#great cook but i was expecting my comfort food and got something different

[nomaishuttle]

on a semi related note there r like 2 specific times i remember expecting one of my safe foods and getting something entirely different and being SO insanely upset abt it even though the thing i got still tasted good

[gojo-mochi]

Monster trio meeting the girl of their dreams but turns out they are a marine

Pls and ty:)

Have a great day<3

Prompt: Monster trio meeting the girl of their dreams but turns out they are a marine.

A/N: First time at angst! WOOO (ง ื▿ ื)ว I kinda went overboard with this one…. So it took kinda long aha, Hope you enjoy tho anon if you’re still here!

Content Warning: Fem!reader, Angst, Mild blood, Reader is a new marine fresh out of training, Reader is all slightly different in each head canon since each person’s dream girl wouldn’t be the same, hurt/ no comfort.

Not Proofread

Word Count: 5.4K

Luffy:

First Meeting:

You were on your first job, patrolling around the island to catch any criminals or report any bad deeds. With rifle clutched in hand, you practiced your stomping routine all-thru out the day, eyes darting around to scan the whole area. That was when you came across a boy? Or a young man  now that you glance over his ahem nice build, passed out in a alleyway. You immediately rush over to him, kneeling down and lifting up his head and checking for any obvious wounds or blood.

“Foo-food….so hungry..”

You heard him faintly groan out, followed by a loud stomach rumble. ‘Poor thing must not had eaten in a while..’ You pondered looking at his thin frame. You gently rest his head on your lap while you pull out your lunch bag. As soon as the stranger heard the sound of your bento opening, his eyes shot open, drooling pooling out of his mouth. You stifled a giggle at the sight, taking a pair of chopsticks and picking up one of the fried chicken you made for lunch. Offering it to the strange man, his lips seem to ‘stretch’ out and enveloped the whole chicken piece in a flash.

“Mm... yummy!”

You didn’t think more on that strange moment when the man urgently asked for more by making grabby hands motion and pouting out his lips. You couldn’t back your giggles at this point, once again picking up your chopsticks to hand feed this man. Soon, your whole lunch box was emptied and the man leans up, carefully positioning his straw-hat on top of his head. ‘That looked oddly familiar to me but why..’ Your thoughts get broken though as the strange man loudly smacks his lips together and turns to give you a thumbs up with a wide smile. “The meal tasted amazing! Almost as good as Sanji’s cooking!”

You blush a bit at his compliments, you always cooked for yourself so hearing someone saying that they enjoyed you’re cooking was new… and pleasant. “Ah! I forget to introduce myself.” You got up and dust off your pants, it was a new Marine Uniform they were testing out so you hate to get it dirty so quickly. “My name is y/n, may I asked for yours?” You reach out our hand in your introduction and the man’s hands quickly came to hold them.

‘Warm…’ You thought silently.

“Luffy!” He shakes your hand up and down rapidly, “You’re really pretty and nice by the way! You should come meet my crew! I’ll have Sanji cook something as a Thank You for giving me your lunch!” He spoke out in quick succession, not giving you time to respond back. Though you can feel your face heating up at hearing him call you ‘pretty’. “Oh right! I was supposed to meet up with my crew somewhere! I need to run now but see me later, yeah?!” You could only stare at his back as he starts to rush off somewhere.

Luffy’s POV

‘That food was so yummy! And the lady was so nice and pretty and wow!’ Luffy’s thoughts usually went a mile a min, especially now expect it was all about you. He couldn’t wait to tell his Nakamas about what happened today. He thought about how soft your lap was to rest on, how he enjoyed every single bite of food you gave him, how even more delicious the food was when it was coming from your hands. He had a skip in his steps as he ran around the island looking for any signs of his crew, ‘I hope y/n likes Sanji’s cooking! Maybe so much that she’ll even join us!’

A/N: Luffy not the type to fall in love in first sight, so idk how to exactly write out him meeting his dream girl other than this  ｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД`)ヽ

Second Meeting:

You were alerted by your Commander about a group of pirates causing havoc near the docks. You dash to the dock ready to deal damage to these Pirates. ‘How dare they! Terrorizing a small island like this one!’ You thought angrily as you get closer to your destination. You soon come across a giant blue haired robot person? And a green haired man wielding three swords. Your allies were being slashed down right in front of you. You brought out your rifle and took aim at the pirates ready to fire at a moment notice.

When you noticed a certain straw hat jumping over everyone. Your heart was thumping, blood rushing to your head as you screamed out; “Luffy!?”

Luffy turned to look at you in midair and grinned wide, stretching his arms impossibly long to where you were. He crash land in front of you with a loud ‘thud’. “Y/N! You made it!” He yelled near your ears excitedly, wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug. You get shoved him off and point your rifle at him with shaking hands. He gives you a sad puppy eyed look. “What’s wrong?” He tilts his head in a way that almost makes you stumble in your step. But you hold fast; “What’s wrong?! What’s wrong is that you are damn Pirate!”

You raise up your rifle again in fury. Did he not know that you were a Marine this whole time? …No, he must had known and pretended to be sick so you lowered your guard down or something, after all, all pirates are the same. You blink away the tears in your eyes, the expression on Luffy’s face almost tricked you into believing that he was clueless in all of this. “Surrender now! Or else I will use this!”

You get slammed by a reindeer or some sort of reindeer liked monster. Your back hits the ground with a hard “Oof.” Escaping your lips, through bleary eyes you can barely see Luffy reaching out for you before he was pulled away by that swordman. Another Marine goes to help you back up, you wince at seeing how your forearms were all scratched and bleeding now. With only rage fueling your voice you scream as the Pirate’s ship was getting ready to sail away. “This isn’t over Luffy! You’re dead to me!”

Luffy’s POV

The Sunny was sailing away and everyone on the ship was safe and accounted for. They made off with bags of food as well. Sanji even said he was making a feast tonight. So why did Luffy feel so sad… He only known for a couple of mins but those memories kept replaying in his head. Your warmth and your kindness, it was replaced with the vision of you screaming out and on the ground bruised.

His crewmates were quick to noticed Luffy’s new attitude, him slumped over on the railing just looking at the island as it fades out of view. When anyone came up to ask, Luffy didn’t give them a answer on why he was feeling this way, he just was. He hoped that the next time you guys end up meeting that it would turn out better but the bitter feeling in the back of his mind told him that you wanted him dead. Why did you have to turn out to be a Marine… he then wondered if he could change your mind and turn you into a pirate instead.

With that new plan in mind, he cheered up a bit and went to bother Sanji about when dinner was ready. He kept rubbing at his chest the whole day though, trying to suppress the ache he felt inside.

Zoro:

First Meeting:

You were cursing your way into shelter as the rain poured down on you. Keeping your sword close to your body as you huddled underneath a tree. ‘Damn it, of course it would rain as soon as I finished with my sword training for the day.’ You cursed silently, wringing out the sleeves on your robe. You always switch out of your usual Marine’s uniform when training but now you’re began to regret that choice. The Marine’s uniform were waterproof to a degree, given how much of your work was out on the sea.

You huff out, rolling your eyes to the dark overcast, flipping it off like it would make any sort of difference. You heard a snort coming off from the left. You jump up a bit in shock, glad that you’re commander wasn’t here to see you be so careless enough not to notice another presence near you. You glare at the new person, not out of any hatred, just annoyance. Why were you even annoyed at this person? You don’t really have an answer for that…

You take a good look at the stranger, he have oddly colored green hair, a scar over his eye, and three swords hung by the side of his hip. He sends over a small smirk when he catches you staring for too long at his open chest. “A picture would last longer, you know?” He taunted with a slight tilt of his head. You feel a fierce blush coming up and you tore your eyes away from watching the rain droplets go down on his admittedly nice abs. You faked a cough and straighten your shoulders out.

“I was just making sure you weren’t a threat or anything like that.” You grunted out. You blush even more when the stranger gave you a toothy smirk in response as he hums. The hums almost came out as growl from how deep it sounded. “So, do you still think I am threat then little missy?” His grey eyes now scanning over your body. Your hands itches towards your sword but you stop yourself.

“I’m Y/N, and I’m…” You took a small pause, “I’m sigh sorry about before, thinking you were a threat and all that.” You did feel bad for glaring at him for no reason, after all he didn’t do anything to deserve it. The man shifted his position, letting his robe fall open, exposing even more of his tanned skin and scarred muscles. “Tis’ fine, it’s not like I blame you for staring.” Oh, alright, now you don’t feel bad for glaring at him.

“I was-wasn’t staring!” You quickly snapped back, which cause the still unnamed man to barked out a laugh. You start to grind your teeth, ‘Fuck him and his stupid attractive laugh too.’ You thought as you turn to find shelter elsewhere. You felt a tug as the man grabbed on to your wrist and pulled you back.

“Hey! Wait! I uh fuck.” He lets you go. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you alright. So don’t leave ok?” His voice sounded a bit softer than before. When you turned around, you catch sight of a small blush painting over his face. It made your heart skip a beat. You shuffles back to your spot, next to the man, letting your shoulder bump against his tall frame. “I didn’t know that you wanted me back that badly.” You jested, feeling off the warm feeling crawling up.

You heard another snort come off the man, and then the warmth of his broad hand coming to ruffle your hair. He didn’t say anything in return though, just letting the pitter patter of the raindrops wash over you two. It took a while and some brushing of hands and fake coughing for one of you to speak up again. “So.. what type of sword style do you use?” The man grunted and looked over to the sword by your hip. You drummed your fingers on the hilt of your blade nervously at his intense gaze.

“I came from a place called Mount Hua, and I was taught the Plum Blossom sword technique there.” You tilt your head back to glance as his expression. Most people would scoff when they see a woman with a sword so you wonder how he’s reacting. It catches you by surprise to see him so intrigued by your words. “Could you show me once this damn rain goes away?”

He sounded serious about it, not like all the others who taunted or mocked your style. ‘Plum Blossom style? Heh! Sounds girly enough for a woman to use! What does it do? Make everything pretty? Bahahah!’ Your thoughts race to all the things people said to you before. You faked another cough and tried to secretly wipe away your tears that were threatening to fall. You just settled for a nod, looking away, hoping that the man doesn’t see your tears. You hear some shifting beside you and the hand returns upon your head.

His callous fingers gently sunk into your hair, scraping against your scalp tenderly, it almost makes your purr from the sensation. He stayed silent, just letting his hand convey all his feelings. The rain soon ended after this moment, you didn’t know if you wanted to be happy or cry that it was over. You step out from under the shelter and give a head nod to the man. You wondered what a good time to ask for his name, it feels awkward to ask after so long.

The man gave a nod back and began to follow you as you walk to a good place to show off your sword technique. You suck in a shaky breath, readying your sword stance. Closing your eyes and steadying your mind, your body goes thru the motions you repeated so many times before. Right foot first, swing your sword out into an arc, twist your body and follow that arc, another step into a whole dance. Move your body like the swaying petals that descend down from Mount Hua.

Since your eyes were closed the whole time, you didn’t get to see the awestruck expression the man wore on his face the entire time. Mouth slightly agape and his one eye never leaving your form as you make the plum blossoms  bloom around you with each swing. It was breath-taking and utterly ethereal, the man thought to himself. His own hand itching to try and copy your sword style. He wanted desperately to see more of this technique and more of you if he was being honest.

Once you were done, the plum blossom softly fall down around you, it made you look heavenly. You tried to not let out a wheeze, controlling your breaths unless your heartrate fully calmed down. Your turns toward the man as he was walking to you, mouth open to say something but cut off by the ringing of your transponder snail. Pere Pere Pere…. Click. You take out the snail from your pocket, it’s eyes opens as your commander’s shouts out. “Y/N! Where are you!? We have a code red down at the docks! Hurry over now!” You stammered out an yes while shooting the stranger a apologetic look. You quickly took foot to the docks, your duties outweigh everything else.

Zoro’s POV

His hand reached out before his mind could react but you were already gone. ‘Shit..’ Zoro looked back to the plum blossoms scattered on the ground. Picking one up between his fingers, rolling it around he sighs. Hand going to rest on his sword hilt he wonders if he could make flowers bloom like you could. His mind flashed back to your sorrowful expression when he asked you to show off your technique. You must had a hard time in the past, his fist balled up in fury at the thought of someone… anyone making you cry like that. He shook his heads as these kind of thoughts filled his head, it was unusual for him to feel such strong emotions and for someone he barely knows as well. He rolls his shoulders and tries not to delve deeper into these new emotions, wondering where the hell his crew was. (A/N: Zoro was supposed to meet his crew an hour ago but he got lost ofc ヽ(~_~()

Second Meeting:

Clang! Your sword comes down and clashed against the large blue metal arm of the cyborg. “Woah there lady! Why don’t we all calm down and talk about this, yeah?” You stepped back when arms sprout from the ground trying to grab your ankles. “We can talk about this once you all are all in handcuffs!” You ready to swing again but you stumble in you step when you caught sight of a familiar green head of hair. A fellow officer catches you before you fully fall flat on your face. “Get it together L/N!” You nod at your fellow officer.

Fighting down the urge to puke when the green haired stranger goes to join the Pirate Crew’s side. Your lips pressed together when you see him take out his swords against the marines. Your body tense and you made your way to the man. Swish! Clang!Zoro’s eye widen when you clashed swords. “Y/N? Wh-what? Why the hell are you here?!” Veins forming on his forearms as he tried to push back against your attack. “I should be asking you that! If I had known that you were a damn pirate I would never had-!” Your breath falters as your eyes start to well up with tears. Zoro let out a hiss when you managed to nick his arm a bit.

You could feel that he was holding back, not putting his full strength into his attacks. You growled out, “Stop doing that! Are you going easy on me just became I’m a girl?!” You swung down again with a heavy arc. Zoro jumped back shock and then anger paints over his face. “I wouldn’t hold back just cause of that! You don’t know a damn thing about me!” He snarled out, accidently putting some of his haki into his next swing, the force pushed you all the way across the battlefield. Your Commander caught you before you fell into the ocean.

Your head was dizzy and your ears was ringing, you felt your Commander’s hands on your back and neck as he props you up a bit. His visage was hazy and you could slightly hear the words, “Y/N?! Ar- -ou wi—me!? Y/N!!” The last thing you saw was Zoro in the distance, jumping up on the Pirate’s ship and leaving. You soon pass out in your Commander’s arms afterwards.

