to tell, but delicious either way— for yourself.

And so the afternoon passes. This impromptu meeting had been called in the first place to discuss what in God’s name the two of you were actually going to even try to sell. Half a sandwich platter deep, a rough draft is decided. A few accessories and a few staples. You love the ingenuity and attention to detail in accessories so they'll be your domain: Custom canvas tote bags, silk hair ribbons, a set of gold and pearl earrings, and all embroidery tasks fall to you. Taehyung, with his limitless patience and boundless skill, sets his eyes on the larger tasks. He’d design a linen apron, a simple slip dress and unisex, oversized linen blouses. Just a few to start.

You’ll help each other in your areas, of course. A good co-employee must. You can’t wait to spend entirely too much time picking out your packaging , and Taehyung is ready to burst with ideas over wholesale material sourcing. Art nerds, the both of you. It’d be pitiful really if it didn’t make you both so ridiculously happy.

With a plan in place, Taehyung rises to stretch his long limbs. You follow soon after, rising up on your toes to bestow a daisy crown atop his floofy brunette hair.

“Miladay, I am honored.” He bows, falling to one knee as if he really is being given a coronation ceremony in the backyard.

Grabbing a stick from the grass, you stand, smoothing your dress and clearing your throat. “Do you so solemnly swear, to honor your commitments to our tiny small business? To attempt to source material affordably, yet ethically? To stay up to ungodly hours with me doing what needs to be done because neither of us have the ability to manage our time? And most importantly, do you promise to alternate dishwashing duty with me during this time? Because we both know, if it falls solely on my shoulders, then we will be eating dinner exclusively out of frisbees.”

“ I swear it on my life, milady.” He is careful to hold the daisy crown in place as he nods his head bravely. With the best posture you can muster, you tap the stick on both his shoulders before pronouncing him King Co-employee of Handmade by Vante, the first of his name.

When he stands, you pass the ceremonial baton to him, kneeling and letting your sundress circle out dramatically around you as you bow in the grass. When he speaks, his voice has dropped to such a low octave it's almost comical. Entirely too much authority in it for such a soft, sweet creature.

“And do you, milady, so solemnly swear to give yourself grace when tedious tasks take longer than expected? To always know that your work is just as good as the people you admire on Instagram, if not better? And to please… in the future...for the love of all that is holy, add significantly more sugar to your next batch of lemonade?”

At this, your gaze flits up, offended eyebrows scrunched in indignance. “What? Why I never —“

“Added in the sugar? Yeah, I can tell.” His toothy grin only riles you up further.

“You little…” you swipe at his knees, but he bounds out of your reach. Scrambling to your feet, you chase him through the backyard as he holds on to his crown for dear life.

“This is very unbecoming of a queen, y/n!” He hikes his knees up dramatically as he rounds the willow tree.

“It’s also very hard to be a clothing designer who’s missing fingers. Come here, you.” You swipe for the billowing fabric of his too big tee shirt, this time grabbing a fistful but losing your footing, causing you both to topple to the ground in a bumpy fit of laughter.

Taehyung pivots to catch you, one hand snug around your waist, the other scrambling to secure his precious crown as he yelps. You both tumble and roll until poor Taehyung is laid out flat on his back, your face wedged securely against his neck as your body clings desperately to his like the shield it is.

Neither of you can stop laughing as you try to catch your breath. There’s grass in your mouth and a scrape on Taehyung’s knee. To Taehyung's hideous dismay, his precious flower crown came unraveled in the scuffle. There are even loose petals scattered in his bangs now . The poor boy’s so upset with himself that he looks all of ten years old right now.

“No, my crown.” He holds what’s left of it in his large hands, a frown on his lips to match the distress in his big brown eyes.

“Tae, it’s okay. That cost like… five dollars. Maybe.” You shrug, trying to help him find the silver lining.

“But you made it for me, that made it priceless.” He sighs. It’s too big for his body. Maybe he’s actually all of eight years old.

“Tae, I can make you another one.” You lean over and smile, brushing his hair out of his eyes so he’ll look at you again.

“I’m not sure this bodes well for the future of our company. Or our reign as king and queen co-employees, for that matter. You know I’m big on foreshadowing.” His big brown eyes still look pitiful, but laughter is beginning to tug at his lips again.

“I know, but our kingdom’s still standing even if the crown is damaged.” The look in your eyes is filled to the brim with fondness as you watch him. It’s adorable how serious he takes things. You’d be lying if his love for your amateur flower crown didn’t make your heart feel soft. He was such a good friend.

You watch as his eyes fall back to the blossoms in his lap. Gently, without a single word, he untangles one of the few intact stems and slips it behind your ear, brushing your tangled hair and grass pieces out of your face. “There. It was unfair for me to be the only monarch with a crown anyway.” He nods resolutely, a soft crinkle crumpling the edges of his eyes as he smiles at you. The moment is so bright and warm and kind you wish you could bottle it.

Taking a stem from his lap, you tuck his thick hair behind one of his adorably too big ears and slip a daisy in his hair as well. “You know, you’re right. Now we’re both crowned. Long live the king!” You scream, one fist thrust in the air.

“Long live the queen!” He screams back enthusiastically.

“Long may we reign!!” You both shout triumphantly in tandem before collapsing back into the grass in a fit of giggles.

You don’t know it then, but as the serene sunshine illuminates your smile, Taehyung feels his own grow brighter. She’s beautiful like this, he thinks. Hair wild, sprawled across the lawn with him, carefree and light with a flower tucked behind your ear. He feels how pliant his heart gets every time you laugh big and bright like this

It’s such a welcome contrast to the state of madness in the world right now. Everything outside the walls of his home is shit right now. Everything’s uncertain. Everything’s scary. Heck, theres a fifty fifty chance this venture won’t go anywhere, no matter how hard you both try. But as he lays beside you, something in his gut tells him it’s going to work, because it’s him and you. And even if you think it’s a joke, Taehyung’s known for a while now that you really are his queen.

“We should probably go in soon. You know old mr. Davis hates it when we shout. We should hide inside before he comes to find us,” you giggle, burying your face in Taehyung’s broad shoulder. He smiles when you do, his wide grin rivaling the sun overhead.

When he stands to his feet and pulls you up beside him, the two of you skip inside, pinkies intertwined, running giddy toward a future he’s not scared of as long as you’re by his side.

Silently, he makes a mental note to buy you daisies as soon as he can.

⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯

[silversundown2]

Did you ever watch the show “Pushing Daisies”? Your new story reminds me of it, though PD was a bit more of a comedy than what I’m guessing is in store lol

I have seen it! That was a good show. I love those dark comedies, but you are correct that this fic will be leaning toward the darker side. Though, there are some light moments to come! One of them involves a pair of oven mitts. ;)

[perfecttimeseleven]

Perfect Times Eleven Ep. 2 TRANSCRIPT

ACT ONE

SCENE THREE

(REMINGTON’s writing something down on a sheet of paper. She puts her pen down and lifts it up.)

REMINGTON

(putting her pencil down)

There. I think that’s it.

(DR. MORELLO takes the sheet of paper.)

DR. MORELLO

Oh, yes. These look good. Harvest, Ocean, Create, Change, Fight, Art, Family, Freedom...Joyce? Do you mean, like, the given name Joyce?

REMINGTON

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s Joyce.

DR. MORELLO

Not “choice” or “joy” or something?

JAY

Boyce? Like the actor in Jessie? RIP.

DAISY

(loudly, from another room)

What about, like, “guys” but in a really weird accent? Like, goiys?

REMINGTON

Nope. Uh, Joyce.

JAY

Hey, uh...

DR. MORELLO

What?

JAY

Nah, it’s probably unrelated.

DR. MORELLO

Um. Well, it’s a good leaping off point. Joyce, or whatever the word actually is, can be the first word you concentrate on.

REMINGTON

The word is Joyce.

DR. MORELLO

Jay here can lead you through how to do it.

REMINGTON/JAY

What?

JAY

Hey, you know I’ve been having some trouble with my head people...

DR. MORELLO

Which is exactly why you could use the practice.

REMINGTON

Jay? W-We’re paying good money — I assume — for you. The doctor. Not the random kid.

DR. MORELLO

She works as an, uh, unpaid intern. Remington, this is a seven-day retreat. Did you really think I, personally, would have the strength to lead you in everything twenty four-seven? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go check on Daisy and take my medications.

REMINGTON

Oh! Okay, yeah, that’s...that’s kinda important.

(DR. MORELLO gets up and exits.)

JAY

Why the…pastels…on the shirt?

REMINGTON

For fuck’s sake, I can’t believe you’re nagging on my outfit when your friend Daisy is dressed like a goddamn tie-dye Fruit Rollup.

DAISY

(loudly, from another room)

It’s gay wrath month, dipshit.

JAY

Okay, man, I don’t wanna be here and you don’t either. So let’s just get this over with.

REMINGTON

Or we could take a break.

JAY

A break? From learning vital information about literal voices in your head?

REMINGTON

C’mon, lighten up a little! I’m spending the week here, so let’s, ah,

(leans in, makes a clicking noise with her mouth)

get to know each other.

JAY

What?

REMINGTON

Like, okay. Hmm...

(trying to think of an icebreaker)

when did you first become Dr. Morello’s patient or unpaid intern or whatever?

JAY

Uh, after my mom died in a fire that burned down our house.

(Beat.)

REMINGTON

Oh. Oh, shit. Um. Sorry.

JAY

Don’t be. You didn’t kill her.

(Beat.)

JAY

Dr. Morello’s been taking care of me since.

REMINGTON

That’s nice of him.

(Beat.)

Nice shirt.

JAY

Oh! You…you’ve seen Daisies?

REMINGTON

Ha! No. What do you take me for, an intellectual? The shirt makes you look angsty and hot. I mean, the movie I don’t give a shit about.

JAY

Oh, well, blame me for thinking complimenting a shirt that’s got nothing but a film still on it means you’ve seen the fucking film.

REMINGTON

I didn’t say nice screenshot, dumbass, I said nice shirt.

(Beat.)

JAY

You’re a little shit, you know that?

REMINGTON

Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.

(4. No Room.)

REMINGTON

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS WAY OUT OF MY LEAGUE?

WITH…MOODY VIBES AND SLICKED BACK HAIR?

