#i do like soda on occasion. but not coke or pepsi i'm more of a dr pepper guy (superior)

[aromantic-diaries]

Post number 69420 about the bi to aspec pipeline but it's like saying you don't have a preference for either coke or pepsi and later learning that just you don't really like soda

[sodajerking]

Dr Pepper Creamy coconut

Okay so the lady at the food truck by my apartment has started to recognize me. I was there to get chai with my friend hours before I bought this drink and she said "what no sandwich?" And I had to sheepishly confess that I was coming back later that evening for a sandwich and butter chicken fries. I'm not sure if I want to be recognized for my food truck addiction but I can't help that I am drawn to 10$ street food like a moth to a spitting flame.

And on the subject of allure that seems to surpass free will, I am also drawn to dr Pepper limited edition flavours.

Regarding dr Pepper, I've expressed this in the past but I do not consider it an alternative to coke or Pepsi and resent it's inclusion in such arguments. Dr Pepper has loftier ambitions than being a mere cola, it has a fruity cherry sweetness hidden amongst those 23 flavours, and teases with a subtle creaminess of a root beer without daring to be so boldly medicinal. Of the more readily available soft drinks, it's easily one of the best, and was my cherished source of many calories in college. I refuse to try diet dr pepper because I sincerely worry that it's lustrous flavour is delicate stack of gold foils that would collapse by the wind of aspartame.

But I digress; needless to say, I will try any new iteration of the good doctor, simply because I strongly believe that on the rare occasion the cocacola corporation dares to play with such a perfect recipe, it is never a mere novelty but a careful consideration of precisely what concoction of syrups will be most harmonious with those 23 flavours.

This can was no exception. The slight creaminess of original doctor pepper plays so perfectly off the coconut that you'd think there was some kind of fat in this drink, as other coconut sodas I've mentioned in the past have done for their creaminess, but no oils are found swimming in it's depths. I would only critique the fact that the coconut taste here is muted by the dr pepper taste. I happen to love coconut so I wish it was stronger, but i do worry that making it stronger would make this an altogether different drink so perhaps it's already perfect.

S tier though not as good as the 3$ food truck chai

[burgundybmw]

Fast Times at Family Video

Pairing: Robin Buckley x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3,112

Warnings: Brief mention of period typical homophobia (not directed at Robin, this is very fluffy!)

Summary: There's this girl that comes in once a week to rent Fast Times at Ridgemont High. She always peruses the shelves, sometimes grabbing other films, but Fast Times is always in the stack.

In other words, Robin has a crush, Steve plays wingman, and the pretty girl in the fruit themed sundresses might pick up something more than a cheesy high school movie.

Author's Note: Sorry to Vickie, but it had to be done.

Part Two: Lemonheads

Despite it being early March, a sudden heat wave has spread its iron grip over the town of Hawkins, Indiana. The AC inside the Family Video is on its last leg, and both Robin and Steve are counting down the seconds until their shift ends. It's Sunday, and barely any customers have come in. It looks like the video store is gonna be deserted for the rest of the evening. But, Robin is patiently waiting for someone. Someone who always comes in on Sunday, every week like clockwork.

"I think it's going to be kiwi this time." Steve announces from one of the isles, slowly stacking the shelves to kill time.

"What?" She had no idea how long Steve had been talking to her, too preoccupied with staring at the front door. It's only three hours till closing time, so it's too early to be worried she wont show up. But she usually comes in the mornings, her She-Ra thermos in hand. Always tea, never coffee. Robin has spent way too much time trying to read the impossibly small font on the tag each times she comes in. On the rare occasion she makes an afternoon visit, it's usually a can of soda in her hand. Pepsi, never Coke.

"Kiwi, I think she's gonna be in a Kiwi get up this time." He responds for a second time.

"Who are you talking about?" Steve rolls his eyes and lazily walks towards the front desk, clearly fed up with Robin's lack of attention on him.

"As if you don't know, you've been staring at the front door for the past 30 minutes. I think you've blinked only 7 times, you're gonna need eye drops if you keep that up." Robin rolls her eyes, noticing they were dryer than usual. She'd never admit Steve was right though. Suffering with dry eyes it is.

"I have not be staring-"

"Yes you have don't lie. You and I both know that Y/N comes in every Sunday in her fruit salad dress to rent Fast Times at Ridgemont High. You stare at her like a weirdo-"

"Hey!"

"Don't interrupt." Robin huffs, not liking the taste of her own medicine she gave Steve back at Scoops Ahoy. "Anyway, you stare at her like some weirdo and then she comes by to check out, you either A: don't say a word and let this awkward silence drag on or B: you have word vomit and talk the girls ear off."