Zoro’s POV

He was getting patched up in Chopper’s office, heart still thumping from the visage of you all bloodied on the ground. From his own attack as well. He hiss out when Chopper applied the medical salve on a  particularly grisly wound. “Sorry Zoro! Are you alright?” Chopper fretted over him, going to check over every inch of his body again. Zoro only grunted a “Is ok.” In return and stood up. He waves off Chopper’s worries and ignores the stinging stares on his back from the rest of his crewmates once he walked out on deck.

He goes up to the Crow’s Nest, pretending the paining in his arms weren’t there. He looks at all his gym equipment and slumps his shoulders, opting to just lay on the ground. ‘A nap sounds fine I guess…’

His hand goes inside his robe to pull out a single plum blossom petal, he rolls between his fingers, admiring the soft shades of colors. His mind goes back to you, your cute expression when he teased you, your form when dancing, and you.. dead on the ground because of him. He shuts his eyes and holds the petal close to his chest and goes to sleep. Wondering if things went differently, where you would be now…

Sanji:

First Meeting:

You pulled the short stick and got tasked with the duty of groceries shopping for the rest of your team this week. You squint at the long list your Commander gave you. “Apples, Bread (Make sure to get Rye NOT WHEAT), Meat, (Beef, Pork, Lamb if you find it), Bruss-oof.” You hit the back of a tall blonde stranger, stumbling backwards you shut your eyes preparing for the crash landing. Only to find yourself in the arms of the same stranger you bumped into. “Woah there! Are you alright ma chérié?” A smooth voice asked. You open you eyes to find the face of the stranger, a handsome man with a curly brow.

With his arms wrapped securely around your waist he brings you back up to your feet. You stuttered out an apology and bowed to your savior. He chuckles and bowed back with a more flawless posture. “No need to thank me, I will always help a beautiful lady in need.” He then put his hand out in asking for yours. You blush at the compliment and bashfully gave him your hand, he then proceeded to plant a soft kiss on the back of your hand which cause you to blush even further.

“May I ask why you were in such a big rush, my dear?”

“O-oh! I was getting groceries and I was looking at my list and not paying any attention, which I am so sorry for again!” As you explained your reasoning you went to show the list that held all the items you needed to buy. Expect it wasn’t in your hands anymore or your pockets for that matter. You pat around your whole body looking for that very long and important list. Finding nothing in the end, yours hand start to clench as your breathing became more unstable. “Shit, Shit, SHIT! This can not be happening to me right!” Your whole body at this point starts to shake, when you feel warm hands on your shoulders and a calming voice guiding you down.

“Hey there, look at me alright, and breath with me. You need to breath, miss…. That’s it… slow and steady… good job.”

Your breathing starts to calm down as you listen to the voice. Shoulders still slightly shaking as you feel the same warm hands as before pat your head and began to wipes away tears you didn’t know was falling. You start hiccupping as the man pulls you into his arms, rubbing small soothing circles on your back. Once you calmed down enough to speak, you look at up the man, still being held in his arms.

“Th-thank you for this… I’m sorry for—”

He stops you before you could finish your apology. “Don’t feel like you need to apologize my dear, it’s a man’s duty to always help dries a lady’s tears as well.” His head still petting your hair so sweetly it makes your heart squeeze a bit. Still he was a stranger no matter how handsome he is, so you reluctantly push away from his firm chest and try not to think too much about the look on his face as you did. “It just that I lost the list of all the things I need to get for my group and I’m not sure what to do now…”

The man hummed for a bit, closing his eyes before he said. “Why don’t I help you out with your shopping? Not to brag but I am quite the talented chef so this would be a easy task for me to do.” He grinned down at you. You start to refuse stating that you didn’t want to bother him but he had already grabbed your hand into his and was pulling you towards the marketplace. “Just tell me about who we’re buying for and let me take care of it, ok sweetheart?” Your heart skips so many beats hearing him call you sweetheart, just so casually like it was something that was normal between you two.

You brush aside the nickname and your beating heart to explain some of your teammates tastes and dislike. The more you talk the more comfortable you got, telling him about how each of your teammates have something they actively hate and will not even touch a dish if it has that certain ingredient in it. Throwing your arms in the air as you told the story of how two of them got into a fight over who ate the last of the mangos. He chuckles at the story or at how you were acting, you weren’t so sure but you were enjoying the time spent with him.

He easily explained what was best to get, how to pick the best fruit, cut of meat, and fresh fish, he also showed you how to haggle for the best prices as well. You giggled when he went back and forth with the old fishermen, his hand still held on tightly to yours the whole time. You felt a small squeeze every time the fishermen retorted back saying the price was firm. In the end he did get a couple of free fishes with his order. He was swinging his hand that held yours as he happily carried the numerous amount of bags all in his other arm.

You wanted to share some of the load but he was adamant about carrying it all for you but he denied every moment you asked. His hand was oh so warm and caring, when you reached your building you didn’t want to let go. And it seems like he didn’t either, he just silently drops the bags off and hold steady to you hand before letting go. Your fingers slipping past each other slowly until you were freed, free but cold. You just stayed there in the middle of your doorway, you both don’t even know the other’s name but you feel like there was something that was bubbling just below the surface.

However, before anything could happen the both of you heard a huge explosion come from somewhere in the city. The make the ground beneath shake heavily and your ears ring from the aftershock. You look around frantically to see any signs of enemies or anything that could be dangerous while the man did the same while shielding you. You shake off the same feeling in your chest as you went to Transponder Snail to check in with your team. “I have to go check on my friends! Please stay here and stay safe!” The man yells as he starts to run towards the source of the explosion.

You yelled after him but he was already long gone, the Transponder snail still ringing in your hand. You bite you lips in worry for your teammates and the strange man you gotten close to.

Sanji’s POV:

While he hates to leave a beautiful young lady behind, he can’t help but worry about his friends. So while his legs went on autopilot to his friends his mind wandered back over to the marketplace and to you, how his hand fits so perfectly on your waist, the way your smile seem to set his heart aflame each time you directed at him, it was a different sort of feeling from what he usually get when seeing a pretty lady. It both terrified and excited him at the same time, he thought of what he could do when he needed to leave the island later. Would you accept a vivre card from him a stranger, was that too much? Maybe just giving you his number would be fine… or maybe you could join the crew as his assistant? He need to convince Luffy first but also you but his mind couldn’t help but think of all the scenario of you and him together.

He finally reached source of the smoke and found his friends being attacked by a group of marines. He hurries in to help fight them off.

Second Meeting:

The Transponder snail opened up it eyes and you heard your teammate shout out your name. You responded back right away, asking how was everyone and where they were. You voice came out in rasps as you didn’t know that you were holding your breath this whole time. You slide down to the floor upon hearing that everyone was safe from the blast. Tears falling from all the stress, but you steadied yourself once your teammate asked if you could come help. You stifled some sniffles and told them that you’ll be there soon.

You got into your uniform and ready your weapon by your side as you head to the meeting area, the source of the explosion. ‘Where that kind stranger went to….I hope he’s ok..’ Thoughts like these race in your mind as you dash across the town. You hear the sound of fighting before you could spot anyone. You get out your weapon and hurry to the battle to find… The same stranger.

Your heart stops in your throat, your mind was spinning, and you could barely hear you’re the fight over you, as you eyes set on the man. He looked good, you hate to admit it, as he was going around kicking your teams’ ass, but dam does he look good doing it. You snapped out of it when you got pulled back by your commander as a strange and buff Raccoon dog(?) was barreling your way. You landed with a oof and grunted out a sorry as your commander went back to help the others.

Your mind was still foggy over why he man was helping the pirates and what that meant for the two of you. The two of you?? You only knew him for what? A couple of hours? Why were you thinking so hard on this, it obvious that he’s a pirate and that he needs to go down, just like every other pirate out there. You keep telling yourself that as you head straight towards him with your weapon pointed. “Halt!”

The man stopped in his tracks as he turns to meet you, his eye goes wide but then he immediately smiles wide. “Ma chérié! You’re here!” He stretch his arms out wide, as if he was waiting for a hug. You almost falter in your step as you felt your cheeks warm up. You pretended it was from anger and not anything else as you take a step back and faced your weapon towards him. “Surrounded now Pirate! I won’t ask twice!”

His arms was still out stretched but the smile on his face fell. It seems like he was struggling to say something but then the same Raccoon dog you saw before was crashing towards you again but you managed to step away just in time. “Get away from Sanji!” ‘Sanji… so that’s his name..’

You land on your feet with a hard thud. Growling as you try to swipe at the large creature, almost landing a hit when Sanji stops you with his leg. “Wait! Please let talks this out, my dear, we could work this out.” You pushed away his leg and yelled back. “Talk what out?! You’re a pirate! We have nothing between us!”. As soon as Sanji’s face fell, you regret what you said, heart twisting in your chest. One of your teammate came to stand beside you and take aim at the two, shooting at them while they ran back to their ship. You curse them out as the ship’s sails unfurled and they began to leave. Trying desperately to stop the tears from falling as your heart reach out to him while your mind was yelling at you.

Sanji’s POV:

He just stayed in the kitchen for most of the week after leaving that island. Distracting himself by preparing new dishes, snacks, drinks, anything that occupy his hands and his mind. Usopp and Nami was worried about him and the food storage but Sanji waved them off. He puffed out another smoke from his nth cigarette. Looking at his hand and trying to remember the warmth he felt when yours was holding it. He sighs, putting out his current cigarette and lighting up another one. As his thoughts pulled him back that marketplace and the sound of your laughter rings in his ears.

[estrellami-1]

Writer prompt: “When will I get people who care the way I care?” Steve + the party hurt/comfort

Lmaooooo not you turning my own words on me (thank you I probably needed to write this ngl)

Steve made a point to remember the kids’ birthdays. To know their favorite foods, their allergies, to have their favorite tapes in his car.

And it’s not like it’s serious. Steve wouldn’t die from it. Probably.

It’s just… well. He told them he was allergic to shellfish. He remembered the day, especially, because they’d all had a long discussion about what was actually classified as shellfish.

But now someone decided to bring a clambake up to Bumfuck, Indiana, right where Steve lived, and all the kids are so excited about it, and he’s excited for them, honest.

But they don’t understand when he declines the offer to go, their request to drive them. Slowly but surely, he realizes they forgot.

Maybe he should’ve expected that. Maybe he should’ve known the expectations are different on the babysitter versus the babysat. Maybe-

“Alright,” Eddie says suddenly, one loud clap getting everyone’s attention. “Everyone out! Something’s come up. Great to see you, same time next week, untold horrors, et cerera. Get the fuck outta here.”

Eddie turns to Steve once everyone’s gone. “What’s wrong?”

Steve blinks. “What?”

“You’re making a face like something’s wrong.”

“Oh.” Steve debates not telling him, except that’s never done him any favors before, and he doubts it’ll start now. “Um. Just. Y’know the clambake?”

Eddie chuckles. “It’s practically all the kids talk about.”

“Yeah. Um. They didn’t understand why I didn’t want to go. Or why I didn’t want to take them.”

“Okay,” Eddie says slowly. “I’m all for telling the little shits no once in a while, don’t get me wrong. But… why did you tell them no?”

“I’m allergic to shellfish.”

Eddie’s mouth opens in an o. “Do they know?”

“Yeah. Or they did, I dunno. I guess they forgot. And I just… I dunno. Got in my head about it, I guess, because I remember things that are important to them, y’know? I have their tapes in my car, I know their favorite foods, I know what they’re allergic to. I know what to do to help all of them through a nightmare or a panic attack. And I spend so much of my time giving, and being what they need me to be, and… I guess it gets tiring, sometimes.” He shrugs, looks down. “I’m just wondering when I’m gonna get people who care the way I care. Who remember the little things, maybe not even cause they’re important, but because they’re part of me, y’know?”

Eddie smiles sadly, sits next to him. Turns his body to face Steve’s. “You mean like the face you make when you’re cooking and your sauce needs more salt? Or the way you dance a little, wiggle your hips, when you’ve got music playing and you’re doing the dishes? Or the way you clench your fists when you think no one’s looking, when you’re trying not to fidget or reach out and touch?” He touches one of Steve’s hands, clenched in his lap. “You can.”

Steve sighs, releases his hands. Turns one over and capture’s Eddie’s. “And the important thing,” Eddie continues. “The way you keep the pool lights turned off when the kids aren’t over. The way you hate to cook for just yourself. You ever wonder why I invite myself over so much? ‘S because I know you wouldn’t eat otherwise. The kids are assholes, I’ll give you that. They’re also kids. Let them grow up some, keep showing them the love that you are, and trust that one day they’ll show it back. Until then, can I be enough for you?”

“Eddie,” Steve whispers, chokes. “You’re always enough. More than.”

Eddie moves in closer. “Let yourself take,” he whispers back, slotting an arm over Steve’s shoulders and pulling him in. “Trust that I’m giving. That I want you to have it.”

Steve leans in. Doesn’t say thank you. Doesn’t kiss him. He doesn’t have to. He’s taking, accepting. And that says everything.

[lowcosmic]

silly headcanons of kokichi and reader being roommates? both platonic and romantic 💫

—— roommate headcannons with kokichi .

— 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 : platonic and romantic headcannons of you and kokichi as roommates.

— 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : fluff

— 𝐜𝐰 : biiiiit of a sexual reference i’m sorry —

— 𝐚/𝐧 : you can read this as a high school / college au where they have dorms. and yes , i tried to add some … interesting things in this. 💞

platonic

when you’d first found out your new roommate , you were relieved it was someone you knew.

maybe not your best friend , but he’d do.

kokichi would definitely prank you if you were open to it. surprise bubble water attacks , spicy food sabotages , etc.

thus brought forth prank wars , something that roped in your classmates and formed alliances — most siding with you , but kokichi could be pretty persuasive and persistent at times.

you’d help kokichi study , since most times he’d either forget , not feel like it , or brush it off and think he’ll remember the info on the big day ; or something like that.

he found it annoying at first , as he began messing around and making you peeved , but soon enough he found himself ( though he’d never admit it ) enjoying your presence.

yes i believe he would bang pans together to wake you up

you were two peas in a pod — his step in the ranks in your terms of friendship rising higher and higher.

one day , you pranked him pretty well by saying you got a boyfriend.

he asked so many questions , most asking who he was and other info. you could tell straight away that he was pretty jealous.

he then started to let out some crocodile tears , bringing you to laugh and pull him in for a quick hug.