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS WHO LOOK LIKE 80S FEMME FATALES?

GIRLS WITH CHIPPED BLACK NAIL POLISH AND A SCINTILLATING GLARE?

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS WHO COULD BEAT ME UP?

AND, BY THE WAY SHE’S LOOKING AT ME, PROBABLY WOULD?

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS WHO COULD FORGET ME IN A WEEK

AND, KNOWING MYSELF, PROBABLY SHOULD?

RELATIONSHIPS ARE SHIT. LOVE IS A HOAX.

LOVE WILL BETRAY YOU AND LEAVE YOU OUT TO DRY.

ONLY THREE PEOPLE ACCOMPANY ME FROM BIRTH UNTIL DEATH:

ME, MYSELF, AND I!

AND, WELL, THE PEOPLE IN MY HEAD.

CALL ME SELFISH! WELL, IT’S TRUE.

GOT NO ROOM IN MY HEAD FOR YOU.

JAY

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS WHO THINK THEY’RE THE SHIT?

WHO FLIRT WITH EVERYONE THEY SEE?

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS I ALSO WANNA PUNCH IN THE FACE

THE MOMENT THEY GET A BIT CLOSE TO ME?

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS WHO BEHAVE

LIKE A 2000S HIGH SCHOOL SITCOM TROPE?

WHY DO I LIKE GIRLS WHO ARE DUMB AND SHALLOW?

GIRLS WHO LACK ALL COMMON SENSE BUT STILL HAVE HOPE?

FEELINGS ARE SHIT. LOVE IS A HOAX.

LOVE WILL KICK YOU IN THE SHINS, SPIT IN YOUR EYE!

ONLY THREE PEOPLE ACCOMPANY ME FROM BIRTH UNTIL DEATH:

REMINGTON/JAY

ME, MYSELF AND I!

…AND THE PEOPLE IN MY HEAD.

CALL ME SELFISH! WELL, IT’S TRUE.

GOT NO ROOM IN MY HEAD FOR YOU.

SOME PEOPLE FIND ONE PERSON THEY GIVE HOURS OF THEIR LIFE TO.

ONE PERSON WITH WHOM THEY SHARE A BIT OF THEIR PRIME.

ONE PERSON TO CARE ABOUT MORE THAN THEMSELVES.

ONE PERSON WHO COULD BREAK THEIR HEART AT ANY TIME!

WHAT’S WORSE? MARRIAGE! GOD, THE LEVEL OF TRUST!

THE LEVEL OF ATTRACTION THAT EXCEEDS SIMPLE LUST!

ONE PERSON TO EXCHANGE VOWS WITH, ONE PERSON TO TIE YOU DOWN,

JAY

ONE PERSON YOU TRY TO CONVINCE YOURSELF WILL ALWAYS BE AROUND!

REMINGTON/JAY

IF ANYONE WERE TO

JAY

KILL YOU, LIE TO YOU,

REMINGTON

MOCK YOU, MAKE YOU FROWN,

REMINGTON/JAY

USE YOU, ABUSE YOU,

JAY

OR, ‘CAUSE OF A MESSED-UP KID, SKIP TOWN,

REMINGTON/JAY

DON’T YOU THINK IT’D BE THE PERSON YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN FOR?

LOVE’S THE BIGGEST LIE SOCIETY FEEDS US.

AND IF ANYONE COULD GET THAT, I FEEL LIKE SHE MIGHT

SHE KNOWS ONLY THREE PEOPLE ACCOMPANY YOU FROM BIRTH UNTIL DEATH:

ME, MYSELF, AND I!

REMINGTON/JAY

GOT NO ROOM IN MY HEAD FOR YOU.

GUESS THAT’S WHY I LIKE GIRLS WHO DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING.

‘CAUSE I KNOW THEY WON’T CARE ABOUT ME.

EVEN IF THEY’RE ASSHOLES, THEY WON’T RUIN MY LIFE.

JUST FLIT IN AND OUT OF IT WITHOUT APOLOGY.

ACT ONE

SCENE FOUR

(There are sounds of DAISY moving around in a kitchen, baking cookies. DR. MORELLO enters.)

DAISY

Oh, hey!

DR. MORELLO

Oh, that looks pristine.

DAISY

(endearingly at freshly baked tray of cookies)

Ohh, she is.

(looks up at DR. MORELLO)

Escaped the masses?

DR. MORELLO

(tired)

Tell me why is it I have to put up with teenage girls for hours on end again? No offense to you. You’re the most bearable of the three.

DAISY

It’s your job.

DR. MORELLO

Ah.

(DAISY puts on oven mitts and heads over to the oven, before opening the oven and taking out another tray of perfect, round, golden-brown sugar cookies.)

DR. MORELLO

Oh, that smells phenomenal!

DAISY

(taking the tray to the counter)

Look at us. Aren’t we little housewives. Making some cookies for them as they probably are making out outside.

DR. MORELLO

“Making out”? Oh, Daisy, get your mind out of the gutter.

DAISY

(getting plates) Better get used to the thought. It’s gonna be reality sooner or later if it hasn’t happened already and you know it.

(DR. MORELLO pauses and sighs.)

DR. MORELLO

I do hope you’re wrong. I don’t like the looks of that girl. Jay acts all tough, but she’s already been through so much...

(pauses)

Are you all right, by the way? I know none of us expected this, but —

DAISY

I’m fine.

(sets a plate in front of DR. MORELLO)

Really. Hey, do you want to try one of these? I upped the amount of vanilla extract, so...don’t hesitate to tell me if I’ve committed an atrocity against mankind.

(DR. MORELLO takes a bite.)

DR. MORELLO

Oh, no, delicious as ever! Keep up the good work. I’ll go ahead and order pizza for dinner — cheese is safe?

DAISY

Cheese is safe.

(louder)

Hey, Remy Ratatouille, do you like cheese?

REMINGTON

(loudly, from another room)

Of course I do! What kind of depraved life do you assume I lead?

(DAISY shrugs at DR. MORELLO, who nods.)

DR. MORELLO

Cheese is safe.

(DR. MORELLO exits. 5. Sugar Cookies.)

DAISY

SUGAR COOKIES!

EDIBLE GLITTER ON TOP.

BOUGHT IN A COLOR CALLED “HOLOGRAPHIC SKY.”

GOT THE LAST JAR OF IT STILL LEFT IN THE SHOP;

GRABBED IT RIGHT BEFORE A REAL TOUGH-LOOKING GUY.

BEING HOMESCHOOLED IN A WAY,

I’VE FOUND ACTIVITIES TO WASTE MY DAY,

MY FAVORITE OF WHICH, I HAVE TO SAY,

IS MAKING SUGAR COOKIES!

(starting to spread the frosting onto the cookies)

SUGAR COOKIES!

THEY’RE GLUTEN FREE!

HAVEN’T MADE SUCH A BIG BATCH IN A WHILE.

WELL, IT’S A LITTLE EXTRA. Y’KNOW, FOR THE NEW KID

IN THE WEIRD SUIT, WITH THE WEIRD SMILE

WHO’S EXACTLY JAY’S CUP OF TEA.

GOD, WHEN WILL SOMEONE MY TYPE SHOW UP FOR ME?

SOMEONE TO IMPRESS WITH MY ONLY SKILL IN LIFE:

MAKING SUGAR COOKIES.

AND I’LL TRY TO KEEP IT OUT OF MY MIND THAT SHE’S AN ELEVEN.

BREATHE IN THE SMELL OF GRANULATED SUGAR INSTEAD!

IF I MEASURE THIS RIGHT, THEY’LL TASTE LIKE HEAVEN!

THE FROSTING’S GOTTA BE

AT THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY.

LET’S SEE HOW MANY I STILL NEED TO FROST!

(counting)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10...11. God!

AND I’LL TRY NOT TO THINK OF WHAT THAT NUMBER IMPLIES.

SPREAD SOME GLITTER. “HOLOGRAPHIC”! GREAT, YES, JUST A PINCH.

STOP THINKING THIS GIRL’S DOOMED TO AN INEVITABLE DEMISE?

PUT THEM ON A PLATE ALL PRETTY — GOD, I’M FEELING SHITTY!

SUGAR COOKIES!

I CAN MAKE ‘EM WHOLE-GRAIN!

TRY TO MAKE SURE I’M NOT GOING INSANE!

SUGAR COOKIES ALL FOR THE GUEST —

HOPE YOU STAY ALIVE LONGER THAN THE REST!

STAY OUT OF SIGHT, DON’T MEDDLE, YEAH, THAT’S WHAT I’D SUGGEST!

AND OH...TAKE A SUGAR COOKIE.

[gayforheadphonesgirl]

Falling Back Into You (Chapter 3)

(A/N): I’m back with Chapter 3 of this SingleMom! Alex imagine. I’ve been having writer’s block so it took a bit longer than expected. This is a pretty long ass chapter. Not proofread in any way. Hope you guys like it!

Being the best friend that she is, Kelley quickly made her way to Alex's house after their phone conversation about (Y/N).

Kelley had always seen the pair act differently around each other, even during their younger days in the USWNT.

So she wasn't entirely surprised that Alex was currently pacing around in her own living room while the former Utah Royal looked on amused.

"Maybe you're just really excited to see her after all these years?" Kelley offered, but not exactly believing herself.

She had always thought Alex and (Y/N) would've made a good couple in another life.

They were like, each other's 'one that got away' as far as Kelley was concerned.

"Maybe... but I'm worried about how warm and fuzzy I feel inside when I'm with her. Especially when she's interacting with Mia" Alex exclaimed, running her hands through her hair.

"She's nice, she always makes people feel warm and fuzzy" Kelley said, shrugging her shoulders.

But Alex still looked frantic. Kelley wondered if a person could be too old for gay panic, because it seems like Alex is having it right now.

"Besides, Al. So what if you have a crush on (Y/N)? I'm pretty sure she feels the same way" Kelley said.

Alex blushed furiously at the thought that her feelings might be reciprocated.

"Wh-what makes you say that?" Alex said, sitting down on her couch next to Kelley.

"She picked up your kid from school, she bought you food... twice! That's like the greatest love language of all: FOOD!" Kelley said. Alex manages a laugh at her friend's logic.