"What does that have anything to do with Kiwis?" She doesn't give Steve enough credit sometimes, how much he notices. Robin spent most of her youth doing everything within her power to not be too noticed. Popular enough to not be lonely, isolated enough to not draw attention to herself. It's a careful balance that she has crafted over the years, and Steve always manages to throw a wrench into things in her life.

"That's what I'm guessing she's gonna come in with this week. Last week you went on and on over her strawberry sundress, and the week before it was lemon, and before that it was blueberry-"

"Fruit salad dresses. Yes. Got it. Noted." She barks out, cheeks growing uncomfortably red.

"Yea and she always matches it with a necklace-"

"Earrings. She matches the earrings not necklace."

"Earrings, whatever. Quite honestly I don't understand how one person can have so much fruity themed attire... unless-" She knows where this is going, and doesn't like it at all.

"Don't even start Steve." Robin walks to the backroom, not wanting to listen to his theories anymore. Keith left some paperwork they've been procrastinating on. No better time than the present to get it done.

"Maybe she's more into cherries than bananas, or likes both cherries and bananas. I know for a fact she likes cherries, no girl who rents Fast Times at Ridgemont High every week and returns it at 53 minutes and 5 seconds doesn't like cherries!" Steve quickly follows behind Robin, abandoning the front desk all together.

"What are you even talking about Steve? Cherries?"

"It's code Robin. Cherries are boobies"

"Ugh don't say boobies." Robin rolls her eyes, grabbing paperwork from the back and walking towards the front desk. A much needed distraction from Steve.

"But it's true! You like boobies, I like boobies, Y/N likes boobies!"

"Y/N does NOT like boobies Steve. You're out of your mind." Robin is reshuffling the same stack of paper over and over again. Trying to look busy, maybe Steve will drop it now. She can't focus on updating inventory if he's talking her ear off.

"Ugh yea, she does. The pause times don't lie Robin. I don't know why you don't just ask her out." Robin knows he means well, but he just doesn't understand. If it wasn't for that Russian truth serum she never would have told Steve that she was gay, especially after he admitted his crush on her. She was lucky that Steve is such a great guy, because if he were anybody else, she could have been outed to all of Hawkins. Being gay in Indiana is not all sunshine and rainbows, and her life would be living hell if anybody knew. If she asked Y/N out, best case scenario she turns her down gently, and keeps her secret. Worst case, Y/N tells everyone and Robin waltzes into Hawkins High with carpet muncher spray painted over her locker.

There were rumors that Terry Johnson, a senior when Robin was a freshman, was gay. Apparently she was caught with some cashier girl behind the gas station near the outskirts of town. Everyday her locker was covered with sharpie, a variety of slurs and graphic depictions of genitals graffitied the space. She ended up dropping out of school and getting her GED, couldn't handle constantly getting harassed by all the Reaganites of Hawkins. Robin couldn't live with that, she can't take the risk.

"No Steve, I will not ask her out"

“But,”

“Drop it Steve.” She knew he was frustrated with her. To him asking out a girl is no big deal, if she says no then he only has a bruised ego to heal. If Robin asks the wrong girl out, she could have bruises more painful than that.

Steve paced around the store, clearly not wanting to drop the conversation. He sighed and slowly dragged himself behind the front desk, wrapping his arm around Robin's shoulder for comfort.

“Look Robin I’m sorry. I’ll let it go, but can you really blame me? I just want my best friend to be happy that’s all.” Robin leaned against his collar bone, allowing herself to sink into him. Despite all of the trauma from last summer, she couldn’t imagine her life without him. It was nice to have at least one person she didn’t have to hide herself from.

The two stayed like that for a moment, before the chime of the front door bell rang. Steve quickly removed his arm from Robin, but not before the girl at the door saw how close they were. Y/N L/N was standing there, in a short white dress with small cherries patterned throughout. She had large cherry earrings on, and some sparkly clips in her hair. Her pouty lips painted red, and blunt nails manicured with bright green nail polish. She had a contemplative look on her face, eyebrows furrowed and eyes quickly switching focus between Steve and Robin.

"Are you guys busy?" Y/N asked, arms crossed against her chest, she gave a pointed to look to Steve before shifting to a shy smile to Robin.

"Not at all, Welcome to Family Video, my name's Steve. How can I help you today?" The rehearsed lines flowing easily out like muscle memory.

"I'm alright, just looking around for now." Y/N headed to the Comedy section of the store, not so subtly eyeing Steve and Robin together. Once she was out of earshot Steve turned to Robin, a big cheesy smile on his face.