“ gottem — ”

“ wait what ”

romantic

kokichi cannot stand sleeping in different rooms — especially since he loved your comforting presence. so , he’d come to sleep in your room with you.

of course , he’d ask first to see if it were okay. if you don’t let him , he’ll just sulk and go back to his room. but if you say yes , just be ready for him to join you every single night from there on out.

he’s a great cuddle buddy — so nights with him are always refreshing.

he’d definitely love movie nights or binge - watching shows with you , as long as he’d be able to move around a bit if he’s still full of energy.

oh and , i read this in a quotev fic once , i imagine that he’d also wanna do that one prank where he’s doing ‘ it ’ with you to prank the others.

he just finds the reactions super funny , and so do you — i mean , kaito and tenko’s reactions are totally worth it

he loves the lifestyle of you two living together. cooking , sleeping , practically everything inside the dorm — he cherishes those moments as they last.

i think he’d try to pull off a fancy ( but with comfortable , laid back clothing ) date in the dorm , with kirumi helping him make all the food.

and with a movie playing — doesn’t matter what — is perfection.

also , don’t expect the pranks to go away. since the bond of trust between you guys is locked tight , expect more to come and more prank wars to disrupt the peace in the dorms.

please don’t repost , translate , or claim my works as your own.

[random-thot-generator]

Love Thy Frenemy + Interlude

Dinner & a Movie

ONE SHOT/INTERLUDE

SIMON RILEY x FRENEMY FEM READER

Summary: Simon helps you prepare dinner before settling in to watch an old movie that has a surprising impact on the stoic soldier.

Warnings/Tags: Profanity, lots of fluff and warm fuzzy feelings, no use of Y/N

(Notes: I was going to gloss over this part in the next chapter, but a reader expressed their excitement over Simon and Doll/reader having a date night, and I would hate to disappoint, so... date night it is. The film mentioned in the story is real, one which I highly recommend. It's one of my favorite comfort films.)

Word Count: 2531

Interlude

-

“I knew already that the best meal in the world, the perfect meal, is very rarely the most sophisticated or expensive one.... Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one's life.” ― Anthony Bourdain, A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

-

You don't know why you were so nervous, but Riley was, too apparently.

Neither of you spoke as you left the pub after your shift, the air between you awkward and tense. For some reason, this felt different than the other times he had taken you home. Was it because he was coming up to your flat with you? Was he nervous for a similar reason or was it because he had agreed to have dinner with you? He should know he didn't need to worry about that. You would make allowances for him, just like you did last night. Then another thought sprang up in your mind.

Maybe you were nervous because this felt suspiciously like a date.

Don't go there, Dee, you chided yourself. This was nothing more than two friends hanging out and sharing a meal together. Thinking thoughts like that didn't serve any purpose and only made you nervous when you had no reason to be. Strengthening your resolve, you climbed into the truck as he did the same.

"Do you mind stopping by the market?" you asked, trying to push your worries aside as you buckled your seatbelt. "I need to grab a few things for dinner."

Riley shot you a quick look and nodded, fastening his own seatbelt. "Sure, doll. Whatever ya need." He gave you another quick glance, then added, "What're ya goin' t'make, anyway?"

"Roast chicken and vegetables― unless you'd prefer something else?"

He gave a quick shake of the head. "No. Tha's fine." He seemed to be debating his next words, then forced them out. "Ya don't got t'cook if yer tired, ya know? Ain't no big deal. Ya worked all day, so you should relax. I can grab us some takeaway or― "

You laughed lowly. "Ohhh, no you don't. You're not talking me out of this. I'd be cooking whether you were with me or not, so it's not like I'm going out of my way or something. Besides, you eat too much takeaway and fast food, as it is." You giggled when he sniffed and attempted to look offended. Giving him a playful nudge, you tried to reassure him. "Seriously, Ri. It's no big deal. There's not much work involved in what I'm making. It's mostly prep work, then the oven does the rest."

He hummed but didn't say anything else. He drove you to Ploughman's Market, the local grocery, parking in the small car park nearby and shut off the motor. You expected him to stay in the truck while you shopped, knowing how much he despised shopping, so you were surprised when he got out with you and trailed behind you into the store.

Grabbing a shopping cart, you led the way down the first aisle, pausing to pull your grocery list from your back pocket. Riley was shifting back and forth from one foot to the other, looking impatient and nervous as he uncrossed then recrossed his arms over his chest. He was clearly uncomfortable, which in turn put you on edge. He needed something to distract his mind, but didn't know what to do with himself, so you made the decision for him. Lowering your list, you peered up at him. "Mind pushing the trolley for me?"

He gave a quick nod, seemingly relieved to have something to do. Taking hold of the cart, he dutifully followed along behind you, his dark eyes studying each item you placed in the cart. There were vegetables and butter and bread. A carton of milk and a can of broth. A whole chicken was added then a small container of spice― paprika, according to the label.

"Ya gonna use all this jus' t'make dinner?" he asked, curious.

"Mm-hm. Oh, almost forgot to ask. What would you like for dessert?"

The question caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting to have to offer his own input into the meal plan. He shrugged, not sure what to say. "Dunno. Whatever ya want is fine with me."

"Okaaay... How 'bout an apple crumble? With ice cream. Sound good?"

He frowned. "Ya don't need to go to s'much trouble, doll. Ya ain't got t'make dessert. The chicken will be plenty."

You rolled your eyes. "Ri, you love sweets, and I like making them, so just accept that this happening and move past it." When he began grumbling under his breath, you took his arm and walked beside him for a few steps, looking up at him with a little smirk. "It's not a big deal, okay? But if it'll make you feel better, I'll let you help out. You can chop the vegetables and peel the apples, hm?"

"Fine," he mumbled. He hated for you to put yourself out more than you already were. You should be at home with your feet up, not standing over a hot stove cooking him dinner. If he knew how to make more than tea, he would cook, but knew he'd just make a mess and probably set something on fire. His culinary skills ended at the box directions on his microwave dinners.

You led him back to the produce section to pick out the apples you would need, then went back to the spice aisle for cinnamon and nutmeg. The last thing you placed in the cart was a container of vanilla bean ice cream, the one that he had once mentioned was his favorite brand. You'd remembered, and it made him feel weird, pleased and a little self-conscious, knowing you paid attention to even the off-hand things he said.

The co-owner of the store, Mrs. Gilly was at the register when you went to check out. She smiled at you both as you began placing your items on the conveyor. "How ya doin' today, lovie?" she asked, then glanced up at Simon. "And I hope yer doin' well, too, Mr. Riley."

Simon jammed his hands in his pockets and gave a quick nod. "Doin' fine, mum," he said.

"Ri, will you hand me my bag, please?" you asked, then turned your attention to the older woman. "How've you and Mr. Gilly been? Got that new freezer in, I saw. Bet you're pleased 'bout that, yeah?"

Mrs. Gilly huffed a laugh as she began scanning your groceries. "Aye and thank the saints fer it, Told Graham if I had to mop up after that leaky old unit one more time, I was takin' the mop to his head next."

You laughed as you made your way down to the end, pulling a bundle of folded shopping totes from your messenger bag. The two of you chatted away while you bagged up your groceries, leaving Simon to look on with mild amusement. When the total was rung up and you reached for your wallet, however, he spoke up at last.

"I'll pay fer this," he said, handing over his card to Mrs. Gilly. When you opened your mouth to protest, he gave you a sharp look. "Shut it, Dee. If yer cookin', then I'm payin' fer the food."

You scoffed and crossed your arms over your chest. "But it was my idea. I offered to cook."

"An' I'm takin' ya up on the offer," he agreed, then added, "but I'm still payin' for it."

Mrs. Gilly chuckled, taking his card. "Ya heard the man, love. He's tryin' to play fair with ya. Ain't tha' right, Mr. Riley?"

Simon gave you a smug look. "Yes, mum. 'S a fair play. I buy the food an' Dee cooks it. Seems like a fair deal to me."

You smirked and shook your head. "Fine. You win." You reached for the totes, only to have them snatched away before you could get a grip on them. "Ugh! Ri, I can carry some of this."

"No." Simon gathered the bags in his big hands, refusing to let you carry anything.

"I'm not a weakling, ya know?"

"No, you're a bloody brat, is what ya are. Now, c'mon."

Mrs. Gilly chuckled, watching the two of you bicker as you followed Simon out of the store. She noticed the way he slowed his steps so you wouldn't have to walk fast, his head tilting down to look at you as you looked up at him, chattering away at the usually quiet man. From the looks of it, he was giving as good as he got.

Mrs. Giily gave you both a considering look. He was different around you, and you him. You both seemed to come alive in each other's presence. It warmed her heart to witness it. She couldn't help but think that the two of you made a lovely couple.

After the groceries were carried up to your flat, you set about preparing the meal. Simon sat at the counter and watched, listening to you chatter on about some new fantasy show you'd been watching, feeling all the tension he'd been carrying drain away.

As promised, you put him to work, giving him a cutting board and a couple of knives― one for paring, one for chopping. He was mildly impressed with how sharp you kept them, the blades slicing through the raw vegetables with ease. When he wasn't sure how to cut something, you took the knife and quickly sliced and cubed a potato into the size chunks you wanted, then handed him the knife back without even pausing in your story, not making a big deal of his inexperience.

As he peeled and sliced and chopped, he watched you prepare the chicken, blending the butter together with fresh herbs you collected from some of your little potted plants in the kitchen window. You smeared the concoction over the entire bird before adding a few more sprigs of herbs to the hollowed-out cavity inside it. You then placed the chicken inside a heavy Dutch oven pot and layered the vegetables he'd chopped around it, sprinkling a bit more salt, pepper and paprika over everything. Calling it good, you set the lid on it with a clang and slid the pot into the oven.

"Hand me the apples an' I'll peel 'em," Simon said, pointing at them with his paring knife.

You gave him a little smirk. "Have you ever used an apple peeler?"

"A wot?"

You pulled out a gadget that reminded Simon of the pencil sharpeners from primary school, but with the shavings barrel removed. You showed him how to use it, sticking one of the apples on the device then had him crank the little handle. The peel began to curl off the fruit, making him huff out a laugh. He had no idea such a thing even existed, but enjoyed himself more than he would like to admit.

As he peeled, you cut the apples and sliced them into thin pieces, layering them in the bottom of fancy deep-dish plate you called a tort dish. He was fascinated by the way your deft little hands worked over the food, turning a bunch of random items into an actual meal.

Just like when you tended bar, there was no hesitation in anything you did, the actions second nature for you to perform. The whole process seemed to relax you, all the tension of your day slipping away. You were in your element when in your little kitchen, confident and at ease. Seeing you this way relaxed him as well. He realized he liked doing this with you. A lot.

After the crumble was put together and set aside, you made tea and led him into your little sitting area, encouraging him to peruse the books and movies while you sat back on the couch and enjoyed your cuppa. One of the movies caught his eye, the word 'ghost' drawing his attention. It was an old black and white film called 'The Ghost and Mrs. Muir'.

He pulled the case from the shelf and flipped it over to read the back, brows scrunching together. "Tha' doesn't even make any sense," he muttered. "A ghost fallin' in love." He sniffed in derision and shook his head, ready to put it back on the shelf.

You hummed, tilting your head to look up at him as you sipped your tea. "It makes sense once you see the movie. It's a great film, one of my favorites."

He eyed you for a moment and then handed you the case. "Put it on, then. I can withhold judgement until I see it, I s'pose," he said, but his tone was dubious.

At first, Simon watched with an already biased opinion, but as the film went on, he was a little shocked at how invested he had become in the movie, barely even acknowledging the timer on the oven when it went off and you left to take out the chicken. His brows lifted in mild surprise when you returned a few minutes later, handing him a plate full of food and some cutlery.

"Thanks, doll."

You nodded, then tossed a thumb over your shoulder. "I'll sit at the counter, so you can eat and watch the movie," you offered, but he shook his head.

"'S fine. You don't gotta do that. Come back an' finish the movie wif me."

You hesitated for only a second and then nodded. "Okay. Just need to put the crumble in and I'll be right back."

Simon pulled his mask up to his nose without a second thought, balancing the plate on his knees as he took his first bite. His eyes slid shut. Bloody fuckin' hell! How did you make everything taste so good? He shook his head, thinking to himself he'd gladly pay you to cook like this for him every day.

The two of you sat at opposite ends of the couch and ate while finishing the film. You paused it once to get the crumble out of the oven, bringing him a bowl full of crumble and melting ice cream. Simon savored every bite, right up until the end of the movie, the last scene making it a little hard for him to swallow the food in his mouth. Watching the two characters wander into the misty hereafter arm and arm made his chest feel warm and tight. When he glanced over at you, there was a soft expression on your face, sweet and little wistful.

"See?" you murmured to him. "A ghost can fall in love. Does it make sense to you, now?"

Simon swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat, that warm feeling in his chest growing as he gazed at you. He felt so full, full to bursting, and what's more, he felt an overwhelming sense of contentment. He felt... happy. A smile curled up a corner of his mouth as he gave you a begrudging nod.

"Yeah, doll. I guess it does."

-

Prev. >> Next

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Taglist

@stillinracooncity

@cumikering

@cutiecusp

@deadbranch

@ghostlythots

@thetiredtoad0-0

@glitterypirateduck

@gothgirl6-6-6

@sofasoap

@cathnoneofyourbusiness

[antimony-medusa]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

I was tagged by @regicidal-optimism

In no particular order:

A World Away (A Step Apart), (14,531 words) my OW superhero/supervillain romance with identity shenanigans, a dystopian world, and in-world supervillain RPF social media posts. This one was so fun to write. I've spent a lot of time on various social medias over the years and I delved into it for the fake discourse, and some of those social media jokes are some of my favourite things I've written. Plus I got to make up two guys that I love, OW is so fun.

A Hundred Things You Have Not Dreamed Of, (27,743 words), a DSMP emduo au in a vaguely superhero au about coming back from dehumanization. This fic was the one where I had to go holy shit I really do keep writing about food as healing I need to start tagging that on my fic, but also I just had a great deal of fun delving into, on the one hand, the hurt/comfort of expecting pain and not getting it, and on the other hand, the actual legitimate joys you can find in the small good things of a life you're choosing to live, even if baldly speaking it's not a great life. Like these guys don't know how to cook, and they live in a shitty apartment, and they have minimum wage food service jobs and don't have internet, but they also have friendship and community and 3 meals a day, and a laptop that can play videos, and that can also be something to appreciate. Plus it was a really fun challenge to take characters who basically don't act like the characters at all, because of trauma, and show them gradually growing into themselves. I still love this one a lot.

three deaths, no burials, one sunrise, (804 words). Oh boy. This one. DSMP, and c!wilbur focused, and second person, and inspired by a richard silken poem and a ursula vernon speech and a post about how wilbur didn't get a grave. At this point I don't even know if that's true canon, but I love this fic for how completely it took over my brain, I sat down and wrote it in one setting. Fuckin' pulled out of me like unspooling rope hand over hand. Having complicated feelings about your death and how it was marked or unmarked by the people around you, and exploring that through video game statistics, is something that can be so personal.