"She's like that for everybody" Alex said, not wanting to get any hopes of something more than friendship with (Y/N).

"No, Al. She's got a real soft spot for you and it seemed to trickle down to Mia, too" Kelley said, smiling knowingly at Alex.

"Did you know she played soccer with Mia today? She pretended she was a goal keeper... She was wearing oven mitts for goodness sake! Why did I find that adorable?" Alex said, once again exasperated at her newly surfaced feelings.

Kelley chuckled and placed her arm around Alex's shoulder and pulled her for a side hug.

"You, my friend, are having gay panic. Bi panic, specifically" Kelley said. Alex groaned.

"Really? In my 40s?" Alex said.

"Better late than never, I suppose" Kelley said before bursting into laughter.

"Shhh! Don't wake Mia up!" Alex said, moving to shush Kelley with her hand.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry" Kelley said, stifling her laughter.

"So, are you nervous for Friday?" Kelley asked, leaning back on the couch.

"Very. Plus... I may have invited her over for dinner next week" Alex said, almost whispering the last part.

"You what? Oop. Already planning date night, are we?" Kelley teased. Alex once again blushed madly.

"I-it's not a date. It's just a thank you to her for picking up Mia today" Alex said, covering her reddening face.

"Alright, Al. If you say so" Kelley said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Alex groaned.

"I'm too old for this" Alex said. Kelley laughs and straightens up.

"Well, Al... It's pretty late. I gotta get back to Cassie or I'm sleeping on the couch tonight" Kelley said, moving to stand up. Alex looks at her friend and nods.

"Thanks for coming over. I just... I'm not really used to this feelings thing anymore" Alex admitted. Kelley smiled and gives her a slight push to the head.

"I'm glad for you Al. This will turn out better than you expect, I promise" Kelley said reassuringly. Alex doesn't exactly believe her but hums in agreement anyway.

"Thanks Kell. See you Friday. Bring the whole gang, will you?" Alex said.

"Sure you won't want (Y/N) all to yourself?" Kelley teased as she walked towards the door. Alex throws a pillow in her direction but the former Utah Royal quickly dodged it and stuck her tongue out.

"Goodnight, Kell. Drive safe" Alex said, smiling. Kelley waves before heading out the door.

For the first time today, Alex is left alone with her thoughts and feelings.

She lets herself fall into the couch and sigh.

She was pretty fucked.

---

Friday came too soon for Alex's comfort. She had mixed feelings about today, she was beyond excited, don't get her wrong.

It's just that she was also incredibly nervous about seeing (Y/N) with her realization that she may have feelings for her former teammate.

Her phone dinged with a text from (Y/N).

Hey, what time does Mia get out of school? I promised I'd hang out with her before we all go out for drinks tonight.

Alex couldn't help the smile that graces her features.

We'll be at home at 4pm. Alex typed out her reply.

(Y/N)'s answer was almost immediate.

Great. I'll drop by then. See you later, Al.

The sound of her university soccer players entering the pitch pulled her from her thoughts.

Right, she had work to do. She pushes the thoughts of tonight at the back of her head and started on her day.

---

Meanwhile, (Y/N) was mulling over what to wear in her loft. She wanted to make a good impression, not just on Alex but on all her other friends.

Her watch read 2:30pm. She had about an hour before she needed to leave.

She stared at the pile of clothes she had laid down on her bed. A button up and a jacket would be too formal, but a shirt would be too casual.

She settled for a navy blue mandarin collar button up and black slacks. Just sleek enough to pass off as someone who had their shit together.

Being the basic lesbian that she is, she didn't take long in getting ready and had about 15 minutes to spare.

But a light bulb lit up in her head. Grabbing her wallet and keys, (Y/N) dashed down to her car and pulled out of her driveway.

In record time, (Y/N) found herself in front of her favorite flower store: Freda's floral emporium.

Stepping out of her car, (Y/N) entered the store. She was greeted by the store's owner.

"Why, it's good to see you (Y/N)!" Freda greeted. (Y/N) smiled and headed on over to her.

"Good to see you too, Freda" (Y/N) said, pulling the elderly woman for a hug.

"It's too early for mother's day, isn't it? And it isn't Gloria or Ariel's birthday" Freda said, commenting that (Y/N) only usually came on those occasions.

"Well, it's not for family this time, Freda" (Y/N) said shyly, scratching the back of her neck.

Freda's eyes light up and she almost jumps for joy.

"Oooh! Is it for a special girl?" Freda said, already leaving her post in the counter to help (Y/N) look for the perfect bouquet.

"Sorta, yeah... Damn, Freda. This seems like I'm back in high school again" (Y/N) said, chuckling at how young and aloof she feels at buying a girl she likes flowers.

"Never too late to find love, I tell ya!" Freda said, already picking out her best flowers for her favorite customer.

"She's just a friend though, I doubt she feels the same way" (Y/N) said. Freda abruptly stops what she's doing and stares at (Y/N).

"Oh I think she'll change her mind with these flowers I'm making. Besides, who wouldn't want a piece of you!" Freda retorts. (Y/N) blushes and playfully nudges the older woman.

"What? It's true! Oh if I only had a daughter, I would've set her up with you a long time ago" Freda said, arranging her newly picked flowers for (Y/N).

"You flatter me, Freda" (Y/N) said, laughing at the woman's antics.

"There! Perfect. Any woman would fawn over this!" Freda said, handing (Y/N) a beautiful bouquet with roses and a single sunflower in the middle.

"Wow, this is amazing Freda" (Y/N) said, inspecting the flowers. She gives it a sniff and almost sneezes.

Bad idea, she thought.

"All in a day's work" Freda said smugly. But (Y/N) had one more request.

"Oh Freda, can I get a bouquet of daisies? For her kid?" (Y/N) said, wanting to surprise Mia as well.

If Freda was a bit taken aback at (Y/N)'s love interest having a kid, she did a good job of showing it.

"Ah, don't worry. Freda has got you covered!" She said, scurrying again to pick out daisies.

"Thanks, Freda. You're the best" (Y/N) calls after her, still looking at the bouquet in her hand.

She hoped Alex would like it.

In no time, Freda walks back to the counter with a small daisy bouquet in hand.

"I know I'm the best" Freda said, smiling proudly at (Y/N).

"How much for the two bouquets, Freda?" (Y/N) asked, setting Alex's flowers down to pull out her wallet.

Thumbing through her bills, she pulls out a 50 bill.

"Just 30, the daisies are on the house" Freda said. (Y/N) looks scandalized at the thought of not paying everything she owed.

"I refuse to let you go bankrupt, Freda!" (Y/N) said, pushing the 50 bill.

"I won't. Just promise me you'll get me as the flower supplier for your wedding!" Freda said, handing (Y/N) back a 20.

(Y/N) flushes but takes the change.

"I'll let you know, Freda" (Y/N) said, chuckling. She picks up both bouquets and walks out of the store.

"Thank you, Freda!" (Y/N) calls out.

"You're welcome, kiddo! Get her!" Freda said. (Y/N) smiles and heads on over to her car.

It's already a little bit past four when (Y/N) finds herself at the Morgans' doorstep.

She takes a deep breathe, and knocks on the door with both bouquets in hand.

"Just a minute" Alex called from the other side. (Y/N) shifts in her place, a bit nervous.

Alex opens the door with a smile so bright (Y/N) thought she was going to pass out.

"Hey" Alex said.

"Hey yourself" (Y/N) replied. They momentarily just stare into each other before (Y/N) gets back to her senses.

"I-uh, these are for you!" (Y/N) said, putting the bouquet forward. She doesn't miss the bright red blush that graces Alex's features.

"Wow... this looks amazing (Y/N)" Alex said, taking the bouquet.

"And these, are for Mia" (Y/N) said, showing the simple daisy bouquet. Alex smiles even wider at (Y/N).

Why does she have to be so thoughtful? Is this romantic? Is she trying to be romantic? A flurry of thoughts racing in Alex's head.

"You're so sweet" Alex said. She turns a bit to call for her daughter who was in the living room.

"Mia! Auntie (Y/N) has something for you!" Alex said. Mia quickly jumped up and ran over to the front door.

"For you, m'lady" (Y/N) said, crouching down to Mia's height. The girl takes one look at the flowers and squeals.

Mia takes the flowers and envelopes (Y/N) in a hug.

"Thank you Auntie! They're amazing!" Mia said, running inside to put it in a vase.

"Please be careful with the vases, baby girl. Do not hurt yourself" Alex called after her. She looked back at (Y/N) and invited her in.

"If you keep on giving her stuff, she's gonna be expecting it every time" Alex said, smiling at (Y/N).

"Then I'll do it every time" (Y/N) said grinning back at Alex. Alex felt the blood rush to her face and she hides behind the bouquet.

"I'm... gonna go put this in water. You can join Mia in the living room!" Alex said, before hurrying away from (Y/N).

(Y/N) looked weirdly in the direction where Alex had bolted but shrugged her shoulders.

Alex rushed into the kitchen and got one of the vases kept in the cupboards. She takes a moment to control her heart before putting the bouquet in water.

She places the vase next to Mia's and shoots Kelley a text.

She brought me and Mia flowers, FREAKING FLOWERS KELLEY!

Kelley, who was already on standby next to her phone since Alex had said (Y/N) was already on her way to them was able to see it immediately.

The former Utah Royal lets out an honest to God 'Awwww' while on her way to the bar they'll be meeting at.

She quickly types out her reply.

Ohhhh girl, she's definitely into you!

Kelley's reply does nothing to quell the blush on Alex's face. She groaned and rubbed her hands on her face.

"Okay, Alex. You can handle this. It's just a crush" Alex said to herself quietly.

She was three-time world cup champion, she can definitely survive having feelings for her friend.

Right? Right.

When she walks back in the living room, (Y/N) and Mia are deeply immersed in first-grade math homework, sitting on the carpeted floor.

Mia was chewing on her bottom lip and looking intently at her textbook.

"How about this Auntie, what do I gotta do?" Mia said, (Y/N) looks over to where she's pointing and proceeds to try and teach the girl what she needed to do.

Alex looks affectionately at the pair and silently walks to take a seat in the couch.

(Y/N) looks up at Alex and grins.

"Gays can't do math" (Y/N) mouths. Alex couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.