"Y/N likes cherries."

"No shit, she's wearing a cherry dress." Steve was shaking his head, hair flopping around like an over excited golden retriever.

"No, Y/N likes cherries." Steve winked. Robin rolled her eyes, not this again.

"Steve-"

"No listen. Did you see the look on her face? She was jealous!" Robin scoffed, but her heart started to beat a bit faster in her chest.

"If she was jealous, and I'm not saying she was, it was probably about you." She really wished he would just drop it, let her yearn in silence. She didn't want to hope he could be right. Hope was a dangerous thing.

"No Robs. She wasn't jealous of you, she was jealous of me. You didn't see the stink eye she gave me?"

"You're imagining things."

"And you're in denial, smooth sailing the S.S. Robin to Cabo."

"Cabo?" Robin asked, not sure where he was going with this.

"The city in Egypt? You know the Nile River? Denial, The Nile?"

"That's Cairo, dingus" Steve rolled his eyes. Steve scoffed, he graduated from high school already, didn't need a geography lesson. He suddenly jumped over the counter, eyes alight like he was about to charge into battle.

"You know what, I'm gonna prove it to you!" Steve jogged over to where Y/N was, giving Robin a thumbs up as he left.

"Steve! Steve! Shit." He either didn't hear her or just completely ignored Robin's protests. With Steve it could go either way. Robin pretended to reorganize the stack of paper as she looked at Steve talking to Y/N. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but by Steve's body language she could tell he was laying it on thick. Robin was gonna kill him. She began furiously shuffling the paperwork, not paying attention to her surroundings. She didn't notice that someone had walked to the front of the desk.

"Um, excuse me?" Robin whipped her head up and promptly dropped the stack she was holding. One of the papers slicing into her pointer finger.

"Ow, god I hate paper cuts." Blood started to pool at the top of her finger, pain radiating down the length of it. Robin may have fought inter-dimensional monsters last summer, but paper cuts were her one true enemy.

"Oh no! Are you okay?" Y/N asked in concern, her cherry lips pulled into a frown.

"Me? Oh yea I'm good. Totally fine. It's just a small cut. I don't have like, sickle cell anemia or anything. So I won't like, bleed to death because my blood can't coagulate. My blood coagulates just right. My pediatrician says I have excellent blood pressure." Y/N giggled at Robin's rambling, and she just begged her mouth to just. stop. talking.

"Would you like a bandaid?" Y/N asked, eyes glittering under the fluorescent lights. She was so nice, and pretty, and Robin was just standing there bumbling like a fool.

"Um, yea, if you have one to spare, I guess." Y/N nodded and started searching her wicker bag. Robin saw Steve waving his arms at the corner her eye. She turned her head to look at him to see him mouthing something.

"What?" Robin couldn't understand what he was saying.

"She. Wants. Nothing. To. Do. With. Me." He says, as if that's any indicator that Y/N bats for the same team. His game wasn't as good as it used to be when he wore the title of King Steve.

"So?" Steves eyes were bugging out of his head. Like him and Robin were speaking two different languages.

"Found one! Some cleaning spray too" Y/N cheered and Robin turned back to face her. "May I?" Robin nodded, her mouth deciding to finally listen to her brain and shut up. Y/N smiled and sprayed some disinfectant on the cut, then opened up the bandage to wrap around her finger.

"There you go! All better... Ya know my mom always said that kissing a paper cut makes you heal faster, maybe you can ask your boyfriend to do that?" Robin couldn't understand the look on Y/N's face. Like she was searching for something.

"Boyfriend? Me? Ha! No. No boyfriend for me. Noooope." Y/N smiled then, pleased with her answer.

"So you're not with that Steve guy?" Robin laughed, if she got a dollar for every time someone thought she was dating Steve she could finally afford to buy a new bike.

"No, we're friends. Totally platonic, with a capital P!" Y/N's smile got bigger and Robin was totally not dying a bit inside. Totally.

"Cool um, can you check me out? I mean, check these out. The movies, not me. You know what I mean." Y/N stammered out.

"Yeah, uh can do." Steve was hiding behind a cutout of Molly Ringwald, silently begging Robin to keep the conversation going.

"Fast times?" Robin asked, noticing the movie was on the top of stack as usual.

"Ugh yea it's my favorite I rent it all the time."

"Every Sunday!" Robin blurted out, instantly regretting it. It sounded less creepy in her head.

"What?" Y/N's head tilted to the side, and Robin wished the mind flayer would come back and go all Invasion of the Body Snatchers on her. At least then she might have some cool left in her.