The Totem Of Undying Job, (62,696 words), DSMP, the syndicate heist Las Nevadas. So oh man, this was written in the era of the prison arc and you can probably tell, but I am still proud of how much I went into existing lore for the characterizations, not to mention proud of pulling off a long-fic. I keep thinking of it and going "man I should write more prey duo", or "I should write more tntduo", or "dang, beeduo slaps", or what have you. The first full and complete novel-length thing I had written in almost a decade, and I still think it hangs together, concepted and written entirely just me with myself in a google doc. The way I approach writing is very different nowdays, but I still love this one and I'm proud of pulling it off.

And honestly there's a lot of fics jockeying for this final spot, but I will give it to Soothing Natural Energies by Rebalancing External Wealth, Today, At Rekindled Flames Marriage Therapy Conference, (4,482 words), my origins sneegza marriage fraud shenanigans heist. I wrote this one in 24 hours for an exchange, and I was absolutely digesting my own stomach with anxiety the whole time, but I got it done, and then I posted and people said it was funny! And it had good worldbuilding! They liked it! And I drank some coffee and sat down to read it and went what do you know, I also like this, I think it's funny. Sometimes when I go oh god can I actually write comedy I go back to this one and I remind myself that yes, I can feel out how punchlines work. Also that I should write more origins, it's delightful.

tagging: @chrysalizzm, @imperialkatwala, @creetchure, @lennjamin-o7, @droidofmay

(don't feel obligated, any of you, I was just mentally paging through the people I follow trying to find people who hadn't already been tagged.)

[chaotic-super]

For Her Sake - Chapter 17

Read For Her Sake on AO3 here!

Kara is a little overwhelmed with the speed at which she’s being thrown into her new job but overall, she’s fairly certain that she’s coping to a decent degree which means she’s not going to be fired after only one shift.

She’s being shown around the place and given the chance to try every part of the job as the chance arises so she can get a true feel for what it’s going to be like but even so, she’s spending a lot of her time behind the bar where she’s the most comfortable and the most experienced. There are no complaints though, it’s all coming back to her even after spending a few years behind a desk and running around after a needy billionaire.

“Kara?”

Kara looks up when she hears her name called, finishing drying the glass she’s working on before sliding it on the shelf, her head turned towards the person grabbing her attention. “Yeah?”

“How is everything going?” Sam checks in on her, her hand resting on her back momentarily.

“Good, good. Just getting into the groove of things back here.” Kara shrugs with a smile. “It’s like riding a bike.”

Sam smiles back at her. “I’m glad to hear that but would you be awfully upset if I made you come and help out in the kitchen? We’re going to get even busier soon and the other guys have the bar covered.”

“Not at all, lead the way.”

Sam takes Kara into the kitchen where half a dozen people are already working their asses off cooking all different kinds of foods and the smell of it makes Kara’s mouth water. It all smells really good.

“Oh golly, it smells amazing back here.” Kara murmurs, taking a nice deep inhale as Sam grabs herself and Kara aprons and hats.

“I know right? Now, I’m not going to throw you in right in the deep end because that would just be cruel so how about we leave anything that takes fire or heat and show you how to prepare some desserts?”

That makes Kara smile bigger than she has all day. She gets to learn something new, be trusted in the kitchen and handle her favourite thing in the world, dessert. “That sounds great.”

“Awesome.” Sam grins back at her. “I take it you don’t mind handling ice cream?”

“The only downside is that all of it won’t be in my mouth.”

“Well, I can’t expect you to be able to know how to make any desserts you haven’t had the opportunity to try yourself, could I? How else are you meant to know how they are supposed to look and taste?”

Kara’s eyes go wide and her voice dreamy. “I think I might be in love with you.”

“Save those words for Lena, we’ve got work to do,” Sam says and promptly strides off to get the ingredients she needs to show Kara what to do and leaves Kara stuttering and blushing behind her, something she takes note of and inwardly cackles to herself.

-

Sam takes Kara out for lunch halfway through the day by cooking them both the most delicious pasta dish Kara’s ever had the luxury of tasting and then directing her out of the door so they can go and find a bench in the park not far from Reign.

“Seriously Kara, it’s fine. I’m the boss and if I say you get to take an extra few minutes to have lunch with me, then it’s fine.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want the others to think I’m getting special treatment and hate me for it, I want my time at Reign to be good not filled with drama and pettiness.”

“I’m sure, besides, I take every new starter out for lunch. Or rather, usually, it’s just lunch in my office while we talk shop but I think this is close enough to pass. Nobody will question anything and if you’re so worried about having a long break, you can work over for fifteen minutes to help clean up.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Kara offers out a hand for Sam to shake and her chin practically brushes the floor when it gets slapped out of the air.

“Don’t be weird. Sit down and eat.” Sam hands her a box and a fork. Kara opens her mouth to argue but Sam holds up a finger when it looks like she’s about to and cuts her off. “Babababa, no words, just eat.”

“But— “

“Babababa, no words.”

Kara is smart enough to shut her mouth after that and start digging into her food, immediately silenced by the incredible taste. Sam let her try a spoonful when she was making it so she’s already aware of how good it is but somehow the knowledge that she’s got a whole container of it to herself just makes it all that much greater. “Oh my god, this is so good.”

Sam nods her agreement. “It is. When I first opened Reign, I had this great chef working for me, his name was John and he was the greatest chef I’ve ever met. He made a bunch of recipes that I have to say do compete with my own. He retired last year but insisted we keep the recipes anyway despite the fact he made a lot of them up and some were his family recipes. We still keep in touch and he still comes into the restaurant every few months to supposedly make sure we’re putting his recipes to good use but I think he just misses me really.”

Kara raises her eyebrows at her, her face disbelieving.

“What, you don’t think someone could miss me?”

“No, I think you’re plenty missable. I’d just say that he probably only shows up every few months because that’s all he can handle.”

“You little bitch.” Sam gasps, her face morphed into one of pure shock. “I definitely regret hiring you, you’re going to give me as much trouble as Lena does. Speaking of the other little bitch, she’s been texting me all morning to ask me if it would be weird to text you and ask how it’s going so I’d appreciate it if you would text her first and end the suffering of the poor soul.”

Kara snorts. “Sure. I promised I’d keep her updated anyway, she’s such a sweetheart for caring.”

This time Sam snorts. “Yeah, she’s definitely a sweetheart alright. She’s got some major heart eyes going on.” Kara misses the joke completely, now focused on moving her thumbs as quickly as she can across her screen so she can get back to her food because her tastebuds are already missing it and her heart is crying out for more and weeping in despair every time the wind blows and cools it a little more so it’s no longer piping hot.

“Did she tell you she took care of Lori for me the other day? She’s so amazing.” Kara gushes around a mouthful as soon as she finishes up her text. “I think it’s cute she gets worried about something simple like texting, I always welcome texts from her.”

Sam’s eyebrows almost merge in with her hairline. “She looked after Lori?”

“Yeah. My sister and I are moving at the minute so when we had to look for a new apartment and then go and view a place, Lena offered to look after Lori for us so we could do so easier. She took her to the park and fed the ducks peas. Lori hasn’t stopped talking about it since.”

 “She never mentioned that,” Sam says, her voice soft. “She used to look after Ruby for me when she had to but it always made her a nervous wreck so I tried not to ask her if I could find someone else to do it.”

Kara’s eyes widen. “Oh no. I shouldn’t have accepted her offer.” Her hands fly up to her face. “She must have just offered to be nice and I took advantage of that. I need to apologize to her. I bet that’s why she got me the books and flowers; she was going to tell me and that was to sweeten me up but she backed out because she’s such a good person she didn’t want to upset me. Sam, I think I’m an awful person.”

By the time Kara has gotten through her mini-rant that borders on a panic-induced breakdown, she looks up to see Sam sitting next to her giggling.

“What’s so funny?”

“You and Lena.” She answers simply.

Kara frowns. “I don’t understand.”

Sam sighs. “Kara, with all due respect, you’re as big of an idiot as Lena is. She doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do so if she offered to take care of Lori, she wanted to and if she got you flowers, she wanted to. People that get other people flowers are usually trying to send a message. As Lena’s best friend, I can’t tell you exactly what that means but you’re a smart girl.”

Kara is confused for a minute and isn’t sure how to respond to Sam but after the brief silence that follows Sam’s explanation, it finally clicks. “Oh. Oh.”

“Yep.”

“I should call her later, huh?”

“That would be beneficial for my text inbox. I never get a break anymore, she’s very good at overthinking things so just a heads up, you’ve got to be able to look after her just as much as she’s willing to look after you.”

Kara taps Sam on the shoulder lightly. “What makes you think that I share those feelings.”

“I can see it written across your face.”

“It’s really that obvious?” Kara asks, her voice shaky with nerves. She thought she was doing pretty well at hiding it.

A nod confirms her fears. “Yes but if it makes you feel better, the only reason it’s obvious to me is because I know about Lena’s feelings because she’s my best friend and I can read her so I had to scope you out to see if you feel the same. It’s easy to find something you’re looking for, you know?”

“Maybe. I guess so.” Kara says, fiddling with the edge of the container, now completely empty, something that upsets Kara greatly.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so sad to find out the woman you like actually likes you back?”

Kara looks down, finding her words in a momentary deep breath as she closes her eyes. “I’m happy she likes me back but my life is crazy right now and while I do really like her, reallylike her I mean, I have to prioritize my daughter. I’m starting a new job; Alex is just settling into hers and we’re moving apartments. It’s a lot of change in schedules and routines and that’s tough for a four-year-old to deal with. She’s my world and I’m not at a point where I can risk disrupting anything else in her life. If it was just me, I’d happily take the leap but she’s my daughter, I just…can’t.”

Sam’s hand lands on Kara’s knee. “I hear you. You’re not at a point where a relationship is good for you or your family. That’s ok. You don’t have to be in a relationship you don’t want to be in.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to be in a relationship with her.”

“You just want to do what’s right for your daughter. That’s perfectly fine and Lena will understand that. I just think it would do both of you well to have this conversation between the two of you. She’s not going to hold anything against you, it’s not her style and I think you’ll find that she appreciated the honesty.”

Kara’s lips twist. “I don’t want to upset her.”

“The only way you’ll truly upset her is by allowing her to continue essentially dating you without dating you and leading her on. You guys are having dinner and sleepovers. You can still do all of that but until you state that you’re doing those things as friends, she’s going to have hope there’s something more and that’s just as unhealthy as getting into a relationship when you’re not ready to be in one.”

“I hear you.” Kara looks her dead in the eyes to convey just how sincere she is. “’ll talk to her the next time I see her in person. I think that’s a conversation to be had face to face.”

Sam squeezes her knee. “Good call. Thank you.”

“No, thank you. I think I needed to have this talk with someone. I just wasn’t expecting it to be with my new boss in the middle of a workday.”

Sam stands up, offering a hand to help Kara up too. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t expecting it either but Lena’s my family and I have to look out for her. Usually, I’d just threaten you but unfortunately, I kind of like you so that’s not happening. It’s a shame really, I’d love to scare you a little bit but you’re too nice and you kind of have a good head on your shoulders.”

Kara has to disagree with the last part of that because she did not have a good head on her shoulders when she did what she did that led to her meeting Lena but she’s not about to expose herself to Sam like that. That would end with Sam dragging her to the lake on the other side of the park and holding her under until the bubbles stop.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, let’s get back before people start questioning whether or not you got the job by canoodling with the boss.”

Blue eyes roll without her even thinking about it and it earns Kara a little shove.

“I’m going to teach you how to use the oven when we get back.”

“You better make sure there’s a first aid kit lying around then.”

“There is and I’ve made sure there’s a fresh page waiting in the accident logbook too just in case. You did great this morning and there’s no reason for us to drag our feet on getting you thrown into the mux in the kitchen. You’re better than you think.”

Kara smiles, her head ducking. “I think I’ll keep this job; it’s going to give my ego a good boost.”

“I can always make you mop the floors for eight hours straight.”

“After working for Cat Grant, that sounds like a joy.”

“Fuck, breaking you is going to be hard.”

Kara laughs and it makes Sam break out into a chuckle too. She’s going to really like this job, she can tell.

-

Kara grabs her bag as soon as she’s finished cleaning up. Sam did try to tell her that she didn’t really have to stay the extra few minutes but she’s not one to go back on her word and since she and Sam did take a long lunch, it’s only fair. She’s a team player and she’s not one to leave the team picking up the slack so she can goof off.

She’s gotten along with everyone so far and it turns out that the potty-mouthed chefs in the kitchen loved her attempts at swearing because having a small child has definitely changed her. She used to swear a little but never excessively but once Lori was born, every swear got adapted and it’s quite funny watching a woman drop ice cream down herself with a cry of “Barnacles!”.

It turns out that the accident book only got one new addition too so Kara’s taking that as a win. She’s only got a minor burn on her pinky where she accidentally set a towel on fire moving a pan but she’s not going to do it again because she’s already been made fun of for it enough that she’s never going to forget it again. None of it felt malicious though and that’s all that matters. One day down and she’s already in a better environment than before.

She’s all prepared to get the bus home but when she steps out of Reign, she sees Winn waiting there with his hands in his pockets. “Hey, Danvers!”

Her eyes light up and her hands fly up in a double wave. “Schott, Schott, Schott!”

He pulls her into a tight embrace and sways her slightly. “In my quest for knowledge of your first day at your new job, I came to the understanding that it is easier to extract information when in a private vehicle rather than a land submarine.”

“You’re nosy so you came to pick me up.” Kara shakes her head. “Also, I told you to stop calling buses land submarines, it’s weird and unnecessary.”

“No can do, buckaroo. I parked up the street, come hither and tell me all about your first day, I want all the deets.”

“You’re so annoying. I have half a mind to just leave you here and get the bus home anyway.”

Winn pouts. “I waited fifteen extra minutes for you because you were late out and you want to leave me here? The tragedy.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, now spill.”

Kara gives in and starts walking him through her day, purposefully not adding any details about what she and Sam talked about. The next person she talks to about that is Lena and Lena alone.