She pulls out her phone and snapped a photo of the scene before her. She contemplated putting it on social media, but thought better to ask (Y/N) first later.

(Y/N) continued to help Mia with her homework with Alex simply watching them.

She was mesmerized at how natural it looked to see (Y/N) with Mia. Maybe it was her crush talking, she didn't know.

"Mom look! I finished my homework so quick!" Mia said, lifting her textbook for Alex to see.

"That's great, baby. I'm proud of you" Alex said, walking over to sit on Mia's other side.

Anybody could've taken a look at the three of them all huddled up and think that they were a happy family.

"Can we watch soccer now?" Mia said, looking up pleadingly at her mother. Alex smiled and reached for the remote.

She flipped the television to ESPN just in time for an NWSL game. With Mia engrossed in the action, Alex took the opportunity to talk to (Y/N) quietly.

"Look at you and Mia" Alex said, showing (Y/N) the photo she took. (Y/N) turned and beamed at the photo.

"Wow that looks really nice. I love it" (Y/N) said, she takes Alex's hand to pull the phone closer to her.

They both ignore the electricity that they felt when their hands touched.

"Will it be alright if I post it on Instagram?" Alex said. (Y/N) lets go of her hand and she misses the contact immediately.

"Sure, why not" (Y/N) said, smiling. Alex draws back her phone and opens up social media.

"What's your handle? Do you even have Instagram still?" Alex said, already typing out the post.

"Yeah. I'm not a grandma. I just don't use it a lot" (Y/N) said with a laugh.

"Is your handle the same?" Alex said. (Y/N) nods.

Not long after Alex posted the photo, (Y/N)'s phone started ringing with notifications.

"Her new favorite Auntie" Alex's post read.

"I love my new title" (Y/N) said, chuckling. She spotted a comment from Kelley and Allie.

K: Hey no. She cannot dethrone me that fast! A: Well, I'm pretty useless when it comes to homework so she can have that part of the job.

"Oh I forgot to ask, who among the girls are going to make it tonight?" (Y/N) said, scrolling through the comments.

She noticed a few fans commenting about their 'ship' coming alive after all these years.

There isn't a ship when it's unrequited, she thought.

"Kelley, Allie, Krashlyn and Preath all said they would come!" Alex said.

"Nice" (Y/N) said, her excitement of seeing her old teammates bubbling inside of her.

"Some of the younger ones are still busy with the NWSL season so they couldn't make it" Alex said.

"I totally get that" (Y/N) said. The pair was a little bit startled when someone knocked on the door.

Alex looked over her shoulder and stood up.

"Must be the babysitter" Alex said. (Y/N) nods and puts her arm around Mia who was starting to doze off after the game finished.

Alex walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hey, Greta. Thanks for coming " Alex greeted her usual baby sitter. The teen smiled and walked inside.

"Hey, Alex. No problem. Anything for sweet little Mia" Greta said. The pair walked into (Y/N) carrying Mia who was already fast asleep to lie on the couch.

(Y/N) looked at them and put a finger to her mouth to signal them to be quiet.

Alex swore she had never seen anything more adorable. She quietly made her way to Alex and Greta.

"Out like a light. Must've been the math" (Y/N) said, chuckling.

"(Y/N), this is Greta. The best baby sitter in town" Alex said, motioning to the teenage girl next to her.

"Hey Greta. I'm (Y/N)" (Y/N) said, offering her hand to Greta. But the teen just gaped.

"... (Y/N)? As in (Y/N) (L/N), USWNT legend?" Greta said. Alex laughed and linked their arms.

"The one and only" Alex said proudly.

Greta couldn't believe her luck. The number of football players she had met because of her babysitting job with Alex Morgan.

She almost thought it was a scam when a craigslist ad for a babysitter was listed under the soccer star.

(Y/N) laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. Alex looked knowingly at Greta.

"Why don't you take a photo with her?" Alex said, nudging (Y/N).

"Would that be okay?" Greta said hopefully. (Y/N) nodded and smiled.

"Sure. It's kinda funny how you know me" (Y/N) said, moving to her side. Greta gave Alex her phone and squealed.

"You're like one of the greatest of all time" Greta said happily. (Y/N) blushed and swung her arm over the teen's shoulder.

"Thank you, but I'm not" (Y/N) said, chuckling. Alex snapped the photo and handed Greta back her phone.

"She's humble like that" Alex said, grinning at (Y/N).

Greta thanked (Y/N) for the photo and proceeded to look after the sleeping Mia.

"I'll go get ready" Alex said, motioning she'll be going upstairs for a bit. (Y/N) nods and lounges around in the kitchen.

She's busy scrolling through her phone when Alex emerges from the top of the stairs. As if by instinct, (Y/N) looks up and her breath is caught in her throat.

Alex looked stunning in a striped dress that hugged her curves just right (A/N: Just imagine her wearing the dress she has on in her vogue shoot on Instagram. I don't know how to describe it lmao).

"I feel like I should've dressed up more" (Y/N) said, still gawking at the former Orlando forward as she went down the stairs.

"Please. You don't look so bad yourself" Alex said, and with a surge of courage threw a wink at (Y/N)'s direction.

(Y/N) blushed at the comment and followed Alex like a lost puppy as she gave Greta a few more reminders before they went on their way.

"Dinner's in the fridge. Her vitamins are in the usual cupboard and bedtime is at 9:30pm please" Alex said. Greta nodded her head. Mia was still out like a light on the couch.

(Y/N)'s heart warmed as Alex bent down to kiss her daughter goodbye.

"I got us a Lyft so nobody has to be the designated driver" (Y/N) said, grinning at Alex as they made their way outside.

"Smart. What about your car though?" Alex said. (Y/N) shrugged.

"I'll bring it home once I've sobered up enough. Would you mind if I leave it here?" (Y/N) said. Alex's mind raced at the possibilities of (Y/N) having to come by her house after drinks.

"Not at all" Alex said. (Y/N) beamed and offered her arm, Alex smiled and accepted, linking them together.

It didn't take long for the Lyft to arrive and they were off to the bar.

Both women were buzzing with excitement at the thought of reuniting with their friends.

"I wonder if Kelley can still hold her alcohol like she did when we won the World Cup back in 2019" (Y/N) thought aloud. Alex snorted.

"Oh she definitely still can. She's a 21-year-old frat boy stuck in a 40-something's body" Alex said. (Y/N) laughed.

"God I can't wait to see them. I feel bad for not really staying in touch with you guys all these years" (Y/N) said sadly, looking down at her hands.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Life happens. You're here now right?" Alex said, taking (Y/N)'s hand and squeezing it.

(Y/N) offered her a smile and felt infinitely better. They spent the rest of the ride still holding hands.

Neither of them acknowledged the other's disinterest to let go.

The only time (Y/N) finally lets go of Alex's hand is when she has to pay the driver once they arrived.

They thanked the Lyft and went inside the bar. Kelley had immediately spotted them and began waving wildly from her seat.

"Alex! (Y/N)!" Kelley said loudly. The pair whipped their heads in her direction and laughed at the woman.

Still the same Kelley after all these years, (Y/N) thought. They approached Kelley with wide smiles.

Once they were close enough, Kelley attacked (Y/N) with a bear hug.

"How long has it been (Y/N)!!!!" Kelley said, squeezing the living life out of (Y/N).

Alex couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her two friends.

"Nice to see you too, Kell. Now let me go before I pass out" (Y/N) said, chuckling.

"Oop, sorry" Kelley said with a cheesy grin. They take their seats while waiting for the rest of the gang to show up.

They had talked about (Y/N) being intrigued with Mia during her camp that eventually led to her reconnecting with Alex and the rest of the team.

Kelley nodded along like Alex hadn't already gushed about it to her.

It took about 15 minutes before the rest of the gang showed up, Allie had arrived with Preath while Krashlyn came as a couple.

"Still the third wheel, I see?" (Y/N) said to Allie with a smirk. Allie rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, (Y/L/N)" Allie replied. (Y/N) laughed.

The group of friends easily fell into conversation once they were settled down with drinks.

As per usual, Ashlyn was the one documenting the whole thing and posting it on her Instagram stories.

"When I heard about the social work you were doing, I checked it out on the internet. It seems amazing" Christen told (Y/N) with the whole gang nodding their heads in a approval.

"Thank you. That means a lot, from a CEO like you" (Y/N) said with a smile, talking about their successful re-inc company.

"We really missed you, man" Tobin said. She was one of (Y/N)'s closest friends on the team, if not the closest.

"I know. I'm sorry I haven't been able to keep in touch" (Y/N) said shyly. She really felt bad.

Alex reached out for her hand under the table and squeezed again. (Y/N) glanced at her and smiled for the comfort.

"It's fine. We barely realized you weren't there" Ali said jokingly.

"Yeah... who is she? I don't know her" Ashlyn said. The mood lightened with Krashlyn's antics.

"Alright, enough with that emotional shit. It's time for Never Have I Ever!" Kelley said, raising her shot glass filled with tequila.

"Still the college frat boy, are we Kelley?" (Y/N) said, laughing.

"Of course. That's like my brand" Kelley said.

The game started out pretty simple, with most relating to soccer practice when they were still in the USWNT.

Everyone on the table was surprised when Christen took a shot after the Never Have I Ever faked being sick to skip practice.

"What? I'm human too" Christen said defensively. Kelley, Ashlyn and Allie gave her approving looks.

"Let's make this interesting and because I want Preath and Krashlyn to take more shots" Allie said. Clearing her throat.

"Never Have I Ever fallen in love with a teammate" Allie said. She narrowed her eyes at the two couples as they groaned and took shots.

Alex wondered if she should take a shot. Was she in love? It was just a crush right?

But what was surprising to everyone was when (Y/N) slowly took her shot glass and downed it in one go.

"Oh my God?" Allie said, looking at (Y/N) at disbelief. Alex felt a feeling of giddyness and jealousy bubble up inside of her at the same time.

Who did (Y/N) have feelings for? But at the back of her mind, she was really hoping it was her.

"What?" (Y/N) said, a blush creeping up on her face. Alex was also looking at her. She couldn't tell what the other woman was thinking.

Could she see right through me? (Y/N) thought.

"Spill" Ashlyn said. Allie and Ali (lol) nodded in approval.