"Ugh, Sunday. You come in every Sunday to rent it. I ugh, noticed it. Um, you never finish it all the way through though. It's always stopped at 53 minutes and 5 seconds when you bring it in. Did you not like the ending? I do that sometimes. With movies. I always stop the Rocky Horror Picture show right before Dr. Frank N. Furter gets shot with the laser gun. He was my favorite character, and there's only so many times you can watch your favorite character die before you get sick of it. Shit, I totally just spoiled the ending for you didn't I!" Robin was drowning, she could feel the pressure in her chest. She was absolutely blowing it. Now Y/N probably thinks she's a loser. She's definitely never coming back to Family Video again.

To Robin's major surprise, Y/N laughed. It wasn't the I'm totally making fun of you right now kind of laugh, it was a genuine laugh, like she thinks Robin is actually funny.

"No worries, I've seen Rocky Horror. Funny enough, I actually play Janet Weiss at the live show every Halloween." Robin was flabbergasted. She's been to that show before, but she didn't recognize her.

"Really? I've seen it, last Halloween actually. I had no clue that was you." Y/N giggled, twirling the strap of her bag around her finger.

"Yea, you probably wouldn't recognize me with the wig and makeup I have to put on. Did you like the performance?" Robin did like the performance. A lot.

"Yea you were excellent! Definitely deserved a Tony for Touch-A Touch-A Touch-A Touch Me." Y/N ducked her head down for a moment, covering her face with her hand. Robin hoped she didn't embarrass her, she really meant it. That performance alone was the highlight of her Halloween, for a number of reasons.

When Y/N looked up again, her smile was gone. A nervous look replacing it on her face, Robin couldn't help but miss it.

"I know this might be weird, but I ugh, was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime, maybe? Pretty in Pink is showing at the theatre, and I don't know about you but I'm a big fan of Molly Ringwald. I really liked her in Sixteen Candles... almost as much as I like Phoebe Cates..." Y/N wasn't making eye contact now, the graceful twirling of her purse strap replaced with an iron tight grip. Robin was speechless. Holy shit Steve might have actually been right.

The silence was stretching for too long, she knew that. But Robin couldn't move a muscle, her mind racing with all of the possibilities this could lead.

"You know what, um, forget I said anything haha. I think I totally read this wrong..."

"Nope! You didn't! Not at all! She'd love to go! Wouldn't you Robin?" Steve rushed over, knocking over the Molly Ringwald cutout he was hiding behind.

"What?" Robin finally spoke. Her brain deciding to function normally again.

"You. Y/N. Pretty in Pink. Does Friday work for you? Robin has off that day." Steve suggested. She didn't have off that day, but with the amount of times she's had to cover for Steve for his dates, it looks like he's finally paying her back for it.

"Ugh yea, Friday is perfect. Um is that okay with you?" Y/N speaking to Robin now, her pearly smile finally finding its way back.

"Yes! Yes Friday! Friday is great! I um, don't have a car or even a license so I would have to ride my bike there. I don't think it'll rain, if it does I can just bring a jacket or-"

"I can pick you up?" This couldn't be happening. Any second now Robin's alarm was gonna go off and she'd wake up from whatever dream she was in.

"Yea. If it's no trouble..."

"It's no trouble at all! Um, do you have a pen?" Robin raced over to the register, knocking over the pen case that permanently had its place there. She handed Y/N the red marker they used for documenting fees.

"Thank you, may I?" She held out her hand and Robin placed her palm in hers, hoping it wasn't too clammy. Y/N hands were soft, she probably has some fancy hand cream she uses all of the time. No ones hands are naturally that soft. Y/N flipped over Robins wrist and pulled up her sleeve, giving her space to write. Steve grabbed the stack of films Y/N had left, finally cashing her out.

"This is my phone number, I have my own line so you don't have to worry about asking for me. Call me when you get out so I can have your address." She finished the final digit and added a little heart on the end.

"Here are your movies, that'll be $9.50 today." Steve handed Y/N the plastic bag as she searched for her wallet.

"Yea, will do. I'll um- I'll see you on Friday?" Robin stuttered out. Steve handed Y/N her change, and as she walked away she back turned to the two of them, cherry dress twirling around her figure.

"It's a date." The chimes of the front door rang as she walked out, bag in hand and a pep to her step.

"Y/N likes cherries." Steve said, in an i-told-you-so kind of way. Robin laughed, allowing him the win.

"Y/N likes cherries."

A/N 2: If you guys liked this I'll make a part two! As always let me know if you wanna be tagged in any fics. I'm writing for Eddie, Robin, and Steve currently. Will probably add Nancy at some point.