-

The week flies by faster than Kara could ever have expected it and with each day that passes, she finds that she loves her new job and is improving more and more every day. There’s only been one day this week she hasn’t spent at least six of the eight hours of her shift in the kitchen and that’s because two of the bartenders were sick so she had to focus on helping out there rather than the kitchen.

She doesn’t mind a bit though because everyone has been so nice to her, all of her new coworkers have been great to her and she’s loving every minute of it, even the dullest of jobs and nastiest of customers don’t hold a candle to some of the things she put up with over the years when working at CatCo and not all of it was Cat’s fault, even though a lot of it was.

The place was rife with self-absorbed assholes willing to hurt whoever it takes to get their name on a byline and earn the most money so being somewhere where none of that is evident is like a breath of fresh air.

She’s just finished her last shift of the week and she’s got a couple of days off now to hang out with Lori, something she’s thrilled about because while the job is great, her feet are killing her from being standing up all day so at night the most she’s doing is chilling with Lori on the couch playing games, reading or watching movies and that’s all well and good but her daughter loves to run around and play and she’d like to be able to do that with her.

Alex has been nothing but supportive and has been asking her to tell her all about her day every night over dinner and it’s been nothing short of lovely being able to talk about her work without it becoming a bitchfest and having to listen to Alex telling her she deserves better.

People always say that kids are smarter than we give them credit for and Kara has never been surer that it’s true. Lori can tell she’s already happier and where she would give her lots and lots of cuddles before to “make Mama feel better” she’s now giving them to her to “feel as happy as Mama.” It’s delightful and it makes her heart ache at the same time knowing that Lori knew she was miserable before.

She’s also been messaging Lena throughout the week too and it’s been a bittersweet experience. Now that she’s got it confirmed that Lena likes her too, she’s thrilled because who wouldn’t be excited when finding out their crush is also crushing on them? The bitter part comes from having the knowledge that they both like each other but they can’t do anything about it in the way she wants.

She’s got plans for a game night tomorrow though and while it’s technically Winn’s turn to host, Kara invited Sam to come and she’s bringing her daughter too so Lena suggested her place because there’s more room for everyone and there’s no way they would all fit into Winn’s tiny apartment.

They aren’t heading over to her place until six though so they have the full day to do whatever they want to do as a family before they hang out as a group.

Lori is already asleep and Alex is dozing on the couch beside her as she reads one of the books Lena bought her and with every page turn, she feels her gratitude amplifying. Lena has gifted her an escape she’s been craving for a long time but barely even had the time to process her need for. Reading has always been a key part of her life and yet she can count the number of books she’s read in the last year on one hand so having this opportunity to relax and let herself get swept away in someone else’s life and leave her worries behind for a couple of hours is everything she’s needed and more.

She’s so enthralled by the book that she gets through the majority of it in one sitting and she’s only stirred out of her own little bubble by Alex stretching, her legs making their way into her lap as she turns over. Kara adjusts herself and Alex’s legs a little so she’s more comfortable but settles back into her book because while it’s late, the soft comfort of the quiet and the physical grounding provided by her sister is everything she needs to round out a good week. The first of what she hopes to be many.

Kara ends up waking up to the smell of the fabulous new book smell she wants to make a candle out of. Her book is on her face, her nose making a very good bookmark, and Alex’s legs are no longer across her body.

She must have either fallen to one side in the night or Alex lay her down as much as she could because her legs are propped up on the couch beside her and she’s at a bit of a strange angle, her back pressed into the corner of the couch and her neck stretched back into an awkward position, the weight of the book not helping her avoid neck pain in the slightest.

Her neck cracks as she lifts her head up, her thumbs tucking into the pages of the book so she doesn’t lose her page though she’ll probably have to skip back a couple of pages when she goes to carry on reading because there’s not a chance in hell she’ll actually remember what she was reading last night right before she fell asleep.

Slipping a receipt into the book as her bookmark, she looks over at the kitchen and sees Alex filling up two mugs with coffee and a cup with milk for Lori.

“G’mornin’,” She mumbles, her brain still trying to fight its way into the waking world. “Coffee?”

“Good morning, sunshine.” Alex brings her the mug of coffee she just poured her. “The coffee is nice and hot, feel free to have another ten minutes to sleep if you want to while it cools down.”

“Why? What have you done?” Kara questions, clarity finding her as she shakes away the last clutches of sleep.

Alex shoves the mug into her hands, “Why don’t you believe that sometimes I want to do nice things for my baby sister without it being because I’ve done something?”

“Because never once have you done something nice for me without it being because you’ve either done something wrong or you want something so, which is it?” Kara is happy to have the coffee but Alex is definitely freaking her out.

“That’s so not true.”

“Yes, it is.”

Alex shakes her head again. “I completely disagree, anyway, you’re eating into your sleep time, I’m going to go and check on Lori now, she was just stirring when I just started the coffee so you know we don’t have long now before we’ve got to entertain her. “

“I’m good. I’m just gonna sit here and drink my coffee while Auntie Alex does the work because she’s done something wrong.”

Alex folds her arms and clicks her tongue. “Not true but since I’m a good sister I’m going to go and do it anyway. Chillax, sis.”

She strolls away confidently while Kara stares at her back and mouths in confusion, “Chillax?”

They decide to take Lori down to the pier for the day and then she’ll undoubtedly be tired by the time they get to game night and will hopefully fall asleep early. Fingers crossed anyway. Kara and Alex take it in turns showering before they head out and Kara gives Lori a bath but other than that, Alex handles all Lori’s care and it takes a while for Kara to get it out of her what she’s done but she does learn that Alex’s ironing skills leave a lot to be desired and she now has one less shirt.

She isn’t really mad about it though, Alex isn’t usually the one to do the laundry because she’s so bad at it but since she started her new job, Alex wanted to do something nice for her and it didn’t pan out. She’ll let this one slide.

They take the bus to the pier, two actually, but it’s not a painful ride with books to read to pass the time. Kara keeps an eye on Alex as they walk to the bus stop and then again when they get off the bus at the pier and they start to walk. She’s not had the opportunity to check in with Alex fully about her recovery in a while other than the generic questions which get brushed off with moderate ease and she’s not had much of a chance to watch her closely as she walks either so today is her chance to assess for herself how Alex’s recovery is going.

Kara makes a point to let Alex walk ahead of her and simply meanders on behind her and Lori, who is holding her aunt’s hand and bouncing around excitedly as they walk along the wooden planks towards the end of the pier where they can look out over the glossy waves of the sea.

There are a few things she’s noticing, the most important being that she’s walking much better than she was before. She really worried her before and yet here she is walking again and doing a great job of it.

Her gait is a little stilted, one leg straightening more than the other when she steps forward and she favours one leg over the other but she’s not panting or getting out of breath and she’s not so much as glancing at any of the benches they pass because she’s not feeling the need to sit down and have a rest.

Alex must be taking her doctor’s advice seriously and resting as much as possible and sitting down at work wherever she can but Lena is, no doubt, a large part of that because she’s very obviously a big fan of looking out for the people she cares about.

Ugh, Lena. Kara still has to talk to her and she’s not certain she’s going to have adequate time alone with her to talk today and even If she does find the time, she doesn’t want her to be left alone after being rejected but she also doesn’t want her to have to pretend she’s ok if she’s not. Maybe she should work out a time with Sam so she can be there for her afterwards.

That makes her feel big-headed though, like she’s expecting Lena to be heartbroken over her. No, that’s not possible, Lena will be fine. She’ll find time today and if she can’t she’ll ask her to meet for lunch sometime in the week.

Alex looks back and cocks an eyebrow at her. “Did I pass your test, Doctor Danvers?”

“What? I have no idea what you mean.” Kara lies, upping her pace so they can walk side by side, each of them taking one of Lori’s hands and periodically swinging her and making her fall into fits of giggles that definitely add a few years onto their lives.

“I have no idea what you mean.” Alex mocks her, her voice going all high and squeaky before she goes back to her normal tone. “Such a liar. You were watching me.”

“I know, I just wanted to make sure you’re really getting better. I know I haven’t really had as much time to check on you but I should have made time, I’m sorry. I let myself get caught up in everything and I’ve not been here for you as much as I should have been.”

Alex waves her off. “You’ve been thinking about this a lot more than I have because I never once felt like you’ve been absent in any way, Kara. You’ve been here for us both as much as you can and I’ve got no complaints other than the creepy way you just watched me walk. I’d prefer if you didn’t do that, it’s weird.”

“How else am I supposed to check your progress?”

“Ugh, I don’t know…ask?”

“You always lie and say you’re fine.”

“I usually am.”

Kara points at her. She’s got her ‘a-ha’ moment. “Usually.”

Alex pays her no mind. “I stand by what I said and while it is usually alright, the times it’s not, are times when I get to prove to myself that I’m still strong.”

“The strongest.” Kara mumbles. “I’m sorry, I know I’m interfering when you don’t need me to, I’m just worried about you.”

Alex’s head tilts to one side. “Why now? Why are you worried now?”

“I don’t know, I might know when we can afford therapy but until then you just get to deal with my weird mood swings and overwhelming need to check on the people I love.“

Alex snorts. “It doesn’t take a therapist to know that you have attachment and abandonment issues, sis. Want to use Google to fix them?”

“Sure but if it tries to tell me I have cancer, I’m giving up.”

“Deal, now look at the ocean, maybe run Lori up this pier to get her energy out and if that doesn’t work then you can play fetch with her.”

“She’s not a dog.”

“I never said she would be the one fetching anything.” 

“Have I ever told you just how much I dislike you at times?”

A hand on her shoulder sends her almost toppling right over as she is on the receiving end of a harsh shove and then Alex is running with Lori in tow, the pair laughing hysterically. Kara’s heart is fuller than it has been since before the accident. There’s a lot of room to grow but for now, this works.

Get the next chapters weeks in advance on my Patreon here!

Find out more about a new Supergirl fandom event for writers and artists here!

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.81 Guilty

Sophia and I stumbled into the house that night under the influence of comfort and joy. After so much laughter, delicious food, and merriment, we were tuckered out. I don't know what our dogs got into while we were all laughing it up and opening presents, but for the first time ever, all of us when to bed at the same time, and it was adorable. Sophia nestled her head on my shoulder and draped her arm across my chest. I enjoyed the chill of her ring touching my skin. It was such an odd thing to notice, as I closed my eyes, but I felt like it would become something I'd look forward to for the rest of my life.

In the morning, I slept in just long enough to get a few extra zzz's, but not so long that I wasted the entire morning. Sophia was already up and at it when I awoke, so I took advantage of the alone time to scroll through Social Bunny and catch up on everyone's holiday shenanigans.

Dub replied to my last message, and that reminded me I never sent him the details I promised, so I took care of that. No sooner than I hit send, Mama sent me a text suggesting we sell all our presents and put the money toward our new house. She got us some pretty expensive gifts, and Father Winter was serious about his extra special gift. Between the two of them, we likely had more than ��5,000 worth of stuff! I never would have thought about selling even though we didn't need half the stuff we got, but it was a great idea; Mama always had the best ideas. When the time was right, I'd mention it to Sophia. I was certain she'd be down with the plan, given her concern about us not yet being able to afford the house.

The clamor of plates and forks grabbed my ear, so I went to the kitchen to see what she was doing. To my surprise, I found her eating a hot meal, and a platter of food awaited me. The sweet gesture made me smile. I had become the cook in our house, and I didn't mind at all. But it meant a lot that she would do this for me.

"This is about as far as my cooking skills go," she said. "I hope it's good."

"I know it is," I said.

"How?"

"Because it was made with love."

After I had my fill of eggs and toast, I got dressed and headed out to Evergreen Harbor for a long overdue talk with Maira. I understood friendships drift a little when we fall in love, get married, and start families. The situation was inevitable and beyond our control, but I hated feeling like I had neglected her again. Sophia and I may have been getting married, but our relationship was still very new, and I wasn't ready to let anyone else into our bubble. Hopefully, Maira understood that. After all, she encouraged me to go after her.

She answered the door and commented on my outfit. I told her I was just trying something new, but in reality, Yasmine and Chi Chi inspired me to put more thought into what I wore because their sense of style was impeccable. I wasn't sure what my vibe was yet, but I wanted to try different looks until something spoke to me. So far, wearing hats in winter was definitely a must keep, and I had no idea why I never wore them before. I thought my thick, long curls did a good job of keeping my head warm, but it amazed me how much warmer I felt with a hat.

I wasted zero time getting to my news, but I did not receive the excited response I had expected. Quite the opposite, actually. Maira glared at me, and I knew I was in trouble. Still, I played dumb.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You like this girl enough to marry her, and I don't even know her name? I thought we were closer than that!"

"Of course we are! I wasn't trying to shut you out, it's just... Everything happened so fast! I'm sorry."

She sighed and fell back onto the couch.

"I know. It's no one's fault. And I really am happy for you. I guess I'm just bummed."

My stomach dropped, and everything inside tensed up because I knew she was about to pull a Yasmine and declare all these feelings for me even though she was the one who told me to move on and forget her. Maybe Sophia was right about me being a ladies' man.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's just... Things are changing, and I feel like I'm being left out of everyone's life simply because I've chosen not to participate in all that."

My body relaxed, and I let go of the breath I held. I was glad she understood.

"I didn't think about it that way. I told you before, though. You're not going to lose me. But it cuts both ways, Maira. I don't have any missed calls or texts from you either."

"I sent you messages on Social Bunny!"

"So did I."

"Okay, fine! We're both guilty, and I can't be mad at you. Let's move on. Tell me all about this lucky woman."

I started from the very beginning and didn't leave anything out. Finally, by the end of my story, I got the excited response I was expecting.

"We're having an engagement party tonight. Will you come?"

"Dumb question! Of course I'll come."

"Your sister will be there too. Apparently, she and Sophia are best friends."

Her eyes lit up like a Winterfest tree.

"She's that Sophia? What a small world! I don't know know her, but I like her."

I lit up that time. I never expected any of my friends would have a problem with my soon-to-be wife, but one never knew how sims felt about adding new blood into the circle.

"I'm glad to hear that. I need to ask you something else..."

I had thought long and hard about who I wanted representing me in the wedding party. Well, as long and hard as one can do in two days, heh. Sophia and I would have our own sims of honor, but the other positions would have to be agreed upon by both of us. I only had three potential names for everything: Maira, Alessia, and Dub. Maira had been a very good friend for a while, so I considered her for my sim of honor. But my sister had been my best friend for my entire life and would probably kill me if she didn't get that role. Dub was a good friend too; maybe even my new best friend. But we had only just met. How would the other two feel if I picked him over them? My sister had to be my sim of honor. Period. I hoped Maira would understand that.