Tobin and Christen glanced at (Y/N) worriedly, obviously knowing who it was.

"Nope" (Y/N) said, taking another shot.

"No fun!" Allie said, pouting at the other woman.

"Maybe next time" (Y/N) said, risking a glance at Alex's direction. She was playing with her shot glass, seemingly deep in thought.

The game continued on for about 15 minutes more before they grew tired and simply settled on sharing stories.

(Y/N) felt happy that her friends were still all so successful. She missed them so much and really meant it when she said there would be a 'next time'.

Before long, it was deep into the night. With kids waiting on them at home, Krashlyn and Preath excused themselves.

"See ya. Everybody just get a Lyft or an Uber please. Stay safe" Allie told the two couples.

They nodded before saying their goodbyes and heading out.

"Hey. Until what time can Greta watch Mia?" (Y/N) asked the more than tipsy Alex next to her.

The forward was feeling a bit woozy, already leaning her head on (Y/N)'s shoulder.

"She can watch her until 10pm I think" Alex said. (Y/N) looked at her watch and it was already past nine.

"It's past nine. Do you want to head back already?" (Y/N) said. Alex checks her phone and nods lazily.

"Alright. I'll get us a Lyft. I still gotta get my car at your place" (Y/N) said. Alex hummed in approval.

She sends a weak glare at Kelley and Allie's way when they wiggle their eyebrows at her while (Y/N) was busy with her phone.

After a few minutes, their Lyft driver had arrived and (Y/N) helped Alex get up.

"It was really nice getting to catch up guys. Let's do this again soon" (Y/N) said, looking at Allie and Kelley.

"Definitely" Allie said. (Y/N) smiled before assisting Alex out.

Alex spared a look at Allie and Kelley before they headed out the door. Her two friends winked at her and gave her a thumbs up.

She laughed and flipped them off. The Lyft ride home was filled with comfortable silence, both of them buzzed enough to just enjoy each other's company.

When they finally arrived, (Y/N) walked with Alex inside. They find Greta waiting in the living room.

"Hey. Mia's already asleep upstairs" Greta said, standing up and gathering her things.

"Thanks, Greta. Sorry we were out a bit late" Alex said, looking apologetically at the teen.

She shrugged and smiled.

"Mia's an angel, it's no problem" Greta said. Alex handed her the payment and she headed out.

"Are you sure you're sober enough to drive?" Alex said, turning her attention to (Y/N).

"I guess so" (Y/N) said. She wasn't drunk, but she definitely wasn't completely sober. Alex scrunched up her brows.

"That's not good enough. Why don't you stay the night?" Alex offered without thinking. They both blushed at the prospect.

"I-i mean, if you want" Alex said. (Y/N) smiled.

"I'd love to" (Y/N) answered. Alex grinned.

"Great. I'll just check on Mia. You can freshen up in the bathroom in my room" Alex said. (Y/N) nodded.

(Y/N) headed to her car to get a spare set of clothes she always kept there for emergencies.

She mentally thanked herself for doing that because she would definitely not look good in Alex's clothes.

Maybe the other way around would work, she thought. The image of Alex wearing her clothes entered her mind and she blushed.

"Great now that's stuck in my head" (Y/N) grumbled to herself.

She went back inside and stopped in her tracks when she realized she didn't know where Alex's room was.

She sighed and pulled out her phone. She really couldn't call out for Alex if Mia was already asleep.

Ok I just realized I don't know which one is your room. (Y/N) typed. She pressed send and waited for a bit before Alex's reply came.

Oh shit yeah, sorry. Second door to the left upstairs. Alex's text read.

(Y/N) made her way up and walked to Alex's room. But the sight of Alex and Mia caught her eye in the room before Alex's.

Mia was fast asleep, hugging a soccer ball plushie with Alex stroking her hair.

(Y/N) smiled to herself and proceeded to enter Alex's room. She helped herself to the bathroom and freshened up.

She was just about finishing up when she heard the door open and close, meaning that Alex was probably already in the room.

(Y/N) walked out with her worn out Portland Thorns jersey and shorts. Alex chuckled at her wardrobe choice.

"What? It was the only thing I had in the car" (Y/N) said defensively. Alex laughed and approached her.

"I think it's cute. It still suits you" Alex said, looking up at (Y/N). The latter swore she could get lost in those blue eyes forever.

"Why thank you" (Y/N) managed with a smile. Alex smiles back and proceeds to side step her way into the bathroom.

"My turn" Alex said, closing the door on (Y/N).

Having nothing to do while waiting for Alex, (Y/N) looked around the room. She noticed Alex's soccer trophies on full display on a shelf next to her study table.

She also took a peek at the framed photos on the wall. Their World Cup victories, including the 2023 one that (Y/N) wasn't a part of, club pictures from Orlando, a few photos of her and Mia.

(Y/N) smiled, looking at Alex's face on the photographs. She swore that smile could light up a whole room.

(Y/N) is brought out of her thoughts when Alex walks out of the bath. (Y/N) looks up at almost passes out then and there.

The former Orlando star is wearing nothing but a tank top and short shorts and she really doesn't want to stare so she avoids looking at Alex in general.

"I-uh, I'm going to head down Al. Good night!" (Y/N) stuttered out, making a beeline for the door.

But Alex grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop.

"Why?" Alex said, her eyes a bit glassy still because of the alcohol.

"So I could sleep in the couch?" (Y/N) said, almost as a question.

"You could sleep here with me. I mean, the bed's big enough for the both of us" Alex said. (Y/N) was putty in her hands, especially with the tinge of hope she could hear in Alex's request.

"Are you sure, Al? I wouldn't want to intrude on your personal space" (Y/N) said. But Alex is already dragging her to the bed.

"You won't. I promise" Alex said. (Y/N) can feel her heart pounding when they get settled.

She tries to focus on her breathing, it was just Alex. Friends do this all the time right? Right.

"Will you cuddle me?" Alex said. Even in the darkness of the room (Y/N) could see the sparkle in Alex's eyes.

She couldn't really say no to that.

"Okay" (Y/N) said, wrapping her arms around Alex. The latter buries herself in the other woman's arm. Feeling warm at the contact.

"Goodnight, (Y/N)" Alex said, smiling contentedly. If it was the alcohol or (Y/N)'s embrace, she didn't know but she felt the most calm she's ever been in years.

"Goodnight, Al" (Y/N) said, still trying to keep her pounding heart at bay.

To be continued.

[talkingismylifewrites]

I find myself wanting some OT4 quarantine parenting with Roger and John being Good Dads. Say one of the kids has chicken pox or there’s a bad flu going around and they have a houseful of children who can’t go out for a few weeks and between the schoolwork and the cancelled birthday party there are things to get frustrated about...

oh my god it would be hell on earth

let’s say it is the chicken pox

ha #1 (henry) and ha #2 (hannah) come home from preschool with a letter that says there’s been an outbreak and to look out for symptoms

“this will never happen to us,” thinks john confidently

SURPRISE

three days later HaHa are both spotted and feverish

roger had the chicken pox one terrible summer when he was seven, dom had it when she was four, and john when he was five

veronica, however, is pregnant with baby #7 (jupiter) and also never had it

“don’t you have like, five siblings?” dominique asks, squinting. 

ronnie shrugs, “we got lucky, i guess. ate a lot of soup.”

so ronnie gets her bags packed and is banished to garden lodge to spend two weeks quarantined with freddie and jim

it’s just john, roger, and dominique staring down the worst two weeks of their lives

literally

so HaHa are first quarantined to their room, which appears to work great, right? like just toss the twins-that-aren’t-twins in the same room, feed them soup and ginger ale, bring them to the bathroom for oatmeal baths when they itch

WRONG

it gets transferred to daisy

(how they honestly have no idea they thought they were SO GOOD about it)

so daisy gets like....two spots

really, like, the mildest case

half inch on her back, barely even itches, minor fever, she hides it well

BUT

she gives it to robbie, who in turn gives it to vera

this all happens in like......five days

vera is just knocked out with a fever, vomiting everywhere, she’s COVERED in spots, gets oven mitts duct taped to her to stop her from itching

robbie doesn’t have a bad fever persay? but he’s got the itchies and he’s DYING

so he and vera get thrown onto the couches in the den and they’re like covered in calamine lotion that dom has to reapply every 30 min 

she has an egg timer just for them

robbie had to be shoved into socks when they realized he was using his feet to itch at his pox

(“it’s almost impressive,” roger breathes, watching robbie hook his foot over his shoulder to itch his neck. “who knew he was that flexible?”

“he gets it from veronica,” john say sagely. )

their pediatrician HATES them 

“anOTHER kid?? another one. seriously??? how???” 

meanwhile, at casa freddie

veronica is feeling v guilty that she’s having as good of a time as she is

freddie is like oMG A BABY!! and is going haywire getting her anything she could ever want or need

veronica’s hungry? 

she gets an entire charcuterie platter just for her

(”does freddie know i can’t eat half of this?” she asks jim, nearly on the verge of hormonal pregancy tears.

“i’ll eat it, don’t worry,” says jim, pretending like he’s doing her a favor. 

jim loves charcuterie

“does baby want caviar????” freddie bellows from the pantry)

her feet hurt?? 

freddie himself is rubbing them for her with this excellent cream he bought in la, think it’s made with bulls testicles but its lovely darling

on day 6 of the nightmare, daisy wakes up with a nightmare and the only person who will soothe her is veronica

literally

no one else

john, roger, and dom are all cuddling her in bed, trying to get her to stop crying because its 2:17am and the other kids are all asleep but no

ronnie and ronnie alone will calm her down

so roger bites the bullet and calls ronnie

ronnie, who is sleeping star fished out with no one and nothing touching her for the first time in ten years, her back supported by fifteen pillows and the silk sheets/goose feather duvet, is awoken by jim shaking her awake

“who is it?” ronnie grumbles, pushing back the silk eye mask that freddie so lovingly let her borrow 

“mama?” daisy whimpers before descending into gut wrenching sobs

now, ronnie has been calling the kids every single day twice a day (breakfast and dinner) but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t miss them

she does

terribly

and she, too, starts tearing up as she shushes daisy, promising her it’s okay, no, scooby do doesn’t live in your closet, he can’t hurt you

it takes her thirty minutes to settle her down enough to go back to bed, and then another forty-five min for ronnie to stop crying herself

the next morning, she calls the other three and spends hours on the phone with each of the kids

even though kitty is only 2 years old and disinterested in anything other than playing with the chord

and that vera is still highly feverish and spends the entire phone call snoring in between furious boughs of itching

on day 8, HaHa are finally symptom free 

“it’s going to take us eight days,” dom says, dazed, slathering a fresh batch of calamine onto vera’s back. on the floor, robbie is making like a dog and wriggling on the carpet in the hopes that it will quell the itching 

“lord have mercy,” says roger, arms full of oatmeal as he rushes upstairs to where john had wrangled kitty into the tub

robbie manages to scab over, which they thought was great until they realize they shed

(roger pukes when he realizes it)

(the less said about it the better)

soon, all the healthy kids (daisy and haha) get stuck in one wing of the house while the others (robbie, vera, and kitty) get put in the other

roger, john, and dom take turns sleeping in opposite wings so that the kids are never alone

on day 10, vera’s fever breaks in time for her to experience a new round of blisters

(“can’t we just, i don’t know, knock her out?” dom asks over her crying. “might be more humane.”)

meanwhile, ronnie is depressed and missing her kids

phone calls just aren’t the same

so she escapes from garden lodge and runs away back home

knocking on the windows, she stands in the garden and waves to the kids, letting them open the windows so they can shout down to her

robbie, vaguely pink from the frankly terrifying amount of calamine lotion he’s been slathered in, hangs out the window

“mama!” he shouts. “i had thirty-seven scabs fall off today!! thirty-seven!”

“that’s wonderful, baby!” ronnie says, though she feels a little sick at the thought of it. “how are your sisters and brother?”

“mama, kitty broke my barbie and ha #1 threw up on my slippers,” daisy informs her from the other wing of the house. “daddy said shit when ha#1 threw up and then told me i wasn’t allowed to repeat it or tell you that he said shit....what does shit mean?” 

ha #1 gets a boost from roger to look out the window. ronnie waves back at him before frowning, squinting up at him

“roger, i thought henry was better? why is he covered in spots?!”

“he missed his spots so he used a marker to color them in,” roger hollers back, hiking him up high on his hip. “john thinks it’ll wash off in a few days.” 

ha#2 gets so excited at the sight of veronica that she runs right into the sliding glass door and fucking bounces off it

roger has to spend the whole visit soothing her and giving her one of the popsicles they bought for vera’s fever

meanwhile, dom is on the phone calming freddie down that “no, ronnie didn’t get kidnapped, she’s just visiting...”

john is holding kitty and having her wave down at ronnie while propping up a half-conscious vera who is immensely spotted and miserable, still wearing the oven mitts

which, in hindsight, is the kiss of death

turns out, john didn’t actually get the chicken pox at age five like he thought he did

JULIE got the chicken pox, and john spent the week at his grandma’s house getting fed ice cream and hobnobs

the next morning, the first spot appears

then another

and another

and before they know it

john is quarantined to the same wing of the house as vera, robbie, and kitty

“you’re an idiot,” dom sighs as she spoon feeds him chicken noodle soup while roger uses a cotton ball to spot calamine lotion on the worst of his blisters

“this is the worst thing thats ever happened to me,” bitches john, trying not to itch at his stomach

“papa, i don’t feel so good,” moans vera right before unleashing hell on the bedding

kitty and robbie heal up, and they advance to the healed wing of the house where roger spends his days enforcing naps (so he can nap) and playing monopoly

(he loses to robbie every round, even when he TRIES to win)

vera gets two more days in isolation before she’s deemed healthy, leaving just john to lay in quarantine alone, catching up on coronation street and his sleep

ronnie comes home after seventeen days bearing lots and lots of gifts for the kids

they all clamber all over her like puppies, each talking over the other as they talk about everything that they’ve done, what she missed, who had the most scabs (it was a tie between robbie and john), who threw up the most (vera), who had the highest fever (ha #2), and who ate the most oatmeal while in the bath (kitty). 

that night, she is the only one allowed to put the kids to bed, tucking them each into bed with a kiss and a story

by the time she’s done, robbie snoring into his pillow, she’s exhausted

after seventeen days of pampering, she’s almost annoyed at having to share a bed again

she didn’t realize how lovely silk sheets were, or how nice it was to sleep diagonal

and did roger always run this hot at night??

but then dom curls up close next to her, her hand on her bump, and roger fluffs her pillows before she goes to sleep

and john slips his leg between hers to support her legs and she realizes that she’s never slept better

(that is until ha#1 throws himself into the middle of the bed announcing that he’d peed himself and no he hasn’t changed his pajamas) 

[lettercastauthor]

Spider-Barista: Part One, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Extra Whip

AU Summary and Warnings: Tony Stark survived the snap that killed Thanos and only lost his arm, Steve Rogers has returned from his brief time travel escapades after realizing he’s not as straight as he thought he was, and his feelings for Tony went far beyond friendship. Tony, Steve, Peter, Rhodey, Pepper, and Nebula are in a polyship and were living at Stark’s private New York residence located somewhere in the city “near all the action,” also close to Peter’s school. Peter, 18, is finishing senior year. Recently, Pepper and Morgan Stark have left for upstate New York to begin Morgan’s private school. Overprotective “auntie” Nebula joined them due to her own safety concerns, leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Unknown to everyone, Tony is having a secret sciencey-fling with Bruce Banner, kept private for shy Bruce’s sake. Aunt May is on a cruise in the Bahamas.

Tony has offered to pay for Peter’s college, but Peter is being stubborn and wants to earn it for himself, so he gets a job at the local coffee shop and quickly finds a love for the job. In fact, he loves it so much that he begins to neglect his Super-Hero duties. At first Tony is supportive of a break from the dangerous life of saving New York on the daily, despite Cap’s urging Peter to take on bigger baddies and hone his skills. But they both soon realize Peter’s interest in coffee is mainly tied to a cute customer who comes in on Peter’s every shift. Unbeknownst to Peter, this customer lives a double life. This will be a serial story, updated when I have time. There will be NSFW content, each section that includes NSFW content will be marked accordingly so the reader can choose to enjoy the story while skipping the lewd parts should the desire.

Everyone in this story is 18 or older.

Tl;Dr: Adult Tom Holland Spider-Man is working as a barista post-blip. He’s in a polyship with Tony, Steve, Rhodey, Pepper, and Nebula. He has a crush on one of his patrons and is neglecting his heroic duty. There’s NSFW stuff in here. 

Part One: “Pumpkin Spice Latte, Extra Whip”

Warm yellow sun pierced through the sepia tinted windows of the coffee shop. It was a nice clear day. The taxi cabs sat bumper-to-bumper, the people hurriedly walked the sidewalks like a fashion-show runway, carrying their coats over their shoulders on this uncharacteristically warm November afternoon. A flash of green dashed through the crowd of customers as Peter Parker raced round the back entrance of the counter to clock in. His apron whooshed around him as he stopped at the register, punched in his employee ID number, and jumped into the flow of things, watching the front door intensely as he worked the hot bar with lightning speed. 

Customers loved Peter. He was quick, he never messed up a drink, and he always served with a smile. Pete’s co-workers loved him because whenever he worked, everyone got higher tips. The manager liked him because he always showed up for every shift, but she felt he could be better at the cleaning part of the job; she made sure to mention that in his quarterly review. Right on time, five minutes after 2:00 p.m., Peter’s favorite customer walked in. He told all the customers they were his favorite, but this one in particular was actually his favorite. 

The bell chimed and a man walked in, brown coat draped over his arm, gray knit sweater hugging his broad shoulders and chest just tight enough to portray a hint of modelesque musculature. This was Jamie. Jamie always wore a steel-blue tie, pulled tight around his white collared button-up shirt. Today, he sported a pair of well-fitting khaki slacks, brown oxfords, argyle socks. Clothing tells you everything about a person in New York City. Jamie’s clothes told Peter this: that Jamie had a job in the city, a real job, the kind you do in an office that looks over the hustle and bustle of the commoner’s everyday lives. Or so Peter imagined. He looked like most New York businessmen, but to Peter he was the definition of heaven. He was also unattainable. Peter rarely worked the register, due to being what the manager called “too friendly.” All his chatting with the customers slowed up the line. Unfortunately, Pete’s normal position at the bar fixing drinks kept him behind a wall of glass and noisy machines. The barrier made it near impossible to communicate effectively with customers.

His only chance was at the passthrough area, where he would set each hand-crafted beverage and call out the name of the customer it belonged to. Jamie changed up his drink often, which both frustrated and intrigued Peter. He wanted to be able to make Jamie’s drink quick enough that he could have a second to drop him his number on a napkin, but by the time Peter learned Jamie’s drink (usually three or four shifts), it was usually too late. He’d switched it up again. But Peter liked that about him, too. Jamie clearly liked to try new things. It was a good sign. 

So, as Jamie placed his order, Peter rushed to fill it before the payment was even processed. Today, Jamie ordered a pumpkin spice latte with extra whipped cream. Pete lucked out. He could make that drink in his sleep! Since the seasonal drink made its yearly debut in September, he was making hundreds of these each day. As he steamed the milk, Jamie looked over and gave him an easy smile. The light danced off his brown skin, his eyes twinkled. Peter felt his cheeks tingle with blush as he returned the grin. Milk frothed and mixed with the pumpkin spice flavor, the drink was almost complete. The payment processor beeped its approval to Jamie, and Peter raced to put the extra whip and autumn seasonings on the drink, meeting Jamie at the passthrough counter and carefully putting the lid on the cup.

As Jamie reached for the drink, Peter slipped a napkin toward him. “Don’t forget your napkins, Mr. Jamie, sir.” He’d written his number on it this morning, in preparation for this very moment.

Jamie smiled again, “Thank you, Peter. I’d hate to get coffee all over my suit.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

Jamie took the napkin and left without showing signs of having seen the number written on it. All Peter could do now was wait. Waiting was hard. The time ticked by slower than usual today, but finally it was closing time. Peter helped clean up the floor, sweeping, mopping, and wiping frantically. His co-workers joked about him having a hot date, but when Peter blushed they realized he might actually have a hot date! So they pushed him for answers as to who the mystery guy or girl could possibly be. 