"Will you be our flower pal?"

"Don't kids usually do that?"

"I don't know. Your niece is the only kid we know, and she's going to be the ring bearer. My sister is going to be my sim of honor, and I wanted you in the wedding too."

She smiled warmly.

"Of course I'll do it. I'm glad you thought of me."

[goodluckclove]

Edgar Gallows Blog Takeover - Intro Post!

Uh - hi! Hello!

I don't really know what I'm doing here or why I'm doing it, but Scott told me there's no way he's trying this unless he sees me do it first. And if Scott's not doing it Tenzin won't be comfortable enough to try either - really, Katy's the only one here comfortable chatting to strangers. It's a delicate web otherwise.

But yeah, my name is Edgar. I'm 30 and I live in New Orleans. Scott and I looked up what people put in intro posts like these and a lot of them had genders and pronouns, so let's just say I have both of those and not go any deeper than that.

I've worked in a few tourist-y traps in NOLA, mostly back of house doing prep and assembly work. Right now I'm a bartender and I'm great at it. I'm the best in the world. I've won awards. You can lie on the internet without consequence, right?

I should say that I am ex-Academy. I won't say which one for the sake of anonymity (And - let's face it - my own safety as well). I wasn't expelled or discharged or whatever. Technically I wasn't even released. I don't practice anymore, or really keep up with the news and politics of Academic witchcraft, so don't expect me to get into it unprompted.

Interests

I don't think there's a genre of music that I don't love, but I'm a big fan of funk, disco, new wave and Japanese city pop. Talking Heads is my favorite band of all time.

I'm a self-taught chef. I think I'm pretty good at it. I also bake, which I am less good at. Those skills do not transfer like you might think they do.

Scott's looking over my shoulder and he's telling me to mention that I like birds. I do. I feel weird saying that because I don't really know that many bird facts for anything other than my few favorites (Goldfinches and Buntings). I just like looking at them.

I say that I play video games but the only video game I'm remotely good at is Old School Runescape, which I don't think is that cool to say.

Things to Ask me About?

I would love to talk about cooking or food. This could be to give advice, recipe suggestions, food pairings, knife skills - ask me something as simple as how to scramble an egg and I'd be happy to share my technique.

In regards to the Academy, I will say that I'm Legacy and so I never actually enlisted. If you're thinking of going down that path at your own branch, I worked at the University of mine as a librarian for maybe five years, so I got a good perspective as to what the process looks like. I'm open to offering insight and tentative guidance if you aren't weird.

Scott says I should mention that I'm also a birthright. He's really the one that has more authority to talk about that since he actually grew up in a witch town, but apparently he has a lot of opinions on how I should do this for someone who barely understands how the internet works.

He's watching me type now. Fuck it, you can ask me about Scott too if you want. I assumed I was straight until about a week ago. Now I seem to have bagged myself an ethereal magical boyfriend. He saw me use the voice command on my Pixel and now he makes me say goodnight to my goddamned cell phone before we go to sleep. I love him.

DNI List

I heard admission rates for Academies hit a major spike recently, and I'm just putting it out there that I really would rather not debate anyone super invested in the "mission statement" of their local University. The newer members never seem to realize that the culture of the Academy differs like crazy depending where you are, and because of that there really isn't the kind of centralization they claim exists to Junior Members.

Also - and this might be a divisive take - but I was born into this world. I spent decades of my life in the Academy. I truly do not care about the opinion of someone who trained for two years after joining straight out of high school. I won't block you, but I will send your username and any comments you make to my friend who is far more Anti-Academy than I am (Hi, Katy).

Anyway that's all! I look forward to posting things today and maybe talking to some new people! I hope everyone is nice and not weird and I do not regret this happening!

who is this? why is this happening? check out the pinned post on my blog to learn more!

[agent-raven]

Wilting Petals

Vyn Richter × Reader

Warnings: contains character death

This has been posted here from my Wattpad account -LUKX3-

Vyn stood near your bed silent. The silence was horrifying for you. It scared you so much because it spoke so much about the situation. You looked up with wide eyes at Vyn and saw the soft smile on his face. A smile which didn't reach his eyes. His eyes which were so sad that it made you tear up.

"I am sorry."

Vyn's deteriorating health led him to take health tests and results weren't favorable. Something which one would never expect to happen has happened.

It was the usual normal day for you. Surrounded by all the paperwork in the office you sighed and again started to focus on it but the thoughts in your mind made it impossible for you to think about them. The thoughts in question were about your husband Vyn Richter.

You both had been married to each other happily for three years now. To say that your relationship was going good would be an understatement. It was going great and strong. Vyn never failed to shower you in his love and you too didn't hesitate to show the love you had for your beautiful husband.

Lately, Vyn had been getting sick often. The last time he got sick, it was very extreme and so to make sure of what was affecting his health you both decided that he needed to get a check up. Today, the results of the check up will come in and so your nerves were all worked up. You were praying to God to let the result be okay and that Vyn was just getting seasonal fevers.

After finishing all the work for the day you finally took a breath of partial relief and started to prepare to go home. You got into your car and started to drive towards your home while you had butterflies in your stomach. The anxiety was getting too bad and it looked like that it would not go away until you saw Vyn perfectly healthy. You soon reached home and put in the door password to enter it. Seeing that Vyn's shoes were kept outside you thought that he was home.

"I am home!", you said like usual when Vyn was home and were greeted with the usual "Welcome home" by Vyn. He gave you the same usual smile but somehow it looked different today as if it was trying to hide something. Ignoring the feeling of your gut you went close to Vyn and hugged him.

His embrace felt warm and comforting. You could smell his scent mixed with the cologne he uses everyday. You bury your head in his body and close your eyes. Vyn chuckles at your unusual behavior but doesn't say anything after all he didn't mind you being in his embrace. You brought to him the sweet comfort of home and love. Anyone who would look at you both right now would think of how lovely you both were together.

Vyn put his hand on your head while he still had one arm snaked around your waist. "Why don't you get fresh and till the time I will set out the table for both of us." he said in a soft voice to you. You nodded while still buried into him clinging onto him like a child would to their mother. He chuckled at you again and tells you again to get fresh to which you respond by getting out of his embrace and telling him that you will get fresh soon so that you could help him. And off you went to get fresh.

When you came back after getting fresh Vyn had already set up the dinner table for you two. "Aww, I told you to wait. I wanted to help you set up too." You pouted at him but nevertheless sat down at the dinner table. "Let me do the hard work for today. You are tired after a day of hard work. You can help me next time." Vyn still had the smile he wore whenever he was around you. He looked at you with his loving eyes as if telling you that he loved you just too much. Getting embarrassed about it you turn to your food. " Bon appetite. "

You started to dig into the delicious food made by Vyn and you couldn't help but let out a moan of satisfaction at how good it tasted. "I am telling you Vyn, the meals cooked by you are just so good! I can't help but want more of it." He chuckled at the happy look you had on your face. You both struck up a small conversation on both of your work place these days and when you both didn't have anything to say you would sit in comfortable silence.

You both were finished eating and heading to your bedroom to call it a night. Vyn as always was first recorded about his day and then entered the bedroom. You were still up waiting for him.

"You are still up?" he asked you.

"Well, of course I am..... You got your reports back today right? How was it? Everything.... Is okay, right?" Your voice went from high to low as the sentence ended showing your anxiety. Your head was down all the while you spoke because you were too scared to look up and find the answer from his expressions.

Vyn stood near your bed silent. The silence was horrifying for you. It scared you so much because it spoke so much about the situation. You looked up with wide eyes at Vyn and saw the soft smile on his face. A smile which didn't reach his eyes. His eyes which were so sad that it made you tear up.

"I am sorry."

A look of horror settled on your face. What was he even saying to you!? Why was he saying this!? All these questions revolved in your mind.

"Vyn, if something is wrong then tell. Why are you saying this!? You are scaring me Vyn." Your voice came out breathless and desperate to know about the truth.

Vyn was walking towards where you sat on bed. Upon reaching you, he hugged you tight but this hug just felt wrong. So wrong that now tears were falling down your eyes. Your face was buried in his body, tears streaming down which soaked his shirt wet.

"V-Vyn, please.....tell me. What happened. It's nothing serious, right?" You were trying so hard to console yourself, trying so hard to believe that nothing was wrong with the person you loved.

On the other hand, silent tears fell from Vyn's eyes on seeing your condition. He hated the fact that you were crying because of him. For the first time in his life, he felt so weak and helpless as he did right now. That he couldn't do anything to comfort you.

"I am sorry Y/n that I won't be able to spend my whole life with you. That I will have to leave you alone so soon.... I am terminally ill Y/n."

You looked up to see at his face and it had a painful look of longing on it. Your body trembled as you choked on your tears. Your face was a mess from all the crying and your eyes were swollen and red.

" H-how.... Vyn how di-" You couldn't complete your sentence. It was too much for you to take in. You couldn't help but let out those choked whimpers from your throat. You were trying so hard not to cry but it looked like your eyes won't just listen to you. Tears continued to stream down from them. Snot was coming out from your nose.

That night was a particularly painful one. You don't know how much time you spent in Vyn's embrace just crying and crying and when you fell asleep. Vyn had decided that he will get treated even if the chances to get completely okay were very slim in his case.

You were doing your very best to smile around him and keep him happy. To keep him off from the stress he was experiencing right now but while doing so you had forgotten about your own mental health. So, when Vyn saw you struggling he would tell you to give your mind a rest and focus on yourself too. But, how could you leave him and focus on yourself? You wanted to make him smile and keep him happy till the time you were with him.

Vyn's birthday was coming up soon. You had decided that you were going to give him the best birthday you could ever and so the preparations had started. A nice simple date in your house would be the best you thought, after all, you wanted to spend all of your time with Vyn. Secret dealings and smuggling of things took place whenever Vyn was not at home. You had kept all things hidden somehow in the attic. Vyn didn't ever suspect about the things you were planning for him.

The D-day was finally here. It was a work day for both of you but you had taken a leave without telling Vyn. As usual, you woke up getting ready for work. A goodbye to Vyn and off you went to your office but the only difference was that you didn't really go to office. You had gone to the florists to get white peonies. When the florist asked you for what purpose you were getting them and answered the question she immediately said no to your suggestion.

"White peonies represent regret. Not really something you would associate with birthdays and that also the birthday of your husband. It would be better to go with pink peonies. They represent love, good luck and prosperity."

After buying the pink peonies and thanking the kind florist for her suggestion you went to get the cake. Everything that you needed for his birthday was there with you now. All that was left was to assemble it in your house.

You went home at a time when Vyn wasn't there and was at his work. You started making the preparations. You tried making fancy food for him which didn't turn out as fancy as the ones Vyn would make but nevertheless were happy at how it had turned out. Next was decorating the living room. You went with an elegant look because that's what suited Vyn the most. Arranging balloons and decorative took time because only you were there to do all the work. By the time you were finished it was almost time for Vyn to get home.

Changing into the dress you had prepared to wear today and doing a light make up for the occasion you waited for Vyn to get home. Till the time he wasn't home you checked everything twice. It looked perfect for his birthday.

Finally, the sound of door opening echoed in the house. You quickly went to the door with party popper and popped it on him.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY VYN!"

The startlement on his eyes was as clear as day. You grinned at the rare look that had come across his face and hugged him. Breaking out of his shock, he hugged you back with a sigh and murmured a thank you to you.

On seeing the things you had done for him he couldn't help but break out in a smile. "You didn't have to do all this. Just being beside you today was enough for me." he said with a sigh.

"What do you mean by that? Of course I had to do this. I wanted to make your birthday as special as I could. Now now, lets not waste our time talking. I have prepared many things for you. Go and get fresh! I have laid out the dress for you to wear."

With a kiss on your forehead, he went inside to get fresh. You laid out the food and cake till the time he came out. After coming out from his room, Vyn was greeted with the sight of food and cake in front of him. He gave you a soft smile as you beckoned him to come near the cake to cut it.

He took the knife in his hand and started to cut the cake as you sang the happy birthday song to him.

"Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Vyn

Happy Birthday to you!"

He took the piece he had cut and fed it to you while you also fed him a cake piece and smeared some of the icing on him. You laughed at how he looked and took his pictures. How lovely everything was going for both of you.

You gave him the gift you had prepared, a silver necklace with yarrow flower in it.

"The yarrow flowers represent the love in marriages and also represent healing. I hope that you get well soon Vyn and we continue leading a happy marriage life till we grow old." A soft loving smile rested on your face.

"..... Won't you help me to wear it?"

" I will."

You helped him to wear the necklace." It looks really good you! Hehe, my choice really is good. In necklaces and in husband." You acted smug at this while Vyn laughed at this.

"Of course it is."

You both danced together that night to songs. Laughing, giggling and smiling at each other, carefree of the problems you were facing. It really was one of the happiest nights of both of your lives.

Nine months had passed since Vyn's birthday. Time seemed to flow too fast, not even giving you time to cope up with the things going on around you. At start everything was going okay but slowly and steadily Vyn's health was degrading. He wasn't working at his center anymore. The rounds to the hospital had increased and so had your fear of losing Vyn.

It was as if the universe was telling you that you didn't have much time left to be with him anymore and as if to make it even more clear one day, Vyn's condition degraded so much that he had to be hospitalized.

The doctors had told you that it was time for you to say your final goodbyes to Vyn. That his condition was too bad to be restored back. You trembled in fear at the thought of losing the love of your life.

A few days had passed since Vyn had been hospitalized. You were there with him for the whole day only leaving his side when it was really necessary. You couldn't help but shed tears in secret on the situation you were in right now. You would cry when he was sleeping or more like pretending to be asleep. Vyn knew he was only a guest of few days now. He shouldn't have any regrets but he was having them. Regret on leaving you behind like he was going to. He wanted to spend more time with you. He wanted to be selfish and always be with you till your last breath but looks like the opposite was happening right now and that also too fast. Why was fate so cruel? Why should he leave you behind? Why should he let you be in the pain you were in right now because of him?

He hated himself so much for this. One day at night, as usual you were there right beside him talking to him,reminiscing about your together with each other.

"Yes, I cried so much on our wedding day. Everyone was making fun of me." You laughed.

"And you had so much difficulty in remembering the marriage vows but you at last remembered it." Vyn said with a small chuckle.