“I don’t have a date, guys. It’s just that I - uh - I have school in the morning. You know, senior year and all. Gotta finish strong,” he said.

At this, Tammy the night shift manager, bursted out with her typical hyena-cackle laughter. “Okay, sure Pete, you have school on a Saturday. Dumbass, it’s Friday night. If you didn’t have a date tonight I would be worried. You need to loosen up, Peter. You can’t just stay single forever!”

Peter’s co-workers had no idea he was actually dating, like, five people, so he just grinned and laughed, “I guess you’re right! Well I have to go now, goodbye!” He clocked out and dashed out of the store as quickly as he came in. As he walked home, green apron hanging over his shoulder, visor flipped backwards, he turned on his phone and waited impatiently for the messages to load. One-by-one they came in.

Aunt May: “Just arrived at the port in Jamaica, having a lovely time on the cruise!”

Cap: “Peter, please remember to do your laundry tonight. Your room smells like feet.”

Mr. Stark: [sent you a picture message]

Ned: “LEGO building party tonight at Josh’s, are you coming? 10pm.”

Pepper: “Morgan says hi!”

MJ: “LOL You look so funny in that coffee uniform.”

But nothing from a mystery number that could possibly be Jamie’s. He responded to the messages somewhat halfheartedly, then descended the subway stairs to take the train home. Headphones in, he thought about Jamie’s smile as he was ordering. His chest felt tight again, blood pumping, music blasting. He daydreamed until his stop, then took the headphones out for his walk home. He entered the tall apartment building and took the elevator up to the top. Nothing but the best for Tony Stark and his family! The penthouse smelled of a home-cooked meal. It was Cap’s turn to cook, so they were bound to have a feast. Rhodey was setting the table and greeted him first.

“Peter! How was work?” He laid down the last fork at the big oval dining table.

“It was good, I made some tips today!” Peter put on an extra layer of cheer to compensate for the disappointment of not hearing from Jamie.

“That’s great, Pete.” Rhodey was Peter’s metamour, Tony being their shared partner. Occasionally there was tension between them. It wasn’t jealousy, but they were known for calling each other out on their bullshit, and Peter could tell Rhodey’s bullshit detector was going off.

But before Rhodes could say anything, Steve Rogers walked in carrying a turkey pot pie. His kiss-the-cook apron, denim cut-off booty-shorts, and crab-claw oven mitts really made for a unique kind of vibe far and away from the Captain America the rest of the world saw. The daisy dukes certainly showed off America’s Ass in the least wholesome of ways. Peter and Rhodey both gulped, eyeballing that thicc snack as Cap bent over the kitchen table and set it at the center. The pot-pie didn’t look too bad either. Both had been interested in Steve for quite some time, but were not sure how to approach that, since he was so newly out of the closet.

“Where’s Tony?” Steve asked, pulling the oven mitts off and reaching back to untie his apron.

“I don’t know, I just got home,” Peter shrugged, heading up the loft stairs.

Steve turned to Rhodey and asked, “What’s up with the kid? He seems off.”

Rhodey wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist and pulled him close, “Don’t you ever take that apron off.” He grinned, then released Steve and headed to the kitchen to grab the green beans and bread rolls. Steve stayed stuck there for a moment, trying to control the blush that spread across his face before going upstairs to check on Peter and find Tony.

Since Peter’s room was down the hall from Tony’s workshop, Steve decided to stop there first. He poked his head in and spotted Pete sulking at his desk, staring listlessly at his phone. Pete didn’t notice him, so he observed and admired for a minute before knocking and entering. “Hey Pete, don’t you have laundry to do?”

Startled, Peter jumped up and threw his phone under his bed. “Yes, that’s exactly what I came in here to do, laundry.” Frantically, he searched for the laundry basket. Unable to find it, he quickly picked up some of his dirty clothes and balled them up in a pile in his arms. Once his hands were full, he used his toes to pick up the boxers and socks that littered the floor.

“Pete…” Steve tried to get his attention.

“I know, Mr. Rogers it smells like feet in here…”

“Pete… well, I mean yes it does but Peter—” he stepped in front of the teen. “Peter, stop.”

“What?” Peter was clearly upset, though his face wasn’t visible behind the pile of clothing that filled his arms.

“Put the laundry down.”

“But my room smells like feet…”

“Peter.”

“Fine,” he dropped the laundry on the floor, then plopped defiantly on the bed. “What.”

Steve sat gently beside Peter. “Pete, you’re upset.”

“I am not upset, I’m fine.”

“Did you have a rough day at work?” Steve scooted closer, leaning into Peter. He smelled sweetly of coffee. Peter said nothing. “You can tell me, I’ll keep a secret.” He wrapped a reassuring arm around Peter’s shoulders.

The young man looked up at him, eyes red from both tiredness and emotions. “There’s a guy.”

“A guy?” Steve had only come out of the closet three months ago. He could feel the blush coming back to his cheeks. He glanced toward the door, secretly hoping Tony would come in and fix everything. Tony could always fix anything, especially Peter’s broken heart.

Pete sniffed. “He’s a customer. His name is Jamie.”

Suddenly suspicious, Steve perked up. “Is he the reason you turned off your police scanner and keep picking up extra shifts at the shop?”

Peter rolled his eyes and sighed. “You have no idea. How hot. He is. Like, he walks in the room and I can’t breathe. And he doesn’t even know I exist beyond that I am some guy in a green apron who works at a coffee shop.”

“I know what you mean, sport, but you so many of us here who adore you, you know?”

“I know, but…” Peter stopped and suddenly realized what Cap was insinuating, “Wait a second… Mr. Rogers are you saying you’re—?”

Just then Tony knocked on the door. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Steve stiffened up and suddenly there was a whole 12 inches between him and Peter. “Hey Tony! Peter had a rough day at work. I told him he needs to do his laundry… ah… dinner is ready, bye!” Steve bolted out of the kid’s room and down the stairs before Tony or Peter had a chance to respond.

“What’s his deal?” Tony asked, sitting down in the warm spot where Steve’s butt just was.

“I think… actually I really don’t know, Mr. Stark.” Peter stood to pick up his clothes.

“Hey, kid, come here for a second.” Tony pulled Peter back onto the bed and pinned him down, his mechanical hand caressing Peter’s cheek. Peter had a momentary flashback to that day but shook it out of his head. He focused on Tony’s piercing eyes.

“You are clearly not okay. And from what I heard, because you know I hear everything that goes on in this house, it has to do with some boy at work?”

Peter rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing…”

“Yes, that’s absolutely right, it is nothing. Hey. Look at me, kid.” He waited until Peter turned his head and made eye contact. “Whoever this guy is, maybe he’s cute. Maybe you even gave him your number on that little napkin from breakfast, but in the end when you’re like us, like you and me and Cap and Bruce, you just can’t date civilians. It never works out. They don’t understand the pressures of the job... or worse: they get killed. Ask any super hero you’ve ever met.”

“But you and Pepper—”

“Yes, Pepper is a special lady who also does the super hero things from time to time. Pep and I have a kid together, but there were years of turmoil before Morgan was born. Stick with what you have, dating outside our kind will only make it hard for you in the end.”

Peter sighed. “I guess… you’re probably right. He’s just so handsome, I… there’s something about him.”

“Pete, I’m not saying don’t go knocking on that door, I’m just saying… be safe about it.”

***NSFW INCOMING. Look for the 3 asterisks at the end of this passage if you wish to skip the naughty stuff.***

Peter glanced up at Tony, feeling flush. Thinking about Jamie, feeling the weight of Tony pressing down against him, it had all started to become a little too much. His hard-on strained against the fabric of his black work pants. “Tony, I…”

“I know, kid,” Tony went in for a kiss. They were still eager and new, Peter only having turned 18 less than three months ago, but the kiss was so familiar and comforting. Tony pulled back and smiled, unbuttoning Peter’s pants. “I don’t want you thinking about that guy anymore. It’s just you and me in here, alright?” He pulled out Pete’s member and rubbed a finger at the base of the head.

“Yes, Mr. Stark, sir…”

“It’s Tony.” He palmed Peter’s cock, then slowly stroked.

Peter could only whimper in response.

“Good boy.” He released Peter. “Get naked for me, I have something I want you to try on.” Tony left the room to grab the skimpy maid outfit from his bedroom closet while Peter disrobed and hastily threw his dirty laundry in a pile in the closet. 

As Peter cleaned, he muttered to himself, “I really should have listened to Cap and done this last week… Where’s that fabreeze?”

Meanwhile, Tony bumped into Steve on his way to their shared bedroom at the other corner of the massive loft. “Steve, what’s up with you today?”

“What are you talking about?” Steve feigned coolness.

“Do you have a thing for Pete?”

“Who? Pete? The kid? Nah. Not me.” Steve sped up, walking quicker toward the bedroom, but Tony caught up with him easily.

At the doorframe, he stopped him, cornered him, pushed him back against the wall. “Steve, I want you to join us.” His lips were so close to Steve’s. Steve quivered.

“Join you?” Steve chuckled nervously, turning red again. “Tony, even if I liked him, how could I handle both of you at once?”

“Yep, that’s it you’re coming with me.” Tony gripped Steve’s forearm tight with his bionic hand and pulled the protesting Captain back toward Peter’s room. The maid outfit could wait for another day, but breaking Steve in with another young buck had to happen someday... and today was as good as any!

By the time they entered the room, Peter had made it spotless. Not a single smell of feet to be found. Tony and Steve both knew he had probably just shoved everything in his closet, but the bed was made and the desk was cleared and the room smelled nicely of linen fabreeze. Peter was nude, sitting on the bed, waiting patiently for Tony to return with some outfit or other. He was shocked to see Steve Rogers standing in the doorway beside Tony, looking shyly down, cheeks frosted rose.

“Mr. Stark… you said you wanted me to try something on… D-do you want me to try on Mr. Rogers?” His voice broke a bit.

Stark sighed. “Kid, how many times do we have to tell you? it’s Tony. And Steve. And... there was a change of plans. Remember how I said it would be only you and me in here?” Pete nodded, swallowing hard as he saw Steve’s growing erection through the tight daisy dukes he’d donned to prepare dinner. “Well, now it’s you and me. And Steve.”