"I still remember them you know! I had put in so much dedication in remembering it!"

"Really?" Vyn asked while faking his doubt.

"Really! See, I will recite it right now!"

"You don't need to though." Vyn chuckled at your childishness. His skin which used to glow when he laughed was now deathly pale.

"I, Y/n L/n, take you, Vyn Richter to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow."

Vyn remained silent at your vow.".... I am sorry... For being such a bad husband. I couldn't give you anything you wanted before I was going away." Vyn's throat felt full to brim while saying this.

You were shocked and saddened at what he had just said. "No Vyn, you were the best husband to me. Why are you saying this? You gave me everything I had wished for. Your time, your love, your care, everything. I couldn't have wished for anything better. Why are you saying this? Pls.... It saddens me so much that you are saying such things. Don't blame yourself Vyn... " Somewhere in between while you were saying all this, tears had started to come out of your eyes and on seeing this Vyn had also let go of the dam he had built.

"Then why are you always crying because of me? I have hurt you so much. I am leaving you like this. I hate myself so much that I will be leaving you here all alone."

You shook your head still crying. "How can I not cry when someone I love is leaving me. It's not your fault Vyn... We all have to go through the pain of loss in our lives. I love you very much Vyn. I love you so so much." You kissed his forehead. Your tears dropped down on his face mixing in with his tears.

" I love you too Y/n. I am so sorry for leaving you alone so soon. I hope that I can be with you in our next lives too." He hugged you.

All night you both whispered sweet loving things to each other. Comforting each other,exchanging kisses. It was a night that you would never forget your whole life.

The next morning came. Sun rays shined on your warm body which was sleeping next to the cold lifeless body which had gone into an eternal sleep with a smile on his face. Vyn Richter was proclaimed dead that morning having died in the early hours of morning.

The funeral was soon held with the rituals of Svartian church. Diplomats of the Kingdom of Svart, friends, close ones, Duke of Svart were all present on the day of funeral.

The hall booked for funeral was decorated with white peonies. It was sunny outside despite the gloomy atmosphere which prevailed around you. Last wishes were said all the while you stood still there. Tears had long stopped coming out from your eyes because all of them had already been shed at the hospital. The coffin Vyn was sleeping in was so beautiful and so was the man lying in it. A beautiful smile was on his face which showed how happy he had been in his last moments. He left without any regrets.

You stood there while they buried him deep under the ground clutching onto the yarrow flower necklace you had given to him as his birthday present. At that moment you remembered something.

"Yarrow flower represents marital love and healing but also represents cure for broken heart."

You couldn't help but chuckle at that the irony of your situation. Tears were again flowing down your face.

How is it supposed cure your broken heart when the love of your life had already taken away your heart with him?

-CONTINUE?-

Author's note- Uhm, hello everyone reading this fic. This is my first time posting a fic on Tumblr. If you all want a second part of this fic then do comment because I have a basic concept of what I wanna do. So, bye! Take care you all!

(I am so awkward T-T but I will try to improve. Okay bye for sure now!)

[blujayonthewing]

7, 9, 11, 14 for Felix! [Shaking him like a magic 8 ball]

[cowbell rattling sfx]

7. favorite animal? why?

you know, thinking about it, I feel like this is one of the things we have in common lol-- how are you supposed to pick A definitive favorite animal?? there are so many good animals and they all have completely different merits!

he definitely has a soft spot for squirrels, having grown up with a lot of them around all the time. he really likes crows and pigeons; they're clever and friendly, tremendous gossips, and crows especially tend to have a great sense of humor. he also has a soft spot for rats, for a lot of personal reasons but also just because they're surprisingly intelligent and sweet. and all memeing aside, he really is a pretty major cat guy

9. favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?

to say he 'hates' fish is sort of an understatement; for one thing, he hates fish the same way most westerners hate spiders? which is to say it doesn't even parse as food at all, and the idea of eating it is gross on principle. but also seafood stinks and also (alive) fish are so slimy just-- WHY would you--!! he CANNOT with seafood on so many levels, lmao. he is generally sort of a picky eater-- not because he's particularly fussy, actually, he just has a couple of really strong textural aversions :\ he can't do cooked mushrooms at all (frustrating, there's a lot of mushroom in gnomish cuisine), he has trouble with marbled red meat and would rather just avoid it than fuss with it, he's very particular about eggs, etc

he likes apples, especially if they're really crisp. he likes a good grill cheese, which is maybe more of a comfort food than a 'favorite' food per se. There are definitely very traditional forest gnomish foods like spider or rabbit that he doesn't get to have much anymore, and misses whenever he's in the city for a long stretch of time; he does probably have a distinct favorite food, but I'm not sure exactly what it is yet, haha

11. what do they have in common with you? how are they different? would you get along with them?

LET'S SEE. he loves animals and being outdoors; he draws, and carries a sketchbook (I do this rather less than I used to lol I need to get back into the habit). he's really curious about everything and loves learning and figuring things out. he really likes people and being around people, but doesn't feel like he knows how to interact with others-- he's much worse at people than I am, but we very much share a love of hanging around with other people without being expected or required to be the center of attention or 'participate' in something per se. he's very tactile, although he doesn't act on it as much as I do. he's got a non-zero number of Issues that were not intentional projection but coincidentally ended up aligning with some of my issues, which I'm not going to detail too much, partly to not tell on myself and partly because I'm trying to leave some things for justin to find out organically at the table as a fellow player, lol

he's DEFINITELY more proactive and adventurous than I am. a crucial difference is that he's not ruled by fear of embarrassment-- he's absolutely not immune to embarrassment by any means, he just doesn't let it stop him. on a couple superficial notes, I love seafood the most lmao, and felix does not like dogs. he would love big complex board games and hate ttrpgs (roleplaying would make him too nervous) :') for all my awkwardness, I very often have Can't Shut Up Disease, but he's pretty reserved, thinks a lot of thoughts but generally tries to keep them to himself, and even gets completely silent if he's stressed out enough

we would get along so well it's ridiculous lmao. I can forgive him about the dogs if he can forgive me about the sushi

14. are they any good with numbers?

yeah, I think so! he's got a good memory and a good mind for logic and problem-solving; he doesn't know any advanced mathematics or anything but he's generally Good With Numbers

ask about my OCs :3

[oswaldsleftbicep]

Hello there

Hope you're doing fine? If it's not too much of a bother I would like to ask for some headcanons of married life with the demon Bro's with their mc's (gender neutral)?

married life with lucia, levy, & mefy

i got so excited seeing this ask lemme tell you- also, i wrote this with a more human!au feel as opposed to canon

also, throwback to my proposal hcs, can y'all believe that was two and a half years ago??

genre: fluff

cw: language it's to be expected at this point

Lucia

❧ he's most definitely the breadwinner out of the two of you so he won't mind if you decide to be the trophy spouse; however, if you decide to follow your own career path, he's your number one supporter and most certainly brags about you

❧ omg he's helpless with grocery shopping, please do not send him out on his own. as a matter of fact, don't even take him with you unless you have time to spare cuz mans will get distracted by everything. if for some reason he's the only one able to go run errands, you need to give him the most detailed list ever: brand, exact name of the item, what color container it comes in, etc

❧ can't cook for shit, he just wasn't taught growing up, so most of the food prep comes from you. he'll die before he makes his partner do all the housework, so if you cook then he's washing the dishes

❧ he picks up on other household chores too, most of the time completing them without you having to ask first; he does a great job with it too, but he much prefers to have you help him. he's very much into quality time, so any chance you have to fold laundry or dust the shelves together is taken

❧ just because you're married now doesn't mean dating and celebrating the small stuff comes to an end!! he goes all out for wedding anniversaries, opting to celebrate them biannually at the six months marks. he also remembers when your first date was and when he asked you to be his, and he does a little something special on those days too, like getting you flowers or taking you back to where you had your first date

❧ he likes doing date nights on fridays, usually going to a restaurant or some local attraction like a light show or ice skating. he'll also take you on monthly weekend trips to a different city or to the beach or mountains. as much as he loves going out, he's a big softie for nights in with you doing something like a spa night or game night which can get pretty competitive so watch out lol

❧ he'd definitely want to start a family with you; he grew up with younger siblings so having one or two little ones running around would just be a natural fit for him. because he's so eager for it, the topic is discussed probably before y'all even get married

❧ whether or not you do want kids, he's also keen to getting a pet. he's partial to dogs but will be perfectly fine with any animal you'd like to adopt! be it kids or animals, just having something to raise with you will make him feel fully content in life

❧ when looking for a house, he likes to keep the idea of a growing family in mind and looking for something with enough room and a nice yard to run around in. he's been dreaming of moving into a house with you and combining your belongings and finding the perfect spots for everything. leaves most of the decorating and style choices to you, but best believe he's giving his opinions and being as involved as possible

❧ just imagine painting a room together and getting paint all over each other and play fighting, or spending a late night in a room filled with boxes, eating takeout on the floor, chatting endlessly about the life ahead of you :,)

Levy

❧ in a marriage with him, you'd both have to work to support the finances; he'd probably have some sort of scholarly/academic job or a career in local government, and having one income won't quite be enough to support the two of you comfortably

❧ can't cook very well either, he really did try to learn but he could never get the hang of it and always ends up burning something. much prefers home cooked meals or something on the healthier side, but won't be opposed to some takeout after a hard day at work

❧ he loathes doing housework spoiled brat but he'll be damned if he makes you do everything while he sits back and watches, so he'll take on some of the easier tasks like dusting, folding laundry, or specifically drying the dishes

❧ prefers to only celebrate your annual wedding anniversary, but he makes up for it by going all out and making each one special. he takes his time planning out a trip that would be meaningful for the two of you, or saving up to get a nice gift for you. he also does the same on valentine's day. one thing you'll do on your anniversary tho is pick a book that you've read that the other hasn't, annotate it, and then exchange books to read and add your own annotations to it. there's a bookshelf designated for these books only so they can stay together

❧ he's great with grocery shopping, always remembers what y'all need even without a list. you trust him enough to send him out alone, you know he'll always get the brands you like and what variant you prefer. he's also like incredible at budgeting and finding a bargain which is so necessary in this economy. tries to stick to what's on the list, so if you try to sneak in anything extra he'll give you the mom stare but eventually give in and allow you one (1) treat

❧ prefers nights in over date nights out, so the two of you will often stay on the couch and watch a movie or pick a book and read it together. if these get boring, he also enjoys completing difficult puzzles with you or playing mystery themed games. for out of the house dates, the two of you will often visit historical sites or museums; you frequent these places so often that you probably have memberships to them

❧ y'all likely opt for a modest home that's cozy enough for the two of you until the discussion of starting a family comes about. he'll most likely want kids, but it won't be for a little bit into y'all's marriage. until then, you keep pets to fill the house with a little more life. he's partial to cats or a more independent animal, but won't fight you on getting a dog, although he makes it perfectly clear that you are the one taking care of it

❧ one of the first things he does when you move into your new home is map out where to put your library lmao but other than that, he's actually really helpful in decorating and choosing paint and furniture. his preferred decor style is like a history professor's poorly lit office, so the house can look a bit,, cluttered at times, but the way you set everything up makes it easy for the two of you to navigate

❧ will take any opportunity he gets to call you by his last name or refer to you as his spouse, and he has the most sickeningly sweet expression every time he does

Mefy

❧ the two of you decide to split the finances and each have a career. the funny thing is, though, you have no idea what he does for a living. every time you ask him he's so vague with his answers that you eventually just stop asking. if anyone else asks, you just tell them that he works in an office or does freelancing. sure, it's concerning and quite frankly irritating that he won't tell you,, but you don't think you'd wanna know what he actually does,,

❧ he's not a big fan of running errands- he claims it's because he's too busy but he really just doesn't like the hassle- but if you ask early enough he'll go with you. make him push the cart. he hates it but just manipulate him by saying you're the one who made the list and therefore know what to grab, it's only fair he pushes the cart for you. he is good at finding bargains, tho, as well as hidden gem brands that you've never heard of before but are actually way better than what you've been getting

❧ outright refuses to do the dishes. the most he'll do is load/unload the dishwasher, but that's only if you ask nicely and he's in a good mood. leaves you to do the cooking too, but only early on in your marriage because he just,, doesn't know how to cook. he learns by watching you, but if you don't know how to cook very well either then the two of you will just learn together! it's one of the few sweet domestic moments you have with him regularly. don't worry, he picks up the slack by doing other household chores like dusting, vacuuming, and laundry

❧ he's so weird with anniversaries, even before marriage. he only celebrates the big milestone ones, like wedding anniversary and he'll even continue celebrating your old dating anniversary. he thinks celebrating smaller anniversaries like first kiss or even being married for six months is dumb, but that doesn't mean he forgets about them. instead he'll bring it up casually during dinner and ngl it shocks you that he remembers so much. he opts to plan something small and intimate for anniversaries, thinking that going all out is a waste of energy

❧ the two of you will not call it a day until you've had your nightly debriefing where y'all talk about your day, what went good, what was bad, who said what, etc. this rolls over into your weekly bitch sessions where the two of you stay in, have a self care session, nurse a drink of your choosing, and just straight gossip and speculate

❧ if you want kids, that's gonna have to be a serious discussion with him and there's gonna have to be a lot of planning going into it. he never really saw himself having children, it's very high maintenance, but with time, planning, and a lot of reassurance, he'll grow fonder of the idea. pets are perfectly okay with him, tho he does prefer something on the more cleanly and low maintenance side

❧ when it comes to moving house, he'd prefer something on the smaller side, a great contrast to what he's used to. he'd love an older house too, something with soul and character. he secretly has a blast picking out paint colors and furniture with you, but he's so unbearably picky about everything. he has a very specific set of taste and style, and he's not willing to compromise on much

❧ there's probably gonna be a lot of petty arguing with this one over,, pretty much anything, but it's all in good humor and never with bad intentions. for the most part, being married to him is no different than how it was dating him, only with more responsibility

[mbrainspaz]

✨

In my youth the thought of living my life alone didn't just seem bad, it was inconceivable. Not only was I always around big groups of friends and family, but so much of the way I lived my life; the value I placed on relationships, the standards I held myself to, the late night philosophizing, the photo albums I kept, the journaling, all the little movies I made—it was all built around the imperative of sharing my life with someone special. The other person that society and religion told me I would definitely have someday. I believed back then that I was half of something. I stopped expecting a soulmate as soon as I started dating. I redoubled my attempts at sharing the media of my life with family and friends, as if by witnessing my life experience through my little movies and stories they could somehow fill the void I had built for another soul and validate my existence. To my frustration their clear lack of understanding and their disregard for the things I shared often only highlighted the distance between us and deepened my loneliness. I told myself I was being pathetic for needing attention the way I did but the need to be seen—not just noticed but witnessed in a visceral way I still struggle to even articulate—wouldn't go away.