“S-steve, sir, I would love that... it’s just…” Pete had never seen Captain America be so shy. “I think your dick might ruin me…”

Steve glanced at Peter. Tony glared at Steve. “Say it, Cap. Go on! Tell him.”

“Peter.” Steve was looking at him lustfully, passionately now. “I want you. I want you to take me. I need you... I need you inside of me.”

Peter gave a breathy sigh. Partly from the way Cap’s words made his own dick throb, and partly from relief that he wouldn’t have to try to take the horse-sized dong that seemed to be endlessly growing in Steve’s shorts. He stood, approached Steve, and smiled. “I would like that very much.” He glanced over at Tony, unable to hide his surprise and apparent elatedness that Steve was in fact a bottom, and also that his dick really was that huge.

*** End NSFW Section***

So, that’s it for now! What do you think of part one? Do you like the partition for the SFW vs. NSFW content? What do you think will happen next? Part 2 takes place the next day. It will be coming soon! Probably tomorrow, or next week, depending on when I find time between work and school.

[sweetekofi]

Thanksgiving | Declan & Roksi

“If I have to put one more pie in the oven this week, I swear...” Roksana trailed off, shaking her head. Of course, she already knew that she only had two orderes to fulfill for the weekend and neither were pies.

Her best friend, Zoe was standing opposite to her with her back turned, carving the turkey. Her French accent fell on Roksi’s ears, “You don’t have anymore deliveries to do before we eat, do you?”

“Hell no,” Roksi replied with a satisfied smirk. “Everything I’ve been doing in this kitchen today is personal. Besides, you know I wasn’t putting my grandma’s peach cobbler out there for people to buy.”

Zoe’s own lips curled, “Hey I didn’t keep a log of every recipe you were gonna keep squirreled away. But I am excited to have some of that cobbler. And, I’m proud of how my cranberry sauce and my pear tart both came out. Your beau is only allergic to apple, right?”

“Right. Just apples so thanks for doing pears instead.”

“De rien. And remind me never to go to the store the day before Thanksgiving ever again, that was a nightmare.”

Roksana chuckled, “You don’t have to tell me. But at least we didn’t have to do any emergency runs today. Everything’s about done and Declan and his kids should be here soon enough.”

The kitchen was full of warmth: warm foods and their blend of herbs, spices and savory aromas. And warmth from having her best friend and goddaughter in town for a few days, bringing a favorable familiarity with their presence. Romy had been in and out of the kitchen, rotating between there, coloring in front of the TV in the living room, and peeking through the window by the front door for ‘Aunt E’s boyfriend’. Truth be told, Romy was more interested in meeting Daisy, especially after Roksana told the little girl about Daisy having a horse. But her excitement and her coloring book kept her occupied enough while Roksi and Zoe finished up the meal prep.

The visit from Zoe and Romy, plus her growing closeness to Declan were both motivators for Roksi to get some more furniture. She’d put an order in for a couch and love seat set that hadn’t arrived yet, but since she was still without any place to dine at, for Thanksgiving, she’d managed to rent a table and some chairs. There wasn’t a decorative setup but there would be plenty of accommodations for everyone to eat which was all that mattered.

Although she was starting to slip on her oven mitts to remove the warmed food to the table, Zoe plucked them from her and insisted, “Go freshen up. I can do this.”

The two argued over it for a moment but eventually Roksi resigned and hurried up the stairs. She knew Declan wouldn’t have cared about the clothes she had on but it did feel nice freshen up her face and to change out of the clothes she’d been cooking in and put on something cleaner. Meanwhile, Zoe had begun carrying each dinner dish and platter to the table, eyeing the front door when her daughter lingered by the window. She wondered about the man who captivated her best friend so soon after her leave from Chicago and was counting on coming to a conclusion that matched the one Roksi had given her. @declanflanagan

[bodyalive]

vivipiuomeno: Laurence Demaison ph. - Self portrait body water

*

From "Bookslut" Interview With Jeff Warren What's the origin of The Head Trip? From internal evidence, it seems to have been in the works for some time... The genesis of The Head Trip was an accident I had at 21, when I fell out of a tree and busted my neck on a street in Montreal. The hardest part of the recovery was psychological; when I returned to my studies I found I couldn’t write essays the way I once could. My style of processing had changed. My thinking went from being very linear and progressive to more lateral and associative. I don’t know how much of this interpretation is a flabby split-brain gloss on a problem I had long ago, but I can say that at the time I knew nothing about neurobiology, I only knew I couldn’t direct my attention the way I once could; the mental objects I did retrieve were often two preoccupations over from my main concern. It was like fishing for trout and hooking clams. My roommate tells me I used to bawl at my desk and moan about leaving “my brains on the road.” Eventually I developed a technique of color-coding my notes by tangent, so that when I veered off into 10 different tangents a day at the end of the week I could still string all the, say, purple tangents together into something like a coherent theme. After this transformation I became more attuned to inner experience. This was augmented by several years of tedious seasonal tree-planting work, where there was literally nothing to do for weeks on end but plant saplings, swat black flies and endure the shifting rhythms of my own shallow stream of consciousness. I became obsessed with how writers described the texture of everyday awareness, whether it was Edgar Allen Poe describing his sleep onset visions, David Foster Wallace on the fugue state of athletic absorption, or Annie Dillard talking about the unselfconscious moment. I began to collect these descriptions, with the vague idea that one day I would put together a taxonomy of elemental states of mind. A separate interest in the biological function of sleep led me into the fantastically variegated world of sleep and dreaming consciousness. In 2004 I started writing The Head Trip. ** Is it fair to say that a chief point of the book is to displace the mind/body (or, psychology/chemistry) distinction? On the one hand, almost all the science you describe is pretty nascent; on the other hand, it also seems as if they tend to point quite clearly to a reciprocal relationship between thoughts and chemicals. The chief point of the book is to re-empower the mind. The mind -- in the form of expectations, beliefs and, most optimistically, intention -- is a more-than-epiphenomenal driver of actual physical change in the body and brain. You can learn to create your own special effects. You have agency. As I write in the book, “this is both supremely hopeful and utterly depressing, since it means in nurturing, enlightened environments we may be able to cultivate whole new standards of mental health, but in violent, regressive environments we risk spawning awful new permutations of mental affliction. Technology -- that great onrushing field within which our minds are shaped -- compounds all of this, for better and for worse.” As far as the actual relationship between mind and body, that, thankfully, is still a mystery, despite the exaggerated claims of the neuro-reductos, whom I love, and the exaggerated claims of the quantum mysticos, whom I love. I guess the two other chief points of the book are: 1. to wake people up to the deliriously varied terrain of their nighttime lives, and 2. to help people look beyond black and white waking rationality, which turns out to be just one capacity on a very bright and colorful palette. Different states of consciousness seem to privilege different styles of knowledge. ** It turns out sleep is more interesting than we usually expect -- and that it even has a history! What are some key misconceptions about sleep? I would like to spiel about dreaming for a moment if you don’t mind. The writer Rodger Kamenetz tipped me off to a great Borges quote. Borges once wrote: “Lately I've been rereading psychology books, and I have felt singularly defrauded. All of them discuss the mechanisms of dreams or the subjects of dreams, but they do not mention, as I had hoped, that which is so astonishing, so strange -- the fact of dreaming.” The fact of dreaming. When you wake up in a dream and actually take a look around -- it’s bananas. It’s the absolute craziest goddamn thing in all of human life. Every night we beam down into an elaborate virtual world where we can pound the walls with our oven-mitt fists and sniff giant daisies and have elliptical conversations with archetypal bus drivers. From inside a dream there is nothing vague or washed out about the experience -- dreams are totally real, as real as getting off the plane in Lagos and ordering a beer from some guy at the side of the road. You are at this place -- you’re IN it! At the time it’s every bit as solid and real as waking. Except… and this is what’s so cool… except when you’re self-consciously aware inside the dream you can then squeeze up real close to the walls with your little magnifying glass and look for suture marks. You can conduct experiments. You come to realize that there is a set of laws operating in the dream world that is every bit as real as the laws of physics in the waking world. What are these laws? And why aren’t there as many scientists down here with their slide rules and theories as there are out there? We spend our lives in two worlds and yet we only pay attention to one of them -- the other is seen as an embarrassing curiosity, a forum for banality-rehearsal and botched sex. People protest: “but it’s not real, stop living in fantasy.” All experience is real. On the personal side, dreams reveal all kinds of junk about the self. On the scientific side, our dreams represent an unparalleled opportunity to examine the dynamics of consciousness. I mean think about it: without sensory input to dilute everything, you get consciousness in a pure culture. And it so happens that this pure culture -- The Dream -- runs like an underground creek beneath the waking world, muddying the ground in all kinds of interesting ways. And that’s just the conventional science. Who knows what else we may discover digging around in the dream world. For those interested in the wooly world of mind-matter speculation, the epistemological rabbit hole goes very deep indeed. This is going to sound hyperbolic but I really believe we’re at are at the dawn of a new age of scientific exploration. The external world is mapped; now the explorers are turning inward. The galleons have left port. They’re approaching a huge mysterious continent. They won’t be the first to arrive. There are paths already cut in the forest, where shamans and monks and others have set up outposts and launched their own expeditions into the interior. It’s a thrilling story, a lurid epic in the making, and yet almost no one has any idea it’s happening. As far as our misconceptions about sleep, I would say the biggest one is this idea that we lose consciousness when the lights go out. This couldn’t be further from the truth. At night consciousness just turns inside out. Instead of moving through a world constructed from sensory input, we move through a world constructed from memory and imagination. We do lose certain self-reflective properties, and -- critically -- our short-term memories are compromised so we don’t remember many of our experiences. But when you wake people up in the night most of them report some kind of mental activity -- either the strange snap-shot narratives of sleep onset, the fully immersive dreams of REM, or the low-level “mentation” of deep sleep. Even in the emptiest bliss-saturated realms of slow wave sleep the experiencing self remains. Consciousness is 24-hours. *** One of your key images is the "wheel of consciousness" (at least, that's what it's called in the illustrations and the title; early on you write that "the brain is a wheel, and consciousness is a pliant membrane pressed into the rim.")

[Thanks “Alive On All Channels” Archive]