In time I realized I was already a whole person and this was horrific in it's own way because I still wasn't enough. I had god the whole time too of course, the imaginary friend who supposedly had infinite attention to give. He, of course, was never great with feedback. Neither were any of my other imaginary friends. I turned to the internet and got some small satisfaction from playing the attention games of social media. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of views and little likes from a few friends and the faceless masses were enough to numb the creeping sense of isolation for a while.

In my early to mid 20's I entered such a deep and complete period of loneliness that sometimes I saw my soul floating in a black void. Wether I imagined god there with me there or not didn't particularly matter. This vivid hallucination that tormented me, particularly on days spent alone at my desk or while eating food I had cooked for myself alone, was punctuated by magnesium flares of connection as friends would visit or family would check in on me. Sometimes having their sudden brightness so close stung more sharply than the slow ache of the void. I never had the resources to visit them. Between my poverty and the astronomical cost of travel they might as well have been living in distant galaxies. When they inevitably vanished again and I was left alone I did my best to imagine looking out past the black void to see them shining on like constellations. A whole universe of my little stars. I loved watching their stories too. I wished I could get closer, see every little detail. I longed to see them the way I wanted to be seen, but they were all so far away. I let their presence comfort me as I drifted through space. I turned inward to my stories full of characters with the soul connections I craved.

Then the stars started blinking out. Oh, sometimes new distant lights would appear, beautiful and unreachable, but I could see the vast canvas of space around me getting darker. Some of the oldest stars in the sky were tired of watching me. Some told me they never really cared about me or my stories. They only liked their idea of me, which turned out to be nothing like me at all—a feeble distorted frozen image captured years ago. Did they loose sight of me back then or did they never really try to see me? Just like god being there, did it make a difference either way? If they had really seen me, would it have mattered?

My purpose shifted again but there was nothing to do except keep writing my story where connections were real and keep broadcasting the 24/7 livestream of Me. Send it out with a wink and a thumbs up. I'm doing great. I'm doing fine. I'm not but I'm still making this thing that matters to me. I still exist. Do you? Sometimes while trawling social media for glimmers of old friends a notification would pop up with a message from one of those distant stars. I was noticed, however briefly. I was glimpsed. Still alone but seen. Shining cold and brilliant from afar. A star, not a soul.

[matheotoyoursahrefortheworld]

                 SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT CLASSES The school's second-quarter exams ended, and that meant it was time for a break. From January 24 to January 30, I had a whole week off, and it happened to include my 13th birthday. But my plans for the break didn't quite turn out as I expected.

At first, I thought the break would be a blast. No more studying, no more early mornings. But instead of doing something cool or useful, I mostly just lounged around. I stayed in bed way too much, played a ton of video games, and ate way too many/much snacks. I had thought about doing some research for school during the break, but I never got around to it. Looking back, I can see that I missed out on a chance to make good use of my time.

Well in the first day of our semestral break, we planned to celebrate our fiesta on January 27 and 28. after planning, my cousins, uncle and auntie help us cook and clean the house. After our fiesta, I was very happy to see our cousins that we never saw, because of pandemic and they were very far from home.

On second day, I thought of something new, something fun like making my own ingredient to make food.it is my favorite thing to do while I’m getting bored; the foods that I thought were biscuits and cakes. After making it, the result was very good. I couldn’t  stop eating the food that I made.

On the third day was very boring because they forced me to clean the house for tomorrow. It’s the eve of our patronal feast after our cleaning thing all I did was playing mobile legends. Guess what? I got a winstreak and my rank was epic and turned into legend; my favorite hero was Nana. You see Nana is a leonin and she is the most powerful leonin but she doesn’t know how to use it. Luckily there’s some one leonin who helped her control her magic.

 In the days that followed, things felt pretty ordinary. I couldn't shake this feeling of wanting something more exciting. I thought about going back to my old school, but instead, I just stuck to playing on my gadgets. I really wanted to have some fun, but I didn't know how to make it happen, so I ended up experimenting with different foods again.

Each day seemed to blur into the next, with nothing special happening. I spent a lot of time thinking about the good times I had at my old school. The classrooms were always full of laughter, and the hallways were buzzing with activity. But now, everything felt quiet and lonely.

I tried to distract myself by playing games on my gadgets. It was easy to get lost in the virtual worlds they offered. But deep down, I knew it wasn't really making me happy. It was just a temporary escape from reality.

Then one day, I had an idea. I decided to try my hand at cooking. I had never really done much cooking before, but I figured it might be a fun way to pass the time. So, I gathered up some ingredients from the kitchen and got to work.

I started off simple, with basic recipes that I found online. I made things like spaghetti and meatballs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and chocolate chip cookies. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but as I got more comfortable in the kitchen, I started to have fun with it.

I began experimenting with different flavors and ingredients, trying out new recipes and techniques. Some of my experiments turned out better than others, but I didn't let the failures discourage me. Instead, I saw them as opportunities to learn and improve.

As I spent more time cooking, I found that it was a great way to express myself creatively. I loved experimenting with different flavor combinations and presentation styles. And the best part was getting to share my creations with my family. They were always excited to try whatever new dish I had whipped up, and their encouragement motivated me to keep cooking.

Cooking also helped me to feel more connected to the world around me. Instead of just mindlessly scrolling through my gadgets, I was actively engaging with the world, using my hands and my senses to create something tangible. It was a refreshing change of pace from the digital distractions that had consumed so much of my time.

As the days of the break went by, I found myself looking forward to my cooking experiments more and more. It became a highlight of my day, something to break up the monotony of the endless hours spent at home. And even though the break eventually came to an end, my newfound love of cooking stayed with me.

After those days all I did in my brothers apartment was eat many foods and play mobile legends again because it is boring but the worst of all, the internet! The internet was so slow I couldn’t even watch my favorite video my story animated (MSA) I was about to cry but I didn’t.

As the days of the break went by, I couldn’t help but think about my best friends Nash Ivor T. Bacani, Lia Venisse M. Cabasag, Oscar G. Basya, Raissa Palalay, and Ma Nina Gabiran. You see they are seriously my best friends anyone could ask for. They were always been there for me.

As the break continued, I started feeling kind of bad about how I was spending my time. So, I decided to change things up.

Looking back, I’m very lucky and grateful for the break and all the memories I made. It wasn't perfect, but it taught me some important lessons. And I'm ready to take on whatever comes next, with Nash by my side every step of the way. Because of it I will never forget all the moment and the time that break gave me to spend it all with my family.

[megamobilestylesposts]

Quarantine Weight Loss Tips to Get Back to Your Pre-Pandemic Body

Are you like millions of others who gained unwanted weight during the pandemic? We’ve got quarantine weight loss tips to get you back to your old self!

Tips To Successfully Complete Your Quarantine Weight Loss Journey

Completing a quarantine weight loss journey takes a lot of motivation and willpower.

Maybe it was the increased stress, the closing down of your gym, or just a complete lack of motivation. Or maybe you were already a bit bigger and the pandemic motivated you to try and live a healthier lifestyle. No matter the reason, we’re here to help you successfully start your quarantine weight loss journey to get you looking and feeling the way you deserve!

Use a calorie tracker

First thing's first — fad diets aren’t going to cut it in the long run. There is one way to lose weight correctly, and that is by counting calories. There are plenty of free calorie trackers out there, like Myfitnesspal, that offer tracking for calories, macro nutrients, micro nutrients, water intake, and exercise. These types of tools are ESSENTIAL to a successful quarantine weight loss journey, as it will allow you see when you are over or under eating.

Every person is different, and we all have varying activity levels that can affect our weight loss goals. Trackers can take into account how much you move throughout the day to give you an approximation of what you need to eat at your current daily activity levels, which you can then monitor and adjust as the scale does.

Eat foods you enjoy

A big reason people fail to lose weight is because they decide to “go all in,” or basically go “cold turkey” when they stop eating junk food. The motivation is clearly there, but weight loss isn’t to be treated like quitting drugs or alcohol. You can’t be expected to just fix your habits overnight, you have to adjust and figure out what works best for you.

Cutting out all of your favorite foods from your diet will only resort in boredom and a lack of motivation to keep going further down the line. “Why look good if I can’t enjoy my favorite snacks?”

That doesn’t have to be true. We can keep eating the foods we love, as long as we moderate them and also include some that are healthier for us. Some of our favorite fast food places, like Chipotle or Yoshinoya offer great low-calorie meals that have a good amount of protein and carbs to fuel your body. You need to find a diet that can fit into your calorie goal, while also providing clean energy throughout the day with foods that you like to cook/eat. This may sound hard, and it can be, but weight loss is a journey that takes time and effort, and hopefully something that can lead to an overall healthier lifestyle. So all of the work you put into your diet will definitely be rewarded in the long run.

Discover which form of fitness you enjoy

Here’s the thing about exercise: it will not be the reason you lose weight. That's what the calorie trackers are for. However, exercise is going to be more of a supplement for your diet that allows you a few extra calories to eat throughout the day. And overall, it’s good for your body to be doing some form of movement every day.

This movement doesn’t have to be strenuous. It can be as simple as walking during your breaks at work, or taking your dog for their daily walks. As long as it gets you up and moving for around 30 minutes a day.

If you want to go a bit more intense, there are tons of at-home exercise routines, like Insanity, that provide great bodyweight exercise you can do in the comfort of your own living room, or you can purchase some gym equipment like some free-weights and a treadmill. Whatever you can stick with and enjoy, pick that!

One thing about exercise that is worth mentioning, is that the only realistic way to gain muscle mass and and more muscular physique, is to lift weights and progressively overload your body with heavier weights overtime. While this may not be your current fitness goal, it is worth knowing so you can have realistic expectations about your quarantine weight loss journey.

Invest in gym clothes you like

There is something so special about buying a new outfit and loving how you look in the mirror. Doing this with gym clothes can motivate you to actively want to show off your new outfits at the gym, track, or trail. It may seem a bit silly, but if an outfit can spark your motivation to step into the gym and move around- then why not?

There are some great brands that offer stylish, fun fitness clothes such as Gymshark, Alphalete, Kinda Fit Kinda Fat, Darc Sport, and many more! Try finding some brands that offer gym clothes that fit your style to add some motivation to your workouts!

Track your progress

Whether you only need to lose five or 50 pounds, it is important that you track everything you're doing so you can make sure you're going in the right direction. Also, seeing the scale go down week by week will only give you more motivation to stay on track! Try taking a couple of selfies in a certain outfit that you can repeat every other week or so. After a couple of weeks or months, compare all the selfies you’ve taken whenever you feel like you’re not making any progress. The pictures will be a clear reminder of how far you've come!

If you are weight training or doing some type of cardiovascular training such as running, it is also important to keep track of your progress here, as well. Numbers in the gym and on the track/treadmill can serve as reminder of how your diet and fitness routine are both important to your overall goals. If your bodyweight is going down, but you’re getting significantly weaker or slower in the gym, then it may be time to evaluate what foods you’re putting into your body or if you’re eating too little. If it isn’t diet related, it may be that you’re not getting enough sleep or your stress levels may a bit higher than usual. Be sure to evaluate all aspects of your physical and mental health regularly!

Remember why you started

One of the most important things to consider when losing weight is the “why?”

We all have a reason for starting our fitness journeys — some are more health related, while others may just be for vanity, which is totally valid! No matter the reason, there are going to be times where you wake up and do not want to eat the food you prepared overnight, or you do not want to put your running shoes on. There will be days where you look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Why am I even doing this?” This can be extremely hard to overcome. Those days are the times you need to remember why you started your weight loss journey, and if that reason is still as important to you as it was when you started it.

If you can power through those tough days and stay strong when your mind is against you, then there is truly nothing that can stop you from reaching your goals!

Don’t feel discouraged if you see that you’ve gained a bit of weight over the course of the pandemic. You’re in the same boat as millions of other people who are struggling to shed those pounds off, and you can succeed with the right motivation and attitude! Be sure to follow the quarantine weight loss tips above to stay on track!

[unravelingthepages]

Tweet Cute- Good/Bad/Average?

Hi! Tweet Cute by Emma Lord was a book that I read and enjoyed, but one I didn’t love. So to answer the question, I’ll say it was good, but not my favorite.

There were cute moments, and funny moments but honestly the book could have been so much better.

The Plot

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate- people on the internet are shipping them??– their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

Why you should read it

Pepper and Jack’s relationship. They have funny and cute moments and it’s sweet. It’s YA and about teenagers and it’s just great.

Pepper’s sister. Honestly, I get her character very well and I’m so happy she decided not to follow their mother like Pepper. I get her resentment and honestly I get Pepper’s viewpoint too of being caught up in- between them. She was relatable and I loved that.

The way Pepper stress-cooks and Jack enjoys coding. They both have their loves/ passions and I genuinely just enjoyed that. And I got Jack’s hopelessness and resentment of things just being decided on for him because he’s the “reliable twin”. I felt like he should have gotten more apologies and understanding but oh well.

What made me not that sold on it

I mean, why the entire sub-plot with Pepper’s mother and Jack’s dad? It was frankly not it. There could have been bad blood sure, but stealing someone’s recipe is just plain illegal for one (if you have a patent which I’m assuming was there) and two, so so morally wrong (and a personal ick). It didn’t go well with the story nor did it contribute much to it.

The falling in love or talking to each other through three platforms? It’s a bit much and although would have made a great storyline, didn’t make sense. There’s no way they could have stayed anonymous to each other for so long with all the near saves. Maybe I would have loved the triple storyline if it was done differently?

Lastly, I really wasn’t too sold on the entire family life of Pepper and Jack. I felt like the story ended abruptly and I wanted more angst or regret from the parents I don’t know something? (note- it’s not an abusive situation in both cases.)

All-in-all, it seems like while there are a few good points in the story, it very much wasn’t for me. Maybe you’ll end up enjoying it more? Let me know what you thought if you’ve read Tweet Cute!

If you’re planning on purchasing this read, please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase it. It would be at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thank you!

purchase this read: https://amzn.to/3IpkZZW

bringing a book with me everywhere I go for comfort and to ensure that I can avoid social interaction at all times <3